Harry Culver had a dream. The Nebraska-born real estate developer longed to establish his own thriving community and cultivate his interest in the budding movie industry. Culver got his chance in 1913, choosing a piece of land halfway between downtown Los Angeles and the sea. One day, Culver observed famous filmmaker Thomas Ince filming a western on the banks of Ballona Creek. Fascinated as he watched Ince direct, Culver soon persuaded him to move his successful studio from the beach to Washington Boulevard. Culver City, "The Heart of Screenland," was off to an auspicious beginning, as was the realization of Harry Culver’s dream.

Culver City’s first studio began to take shape in 1915 with the construction of a colonnade, the impressive entrance to the newly formed Ince/Triangle Studios, facing Washington Boulevard today. 

The company’s rich history can be traced back to 1918 when brothers Harry and Jack Cohn formed a partnership with their associate Joe Brandt to produce low-budget short films and featurettes. They called the company CBC Film Sales (Cohn-Brandt-Cohn – or as it was more commonly known in the trade press, “Corned Beef and Cabbage”.) 

Ince stayed just long enough at his namesake studio to construct stages and an administration building, then sold his shares to his partners and moved his operation down the street to what would later become The Culver Studios. By 1918, Triangle Studios was up for sale, attracting the attention of movie producer Samuel Goldwyn.

In 1919 Goldwyn took over the studio, added eight more stages and buildings, then was ousted before the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer merger took place in 1924, the same year Columbia Pictures was born in Hollywood.

By 1920, the film industry was attracting audiences of 35 million a week willing to pay five cents a pop to be drawn into the magical world of filmed entertainment.

Backed by the success of their modest productions, CBC produced their first feature-length film in 1922 on a $20,000 budget, MORE TO BE PITIED THAN SCORNED, with resounding success, taking in $130,000 in profit. CBC saw that the company’s future lay in film production and, with it, a grander vision.

Incorporated in 1924, CBC became Columbia Pictures Corporation. Offices were set up along a section of Gower Street and Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood known as "Poverty Row" because it was home to several low-budget film production companies. Each year brought new developments and growing revenues for the fledgling operation.

Under the reign of studio chief Louis B. Mayer, whose surname would be formally added to the studio in 1926, MGM rapidly grew to six working studio lots totalling more than 180 acres. The main lot resembled a city within a city with its own police and fire departments, telegraph and post office, and a 16,000-gallon water tower. All the backlot amenities necessary for moviemaking were on site: sawmill, electrical, paint and lock shops, wardrobe, make-up, property, lighting and camera departments.

Louis B. Mayer was close to his brilliant head of production, Irving Thalberg, who had been placed in charge of the studio at the age of 24. Called a “boy wonder” because of his studio success at such a young age, his sudden death in 1936 shocked the industry.  Two years later, a new million-dollar administration building built on the lot was named in his memory.

In its early years, Columbia Pictures was known for the production of a large volume of low-budget movies. This reputation began to change when, in 1927, the studio hired a young director named Frank Capra, who created Columbia’s first all "talkie" feature, THE DONOVAN AFFAIR.

During MGM’s expansion, the existing glass-walled stages, built to maximize the natural light required for early film technology, were replaced by sound stages -- 28 stages during Mayer’s tenure. Stage 15 was the largest in the world at that time, while Stage 30 featured a large, underground tank that was used for filming scenes in water, such as in Esther Williams’ famous aquatic movies.

Capra's directing talents contributed to a number of "firsts" for the studio but none greater than Columbia’s first Best Picture Academy Award® for its 1934 film, IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT, which swept the top five awards and put Columbia on the map.

With Columbia’s increased respect and prestige during the ’30’s and ’40’s, the Cohn brothers were able to expand their studio acreage in Hollywood. In 1935, they purchased additional property in Burbank to use as a back lot for location filming. Among the many stars under contract at the time were Rosalind Russell, Rita Hayworth, Glenn Ford and William Holden, all adding luster to the Columbia name.

In its heyday, MGM released 50 films a year with a payroll of over 5,000 employees. The talent under contract to the studio included Greta Garbo, Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy and Joan Crawford, as well as an impressive list of child stars: Elizabeth Taylor, Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland.

