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, where many (if not all) of the glitzy premieres are held for Disney titles.
We had previously reported that Cripps was in talks to head Amazon MGM’s new international theatrical distribution division. Cripps was put in pole position, since he was a key factor in the success of “Barbie,” which made over $810 million at the international box office.
Cripps will report to Cathleen Taff, president of production, franchise management and theatrical distribution at Disney Entertainment Studios.
“Andrew is one of the most highly respected distribution executives in the industry with a deep understanding of the evolving marketplace and a passion for bringing films to audiences around the world,” Taff said in a statement. “Having known him for several years, I’m thrilled he’s joining our team and have no doubt that his strategic vision and many years of expertise will be invaluable as we continue to deliver exceptional storytelling experiences on the big screen.”
“I’m absolutely thrilled to be joining Alan Bergman, Cathleen Taff and the entire team at The Walt Disney Studios,” Cripps said while talking about his new role. “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.”
Jeffrey Forman, SVP, International Theatrical Sales and Matthew Kalavsky, SVP, General Sales Manager, Domestic Theatrical Distribution will report directly to Cripps. Additionally, with his global oversight, regional studio distribution leaders – including Nick Rush, SVP, Studio Distribution for EMEA, Martin Iraola, SVP & Managing Director Southern and GM Theatrical for LATAM and John Hsu, Head of Distribution & Operations in APAC – will also report to Cripps while maintaining reporting lines to their respective regional leaders.
