Fox International Distribution President Andrew Cripps Also Out As Part Of Disney-Fox Merger – Deadline

Fox’s International Theatrical Distribution president Andrew Cripps was also among the Fox senior brass pink-slipped Wednesday as Disney absorbs the rival studio.

Cripps, like Fox Domestic Distribution boss Chris Aronson who was also laid off today, is also a platinum executive in his field with a three-decade-plus track record having previously served as president of Imax International, president of Paramount Pictures International from 2007-2011, and president and COO of United International Pictures. His international exposure includes 19 years in Japan as part of his UIP tenure.

Cripps moved to Fox International from London in 2017 and oversaw all strategic and managerial international theatrical distribution activities for the studio. He was also involved with developing business opportunities in the offshore marketplace, including established territories as well as newer areas.

Cripps succeeded Paul Hanneman, who was Fox’s co-president of Worldwide Theatrical Marketing and Distribution.

During Cripps’ short run at Fox, his home runs include Bohemian Rhapsody ($663.7M overseas B.O.), The Greatest Showman ($260.6M o’seas), Deadpool 2 ($460.4M o’seas), Murder on the Orient Express ($250M o’seas) and The Kingsman: The Golden Circle ($310.7M). While the ambitious $170M-plus feature James Cameron production Alita: Battle Angel was challenged from the start, especially at the domestic B.O. ($81M-plus to date), Cripps propelled the pic’s foreign B.O. to rep close to 80% of its worldwide take with $312.2M. Alita scored the best Imax and Fox debut in China with $62.3M and to date the pic has made $131.7M in the Middle Kingdom.

During his run at Paramount, Cripps saw a slate that grossed over $10 billion during a five-year period, with 2011 minting $3.2B alone. At Imax, one of Cripps’ many accomplishments was doubling the size of the network to a then 225 locations.

Fox’s Heather Phillips, EVP and head of domestic publicity, and Mike Dunn, president of product strategy and consumer business development, were also let go today as restructuring officially commences after the $71.3 billion acquisition of Fox assets by Disney was officially completed early Wednesday morning.

Those staying put in the new merger include previously announced 20th Century Fox Film vice chairman Emma Watts, Fox 2000 chief Elizabeth Gabler, Fox Family president Vanessa Morrison, and Fox Searchlight co-heads Steve Gilula and Nancy Utley. Fox film chief Stacey Snider as previously reported is not making the jump.