It’s been revealed that Legendary Entertainment is switching partners from Warner Bros to Sony. This follows Legendary previously switched from Warner Bros to Universal in 2014, and then back to Warner Bros in 2019.
The new deal was revealed via THR, where they explained that “under the terms of the deal, Legendary’s movies will be distributed and marketed globally by Sony, excluding China, where Legendary East will handle those duties.” Additionally, they also noted that Sony will be involved with handling “home entertainment and TV distribution for those films.” They also emphasize that “Sony does not have a streaming service,” and as such, “Legendary will continue to partner with other companies for streaming.”
They also revealed that Legendary will still be working with Warner Bros for certain prior obligations. As they explain, “the pact does not include the Dune or Godzilla franchises, which will continue to be released by Warner Bros., Legendary’s previous partner.” With that in mind, fans of those properties shouldn’t have anything to worry about. Especially with Dune: Part Two and several new Godzilla projects in the works.
Legendary CEO Joshua Grode delivered the following statement regarding the partnership between Legendary and Sony:
“Sony’s commitment to theatrical distribution aligns with our vision of how to best derive the most value for Legendary’s movies,” he began. “The incredible slate of movies that 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. We are also grateful to Warner Bros. Pictures who has been a valuable partner to Legendary over many years, and we look forward to continuing our work with the talented executives at Warner/Discovery.”
Similarly, Sony Pictures Motion Group CEO and Chairman Tom Rothman also shared his own statement. He notes the “Legendary is, well, legendary,” and further added that they “are excited and fortunate to add Josh and Mary’s strong slate to our ongoing commitment to big movies on the big screen.” Indeed, with Legendary’s previous releases including such hits as Trick ‘r Treat, Pacific Rim, Godzilla, and Jurassic World, they should certainly have an exciting future with Sony going forward. Fans can stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional updates as we have them. This will certainly be a new and ongoing partnership worth keeping an eye on.