Sony Pictures

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Sony Pictures Group
Formerly
Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc. (1987–1991)
Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. (1991-2020)
Company type
Division
IndustryEntertainment
FoundedDecember 21, 1987 (36 years ago) (1987-12-21) as Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc.
August 7, 1991 (32 years ago) (1991-08-07) as Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc.
Headquarters10202 West Washington Boulevard, ,
United States
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Tom Rothman (Chairman)
ProductsMotion pictures
Services
RevenueIncrease US$9.133 billion (FY2017)
Increase US$376 million (FY 2017)
OwnerSony Group
Number of employees
est. 3,500 (2016)
ParentSony Media Group
Divisions
Subsidiaries
Websitesonypictures.com

Sony Pictures Group (known simply as Sony Pictures and abbreviated as SPE; formerly Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.) is an American entertainment company that produces, acquires and distributes filmed entertainment (theatrical motion pictures, television programs, and recorded videos) through multiple platforms. It is operated as a subsidiary of Sony Entertainment Inc., which is itself a wholly owned subsidiary of the Tokyo-based multinational technology and media conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. it encompasses Sony's motion picture, television production and distribution units. Its group sales in the fiscal year 2017 (April 2017 – March 2018) has been reported to be $9.133 billion. SPE is a member of the Big Five and the Motion Picture Association (MPA).

Sony Pictures' film franchises include The Karate Kid, Ghostbusters, Spider-Man, Jumanji, Stuart Little, Men in Black, Underworld, Robert Langdon, The Smurfs (via Peyo), Sniper, Hotel Transylvania, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and many more.

History[edit]

On September 1, 1987, The Coca-Cola Company announced plans to spin off its assets of Columbia Pictures, which it had owned since 1982. Under this arrangement, Coca-Cola would sell its entertainment assets to TriStar Pictures, of which it owned 39.6%. Tri-Star would be renamed as Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc. (CPE), with Coca-Cola owning 49%, its shareholders owning 31%, and Tri-Star's shareholders owning 20%. A new company was formed in early 1988 with the Tri-Star name to take over the studio's operations.

On September 28, 1989, Sony obtained an option to purchase all of The Coca-Cola Company's stock (approximately 54 million shares or 49% of the outstanding shares) in CPE for $27 per share. The next day, Sony also announced that it reached an agreement with Guber-Peters Entertainment Company, Inc. (NASDAQ: GPEC; formerly Barris Industries, Inc.) to acquire CPE for $200 million when Sony hired Peter Guber and Jon Peters to be its co-chairmen. This was all led by Norio Ohga, who was the president and CEO of Sony during that time.

The hiring of Guber and Peters by Sony to run Columbia was conflicted by a previous contract the producers had signed at Warner Bros. Time Warner's chairman, Steve Ross, threatened Sony with a lawsuit for breach of contract. The lawsuit would be subsequently dropped when Sony sold half-interest in Columbia House and cable distribution rights to Columbia's feature films, TV movies, and miniseries to Warner Bros. That same agreement also saw Columbia sell its 35% interest in the Burbank Studios and acquired Lorimar Studios, previously the MGM lot, from Warner Bros.

On October 31, 1989, Sony completed a friendly takeover bid for the rest of shares (51%) of CPE, which was a public company listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: KPE), and acquired 99.3% of the common stock of the company. On November 8, 1989, Sony completed the acquisition by a "short-form" merger of its wholly owned subsidiary Sony Columbia Acquisition Corporation into CPE under Delaware law. Sony also completed a tender offer for shares of common stock of the Guber-Peters Entertainment Company on November 6, 1989 and acquired the company 3 days later. The acquisition cost Sony $4.9 billion ($3.55 billion for shares and $1.4 billion of long-term debt) and was backed (financed) by five major Japanese banks Mitsui, Tokyo, Fuji, Mitsubishi and Industrial Bank of Japan. The company was renamed Sony Pictures Entertainment on August 7, 1991.

