View source for Columbia Pictures

{{Short description|American film production and distribution company}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc.
| logo = [[File:Columbia_Pictures.svg|frameless|class=skin-invert]]
| logo_size = 
| logo_caption = Logo used since 1993
| image = 
| image_caption = [[Irving Thalberg]] Building, Columbia's headquarters at [[Sony Pictures Studios]] in Culver City, California
| trade_name = Columbia Pictures
| former_names = Columbia Pictures Corporation (1924–1968)
| type = [[Division (business)|Division]]
| industry = [[Film Industry|Film]]
| predecessor = [[Cohn-Brandt-Cohn (CBC) Film Sales Corporation]] (1918–1924)
| founded = {{plainlist|
* {{Start date and age|1918|06|19}} (as Cohn-Brandt-Cohn (CBC) Film Sales Corporation) in [[New York City]], United States
* {{Start date and age|1924|01|10}} (as Columbia Pictures) in [[Los Angeles]], United States
}}
| founders = {{Plainlist|
* [[Harry Cohn]]
* [[Jack Cohn]]
* [[Joe Brandt]]
}}
<!-- unknown: | date2021 = November 30 (logo) -->| hq_location = Thalberg Building, [[Sony Pictures Studios|10202 West Washington Boulevard]]
| hq_location_city = [[Culver City, California]]
| hq_location_country = U.S.
| key_people = {{Plainlist|
* [[Sanford Panitch]] ([[President (corporate title)|president]])
* Peter Kang (president, Production)
* Michael Marshall (president, Business Affairs & Administration)
}}
| area_served = Worldwide
| products = [[Film|Motion pictures]]
| owner = 
| parent = {{Plainlist|
* [[The Coca-Cola Company]] (1982–1987)
* [[Sony Pictures|Sony Pictures Entertainment]] (1987–present)
}}
| subsid = [[Ghost Corps]]<ref name="Ghost Corps">{{cite web |url=https://www.sonypictures.com/corp/press_releases/2016/05_16/050916_ghostbustersvirtualreality.html |title=Ghost Corps, Inc., a subsidiary of Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. |website=SonyPictures.com |access-date=January 30, 2020}}</ref>
| website = {{URL|https://www.columbiapictures100.com/|columbiapictures100.com}}
| footnotes = <ref name="Sony Pictures Entertainment">{{cite web |url=http://www.sonypictures.com/corp/divisions.html |title=Divisions – Sony Pictures |website=sonypictures.com |access-date=June 7, 2015}}</ref>
}}

'''Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc.''', [[Trade name|doing business as]] '''Columbia Pictures''' and formerly known as '''Columbia Pictures Corporation''', is an American [[film]] [[Production company|production]] and [[Film distributor|distribution]] label that is the flagship unit of [[Sony Pictures Releasing]],<ref name="Sony Pictures Entertainment"/> a division of [[Sony Pictures|Sony Pictures Entertainment]], which is one of the [[Major film studios|"Big Five" film studios]] and a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate [[Sony|Sony Group Corporation]].<ref name="Sony-Jun-2011-20-F">{{cite web|url=http://pdf.secdatabase.com/2080/0000950123-11-062283.pdf |title=Sony, Form 20-F, Filing Date Jun 28, 2011 |publisher=secdatabase.com |access-date =March 27, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512160942/http://pdf.secdatabase.com/2080/0000950123-11-062283.pdf |archive-date=May 12, 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> Columbia Pictures is one of the leading film studios in the world, and was one of the so-called "[[Studio system|Little Three]]" among the eight major film studios of [[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]]'s "[[Cinema of the United States#Classical Hollywood cinema and the Golden Age of Hollywood (1913–1969)|Golden Age]]".<ref>Grady, Frank. [http://www.umsl.edu/~gradyf/film/STUDIOS.htm "THE STUDIO ERA"]. umsl.edu. Retrieved March 14, 2011.</ref>

On June 19, 1918, brothers [[Jack Cohn|Jack]] and [[Harry Cohn]] and their business partner [[Joe Brandt]] founded the studio as [[CBC Film Sales Corporation|Cohn-Brandt-Cohn (CBC) Film Sales Corporation]].<ref name="nytimes1999">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/11/14/movies/holiday-films-screen-gems-it-happened-with-one-movie-a-studio-transformed.html|title=HOLIDAY FILMS: SCREEN GEMS; It Happened With One Movie: A Studio Transformed|last=Rozen|first=Leah|date=November 14, 1999|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> It adopted the Columbia Pictures name on January 10, 1924 (operating as Columbia Pictures Corporation until December 23, 1968), went public two years later, and eventually began to use the image of [[Columbia (personification)|Columbia]], the female personification of the United States, as its logo. The studio was acquired by [[The Coca-Cola Company]] in 1982,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Coke announces deal to buy Columbia Pictures - UPI Archives |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1982/01/19/Coke-announces-deal-to-buy-Columbia-Pictures/2387380264400/ |access-date=2025-09-07 |website=UPI |language=en}}</ref> then by [[Sony Corporation]] of Japan in 1989.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Richter |first=Paul |last2= |first2= |last3= |last4= |first4= |last5= |first5= |last6= |first6= |last7= |first7= |last8= |last9= |date=1989-09-28 |title=Sony to Pay $3.4 Billion for Columbia Pictures : Japanese Firm Willing to Offer High Price to Get Film, TV Software for Video Equipment It Makes |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-09-28-mn-361-story.html |access-date=2025-09-07 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> Columbia Pictures is presently headquartered at the [[Irving Thalberg]] Building on the former [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] (currently known as the [[Sony Pictures Studios]]) lot in [[Culver City, California]], since 1990. 

In its early years, Columbia was a minor player in Hollywood, but began to grow in the late 1920s, spurred by a successful association with director [[Frank Capra]]. With Capra and others such as the most successful two reel comedy series, [[The Three Stooges]], Columbia became one of the primary homes of the [[screwball comedy]]. In the 1930s, Columbia's major contract stars were [[Jean Arthur]] and [[Cary Grant]]. In the 1940s, [[Rita Hayworth]] became the studio's premier star and propelled their fortunes into the late 1950s. [[Rosalind Russell]], [[Glenn Ford]] and [[William Holden]] also became major stars at the studio. The company was also primarily responsible for distributing [[Walt Disney Animation Studios|Disney]]'s ''[[Silly Symphony]]'' film series as well as the ''[[Mickey Mouse (film series)|Mickey Mouse]]'' cartoon series from 1929 to 1932. 

Columbia Pictures is currently one of the five live-action labels of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, alongside [[TriStar Pictures]], [[Screen Gems]], [[Sony Pictures Classics]], and [[Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group#3000 Pictures|3000 Pictures]]. Columbia's most commercially successful franchises include ''[[Spider-Man in film|Spider-Man]]'', ''[[Jumanji (franchise)|Jumanji]]'', ''[[Ghostbusters (franchise)|Ghostbusters]]'', ''[[Men in Black (film series)|Men in Black]]'', ''[[Robert Langdon (franchise)|Robert Langdon]]'', ''[[The Karate Kid (franchise)|The Karate Kid]]'', [[Sony's Spider-Man Universe|Sony's ''Spider-Man'' Universe]], and ''[[Bad Boys (franchise)|Bad Boys]]'', and the studio's [[List of highest-grossing films|highest-grossing film worldwide]] is ''[[Spider-Man: No Way Home]]'', which grossed $1.92 billion worldwide.

==History==
===Early years as CBC Film Sales (1918–1924)===
[[File:CBC Film Sales Corporation (logo, 1919-24).png|right|thumb|The original CBC Film Sales logo used from 1919 through 1924|class=skin-invert]]
The studio was founded on June 19, 1918, as Cohn-Brandt-Cohn (CBC) Film Sales by brothers [[Jack Cohn|Jack]] and [[Harry Cohn]] and Jack's best friend [[Joe Brandt]], and released its first feature film ''[[More to Be Pitied Than Scorned]]'' on August 20, 1922. The film, with a budget of $20,000, was a success, bringing in $130,000 in revenue for the company.<ref>{{Cite web |title=フランク・キャプラ、その才能の発掘 {{!}} ソニー・ピクチャーズ公式 |url=https://www.sonypictures.jp/corp/history/28341 |access-date=August 25, 2022 |website= www.sonypictures.jp}}</ref> Brandt was president of CBC Film Sales, handling sales, marketing and distribution from New York along with Jack Cohn, while Harry Cohn ran production in Hollywood. The studio's early productions were low-budget short subjects: ''[[Screen Snapshots]]'', the ''[[Hallroom Boys]]'' (the vaudeville duo of [[Edward Flanagan (actor)|Edward Flanagan]] and [[Neely Edwards]]), and the [[Charlie Chaplin]]-imitator [[Billy West (silent film actor)|Billy West]].<ref>{{cite book|title = The Hollywood Story|first= Joel Waldo|last= Finler| page= 81|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=rvVhEJmbfrsC&pg=PA81|publisher = Wallflower Press|date= 2003|isbn = 9781903364666}}</ref> The start-up CBC leased space in a [[Poverty Row]] studio on Hollywood's famously low-rent [[Gower Street (Los Angeles)|Gower Street]]. Among Hollywood's elite, the studio's small-time reputation led some to joke that "CBC" stood for "Corned Beef and Cabbage".<ref name="nytimes1999" />

===Reorganization and new name===
CBC was reorganized as '''Columbia Pictures Corporation''' by brothers [[Harry Cohn|Harry]] and [[Jack Cohn]] and best friend [[Joe Brandt]] on January 10, 1924.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=de&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sonypictures.de%2F|via=Google Translate|title = Home|website = Sony Pictures Germany}}</ref> Harry Cohn became president in 1932 and remained head of production as well, thus concentrating enormous power in his hands. He would run Columbia for a total of 34 years, one of the longest tenures of any studio chief ([[Warner Bros.]]' [[Jack L. Warner]] was head of production ''or'' CEO longer but did not become CEO until 1956). Even in an industry rife with nepotism, Columbia was particularly notorious for having a number of Harry and Jack's relatives in high positions. Humorist [[Robert Benchley]] called it the Pine Tree Studio, "because it has so many Cohns".<ref>Thomas, Bob (1967). ''King Cohn: The Life and Times of Harry Cohn''. London: Barrie and Rockliff. p. 40.</ref>

Brandt eventually tired of dealing with the Cohn brothers, and in 1932 sold his one-third stake to Jack and Harry Cohn, who took over from him as president.

Columbia's product line consisted mostly of moderately budgeted features and short subjects including comedies, sports films, various serials, and cartoons. Columbia gradually moved into the production of higher-budget fare, eventually joining the second tier of Hollywood studios along with [[United Artists]] and [[Universal Pictures|Universal]]. Like United Artists and Universal, Columbia was a horizontally integrated company. It controlled production and distribution; it did not own any theaters.

Helping Columbia's climb was the arrival of an ambitious director, [[Frank Capra]]. Between 1927 and 1939, Capra constantly pushed Cohn for better material and bigger budgets. A string of hits he directed in the early and mid 1930s solidified Columbia's status as a major studio. In particular, ''[[It Happened One Night]]'', which nearly swept the 1934 Oscars, put Columbia on the map. Until then, Columbia's business had depended on theater owners willing to take its films, since it did not have a theater network of its own. Other Capra-directed hits followed, including the original version of ''[[Lost Horizon (1937 film)|Lost Horizon]]'' (1937), with [[Ronald Colman]], and ''[[Mr. Smith Goes to Washington]]'' (1939), which made [[James Stewart]] a major star.{{Citation needed|date=February 2020}}

In 1933, Columbia hired [[Robert Kalloch]] to be its chief fashion and women's costume designer. He was the first contract costume designer hired by the studio,{{sfn|Chierichetti|1976|page=155}} and he established the studio's wardrobe department.{{sfn|Smyth|2018|page=183}} Kalloch's employment, in turn, convinced leading actresses that Columbia Pictures intended to invest in their careers.{{sfn|Jorgensen|Scoggins|2015|page=183}}

In 1938, the addition of [[B. B. Kahane]] as vice president would produce [[Charles Vidor]]'s ''[[Those High Grey Walls]]'' (1939), and ''[[The Lady in Question]]'' (1940), the first joint film of [[Rita Hayworth]] and [[Glenn Ford]]. Kahane would later become the President of [[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]] in 1959, until his death a year later.

Columbia could not afford to keep a huge roster of contract stars, so Jack Cohn usually borrowed them from other studios. At [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]], the industry's most prestigious studio, Columbia was nicknamed "Siberia", as [[Louis B. Mayer]] would use the loan-out to Columbia as a way to punish his less-obedient signings. In the 1930s, Columbia signed [[Jean Arthur]] to a long-term contract, and after ''[[The Whole Town's Talking]]'' (1935), Arthur became a major comedy star. [[Ann Sothern]]'s career was launched when Columbia signed her to a contract in 1936. [[Cary Grant]] signed a contract in 1937 and soon after it was altered to a non-exclusive contract shared with [[RKO Pictures|RKO]].

