Amazon MGM Cuts Out Sony To Release ‘The Thomas Crown Affair’ Directly in France
Amazon MGM Studios is changing how its movies reach audiences outside the U.S. Instead of relying fully on partner studios, it’s moving toward handling theatrical distribution itself, and France will be one of the first places to see the change. The first film to test this new approach is Michael B. Jordan’s reimagining of ‘The Thomas Crown Affair’.
Until now, Sony has released several Amazon MGM titles in France under an international distribution partnership set up in 2025, including ‘Mercy’, ‘Project Hail Mary’ and ‘Verity’. Box office analyst Luiz Fernando noted that the arrangement hasn’t always gone smoothly, pointing to bad experiences with partners in some international markets.
Now Amazon MGM is taking a more direct role. The studio has confirmed that ‘The Thomas Crown Affair’ will open in French cinemas on March 3, 2027, under its own banner. It’s the first time Amazon MGM has released a film itself in France.
The French release had originally been set up through Sony Pictures, which listed the movie for the same date. Industry outlet Boxoffice Pro reported that the film was recently pulled from Sony’s French lineup, which suggested Amazon was preparing to take over.
The release will also include IMAX screens. France gets the film 2 days before its North American debut on March 5. Sony isn’t completely out of the picture yet. It will still release David Leitch’s ‘How to Rob a Bank’ in France on November 11, before Amazon MGM begins handling its own theatrical releases there.
After bad experiences with WB & most recently with #Sony in some markets, #AmazonMGM gets ready to slowly start handling themselves theatrical distribution of their own films overseas. The first experience will be #MichaelBJordan’s actioner #TheThomasCrownAffair in #France’s #BoxOffice, which #AmazonMGM has announced this morning they will directly release on MAR 3, 2027 in that market. The actioner was supposed to be released by #Sony in France, but after the studio failed to release #MastersOfTheUniverse in theatres locally this past SUMMER, #Amazon is clearly not willing to risk something similar happening to #ThomasCrown.
— Luiz Fernando (@Luiz_Fernando_J) November 9, 2026
The timing comes after a high-profile misstep in France this summer. ‘Masters of the Universe’, which opened in U.S. theaters on June 5 and was handled internationally by Sony Pictures Releasing International, never played in French cinemas.
Amazon MGM confirmed in May that the film would skip French theaters entirely, and it went straight to Prime Video on July 22. The decision surprised many local outlets, given the film’s reported $170 million budget and its theatrical release in neighboring Belgium and Switzerland.
First trailer for ‘THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR’, directed by & starring Michael B. Jordan. The film follows a billionaire who steals priceless artworks while falling in love with the woman investigating him. In theaters on March 5, 2027. https://t.co/1YLyBUc4AU
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) July 29, 2026
Fernando suggested Amazon doesn’t want to risk a similar situation with ‘The Thomas Crown Affair’. Taking over distribution gives the studio direct control over how its biggest titles are rolled out in the market.
Amazon MGM’s French distribution operation is led by Lucie Trampoglieri, alongside marketing director Marion Pistoresi and theatrical PR manager Go-oun Breyne. The team is still being built out ahead of the first release.
NEW POSTER for The Thomas Crown Affair Revenge is a work of art. The Thomas Crown Affair, only in theatres March 5. https://t.co/O2nGowOxTY
— Cinemark Theatres (@Cinemark) July 28, 2026
According to Screen Daily, Amazon MGM is opening offices in different territories in stages under Helen Moss, its head of international theatrical distribution. Once an office opens, Sony stops distributing Amazon MGM films in that market.
The studio’s French slate also includes ‘The Haunting of Hotel Transylvania’ on October 6, 2027, a new entry from Sony Pictures Animation, showing that the two companies’ relationship isn’t over. Boxoffice Pro reports that Amazon MGM plans 2 more untitled French releases in 2027 and 5 more in 2028.
Leading the charge is a film with serious star power. Jordan directs, produces and stars in ‘The Thomas Crown Affair’, a new take on the 1968 heist classic that was previously remade in 1999 with Pierce Brosnan.
First look at Academy Award winner Michael B. Jordan as Thomas Crown in ‘THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR’. https://t.co/U94GVCiW1F
— People Of The Internet (@PeopleOfTheInt) July 29, 2026
The cast includes Adria Arjona, Kenneth Branagh, Lily Gladstone, Danai Gurira and Pilou Asbæk, with an original score by Jon Batiste. Amazon MGM describes it as a sensual, visually striking heist thriller in which the most dangerous man in the room is the one nobody is watching.
The film also reunites Jordan with the studio behind his 2023 directorial debut, ‘Creed III’. With so much riding on its rollout, ‘The Thomas Crown Affair’ will be an important early test of whether Amazon MGM can successfully handle its own theatrical releases overseas.
Do you think Amazon MGM taking control of its own theatrical distribution in France will help ‘The Thomas Crown Affair’ succeed at the box office?
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