The former Sony Pictures logo, which was used from 2002 to 2020.

Sony has since created numerous other film production and distribution units, such as creating Sony Pictures Classics for art-house fare, by forming Columbia TriStar Pictures (also known as the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group) by merging Columbia Pictures and TriStar Pictures in 1998, revitalizing Columbia's former television division Screen Gems. It expanded its operations on April 8, 2005, when a Sony-led consortium acquired the legendary Hollywood studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, in a US$4.8 billion leveraged buyout, through the holding company MGM Holdings Inc.

This in effect re-united the MGM studio name, with the MGM main studio lot, although somewhat confusingly, the bulk of the pre-1986 original MGM library ended up at Warner Bros. via the Ted Turner-Kirk Kerkovian "Turner Entertainment Company" transactions. The post-1986 MGM library consists of acquisitions of various third-party libraries, such as the Orion Pictures catalogue, leading to the MGM version of "Robocop".

On June 4, 2008, SPE's wholly owned group 2JS Productions B.V. acquired Dutch production company 2waytraffic N.V., famous for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, acquired from the original production company Celador, and You Are What You Eat for £114.3 million ($223.2 million in US dollars).

In 2011, the Sony Pictures computer network was breached and approximately one million user accounts associated with the SonyPictures.com website were leaked.

On November 18, 2012, Sony Pictures announced it has passed $4 billion with the success of releases: Skyfall, The Amazing Spider-Man, 21 Jump Street, Men in Black 3, Hotel Transylvania, Underworld: Awakening, The Vow, and Resident Evil: Retribution. On November 21, 2013, SPE and Sony Entertainment's CEO Michael Lynton announced that SPE will shift emphasis from movies to television by cutting its 2014 film slate. It was also announced on the same day, that there will be more Spider-Man sequels and spin-offs, though in February 10, 2015, Sony Pictures eventually signed a deal with Disney's Marvel Studios to allow Spider-Man to appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, beginning with Captain America: Civil War, before appearing in Spider-Man: Homecoming which was released on July 7, 2017. The deal also allowed Sony to distribute and have creative control on any MCU film where Spider-Man is the main character (such as Homecoming and its sequel Spider-Man: Far From Home), while Disney will distribute MCU films where Spider-Man appears without being the main character.

On January 22, 2014, SPE folded its technology unit into the various cores of its businesses. In April, Sony Pictures arranged a film financing deal worth $200 million with LStar Capital, the credit venture of Lone Star Capital and CitiBank, half in debt and the other in equity to fund most of SPE's film slate for several years. SPE was originally considering a $300 million deal with Blue Anchor Entertainment, led by Bloom Hergott partner John LaViolette and former investment banker & producer Joseph M. Singer, and backed by Longhorn Capital Management and Deutsche Bank, which was held up by regulatory matters.

On February 6, 2014, Columbia TriStar Warner Filmes de Portugal Ltda., a joint venture with Warner Bros. which distributed films from both companies in Portugal, announced that they will close their offices on March 31. Sony Pictures films are distributed in Portugal by Big Picture Films since then. Ironically, Warner Bros. itself currently distributes Sony Pictures films in Italy.

As a result of reevaluating the assets of the motion pictures and television productions businesses (capitalized film costs, including the value of the film library mostly recorded at the 1989 acquisition of CPE), Sony recorded a $962 million non-cash goodwill impairment charge in SPE in the third quarter of 2016.

On July 3, 2018, Sony accidentally uploaded the film Khali the Killer on YouTube in its entirety. The film stayed up for several hours before being removed.

