Since the dawn of the 20th century, Hollywood has emerged as the unparalleled epicenter of the global entertainment industry, specifically through its mastery of the motion picture. While various studios, cinematic trends, and golden eras have come and gone, Tinsel Town has remained a constant beacon of creativity and innovation, expanding both in size and influence since filmmakers first migrated to the West Coast of the United States in 1911.

From its inception, major studios have been powerhouses of film production, consistently releasing dozens of feature films each year. These productions often generate millions, if not billions, in box office earnings. In the early days, these dominant studios even operated their own cinemas, ensuring they could monopolize the screening of movies. However, alongside these giants, independent filmmakers have always carved out their own niche. Since the establishment of United Artists in 1919, independent creators have produced a significant share of Hollywood’s cinematic output.

Although independent films currently capture a smaller portion of the market in terms of box office revenue, streaming platforms have increasingly become champions of these non-mainstream productions. Today, there are more independent filmmakers than ever before, many of whom manage to bring their projects to life in Hollywood or secure financing through Hollywood connections.

Indie and arthouse studios play a crucial role in the film industry by contributing a substantial percentage of the total number of movies made each year. Despite operating with far smaller budgets than major studios, these smaller entities helped push the total number of films released by American and Canadian filmmakers to over 500 last year. This marked the first time such a milestone was achieved since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Out of these 500 films, only 96 were produced by major studios.

This figure is still modest compared to Hollywood’s peak production rate in the 1920s and 1930s when approximately 800 films were released annually. Unlike today, when many small films are made without the backing of an independent studio, nearly all Hollywood movies during that golden era were produced through a cohesive studio system.

Historical records from sources like the Los Angeles Times indicate that this 800-film average included more than just Hollywood productions. For instance, 35 years ago, it was reported that 1939 was considered Hollywood’s greatest year for movie releases, with 365 films hitting cinemas and generating $80 million per week.

Estimations suggest that during that period, nearly half of the cinematic works released in North America were produced in Hollywood. Today, this proportion has decreased even further. Consequently, if we were to estimate the total number of films released in Hollywood’s history, it is likely that they constitute about half of all movies ever released in the US and Canada.

The pandemic-induced low of 333 movies released in cinemas was only slightly lower than the 371 movies released around the turn of the century. This indicates that the average number of films released annually in North America is significantly lower than the 800 figure often cited for Hollywood’s golden age. It may even be less than the 504 movies released last year.

A median figure of around 500 films per year seems reasonable for estimating overall annual averages. Assuming that approximately 44% of these releases are tied to Hollywood—splitting the difference between last year’s 42% studio releases and the 46% from Hollywood in 1939—we can arrive at a fairly accurate estimate.

Based on these calculations, rounding to the nearest thousand, the total number of Hollywood movies ever released is approximately 25,000. This is a remarkable achievement for what was once a tiny village on the outskirts of Los Angeles just over a century ago.