Sony Aims to Spark 'Bad Boys' Revival With Sequel Marketing

Danny Strick, Sony/ATV Music Publishing co-president and a longtime lieutenant of former chairman Martin Bandier, has left the company, Variety has confirmed. Former co-president Rick Krim left the company last year.

By Denise Petski

In the second quarter since all of Sony Music’s operations were united under CEO Rob Stringer, the company showed strong earnings, ending the calendar year with streaming revenues up 21% and overall revenue up 7.5% to $1.99 billion. Its profits for the quarter reached $333 million.

Currently riding high at the global box office with “Bad Boys For Life,” Japanese electronics to entertainment conglomerate Sony reported third quarter profits of $2.10 billion (JPY220 billion). That is sharply down on the $3.83 billion reported at the same point last financial year. Revenues increased by $1 billion to reach $22.5 billion ($2.46 trillion), compared with $21.4 billion (JPY2.40 trillion).

Making good on news that was reported last July but not officially announced until now, Sony/ATV Music Publishing Nashville has appointed Rusty Gaston CEO.

Sony Pictures Classics has teamed with Sony’s Stage 6 Films to oversee the global release of Heidi Ewing’s feature narrative debut “I Carry You With Me (Te Llevo Conmigo),” a gay love story about two men who immigrate to the United States. The deal follows the movie’s enthusiastic reception at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. The romantic drama debuted to multiple standing ovations in Park City, where it was shown in the NEXT section. It will be released later this year.

Sony Pictures Classics has acquired worldwide rights to “The Truffle Hunters” out of the Sundance Film Festival. The pact is for $1.5 million, according to an insider.

Sony Pictures is in early development of a reboot of the “Anaconda” franchise, hiring “Divergent” writer Evan Daugherty to write the project.

Krista Vernoff is looking to set up another show at ABC.

After a decade in the role, Sony Music France president Stéphane Le Tavernier has left the company, effective immediately.Staff at the label learned of the exec’s exit in an internal memo from Daniel Lieberberg, Sony Music Entertainment’s president of Continental Europe and Africa, sent Monday.

In another win for Sony Pictures, Bad Boys for Life is laughing much louder than expected in its North American box office debut while, across town, Dolittle is going to the dogs for Universal.Bad Boys for Life, reteaming Will Smith and Martin Lawrence after a 17-year-hiatus, grossed $23.5 million on Friday for a projected $66 million to $68 million debut over the four-day Martin Luther King Jr.

Sony Pictures has launched early development of an untitled fourth “Bad Boys” movie with “Bad Boys for Life” screenwriter Chris Bremner returning to write the script.