2014 hack[edit]

Template:Main article In November 2014, the Sony Pictures computer network was compromised by a group of hackers named Guardians of Peace, disabling many computers. Later the same week, five of Sony Pictures' movies were leaked, including some not yet released (such as Fury and Annie), as well as confidential data about 47,000 current and former Sony employees. Film historian Wheeler Winston Dixon suggested that the hack, which exposed the inner workings of the studio, was "not a pretty picture," and served as a "wake-up call to the entire industry." The hack also revealed some other documents, emails between Hollywood moguls referring to Barack Obama's cinematic tastes, a possible partnership with Marvel Studios for the inclusion of the superhero Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War, which was later confirmed on February 2015, amongst others. On December 16, the hackers issued a warning to moviegoers, threatening to attack anyone who sees The Interview during the holidays and urging people to "remember the 11th of September 2001".

On February 24, 2015, Tom Rothman was named chairman of SPE's motion picture group to replace Amy Pascal.

On April 16, 2015, WikiLeaks published over 30,287 documents, 173,132 e-mails, and 2,200 corporate e-mail addresses of Sony Pictures' employees. WikiLeaks said in a press release that the content of the leaks were "newsworthy and at the center of a geo-political conflict" and belonged "in the public domain". Sony Pictures later condemned the hack and subsequent leaks, calling it a "malicious criminal act", while also criticizing WikiLeaks for describing the leaked content as public domain.

Seth Rogen has expressed doubts about North Korea being responsible for the 2014 Sony hack. Based on the timeline of events and the amount of information hacked, he believes the hack may have been conducted by a Sony employee.

Operations[edit]

Studio Divisions[edit]

Production Distribution Other

Production and distribution deals[edit]

Active production/distribution deals Former production/distribution deals

Sony Pictures Releasing[edit]

Sony Pictures Releasing
Formerly
Triumph Releasing Corporation
Company type
Division
IndustryMotion pictures
FoundedNovember 23, 1994; 29 years ago (November 23, 1994)
Headquarters
10202 West Washington Boulevard., Culver City, California
,
United States
ServicesFilm distribution and marketing
ParentSony Pictures Group
Websitewww.sonypictures.com
Sony Pictures Releasing is an American film distributor owned by Sony. Established in 1994 as a successor to Triumph Releasing Corporation, the company handles theatrical distribution, marketing and promotion for films produced and released by Sony Pictures Entertainment, including Columbia Pictures, TriStar Pictures, Screen Gems, Stage 6 Films, Sony Pictures Animation, Triumph Films, among others, while films released by Sony Pictures Classics are distributed autonomously. It is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group. It also has an international division called Sony Pictures Releasing International, which from 1991 until 2005 was known as Columbia TriStar Film Distributors International.

International arrangements[edit]

From 1971 until the end of 1987, Columbia's international distribution operations were a joint venture with Warner Bros., and in some countries, this joint venture also distributed films from other companies (like EMI Films and Cannon Films in the UK). The venture was dissolved in 1988.

On February 6, 2014, Columbia TriStar Warner Filmes de Portugal Ltda., a joint venture with Warner Bros. which distributed films from both companies in Portugal, announced that they will close their offices on March 31. Sony Pictures' films are distributed in Portugal by Big Picture Films since then, while NOS Audiovisuais took over the distribution duties for Warner Bros. films in the country.

The distribution of Sony Pictures' films in Italy is still handled by Warner Bros..

Sony Pictures and Walt Disney Studios formed a film distribution joint venture in Southeast Asia in 1997. By December 2006, 14 joint distribution ventures between Sony Pictures Releasing International and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures were formed and exist in countries including Brazil, Mexico, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines. In January 2007, their 15th such partnership began operations in Russia and CIS. In February 2017, Sony starting leaving the Southeast Asia venture with the Philippines. In August 2017, Sony terminated the joint venture agreement for their own operations. On January 31, 2019, in anticipation of Disney's then-pending acquisition of the most 21st Century Fox assets (which includes 20th Century Fox), it was agreed that Disney would sell its stake in the Mexican joint venture named Walt Disney Studios Sony Pictures Releasing de México to Sony Pictures Releasing, it also followed in some countries, such as, Ukraine and Russia.