Many theaters relied on [[Western film|westerns]] to attract big weekend audiences, and Columbia always recognized this market. Its first cowboy star was [[Buck Jones]], who signed with Columbia in 1930 for a fraction of his former big-studio salary. Over the next two decades Columbia released scores of outdoor adventures with Jones, [[Tim McCoy]], [[Ken Maynard]], [[Jack Luden]], Bob Allen ([[Robert Allen (actor)|Robert (Tex) Allen]]), [[Russell Hayden]], [[Tex Ritter]], [[Ken Curtis]], and [[Gene Autry]]. Columbia's most popular cowboy was [[Charles Starrett]], who signed with Columbia in 1935 and starred in 131 western features over 17 years.{{Citation needed|date=February 2020}}

===Short subjects===
At Harry Cohn's insistence, the studio signed [[the Three Stooges]] in 1934. Rejected by [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer|MGM]] (which kept straight-man [[Ted Healy]] but let the Stooges go),<ref>Okuda, Ted; Watz, Edward (1986). ''The Columbia Comedy Shorts''. p. 60. McFarland & Company, Inc. {{ISBN|0-89950-181-8}}.</ref> the Stooges made 190 shorts for Columbia between 1934 and 1957. Columbia's short-subject department employed many famous comedians, including [[Buster Keaton]], [[Charley Chase]], [[Harry Langdon]], [[Andy Clyde]], and [[Hugh Herbert]]. Almost 400 of Columbia's 529 two-reel comedies were released to television between 1958 and 1961; to date, all of the Stooges, Keaton, [[Charley Chase]], [[Shemp Howard]], [[Joe Besser]], and [[Joe DeRita]] subjects have been released to home video.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://columbiashortsdept.weebly.com/historical-overview.html |title=A History of the Columbia Comedy Short|first= Greg|last= Hilbrich|website = The Columbia Shorts Department}}</ref>

Columbia incorporated animation into its studio in 1929, distributing [[Krazy Kat filmography|Krazy Kat]] cartoons, taking over from [[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]]. The following year, Columbia took over distribution of the [[Mickey Mouse (film series)|Mickey Mouse]] series from Celebrity Productions until 1932. In 1933, The Mintz studio was re-established under the [[Screen Gems#Animation studio (1921–49)|Screen Gems]] brand; Columbia's leading cartoon series were ''[[Krazy Kat]]'', ''[[Scrappy]]'', ''[[The Fox and the Crow (animated characters)|The Fox and the Crow]]'', and (very briefly) ''[[Li'l Abner]]''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-jun-12-ca-45573-story.html|title=History of Gems|work=Los Angeles Times|date=June 12, 1999|access-date=April 4, 2016}}</ref> Screen Gems was the last major cartoon studio to produce black-and-white cartoons, producing them until 1946. That same year, Screen Gems shut down but had completed enough cartoons for the studio to release until 1949. In 1948, Columbia agreed to release animated shorts from [[United Productions of America]]; these new shorts were more sophisticated than Columbia's older cartoons, and many won critical praise and industry awards. In 1957, two years before the UPA deal was terminated, Columbia distributed the [[Hanna-Barbera]] cartoons, including [[Loopy De Loop]] from 1959 to 1965, which was Columbia's final theatrical cartoon series. In 1967, the Hanna-Barbera deal expired and was not renewed.

According to Bob Thomas' book ''King Cohn'', studio chief Harry Cohn always placed a high priority on serials. Beginning in 1937, Columbia entered the lucrative serial market and kept making these weekly episodic adventures until 1956, after other studios had discontinued them. The most famous Columbia serials are based on comic-strip or radio characters: ''[[Mandrake the Magician (serial)|Mandrake the Magician]]'' (1939), ''[[The Shadow (serial)|The Shadow]]'' (1940), ''[[Terry and the Pirates (serial)|Terry and the Pirates]]'' (1940), ''[[Captain Midnight (serial)|Captain Midnight]]'' (1942), ''[[The Phantom (serial)|The Phantom]]'' (1943), ''[[Batman (serial)|Batman]]'' (1943), and the especially successful ''[[Superman (serial)|Superman]]'' (1948), among many others.

Columbia also produced musical shorts, sports reels (usually narrated by sportscaster [[Bill Stern]]), and travelogues. Its "[[Screen Snapshots]]" series, showing behind-the-scenes footage of Hollywood stars, was a Columbia perennial that the studio had been releasing since the silent-movie days; producer-director [[Ralph Staub]] kept this series going through 1958.

===1940s===
[[File:The end card of a Colour Rhapsody cartoon with cue mark, circa 1939 (Commons).png|thumb|285x285px|The logo that Columbia used starting in 1936 and ending in 1976; this version was used on the ''Color Rhapsody'' cartoons.]]
In the 1940s, propelled in part by the surge in audiences for their films during [[World War II]], the studio also benefited from the popularity of its biggest star, [[Rita Hayworth]]. Columbia maintained a long list of contractees well into the 1950s; [[Glenn Ford]], [[Penny Singleton]], [[William Holden]], [[Judy Holliday]], [[The Three Stooges]], [[Ann Miller]], [[Evelyn Keyes]], [[Ann Doran]], [[Jack Lemmon]], [[Cleo Moore]], [[Barbara Hale]], [[Adele Jergens]], [[Larry Parks]], [[Arthur Lake (actor)|Arthur Lake]], [[Lucille Ball]], [[Kerwin Mathews]] and [[Kim Novak]].

Harry Cohn monitored the budgets of his films, and the studio got the maximum use out of costly sets, costumes, and props by reusing them in other films. Many of Columbia's low-budget [[B movie|"B" pictures]] and short subjects have an expensive look, thanks to Columbia's efficient recycling policy. Cohn was reluctant to spend lavish sums on even his most important pictures, and it was not until 1943 that he agreed to use three-strip [[Technicolor]] in a live-action feature. Columbia was the last major studio to employ the expensive color process. Columbia's first Technicolor feature was the western ''[[The Desperadoes]]'', starring [[Randolph Scott]] and [[Glenn Ford]]. Cohn quickly used Technicolor again for ''[[Cover Girl (film)|Cover Girl]]'', a Hayworth vehicle that instantly was a smash hit, released in 1944, and for the fanciful biography of [[Frédéric Chopin]], ''[[A Song to Remember]]'', with [[Cornel Wilde]], released in 1945. Another biopic, 1946's ''[[The Jolson Story]]'' with [[Larry Parks]] and [[Evelyn Keyes]], was started in black-and-white, but when Cohn saw how well the project was proceeding, he scrapped the footage and insisted on filming in Technicolor.

In 1948, the ''[[United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc.]]'' [[Competition law|anti-trust]] decision forced Hollywood motion picture companies to divest themselves of the theater chains that they owned. Since Columbia did not own any theaters, it was now on equal terms with the largest studios. The studio soon replaced [[RKO Pictures|RKO]] on the list of the "Big Five" studios.

====Screen Gems====
[[File:Screen Gems (1965) Logo.svg|thumb|left|Screen Gems' final logo, used from 1965 to 1974]]
In 1946, Columbia dropped the [[Screen Gems#Animation studio (1921–49)|Screen Gems]] brand from its cartoon line, but retained the Screen Gems name for various ancillary activities, including a 16&nbsp;mm film-rental agency and a TV-commercial production company. On November 8, 1948, Columbia adopted the [[Screen Gems#Television subsidiary (1948–1974)|Screen Gems name for its television production subsidiary]] when the studio acquired Pioneer Telefilms, a television commercial company founded by Jack Cohn's son, Ralph.<ref name="broadcasting19590413">{{cite magazine|date=April 13, 1959|title=SCREEN GEMS HAS NEW IRON IN FIRE|magazine=Broadcasting|page=70}}</ref> Pioneer had been founded in 1947, and was later reorganized as Screen Gems.<ref name="broadcasting19590413" /> The studio opened its doors for business in New York on April 15, 1949.<ref name="broadcasting19590413" /> By 1951, Screen Gems became a full-fledged television studio and became a major producer of [[sitcom]]s for TV, beginning with ''[[Father Knows Best]]'' and followed by ''[[The Donna Reed Show]]'', ''[[The Partridge Family]]'', ''[[Bewitched]]'', ''[[I Dream of Jeannie]]'', and ''[[The Monkees (TV series)|The Monkees]]''.

On July 1, 1956, studio veteran Irving Briskin stepped down as manager of Columbia Pictures and formed his own production company Briskin Productions, Inc. to release series through Screen Gems and supervise all of its productions.<ref name="broadcasting19560611">{{cite magazine|date=June 11, 1956|title=Briskin to Form Company |magazine=Broadcasting|page=52}}</ref> On December 10, Screen Gems expanded into [[Broadcast syndication|television syndication]] by acquiring Hygo Television Films (a.k.a. "Serials Inc.") and its affiliated company United Television Films, Inc. Hygo Television Films was founded in 1951 by Jerome Hyams, who also acquired United Television Films in 1955 that was founded by Archie Mayers.<ref name="broadcasting19561210">{{cite magazine|date=December 10, 1956|title=SCREEN GEMS BUYS HYGO, UNITED, SETS UP TV OWNERSHIP DIVISION|magazine=Broadcasting|page=60}}</ref>

In 1957, two years before its parent company Columbia dropped UPA, Screen Gems entered a distribution deal with [[Hanna-Barbera|Hanna-Barbera Productions]], which produced classic animated series such as ''[[The Flintstones]]'', ''[[The Quick Draw McGraw Show]]'', ''[[The Huckleberry Hound Show]]'', ''[[The Yogi Bear Show]]'', ''[[Jonny Quest (TV series)|Jonny Quest]]'', ''[[The Jetsons]]'' and ''[[Top Cat]]'' among others. Screen Gems distributed the company's shows until 1967, when Hanna-Barbera was sold to [[Taft Broadcasting]]. In 1960, the animation studio became a publicly traded company under the name Screen Gems, Inc., when Columbia spun off an 18% stake.

===1950s===
By 1950, Columbia had discontinued most of its popular [[film series|series films]] (''[[Boston Blackie]]'', ''[[Blondie (1938 film)|Blondie]]'', ''The Lone Wolf'', ''The Crime Doctor'', ''Rusty'', etc.) Only ''[[Jungle Jim]]'', launched by producer [[Sam Katzman]] in 1949, kept going through 1955. Katzman contributed greatly to Columbia's success by producing dozens of topical feature films, including [[Crime film|crime dramas]], [[science fiction|science-fiction]] stories, and [[Rock and roll|rock'n'roll]] musicals. Columbia kept making serials until 1956 and two-reel comedies until 1957, after other studios had abandoned these mediums.

As the larger studios declined in the 1950s, Columbia's position improved. This was largely because it did not suffer from the massive loss of income that the other major studios suffered from the loss of their theaters (well over 90%, in some cases). Columbia continued to produce 40-plus pictures a year, offering productions that often broke ground and kept audiences coming to theaters. Some of its significant films from this era include the studio's adaptation of the controversial [[James Jones (author)|James Jones]] novel ''[[From Here to Eternity]]'' (1953), ''[[On the Waterfront]]'' (1954), and ''[[The Bridge on the River Kwai]]'' (1957) with [[William Holden]] and [[Alec Guinness]], all of which won the [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture Oscar]]. Another significant film of the studio was the free adaptation of [[George Orwell]]'s [[Utopian and dystopian fiction|dystopian novel]] ''[[1984 (1956 film)|Nineteen Eighty-Four]]'' (1956).

Columbia also released the productions of the English studio [[Warwick Films]] (by producers [[Irving Allen]] and [[Albert R. Broccoli]]), as well as many films by producer [[Carl Foreman]], who resided in England. Columbia distributed some films made by [[Hammer Film Productions|Hammer]], which was also based in England.

In December 1956, Jack Cohn, co-founder and executive vice-president, died.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=December 10, 1956|page=31|title=Jack Cohn Dead; Film Pioneer, 67|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1956/12/10/archives/jack-cohn-dead-film-pioneer-67-cofounder-of-columbia-with-brother.html|access-date=January 10, 2021}}</ref> In 1958, Columbia established its own record label, [[Colpix Records]], initially run by Jonie Taps, who headed Columbia's music department, and later [[Paul Wexler (actor)|Paul Wexler]] and [[Lester Sill]]. Colpix was active until 1966 when Columbia entered into a joint agreement with [[RCA Records|RCA Victor]] and discontinued Colpix in favor of its new label, [[Colgems Records]].

===1960s: After Harry Cohn's death===
[[File:Columbia Pictures Aktie.jpg|thumb|[[Stock certificate]] in 1965]]
Shortly after closing their short subjects department, Columbia president [[Harry Cohn]] died of a heart attack in February 1958. His nephew Ralph Cohn died in 1959, ending almost four decades of family management.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.nytimes.com/1959/08/02/archives/ralph-m-cohn-45-ty-official-diesi-president-of-screen-gems-a.html|title= RALPH M. COHN, 45, TY OFFICIAL, DIESI; President of Screen Gems a Columbia Pictures Aide, Had Been Film Producer |author= <!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|date= August 2, 1959|publisher= The New York Times |access-date=October 10, 2025 |url-status=live
|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20251010105314/https://www.nytimes.com/1959/08/02/archives/ralph-m-cohn-45-ty-official-diesi-president-of-screen-gems-a.html|archive-date=October 10, 2025  }}</ref>

The new management was headed by Abe Schneider, who had joined the company as an office boy out of high school and become a director in 1929, rising through the financial side of the business.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/1993/film/news/ex-col-titan-schneider-dies-106225/|author=Suzan Ayscough|work=Variety|title=Ex-Col titan Schneider dies|date=April 23, 1993}}</ref> In 1963, Columbia acquired music publisher [[Aldon Music]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/09/14/archives/bellhop-turned-millionaire-30-heads-a-columbia-film-division-don.html | title=Bellhop Turned Millionaire, 30, Heads a Columbia Film Division; Don Kirshner, President of Mask Unit, Made Fortane by Publishing Hit Tunes | work=The New York Times | date=September 14, 1964 }}</ref>

By the late 1960s, Columbia had an ambiguous identity, offering old-fashioned fare such as ''[[A Man for All Seasons (1966 film)|A Man for All Seasons]]'' and ''[[Oliver! (film)|Oliver!]]'' along with the more contemporary ''[[Easy Rider]]'' and ''[[The Monkees (TV series)|The Monkees]]''. After turning down releasing [[Albert R. Broccoli]]'s [[Eon Productions]] ''[[James Bond]]'' films, Columbia hired Broccoli's former partner [[Irving Allen]] to produce the [[Matt Helm]] series with [[Dean Martin]]. Columbia also produced a ''James Bond'' spoof, ''[[Casino Royale (1967 film)|Casino Royale]]'' (1967), in conjunction with [[Charles K. Feldman]], which held the adaptation rights for [[Casino Royale (novel)|that novel]].

By 1966, the studio was suffering from box-office failures, and takeover rumors began surfacing. Columbia was surviving solely on the profits made from Screen Gems, whose holdings also included radio and television stations.<ref>Dick, pp. 18–20</ref> On December 23, 1968, Screen Gems merged with Columbia Pictures Corporation and became part of the newly formed Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. for $24.5&nbsp;million.<ref name="broadcasting19681223">{{cite magazine|date=December 23, 1968|title=Columbia, SG complete $24.5 million merger|magazine=Broadcasting|page=53}}</ref> Schneider was chairman of the holding company and [[Leo Jaffe]] president.
Following the merger, in March 1969, CPI purchased [[Bell Records]] for $3.5&nbsp;million (mainly in CPI stock), retaining [[Larry Uttal]] as label president.

