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Disney distribution executive Matt Kalavsky has been promoted to Senior Vice President and General Sales Manager, Domestic Theatrical Distribution, for Disney Entertainment.
He succeeds Ken Caldwell, who is retiring at the end of the year.
Kalavsky will oversee domestic distribution, which includes U.S. and Canada, for all of the studio’s film labels including Disney, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, Lucasfilm, Marvel Studios, 20th Century Studios and Searchlight Pictures. Kalavsky’s oversee also will include Cinema Partnerships team, non-theatrical sales and the iconic El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood.
“I’m absolutely delighted for Matt to take the domestic reins moving forward,” said Tony Chambers, Executive Vice President and Head of Theatrical Distribution. “For more than 20 years, Matt has been both a terrific leader and an invaluable partner to Ken, the entire Disney team and to the domestic exhibition community. Not only that, but he has played an instrumental role in helping Disney deliver some of the industry’s biggest box office successes of all time.”
Said Kalavsky: “I am truly honored to lead this team of highly dedicated and talented individuals, who continue to do amazing work delivering Disney’s unrivaled film slate to audiences across the country.”
Kalavsky was recently VP, Assistant General Sales Manager, Theatrical Distribution. During his time at the studio, he handled its biggest hits, i.e. 20th Century Studios’ Avatar: The Way of Water; the live-action reimaginings of Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King; Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Frozen and Zootopia; Pixar’s Coco; Searchlight’ Pictures’’s Best Picture Oscar winner Nomadland; Marvel Studios’ record-breaking Avengers: Endgame; and Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the highest-grossing domestic release of all-time, to name a few.
Kalavsky started at Disney in 1999 in the College Network Program at Buena Vista Pictures Distribution while an undergrad at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After advancing through multiple sales positions within the company in both the Atlanta and New York offices, Kalavsky relocated to the company’s Burbank headquarters in 2013 where he was named VP Sales Strategy & Analytics. He has served as VP, Assistant General Sales Manager since 2019.