Paramount Co-CEO Brian Robbins' Exit Memo Praises Staff During 'Major Industry Evolution', Talks Why Theatrical Matters & 'Bittersweet' Transition
Robbins joined Paramount in 2017. He became President and CEO of Nickelodeon in October 2018, then was raised to President and CEO of Paramount Pictures in September of 2021 and co-CEO of Paramount Global in April 2024. In the latter role, he was part of a team that launched and scaled Paramount+
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During his tenure at Paramount Pictures, Robbins saw 17 No. 1 releases at the box office, and this was coming off Covid when moviegoing was trying to regain its footing. In 2022 alone, he oversaw six No. 1 pics, which was one of the most successful years in the studio's history including Top Gun: Maverick which at close to $1.5 billion became the studio's most successful movie ever worldwide, as well as star Tom Cruise's. It was rumored at the time Robbins took over for Jim Gianopulos that he'd squash theatrical in favor of streaming, but that didn't happen. The former child actor and AwesomenessTV founder pivoted horror movie Smile from a P+ release to big screen, launching a new horror franchise for the studio. Mean Girls was another P+ movie change-up from streaming to theatrical, that movie providing a lifeblood to the B.O. during early 2024. He continued to expand Paramount's notable franchises including Sonic the Hedgehog, A Quiet Place, Mission: Impossible, Scream, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and PAW Patrol, with the latter two achieving over $2.5B in consumer products revenue at retail in 2023 alone.
The Robbins' reign made productions deals with a string of top filmmakers and talent, including A Quiet Place's John Krasinski and Allyson Seeger and their production company, Sunday Night; Ryan Reynolds's Maximum Effort; Sonic the Hedgehog's Neal Moritz; Transformers' Lorenzo di Bonaventura; Smile director Parker Finn; The Conjuring franchise's Walter Hamada who is building a genre label at the studio, 18hz; Academy Award-winning director Damien Chazelle; writer and co-director of the Academy Award-nominated The Mitchells vs. the Machines and the director of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Jeff Rowe.
There's a lot on the feature side that the Robbins' administration is leaving behind including Miramax's upcoming Roofman with Channing Tatum and Kirsten Dunst; Regretting You, The Running Man reboot with Glen Powell and directed by Edgar Wright, The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants this December.
For 2026 and beyond, he's put in the pipeline the animated The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender; a live-action comedy from South Park's Matt Stone and Trey Parker, along with Grammy award-winning musician Kendrick Lamar; original films including the next directorial feature from Damien Chazelle and Heart of the Beast starring Brad Pitt, with Chazelle producing with David Ayer directing; PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie, the third installment of the popular kids & family franchise; A Quiet Place Part III, with John Krasinski writing, directing and producing; The Angry Birds 3 movie, which the studio is distributing theatrically; a sequel to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem; a new installment of Scary Movie with the Wayans Brothers returning; and in development, event films like an all-new Star Trek origin story with Seth Grahame-Smith writing, Toby Haynes directing, and Simon Kinberg producing, as well as a biopic of Evel Knievel starring Leonardo DiCaprio and directed by Damien Chazelle.
Currently in post there's Children of Blood & Bone, the adaptation of the best-selling young adult fantasy series, featuring Idris Elba, Regina King, Cynthia Erivo Viola Davis, and Chiwetel Ejiofor, among others; a seventh installment of Scream, with legacy cast including Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox returning alongside new cast members; and horror movies Primate and Untitled André Øvredal/Walter Hamada Film.
In prep there's K-Pop, a partnership with Hybe America and starring Ji-young Yoo and Eric Nam; and the Ferris Bueller spin-off Sam & Victor's Day Off.
Upcoming for Robbins is the third season of School Spirits on P+, which will bring YA viewers back to the mysteries and characters of Split River High. Series is produced AwesomenessTV and stars Peyton List.
At Nickelodeon, Robbins steered SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora Explorer through their 25th anniversaries. After 20 years, SpongeBog remains the No. 1 animated kids' show after two decades. He further expanded the universe across platforms with franchise hits like 'The Patrick Star Show' and 'Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years' on Paramount+, and Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie (debuting as Netflix's most-watched title of the week) and Plankton: The Movie on Netflix.
Robbins also evolved Nickelodeon's relationship with professional sports, bringing for the first time ever an AR-driven NFL Wild Card game, which led to the first-ever NFL Super Bowl alternate telecast on Nickelodeon, hosted by SpongeBob and Patrick in a landmark creative first.
Brian Robbins Exit Memo Subject: Thank YouTeam,I'm writing today to share with you that I am departing as Co-CEO of Paramount Global, and President and CEO of Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon. As my time with the company comes to a close, I want to take a moment to express my sincere gratitude to all of you.When I first walked onto the Paramount Pictures lot as a young filmmaker many years ago, I never imagined I'd one day be entrusted with leading this storied studio. It has been one of the greatest privileges of my life to work alongside such an extraordinary group of people – creators, executives, teams – whose passion and dedication continue to inspire me every day. As I reflect on our time together, we've jointly experienced an incredible amount of change and transformation. Through global disruptions, shifting audience behaviors, and major industry evolution, your perseverance and creativity never wavered. You stayed focused, resilient, and committed to our shared mission: telling great stories that captivate audiences. With commitment and care, we brought new life to our studio's franchises, expanded into new platforms, and strengthened our footprint across film, television, streaming, and consumer products.At Paramount Pictures, we've continued to build on a legacy of great entertainment while pushing forward with fresh voices and ambitious ideas. You've helped bring to life stories that entertain, resonate, and endure, and reminded audiences why theatrical matters – why shared experiences in dark rooms still have the power to unite. We've reinvigorated beloved properties and expanded franchises, including Sonic the Hedgehog, Scream, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, A Quiet Place, and Mission: Impossible. We championed bold new films like Smile and Bob Marley: One Love, and delivered new takes on classic films like Mean Girls and The Naked Gun – and of course – this team is behind the highest-grossing film in the studio's history, Top Gun: Maverick. In the wake of Covid, we led the charge bringing audiences back to theaters at a time when the world longed for connection and community, leading to a record-breaking year in the studio's history.At Nickelodeon, I'm especially proud of how we honored the iconic heritage of the brand while building new connections with today's generation through innovative content, smart digital strategy, and deep franchise expansion – from SpongeBob and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to Dora to PAW Patrol and beyond. Also, our groundbreaking and Emmy® Award-winning simulcasts of the NFL Playoff and Super Bowl games set the bar for massive engagement with a younger generation during these landmark sporting events. As a result, we expanded Nick's standing as a creative wellspring and as the #1 kids' entertainment brand. This moment of transition is, of course, bittersweet. But I step away with deep pride in what we've built together, and with great confidence in the road ahead. The company is in exceptionally capable hands with David Ellison and the incoming team from Skydance, and I know you'll continue to thrive and excel with your collective talents. To everyone across the company, thank you. Thank you for staying the course in difficult moments, and for pushing boundaries with heart and determination. Most importantly, thank you for your friendship. It has been an honor to be on this journey with you. I'll be cheering for you – always.With gratitude,Brian
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