Bleecker Street has appointed Kyle Davies as the film company’s president of distribution.
In his new role, Davies will be responsible for spearheading the planning and execution of Bleecker Street’s theatrical movies. Its upcoming releases include “Infinite Storm” with Naomi Watts, “Montana Story” starring Haley Lu Richardson, “Mr. Malcolm’s List” featuring Freida Pinto and “Golda” starring Helen Mirren.
“I couldn’t be more excited to join the team at Bleecker Street and share the energy and opportunity that exists within their sophisticated and diverse slate of independent films,” Davies said. “I’ve always admired Bleecker’s belief in the theatrical experience and approach in acquiring films for broad audiences. I look forward to being a part of their evolution.”
Prior to joining Bleecker Street, Davies most recently worked at Paramount Pictures as president of domestic distribution. During his tenure, he was responsible for rolling out films like the Elton John musical fantasy “Rocketman,” John Krasinski’s nearly silent thriller “A Quiet Place,” Tom Cruise’s “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” and “Book Club.”
“Kyle has unparalleled relationships with exhibitors and a stellar track record in the theatrical distribution space,” Bleecker Street CEO Andrew Karpen said. “His perspective is very much in line with our business and he really is the perfect addition to our executive team.”
Davies had previous stints at Relativity Media, where he served as president of worldwide distribution. He expanded his oversight of film distribution strategies following the creation of joint venture company Relativity EuropaCorp in 2014. Davies initially served as executive VP of theatrical distribution — and was later promoted to president of theatrical distribution — for Overture Films, handling the release of “Law Abiding Citizen,” “Brooklyn’s Finest,” “The Visitor” and others. Before his time Overture, Davies had an earlier job at Paramount Pictures as senior VP of distribution following its purchase of DreamWorks, working on numerous films including “Mission: Impossible III,” “Dreamgirls,” “Over the Hedge,” “Gladiator,” “Saving Private Ryan,” “American Beauty,” “Shrek” and “Shrek II.”
Bleecker Street has been active on the acquisitions front, recently buying director Catherine Hardwicke’s heist comedy “Mafia Mamma” starring Toni Collette, which will shoot this spring. The company also nabbed Abi Damaris Corbin’s “892” with John Boyega and Dale Dickey’s “A Love Song” following their world premieres at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. In addition, Bleecker Street newly entered an exclusive three-year output deal with Showtime Networks.
