Sony Pictures Entertainment Makes Motion Picture History By Shattering $1.27 Billion Domestic Box Office Record
PRNewswire
CULVER CITY, Calif.
08/19/2002
Sony Pictures Entertainment vaulted over the entertainment industry's most respected box office record this weekend when the studio exceeded more than $1.27 billion in domestic ticket sales, it was announced today by John Calley, Chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment. Fueled by the astounding success of its 2002 film slate which has included six #1 hits, SPE broke the venerated industry benchmark on Saturday that the studio previously set in 1997.
To date, SPE commands more than 20% of the total box-office marketshare and leads the second place studio by more than $450 million.
The record-breaking accomplishment is even more significant considering that SPE still has twelve films to release through the remainder of the calendar year. Upcoming motion pictures include titles starring box office powerhouses Adam Sandler, Eddie Murphy, Jennifer Lopez and Nicolas Cage in films such as "I Spy," "Maid in Manhattan," "Eight Crazy Nights" and award season hopefuls "Punch Drunk Love" and "Adaptation."
Sony Pictures Entertainment distributes films from Columbia Pictures, Joe Roth's Revolution Studios, and Screen Gems.
SPE's 2002 portfolio has included such # 1 hits as "Black Hawk Down," "Panic Room," "Mr. Deeds," "Men in Black 2," "XXX," and the mega success of "Spider-Man," which alone has contributed more than $400 million to the studio's domestic chart-topping performance.
"This is a phenomenal achievement that is even more staggering when you begin to calculate how these titles are performing internationally, and how they will generate revenue when they are released into the television and home entertainment arenas," said John Calley, Chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment. "The magnitude of SPE's success this year is remarkable."
"This has been a dream year for the studio," said Amy Pascal, Chairman of Columbia Pictures. "Years of effort went into assembling this slate and while we always believed our hard work would be rewarded, we never imagined we would enjoy this kind of success. I credit the incredible work of the development team that made these projects happen, and I want to applaud our brilliant marketing and distribution teams who juggled mountains and poured their hearts, skill and talent into the release of every single title."
"This is a milestone that is usually determined on December 31st after we've counted every last dollar, not the middle of August," said Jeff Blake, President of Worldwide Marketing and Distribution. "We couldn't be more proud of what we are accomplishing this year and by setting the bar a notch higher, we are establishing an industry goal that will be good for us to aspire to beat, good for our competitors and great for the industry as a whole."
About Sony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a division of Sony Corporation of America (SCA), a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production and distribution; television production and distribution; digital content creation and distribution; worldwide channel investments; home entertainment acquisition and distribution; operation of studio facilities; development of new entertainment products, services and technologies; and distribution of filmed entertainment in 67 countries. Sony Pictures Entertainment can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.sonypictures.com/ .
For further information please contact Steve Elzer of Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, +1-310-244-7142.
SOURCE: Columbia Pictures
CONTACT: Steve Elzer of Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group,
+1-310-244-7142
Web site: http://www.sonypictures.com/