A24‘s Head of Theatrical Sales, Frank Martinez, is heading over to Bleecker Street as their new Head of Distribution, effective today.
This comes in the wake of Bleecker Street’s former Distribution Chief, Kyle Davies, departing for AMC Theatres’ new distribution label, Leawood Films, which we first told you about.
Martinez will report to Bleecker Street CEO Kent Sanderson. He’ll spearhead the company’s theatrical distribution strategies, planning, and execution for both Bleecker Street and Crosswalk slates.
At A24, Martinez led domestic theatrical sales and worked across release strategy and planning, box office forecasting, and analysis. During his tenure, A24’s annual domestic box office grew from $151 million in 2023 to more than $333 million YTD. He worked on a range of the studio’s most successful theatrical releases, including their highest grossing movie, Backrooms, as well as Civil War, The Drama, Materialists, and Babygirl. Other notable releases during his tenure at A24 include The Invite, Best Picture nominees The Zone of Interest, The Brutalist and Marty Supreme, and the upcoming Primetime.
Prior to A24, Martinez served as Executive Director of Domestic Distribution at Paramount Pictures. While at Paramount, Martinez worked on Top Gun: Maverick, Rocketman, and multiple releases across the Mission: Impossible, A Quiet Place, Scream and Sonic the Hedgehog franchises. Prior to Paramount, Martinez began his career in theater management and operations before moving into film programming and buying at Bow Tie Cinemas and Rave Cinemas’ The Film Group.
Martinez was a founding member of Film Row, an affiliate of the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation, in 2019, and served as its President from 2023 to 2025 before becoming Honorary Chair. He also currently serves as VP on the board of the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation.
Bleecker Street CEO Kent Sanderson said: “Frank is one of the most insightful, analyticial, and creative minds in theatrical distribution. As Bleecker Street continues to reinvent itself and prioritize the cinematic experience, I am so thrilled to have him be the steward of our slate in this exciting time in theatrical distribution.”
Martinez said, “Bleecker Street has established itself as a destination for bold, distinctive filmmaking, and I couldn’t be more excited to join the team. As the theatrical landscape continues to evolve, there is tremendous opportunity to find creative ways to connect great films with audiences. I look forward to working alongside our filmmakers and exhibition partners to build on Bleecker’s strong foundation and help drive the next chapter of the company’s growth.”
Bleecker Street’s upcoming slate includes Oscar-winning documentarian Alex Gibney’s Musk, which had its world premiere at Venice International Film Festival and made its North American debut at TIFF (Oct. 9); Anton Corbijn’s thriller A Talent for Murder, which had its world premiere at TIFF, starring Helen Mirren as legendary writer Patricia Highsmith (Oct. 23); Victorian Psycho, Zachary Wigon’s period horror film starring Maika Monroe and Jason Isaacs, which premiered in Un Certain Regard at this year’s Cannes Film Festival (Nov. 13); legendary filmmaker Mike Leigh’s Tender Loving Care, which was unveiled at Telluride and went on to screen at TIFF (Dec, 4); and The Liberation, the cult thriller directed by Academy Award-winner Guy Nattiv, which also had its world premiere at Telluride and screened at TIFF, starring Carrie Coon, Bella Ramsey, Odessa Young, and Lily James (Jan 8. 2027, with an awards qualifying run in the fall).
Additionally, Bleecker Street’s event cinema distribution division, Crosswalk, has George Michael: The Faith Tour on Dec. 11, featuring never-before-seen footage of the global superstar’s legendary 1988 Faith Tour, following the historic box office performance of Hadestown: The Musical, which became the highest-grossing live theater capture of a stage show in history with $20.7M domestic.