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For years, Andrew Cripps was known at CinemaCon for showing up at Warner Bros.’ presentations in all sorts of costumes. This year, he showed up in a much different role: as Disney’s new head of theatrical distribution.

Cripps took over the position from Tony Chambers, who now serves as Disney’s president of Emea, at a time when Disney’s successful 2024 gave way to a 2025 start in which “Captain America: Brave New World” had to fight just to reach break-even territory while “Snow White” has fallen to the ignominious status of the biggest flop in Disney’s remake series.

Fortunately for the studio, the rest of the year’s slate is looking much brighter, and Cripps noted that the films to come, like all of Disney’s films over the past two years, come with the longest theatrical window in the industry. Without much fanfare, Disney started a 100-day...

Weeks after leaving Warner Bros. Discovery (where he served as president of international theatrical distribution), Andrew Cripps will now succeed Tony Chambers as head of theatrical distribution at Disney.

He will begin on March 3. The role opened after Chambers began overseeing Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Chambers’ move was part of a major restructuring on Disney’s part, in terms of how it runs and operates their business.

Cripps is a veteran distribution executive, who previously worked at 20th Century Fox and Paramount. He also worked at United International Pictures and Imax. For Disney, he will be responsible for worldwide theatrical distribution for all films produced and released by Walt Disney’s seven banners: live-action, Pixar Animation Studios, Walt Disney Animation, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, 20th Century Studios and Searchlight. His will also oversee the Cinema Partnerships team, non-theatrical sales and the operation of the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood,...

Walt Disney Studios has hired former Warner Bros. executive Andrew Cripps as head of theatrical distribution.

He replaces Tony Chambers, who was recently named president of the Walt Disney Company in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Cripps starts on March 3 and reports to Cathleen Taff, the studio’s president of production, franchise management and theatrical distribution.

“I’m absolutely thrilled to be joining Alan Bergman, Cathleen Taff, and the entire team at the Walt Disney Studios,” said Cripps. “The work they’ve accomplished year-after-year is nothing short of inspiring, and I’m excited for the opportunity to contribute to that incredible momentum and help build for the future.”

Cripps, a widely respected industry veteran, stepped down from his post as international distribution chief at Warner Bros. in January amid a company restructuring by Warner Bros. co-chiefs Michael DeLuca and Pam Abdy. He spent over five years at Warners, spearheading...

Adrian Smith is retiring as chief of domestic distribution at Sony Pictures, closing a 35-year run at the studio.

He will be succeeded by Adam Bergerman, EVP and General Sales Manager at Sony.

“It’s been an agonizing decision, but I’ve been so privileged to grow here alongside so many remarkable colleagues, and I’m proud of what we were able to achieve with our partners in exhibition through some of the most challenged times this industry has ever seen,” Smith said in a memo to Sony employees on Thursday.

Smith joined Sony in 1989 as western district manager for TriStar Pictures, having previously worked at 20th Century Fox on the studio side and at Mann Theatres and United Artists on the exhibitor side.

In 2000, he was named SVP and western division manager for Sony Pictures Releasing, and in 2011, he was appointed EVP and general sales manager, overseeing domestic sales for all Sony Pictures films.

Exclusive: Sony’s President of Domestic Distribution Adrian Smith is retiring after a 35-year run at the studio.

Taking over for Smith is Adam Bergerman who is being upped to President of Distribution.

Smith was named to the post in January 2013. Following the retirement of longtime Worldwide Distribution President Rory Bruer in April 2017, global duties were separated with Smith on domestic, and Steven O’Dell overseeing International.

Smith was key in the release of 1,025 films across all Sony labels, 202 of them No. 1 titles. His fingerprints are all over the successful revivals of the Bad Boys franchise, the animated Spider-Verse films, Ghostbusters, the Venom $1 billion+ series as well as the Tom Holland-starring Spider-Man movies which have minted close to $4B alone. The release of 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home stands as the 7th highest grossing movie of all-time, the best ever for Sony, with $1.95 billion worldwide and $814.8M domestic.

Bergerman is a 28-year Sony vet,...

Mark O’Meara, a Virginia-based movie theater owner, wonders and worries constantly about what exactly his customers will buy tickets to see on any given weekend. It’s not that people have fallen out of love with the big screen, he says, they’ve just gotten out of practice. In fact, in the 30-plus years O’Meara has worked in the business, he’s had a front-row seat as the audiences who habitually went to the movies turned to streaming services instead.

