Triumph Films
Triumph Films (also known as Triumph Releasing Corporation) was an American independent film studio division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, that geared towards theatre and direct-to-video film production and distribution.
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 Final logo used from 1994 to 2014 | |
| Formerly | Triumph Releasing Corporation (1988–1994) |
|---|---|
| Company type | In-name-only division[1] |
| Industry | Film |
| Predecessor | SVS Films (first relaunch) |
| Founded | 1982 (original) 1988 (first relaunch) 2003 (second relaunch) 2014 (third relaunch) |
| Defunct | 1985 (original) 1997 (first relaunch) 2008 (second relaunch) 2014 (third relaunch) |
| Fate | Dormant |
| Successor | Studios: Sony Pictures Classics Destination Films Screen Gems Stage 6 Films Library: Sony Pictures Entertainment (with some exceptions) |
| Headquarters | 10202 West Washington Boulevard, Culver City, California, United States |
Key people | Samuel White (Co-president) Benjamin Lewis (executive chairman) |
| Products | Motion pictures |
| Parent | Columbia Pictures (1982–1985) Gaumont (1982–1985) Sony Pictures Entertainment (1988–2014) |
Triumph Films (also known as Triumph Releasing Corporation) was an American independent film studio division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, that geared towards theatre and direct-to-video film production and distribution.
History
[edit]It was founded in 1982 as a joint venture between Columbia Pictures and the French company Gaumont to distribute foreign films in the US. In 1984, Marcie Bloom, who was formerly of the New York Film Festival, joined Triumph Films to serve as New York publicity director (Bloom would later co-found Sony Pictures Classics).[2]
In 1985, Triumph Films announced that they would cut back down on their production slate, focusing on foreign-language films with English subtitles.[3] Shortly afterwards, Gaumont decided to cut ties, and Columbia Pictures, now the sole owner, decided to shutter Triumph Films, and fold it into the Columbia Pictures label.[4][5] The arthouse functions were later taken by Sony Pictures Classics in 1992.[6]
On January 5, 1988, the then-newly founded Columbia Pictures Entertainment announced that they would revive the Triumph brand as a new worldwide subsidiary, Triumph Releasing Corporation; this incarnation of Triumph provided administrative services related to the distribution of Columbia Pictures and Tri-Star Pictures in the U.S. and Canada, while internationally, Triumph would be responsible for the sales, marketing and distribution of Columbia and Tri-Star films under the direction of each individual studio.[7] It was officially incorporated on March 24, 1988.[1]
In 1989, Triumph began to distribute films from Crédit Lyonnais's Epic Productions Inc. under a theatrical distribution agreement.[8][9][10] The company also started distributing films from 21st Century Film Corporation and SVS Films (owned by Sony) around the time, the latter after Sony acquired Columbia Pictures Entertainment.[9]
In 1991, when SVS was reorganized, SVS Films was absorbed as the production branch of Triumph Releasing Corporation, while the home video unit of SVS was reorganized as SVS/Triumph before the home video unit shuttered.[11]
In March 1992, David Saunders, who was business partner with Zalman King, and former president of The Guber-Peters Entertainment Company,[12] became president of Triumph Releasing Corporation, which transferred from distributing films by Epic Productions and Vision International to focus itself on low-budget productions.[13] In 1994, the company entered into a pact with Crystal Sky Pictures for production of two low-budget family feature films.[14]
On November 23, 1994, Triumph Releasing Corporation was renamed as Sony Pictures Releasing Corporation,[1] and the Triumph name was spun off at film production as Triumph Films, now primarily a label for low-budget and direct-to-video releases.
The company shuttered in 1997, as many of these films made under the Triumph name were flopped at the box office, and also as part of a cost-cutting measure by Sony Pictures Entertainment's new president, John Calley, and many of Triumph's finished films like In God's Hands and Baby Geniuses was transferred to TriStar Pictures.[15][16] The role as a genre label would later been taken by Screen Gems.[17]
After being shut down in 1997, the Triumph Films label was re-activated in 2003. The label went dormant again in 2008, becoming an in-name-only division of Sony Pictures Releasing Corporation.[1] The company came after the formation of a new entity, Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions.[18] In 2014, the label was revived yet again for the release of The Remaining. Their direct-to-video role has been taken by Destination Films within Sony.
