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Monday, September 30, 2019

Paramount and CJ 4DPLEX Team Up to Screen Gemini Man In ScreenX

PRESS RELEASE

LOS ANGELES, CA (September 30, 2019) — CJ 4DPLEX and Paramount Pictures have announced the expansion of their ongoing partnership to release the first-ever ScreenX title between the two leading companies, the action-thriller Gemini Man by acclaimed director Ang Lee. Gemini Man in ScreenX will begin its release in theaters worldwide beginning October 2, 2019 on 233 screens, across 22 countries, including 33 screens in the U.S. with Regal Cinemas, B&B Theatres and CGV Cinemas. The film opens in the U.S. on October 11th.

Gemini Man in ScreenX will feature key sequences of the film expanded and projected onto the left and right side walls of the auditorium.

The announcement between the two companies follows past releases of A Quiet Place, Mission: Impossible – FalloutBumblebee, and Crawl in 4DX, another immersive technology from CJ 4DPLEX that features motion seating and environmental effects. In the U.S., Gemini Man in 4DX will screen with Regal Cinemas, Cinepolis, Marcus Theatres and CGV Cinemas.

“We are thrilled to announce the extension of our partnership with Paramount Pictures’ to release the first-ever ScreenX title, Gemini Man, in our stunning panoramic format,” said JongRyul Kim, CEO of CJ 4DPLEX. “The groundbreaking technology of the film pairs excellently with ScreenX, extending the stunning image quality of Will Smith as a 20-year old in action onto the walls of the auditorium, adding another level of immersion and intrigue to the cinema-going experience for Gemini Man.”

“With the success of Paramount Pictures’ films in 4DX, we are thrilled to continue the partnership and introduce Gemini Man as the first Paramount Pictures’ title to be screened in the immersive ScreenX format,” said Mark Viane, President of International Theatrical Distribution at Paramount Pictures. “Audiences will be amazed by the capabilities of the ScreenX technology, which will offer stunning visuals and action sequences expanded onto the side screens.”

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New in Novo: Debbie Stanford-Kristiansen Brings Luxury to Gulf Region Theatres

Earlier this year, Boxoffice Pro partnered with Celluloid Junkie to present the fourth annual list of Top Women in Global Exhibition, published in our CinemaCon issue. Throughout 2019, Boxoffice Pro continues to pay tribute to the women who have an immeasurable impact on the exhibition industry with a series of in-depth profiles.

Debbie Stanford-Kristiansen is “someone who very much likes to be challenged.” Born and raised in Brighton, England, where she’d make weekly trips to a theater “just across from the seafront,” Stanford-Kristiansen has been the CEO of Novo Cinemas, which operates cinemas throughout Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates, since 2013. 

Initially an executive in the world of events and business tourism, Stanford-Kristiansen received a job offer in 2004 that brought her to Bahrain to help establish that country’s Exhibition and Convention Authority. That phase of her professional life lasted almost nine years, during which time she was promoted to CEO of the Exhibition and Convention Center. “Then I got offered an opportunity to move to Dubai [and work in] entertainment,” she recalls. “I thought about the synergy of what I had done in the past [and] where I could take the company in the future, by looking at cinema with very different eyes [since I didn’t] come from the industry. … It was a big challenge to swap industries after such a long time. I said to myself, ‘This is a super opportunity. If I don’t do it, I’ll regret it. I’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain.’”

Debbie Stanford-Kristiansen took the job and got to work. “It was apparent to me that we needed to look at doing a complete rebrand, which is exactly what I did,” she says. Since its founding in 2010, the chain had been known as Grand Cinemas; Stanford-Kristiansen admits that, while “there was a lot of history and a super legacy there, times had changed. The audience had changed. There were different demographics living and working in the UAE. So we did a six-month project where we set about doing a complete rebrand of the organization, creating a new structure and different roles” that would allow the new Novo to expand into different facets of the exhibition market, such as hosting corporate events, which Novo has been “very successful” at.

The rebrand was followed by a spate of renovations and expansions. “When I joined, we had one Imax theater. Every other screen was a standard screen,” Stanford-Kristiansen recalls. Now, Novo boasts seven Imax screens, making them “the largest Imax partner in the region.” In early 2019, Novo cut the ribbon on Dubai’s largest Imax screen with laser, located at the chain’s new flagship location at the IMG Worlds of Adventure, the world’s largest indoor theme park. In April of this year, Novo Cinemas opened a new cinema at Oman’s Mall of Muscat, bringing the chain’s total screen count to 178 across 17 locations. By 2020, that number will grow to 201 screens in 20 locations, with “further expansion” planned across the Gulf region.

Novo Cinemas brings a futuristic aesthetic—and 5,000 meters of LED strip lighting—to Dubai’s IMG Worlds of Adventure, the world’s largest indoor theme park.

Under Stanford-Kristiansen, Novo packed in the premium amenities, introducing Dolby Atmos, MX4D motion seating, and Novo Kidz screens, with seats and design catered to younger audiences, to select locations. With their “seven-star VIP” service in place at 21 theaters, Novo gave moviegoers access to leather recliner seats and a “butler” to deliver food and beverages. Three of those theaters, Stanford-Kristiansen says, even have dedicated valet parking, so you can literally go from your car to your movie seat in three minutes.” Novo also offers its Novo Majlis, an “ultra-exclusive experience” where moviegoers have access to a “dedicated entrance and a personal butler offering a four-course meal from a menu that features classic dishes from both the East and the West.”

“We really, really worked hard,” says Stanford-Kristiansen. “We did a complete and utter evaluation of the business as it was in 2013 [and decided] where we wanted to take the brand in the future.”

But that future didn’t—and couldn’t—just involve luxury amenities, as important as they are to Novo’s overall experience. The Gulf region presents unique challenges—though Stanford-Kristiansen prefers to label them as “opportunities.” The United Arab Emirates, for example, where Novo has 10 theaters, is home to inhabitants of “around 220 different nationalities.” Catering to the needs of this varied population means screening the hits from Hollywood and Bollywood, of course. There’s also South Indian cinema, which represents “a very big market” for Novo. “We have Tagalog movies. We have Arabic movies—Arabic from Egypt [and] Arabic from the Emirates and Bahrain. In terms of expat market, we show French movies. We’ve shown German movies. Russian movies. We’ve even shown Korean and Chinese movies. We always try to appeal to the audience that we have, [and] we work really hard at understanding who our audience is at each and every location.” 

This analysis led Novo to expand into event cinema, starting with a live stream of the 2015 boxing match between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. The time difference between Dubai and Las Vegas meant Novo moviegoers would have to head to one of six participating cinemas at five o’clock in the morning … which they did. Eight thousand of them. “There were so many different nationalities that wanted to see that match,” says Stanford-Kristiansen. “It gave us the appetite to expand further and look at other opportunities.” Football (soccer, for the Americans) has grown into a big draw, with Novo screening World Cup match-ups in addition to La Liga, UEFA European Championship, and Essay Cup games. Three Novo locations screened this year’s ICC Cricket World Cup, the result of “a very, very big Asian customer base here who are very passionate about cricket.” In addition to sporting events, Novo screens ballet and opera and “works very closely with schools and colleges; we regularly have groups of school children coming in to seeeducational movies”—nature documentaries, for example—thanks to the chain’s partnership with Imax.

“The market differs from country to country, especially in the Middle East,” Stanford-Kristiansen explains. “It’s never one size fits all. … It’s about constantly doing studies, doing online research, and testing things for the customer. Doing pilot testing in different locations, whether on F&B offerings or experiential offerings or the way that we market to the audience. We really try to understand who they are.” Who they are changes, Stanford-Kristiansen readily admits: “We have a much younger, tech-savvy audience now, so we need to make sure that we always understand the right ways to engage with them, whether that’s on Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, YouTube, or whatever it is.”

