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Thursday, February 28, 2019

Trailer Impact: Captain Marvel Posts Highest Recall at 24.0%; Avengers: Endgame Posts Most Interest in a Cinema View at 75.1%

February 28, 2019 No comments

March’s superhero origin story stays on top but with a decreased score, as April’s superhero sequel continues leading our other main metric this week, in our weekly Thursday feature Trailer Impact.

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.

Captain Marvel

Disney

Friday, March 8

24.0% of moviegoers (234 respondents) saw and recalled this trailer this week.
That’s down from a 26.3% peak last week.
It spends a third consecutive week at #1, and a seventh consecutive week in the recall metric’s top three.
Brie Larson and Samuel L. Jackson star in this superhero origin story, Marvel’s first female lead after rival DC Comics struck box office gold with Wonder Woman.

Dumbo

Disney

Friday, March 29

18.9% of moviegoers (184 respondents) saw and recalled this trailer this week.
That’s down from 19.9% last week and also down from a 21.1% peak.
Yet it rises to its highest rank yet at #2, spending an eighth consecutive week in the recall metric’s top three.
This live-action remake of the animated Disney classic centers on an elephant who can fly.

Shazam!

Warner Bros.

Friday, April 5

17.7% of moviegoers (172 respondents) saw and recalled this trailer this week.
That’s down slightly from 18.0% last week and also down from an 18.1% peak.
Yet it rises into the top three for the first week, at #3.
The comedy superhero movie centers on a boy who can transform into an adult superhero.

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.

However, we’re making an exception to our usual “next 10 weeks” rule… read on…

Avengers: Endgame

Disney

Friday, April 26

While Trailer Impact usually only measures films coming out in the next 10 weeks, we’d added Avengers: Endgame to the survey after it posted the most global views online ever for a trailer in its first day.
75.1% of respondents who saw the trailer this week said they intend to see it in theaters.
That’s down slightly from 75.6% last week and down from a 78.6% peak, yet still ranks among the highest numbers we’ve ever measured.
It spends an 10th consecutive week (all of its tracking weeks) in the top three on the ‘interest in a cinema view’ metric, all at #1.
This intended final installment of the blockbuster Avengers superhero franchise stars an ensemble cast including Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, and Jeremy Renner.

Captain Marvel

Disney

Friday, March 8

63.2% of respondents who saw the trailer this week said they intend to see it in theaters.
That’s up slightly from 63.0% last week, but down from a 70.7% peak.
It spends a 10th consecutive week (all of its tracking weeks) in the top three on the ‘interest in a cinema view’ metric, all at #2 behind Avengers: Endgame.

Spider-Man: Far From Home

Sony

Friday, July 5

While Trailer Impact usually only measures films coming out in the next 10 weeks, we’d added Spider-Man: Far From Home to the survey after it posted the 8th-most global views online ever for a trailer within its first day.
59.8% of respondents who saw the trailer this week said they intend to see it in theaters.
That’s up slightly from 59.2% last week, but down from a 61.0% peak.
It spends a sixth consecutive week (all its tracking weeks) in the top three on the ‘interest in a cinema view’ metric, all at or tied for #3.
Tom Holland returns as the iconic superhero in a Europe-set story, along with a new character Mysterio played by Jake Gyllenhaal.

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.

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Charles S. Cohen to be Honored with French Legion of Honor Award

February 28, 2019 No comments

PRESS RELEASE

Businessman, leading patron of the cinematic arts, and dedicated advocate for French film in the United States, Charles S. Cohen will be awarded the insignia of Chevalier of the Legion of Honor by Gérard Araud, French Ambassador to the United States, on Monday, March 4, in a ceremony held at the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in New York.

Already distinguished by France as a Chevalier of the National Order of Merit and a Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters, Cohen, whose service to cultural interchange has been a defining aspect of his career, is now recognized by the prestigious Legion of Honor.

Cohen is owner, chairman and CEO of Cohen Media Group (CMG) and Cohen Brothers Realty Corporation (CBRC). An entrepreneurial film producer/distributor/exhibitor and real estate executive, Cohen has developed a media company with a strong focus on distributing French films throughout North America. CMG is currently one of the most prolific distributors of French cinema in the United States.

After CMG’s creation in 2007, one of Cohen’s first investments was in Courtney Hunt’s Frozen River, for which he acted as the executive producer. The film won the 2008 Sundance Grand Jury Prize, two Spirit Awards, and two Oscar nominations. Since then, CMG has dedicated itself to the production and distribution of independent and arthouse films throughout North America, as well as the restoration of older foreign and American films.

Cohen Media Group (CMG) produces and distributes independent and arthouse films throughout North America. Its specialty home entertainment label, the Cohen Film Collection, releases restored and remastered editions of classic Hollywood and foreign films. Cohen Media Group has distributed over 113 feature films and 10 shorts. Coming off the back of its success at the 2017 Academy Awards with Best Foreign Language Film winner The Salesman, Cohen Media Group scored two nominations in 2018, marking CMG’s eighth Oscar nomination since the company was formed 10 years ago.

French-Lebanese drama The Insult, directed by Ziad Doueiri, was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film, while Faces Places, from iconic French director Agnès Varda and artist JR, was nominated for Best Documentary Feature. The company has also acquired the rights to over 800 films, including cinema landmarks from Douglas Fairbanks and Buster Keaton. Charles Cohen recently acquired Merchant Ivory Productions, and restored iconic titles such as Shakespeare Wallah, Howards End and Maurice.

Notable French films distributed by CMG include Rachid Bouchareb’s Hors la loi, Jean Becker’s La Tête en friche, Stéphanie Foenkinos and David Foekinos’s La délicatesse, Benoît Jacquot’s Trois Cœurs and Les adieux à la reine, Lorraine Levy’s Le Fils de l’Autre, François Ozon’s Dans la maison, Gilles Legrand’s Tu seras mon fils, Patrice Chéreau’s La Reine Margot, Bertrand Tavernier’s Voyage à travers le cinéma français, and Deniz Gamze Ergüven’s Mustang both nominated for an Academy Awards in the category Best Foreign Language Film.

One year ago, Charles S. Cohen spectacularly renovated and reopened one of New York City’s most revered movie houses, the historic Quad Cinema in the heart of Greenwich Village, New York City.

In 2017, Cohen’s acquisition of the iconic Paris cinema La Pagode, an integral part of French cultural history, which dates back to 1896, added to his growing catalogue of arthouse cinemas. Cohen is currently working with the French government on the plans of the restoration of this Parisian landmark.

In late 2018, Mr. Cohen purchased Landmark Theatres, the nation’s largest specialized theatre chain dedicated to independent cinema with 252 screens in 27 markets.

Cohen is the Chairman of the French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF). He is also a trustee of the FACE Foundation (French-American Cultural Exchange), the Museum of The Moving Image, the Real Estate Board of New York and Congregation Emanu-El of the City of New York.

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Weekend Forecast: A Madea Family Funeral and How to Train Your Dragon 3 Poised to Lead Early March Frame

February 27, 2019 No comments

The first weekend of March has long appeared to be the final calm before next week’s Marvel storm approaches, but the two headlining films this weekend should generate positive results nonetheless.

Tyler Perry’s A Madea Family Funeral
Opening Weekend Range: $18 – 27 million

PROS:

Tyler Perry’s brand has proven remarkably consistent, and the Madea franchise is the shining tower of his box office achievements thus far.
The promise of this film representing the end of the Madea series is expected to bring out Perry’s loyal fans, especially given the lack of direct competition in the market right now.
With the exception of 2013’s A Madea Christmas ($16 million), no film in the series has opened below $21.2 million (2017’s Boo 2! A Madea Halloween). The average opening weekend across all previous eight movies dating back to 2005’s Diary of a Mad Black Woman is $26.2 million.
Trailer Impact surveys have a generated 70 percent overall interest score from audiences as of this week, comparable to Night School‘s 72 percent and ahead of What Men Want‘s 67 percent at the same point before release.

CONS:

Even when considering the overall success of the franchise, the Madea brand peaked at the box office in the late ’00s with 2009’s Madea Goes to Jail ($41.0 million) representing the highest opening of the eight-film series.

Other Weekend Notes

Focus Features will release Greta in an estimated 2,000 theaters this weekend. Traditional industry tracking suggests the thriller will open to around $6 million, although we suspect lukewarm reviews and likely expansions from Oscar winners will hold it back from the range.
Following its Best Picture Oscar win on Sunday night, look for Green Book to see a noticeable increase in business this weekend. An updated theater count was not available at the time of publishing.

Top 10 vs. Last Year

Boxoffice projects this weekend’s top ten films will earn approximately $90 million. That would mark a 33 percent drop from $134.3 million earned by the top ten on the same weekend last year when Black Panther‘s third frame ($66.3 million) topped the chart ahead of openers Red Sparrow ($16.9 million) and Death Wish ($13.0 million).

