‘Angry Birds’ Movie Set for July 2016, Picked Up by Sony
Sony has announced it will be the distributor for Rovio's 'Angry Birds' 3D film. The movie will be developed and produced by Rovio, with Sony releasing the silver screen adaptation on July 1, 2016.
Though the Angry Birds brand has already expanded into an animated series, this is the first time the mobile game will make the jump to the big screen. 'Angry Birds Toons' has been a wild success for Rovio, having been viewed 150 million times in six weeks just within the various Angry Birds apps alone. Rovio had been looking for a distribution partner since announcing the feature adaptation last year, and Sony beat out more than a few other contenders for the coveted agreement.
"Sony impressed us with their great attitude, determination, and professionalism," said Mikael Hed, CEO of Rovio Entertainment. "They convinced us that we have found the right partners and team to help us to market and distribute our first motion picture. Michael, Amy, Jeff Blake, Sony's marketing and distribution head, and their teams will be the best possible collaborators as we get set to take our franchise to the next level.”
The various Angry Birds games have been downloaded more than 1.7 billion times across various platforms, making it easily one of the most successful video game franchises of all time. Whether that success will translate to box office bucks remains to be seen. That said, the built-in audience is incredibly massive at this point, but how much favor that will carry three years from now is question we won't have an answer to until 'Angry Birds' arrives in theaters.