===1970s===
Nearly bankrupt by the early 1970s, the studio was saved via a radical overhaul: the Gower Street Studios (now called "[[Sunset Gower Studios]]") were sold and a new management team was brought in. In 1972, Columbia and Warner Bros. formed a partnership called The Burbank Studios<!-- Do not wikilink. The Burbank Studios of today is the old NBC lot; this was the current WB lot. -->, in which both companies shared the [[Warner Bros. Studios Burbank|Warner studio lot]] in [[Burbank, California|Burbank]].

{{Anchor|Columbia Pictures Publications}}
In 1971, Columbia Pictures established sheet music publisher Columbia Pictures Publications, with vice president and general manager [[Frank Hackinson|Frank J. Hackinson]], who later became the president.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fjhmusic.com/hackinson.htm|title=The F.J.H. Music Company Inc. – About us|website=fjhmusic.com|access-date=June 26, 2017|archive-date=July 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170720130346/http://www.fjhmusic.com/hackinson.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 1973, [[Allen & Company|Allen & Co]] took a financial stake in Columbia Pictures Industries and [[Alan Hirschfield]] was appointed CEO,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/29/business/media/alan-j-hirschfield-79-hollywood-executive-is-dead.html|title=Alan J. Hirschfield, 79, Hollywood Executive, Is Dead|last=Cieply|first=Michael|date=January 28, 2015|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=February 8, 2015|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> succeeding [[Leo Jaffe]] who became chairman. Stanley Schneider, son of Abe Schneider (who became honorary chairman before leaving the board in 1975) was replaced as head of the Columbia Pictures studio by [[David Begelman]], who reported to Hirschfield. Some years later Begelman was involved in a check-forging scandal that badly hurt the studio's image.

On May 6, 1974, Columbia retired the [[Screen Gems#Television subsidiary (1948–1974)|Screen Gems]] name from television, renaming its television division to the name of [[Columbia Pictures Television]]. The name was suggested by [[David Gerber]], who was then president of Columbia's television division.<ref name="broadcasting19740506">{{cite magazine|date=May 6, 1974|title=Remodeling at Screen Gems|magazine=Broadcasting|page=39}}</ref> The same year, Columbia Pictures acquired Rastar Pictures, which included Rastar Productions, Rastar Features, and Rastar Television. Ray Stark then founded Rastar Films, the reincarnation of Rastar Pictures, which was acquired by Columbia Pictures in February 1980.<ref name="Google Books 1992">Dick, p. 29.</ref>

Columbia Pictures also reorganized its music and record divisions. [[Clive Davis]] was hired as a record and music consultant by Columbia Pictures in 1974 and later became temporary president of [[Bell Records]]. Davis's real goal was to revitalize Columbia Pictures' music division. With a $10&nbsp;million investment by CPI, and a reorganization of the various Columbia Pictures legacy labels (Colpix, [[Colgems Records|Colgems]], and Bell), Davis introduced Columbia Pictures' new record division, [[Arista Records]], in November 1974, with Davis himself owning 20% of the new venture. Columbia maintained control of the label until 1979, when it was sold to [[Ariola|Ariola Records]]. In addition, Columbia sold its music publishing business (Columbia-Screen Gems) to [[EMI Music Publishing|EMI]] in August 1976 for $15&nbsp;million.<ref name=hist7079>{{cite web|url=http://www.emiarchivetrust.org/archiveHistory.aspx?id=1571498|title=A Brief History of EMI: 1970–1979|access-date=April 6, 2013|publisher=The EMI Group Archive Trust|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110923060515/http://www.emiarchivetrust.org/archiveHistory.aspx?id=1571498|archive-date=September 23, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> Both would later be reunited with Columbia Pictures under Sony ownership.

In December 1976, Columbia Pictures acquired the arcade game company [[Gottlieb|D. Gottlieb & Co.]] for $50&nbsp;million.<ref name="googlebooks19771126">{{cite magazine|date=November 26, 1977|title=Arista Helps Columbia Pictures|magazine=Billboard|page=8}}</ref>

In 1978, Begelman was suspended for having [[Embezzlement|embezzled]] money from Columbia. Hirschfield was forced out for his refusal to reinstate him.<ref>{{cite news|first=Alex|last=Stedman|title=Alan Hirschfield, Former Columbia Chief Exec, Dies at 79 |url=https://variety.com/2015/film/news/alan-hirschfield-former-columbia-chief-exec-dies-at-79-1201408596/ |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=January 16, 2015 |access-date=February 8, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Alan Hirschfield, Former Chief Exec of Columbia, Dies at 79 |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/alan-hirschfield-chief-exec-columbia-764634 |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |date=January 18, 2015 |access-date=February 8, 2015}}</ref> Begelman later resigned and was replaced by [[Daniel Melnick]] in June 1978.<ref name=DV80>{{cite news|work=[[Daily Variety]]|title=Film studio exec caught in revolving doors|date=October 28, 1980|page=34}}</ref> [[Fay Vincent]] was hired to replace Hirschfield.

[[Frank Price]] became president of production in 1978. In March 1979, he would become president of Columbia Pictures, succeeding Melnick.<ref name=DV80/> During Price's tenure he was responsible for turning out 9 of the top 10 grossing films in Columbia's history.<ref name=dutka2>{{cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-03-22-fi-1047-story.html |title=Hollywood Veteran Price to Head Film Unit at Columbia |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |author=Elaine Dutka |date=March 22, 1990 |access-date=November 18, 2017}}</ref>

In the fall of 1978, [[Kirk Kerkorian]], a Vegas casino mogul who also controlled [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]], acquired a 5.5% stake in Columbia Pictures.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-03-08-fi-2987-story.html|title=MGM/UA Under Kerkorian Meant 20 Years of Change|date=March 8, 1990|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=May 16, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0458-3035}}</ref> He then announced on November 20, that he intended to launch a tender offer to acquire another 20% for the studio.<ref name=":0" /> On December 14, a standstill agreement was reached with Columbia by promising not to go beyond 25% or seeking control for at least three years.<ref name=":0" />

On January 15, 1979, the [[United States Department of Justice]] filed an [[Competition law|antitrust]] suit against Kerkorian to block him from holding a stake in Columbia while controlling MGM.<ref name=":0" /> On February 19, 1979, Columbia Pictures Television acquired TOY Productions; the production company founded by [[Bud Yorkin]] and writers [[Saul Turteltaub]] and [[Bernie Orenstein]] in 1976.<ref name="broadcasting19790219">{{cite magazine|date=February 19, 1979|title=New TOY|magazine=Broadcasting|page=39}}</ref> In May, Kerkorian acquired an additional 214,000 shares in Columbia, raising his stake to 25%.<ref name=":0" /> On August 2, the trial began; on August 14, the court ruled in favor for Kerkorian.<ref name=":0" /> In 1979, Columbia agreed with Time-Life Video to release 20 titles on [[videocassette]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/06/13/archives/videotapes-for-homes-800000-recorders-sold-cassettes-for-rent.html|title = Videotapes for Homes|newspaper = The New York Times|date = June 13, 1979|last1 = Brown|first1 = Les}}</ref>

===1980s: Coca-Cola, Tri-Star, and other acquisitions and ventures===
On September 30, 1980, Kerkorian sued Columbia for ignoring shareholders' interest and violating an agreement with him.<ref name=":0" /> Columbia later accused him on October 2, of scheming with [[Nelson Bunker Hunt]] to gain control of Columbia.

In 1981, Kerkorian sold his 25% stake in Columbia back to CPI.<ref name=":0" /> Columbia Pictures later acquired 81% of [[Walter Reade|The Walter Reade Organization]], which owned 11 theaters; it purchased the remaining 19% in 1985.

Around this time, Columbia put [[Steven Spielberg]]'s proposed follow-up to ''[[Close Encounters of the Third Kind]]'', ''[[Night Skies]]'', into [[Turnaround (filmmaking)|turnaround]]. The project eventually became the highest-grossing film of the time, ''[[E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial]]''. Columbia received a share of the profits for its involvement in the development.<ref>{{cite news|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|title=Exec Shifts Make Columbia the Gem of Commotion|date=November 22, 1989|page=1|last=Cohn|first=Lawrence}}</ref>

On May 17, 1982, Columbia Pictures acquired [[Spelling-Goldberg Productions]] for over $40&nbsp;million.<ref>Perry, pp. 28</ref><ref name="broadcasting19820517">{{cite magazine|date=May 17, 1982|title=Columbia buys Spelling-Goldberg|magazine=Broadcasting|page=42}}</ref> With a healthier balance-sheet (due in large part to box office hits like ''[[Kramer vs. Kramer]]'', ''[[Stir Crazy (film)|Stir Crazy]]'', ''[[The Blue Lagoon (1980 film)|The Blue Lagoon]]'', and ''[[Stripes (film)|Stripes]]''), Columbia was bought by [[The Coca-Cola Company]] on June 22, 1982, for $750&nbsp;million.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/06/23/business/coke-completes-columbia-merger.html|title=Coke Completes Columbia Merger|date=June 23, 1982|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=March 14, 2010|agency=[[Associated Press]]|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Studio head Frank Price mixed big hits like ''[[Tootsie]]'', ''[[Gandhi (film)|Gandhi]]'', ''[[The Karate Kid]]'', ''[[The Big Chill (film)|The Big Chill]]'', and ''[[Ghostbusters]]'' with many costly flops. To share the increasing cost of film production, Coke brought in two outside investors whose earlier efforts in Hollywood had come to nothing. In 1982, Columbia, [[Time Inc.]]'s [[HBO]] and [[CBS]] announced, as a joint venture, "Nova Pictures"; this enterprise was to be renamed [[TriStar Pictures|Tri-Star Pictures]].<ref>{{cite news |id={{ProQuest|147616787}} |last1=Brown |first1=Merrill |title=TV Merger Hits Snag At Justice: Staff Opposes Plan Of HBO Rivals: Baxter Undecided Staff Opposes Plan For Pay TV Merger |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=May 25, 1983 |page=D9 }}</ref> In 1983, Price left Columbia Pictures after a dispute with Coca-Cola and went back to Universal.<ref>{{cite news |title=Price is Leaving Columbia |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1734&dat=19831010&id=X1ocAAAAIBAJ&sjid=vFIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5777,4137849 |work=The Dispatch |date=October 10, 1983|via=Google News|access-date=August 15, 2012}}</ref> He was replaced by [[Guy McElwaine]].<ref>{{cite news|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|title=Columbia In-House Productions – 1978–89|date=November 22, 1989|page=16}}</ref>

In the early 1980s, Columbia and Tri-Star Pictures set up a film partnership with Delphi Film Associates and acquired an interest in various film releases. In 1984, Delphi Film Associates III acquired an interest in the Tri-Star and Columbia film slate of 1984, which would make a $60&nbsp;million offering in the financing of film production.<ref>{{Cite news|date=February 15, 1984|title=7 Tri-Star Pix in Delphi III Float; Gross Cut as Invester Protection; HBO, CBS Deals: 'Fair Market'|page=3|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref> Also that year, Columbia Pictures had bought out the rights to ''[[Hardbodies]]'', which was once premiered on [[Playboy TV|The Playboy Channel]].<ref>{{Cite news|date=March 7, 1984|title=Col Buys R-Rated Sex Comedy, Once Set for The Playboy Channel|page=10|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref>

Columbia Pictures expanded its music publishing operations in the 1980s, acquiring Big 3 Publishing (the former sheet music operations of Robbins, [[Leo Feist, Inc.|Feist]], and [[Miller Music Publishing Co.|Miller]]) from [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer|MGM/UA Communications Co.]] in 1983, Belwin-Mills Publishing from [[Simon & Schuster]] in 1985, and Al Gallico Music in 1987.<ref>{{Cite news| last = Irv Lichtman| title = Columbia Pictures To Acquire Big 3| magazine = Billboard| date = February 12, 1983|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9iMEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT39|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |id={{ProQuest|397955995}} |title=Gulf & Western Unit Sells Belwin-Mills Publishing |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=March 25, 1985 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |id={{ProQuest|292549635}} |title=Columbia gained several popular song copyrights |work=Los Angeles Times  |date=February 4, 1987 }}</ref>

On June 18, 1985, Columbia's parent acquired [[Norman Lear]] and [[Jerry Perenchio]]'s Embassy Communications, Inc. (including [[Embassy Pictures]], Embassy Television, [[Tandem Productions]], and Embassy Home Entertainment), mostly for its library of television series such as ''[[All in the Family]]'' and ''[[The Jeffersons]]'', for $485&nbsp;million.<ref name="Norman Lear 1985-6-18">{{cite web|url=http://www.normanlear.com/backstory_press_3.html|title=Coke buys Embassy: 485 million|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722071434/http://www.normanlear.com/backstory_press_3.html |archive-date=July 22, 2011|website=normanlear.com}}</ref> On November 16, 1985, CBS dropped out of the Tri-Star venture.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/11/16/business/cbs-sells-stake-in-tri-star-inc.html|title=CBS Sells Stake In Tri-Star Inc.|date=November 16, 1985|work=The New York Times|access-date=May 16, 2019|agency=[[Associated Press]]|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

