Columbia Pictures is owned by Sony (Japan, NYSE: SONY), which acquired the brand on 8 November 1989.[1][2] Columbia Pictures was founded in 1918 in the United States and was independent until 1989.
Columbia Pictures was founded in 1918 and its torch-bearing woman is one of the oldest studio logos still in use. Its catalogue includes Lawrence of Arabia, Ghostbusters and the Spider-Man films. It was one of the smaller studios during Hollywood's golden age and rose on the strength of Frank Capra's films before television and then Sony transformed its fortunes.
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Sony acquired Columbia Pictures Entertainment for about $3.4 billion in cash, roughly $4.9 billion including assumed debt. Japanese ownership of a Hollywood studio was politically contentious, and Sony wrote down billions on the business a few years later before it eventually became one of its most profitable divisions.
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The parent company of Columbia Pictures is Sony, a publicly listed company headquartered in Japan.
Columbia Pictures originated in the United States in 1918, but it is owned today by Sony, which is headquartered in Japan. So Columbia Pictures is an American-origin brand under Japanese ownership.
Sony completed its acquisition of Columbia Pictures on 8 November 1989, after announcing the deal on 27 September 1989.
Columbia Pictures was an independent company from its founding in 1918 until Sony acquired it in 1989.
Yes. As of 8 September 2026, Columbia Pictures is still owned by Sony. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
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