Sony’s movie studio doesn’t have to worry about succession — at least not for the foreseeable future.
The company announced Friday that Rothman, 70, has entered into a multiyear extension of his contract as chairman-CEO of Sony Pictures’ Motion Picture Group. The news underscores the close professional bond he has developed with his relatively new boss, Sony Pictures Entertainment president-CEO Ravi Ahuja, who continues to believe that Rothman’s resolute commitment to fiscal responsibility and ability to push creative boundaries and take risks when needed make him the best person for job.
The well-respected Ahuja, 54, was tapped by Sony leaders in Japan to take over for Tony Vinciquerra earlier this year. The Hollywood Reporter has previously reported that Rothman was reupping, but the company made the news official on Friday.
Rothman is now the longest-running movie studio chief in modern times between his decade at Sony and, before that, at the now-defunct 20th Century Fox, a gig he shared with Jim Gianopulos that brought such blockbusters as James Cameron’s Avatar to the big screen. He’s a fierce advocate of theatrical, a point that surely helped lure Quentin Tarantino into the Sony fold when Tarantino was shopping the potentially risky project Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
Rothman, who was ultimately pushed out at Fox, succeeded Amy Pascal as Sony’s movie chief after the crippling Sony hack. He’s credited with guiding Sony’s film slate to record profitability in recent years and for his steadfast, tough dealmaking, including standing firm when going head-to-head with Marvel Studios’ chief Kevin Feige over the Spider-Man franchise. (Sony has rights to the use of Spidey characters.)
Reporting directly to Ahuja, Rothman oversees Sony’s stable of film studios, including the flagship Columbia Pictures, TriStar Pictures, Screen Gems, Sony Pictures Animation, Sony Pictures Imageworks, Sony Pictures International Productions and Sony Pictures Classics. He also is responsible for the studio’s live stage activities, which include MJ: The Musical.
Rothman’s steadfast commitment to the theatrical experience, along with investing in both IP driven and original films, has led to notable box office hits. That includes the highest-grossing film in Columbia’s 100-year history, Spider-Man: No Way Home, which raked in $1.9 billion at the worldwide box office, excluding China. His slate also includes the Academy Award-winning Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and the Oscar nominated Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (more installments are in the works).
And then there’s Sam Mendes’ four individual Beatles movies, which are arguably the biggest swing of Rothman’s career. Sources indicate his multiyear career extension means he’ll get to see the ambitious project through. The four intertwining movies will all hit theaters in April 2028 in what’s being billed as the first bingeable theatrical experience.
Ahuja has time to figure out a succession plan now that it’s clear Rothman’s contract hasn’t just been extended for a year or so (there’s had been rampant speculation as to the time frame.) Rothman’s two top lieutenants are Sony Motion Picture Group co-presidents Sanford Panitch and Josh Greenstein, who divide and conquer by focusing on production and marketing/distribution, respectively. There’s rumors that Greenstein may leave for Paramount if David Ellison’s Skydance-Paramount is cleared by the Trump administration (Greenstein and Ellison are close).
During this tenure, Rothman and his two co-presidents revived the Bad Boys, Jumanji and Ghostbusters series, as well as creating the Venom trilogy. He’s also turned out a number of female skewing hits, including Anyone But You, It Ends With Us, No Hard Feelings, Where the Crawdads Sing, Greta Gerwig’s award-winning Little Women and the ground-breaking The Woman King.
A crowning moment for Rothman was working with Tarantino on best-picture nominee Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, the first film Tarantino made without Harvey Weinstein (Tarantino says he intends to stay put at Sony).
Rothman has a strong foundation in the indie film and specialty world, including founding and becoming the first president of Oscar house Fox Searchlight. He also did a stint at the Samuel Goldwyn Company after starting out his career as a partner at the New York entertainment law firm Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz.
Sony has endured something of a quiet patch at the box office in recent months, but that’s expected to change in a significant way with 2025 summer pics Karate Kid: Legends and Danny Boyle’s long-awaited 28 Years Later. Other films waiting in in the wings include Darren Aronofsky’s Caught Stealing, Taika Waititi’s Klara and the Sun and Kogonada’s A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, starring Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell.
Big IP titles in the offing include the fourth installment of Spider-Man starring Tom Holland, Jake Kasdan’s next Jumanji film and Nintendo’s live-action film of the hit video game, The Legend of Zelda. Returning horror franchises include I Know What You Did Last Summer, Insidious and Zach Cregger’s new take on Resident Evil.
