iPhone Sales Exceed Expectations + New Film Sets All-Time Box Office Record Sony Raises FY Guidance  

Thanks to strong performance in semiconductors and film/TV, Sony Group shares surged 5.51% Tuesday after earnings, nearing all-time high again.

 

 

Company reported for H1 current FY ending September, operating profit up 20% YoY to ¥768.9 billion. Sales up 3% to ¥5.72 trillion (~RMB 264 billion); net profit up 14% to ¥570.4 billion.  

 

Sony also raised FY guidance ending March next year. Operating profit to ¥1.43 trillion, previous August forecast ¥1.33 trillion. Sales and net profit forecasts also raised.  

 

 

With PS5 entering sales cycle late stage, mobile camera business boost and strong anime/film performance supported Sony Group results.  

 

Sony's Imaging & Sensing Solutions (I&SS) segment Q ending September sales ¥614.6 billion, up ¥79 billion YoY.  

 

Though Samsung took some mobile camera market share recently, Sony still top supplier for high-end imaging to Apple etc. Sony results show this year's new iPhone series sales clearly better than previous.  

 

Sony in earnings said report quarter mobile image sensor sales significantly above last year, main reason "major customer used larger image sensors in new products, shipments also above company expectations."  

 

Strong entertainment business also contributed to Sony results.  

 

Sony subsidiary Aniplex's anime film Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - To the Hashira Training released mid-September this year. Sony Pictures mid-October announced film North America box office over $128 million, breaking Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 25-year North America foreign-language film record.  

 

Film global box office nearing $650 million, surpassing Apple's F1 movie and Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible 8, 2025's 5th highest-grossing film. Film to hit mainland China later this week, Maoyan data shows presales over RMB 120 million.  

 

 

U.S.-based Sony Pictures Animation this year produced mega-hit Kpop Demon Hunters, becoming Netflix's most-watched movie ever.  

 

5-year-old PS5 series sold 3.9 million units September quarter, above last year, but active PlayStation users down to 119 million. Facing Nintendo's updated Switch 2 this year, Sony expected tough holiday season challenge.  

 

Morningstar Japan market research head Kazunori Ito: "I think Sony started preparing next-gen console launch, but meanwhile PS5 lifespan longer than expected. Though H1 FY important game releases insufficient, hardware sales roughly flat YoY."  

 

Sony executives recently said company no longer heavily invest in PlayStation 5 promotion, focus on profitability instead—usually signal preparing next-gen hardware.