Columbia Pictures

Posted on December 1, 2014 by iwmccour

by Ian McCourt

Columbia Pictures

Image Courtesy Fortune.com [i]

Contact Information: [ii]

10202 West Washington Boulevard

Culver City, CA 90232

310-244-4000

www.sonypictures.com

Key Executives:

Michael Lynton CEO, Sony Entertainment, Chairman and CEO, Sony Pictures Entertainment

Amy Pascal Co-Chairman, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Chairman, Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group

Doug Belgrad President, Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group President, Columbia Pictures

David Hendler Senior Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer, Sony Pictures Entertainment

Michael De Luca
President, Production, Columbia Pictures

Hannah Minghella President, Production, Columbia Pictures

Executives Photos and Information Courtesy of: http://www.sonypictures.com/corp/management.html [iii]

About Columbia Pictures:

In 1918, Harry and Jack Cohn formed CBC Film Sales with an associate of theirs, Joe Brandt. CBC Film Sales (Cohn-Brandt-Cohn) then produced small-budget short films and featurettes until a few experiments with feature films and an eye for larger profits prompted them to form Columbia Pictures Corporation in 1924. Columbia established itself in the cinema world, however, with the discovery of director Frank Capra in 1927. He would bring the company many Academy Awards, including the Best Picture films “It Happened One Night” and “You Can’t Take it With You.” Columbia would continue to grow and prosper as the decades moved past, and it was bought by Coca-Cola in 1982. However, a mere seven years later, Columbia Pictures and all of its holdings were bought by the Sony Corporation in 1989. [iv] It is now a part of Sony Pictures Entertainment‘s Columbia Tristar Motion Picture Group, along with Tristar Pictures, Sony Pictures Classics and Screengems. [v]

Financials:

It is to be noted that Sony’s Financial Reports for the Pictures Division encompasses not only Columbia Pictures, but also the Tristar Pictures and Screengems studios, as well as any TV production and distribution financials. Regardless, Sony Pictures Entertainment reported that revenue decreased 3% on a constant currency (U.S. dollar) standard to 1,671 million dollars for the fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2014 from 1,815 million for the fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2013. [vi][vii] This was due to lower theatrical revenues due to fewer theatrical releases in Q2 FY14 as opposed to Q2 FY13. [viii] Sony predicts that the pictures division will make 8,100 million U.S. dollars for the total Fiscal Year ending March 31, 2015. [ix]

What’s Happening Now?

In 2014, Columbia Pictures has released nine films, three of which are still in theaters as of December 1, 2014. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and 22 Jump Street are leading in gross so far respectively, with 22 Jump Street still in theaters. [x]

22 Jump Street
This sequel to the hit 21 Jump Street, 22 Jump Street stars Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum and follows the adventures of Officers Schmidt and Jenko as they go undercover as college students. The film is directed by Christopher Miller and Phil Lord.

Image and Synopsis Courtesy IMDB [xi]

In its opening weekend (June 13-15, 2014), 22 Jump Street opened at number one, making $57,071,445 domestically to its $50 million budget. The film is now in its twenty-third week, having made $331,333,876 worldwide as of December 1, 2014. [xii]

The Equalizer
In The Equalizer, Denzel Washington stars as a man who has put his dark past behind him, only to return to his old ways when he meets a girl who is under the control of Russian gangsters. The film is directed by Antoine Fuqua.

Image and Synopsis Courtesy IMDB [xiii]

In its opening weekend (Sept. 26-28, 2014) The Equalizer opened number one at the box office, earning $34,137,828 to its $55 million budget. Now in its ninth week, the film has made $190,173,178 internationally as of December 1, 2014. [xiv]

Fury
Fury, starring Brad Pitt, Logan Lerman, and Shia LaBeouf, tells the tale of an Army Sergeant nicknamed Wardaddy (Pitt) who commands a Sherman tank with a five-man crew against amazing odds in an attempt to cripple Nazi Germany. The film is written and directed by David Ayer.

