Weekend Estimates: Angel Has Fallen ($11.6M/$14.6M 3-Day/4-Day) and Good Boys ($10.1M/$12.6M) Pacing to Lead the Labor Day Frame

Saturday Report: Lionsgate’s Angel Has Fallen added $2.886 million on Friday for an updated domestic haul of $32 million through eight days of release as it looks to win its second consecutive weekend at the box office. Meanwhile, Good Boys claimed $2.33 million yesterday for a new 15-day total of $49.3 million. In third place, Ready or Not added $1.53 million for a ten-day sum of $16 million, while The Lion King grabbed $1.5 million in fourth place Friday. The latter title stands at $515.7 million domestically through Friday and should win out for third over the long weekend. Also of note yesterday, Spider-Man: Far From Home re-entered the top ten with $1.15 million from 3,162 locations as Sony expanded the film with a 4-minute extended cut in IMAX theaters. It’s earned $381.6 million domestically to date. This weekend’s only semi-wide opener, Don’t Let Go, pulled $751K...

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Long Range Forecast: Black and Blue, Plus More It: Chapter Two, Hustlers, and Other Updates

This week’s update welcomes the addition of one new release slated to open Friday, October 25 as part of our look at the final weekend before holiday movie season kicks off in November. We also provide key updates on September’s high profile releases below. Black and Blue Opening Weekend Range: $10 – 15 million PROS: Stars Naomie Harris and Tyrese Gibson provide star presence in this LAPD cop drama that won’t face direct competition during its key release window in late October/early November. Strong reviews and word of mouth could push it as a counter-programming option. Sony / Screen Gems have a solid track record with past autumn releases like When the Bough Breaks, The Perfect Guy, and No Good Deed. CONS: Some of the more controversial comparisons between this film’s narrative and real life cultural events could limit the overall potential of this film relative...

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The Sky-Is-Falling Narrative Pops Up Again, Disappears Just as Quickly

by Patrick Corcoran, Vice President & Chief Communications Officer, NATO and Phil Contrino, Director of Media & Research, NATO We’ve been down this road before: a few high-profile films underperform and suddenly our industry is in dire trouble once again. That’s what happened in May and June when a handful of tentpoles disappointed, causing reporters to panic about the sad state of our industry and how awful the summer box office is. Neither is true.  Despite the pervasive belief that moviegoing is under constant threat from a shift in how entertainment is distributed and consumed, moviegoing is remarkably consistent, with weekly ups and downs almost entirely a function of the movies then in the marketplace. A flurry of headlines in June bemoaned the underperformance of high-profile sequels and lower-budget counterprogramming and worried about audiences...

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IFP Announces Public Programming for 41st Annual IFP Week

The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) announced its public program for the 41st IFP Week, including a series of over 40 panel conversations, workshops and screenings. IFP Week, one of IFP’s signature annual events, will take place in Brooklyn, New York from Sunday, September 15 through Thursday, September 19. The week kicks off on September 15th with a series of panel conversations with filmmakers at BRIC, some including: * Keynote presentation by Tyler Mitchell, head of impact at Imagine Impact * “An Exciting Time” – a conversation with the creative visionaries behind Time Studios, the recently formed premium content division of Time * “Politically Charged” – directors Rachel Lears and Alison Klayman discussing the impact of their politically charged documentary films Knock Down the House and The Brink * “Staying In The Room”...

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Huaxia Film debuts CINITY Cinema with Ang Lee’s Gemini Man Advanced-Format Trailer

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Social Pulse: D23 News Launches Star Wars on Social Media

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A New Era: MGM’s Jonathan Glickman Discusses the Rebranded United Artists Releasing

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Weekend Forecast: Angel Has Fallen, Good Boys, & The Lion King Look to Lead Labor Day Weekend

This week’s forecast is relatively short and simple with no major studios opting to release a new film on a wide platform. Two notables that could be sleeper candidates to enter the top ten are Yash Raj’s Saaho (opening Thursday) and OTL’s Don’t Let Go, the fourth horror/thriller release to hit theaters this month. Otherwise, as has become an increasing tradition, holdovers will make up the bulk of the long weekend’s business in theaters as studios wave goodbye to the summer season and the remainder of schools check back into session after Labor Day this coming Monday. Angel Has Fallen should have a clear path to repeat in the top spot after it opened on the high end of expectations with $21.4 million last weekend, while Good Boys is earning strong word of mouth after a solid 46 percent drop in its second frame. Titles like Overcomer and Hobbs & Shaw (among others)...

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Rotten Tomatoes Adds More Than 600 Approved Critics in Diversity Initiative

PRESS RELEASE Los Angeles – August 28, 2019: Rotten Tomatoes, the movie and TV review aggregation site, announced today the results of several year-long initiatives to broaden and diversify the critical voices reflected in its Tomatometer rating system, as well as assist critics from underrepresented groups attend key film festivals and industry events.  One year ago, in August 2018, Rotten Tomatoes revamped the critics criteria for its popular Tomatometer movie and TV rating system with an increased focus on critics’ individual qualifications, allowing for more freelance critics to be accepted and those working with newer media platforms that go beyond the traditional written review. Over the past year, Rotten Tomatoes has added more than 600 individually approved critics, whose film and TV reviews now count towards Tomatometer scores. Fifty-five percent...

