Lionsgate has named respected motion picture executive Adam Fogelson chair of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group. Joe Drake, who initiated the transition, will be working with Fogelson over the coming months to ensure a smooth succession.
Drake rejoined Lionsgate in 2017 after having success with Good Universe Pictures, the second company acquired by Lionsgate from Drake. During his current tenure, the Motion Picture Group has achieved growth, profitability, and taken creative risks. Highlights include Knives Out ($312.8M global), the last two John Wick movies ($768.4M global), relaunching The Hunger Games franchise with The Battle of Songbirds and Snakes ($328.9M global), and the latest installment in the Saw franchise ($103.9M global box). Continuing its growth trajectory, in 2023, Lionsgate achieved its first billion-dollar-plus year at the global box office ($1.08 billion) since 2019.
In addition to the 2023 box office success, Drake and team have been responsible for expanding the Lionsgate Motion Picture business across multiple platforms, including tripling the size of its multi-platform business with movies like Shotgun Wedding, Silent Night, Sisu and the upcoming Simple Favor 2, establishing itself as the leader in the theatrical faith space with hits like Jesus Revolution, and growing its library through production and strategic acquisitions.
Known and respected equally for his business skills as well as his marketing and production successes, Lionsgate is the third studio Fogelson will lead after serving as Chairman of both Universal Pictures and the STX Motion Picture Group. At STX, he oversaw such hits as Hustlers, the Bad Moms franchise, The Upside, Greenland, The Gift, Molly’s Game and The Gentlemen, among many others. Prior to leading the motion picture group at STX, Fogelson had a successful career at Universal Pictures where he served as Chairman for four years, leading that studio to its highest grossing performances at the worldwide box office at that time with hits including Despicable Me and its sequel, Ted, Bridesmaids, Pitch Perfect, Contraband, Safe House, Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, Snow White and the Huntsman, Identity Thief, Mama, The Purge, and Les Misérables.
He was instrumental in the explosive growth of the Fast franchise, overseeing the release of Fast 5 and Fast and Furious 6, and he led the relaunch of the Jurassic universe with Jurassic World and greenlit other major hits including Lone Survivor, Ride Along, Non-Stop, Neighbors, The Purge 2, Fifty Shades of Grey, and Lucy. He also managed the marketing campaign for Universal’s Tony Award-winning smash-hit musical Wicked.
“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,” said Lionsgate chief executive officer Jon Feltheimer. “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.”
“Despite unprecedented disruption over the last few years, we built a team that thrived throughout and achieved everything I could have imagined at Lionsgate,” said Drake. “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’d 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.”
“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,” said Fogelson. “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’m particularly grateful for the chance to continue working alongside this passionate and innovative team in a culture that is creatively audacious, entrepreneurial and supportive.”
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