Capra went on to direct a number of classics for the studio including MR. DEEDS GOES TO TOWN, YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU (Best Picture Oscar® in 1939) and MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON starring Jimmy Stewart.

Although its films were successful, Columbia didn’t know the meaning of the word "blockbuster" until the mid ’40’s when THE JOLSON STORY became its highest-grossing movie to date.

Columbia Pictures was one of the first studios to venture into the television business with the creation of a division called Screen Gems in 1948, which became a lucrative new income stream for the company. The television division was later named Columbia Pictures Television, then Columbia TriStar Television.

Culminating in another Best Picture Oscar® for its 1949 film, ALL THE KING’S MEN, Columbia experienced its most profitable decade to date.

Mayer continued to manage the studio, making such notable movies as GRAND HOTEL, THE THIN MAN, MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY and The WIZARD OF OZ. Production Chief Dore Schary gradually assumed power, replacing Mayer in 1951. Even though MGM started producing television shows in the 1960s, the studio could not sustain the wild success it experienced during the “Golden Age of Hollywood.”

The late 1950’s saw the deaths of both Cohn brothers and with them, the end of an era.  Crowning that decade, however, under Harry’s ever-ardent watch were three more Best Picture Oscars® for Columbia:  FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953), ON THE WATERFRONT (1954) and THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI (1957).

During the 1960’s, Columbia changed with the times by expanding the scope and appeal of its films to include youth-oriented themes (BYE BYE BIRDIE, FUNNY GIRL, DR. STRANGELOVE, TO SIR WITH LOVE) as well as Academy Award®-winning classics LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962), A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS (1966) and OLIVER! (1968).

The studio was sold to Kirk Kerkorian in 1969 and much of the studio was sold throughout the early 1970s. An auction was held on the spot where Dorothy had once skipped down the Yellow Brick Road. Lot #2, where SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN, NATIONAL VELVET and GIGI were made, was dismantled. Lot #3 was sold as land for housing. The monkey farm, plant nursery and antique car lot were sold for commercial development.

In motion pictures, Columbia turned out a string of successes in the ’70’s such as THE WAY WE WERE (1973), MIDNIGHT EXPRESS (1978), TAXI DRIVER (1976), THE DEEP (1977), CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977) and KRAMER VS. KRAMER (1979), winner of 5 Oscars® including Best Picture.

Columbia shuttered its Gower Street lot and moved to Burbank. In 1972, it merged its real estate holdings with Warner Communications Inc. to form The Burbank Studios, sharing the facility for 18 years.

In 1979, Columbia Pictures Home Video was launched, marking the company’s entry into the revolutionary home entertainment market. With the introduction of Columbia Pictures’ hit films on the Beta and VHS formats, the studio established a profitable, new distribution system.

MGM merged to form MGM/UA in the 1980’s. By 1986, Turner Broadcasting had purchased United Artists and its impressive film library. The main lot became Lorimar Telepictures. MGM moved across the street to the modern Filmland building until its move to Santa Monica in 1992.

The 1980’s were a period of change and growth for Columbia, beginning with its purchase by The Coca-Cola Company in 1982. Television programs were acquired, adding ALL IN THE FAMILY, GOOD TIMES, THE JEFFERSONS and more to an already impressive television library. GANDHI (1982) added another Best Picture Oscar® statue to Columbia’s collection. The studio continued to turn out some of its biggest box offices hits throughout the decade with TOOTSIE, THE KARATE KID, STRIPES and GHOSTBUSTERS. 

Columbia made motion picture history by joining with HBO and CBS to form TriStar Pictures, the first new motion picture studio in decades. TriStar achieved the fastest growth to major studio status in the industry’s history, releasing such films as THE NATURAL, RAMBO: FIRST BLOOD PART II and PEGGY SUE GOT MARRIED. TriStar relaunched in 2004 as a marketing and acquisition unit with particular emphasis on genre films, releasing such film as DADDY DAY CAMP and DISTRICT 9.

Merv Griffin Enterprises, producer of top game shows WHEEL OF FORTUNE and JEOPARDY!, joined the company in 1986. In 1987 Columbia TriStar Television acquired the distribution rights to Castle Rock Entertainment’s sitcom SEINFELD, the highest-earning, number one syndicated show in television history.