Weekend Forecast

Film	Distributor	3-Day Weekend Forecast	Projected Domestic Total through Sunday, March 3	% Change from Last Wknd
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World	Universal	$32,500,000	$100,900,000	-41%
Tyler Perry’s A Madea Family Funeral	Lionsgate	$22,800,000	$22,800,000	NEW
Alita: Battle Angel	Fox	$7,300,000	$72,600,000	-41%
The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part	Warner Bros.	$6,300,000	$91,400,000	-35%
Fighting With My Family	MGM	$4,400,000	$14,600,000	-44%
Isn’t It Romantic	Warner Bros. / New Line	$4,300,000	$39,800,000	-40%
Green Book	Universal	$3,900,000	$75,200,000	83%
Greta	Focus Features	$3,500,000	$3,500,000	NEW
Happy Death Day 2U	Universal	$2,600,000	$25,400,000	-47%
What Men Want	Paramount	$2,400,000	$49,300,000	-54%

Alex Edghill contributed to this report

Forecasts subject to change as location counts are finalized before Friday.

Contact us for information about subscribing to Boxoffice.com’s suite of forecasting and data services.

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China’s Wanda Cinemas Opens World’s First All-LED Multiplex in Shanghai

February 27, 2019 No comments

PRESS RELEASE

SHANGHAI—Wanda Cinemas, China’s largest film distributor and cinema operator, recently partnered with Samsung and HARMAN Professional Solutions to create the world’s first all-LED cinema multiplex.

The first multiplex of its kind, the Shanghai ARCH Wanda Cinema features revolutionary Samsung ONYX LED screens in each of its six premium theater rooms. Since its recent introduction to the cinema industry in China and the rest of the world, the Samsung/HARMAN Onyx Cinema Solution has enhanced movie fans’ cinema experiences with unparalleled image and sound quality. By providing so many Onyx cinema screens in one location, Wanda Cinemas’ Shanghai ARCH location raises the bar for premium multi-function movie theaters.

“HARMAN is proud to help Wanda Cinemas introduce Samsung Onyx LED cinema screens to the China market,” said Frank Xiao, General Manager, HARMAN Professional Solutions, China. “After unveiling China’s first LED movie screen in early 2018, HARMAN has further contributed to the industry leader’s future by helping Wanda Cinemas create the first all-LED movieplex of its kind in the world. The Onyx cinema solution offers an unmatched next-generation movie theater experience for cinemagoers seeking high-quality entertainment.”

The Samsung Onyx LED cinema screen delivers lifelike image quality and industry-leading visual depth. Its unparalleled brightness and High-Dynamic-Range picture quality enable Wanda Cinemas to present movies with a clearer image and greater detail than traditional movie screens and home theater systems. The Samsung Onyx screens in each of Shanghai ARCH Wanda Cinema’s theaters are supported by state-of- the-art HARMAN audio systems, which provide the ultimate cinematic audio experience in every seat of the theater. JBL Sculpted Surround cinema speakers, subwoofers and surrounds bring movie soundtracks to life with incredible realism. The speaker systems are powered by Crown DCi-N amplifiers and optimized by BSS 160 digital audio processors.

In addition to delivering stunning visual power and larger-than-life audio performance, the Samsung/HARMAN Onyx Cinema Solution frees up space that would typically be used by traditional projection methods and enables the theater operators to experiment with different types of ambient lighting and room geometry. The versatility of the Onyx Cinema Solution also offers Wanda Cinemas the flexibility to generate revenue with new kinds of events, such as corporate presentations, concerts, games and more.

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AMC’s Stubs A-List Subscription Service Crosses 700,000 Member Mark

February 27, 2019 No comments

PRESS RELEASE

LEAWOOD, Kan.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Before AMC Theatres® (NYSE:AMC) heads into a spring and summer full of crowd-pleasing blockbusters, the Company is celebrating another milestone achievement as AMC Stubs A-List spent the film awards season of January and February adding another 100,000 new members, with the total AMC Stubs A-List membership now exceeding 700,000. Since the program launched, AMC Stubs A-List member theatre attendance has totaled 14 million, including the purchase of traditionally-priced tickets for family and friends.

Adam Aron, AMC CEO and President, said, “The continued growth of AMC Stubs A-List to more than 700,000 members, and their dramatic increase in moviegoing, is exactly what we had in mind when we launched the program last June. Members are seeing many more movies than they did before A-List was created, are seeing movies more than once and they’re bringing their friends and family members along, who are paying for their tickets at full price. With every passing milestone, AMC Stubs A-List is proving to be a huge benefit to our guests, our studio partners and our shareholders.”

More than 700,000 members are enjoying all of the amazing aspects of A-List, including:

Up to three movies per week, in every available AMC showtime and format, including IMAX at AMC, Dolby Cinema at AMC, RealD 3D and Prime at AMC.

AMC Stubs A-List can be used at the spur of the moment or also can make planning ahead days or weeks in advance possible, as securing tickets is made easy via reservations capabilities on the AMCTheatres.com web site, or on the AMC Theatres mobile app.

AMC Stubs A-List members also enjoy all the discounts and benefits of AMC Stubs Premiere, including free upgrades on popcorn and soda, free refills on large popcorn, express service at the box office and concession stand, no online ticketing fees and 100 points for every $1 spent for the AMC Stubs A-List monthly fee, tickets purchased for friends and family, and food & beverage spending at AMC.

AMC Stubs Premiere and A-List members receive a $5 reward for every 5,000 points earned, which translates to a 10% credit toward future AMC purchases.

AMC Theatres introduced A-List on June 26, 2018 and at the time, the Company initially expected to hit 500,000 members 12 months after launch.

For information about AMC Stubs A-List and to sign up, guests can inquire at their local AMC, or at AMC’s web site amctheatres.com/alist or on AMC’s iOS and Android mobile apps after downloading or updating them with the latest app release.

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Kino Lorber and Film Forum Team Up for the Golden Age of the Exploitation Picture

February 27, 2019 1 comment

Marijuana. Venereal disease. Child brides. Peeping toms. All this and more is the subject of Film Forum series Forbidden Fruit: The Golden Age of the Exploitation Picture, starting this Friday and running throughout March. This seven-film series (plus shorts) features new restorations from Kino Lorber, presented in association with Something Weird and the Library of Congress.

For the film history-inclined, Forbidden Fruit provides fascinating insight into a little-examined corner of independent film history, a time when indie producers and exhibitors harnessed the power of titillation to pull moviegoers away from more traditional studio fare. And if film history isn’t so much your thing… well, there are the movies themselves, which have much more by way of sex, nudity, and hilariously outdated drug terminology than typical fare of the ‘30s and ‘40s. (“You tellin’ me I don’t know how to handle my sweet marguerite?”)

The restrictiveness of the movie industry at this time was just what was needed for exploitation films to thrive. Pre-Paramount Decree, most cinemas were still owned by the studios. While there were independent theaters, studios wouldn’t give them prints until after their own locations were done with them. Hungry for content that wasn’t old by the time they got it, these independent operators were forced to look outside the studio system.

And who was there? Men like Dwain Esper and Kroger Babb, who saw opportunity in the studios’ unwillingness to tackle taboo subjects like sex and drug use (thanks, Hays Code). Explains Bret Wood, programmer of the series and Vice President and Producer of Archival Releases at Kino Lorber: “The studios didn’t want any sort of regulation being imposed on the industry, so that’s why they stayed in line so much. These independent companies would be dead in a few years, so they didn’t care that much. They were a little more willing to break the rules. They were not as concerned about the health of the industry as, say, MGM, Paramount, all those guys.”

The features and shorts these smaller outfits produced are ostensibly (and sometimes actually) educational, teaching mid-century audiences about drug use (Narcotic, She Shoulda Said No!, and Marihuana: Weed With Roots in Hell), so-called “social diseases” (Sex Madness), and childbirth (Mom and Dad).

But a quick glimpse at the taglines for these films tells you that “education” wasn’t the sole selling point. They were also quite skeezy. Sex Madness “shows and tells all.” Marihuana “divulg[es] heretofore unheard of orgies of youth’s dissipation.” And you don’t need a tagline to figure that the short films How to Undress (screened with Sex Madness) and How to Take a Bath (screened with Child Bride) are going to be a bit racier than what we’ve come to expect from films out of the 1930s. (For Marihuana, Kino Lorber was able to add nudity that was present in one of the trailers but missing in the feature. Recalls Wood, “I went to UCLA and got their trailer, and they didn’t have it. And I went to the Academy and got their trailer, and they didn’t have it. Finally, the Library of Congress had the trailer that had all the nudity in it. They’re usually my standby, but I went to them last because I just assumed they wouldn’t have smut like this. But apparently they have a lot of smut.”)