“I’ll see people at the grocery store, and they’ll tell me, ‘You have nothing we want to see.’ I don’t blame them on certain weekends,” says O’Meara, who operates two venues in Fairfax County. “Nobody denies they consume content. That’s never been the issue. We’re competing with the convenience of the couch. Good movies sell no matter what the hell is going on.

The “Alien” franchise’s 21st century output has been something of a mixed bag, with offerings ranging from the crossover blockbuster “Alien vs. Predator” to Ridley Scott’s polarizing prequels “Prometheus” and “Alien: Covenant.” But the sci-fi series is set to return in a big way courtesy of an upcoming TV show from Noah Hawley and “Alien: Romulus,” a new film hailing from director Fede Alvarez and executive producer Ridley Scott.

The film, which stars Cailee Spaeny and is based on an original idea from Alvarez, takes place 20 years after the events of Scott’s original “Alien.” The movie is one of the highest profile releases on Disney and 20th Century’s strike-shortened summer movie slate.

Disney’s distribution chief Tony Chambers embraced the R-rated nature of “Deadpool & Wolverine” and quoted something he heard from Ridley Scott on his thoughts on the movie during CinemaCon: “It’s fucking great.

The Walt Disney Studios dazzled attendees at the 2024 CinemaCon convention in Las Vegas earlier today. The Disney movies previewed come from all the company’s production studios: Disney Live Action, Marvel Studios, Pixar, Walt Disney Animation Studios, 20th Century Studios, and Searchlight Pictures.

Alan Bergman, co-chairman of Disney Entertainment, took to the stage at The Colosseum at Caesar’s Palace to speak about the power of the theatrical film experience and the upcoming flow of Disney movies that will be delivered to theaters in the coming months before turning the microphone over to Tony Chambers, executive vice president and head of theatrical distribution.

Chambers thanked the members of the exhibition trade industry in attendance and kicked off the Studio’s presentation with 13 minutes of footage from the highly anticipated all-new action-adventure spectacle from 20th Century Studios, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, which opens in theaters nationwide on May...

Disney entertained the CinemaCon crowd in Las Vegas on Thursday with 75 minutes of footage including big crowd-pleasers Deadpool & Wolverine, Inside Out 2, and Alien: Romulus, and an appearance by Dwayne Johnson to promote Moana 2.

Fresh from a victorious boardroom battle for CEO Bob Iger and on the back of a year when Disney ceded its box office throne to Universal, the pressure was on the studio to bring the goods at its presentation – and it delivered with a rousing roster of peeks at 2024 tentpoles and one from the 2025 pipeline.

Barry Jenkins also appeared on stage at The Colosseum...

Mufasa: The Lion King is coming out of the shadows and beginning to practice its roar.

On Tuesday, Disney and director Barry Jenkins played the movie’s first teaser trailer for theater owners gathered together this week in Las Vegas for CinemaCon. The teaser received a resounding round of applause for its stunning visuals and tone, and will be released in the coming weeks.

“It’s an expansive adventure,” said Jenkins when taking the stage.

The curiosity factor is running high when it comes to Mufasa. The music-infused film is an origin story and follow-up to Jon Favreau’s 2019 photorealistic movie The Lion King, which in turn was based on the 1994 Disney animated classic. “The film features the same immersive, photoreal environment that wowed audiences the first time,” said Disney global distribution president Tony Chambers.

Favreau’s version grossed a massive $1.7 billion at the global box office to become the...

When deciding whether make Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things, Searchlight Pictures and parent company Disney believed the movie would be able to earn north of $100 at the global box office. After all, the project was reuniting Lanthimos with Emma Stone, one of Hollywood’s on-fire actresses who had starred in the filmmaker’s Oscar-nominated The Favourite, while he himself had developed a cult following. But when execs saw the completed film, some had their doubts, according to one source close to the project.

Would moviegoers embrace a genre-bending, Victorian-set tale about a Frankenstein-like doctor who puts a baby’s brain inside the dying mother’s body, only to unleash a woman with blissfully innocent mindset that thinks nothing of masturbating in front of others or spitting out a mouthful of food in a swanky restaurant. She embarks on a hedonistic adventure with a debauched lawyer — her word for...

Despite having great expectations, Disney's Haunted Mansion's opening weekend result caused many to wonder about the film's future as a box office success. Based on a renowned Disneyland attraction, the humorous horror movie underperformed in terms of ticket sales. It only made about $33.3 million globally at the box office on opening weekend, which is disappointing given the large budget required for production — at least $150 million (via Forbes). The film's domestic total was a disappointing $67 million, with a worldwide total of $116 million.