Many changes occurred in 1986. Expanding its television franchise, on May 5, Columbia's parent also bought [[Merv Griffin Enterprises]] for $250&nbsp;million. The company was notable for: ''[[Wheel of Fortune (American game show)|Wheel of Fortune]]'', ''[[Jeopardy!]]'', ''[[Dance Fever]]'', and ''[[The Merv Griffin Show]]''.<ref name="broadcasting19860512">{{cite magazine|date=May 12, 1986|title=Structuring and restructuring|magazine=Broadcasting|page=66}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,961342,00.html|title=Fizz, Movies and Whoop-De-Do|last=Russell|first=George|date=May 12, 1986|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|access-date=May 16, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0040-781X}}</ref> Months later on August 28, the Columbia Pictures Television Group acquired [[Danny Arnold]]'s Danny Arnold Productions, Inc.. The deal included Arnold's rights to the sitcom ''[[Barney Miller]]'' (Four D Productions) among other produced series such as ''[[Fish (American TV series)|Fish]]'' (The Mimus Corporation), ''[[A.E.S. Hudson Street]]'' (Triseme Corporation), and ''[[Joe Bash]]'' (Tetagram Ltd.). Arnold had dropped the federal and state lawsuits against the television studio, who was accusing them of [[Competition law|antitrust]] violations, fraud, and breach of [[Fiduciary|fiduciary duty]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://apnews.com/50b6146fe983b49d631795746d0bd2dc |title=COKE TO BUY FILM CONCERN TO SETTLE SUITS |date=August 29, 1986 |publisher=[[AP News Archive]] |access-date=November 30, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/08/30/business/company-news-coke-suit-pact.html|title=COMPANY NEWS; Coke Suit Pact|date=August 30, 1986|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=May 17, 2011|agency=Associated Press|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1310&dat=19860829&id=w3ozAAAAIBAJ&sjid=s-EDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4751,7211700|title=Coke Gets 'Barney Miller'|work=Eugene Register-Guard|via=Google News|access-date=November 30, 2013}}</ref> 

Coca-Cola sold the Embassy Pictures division to [[Dino de Laurentiis]], who later folded Embassy Pictures into Dino de Laurentiis Productions, Inc. The company was renamed as [[De Laurentiis Entertainment Group]]. Coca-Cola also sold Embassy Home Entertainment to [[New Line Home Entertainment|Nelson Entertainment]]. Coca-Cola, however, retained the Embassy Pictures name, logo, and trademark. HBO was the last partner to drop out of the Tri-Star venture and sold its shares to Columbia<ref>{{cite book |first=Stephen |last=Prince |url=https://archive.org/details/newpotofgold00step |url-access=registration |title=A New Pot of Gold: Hollywood Under the Electronic Rainbow |publisher=University of California Press |location=Berkeley, Calif. |year=2002 |orig-year=2000 |isbn=9780520232662 |series=History of the American Cinema Vol. 10 |page=[https://archive.org/details/newpotofgold00step/page/31 31] |access-date=August 13, 2013}}</ref> Tri-Star later expanded into the television business with its new [[TriStar Television|Tri-Star Television]] division.

The same year, Columbia recruited British producer [[David Puttnam]] to head the studio. Puttnam attempted to defy Hollywood filmmaking by making smaller films instead of big tentpole pictures. His criticism of American film production, in addition to the fact that the films he greenlit were mostly flops, left Coke and Hollywood concerned.{{Clarify|date=June 2013}}

Puttnam then discontinued multi-picture pacts with various filmmakers, including [[Norman Jewison]], which was permitted to expire before all of the promised product could be delivered.<ref>{{Cite news|date=April 1, 1987|title=Columbia Letting Multipic Pacts With Jewinson, Others Expire|page=37|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref> Under Puttnam's control, he set up a $270&nbsp;million package of in-house pictures and acquisitions, and the average lineup of 25 features was expected to be $10.78&nbsp;million, about $4&nbsp;million less of the cost at Columbia before Puttnam came on board, and a number of low-cost acquisitions such as [[Spike Lee]]'s $5&nbsp;million picture ''[[School Daze]]''.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Tusher|first=Will|date=April 8, 1987|title=Col Sets $270-Mil Package Of In-House Pics, Acquisitions As Part of David Puttman's Initial Program|pages=3, 26|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref>

On October 22, 1986, Greg Coote was appointed by Columbia Pictures as key executive of the studio, to complement David Puttman's pledge on Columbia Pictures to fix its sights over its international market.<ref>{{Cite news|date=October 22, 1986|title=Col Looking To Put Australia's Coote Into Key Exec Slot|page=6|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref> On December 17, 1986, the company acquired a 30% share in Roadshow, Coote & Carroll, a company Greg Coote headed, and decided that they would pick up films and miniseries to put an effort to add it up to Columbia's shares, and listed dozens of theatrical and television films and dozens of miniseries throughout the addition of the Columbia slate.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Groves|first=Don|date=December 17, 1986|title=Greg Coote Hoping Columbia Would Pick Up Films, Miniseries|pages=22, 33|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref>

On June 26, 1987, Coca-Cola sold The Walter Reade Organization to [[Cineplex Odeon Corporation]].<ref>{{cite news |url=|title=Cineplex Odeon acquires New York's Walter Reade theatre circuit. (Walter Reade Organization Inc.) |date=June 26, 1987 |publisher=[[PR Newswire]] |access-date=}}</ref> On October 14, 1987, Coca-Cola's entertainment division invested in $30&nbsp;million in [[Castle Rock Entertainment]] with five Hollywood executives. Coke's entertainment business division owned 40% in Castle Rock, while the execs owned 60%.<ref name="NewsBank">{{cite news|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=AT&p_theme=at&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB7C2F05DE50C09&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D|title=Coca-Cola (originally written as Cokca-Cola) division invests in film production company|website=nl.newsbank.com|access-date=May 16, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224164902/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=AT&p_theme=at&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB7C2F05DE50C09&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D|archive-date=February 24, 2021}}</ref>

====Columbia Pictures Entertainment era (1987–1989)====

The volatile film business made Coke shareholders nervous, and following the critical and box-office failure of ''[[Ishtar (film)|Ishtar]]'', Coke spun off its entertainment holdings on December 21, 1987, and sold it to Tri-Star Pictures for $3.1&nbsp;billion. Tri-Star Pictures, Inc. was renamed as Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc. (CPE), with Coke owning 80% of the company.<ref>Dick, p. 46.</ref> Both studios continued to produce and distribute films under their separate names.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-09-02-fi-3400-story.html|title=Coke, Tri-Star Confirm Plans for $3.1-Billion Deal|last=Harris|first=Kathryn|date=September 2, 1987|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=May 16, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0458-3035}}</ref>

Puttnam was ousted from the position after only one year.<ref>Prince, Stephen (2000) ''A New Pot of Gold: Hollywood Under the Electronic Rainbow, 1980–1989'' (pp. 54–58). [[University of California Press]], [[Berkeley, California|Berkeley]]/[[Los Angeles, California]]. {{ISBN|0-520-23266-6}}</ref> Puttnam was succeeded by [[Dawn Steel]]. Other small-scale, "boutique" entities were created: [[Nelson Entertainment]], a joint venture with British and Canadian partners, [[Triumph Films]], jointly owned with French studio [[Gaumont (company)|Gaumont]], and which is now a low-budget label, and [[Castle Rock Entertainment]].

On January 2, 1988, Columbia/Embassy Television and Tri-Star Television were formed into the new Columbia Pictures Television and Embassy Communications was renamed as ELP Communications to serve as a copyright holder of the Embassy television productions. In early 1988, CPE relaunched [[Triumph Films]] as Triumph Releasing Corporation, which handled administrative services related to distribution of Columbia and Tri-Star's films for the North American market, while Triumph was responsible for the sales, marketing and distribution of Columbia and [[TriStar Pictures|Tri-Star]] films under the direction of each individual studio internationally, with Patrick N. Williamson serving as head of Triumph.<ref>{{Cite news |date=January 6, 1988 |title=Columbia Resurrects 'Triumph' |page=7 |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref>

On January 16, 1988, CPE's stock fell slightly in the market on its first day trading in the [[New York Stock Exchange]]. Coke spun off 34.1&nbsp;million of its Columbia shares to its shareholders by reducing its stake in CPE from 80% to 49%.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-01-16-fi-9327-story.html|title=Columbia Pictures' Stock Has Weak Wall St. Debut|last=Knoedelseder|first=William K. Jr.|date=January 16, 1988|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=August 8, 2013|language=en-US|issn=0458-3035}}</ref> On April 13, 1988, CPE spun off Tri-Star Pictures, Inc. as a reformed company of the Tri-Star studio.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://appext20.dos.ny.gov/corp_public/CORPSEARCH.ENTITY_INFORMATION?p_nameid=1367154&p_corpid=1252551&p_entity_name=Tri-Star%20Pictures&p_name_type=%25&p_search_type=BEGINS&p_srch_results_page=0|title = State of New York Division of Corporations – Entity Search: Tri-Star Pictures, Inc.|access-date = August 5, 2013}}</ref> In April 1988, CPE sold its music publishing operations to the British company Filmtrax.<ref>{{Cite news| volume = 100| issue = 16| pages = 1–77| last = Hunter| first = Nigel| title = Filmtrax Buys Columbia, Mogull Pub Companies| magazine = Billboard| date = April 16, 1988|via=worldradiohistory.com|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/80s/1988/BB-1988-04-16.pdf}}</ref> (Filmtrax was acquired by [[Thorn EMI]] in 1990.)<ref>{{cite news |id={{ProQuest|281273979}} |last1=Shiver |first1=Jube |title=Thorn EMI Buys Filmtrax Catalogue for $115 Million Music: The huge collection of songs owned by the company includes 'Stormy Weather' and 'Against All Odds' |work=Los Angeles Times |date=August 9, 1990 }}</ref> In June 1988, CPE announced the sale of Columbia Pictures Publications (consisting of the print music operations) to the investment firm Boston Ventures and was renamed CPP/Belwin.<ref>{{cite news |id={{ProQuest|398049094}} |title=Business Brief: Columbia Pictures Entertainment |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |date=June 3, 1988 }}</ref> CPP/Belwin was acquired by [[Warner Chappell Music]] of Warner Bros. in 1994.<ref>{{cite news |id={{ProQuest|388726870}} |last1=Weaver |first1=Jay |title=MELODIC MERGER PRINT MUSIC DIVISIONS UNITE TO FORM WORLD'S BIGGEST PUBLISHING OPERATION |work=Sun Sentinel |date=October 5, 1994 }}</ref>

On February 2, 1989, Columbia Pictures Television formed a joint-venture with Norman Lear's Act III Communications called Act III Television (now Act III Productions) to produce television series instead of managing.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-02-02-fi-2616-story.html|title=Norman Lear, Columbia Form Joint TV Venture|last=Knoedelseder|first=William K. Jr.|date=February 2, 1989|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=June 19, 2013|language=en-US|issn=0458-3035|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250807045214/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-02-02-fi-2616-story.html|archive-date=August 7, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/02/02/business/lear-joins-with-columbia-to-produce-tv-not-manage.html|title=Lear Joins With Columbia To Produce TV, Not Manage|last=Stevenson|first=Richard W.|date=February 2, 1989|work=The New York Times|access-date=June 19, 2013|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

===Sony era (1989–present)===
On September 28, 1989, the Columbia Pictures empire was sold to the electronics giant [[Sony]], one of several [[Japanese asset price bubble|Japanese firms then buying American properties]], for the amount of $3.4&nbsp;billion.<ref>{{cite news |last=Fabrikant |first=Geraldine |title=DEAL IS EXPECTED FOR SONY TO BUY COLUMBIA PICTURES |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/09/26/business/deal-is-expected-for-sony-to-buy-columbia-pictures.html |access-date=May 22, 2022 |work=The New York Times |date=September 26, 1989 |page=1 |language=en-US}}</ref> The sale netted Coca-Cola a profit from its investment in the studio.<ref name=GT-DEX-1989-08>{{cite news|title=Sony to Buy Columbia, Says Americans Will Run Studio : 1st Sale of Film Maker to Japanese|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-09-27-mn-335-story.html|access-date=September 24, 2012|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=September 27, 1989|first=Paul|last=Richter}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/1997/10/13/232494/index.htm|title=WHERE COKE GOES FROM HERE – October 13, 1997|work=CNN}}</ref> Sony then hired two producers, [[Peter Guber]] and [[Jon Peters]], to serve as coheads of production when Sony also acquired the Guber-Peters Entertainment Company (the former game show production company, [[Barris Industries]]) for $200&nbsp;million on September 29, 1989.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/09/29/business/company-news-sony-buys-guber-peters.html|title=Sony Buys Guber-Peters|date=September 29, 1989|agency=Reuters|newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref> Guber and Peters had just signed a long-term contract with Warner Bros. in 1989, having been with the company since 1983. Warner Bros., then a subsidiary of [[WarnerMedia|Warner Communications]], sued Sony for $1&nbsp;billion.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IllKn7ctWhoC&q=Guber-Peters%20signs%20contract%20deal%20with%20Warner%20Bros.&pg=PT256|title=Bargaining for Advantage|isbn=9781101221372|last1=Richard Shell|first1=G.|date=May 2, 2006|publisher=Penguin }}</ref> Sony completed CPE's acquisition on November 8, and the Guber-Peters acquisition was completed on the following day.

On December 1, 1989, Guber and Peters hired a longtime lawyer of GPEC, Alan J. Levine, to the post of president and COO of Columbia's newly formed company Filmed Entertainment Group (FEG).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-12-01-fi-247-story.html|title=Columbia Names Alan Levine President|work=Los Angeles Times|date=December 1989}}</ref> FEG consisted of Columbia Pictures, Tri-Star Pictures, Triumph Releasing, Columbia Pictures Television, Columbia Pictures Television Distribution, Merv Griffin Enterprises, RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (internationally known as RCA/Columbia Pictures International Video), Guber-Peters Entertainment Company, and ancillary and distribution companies.

====1990s====
[[File:Columbia Pictures painting on the wall of Sony Pictures Studios.png|thumb|right|270px|Columbia Pictures painting on the outer wall of Sony Pictures Studios after the 1993 change.]]
In 1990, Sony ended up paying hundreds of millions of dollars, gave up a half-interest in its [[Columbia House|Columbia House Records Club]] mail-order business, and bought from [[WarnerMedia|Time Warner]] the former [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] (MGM) studio lot in Culver City, which Warner Communications had acquired in its takeover of [[Lorimar-Telepictures]] in 1989, thus ending the Burbank Studios partnership. Initially renamed [[Sony Pictures Studios|Columbia Studios]], Sony spent $100&nbsp;million to refurbish the rechristened [[Sony Pictures Studios]] lot.