Image and Synopsis Courtesy IMDB [xv]

Opening number one at the box office, Fury made $23,702,421 to its $68 million budget during its opening weekend (Oct. 17-19, 2014). Going through its seventh week in theaters, Fury has made $171,707,000 internationally as of December 1, 2014. [xvi] On Veteran’s Day, Nov. 11, 2014, the movie was free at Regal and AMC Theaters for all current personnel or veterans with a valid I.D. [xvii]

Ghostbusters (30th Anniversary Re-Release)
To celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the 1984 classic, Ghostbusters was back in theaters beginning August 29, 2014. [xviii] It tells the story of three parapsychology professors struggling for work who decide to open up a ghost removal business. It stars Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, and Sigourney Weaver. It is directed by Ivan Reitman. [xix]

Image Credit Fandango.com [xx]

The re-release opened at fifteenth its opening weekend (August 29-31, 2014), making $1,756,513. It closed on September 18, 2014, despite being advertised as only being open for one week. During this time, it made $3,580,343. This makes the film’s total lifetime gross $242,212,467 as of December 1, 2014. [xxi]

In Other News:

In early November, Columbia Pictures requested to a Florida federal court that its anti-piracy policies be kept secret. The information on these policies is now in a closed case between Hotfile, a file-sharing site that closed down in 2013, and the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). [xxii] Columbia is insisting that if this information were released, it would render the company incapable to protect its copyrighted works. This comes after U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams ruled that the information is in the public interest and should be released. [xxiii]

Image Courtesy Dailytech [xxvi]

On November 24, 2014, hackers took control of Sony’s computer systems. A group claiming to be the hackers then criticized Sony CEO Michael Lynton in a tweet, calling him “a criminal.” [xxiv] Since then, versions of five films belonging to Sony Pictures have been released online: Annie, Fury, Still Alice, Mr. Turner, and To Write Love on Her Arms. Of those five films, only Fury has been released in theaters, but even that film hasn’t had a DVD release yet. These films are already reported to have been illegally downloaded hundreds of thousands of times. [xxv] Sony has since hired Mandiant Forensics Unit to clean up the attack, and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigations has begun looking into the incident. Sony has been looking to see if the attack was perpetrated by North Korea-backed hackers in retaliation to the upcoming release of the movie, The Interview, which is a comedy about an attempt to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. [xxvii]

What’s To Come:

Annie

Image Courtesy IMDB [xxix]

One of the films leaked from the hack, Annie will be released in theaters on December 19, 2014. Starring Quvenzhane Wallis, Jamie Foxx, and Cameron Diaz, this musical film tells of a young foster kid (Wallis) who toughs out the hard knock life of New York City in 2014. While it will be competing against Disney‘s Into The Woods, the film is predicted to make about $95 million. [xxviii]

The Interview

Image Courtesy IMDB [xxxi]

To be released on Christmas Day, December 25, 2014, The Interview is the latest comedy co-directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. Starring Rogen and James Franco, the film is about journalist Dave Skylark and producer Aaron Rapoport from the popular TV show Skylark Tonight as they are hired by the CIA to assassinate Kim Jong Un. It is predicted to make $90 million. [xxx]

[i] Columbia Pictures Logo. Retrieved 11/29/2014.
[ii] Sony Pictures Contacts. Retrieved 11/29/2014.
[iii] Sony/Columbia Executives. Retrieved 11/29/2014.
[iv] History of Columbia Pictures. Retrieved 11/29/2014.
[v] Sony Divisions. Retrieved 11/29/2014.
[vi] Sony Financials Q2 FY14. Retrieved 11/30/2014.
[vii] Sony Financials Q2 FY13. Retrieved 11/30/2014.
[viii] Sony Financials Q2 FY14. Retrieved 11/30/2014.
[vix] Sony Predictions. Retrieved 11/30/2014.
[x] Columbia Films 2014. Retrieved 12/1/2014.
[xi] 22 Jump Street Info. Retrieved 11/30/2014.
[xii] 22 Jump Street Box Office. Retrieved 12/1/2014.
[xiii] The Equalizer Info. Retrieved 11/30/2014.
[xiv] The Equalizer Box Office. Retrieved 12/1/2014.
[xv] Fury Info. Retrieved 11/30/2014.
[xvi] Fury Box Office. Retrieved 12/1/2014.
[xvii] Fury Free for Veterans 11/11. Retrieved 11/30/2014.
[xviii] Ghostbusters Re-release Info. Retrieved 11/30/2014.
[xix] Ghostbusters Info. Retrieved 11/30/2014.
[xx] Ghostbusters Re-release Poster. Retrieved 11/30/2014.
[xxi] Ghostbusters Re-Release Box Office. Retrieved 12/1/2014.
[xxii] Hotfile Shuts Down. Retrieved 12/1/2014.
[xxiii] Columbia Anti-Piracy Case. Retrieved 12/1/2014.
[xxiv] Hackers take Sony. Retrieved 12/1/2014.
[xxv] Sony Movies Leaked. Retrieved 12/1/2014.
[xxvi] Hackers Call Out Lynton on Twitter. Retrieved 12/1/2014.
[xxvii] Sony Responds to Hack. Retrieved 12/1/2014.
[xxviii] Annie Info. Retrieved 12/1/2014.
[xxiv] Annie Poster. Retrieved 12/1/2014.
[xxx] The Interview Info. Retrieved 12/1/2014.
[xxxi] The Interview Poster. Retrieved 12/1/2014.

