Sony Pictures Releasing Corporation is an American
film distributor owned by
Sony. Established in 1994 as a successor to
Triumph Releasing Corporation, the company handles theatrical distribution,
marketing and promotion for films produced and released by
Sony Pictures Entertainment, including
Columbia Pictures,
TriStar Pictures (as well as
TriStar Productions),
Screen Gems,
Sony Pictures Classics,
Sony Pictures Animation,
Crunchyroll,
Stage 6 Films,
Affirm Films,
Destination Films, and
Triumph Films. It is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group. It also has an international division called Sony Pictures Releasing International, which from 1991 to 2005 was known as Columbia TriStar Film Distributors International.
International arrangements Columbia Pictures started its own UK theatrical arm in 1929, operating under the name Columbia Pictures Corporation Limited. from 1971 until the end of 1987, Columbia's international theatrical distribution operations were a joint venture with
Warner Bros. named Columbia-Warner Distributors, and in some countries, this joint venture also distributed films from other companies like with
EMI Films and
Cannon Films in the UK under the names of Columbia-EMI-Warner Distributors in 1978 and later Columbia-Cannon-Warner Distributors in 1986. When its theatrical distribution joint venture ended in 1988, the company was later renamed Filmbank Distributors as a non-theatrical licensor. Columbia Pictures Corporation Limited remained the sole distributor in the UK. In Australia, Columbia Pictures Pty Ltd operated the theatrical release from 1935. which from 1975 to 1996,
20th Century-Fox and
Columbia Pictures formed an alliance that they would distribute films for the Australian market, initially going under the name Fox Columbia Film Distributors, before Hoyts came to the venture, and it was renamed first to Hoyts Fox Columbia TriStar Films, then Fox Columbia TriStar Films. Sony Pictures Releasing Pty Limited took over distribution operations directly. On February 6, 2014, Columbia TriStar Warner Filmes de Portugal Ltda., a joint venture with
Warner Bros. which distributed films from both companies in Portugal, announced that they will close their offices on March 31. Sony Pictures' films are distributed in Portugal by Big Picture Films since then, while
NOS Audiovisuais took over the distribution duties for Warner Bros. films in the country. From June 2014 until February 2020, Sony Pictures' Philippine releasing arm under the name of Columbia Pictures Philippines distributed films by
United International Pictures' partner studios,
Paramount Pictures and
Universal Pictures (including films by
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer), after UIP ended its nine-year distribution agreement with the studio's local distributor
Solar Entertainment and their Solar Films subsidiary. The Philippine distribution to films made by Universal lasted up until January 2020, when distribution reverted to Warner Bros. (UIP's former local distributor from the 1990s to 2000) in October 2021 while most
Focus Features titles are instead released through a start-up online distribution company, UPSTREAM (which later reverted to Warner Bros. after its closure). Paramount later renewed their distribution agreements with Sony in October 2021. The theatrical distribution of Sony Pictures' films in Italy was handled by Warner Bros. from 2011 to 2023. One notable example of this is
Call Me By Your Name, where Warner Bros. handled Italian theatrical distribution (although the Sony label is still being used) while home video distribution went through Sony itself. In 2023,
Eagle Pictures, which was already distributing Sony's films on home video in the country, took over their theatrical distribution as well. Sony Pictures and
Walt Disney Studios formed a film distribution joint venture in Southeast Asia in 1997. By December 2006, 14 joint distribution ventures between Sony Pictures Releasing International and
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures were formed and exist in countries including Brazil, Mexico, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines. In January 2007, their 15th such partnership began operations in Russia and
CIS. In February 2017, Sony starting leaving the Southeast Asia venture with the Philippines. In August 2017, Sony terminated the joint venture agreement for their own operations. As part of the global economic fluctuations caused by the Disney's acquisition, Sony Pictures Production and Release LLC and Disney Studios LLC parted amicably signing a formal
demerger on 21 January 2020. The contract would allow Sony Pictures Releasing to operate autonomously. On June 27, 2025, Sony Pictures Releasing and
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer formed a multi-year deal in which Sony would handle the international theatrical distribution of their newer titles, following the expiration of MGM's international deal with
Warner Bros. Pictures. This deal would reunite Sony with MGM for the first time since 2020. It does not affect the physical media releases, as
MGM Home Entertainment will still have its titles distributed on physical media by Alliance Entertainment in North America since 2026. In Argentina and Poland,
United International Pictures handles theatrical distribution of films released by Sony Pictures. In the Netherlands,
Universal Pictures currently handles theatrical distribution of films released by Sony Pictures since 2013. In the Nordic countries, Columbia TriStar Films (now known as Sony Pictures Releasing) formerly handled Sweden theatrical distribution of films released by 20th Century Fox from 1992 to 1997. Sony Pictures had strong partnership with
Nordisk Film, which ended in early 2007. Sony Pictures later struck a deal with local partner
AB Svensk Filmindustri, which included theatrical and home entertainment distribution. In South Africa,
Ster-Kinekor handles theatrical and home video distribution of films released by Sony Pictures. In Greece, Sony Pictures and Feelgood Entertainment has long standing partnership for theatrical distribution. In addition, the Middle East is handled by Empire International. For Israel, they struck a deal with Forum Films. == Filmography ==