by Sarah Gleason
Columbia TriStar Pictures
- Columbia TriStar Logo[1]
Brief History
Columbia TriStar Pictures, also called Columbia TriStar Motion Pictures Group, is a U.S. film production and distribution company located in Culver City, California. The company distributes about 22 films each year [2] and between 1990 and 1995, averaged 17 percent of the domestic box office market [3].
The company is a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc., or SPE. SPE is globally involved in producing and distributing motion pictures, television syndication and programming, and home video distribution, among other areas in the entertainment business [3].
Columbia TriStar Motion Pictures Group was founded in 1924 from a small company originally founded by Harry Cohn, Jack Cohn, and Joe Brandt in 1920. Sony, a Japanese corporation, bought the company in 1989 [4].
Holdings
- Sony Pictures Classics – Film Label
- Columbia Pictures – Production Studio
- TriStar Pictures – Film Label
- Screen Gems – Film Label
| Jeff Blake | President |
| Doug Belgrad | President of Production – Columbia Pictures |
| Matt Tolmach | President of Production – Columbia Pictures |
| Andre Caraco | Executive Vice President of Publicity |
| Steve Elzer | Senior Vice President of Media Relations |
Films [10]
Currently in Theaters
Coming Soon
- The Amazing Spider-Man
- Hotel Transylvania
- Men In Black 3
- Premium Rush
- Resident Evil: Retribution
- Skyfall
- That’s My Boy
- Total Recall
- Best Picture – Nomination
- Actor in a Leading Role – Nomination
- Actor in a Supporting Role – Nomination
- Film Editing – Nomination
- Sound Mixing – Nomination
- Writing (Adapted Screenplay) – Nomination
- Writing (Adapted Screenplay) – Nomination
- Costume Design – Nomination
On January 20, Sony Pictures Classics acquired North American rights to Protagonist Pictures’ Searching for Sugar Man. The film is directed by Malik Bendjelloul and is about an American musician in the 1970s that later becomes a folk hero in South Africa after his album becomes popular there [12]. Click here for full article.
On February 1, it was announced that Columbia Pictures is fighting claims of Aaron Greenspan that he was omitted from The Social Network. Greenspan is in a dispute with the company, claiming he was defamed by not being included in the popular and successful film about the start of Facebook. He argues that he was the original creator of the website, with emails as proof. Columbia filed a motion to dismiss Greenspan’s lawsuit saying that the film is not about Greenspan, so he does not have a case against the studio for defamation [13]. Click here for full article. Movie poster retrieved from [27].
On February 10, Columbia Pictures dropped the comic book adaption of The Boys. The studio was in the process of developing the adaptation from writer Garth Ennis and artist Darick Robertson, but has decided to discontinue the project. The comic book is about a CIA squad called “The Boys,” whose job is to keep track of superheroes and destroy them if necessary. Neal H. Moritz (Original Film) and Jason Netter (Kickstart) are taking control of the project [14]. Click here for full article.
Also on February 10, Screen Gems dropped Mortal Instruments, the adaptation of the Cassandra Clare fantasy series. Scott Stewart was planning to direct and Lily Collins and Jamie Campbell Bower were planning to star in the film about a woman helping human-angel hybrids fight evil. Constantin Films, who holds the rights, will either self-finance or find a co-financer as it continues to develop the project. Stewart will no longer direct, focusing instead on a TV version of Legion [15]. Click here for full article.
On February 28, Columbia Pictures acquired the rights to Taped, a Dutch Thriller. Douglas Wick and Lucy Fisher (Red Wagon) will produce the English-language remake. Hannah Minghella and Jonathan Kadin will oversee for Columbia Pictures, and Rachel Shane and Andy Dahm will oversee for Red Wagon. The film, which was recently released in the Netherlands, is about a young couple that, while on vacation, tapes a cop murdering an innocent man. They struggle to stay alive and escape [16]. Click here for full article. Movie poster retrieved from [28].
On March 1, it was announced that Neal H. Moritz is planning to produce an adaption of the Valiant Comic Books character Bloodshot for Columbia Pictures. Columbia Pictures is in the process of closing a deal to acquire the rights of the character. Jeff Wadlow is writing the screenplay and is attributed to starting this project. Bloodshot has appeared in over 70 issues since his first appearance in 1992. He is a mob killer named Angelo Mortalli who enetered witness protection and became part of top secret experiment to make the perfect killing machine. With his memories erased, he tries to rediscover himself while dealing with both the mob and the police [17]. Click here for full article.
On March 5, it was announced that Bruce Willis plans to star in Five Against a Bullet, an action thriller which is currently being developed by producers Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Jordan Schur, and David Mimran for Columbia Pictures. Alex Litvak is writing the screenplay. The film is about a Mexican politician who hires the five best bodyguards from all over the world to protect him through an election after his father is killed by a drug cartel. Sam Dickerman and Lauren Abrahams are overseeing for Columbia Pictures. Erik Howsam will oversee for di Bonaventura Pictures [18]. Click here for full article.
On March 19, it was released that 21 Jump Street, a spoof of the 1980 TV series, topped both U.S. and Canadian box offices over the weekend making $363.3 million in ticket sales [19]. Click here for full article.
