A '70s Disaster Movie Was So Epic That Two Rival Studios Teamed Up To Make It

Published: Monday, January 19, 2026 at 1:00 pm

Hollywood History: When Rival Studios United for a Blockbuster

In a rare display of collaboration, two major Hollywood studios, Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox, joined forces to produce a single disaster film in the 1970s. This unusual partnership stemmed from a shared concern about competing projects with similar themes.

The situation arose when both studios independently planned to produce disaster movies set in burning high-rise buildings. Warner Bros. had acquired the rights to Richard Martin Stern's novel "The Tower," while 20th Century Fox was developing a project based on Thomas N. Scortia and Frank M. Robinson's novel, "The Glass Inferno." Both films were expected to be expensive productions, raising the possibility that they would cannibalize each other's box office success.

To mitigate this risk, producer Irwin Allen, known for his work in the disaster genre, proposed a solution: a co-production. Allen suggested adapting both novels into a single film, "The Towering Inferno." The studios agreed to split the production costs equally. Fox would handle domestic distribution, while Warner Bros. would manage international releases and television rights.

This agreement allowed Allen to create a large-scale movie with a substantial budget of $14 million, a significant sum at the time. This financial backing enabled the production to attract major Hollywood stars and deliver impressive visual effects. While the technical aspects of the production went smoothly, the director faced challenges managing the behavior of the film's leading actors.

BNN's Perspective: The story of "The Towering Inferno" offers a fascinating glimpse into the business side of Hollywood. The studios' decision to collaborate, driven by financial prudence, ultimately resulted in a memorable film. This approach highlights the potential for cooperation even in a competitive industry, especially when faced with the risk of mutually assured financial losses.

Keywords: Hollywood, film, movie, disaster, The Towering Inferno, Warner Bros, 20th Century Fox, Irwin Allen, co-production, box office, budget, distribution, collaboration, studios

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