David Sameth is out as head of marketing at Paramount and will be replaced by former Annapurna president Marc Weinstock, according to multiple reports.
Sameth, who was the former head of theatrical marketing for Disney Animation and Pixar, joined Paramount last year and took over as head of marketing after the departure of Megan Colligan, who is now head of IMAX Entertainment.
Before his term at Annapurna, Weinstock served as head of domestic marketing at Fox under then-studio head Jim Gianopulos, who is now chairman and CEO of Paramount. He has also served as president of worldwide marketing at Sony Pictures.
Paramount’s upcoming film slate includes an adaptation of Stephen King’s “Pet Sematary,” the Ang Lee sci-fi film “Gemini Man” and the Elton John biopic “Rocketman.” The studio grossed $757 million at the domestic box office last year, up 41 percent from 2017’s $534 million total. 53 percent of last year’s total came from “Mission: Impossible — Fallout” ($220 million) and “A Quiet Place” ($188 million).
However, the latest installment of the studio’s tentpole “Transformers” franchise, “Bumblebee,” has only grossed $125.8 million domestic and $458 million worldwide. While the film’s $135 million budget was significantly cheaper than that of 2017’s “Transformers: The Last Knight,” “Bumblebee” is 25 percent behind its predecessor’s $605 million global total, which was previously the lowest of any “Transformers” sequel.
Paramount did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment. The departure was first reported by Variety.