Sony Pictures Studios facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Sony Pictures Studios

The Culver/Motor Gate entrance to Sony Pictures Studios.
Location in Western Los Angeles
Location	Culver City, California, U.S.
Address	10202 West Washington Boulevard
Coordinates	34°01′02″N 118°24′06″W / 34.017222°N 118.401667°W / 34.017222; -118.401667
Opening date	1912; 113 years ago (1912) (as Inceville Studios)
Developer	Thomas H. Ince
Owner	Sony Pictures (Sony)
No. of tenants	15

Sony Pictures Studios is a famous movie and television studio in Culver City, California. It's where many popular movies and TV shows are made. The studio is owned by Sony Pictures and is home to well-known film companies like Columbia Pictures, TriStar Pictures, and Screen Gems.

The studio lot is a huge complex with sixteen sound stages, which are large, soundproof buildings used for filming. Before it became Sony Pictures Studios, it was the original home of the legendary Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) studios from 1924 to 1986.

Besides movies, many TV shows have been filmed here, including famous game shows. The studio also offers daily tours for the public, so people can see where the magic of moviemaking happens.

History of the Studio

The studio has a long and interesting history, changing owners and names several times over the decades.

The Early Years (1912–1924)

A photo of the original entrance to the Triangle Film Corporation studios around 1916.

The story of the studio begins with a director named Thomas H. Ince. In 1915, the founder of Culver City, Harry Culver, convinced Ince to move his movie-making business to the area. Ince then helped start the Triangle Film Corporation.

The entrance to the new Triangle Studios was designed to look like a Greek colonnade, which is a long row of columns. This beautiful entrance still stands today on Washington Boulevard and is a historic landmark in Culver City.

Ince later sold his part of the studio to his partners. In 1918, a movie producer named Samuel Goldwyn bought the studio and added more sound stages.

The MGM Era (1924–1990)

An aerial view of the Goldwyn Studios around 1922, before it became MGM.

In 1924, a major event happened. Three film companies—Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures, and Louis B. Mayer Pictures—merged to create Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, or MGM for short. MGM took over the studio lot in Culver City and turned it into one of the most famous studios in the world.

During Hollywood's "Golden Age," MGM was a powerhouse, making about one movie a week. It produced huge epic films like Ben-Hur and famous Technicolor musicals like The Wizard of Oz and Singin' in the Rain.

The studio grew to be very large, with over 180 acres and twenty-eight soundstages. Stage 27 was famously used to create "Munchkinland" for The Wizard of Oz. MGM also had large outdoor sets called backlots, where they could build entire towns or streets for filming.

However, in the late 1960s, MGM began to struggle. A new owner, Kirk Kerkorian, started to sell off parts of the studio. He sold many of the studio's props and costumes at a large auction. He also sold much of the backlot land, which was later used to build houses.

In 1986, the studio lot was sold to a company called Lorimar-Telepictures. The famous MGM lion logo was removed from the studio and moved to a different building.

Sony Pictures Studios (1990–Present)

The water tower at the center of the Sony Pictures studio lot.

In 1989, the Sony corporation bought Columbia Pictures. At the time, Columbia was sharing a studio lot with Warner Bros. in Burbank. To get its own studio, Sony made a deal with Warner Bros. and bought the former MGM lot in Culver City.

When Sony took over, the lot was in poor condition. Sony spent $100 million to renovate and modernize the entire complex, renaming it Sony Pictures Studios. They painted the buildings, built new walls, and restored the historic iron gates. They also added colorful murals of classic Columbia Pictures movie posters.

Today, the studio is a busy and modern place for making movies and TV shows. It's also where the popular game shows Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune have been filmed since the mid-1990s. In 2021, the Jeopardy! stage was renamed "The Alex Trebek Stage" to honor its longtime host.

Programs Taped at the Studio

Many television shows have been filmed at Sony Pictures Studios over the years. Here are some of them.

See also

In Spanish: Sony Pictures Studios para niños