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WarnerMedia CEO’s Hollywood Movie Gamble Pays Off at Box Office

  • Industry has ‘come around’ to his release strategy, Kilar says
  • Studio is vying for sixth straight box-office win this weekend
Mortal KombatSource: Warner Bros.

WarnerMedia’s film studio is vying for its sixth-straight win at the U.S. box office this weekend, marking a victory lap of sorts for Chief Executive Officer Jason Kilar after a combative first year leading the media giant.

Kilar, now 50, took the helm of WarnerMedia on May 1 of last year -- in the middle of a pandemic -- and embarked on a series of bold and sometimes painful steps. He presided over a reshuffling of the AT&T Inc. division, leading to thousands of job cuts, and put the new HBO Max streaming service at the center of its focus.