Many of these film’s roadshow engagements paired their screenings with lobby displays (like an electric chair for the March of Crime shorts or a display case of fake drugs for films like Marijuana or Narcotic), live lectures, or souvenirs for sale. (Sex hygiene booklets from the era will be sold at Film Forum throughout this series.)

The most bizarre of Forbidden Fruit’s offerings is 1938’s Child Bride (“A throbbing drama of shackled youth!”), about a schoolteacher who attempts to bring a halt to the practice of child marriage in a backwoods farming community. The movie walks (stumbles) a thin line, appearing to be against the practice of child marriage while also featuring an extended scene where an adult man spies on his intended pre-teen bride while she bathes naked in a pond.

“For the most part, I think the filmmakers legitimately believed in the messages of the films, but their eagerness to exploit the subject matter for profit far outweighed their moral stances,” argues Wood. “The pre-adolescent nude bathing in Child Bride is a perfect example. Also, when the schoolteacher is stripped in preparation for being tarred and feathered, is the viewer repulsed by mob violence or craning their necks for a better view? It’s hard to know how you’re supposed to react when watching exploitation films, because the filmmakers themselves were so conflicted.” As were, one can imagine, audiences. They lined up around the block to see these films: How much of that was genuinely wanting to know more about these subjects, and how much was them wanting to see women engaged in scandalous behavior (with a chance of nudity).

 Test Tube Babies, screening March 9, is an informative (for the time, anyway) exploration of infertility and artificial insemination that also features an extended catfight between two women. Narcotic has the typical “dope party” scene that gives director Dwain Esper an excuse for showing women in lingerie, but it’s also genuinely disturbing in its depiction of a respected doctor’s slide into addiction. “Some of [these movies] are stylish when you don’t expect it,” argues Wood. “Some of them have an emotional current. You’re there to laugh at the movie, and then you find yourself being drawn into the story. They’re not something you should just dismiss as camp.”

The most legitimately educational of the lot is William Beaudine’s 1945 drama Mom and Dad, screening March 2, which uses the story of teen pregnancy to make the case for sex education in schools. Midway through, the already sparse plot grinds to a halt for a pair of in-film documentaries, explicit even by modern standards, on childbirth and venereal disease. Mom and Dad is a “dry movie,” Wood admits, but “there wasn’t a lot of information [about these subjects] that was being taught in schools. There wasn’t a reliable way to learn these things. So there was definitely a hunger for it. Whether or not these films did a good job of providing that information is up for debate.”

Mom and Dad, as well as many other exploitation films, split up their screenings by gender: women in the afternoon, men at night. That part of the theatrical experience isn’t being replicated at the Film Forum, but Wood is reading a lecture at Saturday’s Mom and Dad screening that was part of its 1945 release. That lecture, Wood explains, includes a rebuke against men making “ungentlemanly” comments to women as they left the earlier screening, indicating that it was probably common for men, at least, to get rowdy while watching these movies.

Naturally, Boxoffice doesn’t condone catcalling—but there is something to be said about the opportunity to see new restorations of these frequently quite bizarre in a communal setting, instead of as low-quality YouTube videos. Mom and Dad is the sort of film you need to see with other people, if only so you can bond over the trauma of seeing syphilitic genitals or close-up footage of a Caesarean section circa 1945. (“As the repair of the incision is completed, note that the patient has two neat rows of buttons.”) If that doesn’t compel you to buy a ticket, She Shoulda Said No!—about a sweet, innocent dancer who takes up with an evil marijuana impresario—is on the campier side of things.

This particular strain of exploitation films “died once censorship started to be relaxed, and foreign films with nudity and adult themes”—and then, eventually, pornography—“were imported,” says Wood. The films screened in Forbidden Fruit represent only some of the prints that Kino Lorber has, gifted to Wood by Lisa Petrucci of Something Weird. If this first Film Forum is successful, Wood envisions a series, with additional screenings down the line.

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Studio Weekend Estimates: How to Train Your Dragon 3 Soars to $55.5M; Fighting with My Family Expands to $8M

February 24, 2019 No comments

Thanks to a string of notable underperformers including Glass, The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part, and Happy Death Day 2U, 2019 got off to a bumpy start at the North American box office. Thankfully, fortunes reversed this weekend with the release of How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, which blasted past expectations to an estimated $ million in its opening frame (a total that doesn’t include $2.5 million from a special Fandango preview screening on February 2), besting the two previous entries in the franchise and injecting new life into a sluggish year at the multiplex. Elsewhere, the Dwayne Johnson wrestling comedy Fighting with My Family performed well in its wide expansion, while the faith-based football drama Run the Race managed to crack the Top 10 in its debut on 853 screens.

Roaring onto 4,259 screens, How to Train Your Dragon 3 built on goodwill from the last two installments in the popular animated franchise to best expectations and post the highest opening weekend numbers of the year so far. By comparison, 2010’s How to Train Your Dragon and 2014’s How to Train Your Dragon 2 opened to $43.7 million and $49.4 million, respectively, before legging it to $217.5 million and $177 million in North America. Notably, this is the first time Universal has released an installment in the series following their purchase of Dreamworks Animation in 2016 (the first film was released by Paramount and the second by Fox).

Billed as the final installment in the HTTYD series, The Hidden World debuted in North America with its coffers already overflowing from a strong performance over the last several weeks in international markets, where it took in an impressive $180 million-plus prior to the weekend. Stateside, strong critical reviews (it has a score of 91% on Rotten Tomatoes) and pent-up demand from audiences who enjoyed the first two entries (it had a strong showing in our Trailer Impact surveys, with 73% of audiences polled stating their interest in seeing the film) helped push it over the top, allowing it to become the year’s first true blockbuster opening. Additionally, an apparent lack of enthusiasm for The LEGO Movie 2 opened a wider-than-expected berth among family audiences, giving The Hidden World a larger portion of that demo to itself this weekend. Including that $2.5 million in Fandango previews, Dragon‘s total now stands at $58 million through Sunday.

Dropping to second place after a better-than-expected debut last weekend was Alita: Battle Angel, which fell a steep 58% to an estimated $12 million in weekend number two. That gives the Fox sci-fi $60.6 million to date, a number that pales in comparison to its reported $170 million production budget. At this point, international grosses will be key for the James Cameron-produced actioner, which, while apparently well-liked by those who have seen it (opening day audiences awarded it an “A-” Cinemascore, while it boasts a strong 94% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes), simply didn’t break out the way it needed to given its hefty price tag.

The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part finished in third place with an estimated $10 million in its third weekend of release, bringing the animated sequel to $83.6 million after 17 days in theaters. The Warner Bros. title is currently running a whopping ?% behind the first LEGO Movie at the same point in its run and ?% behind The LEGO Batman Movie. No doubt, the film took a sizable hit from How to Train Your Dragon 3 this weekend. While it’s on track to top $100 million, LEGO 2 nonetheless counts as a major disappointment for a franchise that already suffered one notable underperformer with 2017’s The LEGO Ninjago Movie.

Fourth place went to Fighting with My Family, which brought in an estimated $8 million in its wide expansion after debuting in just four locations last weekend. That counts as a healthy result for the MGM release, which boasts a reported budget of $11 million and which sold to the studio for $17 million back in 2017. The film undoubtedly benefitted from strong reviews (it’s at 91% on Rotten Tomatoes) and the presence of box office-dynamo Dwayne Johnson in the cast. Its total now stands at $8.2 million.

Isn’t It Romantic dropped to fifth place in its sophomore frame with an estimated $7.5 million, bringing the total for the Rebel Wilson rom-com to $33.7 million since debuting on February 13. That’s a 47% dip for the Warner Bros./New Line release, which is performing similarly to this month’s other fantasy rom-com What Men Want.

Speaking of What Men Want, the Taraji P. Henson comedy came in sixth place with an estimated $5.2 million in its third weekend of release, bringing its domestic total to a healthy $45 million after 17 days.

Last weekend’s surprise underperformer Happy Death Day 2U dropped to seventh place in its sophomore frame with an estimated $5 million, bringing the horror sequel to just $21.6 million so far. For the record, that’s several million shy of what the first Happy Death Day made in its opening weekend alone ($26 million). That’s a notable hiccup for a series that was previously being viewed as yet another successful franchise launch for Blumhouse.

On the opposite end of the spectrum is The Upside, the true sleeper hit of the first two months of the year. Dropping to ninth place, the Kevin Hart comedy-drama grossed an estimated $3.2 million in its seventh weekend of release, bringing its total of $99.7 million. This week it will become the fifth $100 million live-action grosser of Hart’s career after Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Ride Along, Central Intelligence, and Scary Movie 3.