Columbia/TriStar Pictures

Posted on September 18, 2012 by kkwon01

by Kevin Kwon

Contact Information: 10202 West Washington Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 United States.

Phone: (310) 244-4000 Fax: (310) 280-1509

Website: http://www.sonypictures.com/

QUICK PROFILE AND HISTORY

Columbia/Tristar Pictures, also known as the Columbia Tristar Motion Picture Group or more recently, Sony Tristar Group, serves as a part of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is the film and television division of Sony Corporation. Columbia/Tristar Pictures is responsible for the marketing, licensing, and promotion of its products. The company boasts an impressive library of over 3,500 movies and twelve films that received Best Picture Academy Awards. A total of three studios makes up Columbia/Tristar Pictures which are: Columbia Pictures, Screen Gems, and Sony Pictures Classics. Each of these three studios serves a special purpose; Columbia Pictures specializes in large budget films, Sony Pictures Classics focuses on both foreign and domestic independent films, while Screen Gems is more like a mix of the two.¹

Although founded in 1924, Columbia Pictures was only purchased by Sony for 3.4 billion USD in 1989. The purchase was an unprecedented event and it became the largest acquisition by a Japanese company at that time. Soon after, Sony had moved Columbia to its permanent home in Culver City, California.²In 1998, Sony merged its own TriStar Pictures into its Columbia Pictures division which resulted in a single production company. The reason for this merger, as stated by John Calley, CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment at the time, was because Sony wanted to “focus on producing a larger number of pictures with greater efficiency and less rivalry.”³

For a more detailed look at the company’s history, you can visit here.

KEY EXECUTIVES

Michael Lynton, image courtesy of
www.sonypictures.com

Michael Lynton – Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment. CEO of Sony Corporation of America. CEO of Sony Entertainment, Inc.⁴Amy Pascal – Co-Chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment. Chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group.⁴

Douglass Belgrad, image courtesy of www.awn.com

Jeff Blake – Vice Chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment.⁴

Steven N. Bersch – President of Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions.⁴Douglass Belgrad – President of Columbia Pictures.⁴Hannah Minghella – President of Production for Columbia Pictures.⁴Clinton Culpepper – President of Screen Gems.⁴Michael Barker, Tom Bernard, and Marcie Bloom – Co-Presidents and Co-Founders of Sony Picture Classics.⁵

COLUMBIA TRISTAR PICTURES IN LATE 2012

August

August 29, 2012 – Sony Pictures Entertainment along with EON Productions, MGM Studios, and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment announced their plan to make October 5, 2012, the official and globally celebrated James Bond Day.

Image courtesy of www.sonyentertainmentnetwork.com

On this special day, fans of the Bond franchise all over the world will be able to experience numerous events such as a live auction charity with Bond related items, a concert with timeless Bond themes, and Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007, a new documentary from a joint effort between Columbia Pictures, MGM Pictures, Passion Pictures, and Red Box Films. This mega James Bond event not only celebrates the franchise’s 50^th anniversary, but also creates hype and awareness toward the upcoming Bond film from Columbia Pictures, Skyfall. Director Sam Mendes’ Skyfall is one of Columbia Pictures’ most anticipated films in 2012.⁶

September

September 27, 2012 – Although it was already widely known that the upcoming Bond film, Skyfall, was going to be released in IMAX, more news regarding the movie’s relationship with IMAX was revealed. On September 27, 2012, Columbia Pictures announced through the official 007’s Twitter feed that the movie will be released a day early in IMAX theaters. It was also mentioned that the day early release was exclusive to IMAX theaters in the States.⁷ The studio is building great hype for its upcoming Bond film and expects loyal fans of the franchise to experience the movie in IMAX a day early.

