Sony gives Pascal a longer run

Blockbusters equal big rewards for studio topper

By NICOLE LAPORTE

Pascal

Lynton

In the wake of a winning year in which Sony produced three of the summer's biggest hits, studio topper Amy Pascal is being reupped to 2011 and given a new title.

Pascal has been named co-chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment. She will continue to serve as chairman of the studio's Motion Picture Group.

The promotion comes on the heels of a strong summer in which Sony's "The Da Vinci Code," "Talladega Nights" and "Click" were three of the season's biggest grossers.

"The Da Vinci Code," the studio's highest earner this year, has grossed $753 million worldwide. "Talladega Nights" has grossed $138 million domestically, and "Click" has taken in $136 million Stateside.

Considering the recent turnstile frenzy at other studios, Pascal has had a stable existence at Sony; she's one of the longest-tenured execs at a major Hollywood studio, having first joined Columbia in 1987 as an exec. In 1994, she was named prexy of production at Turner Pictures, where she remained for two years. She rejoined Col in 1996 as prexy.

Next summer, the studio will release "Spider-Man 3," a franchise that has grossed more than $1.5 billion for the studio. Pascal was instrumental in setting up the projects at Sony with director Sam Raimi.

The promotion and contract extension is a vote of confidence from Howard Stringer, chairman and CEO of Sony Corp., and from SPE chairman and CEO Michael Lynton, who initiated the promotion. Pascal and Lynton work as partners managing the operations of Sony Pictures.

Lynton told Daily Variety that Pascal's promotion would not change her job duties, but that it "formalizes the way that she and I have been working together for more than a year now.

"I came in almost three years ago, and right from the get-go, we found ourselves really simpatico. We work very closely together; we share a conference room and are in and out of each other's offices all day long. Especially at this point, where the business is as complicated as it is, and you don't know which way the wind is blowing on any given day, it's especially important to have a confidante."

Pascal's current contract is set to expire next spring, but Lynton said that it seemed appropriate to reup the contract now.

After a write-off year in 2005, when Sony released major duds such as "Stealth" and Revolution Studios' "XXX: State of the Union," the studio has pulled an impressive turnaround in 2006. Columbia is releasing one of the fall's most anticipated pics, the next James Bond installment, "Casino Royale," starring Daniel Craig.

Other films Pascal has overseen at Sony include "Hitch," "The Grudge," "50 First Dates," "Charlie's Angels," "Men in Black 2," "Something's Gotta Give" and "Closer."

Earlier in her career, Pascal served as VP of production at 20th Century Fox. Prior to that, she worked for producer Tony Garnett at Kestrel Films, an independent production company affiliated with Warner Bros.