Sony's Spectacular Slate

Sony (NYSE:SNE) is basking in the glow of its Hollywood success. In the volatile world of celluloid, you learn to appreciate a hot streak -- which is exactly what CEO Howard Stringer is doing.

According to a recent article in The Hollywood Reporter, Stringer was promoting several of the company's initiatives to reporters in Japan. The usual subjects of PlayStation 3 and the new Blu-ray format came up, but shareholders will be happy to know that Stringer believes the conglomerate's movie slate will fortify Sony's balance sheet.

The most recent Sony hit was the Adam Sandler flick Click, a box-office smash about a supernatural remote control device that can wield power over time. (Any of you remember a similar concept on an episode of the Weird Science television series?) That film came out this past weekend, grossing a little more than $40 million.

Of course, the big news for Sony's celluloid department right now is the box-office bonanza The DaVinci Code. No need to figure this one out -- the film has booked more than $200 million domestically and almost $500 million in international grosses. Future catalysts this summer include Monster House (from producers Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis), Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (A NASCAR-themed comedy starring Will Ferrell), and Little Man (directed by Keenan Ivory Wayans).

There's no guarantee that these latter projects will be hits, but Stringer seems optimistic -- Sony's market share is currently No. 2, at 17.2% for the January-to-June timeframe, according to Boxofficemojo.com. That's just behind News Corp.'s (NYSE:NWS) 18.3%, and well above Disney's (NYSE:DIS) 12.8%. Time Warner (NYSE:TWX) will definitely need the Man of Steel's help, as Rick Munarriz observed, since it sports a market-share figure of 7.7% -- which isn't much better than Viacom's (NYSE:VIA) 7.4% rating. Good luck, Time Warner; that super budget is super-daunting.

Sony should do well next year at the box office. It will be releasing films based on Marvel Entertainment (NYSE:MVL) properties -- Ghost Rider hits theaters next February, while the country's favorite arachnid-human hybrid returns for another summertime adventure in Spider-Man 3. With the success of the latest X-Men flick, you can bet Sony is happy to be associated with the comic-book company.

Of course, Sony is a large conglomerate, so its future returns won't be based solely on its movie operations. Nevertheless, with the new iteration of PlayStation on the horizon, and the Blu-ray disc getting ready to enter the format wars, investors will want to look especially closely at the company. Personally, I prefer Disney right now in the big media sector (see my bull argument). And I enjoy Marvel's long-term prospects for its future slate of films, including a new business model that lets the company keep more of profits from its character brands by self-financing future films (albeit with increased risk). Of course, I encourage all Foolish minds to choose for themselves.

Foolish investors love opportunities in Tinsel Town:

• The Real Da Vinci Code
• Time Warner's Super, Man!
• Can Marvel's Stand Last?
• Marvel's Reinvention

Time Warner, Disney, and Marvel are recommendations of Motley Fool Stock Advisor , where Tom and David Gardner are always on the lookout for the market's best investments. Try it out for yourself -- it's free for 30 days .

Fool contributor Steven Mallas owns shares of Disney and Marvel Entertainment. The Fool has a disclosure policy .