Press Releases

NEW YORK, November 17, 2014 - Starting today, the Citi Bike® program is getting a new shade of red. In celebration of the upcoming December 19th release of the highly anticipated motion picture Annie starring Jamie Foxx, Quvenzhané Wallis, Rose Byrne, Bobby Cannavale, and Cameron Diaz, 50 of the blue bikes have been temporarily turned red - Annie's signature hue. The red bikes will be launched today at the Citi Bike station at Broadway & 17th Street, Union Square. They will be available for all to ride within the Citi Bike system until December 29, 2014.

Not only are the red bikes adding a bit of Annie flair to the city, but New Yorkers who spot a red Citi Bike can snap a picture, upload to Instagram, Facebook or Twitter with the tag #anniecitibikesweeps, and be entered for a chance to win one of two prizes:*

• • Between today and November 23, one lucky social media photographer will win a family four-pack of tickets to the World Premiere of Annie in New York on December 7
• • Then, photographers who snap a shot of a red Citi Bike between November 24 and December 20and upload with the hashtag to Instagram will be entered with the chance to win a family trip to Los Angeles, where they will be treated to the Sony Pictures Studios tour.

Following the promotion, one red bike will be autographed by the filmmakers and cast, then auctioned off to benefit Turnaround Arts, a signature program of the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. Turnaround Arts brings high quality arts education to high-poverty schools across the country, leading to increases in attendance, academic achievement, and student engagement. As part of a collaboration with Annie to promote arts education, select Turnaround Arts schools who want to put on the Broadway classic are receiving resources and assistance in staging their production.

Commenting on the announcement, Dani Simons, spokesperson for NYC Bike Share said, "In the movie, Annie is a modern girl of 2014, and she knows there's no better way to get around New York than on a Citi Bike. We're thrilled to be adding a bit of Annie style to the city."

George Leon, Executive Vice President, Consumer Marketing for the studio, added, "If you can spot one of the 50 bikes and upload a picture to Instagram, you could win premiere tickets or even a trip to L.A."

About the movie "Annie"
A Broadway classic that has delighted audiences for generations comes to the big screen with a new, contemporary vision in Columbia Pictures' comedy Annie. Director / Producer / Screenwriter Will Gluck teams with producers James Lassiter, Jada Pinkett Smith & Will Smith, Caleeb Pinkett, and Shawn "JAY Z" Carter, Laurence "Jay" Brown, and Tyran "Ty Ty" Smith with a modern telling that captures the magic of the classic characters and original show that won seven Tony Awards. Celia Costas and Alicia Emmrich serve as Executive Producers. The screenplay is by Will Gluck and Aline Brosh McKenna, based on the musical stage play "Annie," book by Thomas Meehan, music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and on "Little Orphan Annie," © and ®Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Academy Award® nominee Quvenzhané Wallis (Beasts of the Southern Wild) stars as Annie, a young, happy foster kid who's also tough enough to make her way on the streets of New York in 2014. Originally left by her parents as a baby with the promise that they'd be back for her someday, it's been a hard knock life ever since with her mean foster mom Miss Hannigan (Cameron Diaz). But everything's about to change when the hard-nosed tycoon and New York mayoral candidate Will Stacks (Jamie Foxx) - advised by his brilliant VP, Grace (Rose Byrne) and his shrewd and scheming campaign advisor, Guy (Bobby Cannavale) - makes a thinly-veiled campaign move and takes her in. Stacks believes he's her guardian angel, but Annie's self-assured nature and bright, sun-will-come-out-tomorrow outlook on life just might mean it's the other way around.

About Sony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production, acquisition and distribution; television production, acquisition and distribution; television networks; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; and development of new entertainment products, services and technologies. For additional information, go to http://www.sonypictures.com.

About Citi Bike
Citi Bike is New York's bikeshare program. Operated by NYC Bike Share, the system offers members and short-term pass holders 24-7 access to 6000 bikes at over 330 stations in Manhattan south of 59th Street and Brooklyn neighborhoods including Brooklyn Heights, DUMBO, Downtown Brooklyn, Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Bedford-Stuyvesant and Williamsburg. The program will soon double in size with expansion beginning in 2015. The program will expand in Manhattan north into Harlem as well as into Astoria, Long Island City, Greenpoint, Bushwick, Prospect Heights, Crown Heights, Park Slope, Carroll Gardens, Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill, Red Hook, Gowanus and more of Williamsburg and Bedford-Stuyvesant. To date New Yorkers and visitors have taken over 14.5 million trips on Citi Bike. For more information on the program or to sign up for membership visit www.citibikenyc.com.

*NO PURCHASE, PAYMENT, OR SUBMITTING OF A PHOTO VIA SOCIAL MEDIA IS NECESSARY. Promotion consists of 2 individual Sweepstakes. Sweepstakes #1 starts 12:01 am PT on 11/17/14 and ends 11:59 pm PT on 11/23/14. Sweepstakes #2 starts at 12 midnight PT on 11/24/14 and ends at 11:59 pm PT on 12/20/14. Open only to legal residents of 50 U.S. & DC, age 13 or older. Subject to www.AnnieCitiBikeSweeps.com. See www.AnnieCitiBikeSweeps.com for complete details including alternate method of entry. Void where prohibited.

Contact:
Jean Guerin
SVP, Media Relations
Sony Pictures Entertainment
310.244.2923