This week’s report takes a first look at the final weekend of January 2019, currently slated with the release of Fox’s The Kid Who Would Be King and Aviron’s Serenity.
PROS:
The Kid Who Would Be King could benefit from its positioning as one of the first youth-friendly films of the year, getting a two-week jump on February 8’s The LEGO Movie 2. Initial trailers and the film’s high production value under director Joe Cornish could aid appeal to parents.
Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway may provide enough star power for Serenity to counter-program the family-leaning opener.
CONS:
Early Trailer Impact and social media trends are mixed for The Kid Who Would Be King, which is to be expected given the glut of family-driven holiday releases before it.
Distributor Aviron has a young history, so it remains to be seen how much marketing is employed closer to release. Serenity will also have to fend off a potentially strong second weekend from Glass and, likely, a number of Oscar candidates in varying stages of expansion.
8-Week Tracking
Release Date
Title
3-Day Wide Release Tracking
% Chg from Last Week
Domestic Total Forecast
% Chg from Last Week
Estimated Location Count
Distributor
12/12/2018
Once Upon a Deadpool (Limited Release)
n/a
n/a
Fox
12/14/2018
Mortal Engines
$13,000,000
-7%
$46,000,000
-8%
Universal
12/14/2018
The Mule
$16,000,000
7%
$80,000,000
Warner Bros.
12/14/2018
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
$30,000,000
3%
$135,000,000
4%
Sony / Columbia
12/19/2018
Mary Poppins Returns
$38,000,000
-5%
$320,000,000
-9%
Disney
12/21/2018
Aquaman
$58,000,000
6%
$212,000,000
6%
Warner Bros.
12/21/2018
Bumblebee
$20,000,000
$100,000,000
Paramount
12/21/2018
Second Act
$7,000,000
$40,000,000
STX
12/21/2018
Welcome to Marwen
$4,500,000
$22,000,000
Universal
12/25/2018
Holmes & Watson
$17,000,000
$85,000,000
Sony / Columbia
12/25/2018
Vice (Wide)
n/a
$65,000,000
Annapurna
1/4/2019
Eli (2019)
n/a
n/a
Paramount
1/4/2019
Escape Room
$13,000,000
$32,000,000
Sony / Columbia
1/11/2019
A Dog’s Way Home
$12,000,000
$40,000,000
Sony / Columbia
1/11/2019
Perfect Strangers
n/a
n/a
Lionsgate / Pantelion Films
1/11/2019
Replicas
n/a
n/a
Entertainment Studios
1/11/2019
The Upside
$13,000,000
$39,000,000
STX
1/18/2019
Arctic Dogs
$5,500,000
NEW
$17,000,000
NEW
Entertainment Studios
1/18/2019
Glass
$67,000,000
$180,000,000
Universal
1/25/2019
The Kid Who Would Be King
$15,000,000
NEW
$50,000,000
NEW
Fox
1/25/2019
Serenity (2019)
$10,000,000
NEW
$30,000,000
NEW
Aviron
1/25/2019
Untitled STX Action/Thriller
n/a
n/a
STX Entertainment
Tracking and forecasts are subject to change each week as marketing, reviews, and other factors are taken into consideration.
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The Independent Cinema Alliance (ICA) has reached an agreement with former Regal Cinemas executive and industry veteran Rob Del Moro to lead the Cinema Buying Alliance, formerly the NATO Cinema Buying Group.
The Cinema Buying Alliance (CBA) is a new entity, wholly owned and managed by the Independent Cinema Alliance (ICA), taking over the business operations of the current Cinema Buying Group from NATO. The goals and functions remain the same, to provide a buying structure for the benefit of smaller cinema owners by combining their purchasing power through the CBA.
Del Moro is a 40-year veteran of the industry with unparalleled experience in purchasing, most recently, as the Chief Technical and Theatre Operations Officer for Regal Entertainment Group. Del Moro is also the founder of Strategies Plus Solutions, LLC, a full-service business consulting group, specializing in procurement, food and beverage, marketing, and theatre operations.
“We’re so incredibly fortunate to have Rob’s experience and expertise applied to helping our members improve their bottom line. While serving with NATO, he worked closely with independents, so he can relate to the industry challenges our members face and advocate for strengthening their businesses”, said Bill Campbell, President and CEO of Orpheum Theatre and ICA Founding Board Member.
Del Moro is a native of White Plains, New York, and attended college at Seattle Central Community College, and The City University of New York. His service includes work on the Advisory Board of the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO), Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors of CinemaCon, Board member of The Regal Foundation, as well as former Executive Board member and Past President of Variety of Eastern Tennessee children’s charity. Additional service includes NATO’s Technology Committee and the newly formed Cinema Globalization Committee representing the interests of the United States in cinema matters worldwide. Mr. Del Moro currently serves as a Director and Trustee for The Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneer Foundation and sits on the Advisory Board of the Tennessee Smokies Baseball Team, a minor league AA affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. In addition, he is on the Board of Directors of the Fort Sanders Hospital Foundation. He currently resides in Knoxville, Tennessee.
“I’m excited to begin this new chapter in my career and have the opportunity to help independent theatre owners by applying my knowledge and experience to the Cinema Buying Alliance. Independent cinema is critically important to our industry, and I look forward to working with the ICA task force to continue moving their mission forward”, said Del Moro. “The future is bright!”
Santa Monica, CA, November 29, 2018 –Today Atom Tickets, the social movie ticketing platform, has announced it is integrating with Studio Movie Grill’s Loyalty Program, SMG Access. By adding the SMG Access account number in the Atom app, Atom customers will automatically earn points when they buy tickets to movies playing at Studio Movie Grill theaters and for SMG Access Director-level members, the convenience fee is waived.
Studio Movie Grill (SMG), the leader of the in-theater dining concept operating 314 screens in 30 locations nationwide, launched SMG Access nationwide in June this year and is the only theater loyalty program focused on positively impacting community members in need through local organizations. SMG Access is a purpose-first loyalty platform where members earn points on every movie ticket purchased at Studio Movie Grill. When a reward is earned, a movie and meal is donated to an outreach program. SMG has witnessed firsthand the power of movies to inspire and change lives.
Next up, in December, SMG Access members will host Boys & Girls Clubs in multiple SMG cities with special Movies+Meals screenings of Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse in partnership with Sony Pictures Entertainment.
“We’re excited to build upon our existing relationship with Studio Movie Grill to support their unique loyalty program that gives back to their communities across the country,” said Steve Joudi, Head of Operations & Exhibitor Relations at Atom Tickets. “With the holiday season here, it is a perfect time to put a spotlight on the SMG Access Movies+Meals program and especially with so many great movies to enjoy, like Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse.”
“SMG Access is designed to make movies and meals accessible to under resourced community members while simultaneously rewarding our loyal guests. The Atom Tickets platform helps SMG accelerate its mission to serve 1,000,000 movies and meals through its SMG Access loyalty program,” said Brandon Jones, Senior Director of Marketing for SMG.
How Atom Tickets Works:
Atom Tickets re-imagines the most convenient way for users to plan a night out at the movies, including pre-ordering your favorite concessions. The free app and website provide relevant reviews, trailers and synopses to help moviegoers make the best decision on what to see. App users may then invite friends (via their contact lists) to purchase their own tickets and join them with a few easy taps. Atom has integrated digital payment leaders including Chase Pay, Amazon Pay and Apple Pay to make it easier to check out.
At the theater, users skip the box office lines and go directly to the ticket attendants and Atom express concession lanes where they simply scan a QR code on Atom-branded tablets to redeem their order. Atom’s innovative platform keeps all plans, messages, payment, tickets and rewards in one convenient place—your phone.