2023 has been a difficult year for Disney, that have seen many high-profile films like The Little Mermaid, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania underperform. So far, the only smash hit Disney has had is Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, although Elemental did recover a lot in the following weekends and became a slow-burn hit. Was Haunted Mansion a flop for Disney,...

Disney has promoted sales executive Matt Kalavsky to SVP and general sales manager of Domestic Theatrical Distribution. He will report to the studio’s theatrical distribution EVP Tony Chambers, who announced the promotion on Wednesday.

Kalavsky will oversee distribution of all of Disney’s films in the U.S. and Canada, including upcoming films like Marvel Studios’ “The Marvels,” Disney Animation’s “Wish,” and Pixar’s “Elio.” Kalavsky will also oversee Disney’s Cinema Partnership’s program, non-theatrical sales, and the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood.

Kalavsky will succeed outgoing domestic distribution SVP Ken Caldwell, who is retiring at the end of the year.

“I’m absolutely delighted for Matt to take the domestic reins moving forward,” Chambers said. “For more than 20 years, Matt has been both a terrific leader and an invaluable partner to Ken, the entire Disney team and to the domestic exhibition community. Not only that but...

Disney distribution executive Matt Kalavsky has been promoted to Senior Vice President and General Sales Manager, Domestic Theatrical Distribution, for Disney Entertainment.

He succeeds Ken Caldwell, who is retiring at the end of the year.

Kalavsky will oversee domestic distribution, which includes U.S. and Canada, for all of the studio’s film labels including Disney, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, Lucasfilm, Marvel Studios, 20th Century Studios and Searchlight Pictures. Kalavsky’s oversee also will include Cinema Partnerships team, non-theatrical sales and the iconic El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood.

“I’m absolutely delighted for Matt to take the domestic reins moving forward,” said Tony Chambers, Executive Vice President and Head of Theatrical Distribution. “For more than 20 years, Matt has been both a terrific leader and an invaluable partner to Ken, the entire Disney team and to the domestic exhibition community. Not only that, but he has played an...

Ken Caldwell, a nearly 40-year veteran of Disney, is retiring from the company at the end of the year.

He most recently served as executive vice president and general sales manager of North American theatrical sales and reported to Tony Chambers, the executive VP of theatrical distribution. In his role, Caldwell oversaw domestic distribution encompassing the U.S. and Canada for the studio’s film labels, including Disney, Walt Disney Animation, Pixar, Lucasfilm, Marvel, 20th Century and Searchlight Pictures. His position will be backfilled.

During his 39-year tenure with Disney, Caldwell has spearheaded distribution for many major films, including eight of the top 15 highest-grossing domestic films. Some of the titles he managed were the live-action remakes of “Beauty and the Beast,” “Aladdin” and “The Lion King,” as well as “Frozen,” Pixar’s “Toy Story,” “Avatar: The Way of Water” and 2015’s “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” which remains the top-earning North American release in history.

Deadline has confirmed that Disney Distribution EVP and General Sales Manager of North America, Ken Caldwell is retiring at the end of 2023. His position will be back-filled, and successor to be named. Caldwell reports to Disney distribution boss Tony Chambers.

Caldwell oversaw distribution of Disney’s canon including Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm and animation titles, as well as 20th Century Studios and Searchlight Pictures in U.S. and Canada. During his 39-year run at the Mouse House, he’s strategized eight of the top 15 biggest Disney blockbusters at the domestic box office including live-action pics Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King, as well as Zootopia, Frozen, Toy Story, The Incredibles, Avengers: Endgame, Avatar: The Way of Water, and Disney Star Wars pics The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, The Rise of Skywalker and Rogue One.

Caldwell has been a longtime supporter of those serving in the U.S.

Longtime Disney Entertainment distribution executive Ken Caldwell, who spearheaded distribution for eight of the top 15 domestic releases of all time, is retiring.

Caldwell will leave Disney Entertainment at the end of the year, departing the role of executive vp and general sales manager of North American theatrical sales, a title he has held since 2019.

During his time at Disney, Caldwell managed the releases for $1 billion grossers such as the live-action remakes Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King. On the animation front, he managed Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Frozen and Zootopia, as well as Pixar‘s Toy Story, The Incredibles and Coco. More recently, he helped lead 20th Century Studios’ Avatar: The Way of Water to its $684 million domestic haul.

He also oversaw the domestic releases of every Marvel Studios theatrical title since 2012’s The Avengers and all of Star Wars releases since Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2012, including Star Wars: The Force Awakens,...

