CNBC Changemakers

Pamela Abdy

Company: Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group
Title: Co-chair and CEO
Industry: Media and Entertainment

Standout achievement in 2025: Oversaw a slate of commercially strong Warner Bros. movies that drove record box office performance and industry acclaim.

Abdy steered Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group to a record-setting year at the global box office, crossing $4 billion in 2025 with 11 films. It had the only film among the top 10 in U.S. box office receipts that was not based on existing IP: "Sinners," and took two of the top three spots overall domestically, with "A Minecraft Movie" at No. 1 and "Superman" at No. 3.

The studio posted eight consecutive No. 1 movie openings (nine including "Wuthering Heights" in 2026), and seven consecutive film openings over $40 million, a first for any studio.

Part of Abdy's success has come through championing female filmmakers, a trend continuing through 2026 with Emerald Fennell's "Wuthering Heights" and films to come from Maggie Gyllenhaal and Susanne Bier, among others.

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