Novo is currently in the midst of that research phase for Saudi Arabia; in 2018, Stanford-Kristiansen announced that the chain was “in discussions” about moving into the newly opened market. “Right now, we are still studying the market,” she says. “We haven’t made firm commitments on locations. … I think it’s an exciting time. We’re observing, we’re taking notes, we are doing our own market research to study a number of options.”

Visitors to the Mall of Qatar can get a “7-star VIP” experience thanks to Novo Cinemas.

Stanford-Kristiansen’s role in the evolution and expansion of cinemagoing in the Gulf region made her a prime candidate for inclusion on Boxoffice Pro and Celluloid Junkie’s 2019 list of the Top Women in Global Exhibition. Fitting, too, is Stanford-Kristiansen’s belief in the importance of mentorship, with an end goal of creating increased gender diversity. “Obviously, this is a very male-dominated industry. I certainly felt it when I moved across into entertainment, coming from tourism, which is very heavily female-dominated. … I believe that you need to have a balance of both male and female within any organization in order to get the best out of the company and to bring better opportunities.”

The support Stanford-Kristiansen received when she moved to the Middle East (“Probably more than I ever had back in Europe!”) increased her determination to pay it forward. At this year’s CineEurope, she was announced as one of the eight mentors participating in UNIC’s Women’s Cinema Leadership Program, designed to provide one-on-one support and advice to up-and-coming women in the exhibition business. “That’s something I’m really, really proud to be part of,” she notes. The more women support other women, the more we’ll start to see women grow within the industry, move up the career ladder, get better opportunities for growth. … There are so many amazing young women coming into this industry. I think we have an obligation to help support them and to help them to grow.”

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Sunday, September 29, 2019

Studio Weekend Estimates: Abominable Ascends to No. 1 w/ $20.8M; Downton Abbey Dips to 2nd w/ $14.5M

The final weekend of September saw families returning to North American multiplexes with the release of Universal’s Abominable, the first animated film to hit theaters since the debut of Warner Bros.’ Angry Birds 2 in mid-August. Though the Dreamworks Animation and Pearl Studio co-production opened to a relatively modest estimated $20.8 million – a few million short of last September’s Smallfoot ($23 milllion) — it was enough to lift it to No. 1 over holdovers including Downton Abbey, Hustlers and Ad Astra.

Debuting on an ultra-wide 4,242 screens, Abominable opened at the higher end of expectations thanks to a mixture of generally positive reviews (80% “Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes), a relatively enthusiastic audience response (“A” Cinemascore) and the aforementioned fact of its being the first animated release to hit theaters in over a month. While its opening number is on the low end for a Dreamworks Animation title, it’s a reasonably healthy debut for a film with a budget reported to be $75 million — and with the China-based Pearl Studio on board as a production partner and a plot that sees its teenage character traversing the Asian nation to return a young Yeti to his family, it could well make up for any shortfalls on the domestic front overseas.

It should be noted that the weekend box office was rather less robust than it otherwise might have been, as Universal’s horror-satire The Hunt was previously slated to open on Friday before being pulled by the studio following mass shootings in Dayton and El Paso back in August.

Last weekend’s champion Downton Abbey fell to second place in its sophomore frame with an estimated $14.5 million, a drop of 53% from its Focus Features-record $31 million debut. The continuation of the hit TV series now boasts a strong $58.5 million through Sunday, already making it the fifth highest-grossing release in the studio’s history.

STX’s Hustlers rose from fifth place last weekend to third this weekend with an estimated $11.4 million, bringing the total for the Jennifer Lopez-Constance Wu crime drama to a fantastic $80.6 million in just 17 days. That puts the critically acclaimed title in third place all-time among the studio’s releases, behind only Bad Moms ($113.2 million) and this year’s The Upside ($108.2 million).

IT Chapter Two finished in fourth place with an estimated $10.4 million, putting the horror sequel in striking distance of $200 million with a total of $193.9 million to date.

In fifth, last weekend’s sci-fi newcomer Ad Astra dipped 47% to an estimated $10.1 million in its sophomore frame, putting the Brad Pitt vehicle at $35.5 million through Sunday. That’s a similar drop to last year’s First Man, which started slightly lower at $16 million and finished its domestic run with a disappointing $44.9 million total.

Another newcomer last weekend – Lionsgate’s Rambo: Last Blood – fell to sixth in its second weekend with an estimated $8.5 million, a rather steep drop of 56% from its $18.8 million debut. That puts the Sylvester Stallone sequel at $33.1 million after ten days, pacing it about 9% ahead of 2008’s Rambo at the same point in its run not adjusting for inflation.

Aside from Abominable, the only other major opener this weekend was Roadside Attractions’ Judy, starring Renee Zellweger as legendary entertainer Judy Garland. Debuting with a pretty good $2.9 million on 461 locations – giving it a per-screen average $6,362 – the film no doubt received a boost via Oscar talk for its leading lady, whose lead performance has made up the bulk of the critical praise for the biopic. Look for this one to debut wider in the coming weeks as it moves into the thick of fall prestige season.

The resilient Good Boys finished in eighth place after dipping just 21% to an estimated $2 million in its seventh weekend, bringing the total for the Universal comedy to a superb $80.3 million to date.

A surprise entrant in the Top 10 was Fathom Events’ release of Friends 25th: The One With the Anniversary, a special anniversary celebration of the iconic TV series slated to play in theaters three separate times this fall. Each showing includes newly de-archived bonus content and four episodes hand-picked by Friends producers, and this weekend – representing the second in the series – it brought in an estimated $1.8 million in ninth place from 1,600 screens, bringing the running total to $2.7 million including a previous showing this past Monday.  

Rounding out the Top 10 was Disney’s The Lion King, which brought in an estimated $1.6 million for a total of $540 million to date.

Overseas Update: 

Ad Astra brought in an estimated $18 million this weekend from 50 territories, including such major new markets as Italy, Russia and Brazil. The international total for the Disney-released Fox title now stands at an estimated $53.5 million, while the global tally is at $89 million to date.

The international total for Warner Bros.’ IT Chapter Two rose to $223.5 million with an estimated $11 million this weekend, bringing the global cume for the Stephen King adaptation to $417.4 million to date.

The post Studio Weekend Estimates: <em>Abominable</em> Ascends to No. 1 w/ $20.8M; <em>Downton Abbey</em> Dips to 2nd w/ $14.5M appeared first on Boxoffice.



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Saturday, September 28, 2019

Weekend Estimates: Abominable Summits to Top Spot w/ $20M+ Debut

Saturday Update: Universal and DreamWorks Animation’s Abominable is on track to finish in first place this weekend with an estimated $20 million+ debut, in line with pre-release expectations. The well-reviewed original film earned $5.69 million on opening day Friday, comparable to the $6.43 million start by Warner Bros.’ Smallfoot one year ago this month, as well as the $5.79 million and $5.77 million first days by the same studio’s LEGO Ninjago Movie and Storks, respectively.

Downton Abbey is on course for a second place finish in its sophomore frame as it posted another $4.38 million on Friday, a to-be-expected sharp drop of 68 percent from opening day last week. The hit television-to-cinema release has earned a strong $48.4 million in just eight days of domestic play as it targets a $14 million+ weekend.

Hustlers continued its strong play with another $3.66 million on Friday, off just 33 percent from the same day last week. With $72.8 million in the domestic bank through 15 days, its third frame is looking to tally around $11.6 million.

Ad Astra claimed fourth place with $2.985 million yesterday, down 58 percent from opening day last week. The Brad Pitt film’s eight-day stateside haul stands at $28.4 million as it looks toward a $10.2 million sophomore weekend.

Capping off the top five, It: Chapter Two eased 41 percent from last Friday to $2.85 million yesterday. The horror sequel has earned a healthy $186.4 million domestically thus far. Look for a weekend take around $10 million.

Early weekend estimates are below. Studio updated estimates to follow on Sunday.