There appear to be some misconceptions about the box office returns for Disney and Pixar‘s Elemental. The emotional animated feature is entering its seventh week in theaters, and according to Disney, it’s a significant success for the studio. The numbers don’t lie, and Elemental is burning brightly with $425.2M in worldwide receipts. Elemental might have started slowly with a $29.5M domestic debut, but it’s picked up steam in the weeks since.

If you’re asking yourself how the film could endure after a disappointing start, look no further than its 93% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and “A” grade on CinemaScore. Metrics matter to general audiences, and these sites could have boosted people’s confidence in shelling out dollars for tickets to the show. There’s something to be said for positive word of mouth too. Elemental reviewed well with most critics, including JoBlo’s own Chris Bumbray,...

Pixar's animated film Elemental continues gaining traction at the box office even in its seventh week, on track to becoming a sleeper hit.

Elemental has achieved a remarkable feat, surpassing the $400 million mark at the global box office. Despite generating the second-worst opening in the studio's history, the movie's enduring appeal has drawn audiences in and elevated its box office earnings.

Related: How Elemental Sets up a Sequel

Tony Chambers, Disney's EVP of Theatrical Distribution, acknowledged the initial disappointment of the opening weekend for Elemental but expressed satisfaction with the subsequent positive reception, saying, "After a disappointing opening weekend, we're really pleased that audiences have discovered what a great movie it is." While Elemental has a massive production budget of $200 million, nonetheless, Disney has called it a success, emphasizing the fact that it is an original story, standing out in an era dominated by sequels and franchise-based films. Chambers continued,...

Disney was the final studio to present here at CineEurope in Barcelona, highlighting 17 upcoming films and bringing A Haunting in Venice star/director Kenneth Branagh to town, as well as a live performance of “This Wish” from animated adventure Wish which releases in November.

Head of Global Theatrical Distribution, Tony Chambers, started off the show, thanking exhibition for the success of Avatar: The Way of Water before introducing a pre-taped message from James Cameron. The filmmaker said to the crowd, “I’m thankful to have had you as our partners. Bravo to all of you.”

The Avatar films are “a labor of love,” he said, “and there are three more to go in the coming years. Thank you for doing everything you do for keeping the magic of cinemagoing alive and well.”

Chambers noted this is Disney’s 100th anniversary, “a century of iconic, stellar storytelling… Stories need to be seen on the big screen.

The Little Mermaid stars Javier Bardem and Melissa McCarthy have proposed a prequel spinoff focusing on their characters King Triton and Ursula.

Both Bardem and McCarthy expressed excitement about working together in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, as well as a wish to collaborate again on a spinoff. "She's brought everything you can ask for and imagine," said Bardem. "So I need an Ursula spinoff, and since our characters are siblings, I want to have one scene with her while having dinner." McCarthy added, "Let's go for six or seven if we're throwing it out there. C'mon!"

Related: How The Little Mermaid Sets up a Sequel

The Little Mermaid Cast Want to Return

Actors Jonah Hauer-King and Halle Bailey recently revealed that they would be open to participating in a sequel to Disney's The Little Mermaid adaptation. The pair talked about their willingness to take on the same roles...

Internet trolls may be attempting to review bomb Disney's live-action remake of The Little Mermaid.

According to Deadline, IMDb issued a warning on the Rob Marshall-directed movie indicating that audience reviews may be written with the intention to slander the film. "Our rating mechanism has detected unusual voting activity on this title. To preserve the reliability of our rating system, an alternate weighting calculation has been applied." At the time of writing, The Little Mermaid currently has an IMDb rating of 7.0/10 with 5,500 users giving the film a perfect 10/10 and 13,000 users scoring it a 1.0/10.

Related: How The Little Mermaid's Halle Bailey Learned to Swim With a Fin

IMDb's note goes on to explain that the website calculates weighted voting averages rather than raw data averages, meaning not all users' vote counts equally. "Although we accept and consider all votes received by users, not all votes have the same impact (or 'weight') on the final rating,...

Actors Halle Bailey and Jonah Hauer-King recently expressed that they would be willing to appear in a sequel to Disney's The Little Mermaid remake.

Speaking to Narcity, the duo discussed how they would be up for reprising their roles if Disney were to produce a live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea, the direct-to-video sequel to the 1989 animated classic.

Related: How Disney’s Live-Action Little Mermaid Cast a Small But Crucial Role

In addition, Hauer-King also expressed interest in becoming a merman in a potential Little Mermaid sequel. His co-star liked the idea, saying, "he needs a tail." In a previous interview, Bailey described the training she underwent to learn how to swim with a fin. "I actually had this beautiful training session with these amazing synchronized swimmers that would come to my house every Sunday," she explained. "They are these great coaches and powerful women.

