Sanford Panitch has left Regency to run Fox International Productions (FIP), a newly formed international production umbrella unit of Fox Filmed Entertainment that will produce, acquire and distribute local language films around the globe. Fox Filmed Entertainment chairmen/CEOs, Jim Gianopulos and Tom Rothman made the announcement today. Panitch was prez of filmed entertainment for New Regency (a partnership with News Corporation and Twentieth Century Fox) and now becomes prez of the Los Angeles-based FIP, reporting to Rothman and Gianopulos. 
The press release says FIP will oversee production activities already in progress in Japan, Germany, Russia and India, and will expand Fox’s local productions in these and other markets in the future. FIP will work closely with Fox’s other production divisions and partners and also will tap into its News Corp sister companies, including STAR, SKY and MySpace, among others. The endeavor also will coordinate efforts with Fox International, run by co-presidents Tomas Jegeus and Paul Hanneman. Fox International will handle all marketing and distribution for FIP. Panitch was at New Regency for the past seven years, moving from Twentieth Century Fox where he last served as executive vice president of production.
Great move by Fox! Panitch is truly one of the good guys in town–as well as one of the smartest. Nikki, I’m pretty sure he’s been the President of New Regency for longer than 7 years, though.
Comment by Can't Take it Anymore — May 12, 2008 @ 8:37 pm
This is a smart move with the right guy.
international and localized content will be the leading profit center for smart studios in the next 10 years.
Comment by reelbusy — May 12, 2008 @ 9:14 pm
Sanford made infamously bad calls at Regency … his claim to fame, though, was MR. AND MRS. SMITH, which was his excuse for any and all bad advice or script-shopping he did. I think Fox definitely could have found someone more worthwhile to head up FIP …
Comment by Chim Chim — May 13, 2008 @ 8:15 am
This is cronyism, plain and simple. Panitch did nothing during his tenure except make bad calls and shift blame to others for his numerous mistakes. This is a well known fact. But… he’s a Rothman crony. Even Rothman has little respect for the man.
His one profitable decision was to make those g*d-awful spoof movies which are frankly an embarassment to this entire industry. Hardly worth the chump change they brought in.
Comment by rbernstein21 — May 13, 2008 @ 9:35 am
Chim chim and rbernstein21: Sounds like sour grapes to me. Did Panitch turn down your scripts or something?
Comment by Can't Take it Anymore — May 13, 2008 @ 9:50 am
Weirder still is when one looks at the performance of Panitch era Regency films overseas, it becomes clear that the guy has no feel for the international marketplace. And his brand of circa mid-90’s Hollywood smoke-blowing won’t fly overseas. It’s a different business out there. Frankly this is an odd move from the Greek and the Geek, who are usually pretty savvy.
As to his leaving Regency, box office psychics ran a hilarious piece about it last week
http://www.boxofficepsychics.com/2008/05/09/panich-cankles-new-regency/
Comment by RustyHanger213 — May 13, 2008 @ 10:22 am
The Panitch move was supposedly in the works for a year but Chernin put the kibosh on it and Rothman revived it as New Regency became a more and more toxic environment for Panitch.
Panitch is a Rothman crony. Everyone knows that and he hates Hutch Parker. Will be interesting to see how the dynamics change on the Fox lot after this move and who is banished over to New Regency from the Fox reject line in his place.
The Box Office Psychics piece was super funny btw - just read it and couldn’t stop laughing because its true - all of those movies that Panitch passed on became mega-hits for other studios.
Comment by Goosage — May 13, 2008 @ 9:05 pm