Kyle Davies is stepping down as President of Distribution at Bleecker Street to head distribution at Leawood Films, a new label launched by cinema chain AMC Theatres. Although Monday's announcement of Leawood Films only listed Davies as an advisor, it has since emerged that he is leaving Bleecker Street entirely for the new role, with the move described as amicable and a search now under way for his successor. Leawood Films will focus on distributing fully financed small- to mid-sized movies, marking AMC's move into film distribution alongside its core exhibition business.

Davies is expected to work alongside New York-based distributor Variance, which has previously handled AMC bookings for concert films including Taylor Swift's Eras Tour and Showgirl, and Beyoncé's Renaissance. At Bleecker Street, his notable successes included the Broadway capture film Hadestown, which has grossed over $20 million domestically since July, and the K-pop concert film Stray Kids: The Dominate Experience ($7.2 million). His career also spans senior distribution roles at Paramount Pictures, Relativity Media and Overture Films, where he worked on major titles such as A Quiet Place, Mission: Impossible – Fallout and Gladiator.