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K-Pop Continues to Break Its Own Event Cinema Records With Trafalgar Releasing’s Bring the Soul: The Movie

Per figures from event cinema distributor Trafalgar Releasing and Big Hit Entertainment, concert film Bring the Soul: The Movie has topped 2.55 global admissions, totalling a worldwide gross of approximately $24.3 million. That figure tops the $18.5 worldwide cume reached by Trafalgar Releasing’s previous high grosser. That now-broken record belongs to Burn the Stage: The Movie, like Bring the Soul: The Movie a concert film from the Korean pop group BTS. The boy band has gained increasing international prominence over the past handful of years. Earlier this month, Bring the Soul opened in North America to a $2.3 million haul, cracking the top ten despite only playing in 873 theaters. Encore screenings have brought the film’s domestic gross up to $4.8 million, making it the third-highest grossing documentary of 2019 so far. In the U.K., the film opened at the number nine...

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Andrew Cripps Is Named President of International Theatrical Distribution at Warner Bros. Pictures

Veteran film distribution executive Andrew Cripps has been named president, international theatrical distribution, at Warner Bros. Pictures. The announcement was made today by Ron Sanders, president, worldwide distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures and president, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, to whom Cripps will report. In his new role, Cripps will be responsible for overseeing all matters relating to the international theatrical distribution of the studio’s slate of motion pictures, which includes releases from Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema. He’ll also work closely with Sanders on the development of theatrical growth opportunities and additional revenue streams for the division, as well as oversee the team that manages sales and distribution efforts across Warner Bros.’ network of affiliates and licensees in more than 125 territories worldwide. Cripps has...

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Welcome to the New Reality: Theaters Invest in VR for a High-Tech Consumer Experience

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Welcome to the New Reality: Theaters Invest in VR for a High-Tech Consumer Experience

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Atom Tickets 2019 “Equality At The Box Office” Survey Reveals Women’s Movie Preferences

PRESS RELEASE In celebration and support of Women’s Equality Day, Atom Tickets surveyed women to ask about their movie and genre preferences, as well as their opinions about gender representation in the entertainment industry. In summary, women are more positive of the portrayal of women in the movies as well as believing more women are being hired for filmmaking roles, compared to last year. In terms of what movie women are most excited to see in the remainder of the year, their top pick was Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. This is the second year the digital ticketing startup has conducted the survey and as a result, in some topics, year over year data is provided. Cast: Yet again, the majority of women said they prefer to see a diverse cast made up of men and women (91%) in the movies rather than an all-male or all-female cast.  This year more women...

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CineShow 2019 Visionary Award: Brian Schultz, Founder & CEO, Studio Movie Grill

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United Artists Is Still a Name in Exhibition

Our salute to the 100th anniversary of United Artists continues. For many veteran moviegoers, the name United Artists Theatres is just as familiar as that of the studio that produced so many Oscar-winning films. The separate exhibition company bearing the United Artists name was created in 1924 when Joseph Schenck joined UA as president and partnered with Mary Pickford and Charles Chaplin on the purchase and construction of a chain of movie theaters. In December 1927, United Artists Theatres unveiled its flagship in downtown Los Angeles, a Spanish Gothic movie palace featuring a huge mural depicting an array of Hollywood stars in costume, including Pickford and her husband, Douglas Fairbanks, and Gloria Swanson. The tallest privately owned structure in Los Angeles until 1956, the United Artists Theatre is today the Ace Hotel. At the same time, United Artists Theatres...

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Studio Weekend Estimates: Angel Has Fallen Rises to $21.2M at No. 1 Over Good Boys ($11.7M); Overcomer Overperforms w/ $8.2M; Ready Or Not Finds $7.6M

Hollywood continued flooding theaters with new releases in the final weekend before Labor Day, pushing out the action threequel Angel Has Fallen, the R-rated horror film Ready Or Not and the faith-based drama Overcomer. Among those titles, Angel was the one to snag the No. 1 spot with an estimated $21.2 million debut from 3,286 screens, demonstrating the continued strength of the Gerard Butler franchise. Angel Has Fallen was actually the second Lionsgate R-rated action threequel to capture the top spot at the box office this year following John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, which launched to $56.8 million back in May. Though obviously not in the same league, Angel Has Fallen managed to outperform most projections, which had it finishing in the mid-teen range heading into the weekend. With this weekend’s gross, Angel Has Fallen came in roughly even with 2016’s London Has...

