Lionsgate has appointed Michael Viane executive vice president of worldwide theatrical distribution and operations for the Motion Picture Group, a senior role that places him under global distribution president Kevin Grayson as the studio readies a busy 2025–2026 slate. The move follows a leadership shuffle across the industry that saw Lionsgate’s outgoing distribution co-president Shaun Barber take a new post overseeing domestic distribution at Paramount.
In announcing the hire, Grayson praised Viane as a trusted collaborator with three decades of experience and pointed to the near-term pipeline, citing titles including The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping and Michael among releases he expects the team to steer through the marketplace. Viane, in his own remarks, said he was “honored to join the team” and to reunite with Grayson and Motion Picture Group chair Adam Fogelson, adding that the slate positions the company for the holiday corridor and into 2026.
Viane’s résumé spans the studio, exhibition, and data sides of the business. He spent more than 20 years in Warner Bros.’ theatrical distribution ranks, later served as a senior film buyer at Regal Entertainment Group, and co-led distribution at STX Entertainment alongside Grayson during that label’s growth phase under Fogelson. He most recently headed global revenue for Comscore’s movies division, a perch that connected him with exhibitors and studios on box-office reporting tools such as Box Office Essentials and PostTrak. The mix of front-line sales experience and analytics-driven strategy is likely to be central as release calendars tighten and premium screens become more competitive.
The hire arrives as studios recalibrate theatrical strategies after several uneven quarters at the multiplex. Lionsgate has leaned on franchise extensions and filmmaker-driven titles to maintain volume, and the company’s distribution group has emphasized closer coordination with exhibitors and partners on dating, premium format play, and eventized openings. Bringing in Viane—whose background includes relationships across circuits and a track record guiding rollouts for both majors and mini-majors—signals a bet on aggressive bookings and data-informed positioning as the market heads into another crowded year.
