Disney in leadership overhaul as Bailey exits
ORLANDO: Walt Disney Co is overhauling some of the leadership at its troubled movie division, replacing an executive who oversaw a string of disappointments with the head of Searchlight Pictures, the art-house film unit behind such critical successes as Poor Things.

Sean Bailey, the longtime president of film production for Disney’s namesake studio, is being replaced by David Greenbaum, the company said on Monday in a statement.

Greenbaum will take on the new position of president, Disney Live Action and 20th Century Studios. That puts him in charge of some of Disney’s biggest franchises, including Avatar and Planet of the Apes.

Disney’s film business, which has towered over Hollywood for years, has struggled of late.

The most recent superhero picture, The Marvels, delivered just US$206mil in global ticket sales, a fraction of what successful comic-book features typically produce.

After leading the global box office for several years, Disney lost the top spot to Comcast Corp’s Universal Pictures in 2023.

Greenbaum has served as co-president of Searchlight, along with Matthew Greenfield, who will continue solo in that role.

The Searchlight release Poor Things is a nominee for best picture at the Oscars next month, and the division was behind previous winners such as The Shape of Water and Nomadland.

Both executives will continue to report to Disney Entertainment co-chairman Alan Bergman.

Prior to joining Searchlight, Greenbaum worked for Miramax on pictures including No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood.

Bailey, who had served in the role since 2010, is best known for remaking some of Disney’s animated hits, like Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin, with live actors.

While some became successes – Beauty and the Beast brought in US$1.27bil globally - others like last year’s The Little Mermaid failed to perform as well.

“The time is right for a new chapter,” Bailey said in the statement.

The executive has considered other film executive positions.

He will serve as a producer on Disney’s Tron: Ares and other projects, the company said.

Burbank, California-based Disney is in the midst of a fight with shareholder activists including Nelson Peltz’s Trian Fund Management, which owns about US$3.6bil of the stock and is seeking two seats on the company’s board at the April 3 shareholder meeting.

Under chief executive officer Bob Iger, who returned to lead Disney in November 2022, the company has been cutting costs and reshaping its entertainment operations around online video businesses led by Disney+.

Shares of Disney were little changed at US$107.84 in extended trading. The stock is up 19% this year. — Bloomberg
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Walt Disney Co is overhauling some of the leadership at its troubled movie division, replacing an executive who oversaw a string of disappointments with the head of Searchlight Pictures, the art-house film unit behind such critical successes as Poor Things.