Sony Pictures facts for kids
Logo used since 1991
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Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, California, United States
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Formerly
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Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc. (1987–1991) |
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| Industry | Entertainment |
| Founded | December 18, 1987 |
| Headquarters | Poitier Building 10202 West Washington Boulevard, , United States
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Area served
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Worldwide |
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Key people
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| Revenue | US$10,14 billion (FY2022) |
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Operating income
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US$894 million (FY2022) |
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Number of employees
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9,100 (2023) |
| Parent | Sony Entertainment |
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| Subsidiaries | See § Subsidiaries |
Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. (often called Sony Pictures or SPE) is a big American company that creates, buys, and shares movies, TV shows, and videos. It uses many different ways to share its entertainment, like cinemas and streaming.
Sony Pictures is part of Sony Group Corporation, a huge technology and media company. Its main office is at the Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, California. It is one of the "Big Five" major American film studios. This means it's one of the largest and most important movie studios in the United States. Sony Pictures handles all of Sony's movie and TV show making and sharing. Some of its well-known movie series include The Karate Kid, Ghostbusters, Jumanji, Men in Black, and Spider-Man.
Contents
How Sony Pictures Started
Early Days: 1987–1989
On September 1, 1987, The Coca-Cola Company decided to sell Columbia Pictures. Coca-Cola had owned Columbia Pictures since 1982. They sold their entertainment businesses to TriStar Pictures, a company they partly owned. Tri-Star Pictures then changed its name to Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc. (CPE).
This change meant that Columbia and Tri-Star would work as separate movie-making companies. They would both be part of CPE. In early 1988, a new company called Triumph Releasing Corporation was created. It helped distribute and market films for both Columbia and Tri-Star around the world.
On September 28, 1989, Sony made a deal to buy all of Coca-Cola's shares in CPE. The next day, Sony also agreed to buy Guber-Peters Entertainment Company. This was so Sony could hire Peter Guber and Jon Peters to lead Columbia.
However, Guber and Peters had a contract with Warner Bros.. To solve this, Sony sold some of its rights to Warner Bros. This included half of Columbia House and rights to distribute some Columbia films on cable. Sony also bought the MGM studio lot from Warner Bros.
By November 1989, Sony had bought almost all of CPE's shares. This big purchase cost Sony about $4.9 billion.
Growing and Changing: 1990–1999
The company officially changed its name to Sony Pictures Entertainment on August 7, 1991. After this, Jon Peters left to start his own company, but still worked with Sony for a while.
Sony then created more film companies. They started Sony Pictures Classics for special, artistic films. They also combined Columbia Pictures and TriStar Pictures in 1998 to form Columbia TriStar Pictures. Sony also brought back the Screen Gems name for certain types of movies. This helped bring the MGM studio name back to its original lot, even though most of the older MGM films were owned by another company.
New Ventures: 2000–2009
In July 2000, a marketing person at Sony created a fake film critic named David Manning. This critic gave very good reviews to Sony films that real critics didn't like. Sony later stopped these ads and paid fines.
On April 8, 2005, Sony Pictures grew bigger by buying the famous Hollywood studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). This deal cost about $4.8 billion.
In June 2008, Sony Pictures bought a Dutch company called 2waytraffic. This company was known for popular TV shows like Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?.
Digital Age and Spider-Man: 2010–2019
In 2011, the Sony Pictures computer system was attacked. About a million user accounts from the SonyPictures.com website were leaked.
By November 2012, Sony Pictures had earned over $4 billion from successful movies. These included Skyfall, The Amazing Spider-Man, and Hotel Transylvania. In November 2013, Sony Pictures decided to focus more on TV shows and make fewer movies.
A big change happened on February 10, 2015. Sony Pictures made a deal with Disney's Marvel Studios. This allowed Spider-Man to appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movies. He first appeared in Captain America: Civil War. Sony still distributes and has creative control over MCU films where Spider-Man is the main character.
In November 2019, Sony bought the rest of GSN, a TV channel, and put it under its television division.