Early Weekend Estimates (Domestic)
FRI, SEP. 27 – SUN, SEP. 29

WIDE (1000+)

# TITLE WEEKEND   LOCATIONS   AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 Abominable $20,700,000 4,242 $4,880 $20,700,000 1 Universal Pictures
2 Downton Abbey $14,300,000 -54% 3,390 311 $4,218 $58,309,850 2 Focus Features
3 Hustlers $11,600,000 -31% 3,508 -17 $3,307 $80,764,711 3 STX Entertainment
4 Ad Astra $10,200,000 -46% 3,460 0 $2,948 $35,582,600 2 20th Century Fox
5 It Chapter Two $10,000,000 -41% 3,611 -545 $2,769 $193,521,049 4 Warner Bros
6 Rambo: Last Blood $8,100,000 -57% 3,618 0 $2,239 $32,675,810 2 Lionsgate
7 Good Boys $2,100,000 -19% 1,503 -522 $1,397 $80,469,855 7 Universal Pictures
8 Angel Has Fallen $1,600,000 -34% 1,652 -853 $969 $67,249,033 6 Lionsgate
9 The Lion King $1,600,000 -40% 1,691 -287 $946 $540,022,662 11 Walt Disney Pictures
10 Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw $1,300,000 -11% 1,100 -291 $1,182 $172,356,465 9 Universal Pictures
11 Overcomer $940,000 -38% 1,206 -612 $779 $33,180,049 6 Sony Pictures

LIMITED (100 — 999)

# TITLE WEEKEND   LOCATIONS   AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 Judy $3,000,000 461 $6,508 $3,000,000 1 Roadside Attractions / LD Entertainment
2 The Peanut Butter Falcon $900,000 -11% 935 -193 $963 $18,120,728 8 Roadside Attractions
3 Scary Stories to Tell In The Dark $830,000 -13% 756 -176 $1,098 $66,857,005 8 CBS Films / Lionsgate
4 Dora and the Lost City of Gold $760,000 -41% 761 -183 $999 $59,475,406 8 Paramount Pictures
5 Toy Story 4 $210,000 -28% 243 -48 $864 $433,040,800 15 Disney
6 Ready or Not $150,000 -30% 201 -100 $746 $28,516,960 6 Fox Searchlight
7 47 Meters Down: Uncaged $140,000 -19% 257 11 $545 $21,985,885 7 Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures
8 Aladdin $90,000 -31% 124 -32 $726 $355,385,853 19 Disney
9 The Art of Racing in the Rain $80,000 -36% 149 -82 $537 $26,172,366 8 20th Century Fox
10 The Zoya Factor $30,000 -62% 100 0 $300 $135,269 2 FIP

PLATFORM (1 — 99)

# TITLE WEEKEND   LOCATIONS   AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 Chhichhore $160,000 -22% 78 -20 $2,051 $1,948,002 4 FIP
2 Tod@s Caen $85,000 15% 60 -8 $1,417 $2,700,634 5 Lionsgate / Pantelion
3 Tel Aviv on Fire $5,500 58% 4 -2 $1,375 $5,500 9 Cohen Media Group
4 Britt-Marie Was Here $4,500 4% 8 5 $563 $4,500 2 Cohen Media Group
5 Mission Mangal $4,000 2% 5 -8 $800 $3,663,413 7 FIP

The post Weekend Estimates: <em>Abominable</em> Summits to Top Spot w/ $20M+ Debut appeared first on Boxoffice.



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Friday, September 27, 2019

Long Range Forecast: Frozen II, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, and 21 Bridges

This week’s report focuses on a trio of new releases slated to open the week before Thanksgiving in hopes of building momentum that should last through the heart of holiday movie season.

Frozen II
Opening Weekend Range: $115 – 145 million

PROS:

  • The original film was an undisputed phenomenon, earning over $400 million domestically and $1.27 billion worldwide on the back of an enormously popular soundtrack and high repeat viewings. Frozen solidified the reemergence of Disney’s in-house animation studios as a top-tier powerhouse and remains the highest grossing original animated film of all time.

  • Trailer reactions and social media metrics are strong once again for this sequel, earning trend comparisons to recent Disney/Pixar sequels like Incredibles 2, Finding Dory, and Toy Story 4.

  • As the first tentpole animated release to open since July’s The Lion King, demand for a family-driven event should be very high by the time this opens in November.

  • With a six-year gap between this sequel and its predecessor, there could be room for audience expansion to include kids who were too young (or not born yet) to see the first pic in theaters.

  • After their unprecedented success across a variety of brands in recent years, the Disney name is virtually an automatic selling point for parents and kids once again. This franchise in particular proved to become a major source of merchandising success, which is often an indicator of sequel demand for kid-driven properties.

CONS:

  • Animated sequels have generally trended downward from their predecessors’ box office runs recently, with notable examples including The LEGO Movie franchise, The Secret Life of Pets 2, and The Angry Birds Movie 2. That being said, Disney releases like The Incredibles 2, Toy Story 4, and Ralph Breaks the Internet have proven to be exceptions.

  • The biggest X factor in determining how big this sequel could truly be is whether or not they capture lightning in a bottle again, particularly when it comes to the film’s new songs and the ability to generate as much audience retention in the weeks after release as the first film did. Considering the pop culture impact of “Let It Go” six years back, that’s a big ask.

  • With a debut one week before a major holiday weekend in the U.S., some families could opt to wait and see the film until they’re on break from work and school — meaning any goal of achieving a record November opening weekend will be a challenge. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire owns that title with $158.1 million, while the highest opening animated title is 2004’s The Incredibles ($70.5 million).

  • Long term, this sequel will face stiff competition for family audiences in Jumanji: The Next Level, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and Spies In Disguise come December/early January. The original Frozen‘s primary source of competition in the same window was a less formidable combo of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Opening Weekend Range: $16 – 21 million

PROS:

  • No one in the business has more goodwill for delivering heartfelt, crowd-pleasing, every-man performances than Tom Hanks. With him taking on the role of one of pop culture’s most celebrated and inspirational personalities (Fred Rogers), we’re high on the potential for appeal to a variety of audiences.

  • As one of the most successful documentaries in recent memory, last year’s Won’t You Be My Neighbor? underscored the lasting impression of “Mister Rogers” on multiple generations and the desire for stories of kindness — one that should play very well during the holiday season.

CONS:

  • Opening against Frozen II may soften upfront demand among female audiences, which we expect to be a significant part of this film’s draw in the long run.

21 Bridges
Opening Weekend Range: $9 – 14 million

PROS:

  • Chadwick Boseman’s presence is a notable advantage coming off the massive success of his role as Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

  • As the counter-programmer among this weekend’s new releases, there could be some upside with targeting adult male viewers.

CONS:

  • Competition from other male-driven pics in November — such as Terminator: Dark Fate and Ford v Ferrari — will present a challenge.

