After four glorious years of partnership with Warner Bros., Legendary Entertainment left the studio after the expiration of the deal. The studio was contemplating ending the deal with Warner Bros., for two years. The two have had a solid partnership with production and marketing. Due to the strategic marketing and packaging of Warner Bros., the latter produced high-octane films which include the Monsterverse and ‘Dune’.
In 2013, Legendary Entertainment went with Universal studios in a deal for five years. The entertainment studio left Warner Bros. due to “costly flops like ‘Cowboy & Aliens’, and ‘Battleship'”. However, with ‘Detective Pikachu’ in 2018, the studio went back with Warner Bros., and they have had great run at the films with ‘King Kong’ and ‘Godzilla’ universe and the recent Dune. After severing ties, the studio has already moved on to its next studio.
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Legendary Entertainment Inked A Deal With Sony Pictures
After four years, the major motion picture studio has inked a fresh deal with Sony Pictures. When the deal expired in August, Legendary Entertainment was looking for their next collaborator. The two studios that were front runners were Paramount and Sony. The studio went ahead and sealed the deal with Sony. Legendary had some great money spinners with Warner Bros., like ‘The Dark Knight Rises’, ‘Godzilla Vs. Kong’, and ‘Dune’.
The CEO of Legendary Entertainment said in a statement, “As we continue to grow our content offerings, we are excited to forge this relationship with Tony, Tom, Sanford, Josh, and the rest of the exceptional Sony team.”
He continued, “Sony’s commitment to theatrical distribution aligns with our vision of how to best derive the most value for Legendary’s movies. The incredible slate of movies that Mary Parent has amassed is built for the theatrical experience and we are excited about our partnership with Sony for this next phase of Legendary’s growth”.
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Why Did The Studio Cut Ties With Warner Bros.?
In a statement, the Presidents of Sony Pictures Motion Picture Groups, Josh Greenstein and Sanford Panitch said, “It’s a rare opportunity to partner in this mutually beneficial way with true pros, who are completely aligned in our theatrical commitment and vision for this business”.
In 2021, Legendary Entertainment and Warner Bros., had a strong run at the box office. Both the post-pandemic releases, ‘Godzilla Vs. Kong’ and ‘Dune’ made thunderous box office records. The former film earned $468 million worldwide and the latter garnered $401 million in business worldwide. But, in 2020, the two were at loggerheads, because Legendary Entertainment wanted to have all the 2021 releases theatrical as well as on HBO Max.
Now, the question is what will happen to the sequels of both films? Currently, Denis Villeneuve’s directorial sequel is shot in Jordan. Even after the studio inked a deal with Sony Pictures, Warner Bros. will be responsible for the distribution and marketing of both films.
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