Who was Barry Reardon? Former Warner Bros Executive Dead at 92

Barry Reardon was a former senior executive at Warner Bros. Studios. In 1978, he was recruited by Warner Bros and turned it into his dream job. He was the head of Theatre Distribution at Warner Bros from 1978-1999. He was known for breaking the mold in motion pictures and spearheading several productions including Twister, Unforgiven, The Fugitive, and more.

Reardon developed an internal marketing data system with fellow executives that could track rivals’ trailers from the previous 10 years, their grosses, and actors’ track records with box office and critics. This permitted executives to steer a film with a particular actor away from a critic who has had problems with that actor. The data system also broke down production and marketing costs, as well as audience demos for all major motion picture studios.

Warner Bros under his supervision was very fruitful and was ranked among the top three in North American box-office market for 16 years. The Batman movies released during his time raked in $1.2 billion, and over $1 billion in four Lethal Weapon movies. He retired in Vero Beach, spending summers in Wilmington, VT, with his wife, Marsha.

Reardon’s death was reported on Monday, June 5, 2023. He was 92, and no cause of death was disclosed.