How SMG Access Works:
Every time a guest earns 1,000 SMG Access points they will receive a $10 eBonus Card, which can be used for movie tickets, food and non-alcoholic beverages at any SMG location. Every time a reward is earned, SMG will donate a movie and meal to a local nonprofit in that community. Going to the movies has never been more meaningful and loyal guests can join SMG on its mission to impact one million lives.
Honoring its commitment to Opening Hearts and Minds, One Story at a Time, SMG’s legacy programs include Special Needs Screenings, Chefs for Children program and annual Opening Hearts & Minds Award, which strive to help families and acknowledge local heroes. SMG Access further differentiates Studio Movie Grill and allows loyal guests to actively participate in helping support that mission.
Top Three Trailers with Highest Recall Score Among Moviegoing Audiences
Moviegoers tell us the trailers they most recall seeing at their most recent visit to a cinema, among films opening in the next 10 weeks.
[Note: our weekly Thursday column Trailer Impact did not run last week on account of the Thanksgiving holiday, but this installment will reference unpublished numbers from last week.]
Mary Poppins Returns
(Disney)
Wednesday, December 19
28.7% of moviegoers (399 respondents) saw and recalled this trailer.
That’s a new peak, up considerably from a prior 18.6% peak last week.
The film spends its first week in the top three on the recall metric, tying at #1 after previously ranking only as high as #5 the prior two weeks.
The vault is due in large part to the trailer playing before Disney’s fellow family-friendly Ralph Breaks the Internet, which debuted atop the box office this past weekend.
Emily Blunt and Lin-Manuel Miranda star in this sequel to the 1964 musical classic about a magical nanny who takes care of British siblings while traveling to alternate dimensions.
Aquaman
(Warner Bros.)
Friday, December 21
28.7% of moviegoers (399 respondents) saw and recalled this trailer.
That exactly ties it for first place with Mary Poppins Returns, although we are listing it second in our article this week.
That’s a new peak, up from a prior 20.8% peak last week.
The film has spent all five of its tracking weeks in the top three on the recall metric, reaching (tied) #1 for the first time after a previous high of #2 last week.
Jason Momoa stars as an amphibious superhuman in this superhero movie, based on the character introduced last year in Justice League alongside Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
(Sony)
Friday, December 14
23.2% of moviegoers (322 respondents) saw and recalled this trailer.
That’s a new peak, up from a prior 18.6% peak last week.
The film spends its first week in the top three on the recall metric at #3, previously ranking as high as #4 last week.
This animated version of the iconic Spider-Man character takes place in a world in which multiple people secretly assume the superhero’s identity simultaneously, rather than just Peter Parker.
Top Three Trailers with Highest Cinema Interest Among Moviegoing Audiences
Moviegoers tell us the wide release titles they’re most likely to see at a cinema, based on trailers recently played at theaters, among films opening in the next 10 weeks.
[Note: our weekly Thursday column Trailer Impact did not run last week on account of the Thanksgiving holiday, but this installment will reference unpublished numbers from last week.]
Aquaman
(Warner Bros.)
Friday, December 21
52.4% of respondents who saw the trailer this week said they intend to see it in theaters.
The film rises to #1 on the “cinema interest” metric for the first time, previously ranking as high as #2 last week.
However, its number is down slightly from 53.6% last week, and also down from a 54.0% peak.
The film has spent all five of its tracking weeks in the top three on the “cinema interest” metric.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
(Sony)
Friday, December 14
45.3% of respondents who saw the trailer this week said they intend to see it in theaters.
The film rises to the top three on the “cinema interest” metric for the first time at #2, previously ranking as high as #4 last week.
However, its number is down slightly from 46.5% last week, and also down from a 48.5% peak.
The Mule
(Warner Bros.)
Friday, December 14
40.4% of respondents who saw the trailer this week said they intend to see it in theaters.
That’s up slightly from a prior 39.5% peak last week.
The film rises to the top three on the “cinema interest” metric for the first time at #3, previously ranking as high as #7 last week.
Clint Eastwood stars in this crime drama about an elderly man who, after going broke and facing foreclosure, becomes a drug runner for a Mexican cartel.
Trailer Impact is a service provided by Boxoffice Media parent company Webedia Movies Pro. To subscribe to the full service, which includes exclusive data about the top 25 trailers of the week, click here.
As is common during the post-Thanksgiving frame each year, most studios are sitting out the first weekend of December and allowing a market filled with strong holdovers to suffice before the barrage of holiday tentpoles resumes later in the month. The lone exception this weekend will be Sony’s The Possession of Hannah Grace, which has been tracking modestly ahead of its release in an expected 1,700+ locations.
Top 10 vs. Last year
Boxoffice projects this weekend’s top ten films will generate approximately $105 million. That would represent an increase of 9 percent over the same weekend last year when The Disaster Artist‘s platform opening and expansions from Lady Bird and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri stood as the only notable releases. That weekend’s top ten earned $96.7 million.
Weekend Forecast
Film
Distributor
3-Day Weekend Forecast
Projected Domestic Total through Sunday, December 2
% Change from Last Wknd
Ralph Breaks the Internet
Disney
$28,000,000
$122,100,000
-50%
Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch
Universal
$17,200,000
$202,900,000
-43%
Creed II
MGM
$17,100,000
$81,800,000
-52%
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
Warner Bros.
$12,000,000
$134,800,000
-59%
Bohemian Rhapsody
Fox
$8,200,000
$164,600,000
-41%
Instant Family
Paramount
$6,800,000
$45,600,000
-45%
Widows
Fox
$4,500,000
$33,000,000
-45%
Robin Hood
Lionsgate / Summit
$4,300,000
$21,300,000
-53%
Green Book
Universal
$4,000,000
$14,100,000
-27%
The Possession of Hannah Grace
Sony / Screen Gems
$3,200,000
$3,200,000
NEW
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TORRANCE, California, December 28 2018 – Cineplexx International GmbH opened a second and third MX4D Theatre in under two months, this time in Serbia.
Located in the country’s capital of Belgrade, Cineplexx’s second MX4D theatre boasts 100 seats configured into 25 benches. With a population of nearly 1.25M residents, the location offers a new form of entertainment not accessible in-home. “Working with Cineplexx on additional theatres only solidifies the great relationship we’ve formed,” says Jeremy Devine, VP of Marketing for MMI.
The third MX4D theatre, featuring 15 four-seat benches, is located in Vojvodina’s Novi Sad. “After the great interest generated by our Graz MX4D location, we are proud to have partnered with MediaMation on our two additional theatres. As an innovation leader, Cineplexx feels responsible for offering the best film experience to our visitors, providing ideal destination for unforgettable fun and technological experience,” stated Cineplexx CEO Christian Langhammer.
The state-of-the-art seats for both instillations feature a full range of motion and effects to enhance Hollywood’s latest releases. Moving beyond standard 3D, they utilize MMI’s newly patented EFX armrest which allows for every customer to have a better uniform experience across an entire theater. Additional atmospheric effects include wind, fog, and strobes.
Upcoming releases in MX4D, at select theaters, include: Universal and Peter Jackson’s Mortal Engines, Sony’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Disney’s Mary Poppins Returns, Paramount’s Bumblebee, and Warner Brothers’ Aquaman. In addition to these Hollywood blockbusters, MX4D programs select regional and national releases in native languages. Consult the Cineplexx website for showtimes.
Costa Mesa, CA (November 27, 2018) – QSC is proud to announce the first “QSC Certified” multiplex, Alamo Drafthouse Raleigh. QSC Certified Theatres are equipped with complete sound systems from QSC, and meet a set of technical guidelines for equipment, projection, acoustics, and room design, to ensure an outstanding movie-going experience.
