Kevin Wilson has officially been named head of theatrical distribution for Amazon Studios and MGM as the parent company combines labels into one theatrical distribution group.
The news comes in the wake of the death of the previous Amazon-MGM distribution boss, Erik Lomis, who was the subject of a heartfelt remembrance Tuesday at CinemaCon by several including Chris Aronson; former MGM Motion Picture bosses Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy, now at Warner Bros; and as Warner Bros Domestic Distribution chief Jeff Goldstein.
Recently, Amazon’s pivot back to theatrical saw the $272 million global success of Creed III and the current $69M global gross for Ben Affleck’s dramedy Air, about how Nike nabbed Michael Jordan to make the Air Jordan sneaker. Wilson is a longtime lieutenant of Lomis and is a distribution vet who has handled 100 films that in total grossed more that $7 billion stateside.
Wilson worked at Summit Entertainment and Open Road Films distribution, handling such pics as Best Picture Oscar winners Spotlight and The Hurt Locker; MGM’s Best Picture Oscar nominees Licorice Pizza and Women Talking; and overseeing the distribution of successful franchise films including Twilight and No Time To Die.
Licorice Pizza
East Coast distribution vet Mark Boxer, who came to Amazon distribution during the Bob Berney era, has been named head of specialty theatrical distribution and will report in to Wilson’s group. He has overseen such Amazon Original Movies releases as Sound Of Metal, Hotel Transylvania 4, Being The Ricardos and the day-and-date release of Coming 2 America. Prior to Amazon, Boxer was EVP Sales and Distribution at IFC Films, overseeing the release of award-winning pics including Boyhood. At Amazon, he will oversee specialty films releases; the studio’s Culver Theatre space; and Prime Premiere releases. Boxer is also a former distribution vet of Sony and Savoy Pictures.
Here’s the latest note on Wilson’s promotion from Courtenay Valenti, Amazon Studios head of film, theatrical & streaming:
We are at a very dynamic and exciting time now that the integration of the MGM film group and Amazon Studios is complete. Six weeks ago, we combined the AOM and MGM creative development and production teams under Julie Rapaport. Julie’s team is now executing our larger film strategy across both distribution platforms. As a result, now is the right time to combine both theatrical distribution groups (MGM and AOM) into one unified team.