Ninth place went to the Liam Neeson action film Cold Pursuit, which brought in an estimated $3.3 million in its third weekend. The Lionsgate/Summit release currently has $27 million in the bank and is performing similarly to last year’s Neeson release The Commuter ($36.3 million total).

In tenth place, Roadside Attractions’ faith-based sports drama Run the Race (executive-produced by former NFL star and current MLB outfielder Tim Tebow) brought in an estimated $2.2 million on 853 screens. That’s a better debut than last year’s Christian-themed release Indivisible, which opened to $1.5 million on about the same number of screens back in October, but a far cry from Roadside Attractions’ breakout faith-based hit I Can Only Imagine last year. That film opened to $17.1 million last spring and finished its domestic run with $83.4 million.

Overseas Update:

How to Train Your Dragon 3: The Hidden World brought in an estimated $34.7 million overseas this weekend, bringing its international total to a sensational $216.9 million and its worldwide tally to $274.9 million. The animated threequel opens in China on March 1.

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Long Range Tracking: Breakthrough, Penguins, & The Curse of La Llorona

February 22, 2019 No comments

This week’s report takes a first look at a trio of releases slated to open in time for Easter weekend this April.

Breakthrough
Opening Weekend Range: $12 – 20 million (3-Day)

PROS:

Faith-based audiences that have driven recent successes in the genre — such as last year’s breakout I Can Only Imagine — are expected to turn out in healthy numbers.
Star Chrissy Metz brings with her some of the fan base of This Is Us, which has become one of the most successful television dramas in recent years. Similarly, producer DeVon Franklin has plenty of experience delivering hit films for Christian audiences throughout his involvement with Miracles from Heaven and Heaven Is for Real.
Opening on Wednesday ahead of Easter weekend should provide ample opportunity for the film to generate word of mouth among churchgoers leading into the holiday weekend.

CONS:

I Can Only Imagine being an exception last spring, the faith-based genre hasn’t been churning out box office hits on quite the same level as it was in the early-to-mid 2010s.

Penguins
Opening Weekend Range: $4 – 8 million (3-Day)

PROS:

Disneynature’s latest documentary timed for Earth Day (Monday, April 22) should appeal well to families and fans of the series.
In general, Disneynature titles have proven fairly consistent at the box office across their seven previous entries dating back to 2009.

CONS:

Although generally successful on their own terms, Disneynature titles haven’t exceeded the $20 million domestic mark since 2012’s Chimpanzee.

The Curse of La Llorona
Opening Weekend Range: $15 – 25 million

PROS:

Supernatural horror is hotter than ever at the box office, and early trailer reactions indicate this could be another micro-budget success for the genre. Advertised “from the producers of The Conjuring Universe” could boost interest.
Opening over Easter weekend is an intriguing play at attracting viewers beyond Friday night. Latinx moviegoers will be of particular importance to the film’s potential.

CONS:

If Pet Sematary breaks out two weeks earlier, it could soften demand for another horror entry.
Reviews will be key to opening and long-term success given its proximity to the summer corridor.

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
3/1/2019	Greta	n/a		n/a		2,000	Focus Features
3/1/2019	Tyler Perry’s A Madea Family Funeral	$23,000,000		$58,000,000		2,350	Lionsgate
3/8/2019	Captain Marvel	$160,000,000		$450,000,000	2%	4,200	Disney / Marvel
3/15/2019	Five Feet Apart	$11,500,000	5%	$37,000,000			Lionsgate
3/15/2019	Wonder Park	$8,000,000		$30,000,000			Paramount
3/22/2019	The Informer	n/a		n/a			Aviron
3/22/2019	Us	$42,000,000		$135,000,000			Universal
3/29/2019	Dumbo (2019)	$55,000,000	-4%	$164,000,000	-4%		Disney
3/29/2019	Hotel Mumbai	n/a		n/a			Bleecker Street
3/29/2019	Unplanned	n/a		n/a			Pure Flix
4/5/2019	The Best of Enemies	$10,000,000		$30,000,000			STX
4/5/2019	Pet Sematary (2019)	$28,000,000		$65,000,000			Paramount
4/5/2019	Shazam!	$48,000,000		$144,000,000			Warner Bros.
4/12/2019	After (2019)	n/a		n/a			Aviron
4/12/2019	Hellboy (2019)	$22,000,000		$46,000,000			Lionsgate / Summit
4/12/2019	Little	$15,000,000		$43,000,000			Universal
4/12/2019	Missing Link	$10,000,000		$39,000,000			Annapurna Pictures
4/17/2019	Breakthrough	$15,000,000	NEW	$56,000,000	NEW		Fox
4/17/2019	Penguins	$4,500,000	NEW	$17,500,000	NEW		Disney / Disneynature
4/19/2019	The Curse of La Llorona	$20,000,000	NEW	$45,000,000	NEW		Warner Bros. (New Line)

Alex Edghill contributed to this report

Forecasts subject to change as location counts are finalized before Friday.

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Thursday Night Report: How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World Flies High w/ $3 Million Start; Fighting With My Family Earns $450K

February 22, 2019 No comments

Friday Report: Universal’s How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World scored a strong $3 million start from Thursday night shows beginning at 6pm in approximately 3,200 theaters. That excludes $2.5 million earned from Fandango’s early screenings held on Saturday, February 2.

Last night’s start by itself compares very favorably with similar titles, doubling that of The LEGO Movie 2 ($1.5 million, excluding $600K from pre-Thursday shows), 15 percent ahead of Hotel Transylvania 3 ($2.6 million), 36 percent ahead of The LEGO Batman Movie ($2.2 million), and 50 percent ahead of How to Train Your Dragon 2 ($2.0 million).

The animated trilogy-capper’s international gross stands $185 million from 49 markets through Thursday. Nine new markets are slated to open this weekend.

Meanwhile, Fighting With My Family began its wide expansion in positive fashion last night with $450K. That comes in significantly ahead of Eddie the Eagle‘s $180K Thursday night start on the same weekend three years ago.

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Novo Cinemas opens Dubai’s Largest IMAX with Laser at IMG Worlds of Adventure

February 21, 2019 No comments

Novo Cinemas unveiled a state-of-the-art flagship location at IMG Worlds of Adventure in Dubai, including the largest IMAX with Laser cinema in the country.

The 12-screen multiplex, which opened on Feb. 14, has a futuristic design using more than 5,000 meters of LED strip lighting in customized colors and mirror lighting from floor to ceiling.
The venue features three VIP screens with Novo’s “7-Star” service; a private lounge with a dedicated fine-dining menu and personal butler service, plus fully reclining leather seats combined with pillow and blanket amenities.

Measuring 24.4m wide and 13.8m high with a seating capacity for 360 guests, the IMAX with Laser cinema is the biggest in Dubai. The new Novo Cinemas location also offers multi-purpose cinema screens available with a presentation stage, ideal for corporate events and meetings.

Debbie Stanford-Kristiansen, CEO of Novo Cinemas, said of the opening: “Our inspiration for this unique new location was to transport our guests to a new reality or another world, while delivering that ‘WOW factor.’ We truly believe that this amazing cinema will do just that—with the biggest IMAX with Laser screen in Dubai, we are confident of delivering a jaw-dropping cinema experience like never before. We are also very grateful for the support of our partner IMG Worlds of Adventure, who have allowed us the freedom to continue pushing the boundaries of design and experience. No two Novo Cinemas are the same, as we focus on innovation and creativity in all our venues.”

After catching their favorite stars on the big screen, moviegoers can choose to purchase a separate pass to access the park and meet Marvel characters and other cinema heroes.

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Trailer Impact: Captain Marvel Posts Highest Recall at 26.3%; Avengers: Endgame Posts Most Interest in a Cinema View at 75.6%

February 21, 2019 No comments

March’s superhero origin story stays on top with an increased score, as April’s superhero sequel continues leading our other main metric this week, in our weekly Thursday feature Trailer Impact.

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.

Captain Marvel

Disney

Friday, March 8

26.3% of moviegoers saw and recalled this trailer this week.
That’s a new peak, up from a prior 23.4% peak last week.
It spends a second consecutive week at #1, and a sixth consecutive week in the recall metric’s top three.
Brie Larson and Samuel L. Jackson star in this superhero origin story, Marvel’s first female lead after rival DC Comics struck box office gold with Wonder Woman.

How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

Universal

this Friday, February 22

22.4% of moviegoers saw and recalled this trailer this week.
That’s down slightly from last week’s 23.0% peak.
It spends a second consecutive week at in the recall metric’s top three, both at #2.
The final installment of the popular animated trilogy centers on a universe where humans and dragons coexist.

