Day 102

February 14, 2020

Another day, another studio. This property currently housing Sony Pictures Studios has a very long list of previous owners. It started out as Triangle Pictures in the early nineteen-teens founded by Thomas Ince. Then is was sold to Samuel Goldwyn in 1918. Marcus Loew organized the merger that created Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer, or MGM, in 1924. The studio was a huge part of the Golden Age of Hollywood but anti-trust laws severed the partnership with Loews Theaters and the studio began to falter. In 1969 the studio was sold to Kirk Kerkorian (MGM Grand Hotels) who began to sell off parts of the physical property reducing it’s size considerably. After some back and forth with Ted Turner, where Turner kept ownership of the pre May 1986 MGM library, Kerkorian got the studio back and sold it to Lorimar Telepictures in 1986. Three years later, in 1989, Lorimar was bought by Warner Brothers. Right around this time Sony acquired Columbia Pictures Entertainment. However, since Sony’s new producers had a deal with WB over at the Burbank Studios there were some issues. So Warner Brothers sold the Lorimar lot to Columbia (AKA Sony). Sony, in turn, sold their interest in the Burbank Studios effectively clearing up any issues their producers would have with Warners. And that is where we are today. Oof! That’s a mouthful.