8-Week Forecast

Release Date Title 3-Day (FSS) Opening Range 3-Day (FSS) Opening Forecast % Chg from Last Week Domestic Total Forecast % Chg from Last Week Estimated Location Count Distributor
10/4/2019 Joker $85,000,000 – $105,000,000 $101,000,000 -2% $210,000,000   4,000 Warner Bros.
10/11/2019 The Addams Family (2019) $21,000,000 – $26,000,000 $23,000,000 28% $88,000,000 26% 3,400 United Artists Releasing
10/11/2019 The Current War (Expansion) n/a n/a   n/a   n/a 101 Studios
10/11/2019 Gemini Man $26,000,000 – $31,000,000 $28,000,000   $85,000,000   3,400 Paramount
10/11/2019 Jexi $7,000,000 – $12,000,000 $7,500,000 -6% $20,000,000 -20% 2,500 Lionsgate / CBS Films / Entertainment One
10/18/2019 Maleficent: Mistress of Evil $40,000,000 – $55,000,000 $40,000,000 8% $120,000,000 9%   Disney
10/18/2019 Zombieland 2: Double Tap $24,000,000 – $34,000,000 $30,000,000   $77,000,000     Sony / Columbia
10/25/2019 Black and Blue $10,000,000 – $15,000,000 $12,000,000   $35,000,000     Sony / Screen Gems
10/25/2019 Countdown $13,000,000 – $18,000,000 $14,000,000 NEW $33,000,000 NEW   STX
10/25/2019 The Last Full Measure n/a n/a   n/a     Roadside Attractions
11/1/2019 Arctic Dogs $5,000,000 – $10,000,000 $7,000,000   $24,500,000     Entertainment Studios
11/1/2019 Harriet n/a n/a   n/a     Focus Features
11/1/2019 Motherless Brooklyn $7,000,000 – $12,000,000 n/a   n/a     Warner Bros.
11/1/2019 Terminator: Dark Fate $35,000,000 – $45,000,000 $38,000,000   $85,000,000     Paramount
11/8/2019 Doctor Sleep $20,000,000 – $30,000,000 $25,000,000   $92,000,000     Warner Bros.
11/8/2019 Last Christmas $12,000,000 – $17,000,000 $15,000,000   $80,000,000     Universal
11/8/2019 Midway $10,000,000 – $15,000,000 $13,000,000   $47,000,000     Lionsgate
11/8/2019 Playing with Fire $7,000,000 – $12,000,000 $8,000,000   $33,000,000     Paramount
11/15/2019 All Rise n/a n/a   n/a     Entertainment Studios
11/15/2019 Charlie’s Angels (2019) $25,000,000 – $35,000,000 $29,000,000   $78,000,000     Sony / Columbia
11/15/2019 The Good Liar $7,000,000 – $12,000,000 n/a   n/a     Warner Bros.
11/15/2019 Ford v. Ferrari $25,000,000 – $35,000,000 $32,000,000   $115,000,000     Fox
11/22/2019 21 Bridges $9,000,000 – $14,000,000 $10,000,000 NEW $34,000,000 NEW   STX
11/22/2019 A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood $16,000,000 – $21,000,000 $19,000,000 NEW $105,000,000 NEW   Sony / Columbia
11/22/2019 Frozen 2 $115,000,000 – $145,000,000 $125,000,000 NEW $455,000,000 NEW   Disney

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

Alex Edghill & Jesse Rifkin contributed to this report

The post Long Range Forecast: <em>Frozen II</em>, <em>A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood</em>, and <em>21 Bridges</em> appeared first on Boxoffice.



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Sony and Disney Announce Third Film in Spider-Man: Homecoming Series to Be Produced with Marvel Studios and Kevin Feige, Set for July 16, 2021 Release

The rallying cry of fans around the world has been heard, and answered: Sony Pictures and Disney Studios have reached an agreement for the continuation of Spider-Man’s presence in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for at least two more films.

The official press release:

SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT AND THE WALT DISNEY STUDIOS ANNOUNCE THIRD FILM IN SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING SERIES WILL BE PRODUCED WITH
MARVEL STUDIOS AND KEVIN FEIGE

Film Dated for Release on July 16, 2021

Spider-Man to Appear in a Future Marvel Studios Film

[Culver City, CA – September 27, 2019] Sony Pictures Entertainment and The Walt Disney Studios jointly announced today that Marvel Studios and its President Kevin Feige will produce the third film in the SPIDER-MAN HOMECOMING series, starring Tom Holland. The film is scheduled for release on July 16, 2021.  As part of the arrangement, Spider-Man will also appear in a future Marvel Studios film.  Amy Pascal will also produce through Pascal Pictures, as she has on the first two Holland-led films. 

“I am thrilled that Spidey’s journey in the MCU will continue, and I and all of us at Marvel Studios are very excited that we get to keep working on it,” said Feige.  “Spider-Man is a powerful icon and hero whose story crosses all ages and audiences around the globe. He also happens to be the only hero with the superpower to cross cinematic universes, so as Sony continues to develop their own Spidey-verse you never know what surprises the future might hold.”

“This is terrific.  Peter Parker’s story took a dramatic turn in Far From Home and I could not be happier we will all be working together as we see where his journey goes,” said Pascal.  “This has been a winning partnership for the studios, the franchise and the fans and I’m overjoyed it will continue.”

About Sony Pictures Entertainment

Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE’s global operations encompass motion picture production, acquisition, and distribution; television production, acquisition, and distribution; television networks; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; and development of new entertainment products, services and technologies. SPE’s Motion Picture Group production organizations include Columbia Pictures, Screen Gems, TriStar Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Stage 6 Films, AFFIRM Films, and Sony Pictures Classics. For additional information, visithttp://www.sonypictures.com/corp/divisions.html.

The Walt Disney Studios

For over 95 years, The Walt Disney Studios has been the foundation on which The Walt Disney Company was built. Today the Studio brings quality movies, music and stage plays to consumers throughout the world. Feature films are released under the following banners: Disney, including Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios, Disneynature, Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm, as well as Twentieth Century Fox, Fox Family, Fox Searchlight Pictures, and Blue Sky Studios. The Disney Music Group encompasses the Walt Disney Records and Hollywood Records labels, as well as Disney Music Publishing. The Disney Theatrical Group produces and licenses live events, including Disney on Broadway, Disney On Ice and Disney Live!.

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Thursday, September 26, 2019

CinéShow 2019: Exhibitor Marketing Evolves in the Social Media Age

Grassroots marketing campaigns go viral as movie theaters appeal to moviegoers online

It was a tense start to the week at CinéShow 2019, with details of the negotiations over a theatrical run for Netflix’s The Irishman being leaked through industry trade outlets. There was anxiety in the air, especially as the streaming giant prepared to screen its remaining slate of titles during major festivals in the subsequent weeks: Telluride, Toronto, and Venice all on the schedule. Uncertainty about how the rest of 2019 would play out prevailed until official news came down midweek that Netflix would give The Irishman a cursory theatrical release under a shortened theatrical window. With the status quo still in place, the week’s sessions at CinéShow provided compelling insights into how the region’s exhibitors are planning to tackle the coming months and their corresponding titles.

Perhaps the most standout feature of this year’s programming at CinéShow was the inclusion of the Independent Cinema Alliance (ICA), which helped shed light on the priorities and concerns of different players in the independent sector. Of note was an operations-themed session focused on building a positive workplace culture. Representatives from Cinema World, Galaxy Theatres, and Studio Movie Grill all contributed examples of how to build winning teams through a combination of location-specific and company-wide initiatives that simultaneously prepare and motivate employees. 

The prevailing theme of the week’s panels centered on the challenges of exhibitor marketing in today’s rapidly changing media landscape. While new movies remain the primary driver for attendance, exhibitors have begun branching out to include premium amenities, expanded concessions, and event screenings as part of their promotional strategies. 

Loyalty programs have proved particularly valuable in today’s outreach plans for exhibitors, allowing companies to directly engage with their audiences through customized messages. “For us at Flix Brewhouse, the single most important marketing tool we have are our customers’ email addresses. It’s not even close,” said Greg Johnson, director of marketing at Flix Brewhouse. Flix recently transitioned to Movio Cinema’s Dynamic Content after having worked with MailChimp for several years, a shift that Johnson claims has helped better tailor his outreach to specific segments of his audience. 

Custom messaging is crucial to effectively communicate with your audience; bombarding clients with too many emails—or worse, irrelevant offers—can mean the difference between an unread email and a ticket purchase. Knowing your local audience off-line, however, still plays a major role in offering the right programming at the right time. “I have to pay really close attention to the Texas A&M football schedule,” said Jim Bob McKown, house manager at the Queen Theatre in Bryan, Texas, an independent cinema minutes away from College Station. “If there’s a game going on, I know to make that Saturday a Ladies Night.”

Over the past decade, social media has emerged as another vital platform for engaging with audiences. Jason Ostrow, VP of development at Star Cinema Grill, noted that his fledgling circuit has found success by marketing itself as a lifestyle brand by creating moments in a cinema visit that guests can share online. “Memorable experiences are the most valuable marketing opportunities you can get,” he said. “Whether it’s through a dine-in experience, a comfortable chair, or a commemorative beverage—anything you can do so they can share it on social media is invaluable as a marketing tool.” 

