What happens at the start of a film ?

The first thing that is displayed on the screen when watching a film is usually the  distribution and production company this could be companies like Walt Disney, Universal etc.

After we see the two companies the name of the movie will appear before the actual movie starts and the name of the characters may appear on the screen.

Furthemore, in the beginning of a film you are introduced to the key characters a good example of this is shown in the movie 'Now You See Me'

We are introduced to all the magicians in the opening scene ; Jesse Dave, Woody & Isla this allows us to know who the key characters are and who we will be viewing the most in the movie. It also gives us an idea of what the movie is about.