In August, Sony Pictures’ top execs pledged to theater owners at CinemaCon that it would not jump into the day-and-date streaming experimentation that other major studios had used throughout 2021.
“Debuting movies simultaneously in theaters and at home is devastating to our collective businesses. Our movies will be seen exclusive first in our movie theaters,” Sony Motion Picture Group President Josh Greenstein said. “Movie theaters and the theatrical movie experience will triumph.”
And boy did Sony triumph. Just five weeks after Greenstein made that promise, Sony began a streak of success that lasted throughout the final quarter of the year. Starting with “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” in October, then “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” in November, and the record-smashing “Spider-Man: No Way Home” in December, the studio finished just below Disney with $1.1
Sony Struck Box Office Gold With Spider-Man in 2021 – But Not Much Else
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2021 Box Office Report Card: Sequels to “Spider-Man,” “Venom” and “Ghostbusters” made up nearly all of the studio’s $1.1 billion year