“The power of your guests marketing for you is incredible,” agreed Flix Brewhouse’s Greg Johnson. “If you can find a way for your customers to actively promote your brand for you, it can make all the difference.”

B&B Theatres saw the power of this sort of marketing firsthand after installing the largest ScreenX panoramic screen system in their flagship Liberty, Missouri, location. “With ScreenX you’re offering the audience something they can’t get at home, an experience they’ve never had before,” said Chris Tickner, director of marketing and special events at B&B. “It’s something consumers market for us. When you go watch It: Chapter 2 and see Pennywise walk across that panoramic screen—you’re going to go home and talk about that with your friends. That’s the best sort of marketing you can get.”

Star Cinema Grill’s own tech investment in Samsung’s Onyx direct-view LED screen has similarly produced positive social media influence. “Since we’re not a large national chain, Samsung engaged several local influencers with 30, 50, or 100,000 followers for the Onyx launch,” said Ostrow. “Social influencers are an economical way to spread your message quickly and efficiently; we’ve found that to be very successful for us.”

Social influencers are the latest marketing trend to enter the exhibition space, with different chains using differing approaches to the concept. “I can’t tell you how many times a day—honestly, every day—that we get emails from people with 2,000 followers who say they’re influencers,” said Annelise Holyoak, national director of marketing and communications at Cinépolis USA. “We’d rather not alienate them—we’ll offer them free tickets or something like that—but we try to work with people with over 300,000 followers at minimum.”

While a large following makes sense for a multinational brand like Cinépolis, a regional leader like B&B Theatres—which is mostly concentrated in the midwestern United States—takes a more local approach when working with influencers. “We are starting to work with micro-influencers because we’re not on the coasts, we’re in cities like Kansas City and Tulsa—it doesn’t make sense for us to hire an influencer out of L.A. or New York,” said B&B’s Tickner. “We can get more out of our investment if we partner with a ‘mommy blogger’ from Kansas City, who can share posts with her 5,000 to 10,000 followers that live close to our cinemas.”

Annelise Holyoak (Cinépolis USA), Greg Johnson (Flix Brewhouse), Barak Epstein (The Texas Theatre), and Jim Bob McKown (Queen Theatre) at a panel session on promoting event cinema.
CREDIT: Cigi Tipton / Mirrorless Mind Studio

Alternative programming like repertory screenings and event cinema has also emerged as a popular option for cinemas looking to offer a distinct experience to their patrons. While potentially popular, they represent a unique marketing challenge for exhibitors who may not be used to promoting films with date-specific show times without the marketing muscle of a major studio. “Obviously, studios take care of the large bulk of the marketing for regular films,” said Cinépolis’s Holyoak. “We have to put in an extra effort to build the audience for our event cinema titles.” 

This can lead to a trial-and-error process that not every exhibitor might willing to invest in. “Everybody is aware of when the next Avengers is coming out—even McDonald’s is talking about Avengers. With event cinema you have to put a concerted effort into making sure people understand what it is and why you’re doing it,” said Flix Brewhouse’s Johnson, who admits they’ve had their share of events that haven’t worked as well as they had hoped when building out their highly popular themed-screening evenings. 

The Queen Theatres’ McKown brought up his own experience in programming a Harry Potter series targeting the college-aged audience in neighboring College Station. While the first three films of the series brought out lively crowds, the exhibitor admitted that audiences slowly dissipated as the series ran into its final weeks. “You have to make sure you can sustain that initial interest,” he said. “I don’t care how big a fan of something you are, it’s a really big commitment for a fan to go to every single one of these events.” 

Moreover, event screenings shouldn’t be seen as a “plug-and-play” solution. Crafting events tied to local audiences—and promoting them accordingly—might be a task best suited for smaller exhibitors, as Johnson, who has been with Flix since it only had one location, noted during a panel session. “I remember those days very well, when you could put a lot of time and effort in putting together an event for your cinema,” he said. “That gives you a real competitive advantage if you have one or two locations; it’s really hard to do once you start getting up into a half dozen locations or more. It can be like herding kittens because you just don’t have the same control over it across each location. If you’re a single-unit operator, you own your domain—your eyes are on everything.”

Theresa English (TK Architects International), Dave Ballew (Alamo Drafthouse), and Tony Adamson (GDC Technology) discuss on-demand screenings and microcinemas.
CREDIT: Cigi Tipton / Mirrorless Mind Studio

The future holds even more innovations that exhibitors have only just begun to explore. In a panel covering microcinema and on-demand screenings, Tony Adamson, SVP of strategic planning at GDC Technology of America, spoke about the potential of his company’s cinema on-demand offering, GoGoCinema. The service, first announced at CinemaCon 2018, allows patrons to book a private screening from a list of titles hosted by GDC. Patrons would then be able to visit their closest participating cinema to enjoy their title of choice in the comfort of a big-screen auditorium. While the concept might be difficult to scale in the United States, Adamson noted that it’s finding success in Asia through the rise of microcinemas—makeshift screening rooms in spaces not typically associated with commercial exhibition. Some cinemas have actually outfitted small auditoriums for private bookings, a concept similar to booking a private-room karaoke session. 

Ultimately, CinéShow 2019 helped highlight the ways exhibition is currently competing with in-home and destination entertainment options through its own avenues of innovation. As content availability beyond studio tentpoles becomes a growing concern with the rise of streaming platforms, marketing efforts like those described above will play a bigger role in engaging audiences and promoting repeat cinema visits. Five out of the last seven years have introduced new record-setting tallies at the domestic box office; the audience is already there. The key to sustaining this success, as these marketing initiatives show, rests on finding ways to keep bringing that same audience back to theaters as often as possible. 

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NCM and Screenvision Team Up for Campaign Against World Hunger

PRESS RELEASE


National CineMedia (NCM) and Screenvision are joining the next phase of “Feed our Future”, a global cinema ad campaign that shines a light on the United Nations World Food Programme’s (WFP) life-saving work on the frontlines of world hunger. Starting today, the advertisement will air in NCM’s Noovie show on movie screens across the U.S. through November 2019.

The “Feed our Future” campaign is part of a unique partnership between SAWA, the Global Cinema Advertising Association, and WFP, which is the leading humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. 

The new campaign aims to build on last year’s results that helped to double awareness of WFP among those who saw the ad and raised more than half a million dollars through online giving or through a 38% increase in downloads of the agency’s Share the Meal donation App, globally. 

“We have every reason to believe that this year, the Feed our Future campaign is going to take us even further in terms of raising WFP brand visibility and engaging a wider audience in the fight against global hunger,” said Corinne Woods, Chief Marketing Officer at WFP.  “We think that this year’s campaign is even more emotionally engaging and we expect more people will respond to our call.  In a world full of noise, cinema has proven incredibly effective for us at cutting through to not only establish our brand, but also to convert cinema goers into active supporters and donors.”

“The Cinema Medium makes the most of its space, creative and audience to deliver gripping content, showing consumers advertising at its very best,” said Cheryl Wannell, CEO of SAWA. “In 2020 the Cinema Medium is predicted to become the fastest-growing ad medium ahead of the internet. For brands like the World Food Programme who want to reach the hearts and minds of millennials, the immersive experience that Cinema gives is the most powerful of all storytelling mediums.”

The creative force behind the new advertisement is Sir John Hegarty, of The Garage SOHO, who has delivered a product designed to appeal directly to cinema audiences. The advert highlights the potential lost to the world when children’s voices are silenced due to hunger. The poignant narrative of the ad sees a group of Syrian refugee children who were selected from the local community playing in rubble and gazing out of bombed-out buildings in an apparent war zone. Softly, a small chorus of voices begins singing “How Can I Tell You” by Yusuf Islam/Cat Stevens. As the short film progresses, one by one these children disappear until only one voice remains — an unnerving conclusion that mirrors the harsh realities faced by the 3 million children around the world who lose their lives to hunger or malnutrition. Watch the spot at https://youtu.be/wUSV986-AQw.

