Longtime Disney Entertainment distribution executive Ken Caldwell, who spearheaded distribution for eight of the top 15 domestic releases of all time, is retiring.
Caldwell will leave Disney Entertainment at the end of the year, departing the role of executive vice president and general sales manager of North American theatrical sales, a title he has held since 2019.
During his time at Disney, Caldwell managed the releases for $1 billion grossers such as the live-action remakes Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King. On the animation front, he managed Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Frozen and Zootopia, as well as Pixar‘s Toy Story, The Incredibles and Coco. More recently, he helped lead 20th Century Studios Avatar: The Way of Water to its $684 million domestic haul.
He also oversaw the domestic releases of every Marvel Studios theatrical title since 2012’s The Avengers, and all Star Wars releases since Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2012, including Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which stands as the top grossing domestic release of all time with $936.6 million.
The executive began his Disney career in Chicago before departing to work as a film buyer for General Cinema Theaters in Dallas. After returning to Disney in 1986, he worked his way up the theatrical distribution team in Chicago, Atlanta and New York. After serving in leadership positions in those cities, he moved to Disney’s Burbank headquarters in 2011.
Caldwell used his perch at Disney to support members of the armed forces, traveling overseas to combat zones in Afghanistan and Iraq, beginning with Guardians of the Galaxy (2014). He most recently brought Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 to Djibouti and serves as an executive sponsor for Disney’s Veterans United group.
Caldwell reports to distribution boss Tony Chambers, and his role will be backfilled.
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