LAS VEGAS — A gladiator, indeed.

Thomas E. Rothman, Sony’s movie chairman, walked into the Coliseum at Caesars Palace here last month and paced on stage as 4,000 movie theater executives watched. He then charged through a presentation intended to convince them that his studio — finally — had a lineup of hits. He called it “the new Sony.”

There was sizzling footage from “Baby Driver,” a heist thriller and pseudomusical set for release on June 28. Next came clips from “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” arriving in July, and an eye-popping preview of a “Blade Runner” sequel. “Netflix, my ass,” Mr. Rothman blurted out, to cheers.

Since taking over Sony’s struggling studio in February 2015, Mr. Rothman, 62, has worked feverishly to execute a turnaround. He has made some progress, especially in areas like film budgets (now much lower) and the international box office. But Mr. Rothman has yet to deliver a global hit that he can claim as his own — the kind that would cement his leadership in the eyes of Hollywood and at Sony headquarters in Tokyo.

The pressure to find one is increasing. Sony Pictures Entertainment is in the midst of hiring a chief executive to succeed Michael Lynton, who stepped down in January. That person, who will be Mr. Rothman’s boss, faces all kinds of fires. Sony’s two top television production executives, for instance, have not yet renewed their expiring contracts. But a new chief executive could also decide to tweak the movie division if he (or she, albeit that is unlikely) believes results are not coming fast enough.