Which movie studio did The Coca-Cola Company acquire in 1982?

The Coca-Cola Company acquired Columbia Pictures in 1982.

Coca-Cola bought the Hollywood studio for approximately $750 million, expanding far beyond beverages into film and television entertainment. Columbia Pictures had been founded in 1918 as CBC Film Sales Corporation and adopted the Columbia name in 1924. By the time Coca-Cola purchased it, the studio was an established major film company.

The acquisition was part of Coca-Cola’s broader entertainment strategy. The company also became involved with television and formed or acquired other entertainment businesses, including Embassy-related assets and the Tri-Star venture. Columbia’s Coca-Cola period produced successful films such as Tootsie, Gandhi, The Karate Kid, The Big Chill, and Ghostbusters, though the diversification ultimately proved difficult to manage.

Coca-Cola later sold its entertainment holdings. Sony acquired Columbia’s corporate parent in 1989, ending Coca-Cola’s direct ownership of the studio. MGM, Universal, and Paramount were not the studio Coca-Cola acquired in 1982.