Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group Chairman and CEO Tom Rothman is quite happy heading into the Oscars with the studio’s animated production, KPop Demon Hunters, a top contender in the Feature Animation and Best Song categories.
A fierce proponent of theatrical, we asked Rothman on tonight’s Oscars red carpet if the sequel has a shot at getting a wide release on the big screen.
“That’s a Netflix call,” he said, adding “It will take us a few years to make the next one. To get that quality of animation from Sony Pictures Imageworks — it’s a numbered year process. By then, who knows? Fingers crossed.”
Back in January, Sony hammered an industry first $7 billion exclusive global pay-one deal with Netflix.
What were Rothman’s thoughts on Universal committing to a new exclusive 45-day theatrical window on their core slate titles? “It’s a wonderful start for what we need to do,” the Sony motion picture boss added.
“We need to restore the windows so that audiences know that if they’re excited about a movie, they have to go to the movies to see it.”
And with Warner Bros about to be swallowed up by Paramount, how is he feeling about all this M&A stuff? The studio not so long ago was trying to acquire Paramount.
“We feel good about it,” said Rothman about Sony’s place in the consolidating entertainment landscape, “We’re lucky we’re part of a very big strong company in Sony overall, we’re a $150 billion company. So, we have a strong foundation behind us, we’re clear in our strategy. It’s steady as she goes. We’re in the movie business, and we like it.” While other studios have rushed to launch streaming services, some with a great financial risk, Sony opted out, preferring to stay a supplier of TV and film content. Rothman frequently calles the studio an “arms dealer”.
In regards to the town’s worry about the potential shrinkage of production and possible theatrical releases, Rothman said, “I understand those worries, I wouldn’t say they’re unfounded. At the end of the day, people will want to be entertainment. The nature of that might shift and short-term challenges might be presented, but at the end of the day, people will always want to be entertained.”
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