Ireland-born Tony Chambers is one of the European industry’s most experienced and well-known distribution executives. He has worked at the Walt Disney Company since 1995, with roles around the world, including as the US-based EVP of global theatrical distribution.
Since 2025, Chambers has been president of the Walt Disney Company EMEA, based in London, with a remit that includes oversight of the theatrical business as well as Disney+ and live events.
Disney’s 2026 slate includes The Devil Wears Prada 2, Star Wars: The Mandalorian & Grogu, Toy Story 5 and the live-action Moana, while on Disney+, Chambers is gearing up for season two of Rivals. He also oversaw the opening of The Greatest Showman stage show in Bristol and the World of Frozen experience at Disneyland Paris.
What is your office like?
It is filled with a giant Iron Man statue, Disney plush [soft toys], loads of posters, props and film memorabilia, as well as plenty of photos of my wife and kids. A veritable Aladdin’s cave of ‘stuff’.
What is the first thing you do when you arrive each day?
Grab a coffee. A double espresso macchiato from our downstairs café.
What was your first job in the film industry?
I moved from Ireland to Munich shortly after the Berlin Wall came down. There was a need for German-speaking accountants and I was transferred from PwC in Dublin to PwC in Munich. I then got my start with Disney in 1995 as accounting manager for the home entertainment business [in Germany]. Disney was a client of PwC, and an opportunity arose. The first movie that I was ever involved with was the VHS rental release of Cool Runnings.
What was your favourite film growing up?
Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory. Although I’m not sure I ever saw it in a cinema.
What do you like best about your job?
Disney is, and has been, such a huge part of who I am. I met my wife here and I can tell you exactly where I was and exactly how I felt when my now grown-up daughters saw Winnie-the-Pooh and Tigger for the first time, saw the reflections of the lanterns float across the lake as we watched Tangled together in a cinema. And when I heard them laugh and scream on the Incredicoaster [at Disneyland in Anaheim]. Hopefully, there are many more wonderful core memories still to come.
What’s the biggest professional mistake you have made?
Back in 2019, Disney released seven $1bn-plus grossing movies and delivered a record-breaking $13.1bn in total global box office that year. We all know what happened next: the pandemic. I did not realise or fully appreciate it at the time, but I definitely do now, that things can change quickly. We should never take things for granted, and always try and celebrate every single moment and every single win, big or small. In 2025, Disney released three movies that crossed $1bn worldwide, Lilo & Stitch, Zootopia 2 and Avatar: Fire And Ash.
What is the biggest challenge facing the business?
The challenge will always be getting access to people’s free time in a world where there is so much competition for attention and so many distractions.
What excites you about the future of the business?
The pandemic also taught us about the resilience of the cinema business and, more importantly, the phenomenal need and appetite there has been and always will be for great storytelling and content.
With whom would you most like to take a meeting?
In another part of the multiverse, I would love to have a meeting with Peter Ustinov, David Niven, Cary Grant and the great British explorer Ranulph Fiennes.
What job would you do if you didn’t work in film?
Growing up, I wanted to be a disc jockey on the radio, but soon realised I didn’t have the voice.
What book are you reading?
In advance of the movie coming out, I just finished Project Hail Mary. Next on my list, I’m going back to Scandi noir with Woman With Birthmark by Hakan Nesser.
What do you do to unwind?
I love travelling and especially hiking. Show me a mountain, and you will be hard-pressed to stop me from trying to climb it.
Who would play you in the biopic of your life and who would direct?
Knowing that he is a fellow Corkman and unlikely to butcher my accent, it has to be Cillian Murphy. In terms of the director, and given a lot of folks in UK exhibition say I look somewhat like him, it has to be Danny Boyle. Anyone keen for another instalment in the 28 Days Later franchise?
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