The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Raleigh, North Carolina is an eleven screen complex, with rooms ranging in size from 47 seats to 107 seats. All rooms feature complete QSC cinema sound systems, using DCP Series cinema processors and DCA Series power amplifiers. Each room features QSC 3-way bi-amplified screen channel loudspeakers, SB-7218 subwoofers, and SR Series surround loudspeakers. The multiplex was built in a refurbished supermarket, making attention to acoustic design critical to the overall listening experience.
The QSC Certified Theatre Program is based on a set of guidelines intended to promote best practices in cinema design and overall presentation quality. QSC Certified Theatres are equipped with complete sound systems from QSC, the leader in cinema sound, and meet strict technical specifications. In addition to properly equipping the room with the optimal sound system, the CTP also evaluates acoustics, sightlines, and image quality.
“Providing the best possible movie experience requires paying attention to many details, beyond just installing the right sound and projection equipment,” says Mark Mayfield, Director of Global Marketing for QSC Cinema. “In fact, that’s usually the final consideration. It really begins with a properly designed room, with interior finishes and furnishings that don’t negatively impact the visual and aural experience. The QSC Certified Theatre Program requires that all of these factors are considered in evaluating the total experience. If all the specifications are met, then we’ll certify the room and provide a complete marketing program to help the theatre operator communicate the fact that their theatre is the best place to experience a movie.”
Many theatre operators will pursue certification for a limited number of rooms within a multiplex. Often, these are the premium large format (or PLF) rooms or those with special formats such as Dolby Atmos or 3D projection. Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas is the first cinema operator to achieve QSC Certification for every room in a multiplex.
“For over two decades we’ve worked to make the Alamo Drafthouse experience the best cinematic experience in the world. Presentation standards are one of the most important and yet most frequently overlooked aspects of the theatergoing experience,” says Tim League, Alamo Drafthouse founder/CEO. “The QSC system gives us the ability to consistently achieve and maintain our high brand standard for audio quality at Raleigh and across our circuit. We pursued QSC Certification in every theatre in the Raleigh multiplex because QSC provides a complete sound solution, along with a demonstrated history of quality, performance, and reliability.”
Sitting onstage during a panel on cinema subscription at the 2018 Geneva Convention, Bernadette McCabe, SVP of exhibition relations and business strategy at MoviePass, reminisced about a transformative year for exhibition. “When I think back to where we were as a company a year ago, the conversation was, ‘Is there a place for subscription?’” she said. “I think we’re standing here today knowing there is definitely a place for subscription in the movie theater industry.”
That sentiment sums up the atmosphere at this year’s edition of the Geneva Convention, the annual convention organized by NATO of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan held in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Its centerpiece panel brought together, for the first time, a CEO from a major U.S. circuit (Marcus Theatres’ Rolando Rodriguez) and executives from two of the country’s top third-party subscription providers, MoviePass and Sinemia. The panel’s seniority is a reflection of just how far the subscription conversation has advanced in the United States over the last year.
“We never knew how successful the company was going to be,” said McCabe, talking about MoviePass’s rapid rise at the tail end of 2017. “Like all of you, a year ago I was an outsider also watching the growth, fascinated by it. Certainly, had we ever known how quickly we were going to strike a chord with the moviegoing population, we probably would have done things differently. We probably would have staffed ourselves a little better to prepare for what was coming.”
Subscribers came first. Millions of them. At a rate the company, founded in 2011, had never experienced in any of its previous iterations. What followed was by all measures a wild ride, including dustups with several circuits, a letter of apology to subscribers from its CEO, and an investigation by the New York Attorney General. When MoviePass announced its $9.95 monthly plan in August 2017, subscription was barely on the radar for moviegoers in the United States. Today, despite the growing pains noted above, American moviegoers have access to a rapidly growing variety of subscription programs to choose from. AMC and Cinemark are two of the marquee brands that have launched their own in-house offerings, with Alamo Drafthouse and National Amusements’ Showcase Cinemas preparing similar solutions. MoviePass and Sinemia, the only third-party options to date, continue to refine their service plans—giving moviegoers different options at different price points.
Rifat Oguz, founder and CEO of Sinemia, remembered the initial impact of MoviePass’s $9.95 unlimited offering onstage at Lake Geneva. The company had just recently moved its headquarters to Los Angeles, said Oguz. “All my investors from Silicon Valley called to ask if we were going to do the same. I said, ‘We are looking at our data; we can’t right now, but we’ll see.’ I actually thought it was just a promotion of theirs.”
Many other industry professionals assumed the same. At first glance, the low monthly fee MoviePass charged to see up to one title a day seemed too good to be true. As its subscriber ranks swelled, concern grew from the business community that the model would eventually prove unsustainable. Exhibitors in particular worried that the aggressively low pricing model would misrepresent the value proposition to consumers, creating a false expectation of what a ticket was worth and potentially impacting the entire business in the long term.
“It’s the most critical aspect,” said Marcus’s Rolando Rodriguez, regarding cinema’s value proposition. “We need to be careful and make sure that price-value proposition doesn’t get away from us, because it could be financially disastrous for both the exhibitors and the providers. If they fail, we’re going to be the ones facing customers who are saying, ‘Wow, I used to be able to see 12 movies for that price. Now I can only see two movies for that price!’”
Rodriguez’s remarks echo those made by NATO President & CEO John Fithian at CinemaCon, when commenting on the association’s position on emerging subscription models.“You want to make sure that if an offering develops a huge following, that it’s sustainable,” he said. “Because if it’s not and it goes under, you end up with millions of disappointed customers who complain to us and our members.” Fithian also listed accuracy and respect for data privacy as other important concerns as subscription services continued to gain traction with consumers.
According to McCabe, MoviePass’s vision behind the aggressive pricing structure was based purely on customer acquisition, specifically on the 18- to 34-year-old demographic that has helped establish the concept in many other entertainment and leisure segments. The company’s mission was simply to get moviegoers who logged four to five cinema visits a year to go to the movies eight to ten times. For the most part, it worked. “We had about 85 percent of our users following that behavior,” said McCabe. “But we were seeing that 15 percent of our subscribers were heavy over-users, making it more and more challenging for us. That’s when we had to have a reset of our business and admit that as much as we love the unlimited concept, it’s really challenging to execute when you have some people that are going 10, 15, 30 times a month.”
The reset was a tacit acknowledgment that MoviePass’s $9.95 unlimited offering was indeed unsustainable. Its revised offering maintains the low price, but restricts viewers to three titles each month at select cinemas and specific show times. Competitors like Sinemia and exhibitor-branded solutions have stepped up to fill that gap, finding steady growth of their own. The biggest change in the U.S. cinema subscription conversation over the last year is just that: it is no longer defined by any single player.
“From our perspective, when we ran the model, the amount of traffic and frequency levels were well above the price point and the money that was coming in,” said Rodriguez. Marcus experimented with a subscription program in 2011, before Rodriguez’s tenure. Since then, however, the company has shifted its focus to providing discount days and perks to its loyalty members. Every Tuesday, Marcus locations offer $5 tickets—with a free popcorn included for loyalty program members. Rodriguez believes it’s an effective alternative to subscription, allowing moviegoers to come to the cinema each week without making a monthly commitment. “It’s one day a week, but we’ve created an event around it: moviegoers know that if it’s Tuesday, they need to be at Marcus Theatres.
