Sony_Pictures_Motion_Picture_Group

Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group

Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group

Sony Pictures Entertainment division

The Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group (commonly known as the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, formerly known as the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group until 2013, and abbreviated as SPMPG) is a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment to manage its motion picture operations. It was launched in 1998 by integrating the businesses of Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. and TriStar Pictures, Inc.[1]

Quick Facts Formerly, Company type ...

History

The Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group was founded in 1998 as the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, as a current division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, owned by Sony. It has many of Sony Pictures' current motion picture divisions as part of it. Its divisions at that time were Columbia Pictures, TriStar Pictures, Triumph Films, Sony Pictures Classics, and Sony Pictures Releasing.

On December 8, 1998, SPE resurrected its former animation and television division Screen Gems as a film division of Sony Pictures Entertainment's Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group that has served several different purposes for its parent companies over the decades since its incorporation.[2]

In 2002, Columbia TriStar Television was renamed as Sony Pictures Television. The last three remaining companies, with the "Columbia TriStar" brand in its name, were Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment, the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, and Columbia TriStar Marketing Group. Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment and Columbia TriStar Film Distributors became Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and Sony Pictures Releasing International in 2004 and 2005 and Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group became the second-to-last subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment to use the "Columbia TriStar" brand name in its name.

In 2013, TriStar Productions was launched, as a joint venture of Sony Pictures Entertainment and former 20th Century Fox chairman Thomas Rothman.[3][4]

In October 2013, Sony Pictures rebranded its motion picture group under the monicker "Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group". Sony Pictures Animation and Sony Pictures Imageworks were moved from Sony Pictures Digital to its motion picture group.

On June 2, 2016, Doug Belgrad had announced he was to step down as president of the SPMPG and would transition his role to producer at the studio.[5] Belgrad was promoted as president of the SPMPG back in 2014.[5]

On July 15, 2019, former Fox 2000 Pictures president Elizabeth Gabler and the entire Fox 2000 staff joined Sony Pictures Entertainment and formed 3000 Pictures with the motion picture group. HarperCollins would be funding half of the division's overhead and development. 3000 Pictures would also pursue projects for TV and streaming.[6]

Film divisions

More information Studio divisions, Production ...

Sony Pictures Releasing

Quick Facts Formerly, Company type ...

Sony Pictures Releasing is an American film distributor owned by Sony. Established in 1994[7] 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 (as well as TriStar Productions), Screen Gems, Sony Pictures Classics, Sony Pictures Animation, Crunchyroll, Stage 6 Films, Affirm Films, Destination Films, and Triumph Films.[citation needed] 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.[citation needed]

International arrangements

Quick Facts Formerly, Company type ...

From 1971 until the end of 1987, Columbia's international theatrical distribution operations were a joint venture with Warner Bros. named Columbia-Warner, and in some countries, this joint venture also distributed films from other companies like with EMI Films and Cannon Films in the UK under the names of Columbia-EMI-Warner in 1978 and later Columbia-Cannon-Warner in 1986. The UK venture was dissolved in 1988.

In Australia, which from 1975 to 1996, 20th Century-Fox and Columbia Pictures formed an alliance that they would distribute films for the Australian market, initially going under the name Fox Columbia Film Distributors, before Hoyts came to the venture, and it was renamed first to Hoyts Fox Columbia TriStar Films, then Fox Columbia TriStar Films.[8]

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.[9] 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.

From June 2014 until February 2020, Sony Pictures' Philippine releasing arm under the name of Columbia Pictures Philippines distributed films by United International Pictures' partner studios, Paramount Pictures and Universal Pictures (including films by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer), after UIP ended its nine-year distribution agreement with the studio's local distributor Solar Entertainment Corporation and their Solar Films subsidiary. The Philippine distribution to films made by Universal lasted up until January 2020, when distribution reverted to Warner Bros. (UIP's former local distributor from the 1990s to 2000) in October 2021 while most Focus Features titles are instead released through a start-up online distribution company, UPSTREAM. Paramount later renewed their distribution agreements with Sony in October 2021.