Guber and Peters set out to prove they were worth this fortune, but though there were to be some successes, there were also many costly flops. The same year, [[Frank Price]] was made the chairman of Columbia Pictures. His company Price Entertainment, Inc., which he founded in 1987, was merged with Columbia in March 1991. Price left Columbia on October 4, 1991, and was replaced by Warner Bros. executive [[Mark Canton]] and reactivated Price Entertainment as Price Entertainment Company with a nonexclusive deal with SPE.<ref>{{cite news|author=ALAN CITRON|date=October 4, 1991|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-10-04-fi-3363-story.html|title=Columbia Pictures Wraps Up Deal to Make Canton Chairman|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=February 25, 2013}}</ref> Peters was fired by his partner Guber in 1991, but Guber later resigned in 1994 to form [[Mandalay Entertainment]] the following year.<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Bates|first1=James|last2=Dutka|first2=Elaine|date=September 30, 1994|title=Guber Leaves Sony Pictures to Form Own Firm|language=en-US|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-09-30-mn-44851-story.html}}</ref> The entire operation was reorganized and renamed Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) on August 7, 1991,<ref name="Los Angeles Times 1991-8-7">[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-08-08-fi-464-story.html "She Holds Torch for Sony Pictures Entertainment"]. ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''</ref> and at the same time, TriStar (which had officially lost its hyphen) relaunched its television division in October. In December 1991, SPE created [[Sony Pictures Classics]] for arthouse fare and was headed by [[Michael Barker (film distributor)|Michael Barker]], [[Tom Bernard]], and Marcie Bloom,<ref name="SPC at 15">{{cite news |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/sony-pictures-classics-at-15-139749 |title=Sony Pictures Classics at 15 |first=Anne |last=Thompson |date=October 17, 2006 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120209021120/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/sony-pictures-classics-at-15-139749 |archive-date=February 9, 2012 |url-status=live |access-date=March 4, 2010 |quote="They stay behind the films and manage to find a significant core audience for a large number of them, with the occasional $130 million blowout like ''Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,''" [former United Artists president Bingham] Ray says. "But they spend a fraction of what a major studio would spend to get the same number. Their philosophy is not to pile a lot of money on everything. They run a tight ship; they don't have an army of people working for them. They keep things simple." }} [http://www.allbusiness.com/services/motion-pictures/4803238-1.html Alt URL] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071215090950/http://www.allbusiness.com/services/motion-pictures/4803238-1.html |date=December 15, 2007 }}</ref> who previously operated [[United Artists|United Artists Classics]] and [[Orion Classics]]. Publicly humiliated, Sony suffered an enormous loss on its investment in Columbia, taking a $2.7 billion write-off in 1994. [[John Calley]] took over as SPE president in November 1996, installing [[Amy Pascal]] as Columbia Pictures president and [[Chris Lee (producer)|Chris Lee]] as president of production at TriStar. By the next spring, the studios were clearly rebounding, setting a record pace at the box office.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/05/26/business/a-strong-debut-helps-as-a-new-chief-tackles-sony-s-movie-problems.html|title=A Strong Debut Helps, as a New Chief Tackles Sony's Movie Problems|last=Fabrikant|first=Geraldine|date=May 26, 1997|work=The New York Times|access-date=May 16, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> On December 7, 1992, Sony Pictures acquired the Barry & Enright game show library.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-13539468.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140611025717/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-13539468.html|title=Sony Pictures' secret: Goodson's price is right. (Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.'s licensing deal with Mark Goodson Productions)|website=|date=December 7, 1992|access-date=January 21, 2013|archive-date=June 11, 2014}}</ref>

On February 21, 1994, Columbia Pictures Television and TriStar Television merged to form [[Columbia TriStar Television]] (CTT),<ref>{{cite web|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-02-11-fi-21622-story.html|title=TriStar President Expected to Head Combined Unit|date=February 11, 1994|access-date=June 28, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Coe |first1=Steve |title=Feltheimer heads new Columbia TriStar TV |magazine=Broadcasting & Cable |volume=124 |issue=8 |date=February 1994 |page=20 }}</ref><ref name="broadcasting19940221">{{cite magazine|date=February 21, 1994|title=Feltheimer heads new Columbia TriStar TV |magazine=Broadcasting|page=20}}</ref> including the rights to ''[[Wheel of Fortune (American game show)|Wheel of Fortune]]'' and ''[[Jeopardy!]]'' after CTT folded Merv Griffin Enterprises in June.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-06-04-fi-207-story.html|title=Company Town Annex|work=Los Angeles Times|date=June 4, 1994|access-date=October 17, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/06/07/business/sony-griffin-deal.html|title=Sony-Griffin Deal|date=June 7, 1994|work=The New York Times|access-date=July 1, 2013|agency=Reuters|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> That same year, the company also purchased [[Stewart Television]], known for producing game shows such as ''[[Pyramid (franchise)|Pyramid]]'' and ''[[Chain Reaction (game show)|Chain Reaction]]'', among others. On July 21, 1995, Sony Pictures teamed up with [[The Jim Henson Company|Jim Henson Productions]] and created the joint venture Jim Henson Pictures.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Brian+Henson+and+Stephanie+Allain+to+Chat+on+Entertainment+Tonight...-a019461018|title=Brian Henson and Stephanie Allain to Chat on Entertainment Tonight Online|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140509001456/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Brian+Henson+and+Stephanie+Allain+to+Chat+on+Entertainment+Tonight...-a019461018 |archive-date=May 9, 2014|website=thefreelibrary.com|access-date=August 28, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=CLAUDIA ELLER|date=July 21, 1995|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-07-21-fi-26458-story.html|title=Company Town : Muppets Cut Deal With Sony Pictures|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=August 28, 2013}}</ref>

In the 1990s, Columbia announced plans for a rival ''James Bond'' franchise since they owned the rights to ''Casino Royale'' and were planning to make a third version of ''[[Thunderball (novel)|Thunderball]]'' with [[Kevin McClory]]. MGM and [[Danjaq|Danjaq, LLC]], owners of the franchise, [[Thunderball (novel)#Controversy|sued Sony Pictures in 1997]], with the legal dispute ending two years later in an out-of-court settlement. Sony traded the ''Casino Royale'' rights for $10&nbsp;million, as well as the [[Spider-Man]] filming rights.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mi6.co.uk/sections/articles/sony_past_007_attempts.php3?s=articles&t | archive-url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20091010074357/http://www.mi6.co.uk/sections/articles/sony_past_007_attempts.php3?s=articles&t | url-status=usurped | archive-date=October 10, 2009 | title=Past 007 Attempts | publisher=MI6, Home of James Bond | date=September 14, 2004 | access-date=November 7, 2007 }}</ref> The superhero became Columbia's most successful [[Spider-Man in film|franchise]]:<ref>{{cite news |url=https://variety.com/2002/scene/markets-festivals/a-league-of-her-own-1117871343/| title=A League of Her Own | first=Anne | last=Thompson |work=Variety | date=August 18, 2002 | access-date=September 8, 2021 }}</ref> [[Spider-Man (2002 film)|The first movie]] came out in 2002, and as of 2021, there have been seven follow-up movies with US grosses in excess of $2.5&nbsp;billion.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/franchise/fr3662122757/?ref_=bo_frs_table_5 | access-date=September 8, 2021 | title=Franchise: Spider-Man | publisher=Box Office Mojo}}</ref> Between the releases of the first and second sequels in 2004 and 2007, Sony led a consortium that purchased MGM, giving it distribution rights to the ''James Bond'' franchise.

In 1997, Columbia Pictures ranked as the highest-grossing movie studio in the United States, with a gross of $1.256&nbsp;billion. In 1998, Columbia and TriStar merged to form the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group (a.k.a. Columbia TriStar Pictures), though both studios still produce and distribute under their own names. Pascal retained her position as president of the newly united Columbia Pictures, while Lee became the combined studio's head of production.<ref>[https://variety.com/1998/biz/news/sony-hitches-tristar-to-col-1117469309/ "Sony hitches TriStar to Col"], ''Variety'', March 31, 1998.</ref> On December 8, 1998, Sony Pictures Entertainment relaunched the Screen Gems brand as a horror and independent film distribution company after shutting down Triumph Films.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-dec-08-fi-51776-story.html|title=Sony Forms New Movie Division|work=Los Angeles Times|date=December 8, 1998|access-date=October 17, 2021}}</ref> In 1999, TriStar Television was folded into CTT. Two years later, CPT was folded into CTT as well.

====2000s====
In the 2000s, Sony broadened its release schedule by backing [[Revolution Studios]], the production/distribution company headed by [[Joe Roth]]. On October 25, 2001, CTT and Columbia TriStar Television Distribution (CTTD) merged to form Columbia TriStar Domestic Television<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Sony+Pictures+Entertainment+Unveils+Realignment+of+Columbia+TriStar...-a079445619|title=Sony Pictures Entertainment Unveils Realignment of Columbia TriStar Domestic Television Operations|website=The Free Library|access-date=July 3, 2012|archive-date=October 13, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131013003250/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Sony+Pictures+Entertainment+Unveils+Realignment+of+Columbia+TriStar...-a079445619|url-status=dead}}</ref> and was renamed as [[Sony Pictures Television]] on September 16, 2002.<ref name="RR Newswire 2002-9-16">[http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sony-pictures-entertainment-renames-television-operations-domestic-and-international-divisions-take-sony-name-75774997.html Sony Pictures Entertainment Renames Television Operations; Domestic and International Divisions Take Sony Name], prnewswire.com</ref> Also in 2002, Columbia broke the record for biggest domestic theatrical gross, with a tally of $1.575&nbsp;billion, coincidentally breaking its own record of $1.256&nbsp;billion, set in 1997. The 2002 gross was primarily raised by such blockbusters as ''[[Spider-Man (2002 film)|Spider-Man]]'', ''[[Men in Black II]]'', and ''[[XXX (2002 film)|XXX]]''.<ref name="blake">{{cite web |url=http://www.sonypictures.com/corp/bio_jeff_blake.html |title=Jeff Blake Biography |publisher=Sony Pictures |access-date=October 17, 2008 |archive-date=October 15, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081015045609/http://www.sonypictures.com/corp/bio_jeff_blake.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> 

The studio was also the most lucrative of 2004,<ref name="blake"/> with over $1.338&nbsp;billion in the domestic box office with films such as ''[[Spider-Man 2]]'', ''[[50 First Dates]]'', and ''[[The Grudge]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/studio/?view=company&view2=yearly&yr=2004&p=.htm |title=2004 Market Share and Box Office Results by Movie Studio |website=Box Office Mojo |access-date=October 17, 2008}}</ref> and in 2006. Columbia's box office successes of 2006 included such blockbusters as ''[[The Da Vinci Code (film)|The Da Vinci Code]]'', ''[[The Pursuit of Happyness]]'', ''[[Monster House (film)|Monster House]]'', ''[[Casino Royale (2006 film)|Casino Royale]]'', and ''[[Open Season (2006 film)|Open Season]]''. The studio not only finished the year in first place, but also reached an all-time record high sum of $1.711&nbsp;billion, which was an all-time yearly record for any studio. It was surpassed by Warner Bros. in 2009.<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.sonypictures.com/corp/press_releases/2006/12_06/121706_SPEbreaks.html |title=Sony Pictures Entertainment Breaks All-Time Motion Picture Industry Domestic Box-Office Record |date=December 17, 2006 |publisher=Sony Picture s |access-date=October 17, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081207051526/http://www.sonypictures.com/corp/press_releases/2006/12_06/121706_SPEbreaks.html |archive-date=December 7, 2008 }}</ref>

====2010s====
On October 29, 2010, [[Matt Tolmach]], the copresident of Columbia Pictures, stepped down to produce ''[[The Amazing Spider-Man (film)|The Amazing Spider-Man]]'' and [[The Amazing Spider-Man 2|its sequel]]. Doug Belgrad, the other copresident of Columbia, was promoted to sole president of the studio. Belgrad and Tolmach had been copresidents of the studio since 2008 and had been working together as a team since 2003.<ref name="The Hollywood Reporter">{{cite news|author=Borys Kit|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/blogs/heat-vision/matt-tolmach-steps-down-columbia-33676|title=Matt Tolmach Steps Down From Columbia Pictures to Produce Spider-Man|work=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=November 27, 2013}}</ref><ref name="Movie City News">{{cite web|url=http://moviecitynews.com/2010/10/longtime-columbia-pictures-chiefs-matt-tolmach-and-doug-belgrad-transition-into-new-roles/|title=Longtime Columbia Pictures Ciefs Matt Tolmach And Doug Belgrad Transition Into New Roles|website=Moviecitynews.com|access-date=November 27, 2013|archive-date=December 3, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203033512/http://moviecitynews.com/2010/10/longtime-columbia-pictures-chiefs-matt-tolmach-and-doug-belgrad-transition-into-new-roles/|url-status=dead}}</ref> The same day, Hanna Minghella was named president of production of Columbia.<ref name="The Hollywood Reporter" /><ref name="Movie City News" />

On November 18, 2012, Sony Pictures announced it has passed the profit line of $4&nbsp;billion worldwide with the success of Columbia's releases ''[[Skyfall]]'', ''[[The Amazing Spider-Man (film)|The Amazing Spider-Man]]'', ''[[21 Jump Street (film)|21 Jump Street]]'', ''[[Men in Black 3]]'', and ''[[Hotel Transylvania (film)|Hotel Transylvania]]'' and Screen Gems' releases ''[[Underworld: Awakening]]'', ''[[The Vow (2012 film)|The Vow]]'', and ''[[Resident Evil: Retribution]]''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://deadline.com/2012/11/skyfalls-669-2m-global-helps-sony-pictures-post-best-ever-4b-worldwide-373984/|title=Skyfall's $669.2M Global Helps Sony Pictures Post Best Ever $4B Worldwide|work=Hollywood Deadline|access-date=November 19, 2012}}</ref>

On July 16, 2014, Doug Belgrad was named president of the Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group.<ref>{{cite news|author=Saba Hamedy|date=July 16, 2014|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-doug-belgrad-sony-promotion-20140716-story.html|title=Doug Belgrad named tom 2015 Sony Motion Picture Group President|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=July 16, 2014}}</ref> He exited the post in June 2016. On June 2, [[Sanford Panitch]], who had been the head of international local language production at the studio, was named president of Columbia Pictures.<ref name="Variety Panitch">{{cite news|last1=Rainey|first1=James|title=Sony Names Sanford Panitch Columbia Pictures President|url=https://variety.com/2016/film/news/sony-sanford-panitch-president-columbia-pictures-1201788497/|access-date=June 23, 2017|work=Variety|date=June 3, 2016}}</ref>

In 2019, [[Sony Interactive Entertainment]] launched [[PlayStation Productions]] with the purpose of adapting [[PlayStation]] game franchises into films and television shows and with this, an emphasis was placed on SIE working with Sony Pictures Entertainment, and thus most of the films from PlayStation Productions would be released under Columbia Pictures.

