In 1983, 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.

In 1989, Sony Corporation purchased Columbia Pictures Corporation and all of its entertainment holdings from The Coca-Cola Company. The studio relocated to the former MGM lot in Culver City, California and was later renamed Sony Pictures Entertainment. The Culver Studios, located nearby in Culver City, was purchased in 1991. 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 in 1992 to specialize in the acquisition, production, marketing and distribution of prestigious foreign and American independent films. Nominated for more than 70 Academy Awards®, the SPC library includes such notable films as CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON (China), POLLOCK (USA), ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER (Spain —TODO SOBRE MI MADRE), HOWARD'S END (United Kingdom) and INDOCHINE (France).