“Cinema is still the most amazing medium for any creative person to work in. A place for you to tell your story on the ‘mother of all screens’. It’s not surprising that it’s so important and continues to capture the public’s imagination”, said Sir John Hegarty. 

Thanks to the support of NCM, Screenvision and other SAWA members in over 35 countries, this important message will be heard by audiences across America and around the world.

For more information about the “Feed Our Future” advertisement and campaign, and to learn how to get involved in creating a world with Zero Hunger, please visit: www.wfp.org

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Joker Dominates Across Social Media As Release Date Approaches

The upcoming Joker was the most impressive film on social media this week, as it was the only offering to chart across all three tracked services. Given its modest budget of $55 million (especially modest considering just how much comic book adaptations generally cost), the fact that it has generated so much buzz across the three demographics served by these platforms indicates strong opening potential next weekend. 

Twitter

Film New Page Likes Posts Post Likes Post Retweets
 Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker        3,527  19  116,300         21,307 
 Joker        3,710           71,795         15,984 
 Knives Out         1,243           33,028           7,599 
 No Time To Die           733           30,460           4,495 
 Frozen 2            674           14,704           5,354 

Top 3 Posts:

Movie Date Power*
Knives Out 22-Sep 8.7
Charlie’s Angels 20-Sep 8.2
Charlie’s Angels 18-Sep 7.5
* Calculated by Likes + Shares + Comments

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker led all films on Twitter in terms of post likes thanks to its patented brute force method of posting more than most other titles and engaging its massive audience base with content that evokes nostalgia amongst its fans. The end result is having huge awareness amongst its core fans for months on end. Joker finished a strong second despite having less than half the posts of Star Wars and without being part of an existing franchise.Yes, the Joker has appeared in numerous big-budget hits on the big screen, but this is an entirely new offering that stands apart from previous films. DC Comic adaptations have struggled with critics in recent years, but with strong reception on the festival circuit—going so far as to lead to awards season buzz—puts Jokerin a good spot to turn heads and empty wallets. Knives Out benefited from having social media heavyweights as cast members; an exchange between co-star and Take Waititi provided the most talked-about single tweet of the entire week. Knives Out has struggled to generate buzz overall, so this was a much-needed shot in the arm.

Facebook

Film   New Page Likes   Posts   Post Likes   Post Shares 
 Dark Waters           1,835         77,887         31,699 
 Zombieland: Double Tap          1,533  10         62,915         21,679 
 Joker        12,177         57,325           8,008 
 Frozen II        (1,845)        43,987           9,746 
 Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil           8,844         41,700           7,567 

Top 3 Posts:

Movie Date Power*
Dark Waters 18-Sep 8.4
Zombieland: Double Tap 16-Sep 8.1
Frozen II 22-Sep 7.4
* Calculated by Likes + Shares + Comments

Dark Waters reigned supreme on Facebook this past week with 77,887 likes and almost 32,000 shares. It didn’t come close to charting on the other services (20th on Twitter and 55th on Instagram), which indicates a couple off things: that the films’s marketing team is potentially focusing on Facebook and that middle-aged women are the ones most interested in seeing the film so far.  Zombieland: Double Tap also had a decent week as it finished in the top 15 on all three services and second overall on Facebook. It is the type of film that could potentially resonate and connect with social media users not unlike Deadpool, a film it mentions every chance it can get in its marketing. 

Instagram

Film  New Followers   Posts   Post Likes   Post Comments 
 Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker        35,653  1,888,330         14,372 
 Joker         33,442  509,761           3,559 
 No Time To Die           8,410  201,990           1,475 
 Charlie’s Angels         12,995  188,816           1,381 
 Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil           6,189  134,218           1,382 

Top 3 Posts:

Movie Date Power*
Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker 17-Sep 9.3
Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker 16-Sep 9.3
Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker 19-Sep 9.0
* Calculated by Likes + Shares + Comments

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker got back to its usual dominant self on Instagram, finishing with more than three times the likes and comments of second place finisher Joker. The Rise of Skywalker also secured the top three single posts. Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil charted on Instagram and Facebook with a fifth place finish as it ramps up its media blitz leading up to release in October.

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Hearing the Picture: How Audio Description Creates a True Movie Experience for the Blind and Visually Impaired

More than 26 million adults in America are blind or have low vision. But despite their inability to see the spectacular images on today’s cinema screens, many still crave an entertaining night out at the movies. And thanks to audio description, they can enjoy hit films along with other moviegoers.

Audio description (A.D.) uses a prerecorded audio track in which a narrator details what’s happening on-screen, including actions, gestures, facial expressions, settings, and costumes. The customer listens on a headset to narration that augments the dialogue, sound effects, and music that the rest of the theater audience is hearing. As of June 2, 2018, all first-run cinemas equipped with digital projection equipment for at least six months are required to make available both audio-description headsets and closed captioning for their visually and hearing-impaired customers, respectively.

Roy Samuelson is one of the industry’s leading voiceover talents; he can be heard on commercials for Quaker, State Farm, Ford, Target, and many other brands, and on promos for the Lifetime, Discovery and Nickelodeon networks and Los Angeles National Public Radio station KCRW. And for the last five years, he’s been a top audio-description artist, supplying the narration for such films as Get Out, Pacific Rim: Uprising, The Hateful Eight, Fate of the Furious, Atomic Blonde, Venom, First Man, Baby Driver, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Glass, Us, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and the current Hobbs & Shaw. Thanks to that work, he’s also become an advocate for audio-description awareness.

“As I’ve connected with the community, I am learning so much about disability and perceptions—my own sighted bias towards people who are blind. And that is changing the entire perception that I have,” Samuelson reflects. “I’m not there yet. This is such a process. I’m really appreciating learning more about how people with blindness live with it, and disability in general. There are a lot of steps being taken right now across the entertainment business, as well as in other areas. It’s really exciting.”

Although Samuelson says that he enjoys hearing from fans of his audio-description work, he knows he’s done a good job if his performance stays in the background. “The biggest focus for me is that the spotlight is on the story. I think a successful narrator is one where she’s able to deliver so that the audience can be a part of the story and keep focused and fully immersed in that story. There are subtle ways to do that, but a lot of it obviously has to do with the writing. And I’ve got so much respect for the describers—that’s what they call the writers of audio description. The narration has to ride the emotion of the story without being overly emoted. It’s exciting to try and find that line.”

The writers, he notes, use different programs that tell them how much time they have in between lines of dialogue or action sequences. Then they have to fit their description of what’s happening on-screen into those pauses. “I always like to use the analogy that a picture’s worth a thousand words. There are 24 to 30 frames a second, and a movie lasts 90 minutes and above. So there are thousands and thousands of images that can be described. The describers really have to focus, like a radio sports announcer, on what are the most important elements that are going to push the plot forward or that people who can’t see might miss in the visuals.”

Samuelson says action films like Hobbs & Shaw are among the most challenging to describe. “Hobbs & Shaw is just back-to-back narration, because it’s all action. The describers did an incredible job of capturing the essence of it, because so much is happening. Sometimes it’s just page after page after page of nonstop action, interspersed with punches and screeches and explosions. If I started thinking about it, I’d just stumble and fail. But [I get into] a zone. And this is, again, a collaboration between the describer doing their job so incredibly well and the director allowing me to sense the feeling of the scene, the intensity of the emotion, and my being able to ride all these different cues happening seemingly simultaneously and still [meet an exact time count].”

Margo Tone, senior manager of operations, audio description/scripting services, at Deluxe Media Inc., confirms how precise this descriptive work is. “The writers are really the foundation—they are the most important part of this. Because if the writer doesn’t know how to describe in between dialogue and capture what’s going on on-screen, while being able to not editorialize, not be condescending to the visually impaired, the voiceover actor won’t know how to read it. But the voice actors are very important, too. All the voice actors that we use are trained, because it’s a cold read. Even people who are experienced dubbing voiceover, we audition them to make sure they can do this read. A cold read is really hard, so the pool of resources that we have are some of the best—they’ve done a lot of the big features that we’ve worked on. You don’t want to be too excited and confuse the listener, but you don’t want to be so monotone that you put people to sleep. When there’s an action scene or something like that, we’ll tell them to do it a little quicker, have a little bit of acceleration to your voice and your tone. It’s definitely a fine line.”