“I think launching a subscription service on your own is a high-risk situation,” the Marcus executive continued. “It requires a lot of funding, advertising, and work behind it. The question then becomes, will we see the right proposition emerge under a good program that can actually be highly competitive within the market? That doesn’t stop regionals like ourselves that are potentially looking for our own solutions, but when we talk about
—it’s about which solution really aligns with the needs of the independent exhibitors.”
Malcolm MacMillan, chief marketing officer at Webedia Movies Pro, says he believes the upside of in-house subscription is too good to pass up for exhibitors willing to test the waters. “The key word here is ‘control,’” he said at the Geneva panel. “From our perspective, we work with exhibitors and are focused on helping them sell more tickets. We advocate having full control of your customers’ experience, on your website, on your app, and of the data you’re getting out of on the other side. That’s where the real value is in all of this.” [Webedia Movies Pro is the parent company of Boxoffice Media.]
In-house subscription is evolving at a rapid rate in the United States. The willingness of more exhibitors to test their own model has even inspired Sinemia to expand beyond its initial B2C format. The company launched Sinemia Enterprise ahead of ShowEast 2018, promising to deliver a white-label subscription solution to exhibitors within two weeks of signing. Oguz doesn’t see this move as a pivot for the third-party subscription service. “We think of Sinemia as a fintech company rather than a movie-ticketing company.”
Oguz’s comments in this regard are particularly revealing. Sell it any way you want, but what is subscription, really, beyond a premium tier within a theater’s loyalty program? Being circuit agnostic (like MoviePass) might provide different insights across a number of circuits—but it’s still too early to determine the true value of that data beyond engaging those consumers to come back for another cinema visit. Subscription is evolving in the United States alongside digital ticketing, where established players like Fandango and upstarts like Atom Tickets are themselves innovating in the intersection of fintech and consumer data. The long-term viability of subscription programs in the U.S. might not yet be confirmed—and likely won’t be in the coming months—but the rate in which moviegoers have embraced this new ticketing platform is striking. Whether subscription is a trend or a bubble is beside the point at this stage; e-commerce at the movies is here, and it will only continue revolutionizing the cinema experience in the years to come.
[Auckland, NZ and Los Angeles, CA; November 26, 2018]— Vista Entertainment Solutions Limited (‘Vista Cinema’), the world-leading provider of cinema management software solutions and the founding company of Vista Group International (NZX & ASX: VGL), has appointed Tess Manchester President of their Los Angeles- based subsidiary, Vista USA.
Announcing the appointment, Leon Newnham, CEO of Vista Cinema, noted “Tess is a special talent whose diverse skill set has been of enormous value to our business. She is a natural leader who is totally in tune with our customers’ needs and she has a commanding knowledge of the cinema exhibition industry. In appointing Tess to lead Vista USA, we are confident that her exemplary record of customer care, product enhancement and operational excellence – all proven whilst providing unwavering support and care for the Vista team – will result in Vista USA continuing our record of growth. We are delighted she has accepted this role.”
Following her graduation from Webster University with a degree in legal studies, Ms Manchester began her career at Wehrenberg Theatres (since acquired by Marcus TheatresÒ), as an IT Support Analyst and Systems Engineer in her home town of St. Louis, Missouri. She joined Vista USA seven years ago as an Application Consultant and has since achieved a succession of executive-level promotions to her most recent prior position of Vice-President of Operations.
Added to Ms Manchester’s multiple talents is writing; she is also a published novelist, the author of the thrillers Pivot Point and Stay Dark.
“I have a passion for movies and a love of great storytelling. I’m excited by this new opportunity to continue to bring innovative tech and service offerings to the cinema industry to help exhibitors create incredible movie going experiences,” says Tess Manchester. “Leading the Vista USA team who have so far driven our track record of success and with whom it’s my privilege to work, is an added bonus and I’m eager to forge the path ahead.”
When the Vista Cinema USA office was established in 2009, USA market share was less than 5%, with four Los Angeles-based staff. Today Vista USA has 44% market share in the large cinema circuit market and a team of 80. Under Ms Manchester’s already proven leadership, Vista Cinema is looking forward to continued growth.
In a competitive Thanksgiving weekend frame featuring three wide newcomers and several heavyweight holdovers, Ralph Breaks the Internet easily won the box office crown with an incredible $55.7 million three-day gross and a whopping $84.5 million over the five-day period. Elsewhere, Creed II more than lived up to the hype generated by its powerhouse predecessor while the latest version of Robin Hood faltered out of the gate.
Boasting the widest Thanksgiving weekend release ever, Disney minted another holiday-season hit with Ralph Breaks the Internet, the sequel to 2012’s beloved animated comedy Wreck-It Ralph. Debuting in 4,017 theaters, the follow-up bested Toy Story 2‘s $57.38 million 3-day gross over Thanksgiving weekend 1999 and also topped the five-day Thanksgiving record of $82.08 million boasted by 2016’s Moana, making it the second-highest Thanksgiving weekend debut ever behind Disney’s Frozen, which grossed $67.3 million over the 3-day and $93.5 million over the 5-day. Incidentally, both of those films were also released by Disney, which now boasts nine out of ten titles on the list of highest 3-day Thanksgiving weekend openers and eight out of the top ten films in the 5-day category (notably, Hunger Games: Catching Fire still holds the overall record with its second-weekend gross of $74.1 million over the 3-day and $109.9 million over the 5-day).
Despite six years passing since the release of Wreck-It Ralph, fans were clearly clamoring for more from the reformed arcade villain. The first film opened to $49 million in early November and boasted sturdy legs in the ensuing weeks thanks to strong word-of-mouth, ultimately finishing its run with a fantastic $189.4 million in North America. Both films benefitted from fantastic reviews, scoring nearly identically on both Rotten Tomatoes (87% and 86%) and Metacritic (72 vs. 71). Audiences also rated both installments highly, with Wreck-It Ralph garnering an “A” Cinemascore and Ralph Breaks the Internet nabbing an “A-.” Clearly goodwill from the first film kept audiences excited for a sequel, and the relative quality of the follow-up made good on that promise, leading to fantastic word-of-mouth through the weekend and a total that came in substantially higher than many had predicted despite heavy competition from the still-strong likes of The Grinch and Fantastic Beasts.
Down in second place, Creed II scored a knockout debut with $35.2 million over the three-day period and $55.8 million over the five-day, besting the first Creed, which brought in $29.6 million over the three-day Thanksgiving weekend in 2015 and $42.1 million over the five-day. Like Ralph Breaks the Internet, this seems to be another case of goodwill generated from the first film carrying over to its follow-up, combined with a strong critical and audience response (Creed II has an 81% “Certified Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an “A” Cinemascore). We’re expecting this to play well through the holiday season just like its predecessor, which finished its run with an impressive $109.7 million in North America and also nabbed a supporting Oscar nod for star Sylvester Stallone, who returned for the sequel.
In third place, Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch continued its strong run with an estimated $30.2 million 3-day/$42 million five-day in its third weekend. That’s a drop of just 21% from last weekend’s total over the three-day period, giving the animated comedy a stellar $180.4 million total after 17 days of release. Thanks to its Yuletide themes, expect the Universal release to continue strong through the end of the year, particularly with kids out of school on their holiday break.
Fourth place went to the second weekend of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, which nabbed $29.6 million in its sophomore frame over the 3-day period and $42.8 million over the 5-day (notably, when taking into account 5-day figures Beasts actually slips into third place ahead of The Grinch). For the three-day frame, that’s a drop of 52% from its $62.1 million debut last weekend, giving the Wizarding World franchise entry a good $117.1 million after ten days of release. It’s worth noting that that’s a significantly steeper second-week drop than that of the first Fantastic Beasts, which also debuted the weekend before Thanksgiving and dropped 39% in its sophomore frame. With $117.1 million in the bank so far, Grindelwald is now running roughly 25% behind the pace of its predecessor, which notably also went up against a major Disney animated release in its sophomore frame, that time in the form of Moana.