Dumbo

Disney

Friday, March 29

19.6% of moviegoers saw and recalled this trailer this week.
That’s down slightly from 19.9% last week, and also down from a 21.1% peak.
It spends a seventh consecutive week in the recall metric’s top three, all at #3.
This live-action remake of the animated Disney classic centers on an elephant who can fly.

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.

However, we’re making an exception to our usual “next 10 weeks” rule… read on…

Avengers: Endgame

Disney

Friday, April 26

While Trailer Impact usually only measures films coming out in the next 10 weeks, we’d added Avengers: Endgame to the survey after it posted the most global views online ever for a trailer in its first day.
75.6% of respondents who saw the trailer this week said they intend to see it in theaters.
That’s up slightly from 75.4% last week but down from a 78.6% peak, yet still ranks among the highest numbers we’ve ever measured.
It spends a 10th consecutive week (all of its tracking weeks) in the top three on the ‘interest in a cinema view’ metric, all at #1.
This intended final installment of the blockbuster Avengers superhero franchise stars an ensemble cast including Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, and Jeremy Renner.

Captain Marvel

Disney

Friday, March 8

63.0% of respondents who saw the trailer this week said they intend to see it in theaters.
That’s up slightly from 62.5% last week, but down from a 70.7% peak — yet it still an excellent score.
It spends a ninth consecutive week (all of its tracking weeks) in the top three on the ‘interest in a cinema view’ metric, all at #2 behind Avengers: Endgame.

Spider-Man: Far From Home

Sony

Friday, July 5

While Trailer Impact usually only measures films coming out in the next 10 weeks, we’d added Spider-Man: Far From Home to the survey after it posted the 8th-most global views online ever for a trailer within its first day.
59.2% of respondents who saw the trailer this week said they intend to see it in theaters.
That’s up slightly from 59.0% last week, but down from a 61.0% peak.
It spends its fifth consecutive week (all its tracking weeks) in the top three on the ‘interest in a cinema view’ metric, all at or tied for #3.
Tom Holland returns as the iconic superhero in a Europe-set story, along with a new character Mysterio played by Jake Gyllenhaal.

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Weekend Forecast: How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World & Fighting With My Family

February 20, 2019 No comments

Industry watchers are hoping the coming weekend will provide some modicum of good news in the midst of one of the most sluggish starts to a box office year in quite some time, thanks largely to a string of under-performances from high profile titles over the last two months. Through February 18, domestic box office was at $1.24 billion — down more than 22 percent from last year and at its lowest point since 2011 ($1.13 billion through the same date).

As movie fans gear up for Oscar weekend, though, Universal will offer up an anticipated sequel — and trilogy-capper — to one of the most beloved animation franchises of all time.

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
Opening Weekend Range: $40 – 55 million

PROS:

Both previous franchise entries were resoundingly successful among critics and audiences, earning $43.7 million and $49.5 million opening weekends in March 2010 and June 2014, respectively. Each film impressively legged out to $217.6 million and $177 million domestically, and the promise of being the end to an acclaimed series of adaptations has bolstered fan interest in this chapter.
With a 94 percent fresh score across 79 reviews, this third entry once again seems destined to become a crowd-pleaser that should play well into March and early April.
The under-performance of LEGO Movie 2 has opened a corridor for another high profile animated release to swing in and capture family audiences.
Traditional industry tracking shows internet and first choice levels ahead of Hotel Transylvania 3 four days from release. Trailer Impact similarly shows 73 percent of surveyed audiences interested in Dragon 3, the same figure as Transylvania 3 during the week of release.

CONS:

Historically, trends of a slowing box office have had a splash effect on the immediate calendar — reason enough to be more cautious in expectations for this sequel despite generally strong tracking.
The Dragon films, thanks to their dramatic and adventurous narratives, are built for staying power more than dominant openings thanks to their significant appeal among adults as well as children.

Fighting With My Family
Opening Weekend Range: $6 – 10 million

PROS:

Dwayne Johnson’s presence is a notable benefit in addition to the talent-rich cast and crew behind the film.
Strong reviews and a healthy platform release last weekend could drive significant upside for the wide expansion.

CONS:

With a moderate marketing campaign and the strong pitch to wrestling fans, it remains to be seen if the film can crossover and appeal to mainstream viewers.

Top 10 vs. Last Year

Boxoffice projects this weekend’s top ten films will earn approximately $110.6 million. That would represent a 38 percent decline from the same weekend last year when Game Night ($17.0 million), Annihilation ($11.1 million), and Every Day ($3.0 million) debuted during Black Panther‘s $111.7 million sophomore frame as part of an overall $177.1 million market top ten.

Weekend Forecast

Film	Distributor	3-Day Weekend Forecast	Projected Domestic Total through Sunday, February 24	% Change from Last Wknd
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World	Universal	$47,000,000	$49,500,000*	NEW
Alita: Battle Angel	Fox	$14,000,000	$62,800,000	-51%
The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part	Warner Bros.	$11,700,000	$85,500,000	-44%
Isn’t It Romantic	Warner Bros. / New Line	$8,700,000	$35,700,000	-39%
Fighting With My Family	MGM	$7,500,000	$7,500,000	+5307%
What Men Want	Paramount	$6,300,000	$46,600,000	-41%
Happy Death Day 2U	Universal	$5,200,000	$22,000,000	-45%
The Upside	STX	$4,200,000	$100,900,000	-23%
Cold Pursuit	Lionsgate / Summit	$3,400,000	$27,000,000	-43%
Green Book	Universal	$2,600,000	$69,900,000	-10%

* = includes $2.5 million earned from Fandango’s sneak preview screenings in approximately 1,000 theaters on February 2

Alex Edghill contributed to this report

Forecasts subject to change as location counts are finalized before Friday.

Contact us for information about subscribing to Boxoffice.com’s suite of forecasting and data services.

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National CineMedia and Marcus Theatres Announce Ad Partnership for Movie Tavern Locations

February 20, 2019 No comments

PRESS RELEASE

CENTENNIAL, Colo.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Feb. 20, 2019– National CineMedia (NCM), America’s Movie Network, and Marcus Theatres^®, a division of The Marcus Corporation(NYSE: MCS), today announced that they have entered into a long-term cinema advertising affiliate partnership agreement for Movie Tavern by Marcus Theatres, with 22 dine-in theatre locations and 208 screens in the nine states of Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia.

Movie Tavern, an industry leader known for its successful in-theatre dining concept featuring chef-driven menus, premium quality food and drink and luxury seating, will now be branded under the “Movie Tavern by Marcus” banner and will continue to exclusively present NCM’s Noovie pre-show, including Noovie ARcade big screen augmented reality gaming, as well as NCM’s advertising programs with national, regional and local brands.

Movie Tavern had previously been part of NCM’s national theater network under VSS-Southern Theatres, LLC before being acquired by Marcus Theatres earlier this year.

Marcus remains the No. 4 theater circuit in the U.S. and with the addition of Movie Tavern, will now exceed 1,000 total screens for the first time, reaching 1,098 screens in 90 locations across 17 states.

“We’ve always admired Marcus Theatres as a world class exhibitor, and Movie Tavern by Marcus Theatres is a perfect fit with NCM’s national theater network of the top theaters and exhibitors in America,” said NCM President and Interim CEO Cliff Marks. “We are so excited to join the Marcus family of media partners and to work alongside Rolando Rodriguez and his team to help entertain and engage their unique dine-in movie audiences.”

“We are excited to continue with the NCM partnership at Movie Tavern by Marcus,” said Rolando B. Rodriguez, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Marcus Theatres. “The addition of Noovie provides guests the latest information in movies, music and more, which helps add to the overall pre-show entertainment experience.”

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Atom Tickets Annual Oscar Poll Names A Star Is Born Best Picture, Lady Gaga Best Actress

February 20, 2019 1 comment

PRESS RELEASE

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Feb. 20, 2019 – Atom Tickets, the first-of-its-kind movie ticketing app, recently polled movie fans about which films, artists, and song should take top honors at this year’s Oscars. In the annual survey, A Star is Born came out on top but the runners-up were very close (No. 2 Bohemian Rhapsody was less than half a percentage point behind and No. 3 Black Panther was a little more than three percentage points behind). When it comes to snubs, movie fans cited Bradley Cooper’s omission from the “Best Director” category for A Star Is Born as the “Biggest Snub” of the Oscars nominations.

