First National Pictures

First National Pictures is a defunct American motion picture production and distribution company. It was founded in 1917 as First National Exhibitors' Circuit, Inc., an association of independent theater owners in the United States, and became the country's largest theater chain. Expanding from exhibiting movies to distributing them, the company reincorporated in 1919 as Associated First National Theatres, Inc., and Associated First National Pictures, Inc. In 1924 it expanded to become a motion picture production company as First National Pictures, Inc., and became an important studio in the film industry. In September 1928, control of First National passed to Warner Bros., into which it was completely absorbed November 4, 1929. A number of Warner Bros. films were thereafter branded First National Pictures until 1936, when First National Pictures, Inc., was dissolved.

Early history

The First National Exhibitors' Circuit was founded in 1917 by the merger of 26 of the biggest first-run cinema chains in the United States. It eventually controlled over 600 cinemas, more than 200 of them first-run houses (as opposed to the less lucrative second-run or neighborhood theaters to which films moved when their initial box office receipts dwindled).

First National (TV series)

First National was a Canadian television newscast, which aired on the Global Television Network's stations in Ontario and Manitoba from 1994 to 2001. It was also seen in Quebec after Global launched there in 1997. The program's anchor was Peter Kent.

Although the newscast aired in only three provinces at most, its format was that of a national newscast, broadcasting national and international, rather than local, news.

On February 9, 2001, following Global's acquisition of the WIC group of stations, First National aired its final broadcast. Global aired WIC's Canada Tonight in its place until Global National debuted on September 4. Kent then moved into a management role with the network; he later left broadcasting to pursue a career in Canadian politics.

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