Fifth place went to Bohemian Rhapsody, which brought in an estimated $13.8 million over the 3-day and $19.3 million over the 5-day. Dropping a mere 13% from the 3-day period last weekend, the Freddie Mercury biopic now has an incredible $152 million through Sunday. Like last year’s surprise hit The Greatest Showman, the crowd-pleasing musical has captured audiences despite a lukewarm critical reception and seems destined to perform well through the end of the year.
The Rose Byrne-Mark Wahlberg dramedy Instant Family took sixth place in its sophomore frame, grossing an estimated $12.5 million 3-day/$17.4 million 5-day. That’s a drop of just 13% from its $14.5 million three-day opening, an incredibly strong hold that suggests the film has been garnering strong word-of-mouth from audiences. With $35.7 million after ten days, the warm-and-fuzzy Paramount release looks to continue its strong run through the holidays.
Seventh place went to Robin Hood, which stumbled in its debut with an estimated $9.1 million over the 3-day period and $14.2 million over the five-day. In a season with multiple critically-acclaimed mainstream releases on the slate, the film’s dismal 11% rating on Rotten Tomatoes may well have killed its chances of capturing a bigger audience this weekend. Notably, the Lionsgate release is the second Robin Hood adaptation to hit screens over the past decade, with the somewhat better-received Russell Crowe-Ridley Scott version debuting to a far more lively $36 million in May of 2010.
In eighth place, Widows took in an estimated $7.9 million 3-day/$10.5 million 5-day in its sophomore frame, bringing the total for the Fox release to $25.5 million in its first ten days. That’s a drop of just 35% over the 3-day period for the Viola Davis heist thriller, which has benefitted from strong critical notices and awards-season buzz thanks to a heavyweight cast and the work of Oscar-winning 12 Years a Slave director Steve McQueen.
Following its limited release on just 25 screens last weekend, Green Book expanded to 1,063 theaters and brought in an estimated $5.4 million 3-day/$7.4 million 5-day in ninth place, a decent total that brings the cume for the Universal title to $7.8 million. The Mahershala Ali-Viggo Mortensen drama has been reasonably (if not ecstatically) well-reviewed, and audiences seem to be enjoying it even better, as it currently boasts a Flixster audience rating of 93%. Whether that will translate into a robust performance for the feel-good film as we move further into the holiday season remains to be seen. As things stand right now, this could potentially go either way.
Rounding out the Top 10 is Warner Bros.’ A Star Is Born, which grossed an estimated $3 million over the 3-day period and $4 million over the 5-day. That gives the Lady Gaga-Bradley Cooper blockbuster a total of $191 million so far.
Limited Release:
Fox Searchlight released The Favourite into just four theaters and brought in a fantastic $420K, which represents a sizzling per-screen average of $105K, the highest of the year to date. Starring Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz, and Olivia Colman and directed by The Lobster helmer Yorgos Lanthimos, the R-rated palace intrigue satire has benefitted from very strong reviews (it has a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes) and a healthy dose of awards-season buzz. Look for the film to expand wider next weekend.
Overseas Update:
Ralph Breaks the Internet took in $41.5 million in its international debut, leading to a global opening weekend of $97.2 million over the 3-day period. Opening grosses included $19.5 million in China and $6.3 million in Mexico. Its global cume through Sunday stands at $126 million.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald crossed the $400 million mark globally this weekend, grossing an estimated $83.7 million in 80 markets. The international total now stands at $322.6 million while the global cume is a whopping $439.7 million. Totals include $51.9 million in China, $28.3 million in the UK, $23.2 million in Germany, and $19.8 million in France.
This week’s report takes an early look at M. Night Shyamalan’s highly anticipated follow-up to Split and Unbreakable, slated for release on January 18, 2019.
Glass Opening Weekend Range: $55 – 80 million
PROS:
Split was a runaway hit two years ago when it exceeded expectations with a $40 million debut and leggy $138.3 million domestic total on the heels of strong word of mouth and critical reception. The film’s surprise twist connecting it to a previous Shyamalan hit left fans excited for the prospect of the long-discussed follow-up to Unbreakable after nearly two decades of waiting.
The return of Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson as their Unbreakable characters, alongside James McAvoy and the tremendous praise he received for his Split performance, gives the sequel serious marquee appeal.
Superheroes are hotter than ever at the box office right now, and the promise of a unique, grounded action/thriller through the lens of Shyamalan could be very appealing to audiences looking for a fresh hook from the genre.
With plenty of distance between Christmas releases and February’s high profile titles, this is arguably the first and only tentpole release of January 2019.
Early Trailer Impact metrics are very encouraging with nearly 78 percent of surveyed audiences indicating interest in seeing the film. That’s comparable to the 82 percent earned by Halloween when it was first tracked six weeks out from release.
CONS:
Those unfamiliar with Unbreakable may not be as excited by the connection between that film and Glass, although part of the impressive success of Split was its ability to capture a young adult audience on its own merits without the recognition of the first film in the trilogy.
8-Week Tracking
Release Date
Title
3-Day Wide Release Tracking
% Chg from Last Week
Domestic Total Forecast
% Chg from Last Week
Estimated Location Count
Distributor
11/30/2018
The Possession of Hannah Grace
$3,000,000
20%
$6,000,000
20%
1,900
Sony / Columbia
12/12/2018
Once Upon a Deadpool (Limited Release)
n/a
n/a
Fox
12/14/2018
Mortal Engines
$14,000,000
-13%
$50,000,000
-10%
Universal
12/14/2018
The Mule
$15,000,000
7%
$80,000,000
Warner Bros.
12/14/2018
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
$29,000,000
32%
$130,000,000
44%
Sony / Columbia
12/19/2018
Mary Poppins Returns
$40,000,000
$350,000,000
Disney
12/21/2018
Aquaman
$55,000,000
$200,000,000
Warner Bros.
12/21/2018
Bumblebee
$20,000,000
$100,000,000
Paramount
12/21/2018
Second Act
$7,000,000
$40,000,000
STX
12/21/2018
Welcome to Marwen
n/a
n/a
Universal
12/25/2018
Holmes & Watson
$17,000,000
$85,000,000
Sony / Columbia
12/25/2018
Vice (Wide)
n/a
$65,000,000
Annapurna
1/4/2019
Eli (2019)
n/a
n/a
Paramount
1/4/2019
Escape Room
$13,000,000
$32,000,000
Sony / Columbia
1/11/2019
A Dog’s Way Home
$12,000,000
$40,000,000
Sony / Columbia
1/11/2019
Perfect Strangers
n/a
n/a
Lionsgate / Pantelion Films
1/11/2019
Replicas
n/a
n/a
Entertainment Studios
1/11/2019
The Upside
$13,000,000
$39,000,000
STX
1/18/2019
Glass
$67,000,000
NEW
$180,000,000
NEW
Universal
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Wednesday Report: Disney reports this morning that Ralph Breaks the Internet earned an excellent $3.8 million start from 6pm onward last night as it begins a five-day weekend release. That compares very favorably with Disney’s Coco and Moana, which also bowed on Thanksgiving Wednesday in 2017 and 2016 with $2.3 million and $2.6 million, respectively. While initial results are expected to be higher for Ralph given its nature as a sequel, this bodes well for a strong opening performance in the days ahead.
Although MGM and Annapurna have yet to report officially, multiple sources claim Creed II earned $3.7 million from last night’s first shows. If accurate, that marks a huge jump from Creed‘s $1.4 million start on the same pre-Thanksgiving Wednesday three years ago — although the comparison is loose given how popular early shows have become even in that relatively short time frame.
