Sony Boosts Guidance as Profit Jumps on 'Spider-Man' Hit, Game Strength
By Kosaku Narioka
Sony Group raised its annual earnings forecasts after reporting sharply higher quarterly profit thanks to the blockbuster success of 2026's Spider-Man film and the strength of its game and other businesses.
The Japanese entertainment and electronics company said Thursday that net profit climbed 44% from a year earlier to 449.60 billion yen, equivalent to $2.84 billion, for the three months ended September. That beat the estimate of Y349.00 billion in a poll of analysts by data provider Visible Alpha.
Second-quarter revenue grew 10% to Y3.429 trillion.
For the fiscal year ending March 2027, it projected revenue to increase 4.2% to Y13.000 trillion and net profit to climb 29% to Y1.330 trillion. That was higher than its previous projections for revenue of Y12.500 trillion and net profit of Y1.210 trillion.
The latest installment of Sony's Spider-Man films grossed more than $900 million in its opening weekend worldwide this summer, making it the second-biggest movie launch ever after Disney's "Avengers: Endgame."
Quarterly operating profit increased across segments, led by its game and movie businesses.
The better-than-expected results come as the company has spent billions of dollars on acquisitions in recent years to beef up its entertainment content while relinquishing control of businesses in other areas.
In May, Sony agreed to acquire Recognition Music Group's full catalog, a collection of more than 45,000 pop songs from artists ranging from Rihanna to Fleetwood Mac. The deal was made through Sony's venture with Singapore's sovereign-wealth fund GIC.
Meanwhile, the Japanese company spun off its financial business in October 2025.
Sony has also sought to strengthen other areas. The company has agreed to form a joint venture with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. to produce next-generation image sensors for smartphones, with the companies planning to invest a combined $4.7 billion.
Sony is also teaming up with Saudi Aramco to advance artificial-intelligence capabilities in the industrial sector by combining its sensing and AI technologies with Aramco's extensive industrial data and operational experience.
Write to Kosaku Narioka at kosaku.narioka@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
November 05, 2026 03:09 ET (08:09 GMT)
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