Sony Pictures Entertainment Closes $1.2B Acquisition Of Crunchyroll From AT&T

Mark Schilling Japan CorrespondentSony Pictures Entertainment announced earlier this month that it had completed its $1.18 billion purchase of anime streaming company Crunchyroll from AT&T, but it has done little to calm the nerves of the anime genre’s most dedicated supporters.“Our goal is to create a unified anime subscription experience as soon as possible,” said SPE chairman and CEO Tony Vinciquerra in a statement.

Recently, Sony explained how the movie studio is going to stay independent and doesn’t want to be sold to a bigger studio and/or a streaming service. And in staying an independent studio without the backing of a major streaming platform like Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, HBO MAX, and Netflix, means Sony is definitely hoping to keep the theatrical business alive and well for its film releases.

Prince Harry was seen in public for the first time since daughter Lilibet‘s birth in June, as he participated in a charity polo match in Aspen, Colorado on Aug. 19. SEE THE PHOTOS HERE.

EXCLUSIVE: Jack O’Connell and Matthew Duckett have joined Golden Globe Winner Emma Corrin in Lady Chatterley’s Lover for Sony’s 3000 Pictures and Netflix. This will be the first film to be produced under the new partnership where Sony Pictures will offer Netflix a first look at any films it intends to make for streaming.

Jockey, which won the Sundance Film Festival U.S. Dramatic Special Jury award for star Clifton Collins Jr.’s acting, will hit New York and LA theaters on Dec. 29. Sony Pictures Classics acquired the film out of the Park City, Utah festival. The movie will expand across the country following its exclusive debut.

Sony‘s acquisition of anime streaming site Crunchyroll wraps up, there are reports that it will be included in a “more expensive” tier of PlayStation Plus in the future.Earlier in the week (August 9), Sony confirmed that it had completed an acquisition of Crunchyroll for a final price of $1.175billion (£847million).

Naman Ramachandran Universal Pictures will handle the distribution of “Redeeming Love” in U.S. and Canadian theaters.

EXCLUSIVE: French actress Pom Klementieff who made a splash as Mantis in Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2 and latter on in Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame has signed with Linden Entertainment.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorAT&T has officially divested Crunchyroll, closing the sale of the anime business to Sony’s Funimation group — bringing together two erstwhile competitors under the Sony umbrella.The telco, looking for every opportunity to pay down its debt, sold Crunchyroll for $1.175 billion in cash paid at closing to Funimation Global Group, a joint venture between Sony Pictures Entertainment and Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) subsidiary Aniplex.Sony’s goal is to “create a

The 2020 Olympics concluded with an amazing closing ceremony in Tokyo, Japan this weekend.

Sony Pictures Classics has set a Nov. 19 New York and Los Angeles theatrical release for their British romantic drama Mothering Sunday. SPC picked up the movie in September and gave it a world premiere at Cannes last month. The pic will further expand to other U.S. markets after its initial late fall release.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeGordon Ramsay has just signed an effing huge new deal with Fox Entertainment. The chef, restaurateur and TV star, who is already a cornerstone of the network’s primetime lineup, has joined forces with Fox Entertainment to form a new joint venture, Studio Ramsay Global.Fox Entertainment will co-own Studio Ramsay Global with Ramsay, whose current TV company, Studio Ramsay, will be fully acquired by the new entity.

For the three months ended June 30, 2021, Sony Pictures Entertainment posted profits of $232 million, a 6% decrease versus the same period last year on a local currency basis (27 billion yen to 25.4 billion yen). Revenue was up 15% on a U.S.

Marcia Nasatir, an film executive producer who shattered barriers as Hollywood’s first VP Production, working on back-to-back Best Picture Oscar winners One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Rocky and many other pics, died Tuesday morning at the Motion Picture & Television Fund hospital in Woodland Hills, CA. She was 95.

Given the uncertainty surrounding the delta variant, and to abide by changing local guidance, Sony Pictures Entertainment employees received a note this morning from studio Chairman Tony Vinciquerra that the return to work has been delayed to approximately early to mid-October, Deadline has learned. The Culver City lot will alert employees at least 30 days prior to a new date being set. The studio is continually monitoring current modeling and data before they set a new date.

EXCLUSIVE: Sony Pictures and cinema tech firm CJ 4DPlex have set a deal spanning 15 films over three years to play in the immersive 270-degree ScreenX format.

Sony Picture Classics and Neon fared well in their small releases this week with Nine Days and Ailey respectively, running across 6 total locations in New York, Los Angeles and Irvine – both notching heavy per screen averages with the former leading to its wider release next week.

Real Husbands of Hollywood is making a comeback. BET+ has greenlighted a six-episode limited series revival of the hit BET reality TV parody show from Kevin Hart’s Hartbeat Productions and Jesse Collins Entertainment. The show is currently in production in Los Angeles with a premiere date TBD.

Sony Interactive Entertainment, has confirmed that their recent acquisition of Nixxes Software was to help port more of their titles to PC.Speaking to Famitsu, Ryan has confirmed that Sony plans to utilize Nixxes Software – which Sony acquired earlier this month – to port more PlayStation titles to PC.

After an eight-year streak on the Culver City lot, Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group Chairman Tom Rothman will continue to lead the film studio, this time adding CEO to his title as the global media conglomerate has extended his contract. Rothman will continue to report to Sony Pictures Entertainment Chairman and CEO, Tony Vinciquerra.