Meanwhile, Robin Hoodtook in $800K from 2,100 locations last night — plus an addition $400K from promotional screenings on Monday night. The former former figure is well ahead of Victor Frankenstein‘s $180K Tuesday night start three years ago, although additional comps are scarce with the holiday debut in mind.
Follow Boxoffice for continued updates throughout the extended holiday weekend.
The long Thanksgiving weekend is upon us. Contrary to last year’s slim offerings, a handful of major studios are aiming to get their share of the pie with three wide releases and one nationwide expansion sitting down at the table on Wednesday.
Ralph Breaks the Internet Opening Weekend Range: $65 – 75 million (5-day)
PROS:
The original 2012 film was one of Disney Animation’s early modern hits that confirmed the studio could churn out animated hits without the Pixar branding. Wreck-It Ralph earned a respectable $189.4 million domestically, and has gone on to become a new favorite of the current generation.
Disney has always been a force to be reckoned with, but their profile and drawing power with families have never been higher than right now thanks to a string of mega-blockbusters across their brands in recent years. Their dominance on Thanksgiving is also notable, owning nine of the top ten three-day openings in history.
Strong reviews are adding to the momentum for this sequel, which has long been in demand by fans of the original.
Fandango pre-sales are ahead of Moana and Coco— fellow Disney releases at Thanksgiving over the past two years.
CONS:
The sequel enters a very competitive market with the Fantastic Beasts sequel having just opened five days earlier and, more importantly, continued strength from The Grinch — which has shown signs that it won’t be fading at the box office anytime soon as we get closer to Christmas. That film (in its third frame) and Ralph will certainly be splitting the family and kiddie crowds.
Trailer Impact surveys have shown declining levels of interest in recent weeks. Among responses, 73 percent said they were “Definitely Interested” or “Interested” this week — down from nearly 88 percent in mid-October.
Twitter trends have trailed Moana and Coco.
Creed II Opening Weekend Range: $45 – 55 million (5-day)
PROS:
The previous film was a critical and commercial darling that earned a fair amount of Oscar attention after a $42 million five-day Thanksgiving debut. This sequel’s largely positive reviews should add to the goodwill earned by the 2015 franchise revival.
The series remains a stalwart with a generational fan base that’s excited to see the return of beloved characters and story lines both new and old.
Trailer Impact metrics closed out at a seven-week high with nearly 75 percent of those survey responding “Definitely Interested ” or “Interested” this week.
CONS:
Twitter trends have paled in comparison to the previous film. In fairness, however, that’s likely due to a more limited marketing reach from distributors MGM and Annapurna compared to the wider net cast by Warner Bros. and New Line three years ago.
The film will be contending with a few other titles aiming for adults this weekend, namely Instant Family, Bohemian Rhapsody, and Widows.
Robin Hood Opening Weekend Range: $10 – 15 million (5-Day)
PROS:
Taron Egerton and Jamie Foxx provide fair star power, the former coming fresh off the popular Kingsman franchise.
The IP here is still a selling point on some level, even coming after eight years after Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe’s take on the iconic story.
CONS:
Social media growth has lagged behind both King Arthur: Legend of the Sword and the aforementioned 2010 version of Robin Hood.
The film’s 20 percent Rotten Tomatoes score isn’t going to help it stand out on a weekend filled to the brim with appealing releases and strong holdovers aiming for a similar audience.
Top 10 vs. Last Year
Boxoffice projects this weekend’s top ten will earn approximately $194 million over the three-day frame. That would represent a 9 percent increase from the same Thanksgiving weekend last year when Disney/Pixar’s Coco was the only wide opener, leading an overall $178.5 million top ten market.
3-Day Weekend Forecast
Film
Distributor
3-Day Weekend Forecast
Projected Domestic Total through Sunday, November 25
% Change from Last Wknd
Ralph Breaks the Internet
Disney
$48,800,000
$70,000,000
NEW
Creed II
MGM
$33,500,000
$49,000,000
NEW
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
Warner Bros.
$31,500,000
$120,100,000
-49%
Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch
Universal
$30,000,000
$176,900,000
-22%
Instant Family
Paramount
$13,000,000
$36,100,000
-10%
Bohemian Rhapsody
Fox
$12,900,000
$150,900,000
-20%
Widows
Fox
$8,900,000
$26,800,000
-28%
Robin Hood
Lionsgate / Summit
$8,000,000
$11,600,000
NEW
Green Book
Universal
$4,500,000
$6,300,000
1304%
A Star Is Born
Warner Bros.
$3,500,000
$191,800,000
-18%
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It’s always hard to nail down the perfect ending. It’s especially frustrating when you feel the ending you chose didn’t get your characters where they needed to be. At the risk of overstating matters, that’s the feeling that lingered among the production team ofWreck-It Ralphin the months following the film’s release. The film’s protagonist, Ralph, the misanthropic antagonist of arcade game Fix-It Felix, had just found his first true friend in Vanellope, a candy-race-car driver from the game Sugar Rush. But somehow, that ending didn’t feel completely right.
“The idea came fairly early, right after we finished work on the first movie. We were talking if we would ever want to do a sequel, and if so, why? Because the first movie wrapped up pretty nicely with Ralph’s line, ‘If that kid likes me, how bad can I be?’”says director Rich Moore. “At the time, it felt like a very sweet sentiment. However, as we started poking around at that idea, it’s actually a little bit dysfunctional that Ralph is defining himself based on how another person feels about him. We realized Ralph still has some work to do—and the internet is the worst place that you could put a person who defines themselves by how other people think.”
The sequel, appropriately titledRalph Breaks the Internet, picks up at Litwack’s Family Fun Center & Arcade, which houses all the games and characters from Ralph and Vanellope’s universe. After the steering wheel for the Sugar Rushconsole breaks, the arcade’s proprietor is forced to unplug the machine—putting Vanellope’s future at risk. The only way to recover Sugar Rushis by purchasing a replacement steering wheel … on eBay, an expensive task for the cash-strapped arcade. That’s when Ralph and Vanellope venture into a mysterious new world they’ve never explored—the internet—to purchase that steering wheel and get it delivered to Litwack’s.
The story introduces a completely new challenge for the filmmakers. As inToy Story, nostalgia for childhood play is a major theme in the originalWreck-It Ralph. Much like looking at toys’ lives when they’re back in the chest, the movie builds a world around arcade characters’ personalities after the arcade lights go down. Nostalgia roots the viewer in a specific place, with references that serve as anchors to that era. The internet, however, is a completely different beast. There are few specifics one can latch on to when talking about the internet; it’s an ephemeral place, with trends and memes that come and go in an instant. “We knew the first movie was a love letter to video games and arcades and that if we were going to make a second one, it had to be different,” says Moore. “You can only traffic in this nostalgia so much.”
One of the earliest glimpses ofRalph Breaks the Internettook place at Disney’s annual fan convention, the D23 Expo. One particular scene stood out as the filmmakers offered fans an advance look at portions of the film. “We were kicking around ideas on what these characters could do on the internet,” recalls Moore. “The ‘Oh My Disney’ scene started with us thinking how funny it would be if Ralph took one of those online quizzes, ‘Are you an Ana or an Elsa?’ Then we thought, it would be funny if somehow Ana and Elsa are there …” That scene evolved into a show-stopping satirical sequence featuring a room full of Disney princesses, a room that Vanellope accidentally stumbles into. “Why not have fun at our own expense?” says Moore, laughing. “Have fun with these characters and their foibles, what makes them weird and what’s kind of crazy about them. Even within the Disney pantheon, Ralph and Vanellope feel like misfits. It was fun putting Vanellope in that world and what she would think of it, how she’d react.”