Hotel Transylvania poster, image courtesy of www.imdb.com

September 28, 2012 – Columbia Pictures released the animation feature, Hotel Translyvania. The budget for the film amounted to $85 million. Directed by Genndy Tartakovsky, Hotel Translyvania benefited from a strong voice acting cast made up of talents such as Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, and Selena Gomez. The movie enjoyed the greatest debut ever for a Columbia Pictures animation feature at $42.5 million in opening weekend, a record that was previously held by The Smurfs at $35.6 million.⁸ In total, the film earned a worldwide gross of $296.6 million and a domestic gross of $143 million.⁹

October

Here Comes the Boom poster, image courtesy of www.imdb.com

October 12, 2012 – Columbia Pictures released, Here Comes the Boom, a movie directed by Frank Coraci. Actor Kevin James stars as a biology teacher who enters the world of mixed martial arts in order to raise money for his struggling school. The movie falls under the Comedy genre, but fails to garner enough laughs from both the fans and the studio. In its debut, Here Comes the Boom, only earned about $3.63 million which marked the worst opening in Kevin James’ career. Altogether, the movie made about $42 million domestically and $53.6 million worldwide.¹⁰

October 26, 2012 – The highly anticipated, Skyfall, is released in many foreign markets which includes but is not limited to the United Kingdom, France, South Korea, Russia, Brazil, and Belgium. The United States will have to wait another two weeks before Skyfall is shown in theaters. On top of high reviews from critics, the film dominated the markets it was introduced in. In the UK, Skyfall, broke the record for a Saturday theater attendance as well as becoming the 2^nd highest grossing film in its opening weekend with a total of #32.3 million made. The film from Columbia Pictures claimed first place in every market it was introduced in during that opening weekend.¹¹

November

Skyfall poster, image courtesy of www.forbes.com

November 11, 2012 – Columbia Pictures finally released, Skyfall, the 23^rd Bond film in its domestic debut on November 9, 2012. The movie enjoyed tremendous success internationally, and it did not disappoint domestically during its opening weekend. Director Sam Mendes’ Skyfall with its impressive cast featuring Daniel Craig as Bond, set the highest opening weekend record ever domestically in Bond film history with a total gross of $88.4 million. This is a tremendous increase from the two previous Bond films, Quantum of Solace and Casino Royale, that both featured Daniel Craig as the beloved spy. Also, Skyfall, was shown in IMAX theaters on Thursday due to its early release and made $2.2 million outside the $88.4 million total weekend gross.¹² In total (up to December 7, 2012), Skyfall, earned a domestic gross of $249 million and a worldwide gross of $872.4 million. In only twelve days since release, Skyfall, took its place as the highest-grossing Bond film of all time.¹³ The highly successful Skyfall owes part of its success to the great marketing team in Columbia Pictures. The team was responsible for creating awareness and hype up to the film’s release worldwide. During the 2012 London Olympics, an event that was watched by millions, Bond made a spectacular appearance in the opening ceremonies. People who witnessed the opening ceremonies could not forget the image of Bond and the Queen jumping out of a plane to join the festivities. Bond’s appearance during the opening ceremonies made people realize again how awesome the iconic spy really is. On top of that event, Adele’s song for the movie was supposedly “leaked,” which added to the hype for the film. The song was well received and reached high rankings in billboard charts all over the world.¹⁴

December

December 3, 2012 – In the upcoming sequel to, The Amazing Spider-Man (2012), Dane DeHaan who is famous for his role in the movie, Chronicle, is cast as Harry Osborn.

