Chris Aronson to depart as head of domestic distribution at Paramount Pictures

Paramount Pictures president of domestic theatrical distribution Chris Aronson will depart the studio on December 1 as the executive shuffle under David Ellison’s new ownership continues.

Aronson, a widely respected and beloved executive renowned for his insight, sharp wit and flamboyant presentations at CinemaCon, notified staff in a memo on Tuesday morning. There has been no indication from Paramount Pictures co-heads Josh Greenstein and Dana Goldberg as to who will succeed Aronson. Screen has confirmed that president of international theatrical distribution Mark Viane remains in place.

Scroll down to read the full memo

Aronson will stay at the studio to oversee the North American launch of Edgar Wright’s sci-fi remake The Running Man starring Glen Powell on November 14. His departure comes after the exits of former Paramount Pictures president of worldwide marketing and distribution Marc Weinstock, motion picture group head Michael Ireland, and parent company co-CEOs Brian Robbins and Chris McCarthy.

The executive oversaw the release of Top Gun: Maverick in 2022 and shepherded the Tom Cruise tentpole to a superb $718.7m gross that remains the fifth-highest release of all time unadjusted for inflation. His Paramount highlights include establishing box office success for three films from the Sonic The Hedgehog franchise that have generated close to $600m since 2020 – with increased North American box office in successive instalments that contributed in large part to $1.2bn in global ticket sales.

He is a staunch advocate of cinema-going and has argued for more experimentation around ticket pricing. In 2023 Paramount launched its “$8 For 80” variable pricing initiative tied to the comedy 80 For Brady starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Sally Field and Rita Moreno, when pre-­release screening tickets cost $8, well below the national average of $10.53 at the time.

During a lengthy tenure at Fox, which ended in 2019 when Disney acquired most of the entertainment assets of 21st Century Fox, Aronson brought his expertise to tentpoles like Avatar and Bohemian Rhapsody.

Aronson wrote in his memo: “I believe more than ever in the power of the theatrical experience, and I know that if we in distribution continue to collaborate with our partners in exhibition, not being afraid to be agents of change, we can continue to propel moviegoing forward. And with true advocates of the moviegoing experience in Josh and Dana, I know you have a bright future ahead.”

He also served at MGM as EVP and general sales manager, and was SVP at Rentrak, which later changed its name to Comscore.

Paramount Pictures releases Toronto International Film Festival world premiere Roofman directed by Derek Cianfrance and starring Channing Tatum and Kirsten Dunst on Friday (October 10).

Aronson’s full memo appears below:

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