Sony Corporation purchased Columbia Pictures Corporation and all of its entertainment holdings from The Coca-Cola Company, forming Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE). The company relocated to the former MGM lot in Culver City, California and was renamed Sony Pictures Studios.

In 1990, Sony Corporation purchased Columbia Pictures Entertainment and the former MGM lot, later renaming the company Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) and the studio, Sony Pictures Studios. Soon major renovations were underway to turn the property into a state-of-the-art facility. SPE became known throughout the motion picture and television industry as a model for preserving the studio’s legacy.

SPE purchased The Culver Studios in Culver City. Well-known as the studio lot where KING KONG, GONE WITH THE WIND and CITIZEN KANE were filmed, The Culver Studios, built by Thomas Ince in 1919, was owned by Cecil B. DeMille, David O. Selznick, RKO-Pathe and Desilu at various times. Recognized by its mansion-like exterior, the studio lot was home to Sony Pictures Television until 2003 when it was sold.

Sony Pictures Classics (SPC) was established to specialize in the acquisition, production, marketing and distribution of prestigious foreign and American independent films. Nominated for numerous Academy Awards®, the SPC library includes such notable titles as CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON; ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER; CAPOTE; WADJDA; BLUE JASMINE; MIDNIGHT IN PARIS; STILL ALICE and WHIPLASH.

SPE broke all-time records for a motion picture distributor, surpassing $2.3 billion in worldwide box office and $1.2 billion in domestic box office, and became the first company ever to gross more than $500 million in U.S. summer box office, powered by three consecutive blockbuster releases: MEN IN BLACK, the biggest-grossing film of the year and the highest-grossing movie in the company’s history to that date, AIR FORCE ONE and MY BEST FRIEND’S WEDDING.

The Screen Gems name was revitalized as a new motion picture label under SPE, focusing on films that fall between the wide-release movies traditionally developed and distributed by Columbia Pictures and those released by Sony Pictures Classics. Popular Screen Gems films include RESIDENT EVIL, UNDERWORLD, DEAR JOHN, BURLESQUE, FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS and THINK LIKE A MAN.

Sony Pictures Digital (SPD) was formed in 2000, combining SPE’s digital production with its online content and game services to deliver the next generation of entertainment. Some novel products from the early collaboration included the leading multiplayer online game EverQuest™, SoapCity© and Screenblast®. Also folded into the SPD group were Sony Pictures Imageworks, a state-of-the-art digital animation and visual effects company, creating computer-generated imaging (CGI) and animation for feature films; and Sony Pictures Animation Inc., responsible for the development and production of all CG features for SPE. In fact, Imageworks released its first short film with the Animation division, THE CHUBB CHUBBS, winning the Academy Award® for Best Animated Short Film.

SPE enjoyed a blockbuster 2002 with the record-breaking SPIDER-MAN™, which crossed the $400 million threshold and was the fifth film ever to surpass that level in domestic box office gross. The studio crossed the $1 billion mark in domestic box office gross in the summer, joining the billion dollar club for the second time and shattering its own record for reaching that box office level faster than any distributor in history. In addition to the release of SPIDER-MAN™, contributing to this record were MEN IN BLACK II, STUART LITTLE 2, PANIC ROOM, BLACK HAWK DOWN and MR.DEEDS. The studio broke both the domestic and international box office records bringing in $1.57 and $2.87 billion respectively.

© 2015 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. All Rights Reserved. | Marvel, and the names and distinctive likenesses of Spider-Man and all other Marvel characters: ™ and © 2015 Marvel Entertainment, LLC & its subsidiaries. All Rights Reserved.

Imageworks added another Oscar® to the mantel, this time for achievement in Visual Effects for its work on SPIDER-MAN 2™, which earned more than $800 million worldwide. Under the leadership of Chairman and CEO Michael Lynton and Chairman of the Motion Picture Group Amy Pascal, the studio ended the year in the #1 spot with a remarkable $1.308 billion in domestic box office receipts. The following year, Sir Howard Stringer became Chairman, Group CEO and Representative Corporate Executive Officer of Sony Corporation.