Overall movie fan favorites are listed below by category:

· Best Picture – A Star Is Born

· Best Director – Alfonso Cuarón, Roma

· Best Lead Actor – Rami Malek, Bohemian Rhapsody

· Best Lead Actress – Lady Gaga, A Star Is Born

· Best Supporting Actor – Mahershala Ali, Green Book

· Best Supporting Actress – Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk

· Best Original Song – “Shallow,” A Star Is Born

· Best Animated Feature – Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

· Biggest Snub – Bradley Cooper, Best Director for A Star Is Born

In comparison, when reviewing the poll respondents by age, millennial movie fans selected Black Panther as Best Picture followed narrowly by A Star Is Born. Millennial movie fans also voted John Krasinski’s omission from the “Best Director” category for his film A Quiet Place as the biggest snub.

To celebrate all the great films nominated this awards season, Atom Tickets is running a contest in which those who guess all the Oscar winners correctly will be entered for a chance to win a year’s worth of free movie tickets. The contest ends February 23 and more details can be found on atm.tk/oscarballot.

The 91st Academy Awards ceremony takes place on Sunday, February 24, 2019 and airs live on ABC.

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CGV Yongsan Multiplex Outfitted with HARMAN Audio Systems

February 20, 2019 No comments

PRESS RELEASE

SEOUL, South Korea—Kinoton Korea recently outfitted CGV Yongsan with an array of premium HARMAN Professional Solutions cinema audio solutions to ensure immersive sound quality across all of the multiplex’s theaters.

As South Korea’s largest cinema chain operator, CJ CGV has a long history of introducing revolutionary innovations in the cinema industry in its home country and abroad. As of October 2018, CJ CGV boasts a total of 3,553 screens at 480 locations in seven countries across the globe and now CGV Yongsan I Park Mall is home to the largest IMAX Screen in the world, measuring 31 metres wide and 22.4 metres high. CGV Yongsan also houses the world’s first 4DX-Screen X combination theater. As part of recent renovations to keep the multiplex on the cutting edge, CGV Yongsan hired Kinoton Korea to replace the theaters’ aging sound systems with state-of-the-art JBL Professional speakers and Crown amplifiers.

“As our flagship location, we wanted to ensure CGV Yongsan continues to provide the ultimate movie-viewing experience for our audiences,” said Seo Jeong, CEO, CJ CGV. “In addition to the latest digital projection technologies and luxurious amenities, CGV Yongsan required cutting-edge sound systems to deliver a truly immersive movie-watching experience. The HARMAN systems really bring the film soundtracks to life, and set a new benchmark in terms of performance and sound quality. We look forward to implementing similar solutions in future installations.”

In order to ensure enhanced soundtrack reproduction with unmatched accuracy, Kinoton Korea outfitted 18 of CGV Yongsan’s theaters with an array of JBL Professional cinema loudspeakers, subwoofers and surrounds. The wide range of JBL speakers enabled Kinoton to tailor the system response to each theater’s unique dimensions and deliver perfect coverage at every seat.

For the main front channels, Kinoton installed six JBL 5742 four-way ScreenArray cinema loudspeakers, 30 JBL 4732 three-way ScreenArray cinema loudspeakers and 34 JBL 3731 two-way ScreenArray cinema loudspeaker systems. Kinoton also installed 68 JBL 4642A subwoofers to ensure extended low frequency support. Additionally, Kinoton provided 14 JBL 8320 Compact Cinema Surround speakers, 12 JBL 9300 Cinema Surround speakers and 60 JBL 9310 Cinema Surround speakers to ensure deliver realistic three-dimensional audio. Kinoton powered the speaker systems with Crown DSi Series amplifiers. The reliable performance and onboard digital signal processing of the DSi Series amplifiers match perfectly with the JBL ScreenArray systems.

“We are thrilled to see our solutions being used by a global cinema giant like CJ CGV,” said Ramesh Jayaraman, VP & GM, HARMAN Professional Solutions, APAC. “HARMAN brands like JBL and Crown are known in the cinema world for their superior audio quality, performance and longevity. We thank CJ CGV for placing their faith in HARMAN solutions to achieve their goals. We also thank Kinoton Korea for their technical expertise and customer-focused service during the installation.”

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Royal Corporation’s Marianne Abiaad Wins NAC’s Krystal La Reese-Gaule Membership Award

February 20, 2019 No comments

PRESS RELEASE

The National Association of Concessionaires (NAC) has announced that Marianne Abiaad, Executive Vice President at Royal Corporation, has captured the Krystal La Reese-Gaule Membership Award for the fiscal year 2018. The annual award is presented to the member who sponsors the most new NAC full memberships during the most recent fiscal year (2018).

Abiaad recruited seven new members in 2018. By achieving this award, she continues to be an exemplary member of NAC. In addition to being a tireless advocate for the Association, Abiaad has served the Board of Directors as West Coast Regional Vice President since 2013. She has also served on the Education Committee. Her company, Royal Corporation, has been instrumental in getting the Regional Seminar Series off to a great start by hosting the biennial kick-off session and setting the bar high in terms of execution and attendance.

The new full members sponsored by Abiaad in 2018 include: Shelly Bridges of Landmark Theatres, Patrick LaCava of Syufy Corporation, Jeremy Hallows of Kerasotes Showplace Theatres, Eric Lee of Starlight Cinemas, Thanasi Papoulias of Metropolitan Theatres, Larry Porricelli of Maya Cinemas and Justin Pritchett of CJ CGV Cinemas.

Marianne Abiaad, is the Executive Vice President at Royal Corporation, a national single source supplier of paper, chemicals, sanitary, janitorial, food service and concession supplies and equipment, with market specific expertise and products. As a principal, she oversees the company overall strategy with specific focus on marketing, training, customer relations and business development. Abiaad is the key driver of Royal Illustrative Customized Training that utilizes her educational expertise in Graphic Design and her extensive experience in the industry.

“Having lived through the war in Lebanon,” Abiaad says, “I am a true believer in the American dream and grateful for the blessings God has given to me and my family.”

Her educational background includes a BFA and a Master in Graphic Design from Cal State University in Fullerton. She is also fluent in 4 languages. Abiaad, her husband George and their three children reside in sunny California.

An award and a free registration to the annual NAC Concession & Hospitality Expo will be presented to Abiaad at the Annual Membership Luncheon on Thursday, August 1, 2019. The presentation will be made by a representative of Kernel Seasons, who is sponsoring the award in memory of Krystal. The Expo is slated for in Chicago on July 30- August 2 at the Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park Hotel during our 75th Anniversary year!

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Christie Announces Installation of RealLaser Projectors at Huayi Brothers Cinemas in Shanghai

February 20, 2019 No comments

PRESS RELEASE

SHANGHAI – (February 19, 2019) – Christie®, a leader in creating and sharing the world’s best visual and audio experiences, is pleased to announce that Huayi Brothers Cinemas has deployed Christie’s next-generation RealLaser cinema projectors at its flagship multiplex in Shanghai.

Located on the fifth floor of Parkside Joy City shopping mall in Putuo District, it is the first cinema complex opened by Huayi Brothers Cinema Investment Co., Ltd in Shanghai to be powered by Christie’s state-of-the-art, direct-coupled RGB pure laser projection systems. Eight of its well-appointed halls are equipped with Christie RealLaser cinema projectors, including the leading-edge 4K-resolution CP4325-RGB and 2K-resolution CP2320-RGB models, which are capable of delivering a much-increased color palette approaching Rec. 2020, and over 30,000 hours of theater operation without lamp changes.

“We are very pleased to open our first cinema complex in Shanghai and are fully committed to provide the best movie-going experience to our patrons, which is a key element of our success,” said Ge Liu, General Manager, Huayi Brothers Cinema Investment Co., Ltd. “In terms of projection, we wanted an advanced, future-proofed system that excels in image quality, operational lifetime and overall cost. Christie’s RealLaser cinema projectors not only met all our requirements, but also impressed us with a compact all-in-one form factor that allows for a seamless installation into any booth.”

Lin Yu, Vice President, Cinema Sales for Asia, Christie, commented, “Since the debut of our direct-coupled RGB pure laser projectors featuring CineLife electronics and RealLaser illumination, they have been well-received by exhibitors from all over the world. I’m delighted that Huayi Brothers Cinemas has acquired the CP4325-RGB and CP2320-RGB models for its flagship cinema in Shanghai. This latest rollout clearly validates our technological leadership in the cinema market and demonstrates the confidence that exhibitors have in our RealLaser cinema projectors, which dramatically lowers the cost of RGB laser ownerships ownership, while providing an unmatched cinematic experience to mainstream auditoriums.”

The CP4325-RGB projectors have been installed in three larger auditoriums, each fitted with 14-meter screens, including Hall 6 which has been named “Christie RealLaser auditorium”. The CP2320-RGB projectors are deployed in five medium-sized auditoriums (including two luxuriously-furnished “director’s halls” featuring adjustable, ergonomic sofa seats and extra
legroom) with an average screen size of 10 meters.