Sunday Am Writethru: After Saturday late night update…refresh for more analysis and chart Great news, as Disney/Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 held it together on Saturday with an estimated $38.8M, just -20% off from its Friday+previews’ figure of $48.2M. This will get the James Gunn-directed MCU swan song to $114M, which is higher than the $110M we were spotting earlier in the week. Essentially and logically, that great heat out there for the film kicked in. Phew! Global is $282M, with $168M overseas, which ranks as the 50th-highest global debut ever for a movie. EntTelligence says that there were 8M admissions in US/Canada for GOTG3, versus the 7.2M which Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania clocked in its opening weekend.

While better than expected, some still have concern about superhero fatigue. Still, a $100M+ opening start to summer, while easing some motion picture industry fears,...

There’s always been an impressive roster of top stars and filmmakers at CinemaCon except during the pandemic era. This year’s edition, however, was next-level — Oprah, Christopher Nolan, Rihanna, Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio, among others.

Yet perhaps the biggest star of the four-day show in Las Vegas was optimism.

After worrisome fits and starts, the box office recovery is finally showing signs of sustained good health. Universal and Illumination’s The Super Bros. Mario Movie crossed the $1 billion mark globally on April 30, while fellow 2023 releases Scream VI, Creed III and John Wick: Chapter Four have also done stellar business. And the summer season kicks off next week with James Gunn’s third and final Guardians of the Galaxy superhero pic, followed by Fast X and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, just to name just a few. (For the immediate future, theater owners aren’t too concerned about a possible writers strike,...

Chris Pine is to voice King Magnifico in the Disney animated film 'Wish'.The company's distribution boss Tony Chambers revealed the news that the 'Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves' star will be lending his voice to the picture during the studio's CinemaCon presentation on Wednesday (26.04.23).Chris joins a cast that includes Ariana DeBose and Alan Tudyk. His character is the ruler of Rosas, a magical kingdom where wishes really do come true.'Wish' screenwriter Jennifer Lee said: "As the most powerful person in the kingdom, King Magnifico needed to be played by someone who could give all the charm, cleverness and charisma to this magnanimous character, and Chris is beautifully bringing all of that and then some."The movie tells the story of Asha (DeBose), an idealist who makes a wish so powerful that it is answered by a cosmic force – a ball of boundless energy called Star.Asha...

Searchlight Pictures underdog story Next Goal Wins among session highlights.

Disney screened footage from its two Cannes out of competition selections at CinemaCon on Wednesday, showing 20 minutes of Pixar’s Elemental in 3D and an extended chase sequence from Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny.

In an otherwise brisk session, head of Disney theatrical distribution Tony Chambers brought on Melissa McCarthy in the session’s sole on-stage appearance to talk up her role as Ursula in Rob Marshall’s reimagining of The Little Mermaid (May 26), and announced that Chris Pine has joined the voice cast as King Magnifico in...

Disney took to the CinemaCon stage to show off previews and footage from all seven of its production studios on Wednesday, and while the presentation showed the crowd-pleasing variety that made Disney a juggernaut, it didn’t have the sense of big-screen domination of years past.

Think back to 2019, when Disney showed off its full theatrical slate with the addition of the then newly acquired 20th Century Fox. The display of all of the hit theatrical franchises now under the studio’s ownership drew audible gasps and murmurs from the crowd as it foreshadowed what would become the biggest box office year ever by a single studio with $13.1 billion worldwide.

But this year, Disney didn’t make much of a flex beyond co-chairman Alan Bergman briefly showing off the $2.3 billion total earned by “Avatar: The Way of Water” this past winter. The rest of the presentation was a rapid-fire rundown...

Disney is dialing up the fever for Indiana Jones.

A new action sequence from Lucasfilm’s Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny debuted during the studio’s presentation at CinemaCon in Las Vegas on Wednesday. It featured Harrison Ford back in action as the iconic hero archaeologist for filmmaker James Mangold. Starring opposite Ford are Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Antonio Banderas, John Rhys-Davies, Toby Jones, Boyd Holbrook, Ethann Isidore and Mads Mikkelsen.

And Ford introduced the footage himself via a recorded message that played on the Colosseum’s big screen. “Hello, CinemaCon,” said the action hero, who added that “playing Indiana Jones all these years has meant the world to me.” He then went on to say that the films are filled with adventure and heart, “and for some reason, snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?” Classic Indy.

Ford then thanked theater owners for their support and said that...

Disney is lighting up its Haunted Mansion.