Financers[edit]

Film series[edit]

Title Release date Notes
Blondie 1938–1950 co-production with King Features Entertainment
Five Little Peppers 1939–1940
Boston Blackie 1941–1949
Crime Doctor 1943–1949
The Whistler 1944–1948
Rusty 1945–1949
Jungle Jim 1948–1956
Heavy Metal 1981–2000 co-production with CineGroupe
Annie 1982–present co-production with Overbrook Entertainment, Village Roadshow Pictures, Storyline Entertainment, Chris Montan Productions, Walt Disney Pictures & Walt Disney Television
Ghostbusters 1984–present co-production with Ghost Corps (since 2016) and Village Roadshow Pictures
The Karate Kid 1984–present co-production with JW Films and Overbrook Entertainment
Weekend at Bernie's 1989–1993
Sniper 1993–present
3 Ninjas 1994–1998 co-production with Touchstone Pictures
Bad Boys 1995–present co-production with Jerry Bruckheimer Films
Jumanji 1995–present
Screamers 1995–2009
Anaconda 1997–present co-production with Phoenix Pictures
Men in Black 1997–present co-production with Amblin Entertainment, Parker MacDonald, Imagenation Abu Dhabi, Overbrook Entertainment, and Relativity Media
I Know What You Did Last Summer 1997–2006 co-production with Mandalay Entertainment
Starship Troopers 1997–present co-production with Touchstone Pictures
Zorro 1998–2005 co-production with Spyglass Entertainment, Amblin Entertainment and Parker MacDonald
Wild Things 1998–2010 co-production with Mandalay Entertainment
Urban Legends 1998–2005 co-production with Phoenix Pictures
Baby Geniuses 1999–present co-production with Crystal Sky Pictures
Stuart Little 1999–present
Hollow Man 2000–2006
Charlies Angels 2000–present co-production with Original Film
Final Fantasy 2001–present co-production with Square Enix
Resident Evil 2002–2016 co-production with Constantin Film and Capcom
Spider-Man 2002–present co-production with Marvel Entertainment, Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures Animation (including the MCU Spider-Man films)
XXX 2002–present co-production with Original Film, Paramount Pictures and Revolution Studios
Daddy Day Care 2003–2007 co-production with Revolution Studios
S.W.A.T. 2003–present co-production with Original Film
Underworld 2003–2016 co-production with Lakeshore Entertainment
The Grudge 2004–present co-production with Ghost House Pictures
Boogeyman 2005–present co-production with Ghost House Pictures
Into the Blue 2005–2009 co-production with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Mandalay Pictures
Hostel 2005–2011 co-production with Lionsgate Films
The Dan Brown series 2006–2016 co-production with Imagine Entertainment and Relativity Media
Open Season 2006–2016 co-production with Sony Pictures Animation
James Bond 2006–2015 co-production with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (from Casino Royale to Spectre)
Stomp the Yard 2007–2011 co-production with Rainforest Films
Ghost Rider 2007–2012 co-production with Marvel Entertainment, Crystal Sky Pictures, Hyde Park Entertainment, Saturn Films, Imagenation Abu Dhabi, and Relativity Media
Surf's Up 2007–2017 co-production with Sony Pictures Animation and WWE Studios
Quarantine 2008–2011 co-production with Vertigo Entertainment
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2009–present co-production with Sony Pictures Animation
Insidious 2011–present co-production with Blumhouse Productions, Atomic Monster, and Universal Studios
The Smurfs 2011–2017 co-production with Sony Pictures Animation and The K Entertainment Company
Jump Street 2012–present co-production with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Relativity Media, and Original Film
Hotel Transylvania 2012–present co-production with Sony Pictures Animation
The Equalizer 2014–present co-production with Village Roadshow Pictures, Relativity Media, and Original Film
Goosebumps 2015–present co-production with Sony Pictures Animation, Scholastic Productions, Village Roadshow Pictures, and Original Film
The Angry Birds Movie 2016–present co-production with Rovio Animation and Sony Pictures Animation
Peter Rabbit 2018–present co-production with Sony Pictures Animation, Animal Logic, Olive Bridge Entertainment, 2.0 Entertainment, Screen Australia, Screen NSW
Sony's Marvel Universe 2018–present co-production with Marvel, Pascal Pictures
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 2018–present co-production with Sony Pictures Animation, Marvel, Pascal Pictures

