Columbia TriStar Film Distributors International

Logo descriptions by V of Doom and Shadeed A. Kelly

Logo captures by CuriousGeorge60, EnormousRat, Sagan Blob, and wisp2007

Video captures courtesy of Eric S. and thelogoarchive

===1st Logo (1988-1993)===

Nicknames : "Early CT Boxes", "CT Boxes", "Turning CT Boxes"

Logo : On a nighttime sky background, we see two red  boxes fading-in and turning that features the 80s print logos of Columbia Pictures and Tri-Star Columbia TriStar Films Italia Pictures with "COLUMBIA PICTURES" in between the Torch Lady and on the Tri-Star box, it doesn't have the word "PICTURES" under the triangle. As the boxes faces the center, the print logos appears in solid white. The sky background later turns into a solid black background with the words "Columbia Tri-Star Films Italia" in white lettering (in the Souvenir font used by Columbia in the 1980s-early '90s) fading in below in between the transition effect.

Later Variant : The text was later known as "Columbia TriStar Films Italia" by dropping off the hyphen (-) in August 1991 by Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Variant : This logo was used in other territories as "Columbia Tri-Star Films International", or later on as "Columbia TriStar Films International". Very rarely, the word "International" was removed.

FX/SFX : The boxes turning.

Music/Sounds : Silent.

Availability : Extremely rare. Was seen on theatrical releases of films released in Italy by Columbia & Tri-Star Pictures, but most current prints of these films use domestic prints or remove it. The Italian variant can be seen on Ciliegie Selvatiche (Wild Cherries; 1991). The "International" variant is probably extinct, and was seen on other companies' productions they distributed (mainly Orion Pictures productions such as RoboCop 3, Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, and The Silence of the Lambs).

===2nd Logo (1993-1998)===

Nickname : "CT Boxes II"

Logo : We see the name "(DISTRIBUTED BY) COLUMBIA TRISTAR FILMS [country]" fading in first, then we see a Columbia-like cloud background (which is actually the background from the 1993 TriStar Pictures logo, but has a mirror effect, and the sky is brighter), with the 1992 print logos of Columbia Pictures and TriStar Pictures fading in. The logo and text would fade-out like the 1992 CPT logo.

Variants :
 * A later variant features the cloud background from the 1993 Columbia Pictures logo. The background zooms-out and we later see the 1992 print logos of Columbia Pictures and TriStar Pictures fading-in with the text "DISTRIBUTED BY COLUMBIA TRISTAR FILM DISTRIBUTORS INTERNATIONAL, INC." below the boxes.
 * An in-credit version exists with the print Torch Lady and Pegasus box logos with company name and SPE byline.
 * Another in-credit version has the print Torch and Pegasus box logos with text "DISTRIBUTED BY COLUMBIA TRISTAR FILM DISTRIBUTORS INTERNATIONAL" and a copyright stamp under the text on the left side of the print logos.
 * Sometimes, the text would read "DISTRIBUTED BY COLUMBIA TRISTAR FILM DISTRIBUTORS INTERNATIONAL, INC."

FX/SFX : The fade in and fade-out, the zoom out.

Music/Sounds : Silent, or the music from any given soundtrack. On the DVD of Escape from Absolom (as No Escape in US and UK), the Savoy Pictures theme plays over at the end of logo before it fades out to logo (from US Print).

Availability : Extremely rare, bordering on near extinction. Was seen on export theatrical prints of films and various foreign productions produced or released by Columbia Pictures and TriStar Pictures, but most now ether use U.S. domestic prints, or have removed or plastered this over. It is seen intact however, on the Region 2 DVDs (and an Australian airing) of Street Fighter (which edits out the 1990 Universal Pictures logo, but keeps the opening credit sequence with the globe and sky), along with most R2 DVDs of Robin Hood: Men In Tights (except the French DVD which has the 9th Gaumont logo). The Spanish variant is intact on the R1 DVD of El Abuelo (The Grandfather) after the 1998 Miramax Films logo. The in-credit logo can be found on Guerra de Canudos. On the Australian DVD & Blu-ray of Escape From Absolom, the logo has the widescreen version with it's original ratio aspect 2.35:1 (which is the different than Region 4 DVD with 1.78:1, which it has Savoy Pictures logo).

===3rd Logo (1995-2001)===

Nickname : "CT Boxes III"

Logo : It's again the same as the 1995 Columbia TriStar Television logo, except "DISTRIBUTED BY COLUMBIA PICTURES FILM DISTRIBUTORS INTERNATIONAL" appears in place of "TELEVISION ".

Variant : Sometimes, the text "DISTRIBUTED BY COLUMBIA TRISTAR FILMS [country]" with the Sony byline was used, depending on the country and its native language.

FX/SFX : Same as the 1995 CTT logo.

Music/Sounds : Usually silent, the films opening theme, or the CTT music.

Availability : Likely extinct. Maybe seen on international prints of films (and trailers of films) from the era. The international trailer for Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels has the previous logo instead, so it's really tough to find.

Editor's Note : None.

===4th Logo (2001-2005)=== Nickname : "The Silver Light"

Logo : On a black background, there is a silver light that gets a little bright, then the text "COLUMBIA TRISTAR" in Bank Gothic MD BT fading-in and zooming-out. The silver light later forms a silver line forming "FILM DISTRIBUTORS INTERNATIONAL" in smaller lettering below the line. The logo shines while the entire text zooms in slowly as the light dims inside the line.

Variant : On the closing credits, the logo is seen with "RELEASED BY" on top and the byline "a SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT company" on the bottom, though it doesn't have a silver line.

FX/SFX : The light forming, and the name effects.

Music/Sounds : Silent, or the films opening theme.

Availability : Very rare in Europe, but extremely rare in the U.S. Seen on international theatrical prints of films produced or distributed by Columbia/TriStar/Sony, such as Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, The Punisher, The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl, and others. Like the previous logos, most prints either use U.S. domestic versions, have this removed, or plastered this over. However, it is intact on the UK DVD of The Punisher. Also seen on the SPHE International DVD of Suspect Zero. Around 2005, this was phased out and replaced with the SPR International logo after the demise of the Columbia TriStar label.