Long Range Tracking: ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’

For the first time since Revenge of the Sith in 2005, a new Star Wars movie will open in May — just in time for Memorial Day weekend, which can often (but not always) be a very lucrative one for the film industry as schools begin their summer break. In fact, Solo‘s release date will mark the exact 41st anniversary of the original Star Wars: A New Hope‘s theatrical release on May 25, 1977. Read on for a detailed analysis of what to expect from Solo: A Star Wars Story. Boxoffice’s first official tracking projections for the film, plus other updates, can be found in the chart below. The Disney-Star Wars Era So Far… The Star Wars franchise has prospered about as well as anyone could have imagined since the Disney ownership era began five and a half years ago. Kathleen Kennedy has successfully led Lucasfilm and the...

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Wednesday Night Report: ‘Ready Player One’ Scores $3.75 Million Start to 4-Day Easter Weekend

Thursday Report: Warner Bros. and Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One registered an estimated $3.75 million from Wednesday night’s opening shows as the film kicks off a debut ahead of Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Comparisons are few and far between since this release strategy is very uncommon, though one can most closely look to 2013’s G.I. Joe: Retaliation. That sequel opened to $2.2 million from Wednesday night shows during its pre-Easter weekend debut, although it should be noted that pre-release day shows weren’t quite as popular five years ago as they now are today. For reference, Retaliation opened to $10.5 million on Thursday overall, $40.5 million for the standard weekend (Friday through Sunday), and $51 million during its four-day (Thursday through Sunday) opening. Updates will be posted here as they follow in the days ahead. In...

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EclairGame and Pathé Expand Fifa Tour 2018 Championship to 3 Additional Theaters

PRESS RELEASE __________________________________________ Paris (France) – 29 March 2018 / EclairGame, the new eSports-based entertainment solution for cinemas from Ymagis Group (FR0011471291, MAGIS, PEA-PME, TECH 40), the European specialist in digital technologies for the film industry, and Les Cinémas Gaumont Pathé are strengthening their partnership established in December 2017, with the expansion of the competitions in the Fifa Tour 2018 championship to the Pathé Carré de Soie cinema in Vaulx-en-Velin and the Gaumont Montpellier Multiplex and Gaumont Wilson in Toulouse in addition to the Pathé La Villette cinema in Paris. Like CinéSessions, this nationwide championship helps make the concept of offline video game championships available to the widest possible audience, with the added benefit of the comfort, conviviality and interactivity of a cinema auditorium, and...

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Weekend Forecast: ‘Ready Player One’ & ‘Acrimony’ to Take Charge Over Easter Weekend

Steven Spielberg’s awaited adaptation of Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One novel hits theaters this Easter weekend, aiming to benefit from the book’s huge popularity and 1980s pop culture nostalgia that has permeated entertainment over the past decade. Across 124 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, the film stands at a strong 82 percent as of Wednesday afternoon, a figure that bodes well for the fan faithful. Still, there’s reason to be cautious in expectations for the flick as its tracking metrics across traditional and social media pathways have turned up similar to those of Blade Runner 2049 and Tomorrowland. The former of those two — much like 2010’s Tron: Legacy and 2011’s Super 8 — were driven at the box office by nostalgic viewers and 80s babies, a trend expected to apply here for many obvious reasons. Thursday’s opening day for...

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Movio Introduces New Proprietary Propensity Algorithm

PRESS RELEASE [Los Angeles, CA and Auckland, NZ; March 28, 2018] – The U.S. Box Office took over $160M in revenue over the 2017 Easter weekend, and many are hoping for another boost in sales this weekend. According to Movio, new machine learning technology could help the industry create a further 15% rise in ticket sales for 2018.  Movio’s Audience Insights tool launches globally next week and is set to revolutionize how cinemas engage with their customers by predicting the most likely audience for each film. A world-first, cinema-centric tool, it draws on past audience behavioral data, helping cinema marketers connect moviegoers with the films most suited to them. They can then work out how best to incentivize attendance. Using Movio’s proprietary Propensity Algorithm, the product allows film marketers to determine the likelihood a moviegoer will see a particular...

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D-Box’s Bob Raposo Named Head of Sony Electronics Theater Business

PRESS RELEASE _________________________________________ PARK RIDGE, N.J., March 27, 2018 – Bob Raposo has joined Sony Electronics’ Professional Solutions Americas group as head of its Theater business. The exhibition industry veteran will focus on expanding Sony’s relationships with exhibitors and delivering a new experience for movie-goers through Crystal LED direct view technology as well as its HDR Ready 4K laser projector. Since the first installation of 4K projectors in 2005, Sony technologies for cinema exhibition are now used worldwide. The 4K trend is continuing with Sony’s next-generation projection based on high contrast and a laser light source, currently in deployment at U.S. theaters. Raposo noted, however, that movie-goers today demand a total experience from the moment they walk in the door to keep them engaged and coming back for more. “Consumers have...