Highest-grossing films[edit]

Highest-grossing films in North America
Rank Title Year Domestic gross Studio(s)
1 Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle 2017 $404,515,480 Columbia
2 Spider-Man 2002 $403,706,375 Columbia
3 Spider-Man: Far From Home 2019 $390,361,240 Columbia/Marvel
4 Spider-Man 2 2004 $373,585,825 Columbia
5 Spider-Man 3 2007 $336,530,303 Columbia
6 Spider-Man: Homecoming 2017 $334,201,140 Columbia/Marvel
7 Skyfall 2012 $304,360,277 Columbia/MGM
8 The Amazing Spider-Man 2012 $262,030,663 Columbia
9 Men in Black 1997 $250,690,539 Columbia
10 Ghostbusters 1984 $229,242,989 Columbia
11 Hancock 2008 $227,946,274 Columbia
12 The Da Vinci Code 2006 $217,536,138 Columbia
13 Venom 2018 $213,515,506 Columbia
14 Terminator 2: Judgment Day 1991 $204,843,345 TriStar/Carolco
15 The Amazing Spider-Man 2 2014 $202,853,933 Columbia
16 Spectre 2015 $200,074,609 Columbia/MGM
17 22 Jump Street 2014 $191,719,337 Columbia/MGM
18 Men in Black II 2002 $190,418,803 Columbia
19 Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse 2018 $190,241,310 Columbia
20 Hitch 2005 $179,495,555 Columbia
21 Men in Black 3 2012 $179,020,854 Columbia
22 Tootsie 1982 $177,200,000 Columbia
23 The Karate Kid 2010 $176,591,618 Columbia
24 Air Force One 1997 $172,956,409 Columbia
25 Hotel Transylvania 2 2015 $169,700,110 Columbia
Highest-grossing films worldwide
Rank Title Year Worldwide gross Studio(s)
1 Spider-Man: Far from Home 2019 $1,131,401,009 Columbia/Marvel
2 Skyfall 2012 $1,108,561,013 Columbia/MGM
3 Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle 2017 $962,126,927 Columbia
4 Spider-Man 3 2007 $890,871,626 Columbia
5 Spectre 2015 $880,674,609 Columbia/MGM
6 Spider-Man: Homecoming 2017 $880,166,924 Columbia/Marvel
7 Venom 2018 $855,013,954 Columbia
8 Spider-Man 2002 $821,708,551 Columbia
9 Spider-Man 2 2004 $783,766,341 Columbia
10 2012 2009 $769,679,473 Columbia
11 The Da Vinci Code 2006 $758,239,851 Columbia
12 The Amazing Spider-Man 2012 $757,930,663 Columbia
13 The Amazing Spider-Man 2 2014 $708,982,323 Columbia
14 Hancock 2008 $624,386,746 Columbia
15 Men in Black 3 2012 $624,026,776 Columbia
16 Casino Royale 2006 $599,045,960 Columbia/MGM
17 Men in Black 1997 $589,390,539 Columbia
18 Quantum of Solace 2008 $586,090,727 Columbia/MGM
19 The Smurfs 2011 $563,749,323 Columbia
20 Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation 2018 $520,736,445 Columbia
21 Terminator 2: Judgment Day 1991 $519,843,345 TriStar/Carolco
22 Angels & Demons 2009 $485,930,816 Columbia
23 Hotel Transylvania 2 2015 $473,226,958 Columbia
24 Men in Black II 2002 $441,818,803 Columbia
25 Godzilla 1998 $379,014,294 TriStar

External links[edit]