The studio opened the door of its Justin Simien-directed film on Wednesday and offered CinemaCon attendees in Las Vegas a deeper peek inside the movie three months ahead of its July 28 release.

Disney head of theatrical distribution Tony Chambers introduced the footage by saying that the film has a mythology that rivals Pirates of the Caribbean. “The beloved theme park attraction comes to life in a frightfully funny and edge-of-your-seat experience,” he said, adding that it features cameos “that are truly to die for.”

The new footage dropped here a little more than a month after the studio released the official trailer for the reboot that is based on the popular Disney attraction. Helmed by Simien — known for his Hulu film Bad Hair and the indie feature-turned-Netflix series Dear White People — Haunted Mansion follows Rosario Dawson’s Gabbie, a single...

Pour one out for the poor unfortunate souls who aren’t at CinemaCon. Attendees of the annual exhibition trade show were treated to the first-ever glimpse of Melissa McCarthy as Ursula in Disney’s upcoming “The Little Mermaid” remake, including a show-stopping rendition of the character’s signature number, “Poor Unfortunate Souls.”

McCarthy didn’t perform live, but she came to Las Vegas to introduce a clip of the movie, starring Halle Bailey as Ariel. In the dazzling footage, McCarthy channels Tallulah Bankhead with pitch-perfect flair as the evil sea witch convinces Ariel to part with her voice. Sporting dramatic makeup and a short, purple-ish updo, Ursula whips around her tentacles and shimmies through the sea alongside her sidekicks Flotsam and Jetsam while belting the evil anthem.

A live-action remake of Disney’s 1989 animated classic, “The Little Mermaid” tells the story of a King Triton’s youngest daughter, who is fascinated with the world above.

Chris Pine will voice King Magnifico in Walt Disney Animation Studios’ all-new musical-comedy “Wish,” the company announced at CinemaCon on Wednesday.

The musical comedy will hit theaters this Thanksgiving.

Pine joins Academy Award-winning actress Ariana DeBose, who voices a young woman named Asha in the film. Pine lends his voice to the ruler of Rosas, a magical kingdom where wishes really do come true.

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“As the most powerful person in the kingdom, King Magnifico needed to be played by someone who could give all the charm, cleverness and charisma to this magnanimous character, and Chris is beautifully bringing all of that and then some,” Jennifer Lee, “Wish” executive producer and one of the writers for the film, said in a statement.

Tony Chambers, executive vice president and head of theatrical distribution for Disney, revealed...

Disney distribution boss Tony Chambers said Wednesday during the studio’s CinemaCon presentation that Dungeons and Dragons and Star Trek star Chris Pine will voice King Magnifico in Walt Disney Animation Studios’ new musical comedy Wish.

Pine joins already cast Oscar winner Ariana DeBose and Alan Tudyk.

Related: CinemaCon Photo Gallery With Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Ryan Gosling, Oprah, Sydney Sweeney & More

Pine’s character is the ruler of Rosas, a magical kingdom where wishes really do come true.

“As the most powerful person in the kingdom, King Magnifico needed to be played by someone who could give all the charm, cleverness and charisma to this magnanimous character, and Chris is beautifully bringing all of that and then some,” said Jennifer Lee, Wish‘s executive producer and one of the pic’s scribes.

Wish opens in the traditional Disney corridor of November 22. The film also helps mark the culmination of Disney...

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John Fithian, the retiring CEO of the National Association of Theatre Owners, is optimistic that the box office will soon be back to its pre-pandemic highs, and the recent exit of former Disney CEO Bob Chapek is one of the reasons why.

Fithian believes that the current state of Hollywood is very advantageous for movie theaters, as the vast majority of legacy and streamer studios are recommitting to releasing films of all budgets and genre films exclusively in theaters. This includes Disney, which Fithian feels wasn’t as good a partner to exhibitors when Chapek was in charge.

“Look, Bob Chapek was not our friend. I’ll just be honest,” Fithian told TheWrap in a wide-ranging interview. “He did not believe in the theatrical model. It was all about Disney+ and...

“There’s not been a return of customers, there’s been a return of films,” Jane Hastings of Australia’s Evt says.

Senior audiences have been absent from cinemas because there haven’t been films for them to see and not because of the pandemic, a CinemaCon panel heard on Monday.

Jane Hastings, MD and CEO of Australian exhibitor Evt told attendees at the panel session ’Globally Speaking: A Look At The Global Marketplace’ that post-pandemic recovery was down to the number and quality of films.

“Our seniors audience simply hasn’t had the films to see and that’s why they’re not coming,...