That scene brings together the original voice talent of most of characters featured onscreen, arguably a bigger feat than getting the cast of theAvengerstogether. “We did the scene first with temp voices, so we knew what the scene was all about when we went to them,” says Moore. “We just hoped everyone was game to do something that’s part irreverent but also respectful of their characters. They loved the idea, and when they came in they helped elevate the comedy—as an actor does—and would point out details, like how the characters would say certain things. It added that extra layer of authenticity to the princesses because as we got to work with each one of them, it became really apparent to us that they really embody those characters. Beyond the voice they provided, so much of these characters are embodied by their personalities.”
With a surefire scene locked in, the filmmakers still had to work to determine what other elements of the internet would be evergreen enough to connect with audiences. “We knew when we started working on the movie that the tropes of the internet wouldn’t be the same when it was released,” explains Moore. “We kept our vision pretty broad.”
Part of that broad vision came through the setting itself, the internet, which not only provided the filmmakers with a bigger canvas, but also energized the production team as it reconvened for the sequel. “If we’re going to do this,” co-director and writer Phil Johnston remembers thinking, “it should be bigger and crazier than the arcade—and that’s the internet.” But what exactlydoesthe internet look like? Web browsers have evolved throughout the years, and with the exception of icons or emojis, there are very few visual references one can take when designing a new world out of an existing, intangible concept like the internet.
“In the very beginning, you do all the different designs and creative visions of this and you do wonder if we’re ever really going to be able to focus. There are so many different directions you could go in. There’s not a true north, a place you’re familiar with that you can build around.” says producer Clark Spencer. “You start with nothing—there is no model for what the internet looks like. It’s not likeZootopiawhere you could go to a big city and imagine a version made by animals,” agrees Moore. “It is so daunting, but this job, I’ve realized, is about being uncomfortable. Putting yourself in an impossible situation, sitting in it, and allowing the answers to come.”
InRalph Breaks the Internet, those answers came through the characters themselves. “Once you find the characters and fall in love with them, you let them tell you what the next story needs to be,” says Johnston. The filmmakers felt Ralph still had a lot of work left to do in order to find confidence within himself rather than in how others view him. His co-star, Vanellope, barely had enough time in the first film to go through a proper character arc—having been introduced halfway through that movie. Ralph’s journey might have been halfway realized, but Vanellope’s had just begun.Ralph Breaks the Internetis a maturation story for two characters who find themselves in a place with endless possibilities—and deep pitfalls.
“It’s a tricky balance to strike because the internet gives us everything we want, but there’s also a lot of dark stuff out there. To some extent, we were emboldened by the work onZootopia, knowing that audiences are eager for a more sophisticated approach to tricky subject matter in family films,” says Johnston. “InZootopiait was racism, and in this one we’re dealing with online bullying and trolling on an emotional level with Ralph; the self-doubt and insecurity that I think both parents and kids can relate to.”
In the same way the filmmakers tackled prejudice inZootopia, the team behindRalph Breaks the Internetwanted to avoid making a movie that would offer facile solutions to a complex social issue like online bullying. Rather than have their characters solve a problem of that magnitude, they decided to let Ralph and Vanellope go through the emotional journey of experiencing, and overcoming, the torrents of anonymous scorn that emanate from the internet. “The last thing we want to do is lecture the audience and preach to them,” says Moore. “But we can show characters who encounter these things on the internet and show how they are able to rise above it.”
[Auckland, New Zealand and Milwaukee, WISC., USA; November 19th, 2018] – Vista Group International Limited (‘Vista Group’ NZX & ASX: VGL) welcomes Marcus Theatres® as a customer of Vista Group company Vista Entertainment Solutions (‘Vista Cinema’), with the signing of a new long-term agreement.
Currently with 68 sites and 890 screens across 8 states, Marcus Theatres is the fourth largest theatre circuit in the United States. However, Marcus Theatres recently announced an agreement in which the company will acquire the assets of Movie Tavern, increasing its footprint to 90 locations, 1,098 screens and 17 states upon the completion of the transaction. The Vista Cinema and Marcus Theatres teams will partner on Vista’s products across the entire circuit, beginning immediately.
Vista Cinema offers a diverse cinema management product set to meet the needs of movie theatres, ranging from box office ticketing and concessions Point of Sale to corporate dashboards, analysis and reporting, to loyalty solutions and white-label web and mobile applications. Marcus Theatres has licensed numerous modules under an enterprise agreement and intends to fully utilize Vista’s end-to-end suite with the goals of improving customer offerings and creating efficiencies throughout their business. Included is Vista’s new cloud-based Cinema Manager product, which enables theatre managers’ mobility and provides them with everything they need to streamline their entire working day and that of their cinema staff.
In conjunction with the signing of the Vista Cinema agreement, Marcus Theatres has agreed to an extension with Movio, also a Vista Group company, to license the full suite of cinema products for a further 36 months, including Movio’s latest innovation, Dynamic Content.
“Partnering with Marcus Theatres is an inspiration for us,” says Leon Newnham, Chief Executive of Vista Cinema. “Across all our Vista Group businesses we’re committed to reimagining the future of cinema management technology and to continuing to design and execute solutions that exceed the needs and wants of both exhibitors and moviegoers. Our partnership with Marcus Theatres is additional incentive to continue to deliver on our promises and consolidate our reputation as an innovator.”
“Vista is the industry leader, consistently moving their product forward for exhibition in unprecedented, innovative ways,” says Rolando Rodriguez, Chairman, President and CEO of Marcus Theatres. “With strong market share and product leadership, Vista understands how to support cinema exhibition. Marcus Theatres and Vista are better together – enabling us to make our cinema experience even more memorable.”
ENGLAND, UK, November 12th , 2018 — Julian Pinn Ltd signs UK’s MusicScreen Ltd to its popular cinema optimizing sound platform expanding its services into the Event Cinema marketspace.
4cine.io unlocks the power of cinema by introducing three ground-breaking concepts: mix-extraction, analysis, and cinematic-remapping. 4cine.io analyses final audio mixes, identifies cinema compatibility issues, and solves them quickly and accurately. The result is a cinema master that is fully conformed to relevant industry standards and optimised to preserve the original creative intent when experienced in the challenging but rewarding cinema environment.
“MusicScreen takes you to the concert. It is critical that we immerse our worldwide cinema audiences into the full concert experience and ultimately give everyone the best seat in the stadium. To achieve that we worked with cinema expert, Julian Pinn, and utilized his company’s 4cine.io platform to conform our final stereo mix into the precise loudness and 5.1 sound standards of the world’s cinemas. We — as are our clients — are stunned and thrilled with the results and appreciate very much how faithful the cinema experience is to the original.” — David Pope, CEO MusicScreen Ltd.
4cine.io was launched commercially in May 2017 and has since optimized and conformed in excess of 8000 audio mixes for cinematic exhibition across Denmark, Germany, Norway, and Switzerland and clients are delighted with the feedback from their cinema partners.
“With 4cine.io, we’ve developed technology, packaged within a professional cloud service, that is built from the confluence of extensive scientific research and decades of specialist experience in motion-picture content-creation, distribution, and exhibition. It has been a joy to work with MusicScreen on such a superb event and we look forward to a long relationship into the future.” — Julian Pinn, CEO Julian Pinn Ltd.
Tickets are available for this one-night-only cinema experience at the Simply Red website: https://ift.tt/2qWkv4u.
