Kyle Davies is leaving Bleecker Street, where he serves as president of distribution, to lead distribution at AMC Theatres’ newly launched film label, Leawood Films. AMC unveiled the venture Monday, initially listing Davies only as an advisor, but sources close to the move confirmed he is departing his post entirely to join the exhibitor chain full time.
Leawood Films will focus on distributing small and mid-sized movies that arrive already financed, giving theater owners access to titles that might otherwise struggle to find a home. AMC chairman and CEO Adam Aron framed the label as a response to excess screen capacity across the industry, saying the goal is simply to get more movies into theaters. The label takes its name from AMC’s headquarters in Leawood, Kansas.
Two other veteran executives are joining Davies in an advisory capacity: former Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group chairman Toby Emmerich and former Disney marketing chief Ricky Strauss. Unlike Davies, who will pilot the label day to day, Emmerich and Strauss will consult while reporting, alongside Davies, directly to Aron.
Leawood is expected to work in tandem with New York-based distributor Variance, which has previously booked AMC’s own concert-film ventures, including “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” and Beyoncé’s “Renaissance.” Leawood’s slate will carry a theatrical window of at least 45 days before premium video-on-demand and 90 days before streaming, with its first titles expected in 2027 or 2028.
Davies’ exit from Bleecker Street was described as amicable, and the company has begun searching for his successor. During his tenure there, he oversaw the release of “Hadestown” through the distributor’s Crosswalk label, the highest-grossing Broadway capture film to date. Before joining Bleecker Street, Davies spent years as president of domestic distribution at Paramount Pictures, where he guided the rollout of titles including “A Quiet Place,” “Mission: Impossible – Fallout,” and “Arrival,” and he previously ran worldwide distribution at Relativity Media. Outside his distribution work, Davies co-chairs the Pioneers Assistance Fund Committee for the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation.
