Weekend Forecast: Hobbs & Shaw

The first weekend of August is upon us as summer’s last bona fide tentpole is set to debut in the form of Universal’s Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw. The first spin-off from the popular franchise has a number of components in its favor this weekend as the studio expects a domestic start near $60 million. Our long range forecasts had considerably more bullish in recent weeks, with some industry tracking metrics measuring not far behind those of The Fate of the Furious (which debuted to $98.8 million on Easter weekend in 2017). Still, as has been the case with multiple films this summer, our models have shifted lower to account for what’s become a trend of under-performing titles this summer — relative to tracking, not necessarily overall financial success. Aside from the brand name and its associated fan base, the biggest advantage here is Dwayne Johnson’s...

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ArcLight Presents “Prepare to Scare” Film Series Curated by It: Chapter Two Director Andy Muschietti

PRESS RELEASE In anticipation of the upcoming release of New Line Cinema’s It Chapter Two, ArcLight Cinemas has partnered with director Andy Muschietti to curate a film series showcasing his favorite and most influential horror films.  “ArcLight Presents… PREPARE TO SCARE” will kick off on July 29 in all ArcLight theaters nationwide and will include six classic films handpicked by Muschietti: Poltergeist, The Fearless Vampire Killers, Fright Night, The Thing, An American Werewolf in London, and Omega Man. Says Kevin Holloway, vice president, ArcLight Cinemas Film Marketing & Operations: “Andy Muschietti is a visionary filmmaker who has only just begun to terrify us. He dug deep inside our minds with It, helming what became the most successful horror film of all time. Now, we’re delving deep inside his mind, collaborating on this very special screening series....

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A Poppin’ Primer: Everything You Wanted to Know about Popcorn but Didn’t Know to Ask

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Fantasia 2019: Dead Girl Speaks in Jennifer Reeder’s Knives and Skin

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The Lion King Set to Become Disney’s Fourth 2019 Release to Cross $1 Billion Worldwide on Tuesday

Disney announced this morning that their remake of The Lion King is poised to cross the $1 billion threshold after 19 days of release at the global box office. The film had earned $999 million through Monday, July 29. The studio’s press release and current territory breakdowns: With an estimated $999M worldwide through July 29, Disney’s The Lion King will cross the $1B mark today in just its 19th day of release. Along with Aladdin, it’s the second release from Disney Live Action to reach the $1B threshold this year and the sixth ever to do so. It is The Walt Disney Studios’ fourth billion dollar release this year. Preceded by a strong debut in China where it earned nearly $100M in its first week, The Lion King debuted day-and-date globally July 19 with $446.1M. Bolstered by an A CinemaScore, it opened with $191.8M domestically, the eighth biggest debut of all time,...

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Fantasia Gets a Southern Gothic Standout in Blood on Her Name

“Ozark” star Bethany Anne Lind turns in one of the standout performances at this year’s Fantasia International Film Festival in Blood on Her Name, helmed by debut feature director Matthew Pope and written by Pope and David Thompson. Blood On Her Name tracks the consequences of small town garage owner Leigh’s (Lind) killing—in self-defense—of an attacker who, in the way of things, is connected to some rather dangerous people in Leigh’s community. What follows is not a pulse-pounding bloodbath but a tense, Southern Gothic-tinged crime drama. Following the film’s world premier at Fantasia, Blood on Her Name has earned rightful comparisons to Jeremy Saulnier’s Blue Ruin in how it takes a concept right out of genre cinema and instead plays it out with a real-life protagonists—with all the flaws and difficult decisions that implies. Blood on Her Name has the same basic concept...

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In the Arena: NAC Salutes Lexington Center’s Brian McMillin with Mickey Warner Award

Anyone who works in the movie exhibition business knows that today’s operational challenges are greater than ever, especially with so many complexes offering more than a dozen screens, a selection of VIP, large-format, and 4D auditoriums, event cinema programming, and tempting dine-in menus. But consider the challenges at an operation like the Lexington Center in Lexington, Kentucky, whose venues include the Rupp Arena, the Lexington Convention Center, and the Lexington Opera House. Attractions there run the gamut from concerts by Paul McCartney and Garth Brooks to productions of West Side Story and An American in Paris to University of Kentucky Men’s Basketball to the Kentucky Reptile Expo and “The Price Is Right Live.” An essential member of the executive team is Brian McMillin, concessions manager since 1997. McMillin will be honored with the National Association of...

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Bad Boys: Claudio Giovannesi’s Piranhas Goes inside the Teenage Crime Gang that Ruled Naples

It’s shocking but true: In central Naples, recent crime activities—extortion, drug-dealing, blood vendettas—have been ruled not by veteran mafiosi but by an ambitious band of teenage boys. That brazen young gang’s rise inspired Piranhas, the first novel by Roberto Saviano, author of Gomorrah, the acclaimed nonfiction exposé of Naples’s criminal underworld that became an equally celebrated 2008 film by Matteo Garrone. Now, Piranhas has become a feature film directed by Claudio Giovannesi, scheduled for U.S. release by Music Box Films on August 2. The movie made its world premiere at the 2019 Berlin Film Festival, where Giovannesi, Saviano, and Maurizio Braucci shared the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay. The cast is made up of nonprofessionals, headed by charismatic discovery Francesco di Napoli as the calculating yet naïve leader of the scruffy crew. In subtle increments,...

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Arts Alliance Media Enhances Screenwriter TMS with Eco-Friendly Automation and Brand New Features

PRESS RELEASE — London, July 30, 2019 – Arts Alliance Media (AAM) today announces the release of new features and integrations to the world’s most widely used Theatre Management System (TMS), Screenwriter. The latest version of the state-of-the-art TMS provides AAM’s exhibitor customers with advanced automation options and support for the newest projectors and technology in digital cinema. “AAM actively develop and improve Screenwriter to ensure it continues to streamline essential operational services for cinemas, while also providing them with a platform for further innovation.” noted Mark Kamiyama, Head of Global Sales at AAM parent company Luxin-Rio International. “We are proud to provide a robust, user-friendly system that allows our customers all around the world to continually drive efficiency and innovation.” Screenwriter is the most powerful, flexible, and widely...

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Fox Theatres Founder Richard A. Fox Dies at Age 90

Richard A. Fox, founder of Reading, Pa.-based Fox Theatres and onetime president of the National Association of Theatre Owners, passed away on July 24 at the age of 90.  Fox launched Fox Theatres in 1957 with the opening of the Sinking Spring Drive-In, billed as “the world’s largest Cinemascope screen.” Over the next 33 years he grew the regional circuit to 25 locations with over 100 screens and more than 1,000 employees.  At its peak, Fox Theatres was one of the largest independently owned movie theater companies in the United States. Fox brought modern movie theaters to suburban markets throughout Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and Florida.  Fox was elected president of the National Association of Theatre Owners in 1984, and tackled issues ranging from contentious trade practices to competition from new technologies. He was the last volunteer president...

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Beyond the Façade: Julius Onah’s Luce Explores the Inner Turmoil of a Model Immigrant Student

Star athlete and brilliant debate-team captain at his Virginia high school, 17-year-old Luce is accomplished by any measure. His American success story is particularly amazing, however, because he’s a former child soldier from Eritrea, whose life took a positive path when he was adopted by white couple Amy and Peter Edgar. But there’s more to Luce than that wholesome picture. A troubling complication is revealed when his teacher reads an essay he’s written that seems to condone violence, and she subsequently finds fireworks stored in his locker. Adapted from J.C. Lee’s 2013 stage play by Lee and director Julius Onah, Luce is a gripping drama about race, perception, and identity that, like its lead character, keeps you continually off-balance and uncertain where your allegiances lie from scene to scene. For Onah, the project is particularly personal, since he was born...

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Studio Weekend Estimates: The Lion King Repeats at No. 1 w/ $75.5M; Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Sizzles w/ $40.3M in 2nd Place

As anticipated, Disney’s The Lion King easily regained the No. 1 spot at the box office this weekend, bringing in an estimated $75.5 million in its sophomore frame for a hefty $350.8 million to date. However, Quentin Tarantino also scored a big win with Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, which showed some counter-programming muscle in second place. Down 60% from last weekend’s record $191.7 million haul, The Lion King’s sophomore drop was a bit steeper than expected—which isn’t a big deal considering that it’s already surpassed Aladdin ($343.9 million) to become the third highest-grossing of Disney’s recent crop of cinematic reimaginings after just ten days of release (it will also surpass The Jungle Book‘s $364 million later this week). The champ for now remains Beauty & the Beast, which dipped just 48% in its second weekend on its way to a lifetime total of $504 million. Speaking...

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Regal Launches ‘Unlimited’ Cinema Subscription Plan

Another major U.S. exhibitor has entered the subscription race. Regal, the country’s second-largest movie theater chain, is the latest to launch its own in-house subscription program with the release of its Unlimited offering. Despite sharing the same name as its European corporate parent’s Cineworld Unlimited subscription scheme, Regal’s solution has been specifically modified for the U.S. market. The plan is available in three tiers: Unlimited, priced at $18/month and available at 200 locations; Unlimited Plus at $21/month and available at 400 locations; and Unlimited All Access at $23.50/month which unlocks over 550 locations nationwide. Consumers looking to access a location not included in their plan will be charged a surcharge between $1.50 and $3 on top of their monthly fee, with additional surcharges applying to premium auditoriums like RPX (Regal’s private-label...

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Cinépolis Acquires Texas’s Moviehouse & Eatery Dine-in Theaters

Mexico-based theater chain Cinépolis is acquiring Moviehouse & Eatery, a dine-in cinema circuit in Texas with five locations and one under construction. Cinépolis currently operates 5,941 screens across 738 cinemas in 17 countries, welcoming over 338 million patrons annually. Once the transaction is completed, Cinépolis will operate 258 screens at 26 locations in seven states in the United States. Alejandro Ramírez Magaña, chief executive officer of Cinépolis, said, “We are fully committed to bring our global expertise to the U.S. market. This is a strategic transaction that will help us to expand and strengthen our best-in-class luxury offer in this market and around the world.” Arturo López Martín, chief investment officer of Cinépolis, stated, “Cinépolis is the premier luxury player in the United States and across the globe. We are truly excited about the prospects...

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Aladdin To Pass $1B Global on Friday

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Regal to Add Seven New 4DX, ScreenX Locations Through End of July

LOS ANGELES, CA (July 26, 2019) — CJ 4DPLEX and Regal announced today the latest round in openings of three new 4DX screens and four new ScreenX screens set to open across multiple markets in the U.S by the end of July. With the openings, the current count of Regal 4DX and ScreenX auditoriums will reach 21 and 20, respectively. The locations include: 4DX ●        Edwards Irvine Spectrum 4DX, SCREENX, IMAX, RPX & VIP (Irvine, Calif.) ●        Regal Natomas 4DX, SCREENX & RPX (Sacramento, Calif.) ●        Regal UA Denver Pavilions 4DX (Denver, Colo.) ScreenX ●        Regal Dole Cannery SCREENX, IMAX & RPX (Honolulu, Hawaii) ●        Regal Natomas SCREENX...

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Long Range Forecast: Ad Astra and Rambo: Last Blood

This week’s report welcomes two new additions to our Long Range Forecast covering wide openers slated for Friday, September 20. Excluded is Focus Features’ Downton Abbey film, which we’re withholding forecasts on until its release strategy is more clearly detailed. Ad Astra Opening Weekend Range: $15 – 25 million PROS: Brad Pitt and a solid ensemble cast could turn out to be significant draws among adult audiences, particularly with Pitt coming back to the cinema forefront in this summer’s Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood. The film’s PLF and IMAX footprint should boost initial earnings with premium ticket prices in tow. The film’s release window could also be a strength with modest competition for adults and a decent gap between It: Chapter Two earlier in September and October’s Joker. CONS: The film’s release delays aren’t the most encouraging of signs, and it remains...

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IFP Announces Project Forum Slate for 41st Edition of IFP Week

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Social Pulse: IT: Chapter 2 Scares Up Buzz on Social Media

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UNIC, GCF Call for Venice Film Festival Selections to Receive Full Theatrical Run

Tensions continue to mount between European exhibitors and the continent’s biggest festivals. European exhibition trade body UNIC released a public call for participating titles at the Venice Film Festival to receive a full theatrical run following the festival’s inclusion of Netflix titles The Laundromat and Marriage Story. UNIC, which represents exhibition circuits across 38 European territories, released the statement below on the matter: Thanks to their global prestige, leading film festivals and awards competitions have both the honour and the responsibility of bringing high quality and diverse films to the attention of audiences around the world.   For that reason, cinema operators expect both to consider only those titles intended to receive a full theatrical release and – where release strategies for films selected for inclusion are not yet confirmed...

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Flix Brewhouse Named 2019 Indiana Brewery of the Year and 2019 Grand Champion Brewery of the Year

PRESS RELEASE After vying in a statewide competition among Indiana’s professional brewers, Flix Brewhouse in Carmel walked away with the top recognition. A dine-in cinema where craft beer is brewed onsite, Flix Brewhouse was award both the 2019 Indiana Brewery of the Year and the 2019 Grand Champion Brewery of the Year distinctions by the Indiana State Fair. On the way to the number one spot, the brewhouse landed on the Brewers’ Cup podium in several individual lager, bock, hybrid beer, ale and IPA categories.  Announced on July 13, 2019 at the Indiana Farmer’s Coliseum, the results of the craft beer competition came after a weekend of intense beer tasting and judging. The occasion marked the 21stannual running of the Brewer’s Cup. According to a press release issued by the Indiana State Fair, “the Indiana Brewers’ Cup has solidified its place...

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