Legendary Heads To Sony Pictures For A New Theatrical Distribution Deal
According to Deadline, Legendary Entertainment has just inked a new deal with Sony. The agreement comes in the wake of Legendary's expired deal with Warner Bros., which in recent years brought us films like "Detective Pikachu" and "Godzilla vs. Kong." The new deal with Sony, which the outlet describes as a "multi-year worldwide film distribution partnership," will be a major one for the company, whose big-budget, spectacle-oriented films were potentially hamstrung at the box office by Warner Bros.' surprise 2020 decision to release its films day-and-date on HBO Max.
The new deal will give Legendary the theatrical-centric model that seems to be a great fit for the films that have made it a success in the past, like "The Dark Knight," "Inception," and "Jurassic World." Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group is one of very few major Hollywood players that doesn't currently have its own streaming service, meaning the films we'll get from the pair going forward will likely have a good chance at dominating the box office, as Sony's "Spider-Man" and "Jumanji" films have. However, Deadline notes that some major upcoming Legendary projects, including "Dune: Part Two" and future MonsterVerse films, will remain a co-production between Legendary and Warner Bros. according to the new arrangement.
A blockbuster-friendly new partnership
The Legendary-Sony partnership means that Sony will be responsible for the home entertainment and global marketing and release of future Sony features with one exception: the market in China will be handled by Legendary's own Legendary East. All of this adds up to a promising endeavor in terms of box office recovery post-pandemic, though it's probably not as overtly good news for people who expect to see their favorite blockbuster-type films at home. Legendary does, however, also have deals that allow some of its movies streaming releases; the company produced Hulu's "Fresh" in 200, as well as Netflix's "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "Enola Holmes 2."
"As we continue to grow our content offerings, we are excited to forge this relationship with Tony, Tom, Sanford, Josh, and the rest of the exceptional Sony team," Legendary CEO Joshua Grode says in a statement to Deadline. "Sony's commitment to theatrical distribution aligns with our vision of how to best derive the most value for Legendary's movies." Grode continues, "The incredible slate of movies that [Legendary's Vice Chairman of Worldwide Production] Mary Parent has amassed are built for the theatrical experience and we are excited about our partnership with Sony for this next phase of Legendary's growth."
Legendary previously partnered with Warner Bros. from 2005 to 2014, and held a deal with Universal from 2014 to 2019.