On April 1, Columbia Pictures released the full-length trailer for Total Recall. It aired on ABC during a basketball game between the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat. The Len Wiseman’s remake of the Arnold Schwarzennager sci-fi classic stars Collin Farrell as an average man that has memories altered by a company called Rekall. Kate Beckinsale, Jessica Biel, and Bryan Cranston are also in the highly anticipated film which is scheduled to be in theaters on August 3 [20]. Click here for full article. Movie poster retrieved from [29].
On April 17, Sony Pictures Classics acquired the rights to Amour, Michael Haneke’s most recent film. The film stars Jean-Louis Trintignant, Emmanuelle Riva, and Isabelle Huppert. Trintignant and Riva play an old married couple who suffer hardships when the wife has a stroke. Huppert plays their daughter. This film will be the third from Haneke that Sony Pictures Classics will distribute in the U.S. [21]. Click here for full article.
References
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MacRae, Dan. “Screen Gem’s Logo: Truly Outrageous, Terrifying.” Prairie Dog. 5 May 2011. Web. Accessed on 1 May 2012 http://www.prairiedogmag.com/?p=22986[8]
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Fernandez, Jay A. and Miller, Daniel. “Sundance 2012: Protagonist Sells U.K. and Aussie Rights to Sugarman.” The Hollywood Reporter. 22 Jan. 2012. Web. Accessed on 1 May 2012 http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/risky-business/sundance-2012-protagonist-sells-searching-sugar-man-283881[12]
Gardner, Eriq. “Columbia Pictures Fights Man Claiming he was Omitted from The Social Network.” The Hollywood Reporter. 1 Feb. 2012. Web. Accessed on 1 May 2012 http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/social-network-lawsuit-mark-zuckerberg-aaron-greenspan-286388[13]
Kit, Borys. “Columbia Pictures Drops Comic Adaptation The Boys. In Addition, Sister Label Screen Gems has untethered itself from Mortal Instruments, the adaptation of the Cassandra Clare YA fantasy series.” The Hollywood Reporter. 10 Feb. 2012. Web. Accessed on 1 May 2012 http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/columbia-drops-the-boys-adaptation-289381[14]
Kit, Borys. “Columbia Pictures Drops Comic Adaptation The Boys. In Addition, Sister Label Screen Gems has untethered itself from Mortal Instruments, the adaptation of the Cassandra Clare YA fantasy series.” The Hollywood Reporter. 10 Feb. 2012. Web. Accessed on 1 May 2012 http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/columbia-drops-the-boys-adaptation-289381[15]
Kit, Borys. “Columbia Picks up Rights to Dutch Thriller Taped.” The Hollywood Reporter. 28 Feb. 2012. Web. Accessed on 1 May 2012 http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/columbia-taped-dutch-thriller-295744[16]
Kidlay, Gregg. “Valiant Comics’ “Bloodshot” Heading for the Big Screen.” The Hollywood Reporter. 1 March 2012. Web. Accessed 1 May 2012 http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/valiant-comics-bloodshot-neal-moritiz-296357[17]
McCue, Michelle. “Bruce Willis to Star in Five Against a Bullet for Columbia Pictures and Mimran Schur Pictures.” We Are Movie Geeks. 5 March 2012. Web. Accessed 1 May 2012 http://wearemoviegeeks.com/2012/03/bruce-willis-to-star-in-five-against-a-bullet-for-columbia-pictures-mimran-schur-pictures/[18]
Golum, Rob and Hart, Dan. “21 Jumpstreet is Top Film with Sales of $36.3 Million.” Bloomberg Businessweek. 19 March 2012. Web. Accessed on 1 May 2012. http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-03-18/21-jump-street-is-top-weekend-film-with-35-million-in-sales[19]
“Total Recall: First Fill-Length Trailer Hits the Web.” The Hollywood Reporter. 1 April 2012. Web. Accessed on 1 May 2012. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/total-recall-trailer-colin-farrell-len-wiseman-arnold-schwarzenegger-306664[20]
Kilday, Gregg. “Sony Pictures Classics Acquires Michael Heneke’s New Film Amour.” The Hollywood Reporter. 17 April 2012. Web. Accessed on 1 May 2012. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/sony-pictures-classics-michael-haneke-amour-313016[21]
“Moneyball.” Coming Soon. Web. Accessed on 1 May 2012 http://www.comingsoon.net/films.php?id=49794[22]
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“Film: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Review II).” The Harker. Web. Accessed on 1 May 2012 http://www.theharker.com/2011/12/30/the-dragon-tattoo/[25]
“The Adventures on Tintin (2011).” Rotten Tomatoes. Web. Accessed on 1 May 2012 http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_adventures_of_tintin/[26]
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“Taped (2012).” Movie Poster DB. Web. Accessed on 1 May 2012 http://www.movieposterdb.com/movie/1735900/Taped.html[28]
“Total Recall (2012).” Movie Poster DB. Web. Accessed on 1 May 2012 http://www.movieposterdb.com/movie/1386703/Total-Recall.html[29]