Fox distribution president Bruce Snyder to retire

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Twentieth Century Fox’s president of domestic distribution, Bruce Snyder, who has worked in the film business 44 years and ran the division that books Fox movies in theaters since 1989, will retire in July, the studio announced Tuesday.

He will be replaced by his deputy Chris Aronson, who has worked at Fox since 2005 and in the movie business for three decades.

Theatrical distribution is one of the few key jobs in Hollywood that has largely remained the same as it was decades ago despite the rapid changes wrought by digital technology. Executives negotiate with theater owners to exhibit their movies and try to extract the highest possible percentage of ticket sales for their studios.

Most distribution executives are, like Snyder, longtime veterans who have been in their posts for decades.

Snyder, 65, began his career at Paramount Pictures in 1968 and joined Fox in 1976 as manager of the eastern division. Thirteen years later he was named president of domestic distribution, overseeing the release of such blockbusters as ‘Avatar’ and ‘X-Men.’

Aronson came to Fox in 2005 after previously working at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Columbia Pictures, Universal Pictures and Rentrak Corp., which tracks box-office receipts and counts the studios as its key clients. His most recent position at Fox was executive vice president of domestic distribution.

‘For decades, Bruce has represented everything that is good and strong and ethical about our studio and industry,’ Fox chairmen Jim Gianopulos and Tom Rothman said in a statement. ‘He has not only guided hundreds of our pictures into the theatrical marketplace, he has spent countless hours advising colleagues and even competitors, all of whom have benefited from his wisdom, experience and kindnesses. He is a prince among men and will be missed by everyone whose lives and careers he has touched.’

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-- Ben Fritz