Sony reported a surprisingly strong rise in first-quarter operating profit following its Hollywood hit Spider Manand brisk electronics sales.
Operating profits at the world's largest consumer electronics maker soared to almost 52 billion yen ($447 million) from just three billion yen a year earlier; net profits doubled to almost 60 billion yen.
Sony benefited from reduced costs after cutting 13,700 jobs in the year that ended in March, along with strong first-quarter sales of its key audiovisual products and the box office performance of Spider Man, industry analysts said.
But Sony, which generates two-thirds of its revenues abroad, has been hit by a rise in the yen to 17-month highs against the dollar - reducing the value of its overseas sales.