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UPI’s Amsterdam Screening Room Gets Cutting-Edge Alcons Sound Upgrade

PRESS RELEASE ___________________________________________________ As sound technology in the movie industry gets ever more refined, the screening rooms of film distributors also need to stay in step and at the cutting edge of audio technology. At the Amsterdam facility of Universal Pictures International (UPI), an Alcons Audio CRMS mkII cinema reference monitor system is ensuring that those attending film screenings enjoy the best audio experience. Opened in 2005, the facility was built to facilitate screenings for the press and industry professionals, rather than UPI having to buy out regular cinema showings for them. When it came to upgrading the room for Dolby Atmos, late last year, UPI contacted digital cinema specialists CinemaNext, whose Edwin de Winter specified the Alcons CRMS solution. Edwin designed the complete system for the room, which was installed by the...

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Group Effort: How Marcus Theatres Revitalized its Group Sales Division

Interview with Clint Wisialowski, VP of Sales, Marcus Theatres Increasing off-peak attendance has always been a compelling challenge for exhibitors. Marcus Theatres is no exception; in 2015 the circuit gave itself the task of instituting a comprehensive strategy for its group sales efforts. While by no means new or exclusive, group sales can often fall to the wayside as day-to-day operational duties stack up for theater managers across the country. Marcus Theatres Chairman, President, and CEO Rolando Rodriguez appointed Clint Wisialowski, a 28-year industry veteran, to head their new initiative. Since that time, Wisialowski and his team have helped grow the group sales division into one of Marcus Theatres’ most dynamic revenue drivers. BOXOFFICE spoke with Wisialowski to learn how the project took shape and about the growing pains that came along with it. How did...

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Harkins Theatres Announces Unprecedented $150 Million Circuit-wide Theater Enhancement Initiative

PRESS RELEASE Scottsdale, AZ: March 26, 2018 – Harkins Theatres, the largest privately-owned theatre chain in the country, announced today plans to invest over $150M into their existing theatres nationwide. This is part of a continual effort by Harkins to provide the most state-of-the-art amenities and the Ultimate Moviegoing® experience for guests. Construction has already begun and all theatres will remain open throughout the process. “For 85 years, Harkins has been committed to delivering the Ultimate Moviegoing experience,” says Mike Bowers, President and CEO of Harkins Theatres. “We have the most loyal guests in the industry, and we will...

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v3 Glasses-Free, Three-Dimensional Technologies Comes to Movie Theaters Nationwide

PRESS RELEASE NEW YORK, N.Y., March 26, 2018 — Vision III Imaging Inc. announced today that it has entered into a sales promotion agreement with Screenvision Media, a national leader in cinema advertising. Together they will make the revolutionary v3 glasses-free, three-dimensional imaging technologies available for advertisers to engage moviegoers nationwide. Vision III is a Reston, Virginia based company that has developed unique parallax visualization technologies that enhance the three-dimensionality of commercial and military imaging. Vision III has pioneered the concept of “parallax over time” to create spatially enhanced...

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Blind Children’s Learning Center Students and Families Attend Innovative Immersive Sensory Movie from 4DX and Cinemagine

PRESS RELEASE Los Angeles (March 26, 2018) – CJ 4DPLEX, the world’s leading 4D company, debuted a special movie presentation titled, “Titanic: An Icy Adventure,” newly created with blind and visually impaired children in mind. This past Saturday at the CGV Buena Park 8 in Orange County, California, over 50 children and their families attended the first ever showing of this audio-only story supplemented by the innovative cinema technology of 4DX. Created by Fernando Christo, the brainchild behind Cinemagine, and brought to life in partnership with 4DX, the audience accompanies a narrator as he travels around the doomed Titanic cruise ship meeting people, getting into trouble and having a good time all before working to save his own life as the “safest Trans-Atlantic” vessel meets it fate. “Our children and their families, for the first time, were able to attend a...