====2020s====
[[File:Columbia Pictures Sign.jpg|thumb | left | The sign of Columbia Pictures at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, California.]]
In April 2021, Sony signed a deal with [[Netflix, Inc.]] and [[The Walt Disney Company]] that allows Sony's titles from 2022 to 2026 to stream on [[Netflix]], [[Hulu]] and [[Disney+]]. Netflix signed for exclusive "pay 1 window" streaming rights, which is typically an 18-month window following its theatrical release,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Couch |first=Aaron |date=2021-04-21 |title=Netflix Nabs Post-PVOD Streaming Rights to Sony's Feature Films in Multiyear Deal |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/netflix-nabs-streaming-rights-to-sonys-feature-beginning-in-2022-4163295/ |access-date=2024-02-04 |website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |language=en-US}}</ref> and Disney signed for "pay 2 window" rights for the films, which would be streamed on [[Disney+]] and [[Hulu]] as well as broadcast on Disney's linear television networks.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Couch |first=Aaron |date=2021-04-21 |title=Sony Films Will Move to Disney After Netflix Window Expires |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/disney-nabs-post-pay-1-rights-for-sonys-feature-films-4170479/ |access-date=2023-02-26 |website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |language=en-US}}</ref>

On December 17, 2021, Columbia released ''[[Spider-Man: No Way Home]]''. The movie grossed over $1 billion in the box office, being the first film since the start of the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] to gross $1 billion.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rubin |first=Rebecca |date=December 26, 2021 |title='Spider-Man: No Way Home' Becomes First Pandemic-Era Movie to Smash $1 Billion Milestone Globally |url=https://variety.com/2021/film/box-office/spiderman-billion-dollars-box-office-pandemic-1235143308/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211226165728/https://variety.com/2021/film/box-office/spiderman-billion-dollars-box-office-pandemic-1235143308/ |archive-date=December 26, 2021 |access-date=December 27, 2021 |website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Whitten |first=Sarah |date=December 26, 2021 |title='Spider-Man: No Way Home' becomes first pandemic-era film to break $1 billion at global box office |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/26/spider-man-no-way-home-tops-1-billion-at-global-box-office.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211226172026/https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/26/spider-man-no-way-home-tops-1-billion-at-global-box-office.html |archive-date=December 26, 2021 |access-date=December 26, 2021 |website=[[CNBC]]}}</ref> The film became Sony Pictures' highest-grossing release.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Leston |first=Ryan |date=December 30, 2021 |title=Spider-Man: No Way Home Has Become Sony Pictures' Highest-Grossing Film of All-Time |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/spider-man-no-way-home-has-become-sony-pictures-highest-grossing-film-of-all-time |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220103204322/https://www.ign.com/articles/spider-man-no-way-home-has-become-sony-pictures-highest-grossing-film-of-all-time |archive-date=January 3, 2022 |access-date=January 4, 2022 |website=[[IGN]]}}</ref>

On January 10, 2024, Sony Pictures celebrated the centennial anniversary of the founding of Columbia Pictures with a new motion logo; the centennial print logo was previously revealed on November 14, 2023.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.mediaplaynews.com/sony-celebrates-columbia-pictures-100th-with-disc-digital-titles-sales/ | title=Sony Celebrates Columbia Pictures' 100th with Disc, Digital Catalog Releases, Sales | date=10 January 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/columbia-pictures-100th-anniversary-logo-revealed-1235646992/ | title=Sony Unveils Columbia Pictures 100th Anniversary Logo | website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] | date=14 November 2023 }}</ref> The motion logo, which was used throughout Columbia's 2024 slate, made its theatrical debut in the 2024 re-release of ''[[Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse]]'' (2023).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sonypictures.com/corp/press_releases/2024/0116 |title=Columbia Pictures Centennial Animated Logo To Debut On SPIDER-MAN™: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE Re-Release On January 19 |quote=As Columbia Pictures celebrates its 100-year legacy, critically acclaimed and box office smash hit film ''Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse'' will be re-released in theaters on January 19, 2024, with the Columbia Pictures animated centennial logo making its theatrical debut. |date=January 16, 2024 |access-date=February 9, 2024 |website=Sony Pictures}}</ref>

On January 31, 2024, it was announced that Columbia Pictures have collaborated with [[Kojima Productions]] for a game under the [[working title]] ''Physint.'' Described as both a film and game, it is scheduled to enter full development after [[Death Stranding 2: On the Beach|''Death Stranding 2'']].

==International film production==
In 1998, Columbia Pictures began launching local-language film units to produce local films in Brazil, Germany, Russia, Asia, India and had short-lived units in Spain and Mexico.<ref>{{cite news|last=Williams|first=Michael|title=Col travels globe|url=https://variety.com/1999/film/news/col-travels-globe-1117493064/|date=April 8, 1999|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|access-date=June 30, 2025}}</ref><ref name=global/>

'''Deutsche Columbia Pictures Filmproduktion''' produces films for German-speaking territories. The unit's first film was ''[[Anatomy (film)|Anatomy]]'', which became the highest-grossing German-language film of 2000. However, after the box office failures of ''[[What to Do in Case of Fire?]]'', ''[[Viktor Vogel – Commercial Man]]'', ''[[Big Girls Don't Cry (film)|Big Girls Don't Cry]]'' and ''[[Anatomy 2]]'', the unit was closed down in 2003.<ref>{{cite news|last=Meza|first=Ed|title=Sony closes German film arm|url=https://variety.com/2003/film/news/sony-closes-german-film-arm-1117882123/|date=March 12, 2003|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|access-date=June 30, 2025}}</ref> The unit was later relaunched in 2008, with its first film ''[[Friendship!]]'' being released in 2010.<ref name=global>{{cite news|last=Swart|first=Sharon|title=Sony spans globe for more local films|url=https://variety.com/2008/film/features/sony-spans-globe-for-more-local-films-1117987443/|date=June 13, 2008|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|access-date=June 30, 2025}}</ref>          

'''Columbia Pictures Film Production Asia''' produces films for Chinese-language territories and was based in Hong Kong.<ref>{{cite news|last=Carver|first=Benedict|title=Sony unveils Asian pic unit|url=https://variety.com/1998/film/news/sony-unveils-asian-pic-unit-1117480881/|date=September 29, 1998|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|access-date=June 30, 2025}}</ref> The unit's notable productions are ''[[Not One Less]]'', ''[[Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon]]'', ''[[Big Shot's Funeral]]'' and ''[[Kung Fu Hustle]]''. The unit closed after the release of the Hong Kong film ''[[Jump (2009 film)|Jump]]'' in 2009. In 2014, Columbia Pictures began striking partnerships with Chinese production companies to make Chinese-language films starting with ''[[Monk Comes Down the Mountain]]'' in 2015.<ref>{{cite news|last=Stewart|first=Andrew|title=Columbia Pictures Beefs Up Local-Language Productions in China|url=https://variety.com/2014/film/news/columbia-pictures-beefs-up-local-language-productions-in-china-1201130530/|date=March 12, 2014|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|access-date=June 30, 2025}}</ref>

==Logo==
The Columbia Pictures logo, featuring the Torch Lady, a woman carrying a torch and wearing a drape (representing [[Columbia (personification)|Columbia]], a [[personification]] of the United States), has gone through six major changes.<ref name="reelclassicslogo">{{cite web |url=http://www.reelclassics.com/Studios/Columbia/columbia-article-logo.htm | title=The History of a Logo: The Lady with the Torch | publisher=reelclassics.com | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080201003950/http://www.reelclassics.com/Studios/Columbia/columbia-article-logo.htm| archive-date=February 1, 2008}}</ref><ref name="logogallery">{{cite web |url=http://www.reelclassics.com/Studios/Columbia/columbia-logo-gallery.htm | title=The Columbia Logo: The Lady with the Torch | publisher=reelclassics.com | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080209234721/http://www.reelclassics.com/Studios/Columbia/columbia-logo-gallery.htm | archive-date=February 9, 2008}}</ref><ref name="hlaf">[http://hollywoodlostandfound.net/stories/studiologos/page7.html ''Everything You Wanted To Know About American Film Company Logos But Were Afraid To Ask''], Hollywood Lost and Found</ref> It has often been compared to the [[Statue of Liberty]], which was an inspiration to the Columbia Pictures logo.<ref name="hlaf"/>

=== History ===
Originally in 1924, Columbia Pictures used a logo featuring a female Roman soldier holding a shield in her left hand and a stick of wheat in her right hand, which was based on actress [[Doris Doscher]] (known as the model for the statue on the [[Pulitzer Fountain]]) as the [[Standing Liberty quarter]] used from 1916 to 1930, though the studio's version was given longer hair.<ref>{{cite web|title=USA Coin Album: The Standing Liberty Quarter Dollar {{!}} NGC|url=https://www.ngccoin.com/news/article/5890/USA-Coin-Album/|access-date=October 4, 2021|website=www.ngccoin.com}}</ref> In 1928, Columbia used two logos. The first introduced a new woman wearing a radiate crown and a [[peplos]], and holding a torch in the center of a ribbon-shaped ring similar to the [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer|MGM]] logo, with the slogan "Gems of the Screen", itself a takeoff on the song "[[Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean]]".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3206549/juvenile_stars_of_these_movies_work_as/| title=Juvenile Stars Of These Movies Work As Long As Asked| date=October 8, 1939| newspaper=[[Independent Record|The Helena Daily Independent]]| access-date=September 17, 2020| via=[[Newspapers.com]]| agency=[[Associated Press]]| page=4}}</ref> The second had her wearing a draped [[Flag of the United States|flag]] and holding a torch that radiates flickers. The woman wore a [[headgear|headdress]], the [[stola]] and carried the [[palla (garment)|palla]] of [[ancient Rome]], and above her are the words "A Columbia Production" ("A Columbia Picture" or "Columbia Pictures Corporation"), written in an arch. The illustration for the latter logo was based upon the actress [[Evelyn Venable]], known for providing the voice of the [[Fairy with Turquoise Hair|Blue Fairy]] in [[Walt Disney]]'s ''[[Pinocchio (1940 film)|Pinocchio]]''. The former logo continued to be in use for films intertitles with ''"The End"'' until 1933. Its slogan later inspired the renaming of the Charles Mintz Studio into [[Screen Gems]].

In 1936, the logo was changed into the well known look: the Torch Lady now stood on a pedestal, wore no headdress, and the text "Columbia" appeared in chiseled letters behind her. A new form of animation was used on the logo as well, with a torch that radiates light instead of flickers and a cloudy background. [[Pittsburgh]] native Jane Chester Bartholomew, whom [[Harry Cohn]] discovered working as an extra at Columbia, portrayed the Torch Lady in the logo. There were several variations to the logo over the years—significantly, a color version was done in 1943 for ''The Desperadoes''.<ref name="hlaf"/> Two years earlier, the flag became just a drape with no markings.<ref name="reelclassicslogo"/><ref name="logogallery"/> The latter change came after a federal law was passed making it illegal to wear an American flag as clothing. In the 1950s, the woman's robe was redrawn and shaded with a plunging neckline and an exposed slipper-clad foot. From 1974 to 1976, "A Division of Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc." was used as a byline for the logo. 1976's ''[[Taxi Driver]]'' was one of the last films released before the "Torch Lady" was revamped. A majestic horn sounder (a la [[20th Century Studios|20th Century Fox]]) was used as the theme for the two 1928 logos and the 1936 logo. To date, the 1936 version is the studio's longest used logo after forty years.

From 1955 to 1963, Columbia used the Torch Lady from the 1936 logo under the Screen Gems banner, officially billing itself as part of "the Hollywood studios of Columbia Pictures", as spoken at the end of some Screen Gems series.

From 1976 to 1993,<ref name="reelclassicslogo"/> Columbia Pictures used two logos. The first, from 1976 to 1981 (or from 1975 for promotional material until 1982 for international territories) used just a sunburst representing the beams from the torch, although the woman appears briefly in the opening logo. The score accompanying the first logo was composed by [[Suzanne Ciani]]. The Torch Lady returned in 1981, but in a much smoother form described as resembling a [[Coca-Cola|Coke bottle]].<ref name="reelclassicslogo"/> The studio hired visual effects pioneer [[Robert Abel (animator)|Robert Abel]] to animate both logos, using over fifty light exposures that included streak and special filter passes.<ref>{{cite web |title=Columbia Pictures Logo |url=https://www.famouslogo.us/columbia-pictures-logo/ |website=FamousLogos.us |access-date=February 23, 2022 |date=2012 |quote=Robert Abel, the legendary animator and visual effects pionner was hired to make the animated version of the logo.}}</ref> The slogans for the 1976 and 1981 logos were "Let us entertain you" and "Movies That Matter", respectively. Jane Chester Bartholomew was the studio's longest serving model of the Torch Lady from 1936 to 1993.

From 1982 to 1985, Columbia used the 1981 logo for [[Triumph Films]], with the Torch Lady under the [[Arc de Triomphe]] in the logo. During the studio's run with Coca-Cola, a golden version of the Torch Lady was used for the Columbia Pictures Television logo with the byline "A Unit of the Coca-Cola Company" from 1982 until 1987. It was later changed with the byline "A unit of Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc." in 1988 after Coke sold Columbia to Tri-Star Pictures and changed it to the 1981 version in 1989 and removing the byline in 1991 after Columbia Pictures Entertainment was renamed as Sony Pictures Entertainment. The 1981 logo along with the 1936 and 1976 versions would be later used in 21st century Columbia releases, generally to match the year a given film is set in.

