The history of 21st Century Fox from ‘The Sound of Music’ to ‘Avatar’

Walt Disney Co. plans to acquire the film and TV studio and other assets of 21st Century Fox. If approved by regulators, the deal would create an entertainment powerhouse. Here is a look at the rich Hollywood history of the Fox studio.

1915

Hungarian immigrant William Fox founds Fox Film Corp. in Fort Lee, N.J. Soon after, he moves the company to Southern California.

1929

William Fox is injured in a car accident and loses most of his money in the stock market crash. The next year he is ousted as head of Fox Films.

1935

Fox Films merges with 20th Century Pictures, which had been founded two years earlier by Darryl F. Zanuck, Joseph Schenck, Raymond Griffith and William Goetz. The new company becomes 20^th Century Fox.

1935-38

The company profits as its child star Shirley Temple reigns as the most popular movie performer for four consecutive years.

1940s

Under the leadership of Zanuck, the studio produces such films as 1941's "How Green Was My Valley" and 1947’s "Gentleman's Agreement," both of which win the best picture Oscar.

1950s

With TV threatening the movie business, 20th Century Fox acquires the rights to the large-screen format Cinemascope and pays to have theaters equipped to play the large-format films. Zanuck exits as head of the company in 1956.

1960s

Big-budget films such as 1963’s “Cleopatra” threaten to bankrupt the company, but it rallies with hits including 1965's Oscar-winner "The Sound of Music" and 1968's "Planet of the Apes."

1977

Fox’s “Star Wars” is released and leaps to No. 1 in all-time box-office rankings.

1981

With revenue slumping, 20^th Century Fox is bought by oil magnate Marvin H. Davis and commodities trader Marc Rich for $720 million.

1985

Australian media mogul Rupert Murdoch buys 20^th Century Fox and makes it part of his company, News Corp. The same year, Murdoch acquires six big-city television stations as the basis for launching the Fox TV network, which airs such shows as “The Simpsons” and “Melrose Place.”

1996

News Corp. launches Fox News Channel.

1998

Fox and Paramount Pictures release “Titanic,” which shatters box-office records and wins the Oscar for best picture.

2007

News Corp. buys Wall Street Journal publisher Dow Jones & Co.

2009

Fox releases James Cameron’s groundbreaking 3-D film “Avatar.”

2011

The British tabloid paper News of the World, owned by News Corp., is closed after a scandal involving phone hacking.

2013

News Corp. divides into two entities. One, 21^st Century Fox, takes ownership of the TV networks and the 20^th Century Fox movie studio. The other, News Corp., takes the newspaper and book business.

2016-17

The company pays $20 million to settle a sexual harassment suit by former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson against her ex-boss, Roger Ailes. Seven months later, Fox host Bill O’Reilly is fired after sexual harassment complaints.