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He’s the force behind summer blockbuster “Man of Steel,” but Warner Bros. movie chief Jeff Robinov has his kryptonite.
Sources familiar with the situation described Robinov’s exit as inevitable after he lost the race to take the top job at Warner and clashed with his new boss, Kevin Tsujihara.
“He’s out one way or another,” said a source close to Warner Bros.
That’s despite initial reports that suggested Robinov was still in discussions with management and was undecided on whether to exit.
Another source said that Robinov would likely be out by the end of next week with Warner Bros. trying to figure out how to deal with his contract.
A spokesman for the studio didn’t return a call for comment. Warner’s parent company, Time Warner, also declined to comment.
Earlier this year, Robinov lost a three-way race to succeed longtime Warner chief Barry Meyer as CEO.
Tsujihara, the former home entertainment president, also beat out Warner’s top TV exec, Bruce Rosenblum, who left last month for Legendary Pictures, a key financing partner for Warner.
While few expected Robinov to ascend to the throne, it appears he chafed under Tsujihara, who was appointed in March.
Robinov’s contract runs until the end of 2014 — an eternity in Tinseltown — but he wanted additional assurances that he would survive further studio shake-ups, sources said.
When he didn’t get them, “he went off the rails,” said a source familiar with the situation.
Sources say the tensions mounted in recent months when he found out he wasn’t getting the top position overseeing TV, digital and entertainment assets for Warner Bros. Entertainment.
Robinov holds one of Hollywood’s most coveted executive positions. He’s the boss of the No. 1 studio in the world with some monster hits to his credit, including “Dark Knight” and “The Hangover.”
His impending exit comes after the successful release of Superman reboot “Man of Steel,” which drew $125 million in its opening weekend.
Still, there have been a fair number of clunkers in recent months, too. Among them: “Jack the Giant Slayer,” “Gangster Squad,” “The Great Gatsby” and “Hangover 3,” all of which have underwhelmed.
“Gangster Squad,” which had a budget of $60 million, earned just $46 million at home and a global box office take of $105 million, according to Boxofficemojo.com.
“Jack the Giant Slayer” barely made back its $200 million production budget in global receipts.
As Time Warner’s networks business continued to do well, the film and TV production unit saw a 4 percent drop in revenue in the first quarter, to $2.68 billion.
Tsujihara has been trying to meld three fiefdoms — TV, film and home entertainment — into one. Robinov stood in the way of the creation of a single corporate structure, sources say.
“Kevin was more than fair,” said one West Coast executive.