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‘Pacific Rim Uprising’ Battles to No. 1 with $28M; ‘Black Panther’ Breaks ‘Avengers’ Record with $16.7M in 2nd

Faced with a whopping five new wide releases this weekend, Black Panther was finally pushed from the top of the chart after six weeks in theaters. The victor was Pacific Rim Uprising, which came in at the higher end of expectations with an estimated $28 million for Universal in its opening frame. The sequel to Guillermo del Toro’s 2013 sci-fi/actioner is more or less designed for overseas audiences, so Uprising‘s domestic take isn’t necessarily make-or-break. That said, this is significantly lower than the first film’s $37.3 million opening, and it will almost certainly well short of the original’s $101 million take in North America. Internationally, the first Pacific Rim took in over $300 million, accounting for roughly three-quarters of its $400 million-plus global total. Uprising is looking at a similar trajectory. Helmed by Spartacus creator Steven S. DeKnight...

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Cinemark Announces Remodel of 12-Screen Theater in Lufkin, Texas with Luxury Lounger Recliners

PRESS RELEASE PLANO, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Mar. 23, 2018– Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CNK), a leader in the motion picture exhibition industry, announced today that it will remodel its Cinemark Lufkin 12 theatre. The renovation and upgrade will include adding Luxury Lounger reclining seats to all auditoriums. Cinemark Luxury Loungers are electric-powered, plush, oversize lounge chairs with footrests and cup holders. The seating conversion and enhancements to the theatre, conveniently located at 109 Miles Way in Lufkin, Texas, will begin this summer. Cinemark announced that it will remodel its Cinemark Lufkin 12 Theatre and will be adding Luxury Lounger reclining seats to all auditoriums. “We are excited to begin this remodel soon so the community can experience their favorite films in the most comfortable, state-of-the-art environment available,” stated James...

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MoviePass Lowers Price to $6.95 per Month

PRESS RELEASE NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–MoviePass, the nation’s premier movie theater subscription service and a majority-owned subsidiary of Helios and Matheson Analytics Inc. (Nasdaq: HMNY), today announced that, for a limited time, it is offering its annual subscription to new subscribers for $6.95/month. MoviePass has gained momentum in diversifying its revenue streams due to a series of marketing agreements with studios and distributors, as well as partnerships with a number of theater exhibitors. This recent success in forming relationships with studios, exhibitors, and marketing partners has encouraged MoviePass to offer an even more attractive...

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Samsung Debuts World’s First 3D Cinema LED Screen Theater in Switzerland

PRESS RELEASE With today’s introduction of the world’s first 3D Cinema LED screen at Arena Cinemas’ Sihlcity theater in Switzerland, Samsung Electronics continues its efforts to make traditional, projection-based cinema technology a thing of the past. Designed and installed with the help of Imaculix AG, the 3D-ready variation of Samsung’s Cinema LED screen maintains consistent brightness for immaculate delivery of subtitle text, images and minor visual details for viewers wearing 3D glasses. Unlike standard 3D cinemas, the Samsung Cinema LED screen provides consistent picture quality across an entire theater, ensuring a uniform, immersive viewing experience for viewers in every seat. “Samsung is thrilled to be able to debut the world’s first 3D Cinema LED screen in Switzerland,” said Seog-gi Kim, Executive Vice President of Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics....

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Long Range Tracking: ‘Deadpool 2,’ ‘Book Club,’ & ‘Show Dogs’

Deadpool 2 represents this week’s headline addition to Long Range Tracking. The anticipated sequel is slated to hit North American theaters on May 18, alongside Open Road’s Show Dogs and Paramount’s Book Club. Two years ago, the first Deadpool shattered February box office records (recently eclipsed by Black Panther) when it wowed the industry with a $132 million three-day weekend bow. Still the best R-rated launch ever — just ahead of It‘s $123.4 million last September — Deadpool marked a turning point for the superhero genre with its raunchy, self-referential, fourth-wall-breaking comedy from star Ryan Reynolds. The film’s pre-release social marketing campaign became a benchmark on how to engage audiences with a relatively unknown character outside the core fan base. Can Fox, Reynolds, and team do it again? It’s...

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COMING SOON: ‘Superfly,’ ‘Deadpool 2,’ ‘Action Point,’ and More!

Welcome back to another Boxoffice Trailer Throwdown! This week we watch as Superfly is remade, witness as Deadpool brings us a live-action X-Force, and we all wonder what a Duck Butter could be. SUPERFLY Isn’t it convenient that Director X grew up to be a director? Talk about intuitive parents. DEADPOOL 2 It’s about time that a superhero movie stepped up and tackled the real villains of the world. Like gluten. ACTION POINT Is this a Bad Grandpa prequel? Jackass spinoff? Both? UNDER THE SILVER LAKE Andrew Garfield gots to follow hidden clues to find a mysterious lady in Silver Lake. Truly, a hipster’s Da Vinci Code. TAG Most people don’t know this but this movie is based on what Hawkeye is doing while all the other Avengers are fighting Thanos in Infinity War. HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 3: SUMMER VACATION Dracula and Van Helsing going at it like you’ve...