Click here to read the full article.

James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water topped the domestic box office with an estimated 134 million opening, less than expected but still a sizable number as the film heads into the merriest corridor of the year in terms of moviegoing.

Even rival studios believe Avatar 2 will have robust legs over the holidays and into 2023, thanks to an A CinemaScore and strong audience exit scores. Traditionally, weekdays can be like a Saturday between now and the new year. Distribution sources also say advance ticket sales are spread into this week, versus being front-loaded.

Overseas, the 3D tentpole debuted to 301 million for a global start of 435 million, among the best showings of the pandemic era. From Disney and 20th Century, The Way of Water cost 350 million-400 million to produce, making it one of the most expensive pics in modern Hollywood history. In earlier interviews promoting the sequel,...

Sunday Am Writethru after Saturday Pm Update: 20th Century Studios/Disney’s Avatar: The Way of Water is coming in close to where we told you last night: 44.5M for Saturday and an opening weekend of 134M. The global 435M start of Avatar 2 puts Disney very close to notching the 4 billion mark worldwide for the year.

Despite Avatar: The Way of Water missing its 150M-175M projections, rival distribution sources and exhibition aren’t bothered –nor do they believe that the sky is falling for cinema– particularly for a movie that cost according to sources (not Disney) at about around 460M before P&a. When it comes to the ultimate fate of Avatar 2, which was propped greatly by Imax, Plf and premium 3D ticket sales this weekend at 62, we have to play the long-game. Factor in that 20 of the sequel’s presales are for showtimes beyond this weekend.

Click here to read the full article.

The box office opening of Marvel Studios and Disneys’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever provided all of Hollywood — and theater owners — with a much-needed pre-Thanksgiving feast after a brutal fall at the box office.

Directed by Ryan Coogler, Wakanda Forever launched to a record 180 million domestically over the Nov. 11-13 weekend and 330 million globally despite the fact that the sequel had to proceed without Chadwick Boseman — who played the titular character in 2018’s Black Panther — after the actor died of cancer in August 2020.

“The film had a terrific opening weekend and resonated with all audiences. Marvel and Ryan Coogler did a phenomenal job addressing the unfortunate loss of Chadwick Boseman, and we’ve seen a tremendous response from fans as to how it respectfully honored his legacy,” said Tony Chambers, Disney’s theatrical distribution chief.

In 2018, Black Panther was the first Hollywood studio...

Marvel’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” dominated the domestic box office in its debut, earning 180 million over the weekend and providing a much-needed lift to beleaguered cinemas. The sequel demolished the record for a November opening in North America, soaring past the previous high-water mark of 158 million set by 2013’s “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.” Globally, the superhero adventure netted a spectacular 330 million with 150 million of that figure coming from 55 overseas markets.

Its success has a bittersweet undercurrent, however. That’s because the filmmakers behind the sequel faced a shocking off-screen tragedy before production even commenced when Chadwick Boseman, the actor who had given 2018’s “Black Panther” so much of its soul, died in 2020 of cancer. He was only 43 years old. In response, Ryan Coogler, the film’s director and co-writer, re-fashioned “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” into a tribute for the late actor. In the movie, the kingdom of Wakanda...

In November 2016, “Doctor Strange” opened to a solid 85 million domestic launch. Five and a half years later, “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” has blown its predecessor out of the water with a domestic debut of 187 million and 449.4 million worldwide, the second largest for any film since theaters reopened after the pandemic. How did this sequel explode? Disney can probably thank the cultural success of Disney+’s first Marvel series, “WandaVision,” which has created a storytelling bridge between movie theaters and streaming that is starting to bear a lot of fruit. “For us to be talking about the 11th highest domestic opening ever for a sequel to ‘Doctor Strange’ speaks to the power of what Marvel Studios has done, not just theatrically but with the interconnected storytelling they have built on Disney+ over the past year,” Disney’s distribution chief Tony Chambers told TheWrap. Granted, the credit doesn’t...

Frank Patterson, Disney’s Vice President of Sales Eastern Division, is leaving the studio after 17 years.

The executive was part of the theatrical distribution team led by former Disney CEO Bob Iger and studio chairman turned chief creative officer Alan Horn that turned the studio into the undisputed box office king, releasing 25 films dating back to 2006 that grossed over $1 billion worldwide and three films — “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers: Endgame” that grossed over $2 billion.