Dane DeHaan, image courtesy of www.mtv.com

Harry Osborn is a huge character in the Spider-Man universe and serves as a friend to Peter Parker as well as an enemy. Director Marc Webb who directed, The Amazing Spider-Man, is also working on the sequel. He revealed Dane DeHaan’s role as Harry Osborn via Twitter. The Spider-Man franchise is significantly and financially important to Columbia Pictures and Sony reserves all rights to the franchise on film despite the character belonging to the company, Marvel, which is now owned by Disney.¹⁵

2012 WRAP UP

Columbia/Tristar Pictures enjoyed massive success in 2012 with titles such as: Skyfall, The Amazing Spider-Man, Men in Black 3, Hotel Transylvania, Resident Evil: Retribution, Underworld: Awakening, and 21 Jump Street. The Amazing Spider-Man enjoyed the 2^nd largest success after Skyfall with a total gross of $754 million worldwide. The third movie in its franchise, Men in Black 3, followed behind with a total gross of $624 million worldwide. Columbia/Tristar Pictures has the number one market share in North America. There is still one more major film to be released in 2012 which is, Zero Dark Thirty, a film by Kathryn Bigelow. The movie will be released on December 19, 2012.¹⁶

References

1. Hoovers Inc. (2012). Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group. Retrieved November 3, 2012, from Hoovers.com:
http://www.hoovers.com/company-information/cs/company-profile.Columbia_TriStar_Motion_Picture_Group.9a3fb312ea9f08a6.html

2. Sony Pictures Entertainment. (2006). Sony Pictures History. Retrieved March 18, 2012, from Sony Pictures Entertainment Museum: http://www.sonypicturesmuseum.com/studio/history/1

3. Matzer, M. (1998). Sony Is Combining Its TriStar, Columbia Units – Los Angeles Times. Featured Articles From The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 7, 2012, from:
http://articles.latimes.com/1998/mar/31/business/fi-34433

4. Senior Management Team. (2012). Sony Pictures. Retrieved October 5, 2012, from:
http://www.sonypictures.com/corp/management.html

5. About Us. (2012). Sony Classics. Retrieved October 15, 2012, from: http://www.sonyclassics.com/about-us/bio-tom-bernard.php

6. James Bond Day Set For October 5. (2012). MTV Movies Blog. Retrieved November 2, 2012, from:
http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2012/08/29/james-bond-day/

7. Billington, A. (2012). Bond’s ‘Skyfall’ Now Set to Open in US IMAX Theaters One Day Early | FirstShowing.net.FirstShowing.net. Retrieved November 3, 2012, from: http://www.firstshowing.net/2012/bonds-skyfall-now-set-to-open-in-us-imax-theaters-one-day-early/

8. Subers, R. (2012). Weekend Report: ‘Hotel Transylvania’ Scares Up New September Record – Box Office Mojo. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved October 26, 2012, from: http://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=3536&p=.htm

9. Hotel Transylvania (2012) – Box Office Mojo. (2012). Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 3, 2012, from:
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=hoteltransylvania.htm

10. Here Comes the Boom (2012) – Box Office Mojo. (n.d.). Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 20, 2012, from:
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=herecomestheboom.htm

11. Segars, F. (2012). Foreign Box Office: ‘Skyfall’ Blasts Off Overseas With Massive $78.6 Million. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 30, 2012, from: www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/foreign-box-office-skyfall-blasts-383848

12. Subers, R. (2012). Weekend Report: ‘Skyfall’ Scores Best Bond Debut Ever – Box Office Mojo. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 30, 2012, from: http://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=3565&p=.htm

13. Skyfall (2012) – Box Office Mojo. (2012).Box Office Mojo. Retrieved December 1, 2012, from:
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=bond23.htm

14. Marks, J. (2012). Sony’s marketing team sets up ‘Skyfall’ as one of the best Bond movies ever – West Palm Beach Marketing | Examiner.com. Welcome to Examiner.com | Examiner.com. Retrieved December 2, 2012, from:
http://www.examiner.com/article/sony-s-marketing-team-sets-up-skyfall-as-one-of-the-best-bond-movies-ever

15. ‘Amazing Spider-Man 2’ Casts Dane DeHaan As Harry Osborn – Music, Celebrity, Artist News | MTV.com. (2012).New Music Videos, Reality TV Shows, Celebrity News, Top Stories | MTV. Retrieved December 2, 2012, from:
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1698274/amazing-spiderman-2-dane-dehaan.jhtml

16. SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT SCORES BIGGEST YEAR EVER AT GLOBAL BOX OFFICE, PASSING $4 BILLION FOR FIRST TIME IN STUDIO HISTORY AS SKYFALL™ BECOMES THE BIGGEST BOND OF ALL TIME. (2012).Sony Pictures. Retrieved December 4, 2012, from:
http://www.sonypictures.com/corp/press_releases/2012/11_12/111812_skyfall.html

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