Twentieth Century Fox Film has hired Marc Weinstock as to be its new president of domestic theatrical marketing, four months after he was let go amid a shakeup at Sony, the studio said Wednesday.
The former Sony marketing guru joins Fox on January 13 and will report to Worldwide Theatrical Marketing and Distribution Co-Presidents Paul Hanneman and Tomas Jegeus. He replaces Oren Aviv, who was forced out last October in an executive overhaul that also led to the departure of Chief Creative Officer Tony Sella.
It’s a home-coming for Weinstock, who began his career at Fox Searchlight.
Also read: Fox Marketing Shake-Up: Oren Aviv’s Style Clashed With Fox’s Top Brass, Say Insiders
Though his work in film may have started on the Fox lot, Weinstock remains best known for his time at Sony. There, he oversaw the release of a number of major hits such as “The Amazing Spider-Man,” “Skyfall” and “21 Jump Street,” before he was forced out in a series of leadership shake-ups last fall.
His exit came on the heels of a summer of disappointing film releases such as “White House Down” and “After Earth” and a bruising campaign by activist share-holder Daniel Loeb that used the studio’s lackluster box office results as an argument for spinning off the company’s entertainment assets.
Home entertainment head David Bishop and veteran studio publicist Steve Elzer also parted ways with the company after Sony brass promised to cut costs and improve its green-lighting process. Loeb’s investment firm Third Point is one of Sony’s biggest stakeholders, which gave him enormous sway, even though the company’s board ultimately rejected his proposal.
Also read: David Bishop Out as Sony Home Entertainment Chief
“I’m very excited to return to the lot where my film career began,” Weinstock said in a statement. “It’s a thrilling time to be at Fox as the studio builds the industry’s premier global marketing and distribution organization. I look forward to working with my new colleagues on what looks to be a fantastic slate of films for the coming years.”
Upcoming Fox releases that Weinstock will inherit include a string of high-profile sequels such as “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” and “Rio 2.”
Weinstock first joined Sony from Fox Searchlight in 2000, where he swiftly climbed up the ranks. In 2006, he was named to run marketing for Sony’s genre division, Screen Gems, and two year later he was promoted to be co-president of worldwide theatrical marketing for Sony Pictures, eventually becoming its sole head.