In 1992, the longest-running, and perhaps best known, iteration of the logo was created; the television division was the first to use it. Films began to use the new logo the year after, when Scott Mednick and the Mednick Group were hired by Peter Guber to create logos for all the entertainment properties then owned by Sony Pictures.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-03-08-ca-5890-story.html|title=A look inside Hollywood and the movies. : TOO HIP, GOTTA CHANGE : What We Have Here Is a Woman Ready For the '90s|first=DAVID J.|last=FOX|date=March 8, 1992|via=LA Times}}</ref> Mednick hired New Orleans artist [[Michael J. Deas|Michael Deas]],<ref>Michael Deas, [http://www.michaeldeas.com/Columbia_Pictures_Logo.htm Columbia Pictures Logo, oil on panel, 18 x 32.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090225210601/http://michaeldeas.com/Columbia_Pictures_Logo.htm |date=February 25, 2009 }}</ref> to digitally repaint the logo and return the Torch Lady to her "classic" look.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.neatorama.com/2008/12/03/the-story-behind-hollywood-studio-logos/|title=The Stories Behind Hollywood Studio Logos|author=Alex Santoso|date=December 3, 2008}}</ref> An urban legend is that actress [[Annette Bening]] was the model for the current logo. Bening's face was later superimposed onto the Torch Lady in the opening intro of ''[[What Planet Are You From?]]'' (2000) as an inside joke. 

Michael Deas hired Jennifer Joseph, a 28-year-old graphics artist for ''[[The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate|The Times-Picayune]]'', as a model for the logo.<ref name="ebert">[[Roger Ebert|Ebert, Roger]] (October 31, 2004). [https://www.rogerebert.com/answer-man/hail-columbia-mystery-solved "Hail, Columbia! Mystery solved"]. ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]''. Retrieved March 14, 2011.</ref> Due to time constraints, she agreed to help out on her lunch break. It was the first and only time she ever modeled. Joseph had recently discovered she was pregnant at the time.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 29, 2023 |title=She was 28 when she modeled for Columbia Pictures logo in 1992 and never posed again. Now, photographer shares story behind 'iconic' photoshoot. |url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/she-28-she-modeled-columbia-140044908.html |access-date=May 31, 2023 |website=Yahoo Entertainment |language=en-US}}</ref> Deas also hired ''The Times-Picayune'' photographer Kathy Anderson to photograph the reference photography.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://petapixel.com/2022/02/20/the-photo-behind-the-iconic-columbia-pictures-torch-lady-logo/|title=The Photo Behind the Iconic Columbia Pictures 'Torch Lady' Logo|date=February 20, 2022|website=PetaPixel}}</ref> The animation was created by Synthespian Studios in 1993 by Jeff Kleiser and [[Diana Walczak]], who used 2D elements from the painting and converted it to 3D.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.synthespianstudios.net/design/columbia/|title=Columbia Pictures Logo|website=Synthespian Studios|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924112603/http://www.synthespianstudios.net/design/columbia/ |archive-date=September 24, 2015 }}</ref> [[Jonathan Elias]] composed the current logo's score.{{fact|date=June 2025}} The studio being part of Sony would not be referenced on-screen until 1996. VHS promos featured the current logo with a stylized "75” behind the Torch Lady, commemorating the studio's 75th anniversary in 1999 with the slogan, "Lighting Up Screens Around the World". 

In 2012, the current logo was displayed as a painting at the [[Ogden Museum of Southern Art]] in New Orleans. Deas gave an interview to [[WWL-TV]]: "I never thought it would make it to the silver screen and I never thought it would still be up 20 years later, and I certainly never thought it would be in a museum, so it's kind of gratifying."<ref>{{cite web|title=Iconic image by local artist stands test of time |work=WWLTV wwltv.com |url=http://www.wwltv.com/news/10pm-Hoss-Columbia-Pictures-Logo-Artist-176043361.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121028193900/http://www.wwltv.com/news/10pm-Hoss-Columbia-Pictures-Logo-Artist-176043361.html|archive-date=October 28, 2012|date=October 26, 2012|access-date=May 21, 2016}}</ref> On November 14, 2023, Sony unveiled a special centennial logo ahead the studios' 100th anniversary, consisting of the current Torch Lady within a stylized "100” and later posted an animation that showcases the older logos in the same vein as the ''[[Spider-Man in film#Animated Spider-Verse|Spider-Verse]]'' films on January 10, 2024, the 100th anniversary of the founding of Columbia Pictures. This logo was used on Columbia's 2024 releases.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Vlessing |first=Etan |date=2023-11-14 |title=Sony Unveils Columbia Pictures 100th Anniversary Logo |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/columbia-pictures-100th-anniversary-logo-revealed-1235646992/ |access-date=2024-02-10 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}}</ref>

The current logo was also used for ''[[Screen Gems Network]]'' and ''Columbia Showcase Theatre'', both now defunct programming blocks that featured syndicated airings of Sony Pictures-owned shows and films, respectively.

{{Gallery
| title        = Gallery
| align        = center
| width        =
| height       =
| File:Columbia_Pictures_1924.jpg
 | Logo used in 1924
| File:Columbia_Pictures_logotype.png
 | Logo used in 1928
| File:Columbia_Pictures_1936.jpg
 | Logo used in 1936
| File:Columbia_Pictures_1975.png
 | Logo initially used for promotional material in 1975 and onscreen from 1976 to 1982
| File:Columbia_Pictures_1981.png
 | Logo used in 1981
| File:Columbia_Pictures_1989.png
 | Logo used in 1989
| File:Columbia_Pictures_1992.png
 | Logo used from 1992 to 1993
| 
 | Logo used for the 2024 centennial anniversary
}}

==Filmography==
{{main|Lists of Columbia Pictures films}}

=== Film series ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Title
!Release date
!No. Films
!Notes
|-
| ''[[The Three Stooges#Columbia years (1934–1958)|The Three Stooges]]''
| 1934–65
| 200
| 190 short subjects from 1934 to 1959, and 10 feature films from 1941 to 1965
|-
| ''[[Lone Wolf (character)#Films|The Lone Wolf]]''
| 1935–49
| 15
|
|-
| ''[[Charles Starrett]]''
| 1935–52
| 131
| Westerns, including 64 features as [[Charles Starrett|''The Durango Kid'']]
|-
| ''[[Mr. Deeds Goes to Town|Mr. Deeds]]'' 
| 1936–2002
| 2
|
|-
| ''[[Blondie (film series)|Blondie]]''
| 1938–50
| 28
| theatrical distribution only; co-production with [[King Features Syndicate]]
|-
| ''[[Five Little Peppers#Adaptations|Five Little Peppers]]''
| 1939–40
| 4
|
|-
| ''[[Ellery Queen#Films|Ellery Queen]]''
| 1940–42
| 5
|
|-
| ''[[Boston Blackie#Films|Boston Blackie]]''
| 1941–49
| 14
|
|-
| ''[[Cantinflas]]''
| 1942–82
| 34
| From ''[[The Three Musketeers (1942 film)|Los tres mosqueteros]]'' to ''[[El barrendero]]''; released by Columbia outside the United States
|-
| ''[[Crime Doctor (radio program)|Crime Doctor]]''
| 1943–49
| 10
|
|-
| ''[[The Whistler (radio series)#Films|The Whistler]]''
| 1944–48
| 8
|
|-
| ''[[Rusty (film series)|Rusty]]''
| 1945–49
| 8
|
|-
| ''[[Jungle Jim#Feature Films|Jungle Jim]]''
| 1948–55
| 16
|
|-
|''[[Gasoline Alley (1951 film)|Gasoline Alley]]''
| 1951
| 2
|-
| ''[[The Golden Voyage of Sinbad|Sinbad]]''
| 1958–77
| 3
|-
| ''[[13 Ghosts]]''
| 1960–2001
| 2
|-
| ''[[Matt Helm#Films|Matt Helm]]''
| rowspan="2" | 1966–68
| 4
|-
| ''[[The Trouble with Angels (film)|The Trouble with Angels]]''
| rowspan="2" | 2
|-
|''[[Guess Who's Coming to Dinner|Guess Who]]''
| 1967–2005
|-
| ''[[James Bond]]'' 
| 1967–2015 
| 5
| From ''[[Casino Royale (1967 film)|Casino Royale]]'' to ''[[Spectre (2015 film)|Spectre]]''; co-production with Famous Artists Productions <small>(1967)</small>, [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] and [[Eon Productions]] <small>(both 2006–15)</small>
|-
| ''[[Death Wish (film series)|Death Wish]]''
| 1974–82
| 2
| International distributor; released in the US by [[Paramount Pictures]] and produced by [[Filmways Pictures]]
|-
| ''[[Spider-Man in film#The Amazing Spider-Man series|''Spider-Man'']]''
| 1977–81
| 3
| International theatrical distribution only; co-production with Danchuck Productions and Charles Fries Productions
|-
| ''[[Fun with Dick and Jane (1977 film)|Fun with Dick and Jane]]''
| 1977–2005
| rowspan="3" | 2
|
|-
| ''[[The Blue Lagoon (1980 film)|The Blue Lagoon]]''
| 1980–91
|
|-
| ''[[Gloria (1980 film)|Gloria]]''
| 1980–99
|
|-
| ''[[Annie (franchise)|Annie]]''
| 1982–2014
| 3
| Co-production with [[Ray Stark|Rastar]], [[Overbrook Entertainment]], [[Village Roadshow Pictures]], Storyline Entertainment, Chris Montan Productions and [[Walt Disney Television]] <small>(1999 TV movie only)</small>
|-
| ''[[Ghostbusters (franchise)|Ghostbusters]]''
| rowspan="2" | 1984–present
| 5
| Co-production with [[Village Roadshow Pictures]] <small>([[Ghostbusters (2016 film)|2016]])</small> and [[Ghost Corps]] <small>(2016–)</small>
|-
| ''[[The Karate Kid (franchise)|The Karate Kid]]''
| 6
| Co-production with [[Overbrook Entertainment]] <small>(2010)</small>, [[China Film Group Corporation|China Film Group]] <small>(2010)</small>, JW Productions <small>(1984, 2010)</small>, [[Westbrook (company)|Westbrook Studios]] <small>(2025)</small> and Sunswept Entertainment <small>(2025)</small>
|-
| ''[[Flatliners]]''
| 1990–2017
| rowspan="3" | 2
|
|-
| ''[[City Slickers]]''
| rowspan="2" | 1991–94
| Co-production with [[Castle Rock Entertainment]], [[Nelson Entertainment]] <small>(1991)</small> and [[Billy Crystal|Face Productions]]
|-
| ''[[My Girl (film)|My Girl]]''
| Co-production with [[Imagine Entertainment]]
|-
| ''[[Mexico Trilogy]]''
| 1992–2003
| 3
| 
|-
| ''[[RoboCop (franchise)|RoboCop]]''
| 1993–2014
| rowspan="2" | 2
| Co-production with [[Orion Pictures]] and [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]]
|-
| ''[[Little Women]]''
| 1994–2019
| Co-production with [[Denise Di Novi|Di Novi Pictures]] <small>([[Little Women (1994 film)|1994]])</small>, [[Amy Pascal|Pascal Pictures]] and [[Regency Enterprises]] <small>([[Little Women (2019 film)|2019]])</small>
|-
| ''[[Bad Boys (franchise)|Bad Boys]]''
| 1995–present
| 4
| Co-production with [[Jerry Bruckheimer Films|Don Simpson/Jerry Bruckheimer Films]], [[Doug Belgrad|2.0 Entertainment]] <small>(2020–2024)</small>, [[Overbrook Entertainment]] <small>(2020)</small>, and [[Westbrook (company)|Westbrook Studios]] <small>(2024)</small>
|-
| ''[[The Craft (franchise)|The Craft]]''
| 1996–2020
| 2
| Co-production with [[Red Wagon Entertainment]] and [[Blumhouse Productions]]
|-
| ''[[Jim Henson]]'' films
| 1997–99
| 3
| From ''[[Buddy (1997 film)|Buddy]]'' to ''[[The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland]]''; co-production with [[Jim Henson Pictures]] <small>(1997-99)</small>, [[American Zoetrope]] <small>(1997)</small> and [[Children's Television Workshop]] <small>(1999)</small>
|-
| ''[[Men in Black (film series)|Men in Black]]''
| 1997–2019
| 4
| Co-production with [[Amblin Entertainment]]
|-
| ''[[I Know What You Did Last Summer (franchise)|I Know What You Did Last Summer]]''
| 1997–present
| 3
| Co-production with [[Mandalay Pictures]]
|-
| ''[[Stuart Little (franchise)|Stuart Little]]''
| 1999–2002
| rowspan="2" | 2
| Co-production with [[Douglas Wick#Red Wagon Entertainment|Red Wagon Entertainment]]
|-
| ''[[Anatomy (film)|Anatomy]]''
| 2000–03
| Co-production with Claussen + Wöbke Filmproduktion
|-
| ''[[Charlie's Angels (franchise)|Charlie's Angels]]'' 
| 2000–2019 
| rowspan="2" | 3
| Co-production with [[Leonard Goldberg|Leonard Goldberg Productions]], [[Flower Films]], Tall Trees Productions <small>(all 2000–03)</small>, [[Wonderland Sound and Vision]] <small>(2003)</small>, 2.0 Entertainment, [[Brownstone Productions]] and Cantillon Company <small>(all 2019)</small>
|-
| ''[[Spider-Man in film#Sam Raimi's trilogy|Sam Raimi's ''Spider-Man'']]''
| 2002–07
| Co-production with [[Marvel Entertainment]] and [[Laura Ziskin Productions]]
|-
| ''[[XXX (film series)|XXX]]''
| 2002–05
| 2
| Co-production with [[Revolution Studios]]
|-
| ''[[Terminator (franchise)|Terminator]]''
| 2003–09
| rowspan="3" | 2
| International distributor; co-production with [[Warner Bros. Pictures]]
|-
| ''[[The Grudge (film series)|The Grudge]]''
| 2004–06
| Co-production with [[Ghost House Pictures]]
|-
| ''[[Are We There Yet? (film)|Are We There Yet?]]''
| 2005–07
| Co-production with [[Revolution Studios]]
|-
| ''[[Jumanji (franchise)|Jumanji]]''
| 2005–present
| 4
|-
| ''[[The Pink Panther]]''
| 2006–09
| 2
| Co-production with [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]]
|-
| ''[[Robert Langdon (film series)|Robert Langdon]]''
| 2006–16 
| 3
| Co-production with [[Imagine Entertainment]] and [[Relativity Media]]
|-
| ''[[Ghost Rider (2007 film)|Ghost Rider]]'' 
| 2007–11
| rowspan="5" | 2 
| Co-production with [[Marvel Entertainment]], [[Crystal Sky Pictures]], [[Hyde Park Entertainment]], [[Saturn Films]], [[Imagenation Abu Dhabi]], and [[Relativity Media]]
|-
| ''[[Paul Blart: Mall Cop]]'' 
| 2009–15 
| Co-production with [[Happy Madison Productions]]
|-
| ''[[Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (franchise)|Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs]]'' 
| 2009–13
| Co-production with [[Sony Pictures Animation]]
|-
| ''[[Zombieland (franchise)|Zombieland]]'' 
| 2009–present
| Co-production with [[Gavin Polone|Pariah]]
|-
| ''[[Grown Ups (film)|Grown Ups]]'' 
| 2010–13 
| Co-production with [[Happy Madison Productions]]
|-
| ''[[The Smurfs in film|The Smurfs]]'' 
| 2011–17 
| 3
| Co-production with [[Sony Pictures Animation]] and [[Jordan Kerner|The K Entertainment Company]]
|-
| ''[[Dragon Tattoo Stories (film series)|Dragon Tattoo Stories]]'' 
| 2011–18
| rowspan="3" | 2
| Co-production with [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]]
|-
| ''[[Jump Street (franchise)|Jump Street]]'' 
| rowspan="2" | 2012–14 
| Co-production with [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]], [[Relativity Media]], and [[Original Film]]
|-
| ''[[Spider-Man in film#Marc Webb's films|The Amazing Spider-Man]]''
| Co-production with [[Marvel Entertainment|Marvel]]
|-
| ''[[Hotel Transylvania (franchise)|Hotel Transylvania]]'' 
| 2012–22 
| 4
| Co-production with [[Sony Pictures Animation]]
|-
| ''[[The Equalizer#Film series|The Equalizer]]''
| 2014–23
| 3
| Co-production with [[Escape Artists]]
|-
| ''[[Goosebumps#Film adaptations|Goosebumps]]''
| 2015–18
| rowspan="3" | 2
| Co-production with [[Sony Pictures Animation]], [[Scholastic Corporation#Scholastic Entertainment|Scholastic Entertainment]] and [[Original Film]]
|-
| ''[[Angry Birds#Film adaptation|Angry Birds]]''
| 2016–19
| Co-production with [[Rovio Animation]] and [[Sony Pictures Animation]] <small>(2019)</small>
|-
| ''[[Attraction (2017 film)|Attraction]]''
| 2017–20
| Russian film; Co-production with [[Art Pictures Studio]]
|-
| ''[[Marvel Cinematic Universe]]''
| 2017–present
| 3
| Co-production with [[Marvel Studios]], [[Amy Pascal#Pascal Pictures|Pascal Pictures]] and [[Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures]] <small>(licensed only)</small>
|-
| ''[[Peter Rabbit (film)|Peter Rabbit]]''
| 2018–21
| 2
| Co-production with [[Sony Pictures Animation]] <small>(2018)</small>, [[Animal Logic]], Olive Bridge Entertainment and [[Screen Australia]]
|-
| ''[[Sony's Spider-Man Universe|Sony's ''Spider-Man'' Universe]]''
| 2018–present
| 6
| Co-production with [[Marvel Entertainment|Marvel]], [[Avi Arad|Arad Productions]], [[Matt Tolmach|Matt Tolmach Productions]] and [[Amy Pascal|Pascal Pictures]]
|-
| ''[[Spider-Man in film#Animated Spider-Verse|Spider-Verse]]''
| 2018–present
| rowspan="3" | 2
| Co-production with [[Marvel Entertainment|Marvel]], [[Sony Pictures Animation]], [[Amy Pascal|Pascal Pictures]], and [[Lord Miller Productions]]
|-
| ''[[Escape Room (2019 film)|Escape Room]]''
| 2019–present
| Co-production with [[Original Film]]
|-
| ''[[PlayStation]]'' films
| 2022–present
| Co-production with [[PlayStation Productions]]
|-
| ''[[28 Days Later (film series)|28 Days Later]]''
| 2025–present
| 1
| Co-production with [[DNA Films]], [[British Film Institute]] and Decibel Films
|}