Notable films
[edit]Notable films include To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday, The Ambulance, Brainscan, Magic in the Water (co-released by TriStar Pictures), The Golden Laws, Steamboy (co-distributed by Destination Films) and the critically panned SuperBabies: Baby Geniuses 2.
1980s
[edit]| Release date | Title |
|---|---|
| February 10, 1982 | Das Boot |
| June 21, 1982 | La vie continue |
| June 23, 1982 | Bob le flambeur |
| September 14, 1982 | Josepha |
| October 6, 1982 | Yol |
| January 23, 1983 | Parsifal |
| February 11, 1983 | We of the Never Never |
| February 16, 1983 | That Night in Varennes |
| April 21, 1983 | Invitation au voyage |
| April 29, 1983 | Querelle |
| May 13, 1983 | La Boum |
| May 27, 1983 | The Trout |
| September 9, 1983 | Moon in the Gutter |
| September 28, 1983 | Danton |
| November 11, 1983 | Purple Haze |
| December 14, 1983 | The Eyes, the Mouth |
| January 26, 1984 | And the Ship Sails On |
| May 18, 1984 | Angel |
| May 25, 1984 | Heat of Desire |
| June 12, 1984 | The Last Battle[N 1] |
| June 21, 1984 | After the Rehearsal |
| September 20, 1984 | Carmen |
| October 13, 1984 | À Nos Amours |
| November 9, 1984 | The Little Bunch |
| A Love in Germany | |
| August 2, 1985 | Death in a French Garden |
| August 26, 1985 | My Other Husband |
| October 18, 1985 | Acqua e sapone |
| November 1, 1985 | Softly, Softly |
| December 8, 1989 | Triumph of the Spirit[N 2] |
1990s
[edit]| Release date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| January 12, 1990 | Ski Patrol | distribution only; produced by Epic Productions[N 2] |
| February 16, 1990 | Courage Mountain | |
| March 9, 1990 | Bad Influence | |
| March 31, 1990 | The Ambulance | |
| April 20, 1990 | Modern Love | distribution only; produced by SVS Films |
| Why Me? | distribution only; produced by Epic Productions[N 2] | |
| April 27, 1990 | Wild Orchid | distribution only; produced by Vision PDG[N 2] |
| June 1, 1990 | Ghosts Can't Do It | distribution only; produced by Epic Productions[N 2] |
| July 20, 1990 | Clownhouse | distribution only: produced by Commercial Pictures[N 2] |
| August 24, 1990 | Men at Work | distribution only; produced by Epic Productions[N 2] |
| September 28, 1990 | Dark Angel | distribution only; produced by Vision PDG[N 2] |
| October 26, 1990 | Sonny Boy | distribution only; produced by Trans World Entertainment[N 2] |
| November 2, 1990 | Waiting for the Light | distribution only; produced by Epic Productions[N 2] |
| November 9, 1990 | Mister Frost | distribution only; produced by SVS Films |
| November 21, 1990 | Robot Jox | distribution only; produced by Empire Pictures[N 2] |
| April 12, 1991 | Eminent Domain | distribution only; produced by SVS Films |
| October 9, 1991 | Homicide | U.S. distribution only[N 3] |
| November 1, 1991 | Year of the Gun | |
| February 28, 1992 | Gate 2: The Trespassers | distribution only; produced by Vision PDG[N 2] |
| March 27, 1992 | Ruby | distribution only; produced by PolyGram Filmed Entertainment |
| April 15, 1992 | Brenda Starr | [N 2] |
| May 8, 1992 | Wild Orchid II: Two Shades of Blue | distribution only; produced by Vision PDG[N 2] |
| August 1, 1992 | Jersey Girl | distribution only; produced by Electric Pictures |
| October 23, 1992 | Zebrahead | |
| March 5, 1993 | Shadow of the Wolf | distribution only; produced by Vision PDG |
| April 9, 1993 | Sidekicks | distribution only; produced by Vision PDG and Gallery Films[N 4] |
| April 22, 1994 | Brainscan | |
| March 3, 1995 | Nina Takes a Lover | |
| April 12, 1995 | Jury Duty | co-production with TriStar Pictures |
| August 30, 1995 | Magic in the Water | |
| January 26, 1996 | Screamers | co-production with Columbia Pictures |
| August 23, 1996 | Solo | |
| October 18, 1996 | To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday | co-production with Rastar |
