Warner Bros. Extends Contracts for Film Heads De Luca & Abdy Following Blockbuster Year
BURBANK, CA – Warner Bros. Discovery announced Wednesday it is renewing the contracts of Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy, co-chairs and co-chief executives of Warner Bros.Motion Picture Group, after a remarkable turnaround year at the box office. the decision marks a significant shift in fortune for the pair, who faced scrutiny just months ago following a string of underperforming releases.
The studioS fortunes began to change dramatically in April wiht the unexpected success of “A Minecraft Movie,” wich has grossed nearly $958 million worldwide. This was quickly followed by strong performances from Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners,” “final Destination Bloodlines,” “F1 The Movie” (distributed by Warner Bros.), James Gunn’s “Superman,” the horror film ”Weapons,” and the latest installment in “The Conjuring” franchise.
More recently, the Paul Thomas Anderson film “One Battle After Another,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio, has generated awards buzz and earned $106 million globally to date.
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav credited De Luca and Abdy with orchestrating the studio’s resurgence in a memo to staff. He highlighted the success of their “balanced” film slate, encompassing both large-scale blockbusters and films based on established intellectual property, alongside horror offerings and original works.
“Mike and Pam’s unwavering leadership and commitment to this business has been critical to our success this year,” Zaslav wrote. “We have a lot to be grateful for and much to celebrate including several of this year’s best reviewed movies,many of which have pierced the culture zeitgeist in profound ways while also delighting moviegoers around the world.”
The studio recently surpassed $4 billion in global box office revenue, becoming the first studio to reach that milestone in 2024 and the first time warner Bros. has achieved the feat since 2019.
De Luca and Abdy echoed Zaslav’s sentiment in a note to employees, stating, “We have the privilege to do this job because of the support and trust [Zaslav] has put in us, and in all of you. We could not be more excited to be leading this team as we introduce an exciting slate of films in the coming years and continue making every film experiance an event worthy of the Warner Bros. shield.”