Audiences entering the cinema lobby are also greeted by two large wall posters highlighting Christie’s long-standing heritage in cinema and the latest RealLaser illumination technology, which reproduces images that outperform DCI standards. As well, a unique display zone has been set up in the lobby area next to Hall 6 to showcase Christie’s legacy of cinema innovations. These include the legendary Christie P35 film projector, the two Academy Awards® for Technical Achievement that the company won in 1988 and 1993, and an enlightening live projection showcase featuring Christie’s history, various achievements in cinema, and the ground-breaking RealLaser technology.

The cinema complex features a circular-shaped lobby resembling a travelling pathway that leads visitors to every auditorium. The pathway connects the ticketing booth and candy bar with the cinema halls, serving as a conduit that invites audiences to embark an exciting journey of movie exploration. The design concept is focused on the comfort of the movie-goers – the overall lighting is set up in such a way that they can easily adapt from brightly-lit pathway to the darkened cinema halls.

Christie’s RealLaser family of projectors offers all the advantages of RGB pure laser in a compact “all-in-one” form. This eliminates the need for sub-ambient external cooling, which further reduces operational cost. Christie RealLaser consistently delivers excellent image quality and brightness above DCI standards throughout the projector’s natural life. All this while providing 30,000-plus hours of operation and without lamp changes. Since their official launch, the CP4325-RGB and CP2315-RGB have been embraced by exhibitors around the world as the best replacements for lamp-based projection systems and new installations. In Asia, these include China’s Wanda Cinema Line, Taiwan’s Vieshow Cinemas, Showtime Cinemas and Cinemark Cinema, Australia’s HOYTS Cinemas, Thailand’s Major Cineplex, and Indonesia’s Cinema 21.

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Fathom Events Goes Outside Cinemas with the Fathom Affinity Network

February 19, 2019 No comments

One of the core elements of event cinema is its ability to take advantage of the underutilized. With some creative programming, seats that would have been empty during off-peak screening times—afternoons, weekday nights—can go to moviegoers enthusiastic about opera, say, or stand-up comedy. It’s a principle that event cinema leader Fathom Events knows well, and one that ’it’s now applying not just to seats but to entire venues. Starting in 2019, Fathom is taking its programming outside the cinema and into the church.

Specifically, this year sees Fathom team with the Faith Content Network, a joint venture between Collide Media Group and in:ciite Events, to launch the Fathom Affinity Network, bringing faith-based and inspirational titles to approximately 800 churches across the U.S.

The idea, explains Fathom CEO Ray Nutt, is to get faith-based content to underserved areas—often rural markets—that don’t have a Fathom-serviced cinema nearby. Fathom already has access to this content, and the churches already have the infrastructure needed to screen it. The Fathom Affinity Network bridges that gap.

The connection between event cinema and faith-based film is already strong. Both groups rely on nontraditional marketing to raise awareness, with sponsor companies, local organizations, and church groups doing the job that otherwise goes to expensive advertising campaigns. Both event cinema and faith-based film cater to niche audiences rather than the general public. And both are only gaining in popularity. Says Bob Elder, chief impact officer at the Collide Media Group, “Each wildly successful faith-based film release in the last 15 years (The Passion of the Christ, God’s Not Dead, Heaven Is for Real, War Room, I Can Only Imagine) has spurred better quality filmmaking, while marketers and distributors are getting better at finding and activating the audiences that consume this content.”

Faith-based and inspirational titles may not often crack Fathom’s yearly top 10, but the genre is a consistent performer—so much so that Nutt predicts 100 percent growth “year over year.” Fathom currently “combine[s] inspiration and faith together in a vertical, but it’s growing so large at this point that … I think you’ll see these sub-verticals separate into” their own separate categories, he says. The Fathom Affinity Network, he predicts, will only help that growth. “Once the faith-based community who’s producing this content is aware of what we’re doing—and most of them are at this point—I think it will help our acquisition process.”

“We’ll acquire the content that we’re going to screen on the faith-based vertical,” Nutt explains. “We’ll amend our licensing agreement to include the [interested] churches.” The films are then marketed locally to individual congregations, and tickets are purchased through a system that the churches already have in place. “Obviously, it’s a revenue-share model, so [the churches] will get some and we’ll get some. They do the bulk of the heavy lifting in terms of the marketing,” with Fathom providing a marketing tool kit and overseeing content delivery via streaming.

As the network grows in size, notes Elder, “managing the fast growth, keeping a quality consumer experience, and making sure we have a good flow of content are all very important.”

Currently, Fathom Events has 24 titles lined up for its faith-based and inspirational vertical this year. A half-dozen of those—including Pattern of Evidence: Moses Controversy (pictured), Sight and Sound® Presents: NOAH, and family-friendly animated film The Pilgrim’s Progress—are currently slated to screen in churches through the Fathom Affinity Network. “But I think once [the churches] see what this is going to do in terms of producing attendance, that number is going to go north of six,” Nutt predicts.

The post Fathom Events Goes Outside Cinemas with the Fathom Affinity Network appeared first on BoxOffice Pro.

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Studio Weekend Estimates: Alita: Battle Angel Fights Its Way to No. 1 w/ $27.8M 3-Day, $33M 4-Day; Isn’t It Romantic Swoons to $14.4M 3-Day, $16.6M 4-Day; Happy Death Day 2U Underperforms w/ $9.8M 3-Day, $11.4M 4-Day

February 17, 2019 No comments

Over a President’s Day weekend with three new wide releases on tap, Alita: Battle Angel handily stole the top spot from holdover The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, grossing an estimated $27.8 million over the three day weekend and a studio-projected $33 million over the four-day. Elsewhere, freshman rom-com Isn’t It Romantic boasted a healthy opening frame, while horror sequel Happy Death Day 2U suffered an unfortunate case of sequelitis as it grossed less than half what its predecessor did.

Originally announced way back in 2003 as a directing vehicle for James Cameron, Alita: Battle Angel finally fought its way to the screen with Cameron on board as a producer and Robert Rodriguez taking over directing duties. Despite bowing to mixed reviews, Cameron’s name clearly helped bump up the interest level among general audiences unfamiliar with the Japanese manga on which the film is based.

Additionally, the film’s marketing campaign, which emphasized its cutting-edge technological aspects (it was shot utilizing a mixture of live-action and CGI), seems to have further goosed excitement from fans. That helped boost the opening weekend numbers thanks to higher-priced premium formats like 3D and IMAX (the latter of which made up 15% of North American receipts). Also on the plus side, Alita is already performing far better than other similar recent sci-fi blockbusters like Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets ($17 million three-day opening, $41.1 million total) and Ghost in the Shell ($18.6 million opening, $40.5 million total).

All of that being said, Alita’s reported $170 million production budget presents a considerable hurdle for its long-term commercial prospects. Since opening on Wednesday, it has grossed a total of $41.7 million—a fantastic number for most other releases, but somewhat underwhelming for a film boasting such a gargantuan price tag. Unless it holds up extraordinarily well over the coming weeks, it will need to rely heavily on overseas grosses to make up for its performance domestically. The Avatar association certainly won’t hurt in that regard, but Alita also simply doesn’t hold the same kind of gravity as that film, which benefitted considerably from the sense that it represented something entirely new and groundbreaking in cinema. In short, Alita is going to need strong word-of-mouth to get where it needs to be in North America.

Dropping to second place following its disappointing opening last weekend was Warner Bros.’ The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part, which held up reasonably well in its sophomore frame with an estimated $21.2 million over the three-day frame and a BoxOffice-projected $25.8 million over the four-day. That’s a drop of around 38% for the three-day period, which suggests word-of-mouth for the film has been reasonably strong despite those underwhelming opening numbers. Still, it has quite a bit of catching up to do; with a projected total of $67.2 million after eleven days, it’s currently running roughly 48% behind the pace of the first LEGO Movie and 31% behind the pace of The LEGO Batman Movie at the same point.

Debuting in third place was Warner Bros./New Line’s Isn’t It Romantic, which brought in an estimated $14.2 million over the three-day period and a BoxOffice-projected $16.6 million over the four-day. Since opening on Wednesday, that would give the Rebel Wilson rom-com $22.8 million since opening on Wednesday, a good result for a film budgeted at a reported $31 million. The positive result is partially the result of the savvy Valentine’s Day release date for the film, partially the result of its clever concept and marketing campaign, and partially the result of its better-than-average (for a rom-com) 68% “Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes. But it also attests to the drawing power of Wilson, who has now proven she can open a film on her name alone. While the actress co-starred in all three blockbuster Pitch Perfect movies, those were ensemble affairs whose success couldn’t necessarily be pegged to any one performer. Here, the case can clearly be made that Wilson’s starpower was a major draw.

