The announcement of back-to-back Spider-Man movies under the Marvel banner might force you to consider whether Disney owns Sony now. Or, did Disney buy Spider-Man from Sony? Undeniably, Sony and Disney are 2 leading entertainment companies across the globe right now.
They are producing some of the highest-grossing movies and projects over the year. Additionally, they have been noticed working together before and are still doing it. Does Disney own Sony for real? Let’s find out.
Does Disney Own Sony Pictures Animation?
In short, no. Disney doesn’t own Sony Pictures Animation and none of its subsidiary companies. In addition, there has been no announcement from Sony or Disney regarding Disney holding Sony or vice versa. Does Disney own Spider-Man?
Well, that’s a negative one too. Marvel has worked with Sony on 3 Tom Holland-starring Spider-Man movies, but Sony still owns the film rights. These Spider-Man movies are practically Sony Movies. Though Disney owns Marvel, you can’t find these Spider-Man titles on Disney+.
Disney and Sony have signed licensing agreements for the Spider-Man franchise. And, Disney got the right to sell Spider-Man merchandise. Thus, these 2 giants are collaborating and maximising their revenue from films.
We hope that this clears out your confusion over Disney owning Sony.
Disney and Sony: A Brief Introduction to These Entertainment Companies
Does Disney own Sony Entertainment? No, Disney doesn’t, and we have made it clear that it’s just a multi-year contracting agreement between these two companies. By the way, how well do you know Disney or Sony? Here’s a quick review of Disney and Sony.
Disney or Walt Disney Company, is a USA-based multinational mass media and entertainment brand. This company entertains, inspires, and educates people about many things. Established in 1923, Disney has bloomed maturely and delivered versatile content other than only family-specific ones. Currently, Disney owns countless companies and runs them worldwide.
On the other hand, Sony Group Corporation is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation. This company owns the largest video game console, video game publishing, and the world’s most prominent music entertainment business.
Established in 1946, Sony currently runs the following subsidiaries:
- Sony Music Entertainment
- Sony Electronics
- Pictures Entertainment
- Sony Financial Services
Sony signed a contract with Marvel to make the Spider-Man series more interesting. After all, Sony Picture’s Andrew Garfield-starring The Amazing Spider-Man lacked some enthusiasm. Hence, Sony decided to join Marvel and its cinematic universe to infuse the Spider-Man character with the MCU. Moreover, the results of Kevin Feige-directed Spider-Man have benefited both Disney and Sony.
Marvel got its control back to the most popular neighbourhood hero. The outcome has been reflected in Marvel’s merchandise and comics sales. Additionally, the integration of Spidey into the MCU has surged a huge profit at the box office. Ultimately, Sony won, and Spider-Man: No Way Home grossed more than $1.9 billion worldwide.
Not to mention, this film has surpassed its predecessors. Does Disney+ have Sony movies? On a happy note, you might soon experience all Spider-Man movies on Disney+ because of the contract. A few are available on Disney+, including Tobey McGuire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland’s Spider-Man titles. However, all the latest Spider-Man movies stream on Netflix without extra charges.
Is the deal between Sony and Disney limited to Spider-Man and Marvel only? Well, it’s not. Disney can now access Sony’s library content, and it has turned into one of the magnificent streaming hubs for U.S. audiences.
Sony’s forever famous and high-grossing titles are available on Disney, such as:
- Men in Black
- Terminator
- Smurfs
- Resident Evil
- Hotel Transylvania
- Jumanji and more
Here, Disney’s mission to be the all-in-one destination for home entertainment is getting fulfilled to some extent. On top of that, Disney keeps experimenting with PVOD like Black Widow, Cruella, Mulan, and similar releases. Therefore, the contract between Disney and Sony benefits both. Moreover, Disney+ lets you watch your favourite content on any screen.
Disney-Acquired Companies
Does Disney own Sony? The answer is a straight no, and you already know what’s happening between these 2 giant entertainers. However, Disney owns many companies, and you might be ignorant about it. For example, Disney holds the following subsidiaries of ABC Entertainment Group:
- ABC Entertainment
- ABC Digital
- Times Square Studios
- ABC Television Network
- Television Studios
- ABC News
Similarly, Disney acquired an 80% stake in ESPN. Did you know that? Here are Disney’s subsidiaries: ESPN and HD, ESPN on ABC, ESPN Classic, ESPN 2 and HD, ESPN Films, ESPN 3, Mobile ESPN, ESPN Original Entertainment, ESPN Now, ESPN Plus, ESPN Radio, ESPN Books, ESPN Outdoors, and more.
Also, Disney owns FX Networks and its subsidiaries like FX, FXX, FX Movie Channel, FX Productions, FX on Hulu, and FX Entertainment. On the other hand, Disney holds 50% of the equity of Lifetime, A&E, and The History Channel with Hearst Corporation. Even, the following Disney-owned companies of National Geographic Networks might not be under your radar:
- Nat Geo Wild
- National Geographic TV
- Nat Geo Mundo
Besides this, here are some more Disney-owned networks:
- Marvel
- Touchstone Pictures
- Pixar
- Core Publishing
- Vice Media (10% equity holding)
- Lucasfilm
- Hollywood Records
Brands Acquired by Disney
In addition to acquiring popular companies and stakes of them, Disney is also a proud owner of some world-renowned brands. For instance, all the following gems are part of Disney’s production values:
- The Muppets
- The Marvel Cinematic Universe (except for the X-Men)
- Star Wars
- Disney Princes and Princesses like different characters from Frozen, Tangled, The Lion King, Aladdin, Mulan, Cinderella, etc
- The Pirates of the Caribbean
- Grey’s Anatomy and more ABC shows
- The Chronicles of Narnia
- Winnie the Pooh
- The Indiana Jones franchise
- Pixar films like The Incredibles, Cards, Toy Story, etc
Will Disney buy Spider-Man back from Sony in the Future?
Sony acquires the film rights to Spider-Man right now. We don’t see any chance for Sony to lose this character soon. Sony earns all the revenues, whereas Disney is happy collecting revenue from its merchandise and comics sales. In addition, Disney is in no hurry to buy Spider-Man film rights from Sony.
Therefore, you can expect Disney to be in creative control over Spider-Man.
Will Disney Own Sony Someday?
Currently, Sony and Disney are tough competitors in the industry. There’s no indication that Disney will acquire Sony anytime soon. Additionally, Sony Corporation runs multiple major divisions with more than 150 thousand employees worldwide.
What is Sony’s net worth? Reportedly, it’s more than $122 billion in March 2022. Additionally, Sony yields a revenue of more than $84 billion annually. Disney’s market capital is more than $239 billion at the same time. Still, Disney might not take the risk to own Sony for the following reasons:
- Disney might not afford it.
- Sony is a Japan-based company. So, chances are quite low that American owners will acquire it.
- The interference of anti-monopoly law might be a barrier.
Final Words
Does Disney own Sony? No, it doesn’t and won’t in the foreseeable future probably. You might expect them to engage in different deals and contracts since Spider-Man was a big hit. Before, they had conflicts due to profit-sharing aspects. However, this seems to be sorted now.