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Long Range Forecast: Maleficent: Mistress of Evil and Zombieland 2; Plus It: Chapter Two, Hustlers, & Downton Abbey Updates

This week’s report takes a dive into the middle of October with two of the fall season’s highest profile releases, currently slated to open on Friday, October 18. Read below for our analysis, plus notable updates on other upcoming films. Maleficent: Mistress of Evil Opening Weekend Range: $30 – 50 million PROS: The return of star Angelina Jolie is a big advantage considering her presence as one of Disney’s most iconic villains/antiheroes helped the 2014 predecessor power its way to a $69.4 million domestic opening weekend, finishing with a strong $241.4 million / $758.5 million global run. On top of the fact that the Disney brand name is as safe a bet as there is among families, there are very few films — let alone any with built-in appeal — aiming to draw young female audiences between summer’s end and mid-November’s Frozen II. The corridor for a leggy run — smartly...

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Thursday Night: Angel Has Fallen Captures $1.5M; Overcomer Achieves $775K

Friday Report: Lionsgate updates this morning with news that Angel Has Fallen kicked off its domestic run with $1.5 million from shows in an estimated 2,600 locations last night. By comparison, that registered 50 percent higher than Mile 22 last August ($1 million), 76.5 percent stronger than London Has Fallen ($850K), and 70.5 percent higher than The Expendables 3 ($880K). Meanwhile, Overcomer debuted to a solid $775K from shows beginning at 4pm in 1,563 locations yesterday. The Sony/AFFIRM release is the latest end-of-summer drama appealing to faith-based audiences, and its early start came in 80 percent above When the Game Stands Tall‘s $430K Thursday launch in August 2014. Ready or Not also continues its rollout this weekend after a $1.88 million opening day on Wednesday, which included $730K from Tuesday night previews. More updates to follow. The post Thursday Night:...

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Top Women in Global Exhibition 2019: Screenvision Media, Katy Loria and Darryl Schaffer

Earlier this year, Boxoffice partnered with Celluloid Junkie to present the fourth annual list of Top Women in Global Exhibition, published in our CinemaCon issue. Throughout 2019, Boxoffice will continue to honor the women who have an immeasurable impact on the exhibition industry with a series of in-depth profiles. Katy Loria, Chief Revenue Officer  Darryl Schaffer, EVP Operations & Exhibitor Relations Screenvision veterans Katy Loria and Darryl Schaffer have been instrumental in the cinema-advertising company’s success. In 2018 alone, Screenvision was able to sign 35 exhibitor partnership contracts to its cinema-advertising network. The company renewed long-term partnership agreements with leading exhibitors National Amusements and Malco Theatres last year, along with adding new players like California-based Maya Cinemas. Schaffer...

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B&B Theatres Expands Fleet of ScreenX Auditoriums

B&B Theatres and South Korea’s CJ 4DPLEX have expanded their partnership by agreeing to install five additional ScreenX panoramic screens across the exhibitor’s circuit. With this deal, B&B Theatres will now count on a total of seven ScreenX systems across its chain of theaters. The companies began working together in 2018 when B&B announced it would install the largest ScreenX system in the world at its flagship Liberty, Missouri location. Standing at over four stories tall and stretching to seven stories wide, the screen proved successful enough to warrant an additional ScreenX system, scheduled to open in September 2019. “B&B has been an excellent partner in shaking up the industry to introduce one-of-a-kind ScreenX experiences. We are thrilled to extend our partnership in expanding the ScreenX footprint to bring 5 additional auditoriums across the...

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Malco Theatres to Bring the IMAX Experience To Madison, MS

PRESS RELEASE (Memphis, TN – August 22, 2019) – Memphis-based Malco Theatres, a 104-year-old family-owned motion picture exhibition company, announced today that guests visiting the Grandview Cinema in Madison, Mississippi, can soon enjoy the world’s most immersive cinematic experience when the IMAX® theatre opens in time for the release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker on December 20, 2019. The IMAX theatre, the first and only one in the state of Mississippi, will be custom-designed for use in the existing multiplex theatre and will be the first phase of upgrades to the Madison location. The new IMAX at the Grandview Cinema will offer moviegoers a truly immersive cinematic experience, allowing them to enjoy the biggest blockbusters like never before. IMAX’s cutting-edge projection system, which delivers crystal-clear...

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Social Pulse: Little Women Trailer Draws Big Numbers

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Top Women in Global Exhibition 2019: Stacie Tursi, National CineMedia

Earlier this year, Boxoffice partnered with Celluloid Junkie to present the fourth annual list of Top Women in Global Exhibition, published in our CinemaCon issue. Throughout 2019, Boxoffice will continue to honor the women who have an immeasurable impact on the exhibition industry with a series of in-depth profiles. Stacie Tursi, SVP, Local & Digital Sales  Part of the National CineMedia family since 2005, Stacie Tursi was named SVP of affiliate partnerships at NCM—the largest cinema-advertising network in the U.S.—in 2016. Since then, Tursi’s team has worked diligently to serve its theater network, which comprises over 20,000 screens in the U.S. In 2018, NCM announced the addition of 300 theaters to its network, including top regional players like Bow Tie Cinemas, Cinergy Entertainment, Megaplex Theatres, and MJR Digital Cinemas. How...

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