Sony Pictures Imageworks India To Shut Down

Less than six years after opening, Sony Pictures Imageworks India will shut down, according to a report in Variety. Sony provided the following statement to the trade publication:

“Sony Pictures Imageworks will not renew its lease in Chennai, India when it expires in March. This facility made significant contributions to such productions as MIB3 and the upcoming The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Imageworks is committed to its headquarters in Culver City and facility in Vancouver, BC.”

Few of the Indian studio’s approximately 100 employees are expected to be relocated. Sony had launched the studio in 2007 by aquiring vfx outfit FrameFlow. The shut down of this Indian outpost is part of Sony Entertainment’s new goal to trim $250 million in operating costs over two years. As part of these efforts, Sony gave dozens of Imageworks employees in Los Angeles the choice of moving to Vancouver or losing their job.