Finishing in fourth place following its solid $18.2 million opening last weekend was Paramount’s What Men Want, which brought in an estimated $10.9 million over the three-day period and a projected $12.6 million over the four-day. That represents a decent 40% drop from its three-day opening frame and brings the Taraji P. Henson comedy to a healthy $37.8 million total through Monday.

Debuting in fifth was Happy Death Day 2U, the sequel to 2017’s Happy Death Day, which brought in an estimated $9.8 million over the three-day frame and a studio-projected $11.4 million over the four-day. That’s a sizable drop from the first film’s $26 million three-day opening, suggesting audiences weren’t nearly as amped for a second round as Universal and Blumhouse might have hoped. Conceivably, the horror follow-up may have also been hurt by the presence of Isn’t It Romantic in the marketplace. While the films exist in two entirely distinct genres, both hold strong appeal for young women, and it seems more of them were in the mood for a light rom-com than a horror film over the long weekend.

Still, 2U’s underperformance feels like a bit of a head-scratcher, particularly given the consistent strength of horror fare over the last several years and the fact that it followed up a well-liked title with a fun, easy-to-market premise. Additionally, reviews were about in line with those of the first movie (66% Fresh vs. 71% for Happy Death Day), while the Flixster Audience Scores are nearly identical (66% vs. 65%). One factor could conceivably have been the film’s inherently repetitive, Groundhog Day-style premise, with audiences deciding to opt for one of the weekend’s fresher newcomers instead.

Sixth place went to Cold Pursuit, the Liam Neeson actioner that debuted to a middling $11 million last weekend. With an estimated $6 million over the three-day frame and a studio-projected $7.05 million over the four-day, the film dropped roughly 46% from its previous three-day total, which is about in line with some of Neeson’s more recent thrillers. With a projected $22.1 million through Monday, the Lionsgate release is running slightly ahead of the 2015 Neeson vehicle Run All Night, which brought in almost exactly the same total over opening weekend and finished its North American run with $26.4 million.

In seventh, STX’s The Upside continued its fantastic run with an estimated $5.5 million over the three-day weekend and a studio-projected $6.7 million over the four-day, which would bring its grand total to an outstanding $95.3 million through Monday. The feel-good drama will soon cross the $100 million mark, becoming Hart’s fourth live-action starring vehicle to do so after Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle ($404.5 million total), Ride Along ($134.9 million), and Central Intelligence ($127.4 million).

Rounding out the Top 10, Glass brought in an estimated $3.9 million over the three-day and a studio-projected $4.6 million over the four-day for a total of $105.2 million after five weeks; The Prodigy grossed an estimated $3.1 million over the three-day and a BoxOffice-projected $3.7 million over the four-day for $11.6 million after 11 days of release; and Green Book clocked its fourteenth weekend in the Top 10 with an estimated $2.7 million over the three-day frame and a projected $3.2 million over the four-day. The leggy Universal drama, which is up for Best Picture at next Sunday’s Oscars, is projected to have a solid $66.2 million in the bank through Monday.

Limited Release:

MGM’s Fighting With My Family debuted to an estimated $131K over the three-day frame and a studio-projected $163K over the four-day, which would bring the well-reviewed Dwayne Johnson dramedy to a total of $198 million since opening mid-week. That would give the film a healthy per-screen average of roughly $32K over the FSS period and $40K over the FSSM frame.

Overseas Update:

Alita: Battle Angel grossed an estimated $56 million from 86 territories this weekend, bringing its international total to $94.3 million and its global cume to an estimated $130.8 million through Sunday. The film will face its biggest test overseas next weekend, when it opens in the all-important Chinese market on February 22.

Universal’s How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World brought in an estimated $21.7 million in 49 territories this weekend, bringing its international total to a strong $172.5 million ahead of its North American release on Friday.

The post Studio Weekend Estimates: Alita: Battle Angel Fights Its Way to No. 1 w/ $27.8M 3-Day, $33M 4-Day; Isn’t It Romantic Swoons to $14.4M 3-Day, $16.6M 4-Day; Happy Death Day 2U Underperforms w/ $9.8M 3-Day, $11.4M 4-Day appeared first on BoxOffice Pro.

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UNIC Calls for Competition Films at Major Festivals to Receive Theatrical Releases

February 15, 2019 No comments

The International Union of Cinemas (UNIC) has called for films selected in competition at leading film festivals to receive a full theatrical release.

Following the decision by the Berlin International Film Festival to include the Spanish original film Elisa y Marcela in its 2019 official selection, the association released the following statement: “UNIC supports German cinema exhibition colleagues and others in encouraging festival competitions only to consider for inclusion those films intended for a full theatrical release. Cinemas welcome anyone who brings strong film content to audiences in theatres. Thanks to their prestige, leading film festivals have both the honour and the responsibility of bringing quality and diversity to audiences around the world. We expect them to ensure that all selected films observe established industry norms—including a full and genuine theatrical release, as mentioned in the competition guidelines of the Berlinale. We can’t imagine that festivals propose programmes just for a small number of subscribers of specific streaming platforms, privatizing both the audience and the films themselves.

“Theatrical releases not only represent the gold standard for film viewing, but also provide the opportunity for the widest possible audience to discover and enjoy as broad a range of film content as possible, a fair and transparent business model of longstanding and proven benefit to audiences as well as to the wider film and cinema sector.

“Giving films theatrical runs should not only be about meeting qualification criteria for festival awards. A balance should be struck between benefitting from the prestige of festivals and respecting established industry practices that are crucial in ensuring the future prosperity and diversity of the entire film sector.

“In addition, we ask that festivals should undertake stronger checks on whether films in their official selection would receive proper theatrical releases. As a rule, the Berlinale clearly states that only films ‘intended for theatrical release’ are eligible for competition. We are concerned that there seems to be no such plan for Elisa y Marcela.

“In short, we strongly believe that leading film festivals around the world should celebrate the social, cultural and economic relevance of cinemas and take responsibility for diversity and access to films for everyone. We would highly encourage future selection policies to be designed with these principles firmly in mind.”

The post UNIC Calls for Competition Films at Major Festivals to Receive Theatrical Releases appeared first on BoxOffice Pro.

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Movie Streaming Online

Slide # 1 Black Panther

Slide # 2 Pacific Rim Uprising

Slide # 3 Tomb Raider

Slide # 4 Avengers Infinity War

Slide # 5 Red Sparrow

Thursday, February 28, 2019

Trailer Impact: Captain Marvel Posts Highest Recall at 24.0%; Avengers: Endgame Posts Most Interest in a Cinema View at 75.1%

Charles S. Cohen to be Honored with French Legion of Honor Award

Wednesday, February 27, 2019

Weekend Forecast: A Madea Family Funeral and How to Train Your Dragon 3 Poised to Lead Early March Frame

China’s Wanda Cinemas Opens World’s First All-LED Multiplex in Shanghai

AMC’s Stubs A-List Subscription Service Crosses 700,000 Member Mark

Kino Lorber and Film Forum Team Up for the Golden Age of the Exploitation Picture

Sunday, February 24, 2019

Studio Weekend Estimates: How to Train Your Dragon 3 Soars to $55.5M; Fighting with My Family Expands to $8M

Friday, February 22, 2019

Long Range Tracking: Breakthrough, Penguins, & The Curse of La Llorona

Thursday Night Report: How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World Flies High w/ $3 Million Start; Fighting With My Family Earns $450K

Thursday, February 21, 2019

Novo Cinemas opens Dubai’s Largest IMAX with Laser at IMG Worlds of Adventure

Trailer Impact: Captain Marvel Posts Highest Recall at 26.3%; Avengers: Endgame Posts Most Interest in a Cinema View at 75.6%

Wednesday, February 20, 2019

Weekend Forecast: How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World & Fighting With My Family

National CineMedia and Marcus Theatres Announce Ad Partnership for Movie Tavern Locations

Atom Tickets Annual Oscar Poll Names A Star Is Born Best Picture, Lady Gaga Best Actress

CGV Yongsan Multiplex Outfitted with HARMAN Audio Systems

Royal Corporation’s Marianne Abiaad Wins NAC’s Krystal La Reese-Gaule Membership Award

Christie Announces Installation of RealLaser Projectors at Huayi Brothers Cinemas in Shanghai

Tuesday, February 19, 2019

Fathom Events Goes Outside Cinemas with the Fathom Affinity Network

Sunday, February 17, 2019

Studio Weekend Estimates: Alita: Battle Angel Fights Its Way to No. 1 w/ $27.8M 3-Day, $33M 4-Day; Isn’t It Romantic Swoons to $14.4M 3-Day, $16.6M 4-Day; Happy Death Day 2U Underperforms w/ $9.8M 3-Day, $11.4M 4-Day

Friday, February 15, 2019

UNIC Calls for Competition Films at Major Festivals to Receive Theatrical Releases

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