In addition to his work at Disney, Patterson also handled film sales to theaters at Miramax, working on the distribution for two Best Picture Oscar winners, “Chicago” and “No Country for Old Men,” as well as other acclaimed films like “The Queen” and “Kill Bill Vol. 2.” Prior to joining Disney, Patterson also worked at studios like Paramount and Artisan Films, where he worked on the distribution of “The Blair Witch Project,...

Exclusive: Frank Patterson, who served as the Disney Vice President of Sales Eastern Division, has exited the studio after 17 years, Deadline has learned.

Patterson is a second generation theatrical distribution vet; his father Frank Patterson Sr. was the longtime EVP and Head Film Buyer at Loews Theaters. When you speak to any major studio distribution executive, everyone has always known and highly respected the Pattersons.

Patterson’s departure comes at a time when Disney’s theatrical business is impaired by Covid, and the studio currently devoting more attention to its streaming service Disney+. While Disney CEO Bob Chapek is committed to a theatrical release for Marvel’s Black Widow, it won’t be a shocker if that movie’s current release date of May 7 is postponed due to the pandemic. I understand that a bulk of the studio’s theatrical distribution ops will be anchored in Burbank, CA; this even...

Disney has promoted Tony Chambers to serve as the executive vice president, theatrical distribution.

Chambers replaces Cathleen Taff in the role, who had been in the position since 2018 but is remaining with the company as president of production services, franchise management and multicultural engagement for Disney’s content group.

Chambers will report to Justin Connolly, the president of platform distribution, who reports to Kareem Daniel, chairman of Disney media and entertainment distribution.

Disney recently announced a reorganization built around streaming and Disney+, which is headed up by Daniel to handle budget and distribution decisions. The distribution side now determines whether to send movies to theaters, Disney+ or Hulu, while the content team is focused on creating new product. The change comes as theaters have remained closed in major markets amid the pandemic and Disney has experimented with moving films to Disney+ or as premium video on demand releases, with “Mulan...

In the midst of some massive restructuring at Disney, Deadline has confirmed that Disney vet Tony Chambers has been upped to EVP of Theatrical Distribution. He’ll oversee both domestic and international film distribution as well as home entertainment. I understand that there’s even reassignments going on in the corporate communications and publicity departments as well in regards to which executives oversee certain areas of coverage.

He replaces Cathleen Taff who took over global distribution when Dave Hollis left in 2018. Taff is still with Disney as President of Production Services, Franchise Management and Multicultural Engagement. The new reorg which Disney underwent months ago, puts more of a focus on streaming with the distribution side figuring out the better route for a film’s release: theatrical or Disney+. Disney has already, due to the pandemic, sent big screen releases Soul, Mulan, Hamilton, among others to its news streaming service. However,...

Disney has promoted Tony Chambers to executive vice president of theatrical distribution.

He replaces Cathleen Taff, who served as head of global film distribution since 2018. Taff remains with Disney’s content group as president of production services, franchise management and multicultural engagement.

Chambers’ hire comes months after the company announced a structural reorganization that puts a greater emphasis on streaming. In this new order, budget and distribution decisions were moved under the Media and Entertainment Distribution group led by Kareem Daniel.

Chambers will report to Justin Connolly, the president of platform distribution. Connolly reports to Daniel.

Given the reorg, Chambers’ duties differ slightly from Taff’s. In his role, he is responsible for leading and integrating domestic and international distribution across theatrical and home entertainment for all films produced and released by Disney. The studio’s expansive umbrella includes Walt Disney Studios, Walt Disney Feature Animation, Pixar Animation Studio, Marvel Studios,...

Marketing teams confirmed for merged company.

The leadership team at Disney and 20th Century Fox’s newly-combined Europe, Middle East and Africa (Emea) operations is taking shape with the senior marketing team now confirmed.

Lee Jury, senior vice president, studio and integrated marketing for Emea, sent a company-wide email, which has been seen by Screen, outlining the company’s senior marketing team going forward on June 6.

Nicole Morse, Cmo Middle East and Dm+ at The Walt Disney Company, will lead a “dedicated regional and UK integrated marketing” team across Emea, noted the email.

The regional digital marketing and the advertising...

Marketing teams confirmed for merged company.

The leadership team at Disney and 20th Century Fox’s newly-combined Europe, Middle East and Africa (Emea) operations is taking shape with the senior marketing team now confirmed.

Lee Jury, senior vice president, studio and integrated marketing for Emea, sent a company-wide email, which has been seen by Screen, outlining the company’s senior marketing team going forward on June 6.

Nicole Morse, Cmo Middle East and Dm+ at The Walt Disney Company, will lead a “dedicated regional and UK integrated marketing” team across Emea, noted the email.

The regional digital marketing and the advertising...