=== Highest-grossing films ===
{{Columns-start|num=2}}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Highest-grossing films in North America
|-
! Rank !! Title !! Year !! Gross
|-
|-
! 1
|''[[Spider-Man: No Way Home]]'' <sup>‡</sup>
| [[2021 in film|2021]]
| $814,108,407
|-
! 2
|''[[Spider-Man (2002 film)|Spider-Man]]'' <sup>‡</sup>
| [[2002 in film|2002]]
| $407,022,860
|-
! 3
|''[[Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle]]''
| [[2017 in film|2017]]
| $404,540,171	
|-
! 4
|''[[Spider-Man: Far From Home]]'' <sup>‡</sup>
| [[2019 in film|2019]]
| $390,532,085
|-
! 5
|''[[Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse]]'' <sup>‡</sup>
| [[2023 in film|2023]]
| $381,593,754
|-
! 6
|''[[Spider-Man 2]]'' <sup>‡</sup>
| [[2004 in film|2004]]
| $373,585,825
|-
! 7
|''[[Spider-Man 3]]'' <sup>‡</sup>
| [[2007 in film|2007]]
| $336,530,303
|-
! 8
|''[[Spider-Man: Homecoming]]'' <sup>‡</sup>
| [[2017 in film|2017]]
| $334,201,140
|-
! 9
|''[[Jumanji: The Next Level]]''
| [[2019 in film|2019]]
| $320,314,960
|-
! 10
|''[[Skyfall]]''
| [[2012 in film|2012]]
| $304,360,277	
|-
! 11
|''[[The Amazing Spider-Man (2012 film)|The Amazing Spider-Man]]'' <sup>‡</sup>
| [[2012 in film|2012]]
| $262,030,663
|-
! 12
|''[[Men in Black (1997 film)|Men in Black]]''
| [[1997 in film|1997]]
| $250,690,539
|-
! 13
|''[[Ghostbusters]]''
| [[1984 in film|1984]]
| $229,242,989
|-
! 14
|''[[Hancock (film)|Hancock]]''
| [[2008 in film|2008]]
| $227,946,274
|-
! 15
|''[[The Da Vinci Code (film)|The Da Vinci Code]]''
| [[2006 in film|2006]]
| $217,536,138
|-
! 16
|''[[Venom: Let There Be Carnage]]''
| [[2021 in film|2021]]
| $213,550,366
|-
! 17
|''[[Venom (2018 film)|Venom]]''
| [[2018 in film|2018]]
| $213,515,506
|-
! 18
|''[[Bad Boys for Life]]''
| [[2020 in film|2020]]
| $204,292,401
|-
! 19
|''[[The Amazing Spider-Man 2]]'' <sup>‡</sup>
| [[2014 in film|2014]]
| $202,853,933
|-
! 20
|''[[Spectre (2015 film)|Spectre]]''
|[[2015 in film|2015]]
| $200,074,609
|-
! 21
|''[[22 Jump Street]]''
| [[2021 in film|2014]]
| $191,719,337
|-
! 22
|''[[Men in Black II]]''
| [[2002 in film|2002]]
| $190,418,803
|-
! 23
|''[[Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse]]''
| [[2018 in film|2018]]
| $190,241,310
|-
! 24
|''[[Hitch (film)|Hitch]]''
| [[2005 in film|2005]]
| $179,495,555
|-
! 25
|''[[Men in Black 3]]''
|[[2012 in film|2012]]
|$179,020,854
|}
{{Column}}

{| class="wikitable sortable" 
|+Highest-grossing films worldwide
|-
! Rank !! Title !! Year !! Gross
|-
! 1
|''[[Spider-Man: No Way Home]]'' <sup>‡</sup>
| [[2021 in film|2021]]
| $1,916,306,995
|-
! 2
|''[[Skyfall]]''
| [[2012 in film|2012]]
| $1,142,471,295
|-
! 3 
|''[[Spider-Man: Far From Home]]'' <sup>‡</sup>
| [[2019 in film|2019]]
| $1,131,927,996
|-
! 4
|''[[Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle]]''
| [[2017 in film|2017]]
| $962,126,927		
|-
! 5
|''[[Spider-Man 3]]'' <sup>‡</sup>
| [[2007 in film|2007]]
| $894,983,373
|-
! 6
|''[[Spectre (2015 film)|Spectre]]''
| [[2015 in film|2015]]
| $880,674,609
|-
! 7
|''[[Spider-Man: Homecoming]]'' <sup>‡</sup>
| [[2017 in film|2017]]
| $880,166,924
|-
! 8
|''[[Venom (2018 film)|Venom]]''
| [[2018 in film|2018]]
| $855,013,954	
|-
! 9
|''[[Spider-Man (2002 film)|Spider-Man]]'' <sup>‡</sup>
| [[2002 in film|2002]]
| $825,025,036
|-
! 10
|''[[Jumanji: The Next Level]]''
|[[2019 in film|2019]]
| $800,059,707
|-
! 11
|''[[2012 (film)|2012]]''
| [[2009 in film|2009]]
| $791,217,826
|-
! 12
|''[[Spider-Man 2]]'' <sup>‡</sup>
| [[2004 in film|2004]]
| $788,976,453
|-
! 13
|''[[The Da Vinci Code (film)|The Da Vinci Code]]''
| [[2006 in film|2006]]
| $758,239,851
|-
! 14
|''[[The Amazing Spider-Man (2012 film)|The Amazing Spider-Man]]'' <sup>‡</sup>
| [[2012 in film|2012]]
| $757,930,663
|-
! 15
|''[[The Amazing Spider-Man 2]]'' <sup>‡</sup>
| [[2014 in film|2014]]
| $708,982,323
|-
! 16
| ''[[Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse]]'' <sup>‡</sup>
| [[2023 in film|2023]]
| $690,824,738
|-
! 17
|''[[Hancock (film)|Hancock]]''
| [[2008 in film|2008]]
| $624,386,746
|-
! 18
|''[[Men in Black 3]]''
| [[2012 in film|2012]]
| $624,026,776
|-
! 19
|''[[Casino Royale (2006 film)|Casino Royale]]''
| [[2006 in film|2006]]
| $606,099,584
|-
! 20
|''[[Quantum of Solace]]''
| [[2008 in film|2008]]
| $589,580,482
|-
! 21
|''[[Men in Black (1997 film)|Men in Black]]''
| [[1997 in film|1997]]
| $589,390,539
|-
! 22
|''[[The Smurfs (film)|The Smurfs]]''
| [[2011 in film|2011]]
| $563,749,323
|-
! 23
|''[[Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation]]''
| [[2018 in film|2018]]
| $528,583,774	
|-
! 24
|''[[Venom: Let There Be Carnage]]''
| [[2021 in film|2021]]
| $501,546,922	
|-
! 25
|''[[Angels & Demons (film)|Angels & Demons]]''
| [[2009 in film|2009]]
| $490,875,846	
|}
{{Columns-end}}
<sup>‡</sup> Includes theatrical reissue(s).

==See also==
* {{slink|List of film serials by studio|Columbia Pictures}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book|last=Chierichetti|first=David|title=Hollywood Costume Design|location=New York|publisher=Harmony Books|date=1976|isbn=9780517526378|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/hollywoodcostume00chie}}
* {{cite book|last=Dick|first=Bernard F.|title=Columbia Pictures: Portrait of a Studio|location=Lexington, Ky.|publisher=University Press of Kentucky|date=1992|isbn=9780813117690|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K60eBgAAQBAJ}}
* {{cite book|last1=Jorgensen|first1=Jay|last2=Scoggins|first2=Donald L.|title=Creating the Illusion: A Fashionable History of Hollywood Costume Designers|location=Philadelphia|publisher=Running Press|date=2015|isbn=9780762456611|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4G4uCgAAQBAJ}}
* {{cite book|last=Perry|first=Jeb H.|title=Screen Gems: A History of Columbia Pictures Television from Cohn to Coke, 1948-1983|location=Metuchen, N.J.|publisher=Scarecrow Press|date=1991|isbn=9780810824874}}
* {{cite book|last=Smyth|first=Jennifer E.|title=Nobody's Girl Friday: The Women Who Ran Hollywood|location=New York|publisher=Oxford University Press|date=2018|isbn=9780190840822|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VZNODwAAQBAJ}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book | author=Yule, Andrew | title=Fast Fade: David Puttnam, Columbia Pictures, and the Battle for Hollywood |url=https://archive.org/details/fastfadedavidput00yulerich | url-access=registration | publisher=Delacorte Press | year=1989 | isbn=0-440-50177-6 |location=New York |oclc=243349960}}

* {{cite book | editor=Khoshbakht, Ehsan | title=The Lady with the Torch. Columbia Pictures 1929–1959 | publisher=Éditions de L'oeil | year=2024 | isbn=978-2-35137-376-7 |location=Montreuil |oclc=1451856639}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Columbia Pictures}}
* [http://www.columbiapictures100.com/ Official website]
* [http://www.sonypictures.com/ Official Sony Pictures website]
* [http://www.sonypictures.net/ SonyPictures.net] (list of worldwide sites)
* [https://archive.today/20130102025906/http://www.bcdb.com/cartoons/Columbia_Pictures/index.html Columbia Pictures Cartoons] from the [[Big Cartoon DataBase]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080201003950/http://www.reelclassics.com/Studios/Columbia/columbia-article-logo.htm Columbia Pictures at Reel Classics: The History of a Logo – the Lady with the Torch]
* [http://www.thenedscottarchive.com/hollywood/contracts.html Columbia Pictures Still Photographer Contract 1945] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140423005527/http://thenedscottarchive.com/hollywood/contracts.html |date=2014-04-23 }} at The Ned Scott Archive
* {{Cite archival metadata
|author = Finding aid author: Morgan Crockett
|title = Columbia Pictures pressbook
|url=http://archives.lib.byu.edu/repositories/14/resources/11050
|repository = L. Tom Perry Special Collections
|location = Provo, UT
|date = 2014
|access-date = May 16, 2016
}}

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