Legendary Entertainment has named Blair Rich as chief marketing and commercial officer.
“Harnessing her proven record across franchise and audience building, Rich will now drive and execute Legendary’s global marketing, branding and communications and play a key role, as part of senior management, in expanding Legendary’s business, including the company’s adoption of new technologies across marketing and data analytics,” according to the official release. Rich will report to CEO Joshua Grode and chair of production Mary Parent for film marketing.
For the past year, Rich has been advising on the marketing campaigns for “Dune: Part Two” and “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” particularly when it comes to “strategies for commercial insights and innovation, and brand management and expansion,” the studio noted.
“Blair is a creative innovator. She brings an outstanding history of building some of the most dominant brands and entertainment franchises in the world,” Grode said in a Monday statement. “Her addition to our best-in-class Legendary team, with her future-facing approach to global entertainment and her exceptional combination of strategic and creative expertise, will raise the bar for everyone at Legendary. We are now stronger than ever as we enter a new phase of our long-term strategic growth plan.”
“I am thrilled to join Josh, Mary and the talented Legendary team, who have built one of the most dynamic companies in our industry with a focus on first-rate content. In today’s ever evolving landscape, reaching consumers requires both innovation and boundless creativity,” Rich said in her own statement. “In Legendary’s next evolution, we are committed to engaging people in unique, memorable ways, fostering connections that inspire and elevate their experience with our brands while expanding and optimizing new business and revenue opportunities.”
The hiring of Rich coincides with a new chapter for Legendary. Last month, Legendary bought out the remaining equity interest held by Wanda Group, a Chinese multinational conglomerate with interests in industrial manufacturing, hospitality, real estate and sports (among other things). Now, Legendary is solely owned by management and American equity firm Apollo, who bought a minority stake in 2022. Legendary and Apollo are now equal partners.
Legendary has had a very good year, with “Dune: Part Two” and “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” being two of the most profitable movies of 2024 and bringing Legendary’s lifetime box office revenue to over $20 billion.
Prior to Legendary, Rich served as president and chief business officer of commercial and consumer operations at Virgin Galactic. Previously, she spent more than two decades with Warner Bros. Entertainment, where she served as president of worldwide marketing for both the theatrical and home entertainment divisions.
Upcoming Legendary projects include “A Minecraft Movie,” starring Jason Momoa and Jack Black; “Animal Friends” with Ryan Reynolds and Momoa; an adaptation of classic video game “Street Fighter;” and an untitled Alejandro G. Iñárritu film starring Tom Cruise. There are also additional films being planned for the Godzilla-led Monsterverse and “Dune” franchises.
