1st Logo
(1996-1999)
Logo: On a black background, we see the text "SONY PICTURES RELEASING", with "SONY PICTURES" above and "RELEASING" below all in Garamond font. A red line separates the text.
FX/SFX/Cheesy Factor: None.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: Seen only before the trailer for The Last Supper, which can be seen on the 1996 VHS release of Heavy Metal.
Scare Factor: None.
2nd Logo
(2005-2014)
Nickname: "The Shining Bars"
Logo: It's exactly the same as the Sony Pictures Home Entertainment logo, except "RELEASING" replaces "HOME ENTERTAINMENT".
Variants: Sometimes, the byline "Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing [country] a SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT company" appears below, depending on the country and its native language. Another variant of this logo says "RELEASING INTERNATIONAL".
FX/SFX: Same as the SPHE logo.
Music/Sounds: Same as the SPHE logo.
Availability: Extremely rare in the U.S, but common outside it. Currently seen on theatrical trailers of export films by Sony, and at the start of international theatrical releases. Oddly, this was seen on the IMAX 3D version of Resident Evil: Afterlife. It makes a surprise appearance after the Sony Pictures Classics logo on the R1 DVD (along with a Starz on Demand airing) of Paprika. Starting with the international releases of Heaven is for Real, this logo has been phased out in favor of the current Sony logo that surges into the TriStar/Columbia Pictures logos.
Scare Factor: Same as the SPHE logo.
3rd Logo
(March 31, 2006)
Logo: Just an in-credit logo. On a black background, the white words:
RELEASED BY
SONY PICTURES RELEASING
in the center fades in and out.
FX/SFX: None.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: Seen at the end of Basic Instinct 2.
Scare Factor: None.