Deluxe has roughly 15 full-time employees and 20 freelancers working in its audio-description division, which encompasses its offices in Los Angeles, London, and Bangalore. “And we also have access to translators all over the world when we get foreign-language A.D.,” Tone adds. “We’ve done quite a bit of French-Parisian, French-Canadian, we’ve done Spanish, German, Japanese; we’ve even done Icelandic. We have access to really any language that is needed.”

Since it began audio-description operations in 2011, Deluxe has transcribed over 1,600 feature films and 700 television shows across streaming platforms. In the past year alone, the company transcribed over 400 feature films.

After the narrator records the audio description, says Tone, “our editor goes in and cleans up the audio, getting rid of mouth sounds, pops, that kind of thing.” Deluxe’s technicians also keep a careful watch to ensure that “what’s on-screen and what’s being described are correct. We want to make sure we are as accurate as possible.”

The final A.D. track, says Chris Reynolds, senior V.P. for localization products and services, is incorporated into auxiliary channels in the digital cinema package that is shipped to cinemas. “Any theater can access it,” he notes.

Tone says the studios sometimes get involved with voice casting. “They want to hear a couple of different narrators to see which one they like. Depending on the genre of the film, we try to match it with the right voice. We have a guy who has a really great low voice, and we give him a lot of the action films. And then some of our female narrators have sweet voices, and we’ll give them romantic comedies or those that are geared toward a younger audience. Every voice actor brings something a little different.”

Tone says she gets great personal gratification out of the work she and her team does. “I went to a conference about four years ago with the Audio Description Project [an initiative of the American Council of the Blind]. There was a blind patron and he was talking about going to see Lincoln, which we did the A.D. for. He said he went with his wife, who is also blind. There’s a scene where a bunch of Lincoln’s troops have been killed and he’s on his horse. So all you hear is clip-clop, clip-clop. And to be able to hear the description of Lincoln’s expression and the emotion that was behind it, he said they were overwhelmed, they were so happy. It means so much to them. Our goal is to give the blind patron the same experience the sighted viewer has. That’s why we make sure we use trained writers, because we want to give people the best experience.”

Tone agrees with Samuelson that action films can be especially challenging. Deluxe did the audio description for the most recent Mad Max, with its many long chase scenes. That meant a lot of descriptive writing for repetitious actions. But, says Tone, “you don’t want to repeat yourself—you want to keep the writing vibrant and let the blind patron get that same feeling, the same experience that a sighted viewer is getting.” One recent and especially demanding film had a first-person point of view, and the A.D. writer had to relay that perspective. “You always have to be ready to change it up a little bit, depending on what’s going on in the feature, while still following those tenets of what A.D. is supposed to do.”

As Tone describes it, some films are talky, and the writer has to struggle to avoid interrupting the dialogue. And sometimes the actors on-screen talk over visual jokes. “So there are certain challenges, but everyone huddles together and says, ‘Hey, look, this is a really difficult scene. What do you think?’ And then everyone gets their two cents about what they think is best. My writers have anywhere from 10 to 16 years’ experience. So they’ve been doing it for a very long time.”

One cinema that has fully embraced the recent legislation mandating audio description and closed captioning is the Prospector Theater in Ridgefield, Connecticut, a unique venue that seeks to create employment opportunities for the physically challenged. Three-quarters of its employees, known as “prospects,” identify as disabled.

Says Ryan Wenke, director of operations, “We’re a nonprofit and we employ people with disabilities, so we operate as if people are going to be using [audio-description] equipment every single day. That’s what really sets us apart from other theaters. If you go to other theaters in the surrounding areas, a lot of the time their staff doesn’t know where the equipment is or how it’s used or it’s not charged. Here, every single time we get a movie, we test the devices in all of our theaters and make sure that the new movie is working. We get customers every single day using it, and every month we actually host a group called Guiding Eyes for the Blind. We have the service animals come in with their owners and they’re all watching movies. So we’re seeing this equipment used all the time, in real time, with those who are blind or visually impaired.”

Wenke says that despite the recent audio-description mandate, more needs to be done—better education and more investment in advancing technology—partly because it’s a smart business move. “These are paying customers too, and why wouldn’t you want as many people as possible coming to your movie theater, especially when you have streaming options like Netflix? You’re not doing yourself any favors by not having this equipment ready. I would love to see tech companies especially continue to advance the technology and not just be like, ‘OK, we made something, we’re good.’ But get feedback and work with us, work with other theaters.”

The Prospector supplies Braille cards with instructions for its audio description headsets, and for first-time users. “We’ll have an usher go into the theater with them and walk them through how to use it,” Wenke says.

Wenke has high praise for the craft that goes into audio description. “The voice acting really makes a big difference. It’s a different kind of voice acting when you’re doing narrative description. … It’s like you’re listening to a good friend describe what’s happening and it’s perfectly timed and not overwhelming. It’s not taking away from the action—they’ll tell you just enough but not too much.

“We encourage people to listen to one of these tracks. It’s like an audiobook. In the past, we’ve done a challenge where we blindfold other prospects who work here and we use the headsets to help them understand what the experience is like for somebody who’s visually impaired or blind. A lot of these movies have come a long way. When I’m in the theater and I’m using the equipment or I’m with somebody who’s using the equipment, they’re laughing at all the same jokes that everybody’s laughing at, they’re getting emotional with everybody else in the theater. One time I walked into a theater during a Guiding Eyes visit just to make sure everything was good, and everybody was laughing at what was happening and they all had headsets on. So, clearly, this technology and the narration are working.”

Wenke says the cinema “should be a medium where everybody has a favorite movie, everybody has a favorite actor. It should be a place where everybody can come together, experience something in the same way. Maybe we’re using different technology and different means to experience the art of the movie, but we want to be inclusive.”

Voice artist Roy Samuelson echoes those sentiments: “There’s another narrator who did one of the Toy Story films, and she said the only fan letter that she got was from a parent who had several children, one of whom was low-vision or blind. She wrote the narrator saying, ‘Thank you for the work that you do. This was the first time my family could watch a movie all together.’ And that’s what we’re doing. This is normalizing the experience of watching movies, being able to engage with others in watching and talking about their favorite moments. It provides access just like sighted people have.”

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Hearing the Picture: How Audio Description Creates a Real Movie Experience for the Blind and Visually Impaired

More than 26 million adults in America are blind or have low vision. But despite their inability to see the spectacular images on today’s cinema screens, many still crave an entertaining night out at the movies. And thanks to audio description, they can enjoy hit films along with other moviegoers.

Audio description (A.D.) uses a prerecorded audio track in which a narrator details what’s happening on-screen, including actions, gestures, facial expressions, settings, and costumes. The customer listens on a headset to narration that augments the dialogue, sound effects, and music that the rest of the theater audience is hearing. As of June 2, 2018, all first-run cinemas equipped with digital projection equipment for at least six months are required to make available both audio-description headsets and closed captioning for their visually and hearing-impaired customers, respectively.

Roy Samuelson is one of the industry’s leading voiceover talents; he can be heard on commercials for Quaker, State Farm, Ford, Target, and many other brands, and on promos for the Lifetime, Discovery and Nickelodeon networks and Los Angeles National Public Radio station KCRW. And for the last five years, he’s been a top audio-description artist, supplying the narration for such films as Get Out, Pacific Rim: Uprising, The Hateful Eight, Fate of the Furious, Atomic Blonde, Venom, First Man, Baby Driver, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Glass, Us, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and the current Hobbs & Shaw. Thanks to that work, he’s also become an advocate for audio-description awareness.

