Disney retiring Fox 2000 following acquisition

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

The Disney/Fox deal officially closed on Wednesday with the House of Mouse acquiring 20th Century Fox for a whopping $71.3 billion, and already some big changes have started to occur in the industry. While thousands are expected to lose their jobs as a result of the merge Disney has made a massive cut by retiring the Fox 2000 label, which produced hits like HIDDEN FIGURES, THE HATE U GIVE, LIFE OF PI and more. The move comes as a surprise as it was highly expected that the label, and head Elizabeth Gabler, would be making the move to Disney one the acquisition was complete.

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The news comes from Variety who reported that while the doors would be closing on Fox 2000 that no official layoffs have happened yet, though the staff has been notified of the decision. The movies currently in production will be completed, included LEAGUE OF WIVES with Reese Witherspoon; CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE from Rick Famuyiwa (DOPE); the Civil War drama NEWS OF THE WORLD with Tom Hanks and Paul Greengrass and more. A few titles are scheduled to be released this year, including THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW from Joe Wright, James Gray’s AD ASTRA and James Mangold’s FORD V. FERRARI.

Over the years Gabler has been responsible for turning Fox 2000 into the powerhouse it became, often taking beloved books and turning them into major box office earners and Oscar winners. The aforementioned titles and more like THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, THE FAULT IN OUR STARS, and WALK THE LINE have all done terrific business at the box office and some were nominated for and won Academy Awards. These titles are all now under the Disney umbrella which means they could easily be transferred onto the company’s upcoming streaming service, Disney+.

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Other cuts have been made on the senior staff level, with executives like domestic distribution chief Chris Aronson, international distribution chief Andrew Cripps, chief content officer Tony Sella, co-president Kevin Campbell and Twentieth Television president Greg Meidel all receiving word they were being laid off. In the end, it’s estimated as many as 4,000 people could lose their jobs as the merger continues

While Fox 2000 is being closed up, another prestige outlet under the Fox banner will come into the Disney fold – Fox Searchlight – which is responsible for several recent Best Picture winners, including THE SHAPE OF WATER, BIRDMAN, 12 YEARS A SLAVE and SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE.