Sony Pictures Classics

Sony Pictures Classics is an art-house, "independent" film division of Sony Pictures Entertainment founded in 1992 by former Orion Classics heads Michael Barker, Tom Bernard, and Marcie Bloom (similar to Fox Searchlight Pictures and Focus Features). It distributes, produces and acquires specialty films (especially of documentaries, independent films and art films) from the United States and around the world. As of 2015, Barker and Bernard are co-presidents of the division.

History

Sony Pictures Classics was founded on January 1, 1992, by Michael Barker, Tom Bernard, and Marcie Bloom, set up as an autonomous division of Sony Pictures Entertainment. The model of the company is to produce, acquire and/or distribute independent films from the United States and internationally.

Sony Pictures Classics has a history of making reasonable investments for small films, and getting a decent return. It has a history of not overspending. Its largest commercial success in recent years is Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris (2011), which grossed over $56 million in the U.S., becoming Allen's highest-grossing film ever in the United States.

The Meddler

The Meddler is a 2015 American comedy-drama film directed and written by Lorene Scafaria. The film stars Susan Sarandon, Rose Byrne and J. K. Simmons. Principal photography began on March 30, 2015 in Los Angeles. It was screened in the Special Presentations section of the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival.

Cast

Production

On March 6, 2015, it was announced that Lorene Scafaria would next direct comedy-drama The Meddler based on her own script, which would star Susan Sarandon, Rose Byrne and J.K. Simmons. Joy Gorman-Wettels would produce the film through Anonymous Content.

Principal photography on the film began on March 30, 2015 in Los Angeles.

Release

On August 25, 2015, Sony Pictures Classics acquired the North American rights to the film. A domestic release is scheduled for April 22, 2016.

Sony Pictures Entertainment

Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. (SPE) is the American entertainment subsidiary of Sony Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Japanese multinational technology and media conglomerate Sony.

Based in Culver City, California, it encompasses Sony's motion picture, television production and distribution units. Its group sales in March 31, 2015 has been reported to be of $7.3 billion.

Throughout the years, SPE has produced, distributed, or co-distributed successful franchises such as Spider-Man, Men in Black, Underworld, and Resident Evil.

Sony Pictures Entertainment is a member of the Motion Picture Association of America.

History

On September 1, 1987, The Coca-Cola Company announced plans to spin-off its assets of Columbia Pictures, which they had owned since 1982. Under this arrangement, Coca-Cola would sell their entertainment assets to Tri-Star Pictures, of which they owned 39.6%. Tri-Star would be renamed to Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc. (CPE), with Coca-Cola owning 49%, its shareholders owning 31%, and Tri-Star's shareholders owning 20%. A new company was formed in early 1988 with the Tri-Star name to take over the studio's production operations.