Sony Takes No. 1 Film Distribution Spot, Disney Falls to Third

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Sony Pictures Releasing finished 2004 as the largest motion picture distribution company ranked by domestic box office returns according to preliminary numbers from Nielsen EDI. It brought in an estimated $1.3 billion which accounted for approximately 14.2 percent of the estimated $9.2 billion in gross domestic box office revenue.


Sony made the leap from No. 2 last year while placing only one film, “Spider-Man 2,” in the Top 10. The summer blockbuster raked in $373.4 million at the box office, second only to DreamWorks SKG’s “Shrek 2,” with $436.7 million domestically.


“Spider-Man 2” grossed $41 million on opening day and $115.8 million during the Fourth of July weekend. Other Sony hits included “50 First Dates,” starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore which grossed $120.8 million domestically and “The Grudge,” a thriller starring Sarah Michelle Gellar which grossed $110.2 million domestically.


Disney’s Buena Vista Pictures distribution arm had a slow start to the year but came on strong in the October-December quarter with the release of the Disney/Pixar animated hit “The Incredibles” and the Nicolas Cage film “National Treasure.”


Buena Vista, Sony and Warner Bros. each surpassed $1 billion in domestic box office.


Sony was the second largest distributor in 2003 with $1.2 billion in domestic box office returns.

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