The story might be apocryphal, but it’s been shared at so many press junkets and nighttime talk shows that it’s become part of the Rocky myth. Frustrated by a lack of opportunities, struggling actor Sylvester Stallone happened to watch the boxing match between Chuck Wepner and Muhammad Ali and ended up writing the first draft ofRockyin a whirlwind of inspiration. Every studio turned him down—except United Artists, who offered him a life-changing sum for the screenplay. Stallone turned the offer down, insisting he would only sell the script if the studio cast him as the lead. UA eventually agreed—but only if Stallone would agree to the minimum pay according to union rules. Which, of course, he did. That’s the underdog story at the heart ofRocky, a franchise that has closely followed the real-life career arc of its protagonist for over 40 years. In the first half of this decade, up-and-coming filmmaker Ryan Coogler, coming off his critically acclaimed debut,Fruitvale Station, decided to take his own million-to-one shot. He pitched Stallone the idea of returning to the role and repositioning the series under the Creed banner—following the story of Apollo Creed’s son, Adonis. The film reenergized the franchise and opened the door to a sequel of its own.Creed IIfollows Adonis (Michael B. Jordan) as he settles into his life with Bianca (Tessa Thompson) and career in boxing. His life is turned upside down when Viktor Drago (Florian Munteanu), the son of Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren)—the man who killed his father in the ring—emerges from the shadows to challenge him to a grudge match.
Boxoffice’s Daniel Loria, a life-long fan of the Rocky films, spoke toCreed IIdirector Steven Caple Jr. about helming the latest chapter in the storied franchise.
I’m excited about this interview since I’m probably somewhere in your B-roll. I was watching the Wilder-Ortiz fight in New York when you taped the crowd scenes for your film.
You have to be on the lookout because we used a lot of crowd footage from that fight! There was an amazing energy that night, and the fight was very similar to the one we have in the movie. Creed is all about technique and speed, but Baby Drago (that’s what I like to call him) is a brawler, a bruising power puncher a lot like Deontay Wilder. It was one of those fights where everyone was looking for the big punch to get up off their seat, and that’s exactly the sort of fight we wanted to use for the movie.
Ryan Coogler launched the Creed story from a very personal connection to the Rocky movies, growing up watching the films with his father and drawing inspiration from them during a family illness. I don’t want to focus too much on his film, but I am curious: do you have a personal connection to these films? Were they a part of your life growing up?
I had the same connection to the franchise and the characters, so I was already attracted to the project in that way. I wanted to add my own spin on it and take it on as a project that would be bigger than the first one. There are still honest moments with the relationship between Tessa Thompson and Michael B. Jordan; introducing Drago and diving into those relationships—making it very layered and multidimensional. I love the firstRockyandRocky II, those two are my favorites. And I really liked the firstCreed, which felt very real to me. I felt this was an opportunity to continue that story with this project. Working with Ryan [Coogler] and Sly was a great experience [Coogler serves as executive producer forCreed II].
This is a legendary franchise that’s been around for decades but has only had a few directors: John G. Avildsen, Stallone, Ryan Coogler, and now you. What did you want to bring to the table to give this film your own stamp?
You’re right, there’ve only been a few directors, and I’m honored to be part of this project. I think one of the reasons they brought me is that the story deals with maturity during the rough phases of life, of counting on family for inspiration. I had done something similar inThe Land, which was about skateboarding but really went beyond that to explore the characters. This movie works around boxing, but it’s really more about life. I feel that’s one of the strong suits that I wanted to bring to the movie, tying the film back to intimate moments. I also wanted to add a sense of poetry to the sport—similar to what I did inThe Land—expressing the poetry in the moves and technique of the sweet science.
Every Rocky installment is different.RockyandRocky IIare dramas.Rocky IIIfollows more of a music video aesthetic and relies on montage to move the story forward. You could say something similar aboutRocky IV, whileRocky VandRocky Balboawork within the conventions of the series to reconnect with the nostalgia for the first two films.Creedinvigorated the franchise by giving it a different focus. What sort of style and tone did you want to bring to this film?
I wanted to make a movie with a raw emotional texture. It’s a very moody film. I have to thank Sly and Ryan for letting me explore the tone of the movie; we set out to capture these feelings in the right way. I talked to Sly when I came on board and told him I really wanted to keep it raw. Nothing too simple, of course, especially with Drago coming back—I didn’t want to make something too cartoony. As for the boxing in the movie, I had mentioned the energy in the building of a big fight; I tried to capture that experience. It’s not just about the fight itself, it’s about the fans, the people around the fighters, and the stakes behind it.
Fatherhood has become an overarching theme in these movies, fromRocky V, which begins to develop Rocky Jr.’s story line, toRocky Balboa, where that father-son relationship becomes the emotional core of the movie. The father-son dynamic looms overCreed, in the sense that it’s a movie about absent fathers. Rocky is estranged from his son and Adonis struggles to understand his place in the shadow of a father that was never there.Creed IItakes that theme even further, bringing back Ivan Drago, the stoic Soviet antagonist fromRocky IV, and adding another father-son element into the mix by introducing his son—who, like Adonis, is driven to fighting through his father’s legacy.
It’s also something we explore through Adonis as he becomes a father himself, going through the experience of having his first child. So the film also looks at growth and maturity on his side. The story line with the Dragos looks at the father-son thing from a different angle, but it shares that theme of the power and importance of family. Remember: Drago is out for vengeance, too; they’re both kids who want to honor their fathers’ names and legacies. That’s the dynamic we wanted to create between them—and it’s something that Sly has always tapped into in these films.
These movies have also tapped into underlying tensions in the country over the decades, such as class, race, and national identity. They’re as resonant to American society today as they were when the first movie was released.
We didn’t set out to tap into any social themes with this movie; obviously there are still some political tensions with Russia and America, but the story we wanted to tell is about the characters and not about the political situation. For us, personally—and I’m including Ryan [Coogler], Mike [B. Jordan], and Tessa [Thompson] when I say this—it was also about telling a story with black people in it that show us in a different light. And in that sense, it’s a movie about a black family and being a black father—there aren’t too many movies out there that talk about that, and it was something really interesting for us. We set out to make this film by grounding the story on Creed and the people around him.
As a fan of these movies, it’s frustrating that so many memorable rivals have faded into the sunset after a movie is over. Someone like Clubber Lang (Mr. T), he just retired afterRocky III? I want to find out more! So bringing back Drago—and his son—is a big draw for fans, who get to reconnect with these characters that we haven’t seen in 30 years. In many ways,Rocky Balboawas an homage to the first two Rocky movies. TheCreedmovies feel like they’re an ode to the story lines left dangling from the sequels.
We actually wanted to pick up from that moment; what happens to Ivan Drago after he loses inRocky IV, what he’s been up to for all these years, what he thinks of himself, how he’s perceived by the people around him. Going up against Creed, it’s much more than just a fight for the Dragos. I think that makes this film layered and three-dimensional. We have this image of Ivan Drago as a cold-blooded killer, but in this film we get to see him driven by a purpose.
There’s a parallel there with Adonis in the first Creed movie; boxing is a platform for the Dragos to reclaim their name.
Yeah, and that’s something that Dolph [Lundgren] brought to the performance. I loved that aspect of telling this story, not just bringing a character back but really adding an extra layer to the movie. We were talking about father-son dynamics, and the one between the Dragos is pretty dark.
After 40 years of this franchise, why do you think these films still resonate with today’s audiences all over the world?
We’ve all been the underdog at one point in our life, and I think people can connect with the motivation that you get from it. Ryan [Coogler] did a great job of bringing that back inCreed, and now it’s my turn to keep that alive and make sure we bring back those moments and feelings in the sequel.
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