The film industry or motion picture industry comprises the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking, i.e., film production companies, film studios, cinematography, film production, screenwriting, pre-production, post production, film festivals, distribution; and actors, film directors and other film crew personnel.

Though the expense involved in making movies almost immediately led film production to concentrate under the auspices of standing production companies. Advances in affordable film making equipment, and expansion of opportunities to acquire investment capital from outside the film industry itself, have allowed independent film production to evolve. Hollywood is the oldest film industry of the world and the largest in terms of box office gross and number of screens.

India is the largest producer of films in the world and second oldest film industry in the world which originated around about 103 years ago.In 2009 India produced a total of 2,961 films on celluloid; this figure includes 1,288 feature films. India is the country that produces more films annually and has the largest number of admissions.Indian film industry is multi-lingual and the largest in the world in terms of ticket sales and number of films produced and 5th largest in terms of revenue mainly due to having amongst the lowest ticket prices in the world. The industry is viewed mainly by a vast film-going Indian public, and Indian films have been gaining increasing popularity in the rest of the world—notably in countries with large numbers of expatriate Indians. Indian film industry is also the dominant source of movies and entertainment in its neighboring countries of South Asia. Largest film industry in India is the Hindi film industry mostly concentrated in Mumbai (Bombay), and is commonly referred to as “Bollywood“, an amalgamation of Bombay, which produces around 20% of films in India. The other largest film industries are Telugu cinema, Tamil cinema, Kannada cinema, Malayalam cinema, and Bangla cinema (Cinema of West Bengal), which are located in Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru (Bengaluru), Kochi, and Kolkata are commonly referred to as “Tollywood“(Telugu), “Kollywood“(Tamil), “Sandalwood“(Kannada), “Mollywood“(Malayalam), “Tollywood“(Bangla). The remaining majority portion is spread across northern, western, and southern India (with Gujarati, Punjabi, Marathi, Oriya,{bhojpuri|bihar} Assamese Cinema). However, there are several smaller centers of Indian film industries in regional languages centered in the states where those languages are spoken. Indian films are made filled with musicals, action, romance, comedy, and an increasing number of special effects. The Indian film industry produces more than 1000 films a year. “Bollywood” is the largest portion of this and is viewed all over the Indian Subcontinent, and is increasingly popular in UK, United States, Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia, Africa, the Gulf countries and European countries. The largest film studio complex in the world is Ramoji Film City is located at Hyderabad , India, which opened in 1996 and measures 674 ha (1,666 acres). Comprising 47 sound stages, it has permanent sets ranging from railway stations to temples.