Could Spider-Man finally come home to Marvel?
It could be a possibility.
Following the purchase of Fox Studios by Disney – which includes the X-Men and Fantastic Four – it’s learned that Sony Pictures could be up next.
Sony Pictures Entertainment chairman Tony Vinciquerra stated yesterday at the NATPE conference that Sony has reached a grow-or-sell crossroads, reports Variety.
“If we don’t grow, we will be somebody’s purchase,” Vinciquerra said and pointed to Disney’s purchase of Fox Studios. “I didn’t take the job to do it for a year and sell the company.”
Vinciquerra was named as the new Sony chairman last year and says they have to keep up with the times otherwise they will be out of business.
“[Coming in, there was pressure to] create a sense of urgency and making sure people are aware the business is changing rapidly,” Vinciquerra said. “If we’re not on our toes, we’re not going to be in business very long.”
Vinciquerr continued with note that much larger companies could squash Sony.
“We’re a tiny little minnow fighting against all these gigantic companies. If they want to step on us, they could do it,” Vinciquerr said in regards to Sony’s marketcap versus tech giants like Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and Google, but did go on to note they appreciate the creativity Hollywood brings.
Vinciquerra also commented on Sony attempting to purchase Fox Studios, but said Sony didn’t get anywhere because the Disney talks were already far along, and Vinciquerra did state that Sony TV could still do business with the Fox broadcast network, which isn’t being sold to Disney.
Vinciquerra also commented on the state of the movie business being “binary.”
“The movie business has become very binary — either it works or it doesn’t,” Vinciquerra said and pointed to the importance of social media with mention of the box office success of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, which was in part due to the huge social media presence of Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart. Vinciquerra also remarked that while movie tickets sales are on the decline in the U.S., the movie business is growing in the rest of the world.