The theatrical distribution of Sony Pictures' films in Italy was handled by Warner Bros. from 2011 to 2023. One notable example of this is Call Me By Your Name, where Warner Bros. handled Italian theatrical distribution (although the Sony label is still being used) while home video distribution went through Sony itself. In 2023, Eagle Pictures took over theatrical distribution of Sony's films in the country.

Sony Pictures and Walt Disney Studios formed a film distribution joint venture in Southeast Asia in 1997.[10] 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.[11] 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.[10] On January 31, 2019, in anticipation of Disney's then-pending acquisition of most 21st Century Fox assets (including 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.[12] As part of the global economic fluctuations caused by the Disney's acquisition, Sony Pictures Production and Release LLC and Disney Studios LLC parted amicably signing a formal demerger on 21 January 2020. The contract would allow Sony Pictures Releasing to operate autonomously.[13][14]

In Argentina and Poland, United International Pictures handles theatrical distribution of films released by Sony Pictures.

In the Netherlands, Universal Pictures International currently handles theatrical distribution of films released by Sony Pictures since 2013.

In the Netherlands and Sweden, Columbia TriStar Films (now known as Sony Pictures Releasing) formerly handled theatrical distribution of films released by 20th Century Fox from 1992 to 1997 in the former country and from 1994 to 1996 in the latter.

In South Africa, Ster-Kinekor handles theatrical and home video distribution of films released by Sony Pictures and Columbia Pictures.

Film library

Main articles: Lists of Columbia Pictures films, List of TriStar Pictures films, List of Screen Gems films, and List of Sony Pictures Animation productions

Film series

More information Title, Release date ...

Highest-grossing films

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References

  1. [1]
    "Sony Hitches TriStar to Col", Variety, March 31, 1998.
  2. [2]
    "Los Angeles Times" Sony Forms New Movie Division articles.latimes.com December 8, 1998, Retrieved on April 4, 2016
  3. [3]
    Abrams, Rachel (August 1, 2013). "Tom Rothman in Joint Venture With Sony to Run TriStar Productions". Variety. Retrieved October 30, 2014.
  4. [4]
    CIEPLY, MICHAEL (August 1, 2013). "Sony Hires Rothman to Head Revived TriStar Unit". The New York Times. Retrieved August 2, 2013.
  5. [5]
    Doug Belgrad exits as president of Sony Pictures' motion picture group latimes.com, Retrieved on June 3, 2016
  6. [6]
    Masters, Kim. "Elizabeth Gabler Breaks Silence on Sony Move, Disney Exit, HarperCollins and Streaming Plans (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  7. [7]
    SONY PICTURES RELEASING CORPORATION businessprofiles.com, Retrieved on January 20, 2014
  8. [8]
    "The Australian Film Industry - A Duopoly in Distribution in Exhibition". Cinema Papers. March 1975. p. 37.
  9. [9]
    de Barros, Eurico (February 6, 2014). "Columbia Tristar Warner encerra escritórios em Portugal" [Columbia Tristar Warner closes offices in Portugal]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on September 30, 2017. Retrieved September 29, 2017.
  10. [10]
    Frater, Patrick (August 14, 2017). "Sony Launches Its Own Theatrical Distributors in Southeast Asia". Variety. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  11. [11]
    Holdsworth, Nick (December 27, 2006). "Disney, Sony team up for Russian content". The Hollywood Reporter. AP. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  12. [12]
    "Clarification on Disney/Fox transaction" (PDF). Cofece. February 6, 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 9, 2019. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  13. [13]
    "Walt Disney to create a new distribution company in Russia". news.ru. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
  14. [14]
    "Disney и Sony разделят экраны" [Disney and Sony to split screens]. Kommersant (in Russian). Retrieved April 13, 2021.
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