Recent Developments: 2020–Present
In April 2021, Sony made a deal with Netflix. This means Netflix can show Sony's movies after they are in cinemas and available to buy. That same month, Sony also made a deal with The Walt Disney Company. This allows their films to be shown on Disney's streaming services like Disney+ and Hulu.
In February 2022, Sony signed a deal with WarnerMedia Europe. This allows Sony's movies to stream on HBO Max in Central and Eastern Europe.
On November 28, 2022, Legendary Entertainment made a deal with Sony to distribute its future movies. However, this deal does not include the Dune and MonsterVerse films, which will stay with Warner Bros..
In June 2023, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse had a very successful opening weekend. By July 10, the film had earned over $607 million worldwide.
On November 14, 2023, Sony Pictures showed a special logo for its Columbia Pictures unit. This was to celebrate Columbia Pictures' 100th anniversary on January 10, 2024.
In April 2024, Sony showed interest in buying Paramount Global with another company, Apollo Global Management. They made a $26 billion offer in May 2024.
2014 Computer Attack
In November 2014, the Sony Pictures computer system was attacked by a group called Guardians of Peace. This attack stopped many computers from working. Soon after, five of Sony Pictures' movies were leaked online. Some of these movies, like Fury and Annie, had not yet been released. The attack also leaked private information about 47,000 Sony employees.
The attack showed many of the studio's inner workings. It was seen as a "wake-up call" for the whole movie industry. The leaked documents also showed emails between Hollywood leaders. These emails talked about Barack Obama's movie tastes. They also hinted at a possible partnership with Marvel Studios to include Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War. This partnership was later confirmed in February 2015.
On December 16, the attackers warned moviegoers. They threatened to attack anyone who saw the movie The Interview during the holidays. They also told people to "remember the 11th of September 2001". Because of these threats, Sony canceled the planned December 25 release of The Interview.
On February 24, 2015, Tom Rothman became the new chairman of Sony Pictures' movie group.
On April 16, 2015, WikiLeaks published over 30,000 documents and many emails from Sony Pictures employees. WikiLeaks said the information was important and should be public. Sony Pictures said the attack and leaks were a "malicious criminal act."
Sony Pictures Headquarters
In 2014, the Sony Pictures Plaza building was sold for $159 million. This building was originally the main office for MGM Studios and later for Sony Pictures Studios. It is eight stories tall and covers 260,000 square feet.
How Sony Pictures is Organized
Sony Pictures Entertainment is based in Culver City, California, U.S. It includes many different studios and entertainment brands. Some of these are Affirm Films, Columbia Pictures, Screen Gems, Sony Pictures Classics, TriStar Pictures, Crunchyroll, and Game Show Network.
Movie Making Group
- Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group (SPMPG): This group used to be called Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group. It has a huge collection of over 4,000 films. As of 2004, this part of Sony releases about 22 films each year. It has studios in many countries around the world.
- Columbia Pictures: This studio was started in 1924. Sony bought it in 1989.
- Ghost Corps: This team manages everything about the Ghostbusters movies, TV shows, and toys.
- TriStar Pictures: This company started in 1982. It became part of Sony in 1989. It was relaunched in 2004 to focus on specific types of films and independent movies.
- Screen Gems: This was originally Columbia's animation part. It later became known for TV shows like Bewitched. Sony brought back the Screen Gems name in 1998 for mid-budget movies. These movies are often science fiction, horror, or part of a series.
- Sony Pictures Imageworks: Started in 1992, this is Sony's own studio for visual effects and computer animation.
- Sony Pictures Animation: Started in 2002, this studio makes animated movies and TV shows for Sony.
- Sony Pictures Classics: Started in 1992, this part of Sony focuses on special films. It distributes and produces documentaries, independent films, and arthouse films in the U.S. and other countries.
- 3000 Pictures: This company started in 2019. It is a partnership between Sony Pictures Entertainment and HarperCollins, making movies based on HarperCollins books.
