Weinstein Co. distribution head Erik Lomis jumps to Megan Ellison’s Annapurna

Weinstein Co.’s longtime distribution president, Erik Lomis, is leaving the indie studio for Megan Ellison’s production company Annapurna Pictures, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Lomis, who joined Harvey and Bob Weinstein in 2011, will oversee distribution and other business areas at Annapurna, best known for backing prestigious movies such as “Joy,” “American Hustle” and “Zero Dark Thirty.”

Annapurna’s movies have so far been distributed by major studios such as Sony Pictures, Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox.

A representative from Annapurna could not immediately be reached for comment.

Lomis’ exit counts as a blow to Weinstein, which lost several major executives last year, including Tom Quinn and Jason Janego, the co-founders of the company’s Radius-TWC label.

President and Chief Operating Officer David Glasser almost left the company but announced in September that he would stay in his role.

Lomis recently earned notice for handling the launch of Quentin Tarantino’s western epic, “The Hateful Eight,” for which the company had to unearth and refurbish projectors to screen the picture in a rare widescreen 70mm film format.

In an email, Glasser called Lomis’ move “really good for him.” Lomis did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Follow Ryan Faughnder on Twitter for more entertainment business coverage: @rfaughnder