Sr Theatrical Audits & Sales Planning Analyst

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures is seeking a Sr. Theatrical Sales Planning & Audits Analyst to work within Domestic Distribution providing strategic and analytical insight on Disney’s theatrical releases and performing real-time audit analyses on exhibitor programs to assess compliance with the licensing agreement.

This position requires in-depth knowledge of the film industry, strong written and verbal communication skills and advanced Excel proficiency. It requires an individual who can analyze and translate data that will influence and drive management decisions by revealing trends and insights.  A proactive, independent, high-energy, positive attitude is a must.

The Sr. Theatrical Sales Planning & Audits Analyst position offers an opportunity for cross-functional collaboration, as you actively engage with multiple departments to drive projects, coordinate initiatives, and ensure seamless communication and alignment across the division.

This role is responsible for providing analytical and strategic support to executive management regarding the theatrical release of Disney films through release schedule guidance, box office forecasts, and performance analysis. The role is also responsible for supporting the in-house audit leadership team by executing theatrical distribution audits of all Disney films (including Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, 20th Century and Searchlight) preparing audit reports, measuring the impacts of exhibitor programs on Disney’s share of the box office, evaluating exhibitor-proposed programs such as subscriptions, and actively assisting in settling audit claims through detailed analyses and presentation decks.

The team works closely with many different departments such as Finance, Audit, Business Strategy, Sales, Cinema Partnerships, and International Distribution.

*Please note that this role will require rotational weekend work for box office analysis, ideally 1 weekend per month*

Responsibilities:

• Conducts domestic box office forecasting and reporting, offering in-depth insights into new release performance and utilizing business intelligence to support film planning strategy.

• Analyzes and translates complex box office data into a compelling narrative that influences key stakeholder decisions, presenting analyses and recommendations to executives across the organization.

• Prepares audit reports and supporting schedules for major/regional circuits and various program-specific audits (i.e., subscriptions, early birds, mid-week, etc). Supports the settling of audit claims and estimates potential future audit claims by preparing audit claim re-calculations, what-if scenario analyses, and presentation decks for various stakeholders.

• Partners with the Manager of Theatrical Audits to facilitate in-house automated/real-time audits, analysis, billing and collection processes by creating real-time audit templates and invoices and maintaining process documentation. Assists in extracting, analyzing and formatting box office data for use by the in-house audit team, external auditing firm (Sargoy, Stein, Rosen and Shapiro) and/or other business partners.

• Proactively collaborate with Director and VP on new business evaluations and insights to optimize theatrical distribution of film slate.

Basic Qualifications:

• 3+ years of experience in finance, business planning, as an accountant or auditor or other quantitative field

• Excellent logic, math and problem-solving skills and takes action to resolve issues

• Highly proficient in MS Excel with strong modeling skills – examples: vlookup, pivot table, sumifs, index-match, etc. – and other MS Office apps (Outlook, Word, PowerPoint)

• Professional skepticism (questioning mind) and challenges the status quo

• Familiarity with Visual Basic/SQL/Python/R/data engineering is a plus, but not required

• Excellent communication skills, including presentation development and delivery.

• Strong interpersonal skills with ability to work well in a team environment through cross-function collaboration and finding common ground with various groups and individuals

• Experience with handling large amounts of data and arriving at an actionable conclusion

• Ability to multi-task by switching smoothly from one project or task to another

• Knows how or where to obtain information; is resourceful

• Supports productivity and morale of the team; is a team player

Preferred Qualifications:

• A high degree of motivation and a proficient understanding of the domestic theatrical distribution industry landscape. Experience with a motion picture studio or theatre chain is a plus, but not required

• Available during non-office hours, including rotational early mornings, weekends and holidays.

• Excellent time and project management skills, with the ability to manage detailed work and communicate project status effectively to all levels.

• Ability to lead projects independently from start to finish, working with internal and external teams to make decisions and maintain momentum.

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, or other business/analytical field of study and/or equivalent work experience

The hiring range for this position in Burbank, CA is $89,000 to $115,000 per year. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. A bonus and/or long-term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to the full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered.