Disney's head of theatrical distribution, Tony Chambers, has run the studio throughout the pandemic, weathering the streaming and theatrical crazes and returning to the $5 billion global box office boom on the big screen last year with titles like Deadpool Wolverine, Inside Out 2 and Moana 2 He is stepping down to become president of The Walt Disney Company's EMEA region. This becomes effective in February.
Chambers will replace Jan Coppin, who will step down as regional leader after a six-year term, as part of Disney's EMEA restructuring. He will report to Disney Entertainment co-presidents Alan Bergman and Dana Walden and ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro.
A new global head of theatrical distribution will be appointed in the near future. The first movie out of the gate this year for Disney is a Marvel Studios title on February 14 Captain America: Brave New World. Disney becomes the first studio in 2024 to exceed $5 billion after the pandemic. The last time a studio achieved this number was in 2019. Last year was the sixth time Disney has grossed more than $5 billion worldwide since 2010.
A 30-year veteran of the studio, Chambers has led the theatrical distribution team since January 8, 2021. He has overseen distribution of all films from Walt Disney Animation, Pixar, Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm for 20 years.y Century Studios and Searchlight Pictures posters. Previously, Chambers was Senior Vice President of Studio Distribution, Europe, UK and Ireland.
Coben was appointed President of The Walt Disney Company EMEA in 2019 with responsibility for leading the EMEA business commercially and operationally in more than 130 markets across the region. In this role, he has overall responsibility for Disney's portfolio in EMEA, including Disney+, motion pictures, television, content licensing, domestic original productions and theatrics, as well as strategy and business development. Before Disney, Coben was President of Fox Networks Group (FNG) in Europe and Africa, and before that was Chief Operating Officer of 21.street Century Fox, Europe and Asia.
“EMEA is a key region in terms of the success of our business globally, and as we realign our strategy for our entertainment business there, we are fortunate to transition between two great leaders,” said Alan Bergman and Dana Walden, co-presidents. Disney Entertainment, and Jimmy Pitaro, Chairman of ESPN. “Tony Chambers is an experienced senior executive with a highly collaborative style and an excellent reputation in EMEA and across the company, and he brings a wealth of experience to this important new role. We look forward to continuing to accelerate our growth in EMEA and across the world, and we are extremely grateful for Jan's exceptional contributions, which have made a tangible and lasting difference to this team and the company during his tenure.
“I am truly honored to lead the world-class EMEA team in this new capacity,” commented Chambers. “It is a dynamic area that has undergone incredible positive change over the past several years, and I am very excited to now build on this momentum.”
“I am grateful for the six amazing years I spent at Disney, working with some of the most talented and creative people in the industry during a period of profound transformation and growth as we launched and built Disney+ in the region,” Coben noted. “I leave with all my heart and great pride in the Disney EMEA team.” The extraordinary.
Disney is restructuring how its entertainment business operates in Europe, the Middle East and Africa to ensure the company's global strategy is unified. In the new reorganization, U.S.-based global leaders will have direct P&L oversight of regional businesses, leading those teams and setting strategy. This includes theatrical distribution, platform distribution, direct-to-consumer, ad sales, networks, local original content, studio marketing, and sports. The Regional President will continue to be the studio's representative in the region and will be responsible for unifying strategic and financial priorities, coordinating teams at the regional level, leading local initiatives that span companies (excluding Disney Experiences), and overseeing shared service functions including Human Resources. Resources, communications and financing.
EMEA The Walt Disney Company operates in more than 130 markets, reaching two-thirds of adults through its business lines that include Disney+ since 2020. It has been a high-growth area of the world for them since 2019. The studio plans to commit to $5 . $1 billion over the next five years to produce more blockbuster films and TV shows in the EMEA region, which includes local Disney+ originals.