THE DA VINCI CODE starring Tom Hanks, the long-awaited film from the popular novel of the same name,  was released, setting international weekend records at $154.8 million. SPA released the first full-length action adventure comedy, OPEN SEASON and the end of the year brought well-deserved acclaim for the visually stunning MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA, which garnered three Academy Awards® for Best Art Direction, Cinematography and Costume Design. Sony Pictures acquired Grouper, an online venture boasting one of the largest video communities. It was relaunched in 2007 as Crackle, engaging global audiences with emerging web talent, Sony Pictures’ films and television shows, and original programming such as COMEDIANS IN CARS GETTING COFFEE, JOE DIRT 2 and SPORTS JEOPARDY!

SPIDER-MAN 3™ made motion picture history with a record-breaking $382 million worldwide debut in May. Michael Lynton and Amy Pascal broke ground on a studio development called the “LOT Project,” which added over 200,000 square feet of office and support space to the Studio lot. The LOT project achieved Gold-level LEED Certification for environmentally friendly design, construction and operation. WHEEL OF FORTUNE celebrated its 25th anniversary and Sony Pictures Animation’s second film, SURF’S UP, received an Oscar® nomination for Best Animated Feature.

Sony Pictures Television welcomed the return of seven series and earned a total of 29 primetime Emmy Award® nominations, a record for the company.  Sony Pictures Digital was renamed Sony Pictures Digital Productions.  HANCOCK, the Will Smith blockbuster, tallied more than $600 million in global box office receipts and QUANTUM OF SOLACE became the top Bond film of all time at the North American box office.

Columbia Pictures and Screen Gems ended 2008 as the third biggest year at the box office in Sony Pictures’ history.  In 2009 PAUL BLART: MALL COP became the first original film to pass the $100 million mark in January and 2012 grossed more than $670 million worldwide.  ANGELS & DEMONS, the highly anticipated sequel to THE DA VINCI CODE, thrilled summer crowds to the tune of $470 million, and its release on DVD later that year made it the biggest hit of the year across all international territories.  MICHAEL JACKSON’S THIS IS IT generated more than $250 million worldwide.  The beloved storybook CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS hit movie screens in September in 3D stereoscopic and was #1 at the box office for two weekends, making SPA's their most successful film to date.  Sony Pictures Releasing International ended the year by breaking a record as it passed $2 billion overseas, a first in SPE history.

 Sony Pictures Entertainment combined its domestic and international television units under one banner, Sony Pictures Television.  THE DR. OZ SHOW enjoyed being the highest-rated talk show debut in seven years.

Chronicling the formation of Facebook, THE SOCIAL NETWORK brought in more than $200 million worldwide and garnered numerous Oscar® nominations.  In 2010 Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE) released its first Blu-ray 3D™ title in the U.S., SPA’s CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS.

THE SMURFS takes in more than $560 million at the global box office and becomes one of the first films released as an UltraViolet title, along with Screen Gems’ FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS.  SPE partners with MGM in a worldwide theatrical distribution and co-financing pact.

At 94’ tall, SPE installed a major work of public art on the studio lot entitled Rainbow, by renowned American multi-media artist Tony Tasset.  With the successful release of THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, MEN IN BLACK 3, 21 JUMP STREET, THINK LIKE A MAN and THE VOW, SPE becomes the second studio in 2012 to hit the $1 billion box-office mark domestically.

BREAKING BAD won its first primetime Emmy Award® for Outstanding Drama Series in 2013, and would win it again the following year, drawing a cable viewership record for its season finale and becoming the most binge-watched television series in history.  Tom Rothman and SPE launch a new joint venture TriStar Productions.

WHEEL OF FORTUNE airs its 6,000th episode and THE INTERVIEW is released online on Christmas Eve through Google Play, YouTube Movies, Microsoft’s Xbox Video and its own dedicated website.

Today, the motion picture and television library is one of the company’s most valuable assets with more than 3,500 film titles and more than 275 television series.  With a rich history that dates back to the birth of the motion picture industry, SPE is known throughout the world not only for its leading motion picture and television programming, but also its breakthrough digital innovations that bridge the gap between entertainment content and consumer delivery systems.

© 2015 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. All Rights Reserved. | Marvel, and the names and distinctive likenesses of Spider-Man and all other Marvel characters: ™ and © 2015 Marvel Entertainment, LLC & its subsidiaries. All Rights Reserved.

In June, Tony Vinciquerra joined Sony Pictures Entertainment as Chairman and Chief Executive Office.