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20th Century-Fox also had two big science-fiction hits in the decade: ''[[Fantastic Voyage]]'' (1966), and the original ''[[Planet of the Apes (1968 film)|Planet of the Apes]]'' (1968), starring [[Charlton Heston]], [[Kim Hunter]], and [[Roddy McDowall]]. ''Fantastic Voyage'' was the last film made in [[CinemaScope]]; the studio had held on to the format while [[Panavision]] lenses were being used elsewhere.
Zanuck stayed on as chairman until 1971, but there were several expensive flops in his last years, resulting in 20th Century-Fox posting losses from 1969 to 1971. Following his removal and replacement by Dennis Stanfill as chairman, and after an uncertain period, new management brought 20th Century-Fox back to health. Under president [[Gordon T. Stulberg]] and production head [[Alan Ladd, Jr.]], 20th Century-Fox films connected with modern audiences. Board chairman Dennis Stanfill used the profits to acquire resort properties, soft-drink bottlers, [[Hoyts|Australian theaters]] and other properties in an attempt to diversify enough to offset the boom-or-bust cycle of picture-making.
Foreshadowing a pattern of film production still yet to come, in late 1973 20th Century-Fox joined forces with Warner Bros. to co-produce ''[[The Towering Inferno]]'' (1974),<ref>{{cite web |last=Anderson |first=Erik |date=September 28, 2013 |title=Best Supporting Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures' Track Record in the Best Supporting Actor Category |url=http://awardswatch.com/predictions/best-supporting-studio-warner-bros-pictures-track-record-in-the-best-supporting-actor-category/ |access-date=April 29, 2016 |website=Awards Watch |location=United States}}</ref> an all-star action blockbuster from producer [[Irwin Allen]]. Both studios found themselves owning the rights to books about burning skyscrapers. Allen insisted on a meeting with the heads of both studios and announced that as 20th Century-Fox was already in the lead with their property it would be career suicide to have competing movies. Thus the first joint-venture studio deal was struck. In hindsight, while it may be commonplace now, back in the 1970s, it was a risky, but revolutionary, idea that paid off handsomely at both domestic and international box offices around the world.
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