- Sony Pictures Releasing: Started in 1994, this group handles sharing, marketing, and promoting films from Sony Pictures Entertainment. This includes films from Columbia Pictures, TriStar Pictures, and Screen Gems.
- Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions (SPWA): This Sony division buys and produces about 60 films each year. These films are for many different ways of watching, especially for non-cinema markets.
- Affirm Films: This group started in 2007 to release gospel and Christian films.
- Columbia Pictures: This studio was started in 1924. Sony bought it in 1989.
Home Entertainment
- Sony Pictures Home Entertainment: Started in 1978, this company makes and shares Sony's movies and TV shows. They are available on Blu-ray, DVD, and for digital download.
- Sony Pictures Kids Zone: This is the kids and family entertainment part of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
Television Group
TV Shows in the U.S.
- Sony Pictures Television: This is the main TV division of Sony. As of 2004, it was making 60 TV shows for different TV channels around the world. It has a huge collection of over 35,000 TV show episodes.
- Embassy Row: A TV production company that Sony bought in 2009.
- Sony Pictures Television Game Show (SPTGS): This part of Sony makes game shows.
- Califon Productions: This company makes Wheel of Fortune.
- Jeopardy Productions: This company makes Jeopardy!.
- Sony Pictures Television Nonfiction (SPTN): This group makes non-fiction and documentary TV shows. It has over 100 series shown in more than 35 countries.
- TriStar Television: This TV production label was relaunched in 2015.
TV Shows Around the World
- Bad Wolf: Sony bought this company in 2021.
- Left Bank Pictures: A British production company that Sony fully took control of in 2022.
- Sony Pictures Television Kids (SPTK): This company is known for animated series like Hilda and Octonauts. Sony bought it in 2019.
Sony Pictures Television Channels
In the United States
- Game Show Network (GSN): A TV channel that shows game shows. It started in 1994.
- Crunchyroll Channel: A free streaming channel that shows anime. It started in 2023.
- Get: A digital TV channel that shows classic TV programs from the 1960s to the 2000s.
- Sony Movie Channel: A TV channel that shows movies from Sony's collection and other companies. It started in 2010.
Around the World
- AXN: A TV channel that shows general entertainment. It started in 1997 and is available in Asia, Latin America, and Europe.
- Sony Channel: A group of TV channels that show general entertainment.
- Sony Entertainment Television: An Indian TV channel that shows general entertainment. It started in 1995.
Other Sony Pictures Businesses
- Crunchyroll, LLC: This company distributes anime series and films. It is a partnership with Sony Music Entertainment Japan.
- Crunchyroll: The main streaming service for anime. It started in 2006.
- Madison Gate Records: This is a music record label for Sony Pictures. It specializes in soundtracks from movies and TV shows.
- Pixomondo (PXO): An international studio for visual effects and virtual production. Sony bought it in 2022.
- Sony Pictures Consumer Products: This part of Sony Pictures handles products like toys and clothes related to its movies and shows.
- Sony Pictures Studios: These are the actual buildings, land, and movie-making equipment in Culver City, California. It includes 22 sound stages, which are large rooms for filming.
- Toei Animation (1.89% owned by Sony): This is a famous animation studio in Japan. It is known for shows like Dragon Ball and One Piece.
Other Sony Pictures Companies
These are other Sony Pictures companies that are part of the main Sony Group Corporation in Tokyo, Japan, not directly under the California-based Sony Pictures Entertainment.
- Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan (SPEJ): This company plans, makes, and distributes movies and TV shows in Japan. It started on February 10, 1984.
- Animax: Started in Japan by Sony in 1998, Animax is the world's first and largest 24-hour anime TV channel.
- Kids Station (67% owned by Sony): A TV channel for kids.
- Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI): This company is based in India. Sony Entertainment Television and Sony SAB are its main channels. It owns many other channels and brands in India.
- Sony BBC Earth (partnership with BBC Studios)
- Sony Sports Network: A group of sports TV channels.
See also
In Spanish: Sony Pictures para niños
