Lionsgate appoints Adam Fogelson as Chairman of its Motion Picture Group

Lionsgate has appointed veteran film executive Adam Fogelson as the new Chairman of its Motion Picture Group. He will be taking over the role from Joe Drake, who initiated the transition and will be working with Fogelson over the next few months to ensure a smooth transfer of leadership.

Under Drake’s leadership over the past six years, Lionsgate’s Motion Picture Group has seen success with “Knives Out,” the last two “John Wick” films, the “Saw” franchise, and “The Hunger Games” prequel “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.” 2023 was Lionsgate’s biggest box office year since 2019, earning over US$1.08 billion globally.

Drake also expanded Lionsgate’ film business across platforms – tripling its multiplatform releases with titles like “Shotgun Wedding,” “Silent Night,” “Sisu,” and the upcoming “Simple Favor” sequel. The studio has also established itself as a leader in the faith-based film space thanks to Drake’s team greenlighting hits like “Jesus Revolution,” while continuing to grow its library through production and strategic acquisitions.

“Joe has been a great partner and a respected team leader, a truly entrepreneurial executive with one of the best business minds in the industry. We are very fortunate to have Adam Fogelson, one of Hollywood’s most accomplished and innovative film executives, to succeed him. Adam has the leadership experience at both the major studio and independent level as well as the strategic vision to keep our Motion Picture Group strong and vibrant in a fast-changing environment,”  said Jon Feltheimer, CEO of Lionsgate.

“Despite unprecedented disruption over the last few years, we built a team that thrived throughout and achieved everything I could have imagined at Lionsgate. I am very proud we were able to reinvigorate our ‘Hunger Games’ and ‘Saw’ franchises, grow the ‘John Wick’ Universe, and successfully expand every aspect of our motion picture business. When Jon and I engaged in succession planning, our goal was to build on the momentum and success we had experienced over the last few years. Having worked side by side with Adam for the past 18 months, he is the perfect choice to lead the motion picture group forward to even greater heights,”  Drake commented.

“I deeply appreciate the trust and confidence that Jon, Michael, Joe and the rest of the management team have placed in me and I look forward to embarking on this next chapter together. Lionsgate unifies the two primary threads of my career: the scale and talent relationships of a major studio with the renegade, resourceful spirit of a start-up. I am dedicated to building and extending our extensive library of films and top-tier franchises which, as the last year has proved, still have lots of room to grow. I am particularly grateful for the chance to continue working alongside this passionate and innovative team in a culture that is creatively audacious, entrepreneurial and supportive,”  Fogelson declared.

Fogelson led Universal as Chairman from 2009-2013. The tenure at this company included the fifth and sixth “Fast & Furious” movies, the rebooted “Jurassic World,” and other hits like “Lone Survivor,” “Ride Along,” “Neighbors,” and “Fifty Shades of Grey.” Most recently, he worked for STX Motion Picture Group, where he oversaw such hits as “Hustlers,” the “Bad Moms” franchise, “The Upside,” “Greenland,” “The Gift,” “Molly’s Game,” and “The Gentlemen,” among many others.