This year’s edition of CinemaCon arrives as a number of Hollywood studios face leadership turmoil. Put another way, some executives may be taking the stage inside the gargantuan Colosseum theater at Caesar’s Palace in for the last time — at least in the jobs they have now.
For others, it’s more than safe to bet they’ll be back next year. That includes veteran movie chief Tom Rothman, who kicks off the action Monday night when presenting Sony’s upcoming slate to thousands of theater owners gathering together in Las Vegas this week. All signs point to Rothman staying on as chairman of Sony Entertainment Pictures’ Motion Picture Group for the foreseeable future, even if a deal extending his contract hasn’t yet been announced, multiple sources tell The Hollywood Reporter.
Sony Motion Picture Group co-president Josh Greenstein will also participate in Sony’s presentation, but it could be his last time in that job. There’s rampant speculation that Greenstein could end up at Paramount if the Skydance-Paramount Global merger is finalized (the deal is currently being reviewed by federal regulators).
Greenstein has a longstanding relationship with Skydance chief David Ellison and chief creative officer Dana Goldberg. There’s nothing formal in place, and it’s unclear what role he would take on at the merged company. Sony says Greenstein remains under contract at the studio, where he shares the co-president title with Sanford Panitch.
Of all the executive speaking at CinemaCon, Rothman is known for his colorful speeches — he once quipped “Netflix, my ass!” — and for getting theater owners revved up and laughing.
The mood inside the Colosseum could be markedly different Tuesday afternoon when Warner Bros.’ movie studio bosses Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy take the stage. The duo have come under intense scrutiny following several high-profile box office misses, with Bloomberg going as far as to report that their boss, Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav, is speaking with potential candidates to replace them. (If Greenstein is up for leaving Sony, he would be an obvious name to put on Zaslav’s call sheet.)
Sources close to the situation say Zaslav wants to focus on big IP, versus the sort of filmmaker-driven fare that Abdy and De Luca are known for, including Ryan Coogler’s upcoming Sinners and Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another. He is also said to be unhappy with the amount of money the two are spending on these non-IP projects. Abdy and De Luca allies say the two executives are consummate professionals and are resigned to the fact that their fate at Warners is uncertain amid a changing climate. (It remains to be seen whether Abdy and De Luca acknowledge the elephant in the room when appearing on stage.)
DC Studios co-heads Peter Safran and James Gunn will also appear on stage to tease Superman and other titles on their slate (Gunn directed and wrote the superhero pic.) Safran is also a key player in the executive rumor mill currently making the rounds in Hollywood, with sources speculating that he would like to expand his domain at Warners beyond just DC. Superman, which opens in theaters July 11, will be a defining moment for Safran.
There’s little executive drama these days at Universal Pictures, which hosts its CinemaCon presentation Wednesday afternoon, followed in the evening by Amazon MGM Studios in its first-ever CinemaCon presentation inside the Colosseum. Donna Langley has continued to amass more and more power, with her reach expanding over the past few years from running film, to overseeing both film and TV — and as of November — landing the title of as chairman of NBCUniversal Entertainment and Studios.
On the eve of the convention, there was major executive drama when Amazon MGM Studios head Jennifer Salke was unceremoniously ousted. The announcement was made in an internal email to staff by Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios head Mike Hopkins, who will not be replacing Salke. Instead, he’s vesting more power in head of film Courtenay Valenti and head of TV Vernon Sanders.
CinemaCon will be a pivotal moment for Valenti, marketing head Sue Kroll and Hopkins as Amazon MGM Studios makes an ambitious move into the theatrical space, anchored by its recent acquisition of the James Bond franchise. Fans of the 007 series have long waited for news as to who the next Bond will be, or when the next film might hit the big screen.
Valenti, like Kroll, worked for decades at Warners, shepherding some of the studio’s biggest wins, including the Harry Potter movies. She’s known for her low-key style and has never before been the head of a studio.
Massive change is obviously facing Paramount, and Thursday’s presentation is almost certain to mark Brian Robbins’ swan song as Paramount Global co-CEO and CEO of Paramount Pictures. The affable executive is known for taking things — and change — in stride, and is given props for deftly helping to lead the studio during uncertain times.
Disney is the final major studio to present at CinemaCon Thursday afternoon. Disney Studios chairman Alan Bergman, who oversees the conglomerate’s sprawling film empire, is expected to take the stage as he did last year. Despite the live-action Snow White landing in bomb territory, Bergman has plenty to celebrate, including seeing Disney finish No. 1 in market share for eight of the nine last years, and for recent successes Inside Out 2, Deadpool & Wolverine and Mufasa: The Lion King. He’s known for (mostly) keeping the company’s seven film silos on steady footing, including replacing live-action movie studio chief Sean Bailey, who made Snow White, with David Greenbaum. There will be a high-profile executive change at Lucasfilm by this time next year when CinemaCon 2026 takes place. While Lucasflim hasn’t made it official, there will likely be a new head of the company amid rumors of Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy stepping away from the role she’s occupied since 2012.
Disney, of course, is also home of James Cameron and 20th Century’s Avatar. Next installment Fire and Ash, due out this December, is surely one of the best calling cards when it comes to winning over theater owners, and couldn’t be a more fitting way to close out this year’s show and shake off all the executive drama.
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