**1. History and Evolution of TriStar Pictures:**
– TriStar Pictures was established in 1983 as a joint venture between Columbia Pictures, HBO, and CBS.
– The company aimed to produce 12-18 films annually with a budget of $70-80 million.
– TriStar’s first film was ‘The Natural’ in 1984, followed by ‘Supergirl’ in the same year.
– In the 1990s, TriStar had successes with films like ‘Sleepless in Seattle’ but faced challenges with ‘Godzilla’ in 1998.
– Sony merged TriStar with Columbia to form Columbia TriStar Motion Pictures Group.
**2. Corporate Changes and Expansions:**
– CBS dropped out of the TriStar venture in 1985.
– HBO sold half of its shares to Columbia Pictures in 1986.
– TriStar formed Tri-Star Television and Tri-Star Video label in 1987.
– TriStar gained distribution rights for Carolco projects like ‘Rambo III.’
– TriStar entered a domestic distribution deal with Taft/Barish Productions.
**3. Relationship with Sony and Current Status:**
– TriStar Pictures is currently part of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group.
– It operates as a corporate sibling of Columbia Pictures.
– TriStar is used for distribution of products from Sony Pictures and TriStar Productions.
– The studio is a member of the Motion Picture Association (MPA).
– TriStar operated autonomously from Columbia in the 1990s.
**4. Logo and Branding:**
– The original Tri-Star logo, featuring a Pegasus, was used from 1984 until 1993.
– The logo was inspired by Victor Kaufman’s family’s interest in riding horses.
– The horse in the logo was the same one used in Sydney Pollack’s film ‘The Electric Horseman.’
– TriStar Productions was established in 2015 for film and TV productions.
– TriStar name is now used as a genre label for acquisitions.
**5. Business Ventures and Partnerships:**
– TriStar collaborated with various studios and production companies like Carolco Pictures and Taft/Barish Productions.
– CPI Holdings increased its stake in TriStar to 29% during the Coca-Cola era.
– TriStar formed partnerships with IndieProd and JSB for distribution and production.
– Various entities like Sony ESPN, Viacom18 Studios, Warner Bros., and Spyglass Media Group had ownership interests or partnerships with TriStar.
– TriStar had a presence in the home video market and engaged in joint ventures with companies like CBS Corporation.
TriStar Pictures, Inc. (spelled as Tri-Star until 1991) is an American film studio and production company that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, part of the multinational conglomerate Sony. It is a corporate sibling of Sony studio Columbia Pictures.
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| Formerly | Nova Pictures (1982–1983) |
|---|---|
| Company type | Division |
| Industry | Film |
| Founded | March 2, 1982 (as Nova Pictures), Burbank, California, U.S. |
| Founder | Victor Kaufman |
| Headquarters | 10202 West Washington Boulevard, Culver City, California, U.S. |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Nicole Brown (president) |
| Products | Motion pictures |
| Parent | Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group |
| Divisions | TriStar Productions |
| Website | sonypictures.com |
TriStar Pictures was established on March 2, 1982, and founded by Victor Kaufman as Nova Pictures. On May 16, 1983, its name was changed to Tri-Star in order to avoid confusion with the PBS series Nova.
Originally a joint venture between CBS, Columbia Pictures and HBO, whose individual video units handled video, broadcast, and pay cable rights to its products, the company scored a number of box office hits with modestly-budgeted fare in the 1980s, as well as fortuitous distribution deals with the Producers Sales Organization, Carolco Pictures and the Taft Entertainment Group. It also expanded ambitiously throughout the decade with the acquisition of Loews Theatres and the formation of its own television arm. Among the various hits TriStar scored on its own during the decade were About Last Night, The Muppets Take Manhattan, Real Genius, Nothing in Common, Peggy Sue Got Married, The Principal, Look Who's Talking and Steel Magnolias.
On November 15, 1985, CBS dropped out of the joint venture, selling its stake to Columbia Pictures. HBO sold its shares to the same studio in 1986 in order to form HBO Pictures. On December 21, 1987, Tri-Star Pictures, Inc. was renamed Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc. following The Coca-Cola Company's merger of Tri-Star and Columbia to become "Columbia/Tri-Star", of which it owned 80% of its stock. In January 1988, CPE's stocks somewhat fell, and Coca-Cola decreased its shares in CPE to 49%. On April 13, 1988, the name of the company was reverted back to Tri-Star Pictures, Inc. On November 8, 1989, the Sony Corporation of Japan acquired Columbia Pictures Entertainment for $3.4 billion. On August 7, 1991, under Sony Pictures Entertainment, the hyphen was officially removed from the name of the studio.
During the 1990s, TriStar operated autonomously from Columbia. Although its products were mostly indistinguishible from that of its sister studio, it soon scored a string of hits at the box office with such films as Sleepless in Seattle, Philadelphia, The Mirror Has Two Faces, Jerry Maguire, As Good as It Gets and Jumanji, and it also scored a major video hit with Danny DeVito's Matilda. However, in 1998, the company fell on hard times following the box office disappointment of an ambitious remake of the Japanese monster film Godzilla, and Sony quickly responded by merging the studio with Columbia to form the Columbia TriStar Motion Pictures Group. The TriStar name was subsequently used by Sony on a very limited basis until 2004, when the company decided to turn the studio into a genre label that specialized in acquisitions. In 2015, Sony formed TriStar Productions as a vehicle for film and television productions. TriStar Pictures is currently being used as a vehicle for distribution of products from that new entity and other items from Sony Pictures, including titles from Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions.
TriStar Pictures is a member of the Motion Picture Association (MPA).