| April 14, 1997 | Bliss | |
| May 2, 1997 | Truth or Consequences, N.M. | |
| August 22, 1997 | Masterminds | co-production with Columbia Pictures |
| September 12, 1997 | The Disappearance of Garcia Lorca | co-production with Sony Pictures Releasing |
| September 26, 1997 | The Assignment |
2000s
[edit]| Release date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| December 5, 2003 | The Golden Laws | |
| August 27, 2004 | Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2 | co-production with ApolloMedia, Crystal Sky Pictures and Hador BG2 Productions Ltd. |
| March 18, 2005 | Steamboy | US distribution only; co-distributed by Destination Films, produced by Sunrise and Toho |
| February 17, 2006 | The Second Chance | co-production with Provident Films, Ruckus Film and Cedar Partners |
| January 2, 2007 | Shottas | co-distributed by Destination Films |
| April 18, 2008 | Zombie Strippers | theatrical distribution only; produced by Stage 6 Films |
2010s
[edit]| Release date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| September 5, 2014 | The Remaining | distribution only; produced by Affirm Films Final film from Triumph Films altogether. |
Notes
[edit]- ^ U.S. distribution rights to this film have since been transferred to sister company Sony Pictures Classics, which in turn acquired them from producer Gaumont
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Rights now belong to Amazon MGM Studios
- ^ Distribution rights now belong to Quiver Distribution
- ^ Distribution rights now belong to Samuel Goldwyn Films
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d SONY PICTURES RELEASING CORPORATION businessprofiles.com, Retrieved on January 20, 2014
- ^ "Triumph Appoints Bloom N.Y.-Based Pub Director". Variety. April 18, 1984. p. 20.
- ^ "English-Lingo Fare To Dominate Triumph Films' Release Schedule". Variety. September 25, 1985. p. 6.
- ^ Clark, Ted (October 9, 1985). "Gaumont Pulling Out of Triumph; Buyse To Be Stateside Rep". Variety. p. 3.
- ^ "Col Assessing Fate of Triumph Subsid". Variety. October 30, 1985. p. 3.
- ^ Archives, L. A. Times (February 12, 1992). "ENTERTAINMENT". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 25, 2026.
- ^ "Columbia Resurrects 'Triumph'". Variety. January 6, 1988. p. 7.
- ^ "TWE, Epic Films to Triumph". The Film Journal. 1990. p. 8.
- ^ a b "Triumph Releasing A new tool for the independent filmmaker". Boxoffice. May 1990. p. 14.
- ^ "METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER INC, Form 10-K, Annual Report, Filing Date Mar 30, 1999" (PDF). secdatabase.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 16, 2018. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
- ^ "SVS 'Triumphs' With New Trade Name For Theatrical Release Co" (PDF). Billboard. August 3, 1991. p. 82. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
- ^ Archives, L. A. Times (October 9, 1990). "David Saunders has been named president of..." Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
- ^ "Moviemaker Takes His Flair for Erotic Fare to Showtime : Television: '9 1/2 Weeks' co-writer Zalman King will follow up 'Red Shoe Diaries' with at least four half-hour programs". Los Angeles Times. May 18, 1992. Retrieved March 2, 2026.
- ^ Joison-Colburn, Jeffrey (1994). "Triumph gets rights to two". The Hollywood Reporter. pp. 1–68.
- ^ Cox, Dan (April 11, 1997). "Sony folds low-budget outfit Triumph Films". Variety. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
- ^ "A 'Bliss'-Less Rating Game". Los Angeles Times. June 8, 1997. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
- ^ Archives, L. A. Times (December 8, 1998). "Sony Forms New Movie Division". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 25, 2026.
- ^ Siegel, Tatiana (October 9, 2007). "Sony Pictures launches Stage 6". Variety. Retrieved March 2, 2026.