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Weekend Report: ‘Pacific Rim: Uprising’ Starts with $2.35M; ‘Unsane’ Earns $300K

Update: Universal reports this morning that Pacific Rim: Uprising earned a solid $2.35 million from Thursday night’s opening shows at 7pm in 2,850 theaters. That comes in 35 percent behind last year’s Power Rangers as well as the original 2013 Pacific Rim, each of which earned $3.6 million on Thursday evening. The sequel remains on target for a domestic opening in the mid-$20 million range as part of its global launch. Steven Soderbergh’s Unsane opened to $300,000 last night, which is identical to the $300,000 earned by A Cure for Wellness last year. Meanwhile, Sherlock Gnomes and Paul, Apostle of Christ did not hold Thursday night screenings. Numbers for Midnight Sun were not yet available at the time of this report but will be added over the weekend as they are confirmed. The post Weekend...

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Marcus Theaters Recognizes Vendor Partners of Excellence

PRESS RELEASE — Milwaukee, March 23, 2018…Marcus Theatres®, a division of The Marcus Corporation (NYSE:MCS), just named its Vendor Partners of Excellence for 2017. Six organizations received awards at the Marcus Theatres’ Spring Leadership Conference in Cancun, Mexico on March 15, including Cloud Industries, J&J Snack Foods Corporation, The ICEE Company, Fearing’s, C. Cretors & Company and Lionsgate. “Our Vendor Partners of Excellence are selected based on the impact they’ve made on Marcus Theatres’ business throughout 2017,” said Rolando Rodriguez, chairman, president and CEO of Marcus Theatres. “With their support, we are able to deliver an extraordinary guest experience. We are incredibly appreciative of their efforts and are excited to recognize them with these awards.” Lionsgate has been named Studio Partner of the Year due to its collaborative approach...

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Weekend Forecast: ‘Pacific Rim: Uprising,’ ‘Sherlock Gnomes,’ ‘Paul, Apostle of Christ,’ ‘Midnight Sun,’ & ‘Unsane’

March’s penultimate weekend should again be a fairly quiet one compared to this time last year when a string of blockbusters and overperformers were dominating the market. Still, this weekend boasts a handful of new releases that will look to attract a variety of audiences ahead of Easter next week. Chief among them will be Universal’s Pacific Rim: Uprising, a sequel with heavy marketing in recent months that hopes to benefit from star John Boyega’s increased profile in the wake of his popular turns as Finn in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. Though filmmaker Guillermo del Toro did not return to direct this sequel, fans of his original 2013 film are key to the film’s relatively healthy social media and traditional tracking leading up to release. While reaching its predecessor’s $37.3 million opening weekend is unlikely, Uprising will...

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“4DX with SCREENX” to Make Worldwide Debut at CinemaCon 2018

PRESS RELEASE Seoul and Los Angeles (March 21, 2018) – CJ 4DPLEX, the world’s leading 4D company, is launching “4DX with ScreenX” to create the next revolution of immersive cinema. A combination of the fast-growing 4DX and ScreenX cinema formats, the new concept is being showcased in the U.S. for the first time at CinemaCon, taking place April 23-26 in Las Vegas. Currently being sneak previewed at one theatre in South Korea (and an Edison Award finalist), “4DX with ScreenX” utilizes the motion chair and environmental effects of 4DX and the 270-degree, multi-projection panoramic visuals of ScreenX. Innovation continues at CJ 4DPLEX’ seventh consecutive appearance at CinemaCon, with thecompany also bringing three “4DX VR” virtual reality-enabled units to the trade show for the first time – 4DX VR Interactive Racing, 4DX VR Sports – Board Type and 4DX VR Disk – and also...

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AMC Theatres’ Advance Ticket Sales Records Getting Obliterated by ‘AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR’

PRESS RELEASE LEAWOOD, Kan.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– It’s taken fans of Marvel’s Avengers film franchise 10 years to arrive at one of the most pivotal moments in movie history with the release of AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR on April 27. It took just 72 hours for those fans to create new advance ticket sales records for superhero movies at AMC Theatres (NYSE:AMC). Reflecting the first 72 hours after tickets went on sale, AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR more than tripled the next closest superhero movie, BLACK PANTHER, during the same timeframe. AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR Advance Ticket Sales After 72 Hours: 257.6% ahead of BLACK PANTHER 715.5% ahead of CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR 1106.5% ahead of AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON The biggest draw for advance sales are premium formats: Dolby Cinema at AMC, IMAX at AMC and PRIME at AMC. “The incredible advance ticket sales success we’re seeing with AVENGERS:...

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