Andrew Cripps, a titan of the international distribution space who orchestrated the blockbuster Transformers releases outside North America among many other successful campaigns, has stepped down as president of Paramount Pictures International (PPI) and is replaced by former Disney international distribution chief Antony Marcoly.

Cripps (pictured) decided not to relocate from London to Los Angeles in the wake of the studio’s recent centralisation drive. He is replaced by the experienced Marcoly, the former president of Walt Disney Pictures International who left that studio in January 2010 after chairman Rich Ross effected sweeping changes.

The departure of Cripps marks the second major change in a week in the senior ranks of the studio international community after Mark Zucker announced he was retiring as head of Sony Pictures Releasing International after more than three decades in the business.

It is understood that 120 jobs will be lost as a result of the previously reported studio-wide reorganisation, with roughly 80 from the US and 40 from international offices. This latter figure encompasses staff from the erstwhile PPI head office in London, which sources said would continue to operate as a “substantial” territory office, and the Latin American regional oversight office in Rio de Janeiro, which will close as functions transfer to Los Angeles.

Paramount said it would continue to operate its Latin American distribution offices in Brazil and Mexico, adding that international sales and distribution functions currently performed in-country would remain unchanged.

As head of Paramount international theatrical, Marcoly will be located on the Paramount lot overseeing the studio’s international distribution, finance and operations and reports to vice-chairman Rob Moore.

All country managers will now report to Marcoly and recently promoted chief marketing officer Josh Greenstein will oversee Paramount’s global theatrical marketing.

“We are undertaking this reorganisation to best adapt to the global evolution in the movie business,” Paramount chairman and CEO Brad Grey said. “We are grateful to Andrew for all he has done to help us build Paramount International, and we look forward to Anthony joining our team and bringing his extensive international experience to bear for our pictures.”

Cripps became president of Paramount Pictures International in January 2006 after serving as president and COO of UIP, which he joined back in 1986 as an executive assistant to the general manager of Japan.

Marcoly spent 26 years at Disney and in 2004 was honoured as Cinema Expo Distributor Of The Year.

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