“As I’ve connected with the community, I am learning so much about disability and perceptions—my own sighted bias towards people who are blind. And that is changing the entire perception that I have,” Samuelson reflects. “I’m not there yet. This is such a process. I’m really appreciating learning more about how people with blindness live with it, and disability in general. There are a lot of steps being taken right now across the entertainment business, as well as in other areas. It’s really exciting.”

Although Samuelson says that he enjoys hearing from fans of his audio-description work, he knows he’s done a good job if his performance stays in the background. “The biggest focus for me is that the spotlight is on the story. I think a successful narrator is one where she’s able to deliver so that the audience can be a part of the story and keep focused and fully immersed in that story. There are subtle ways to do that, but a lot of it obviously has to do with the writing. And I’ve got so much respect for the describers—that’s what they call the writers of audio description. The narration has to ride the emotion of the story without being overly emoted. It’s exciting to try and find that line.”

The writers, he notes, use different programs that tell them how much time they have in between lines of dialogue or action sequences. Then they have to fit their description of what’s happening on-screen into those pauses. “I always like to use the analogy that a picture’s worth a thousand words. There are 24 to 30 frames a second, and a movie lasts 90 minutes and above. So there are thousands and thousands of images that can be described. The describers really have to focus, like a radio sports announcer, on what are the most important elements that are going to push the plot forward or that people who can’t see might miss in the visuals.”

Samuelson says action films like Hobbs & Shaw are among the most challenging to describe. “Hobbs & Shaw is just back-to-back narration, because it’s all action. The describers did an incredible job of capturing the essence of it, because so much is happening. Sometimes it’s just page after page after page of nonstop action, interspersed with punches and screeches and explosions. If I started thinking about it, I’d just stumble and fail. But [I get into] a zone. And this is, again, a collaboration between the describer doing their job so incredibly well and the director allowing me to sense the feeling of the scene, the intensity of the emotion, and my being able to ride all these different cues happening seemingly simultaneously and still [meet an exact time count].”

Margo Tone, senior manager of operations, audio description/scripting services, at Deluxe Media Inc., confirms how precise this descriptive work is. “The writers are really the foundation—they are the most important part of this. Because if the writer doesn’t know how to describe in between dialogue and capture what’s going on on-screen, while being able to not editorialize, not be condescending to the visually impaired, the voiceover actor won’t know how to read it. But the voice actors are very important, too. All the voice actors that we use are trained, because it’s a cold read. Even people who are experienced dubbing voiceover, we audition them to make sure they can do this read. A cold read is really hard, so the pool of resources that we have are some of the best—they’ve done a lot of the big features that we’ve worked on. You don’t want to be too excited and confuse the listener, but you don’t want to be so monotone that you put people to sleep. When there’s an action scene or something like that, we’ll tell them to do it a little quicker, have a little bit of acceleration to your voice and your tone. It’s definitely a fine line.”

Deluxe has roughly 15 full-time employees and 20 freelancers working in its audio-description division, which encompasses its offices in Los Angeles, London, and Bangalore. “And we also have access to translators all over the world when we get foreign-language A.D.,” Tone adds. “We’ve done quite a bit of French-Parisian, French-Canadian, we’ve done Spanish, German, Japanese; we’ve even done Icelandic. We have access to really any language that is needed.”

Since it began audio-description operations in 2011, Deluxe has transcribed over 1,600 feature films and 700 television shows across streaming platforms. In the past year alone, the company transcribed over 400 feature films.

After the narrator records the audio description, says Tone, “our editor goes in and cleans up the audio, getting rid of mouth sounds, pops, that kind of thing.” Deluxe’s technicians also keep a careful watch to ensure that “what’s on-screen and what’s being described are correct. We want to make sure we are as accurate as possible.”

The final A.D. track, says Chris Reynolds, senior V.P. for localization products and services, is incorporated into auxiliary channels in the digital cinema package that is shipped to cinemas. “Any theater can access it,” he notes.

Tone says the studios sometimes get involved with voice casting. “They want to hear a couple of different narrators to see which one they like. Depending on the genre of the film, we try to match it with the right voice. We have a guy who has a really great low voice, and we give him a lot of the action films. And then some of our female narrators have sweet voices, and we’ll give them romantic comedies or those that are geared toward a younger audience. Every voice actor brings something a little different.”

Tone says she gets great personal gratification out of the work she and her team does. “I went to a conference about four years ago with the Audio Description Project [an initiative of the American Council of the Blind]. There was a blind patron and he was talking about going to see Lincoln, which we did the A.D. for. He said he went with his wife, who is also blind. There’s a scene where a bunch of Lincoln’s troops have been killed and he’s on his horse. So all you hear is clip-clop, clip-clop. And to be able to hear the description of Lincoln’s expression and the emotion that was behind it, he said they were overwhelmed, they were so happy. It means so much to them. Our goal is to give the blind patron the same experience the sighted viewer has. That’s why we make sure we use trained writers, because we want to give people the best experience.”

Tone agrees with Samuelson that action films can be especially challenging. Deluxe did the audio description for the most recent Mad Max, with its many long chase scenes. That meant a lot of descriptive writing for repetitious actions. But, says Tone, “you don’t want to repeat yourself—you want to keep the writing vibrant and let the blind patron get that same feeling, the same experience that a sighted viewer is getting.” One recent and especially demanding film had a first-person point of view, and the A.D. writer had to relay that perspective. “You always have to be ready to change it up a little bit, depending on what’s going on in the feature, while still following those tenets of what A.D. is supposed to do.”

As Tone describes it, some films are talky, and the writer has to struggle to avoid interrupting the dialogue. And sometimes the actors on-screen talk over visual jokes. “So there are certain challenges, but everyone huddles together and says, ‘Hey, look, this is a really difficult scene. What do you think?’ And then everyone gets their two cents about what they think is best. My writers have anywhere from 10 to 16 years’ experience. So they’ve been doing it for a very long time.”

One cinema that has fully embraced the recent legislation mandating audio description and closed captioning is the Prospector Theater in Ridgefield, Connecticut, a unique venue that seeks to create employment opportunities for the physically challenged. Three-quarters of its employees, known as “prospects,” identify as disabled.

Says Ryan Wenke, director of operations, “We’re a nonprofit and we employ people with disabilities, so we operate as if people are going to be using [audio-description] equipment every single day. That’s what really sets us apart from other theaters. If you go to other theaters in the surrounding areas, a lot of the time their staff doesn’t know where the equipment is or how it’s used or it’s not charged. Here, every single time we get a movie, we test the devices in all of our theaters and make sure that the new movie is working. We get customers every single day using it, and every month we actually host a group called Guiding Eyes for the Blind. We have the service animals come in with their owners and they’re all watching movies. So we’re seeing this equipment used all the time, in real time, with those who are blind or visually impaired.”

Wenke says that despite the recent audio-description mandate, more needs to be done—better education and more investment in advancing technology—partly because it’s a smart business move. “These are paying customers too, and why wouldn’t you want as many people as possible coming to your movie theater, especially when you have streaming options like Netflix? You’re not doing yourself any favors by not having this equipment ready. I would love to see tech companies especially continue to advance the technology and not just be like, ‘OK, we made something, we’re good.’ But get feedback and work with us, work with other theaters.”

The Prospector supplies Braille cards with instructions for its audio description headsets, and for first-time users. “We’ll have an usher go into the theater with them and walk them through how to use it,” Wenke says.

Wenke has high praise for the craft that goes into audio description. “The voice acting really makes a big difference. It’s a different kind of voice acting when you’re doing narrative description. … It’s like you’re listening to a good friend describe what’s happening and it’s perfectly timed and not overwhelming. It’s not taking away from the action—they’ll tell you just enough but not too much.

“We encourage people to listen to one of these tracks. It’s like an audiobook. In the past, we’ve done a challenge where we blindfold other prospects who work here and we use the headsets to help them understand what the experience is like for somebody who’s visually impaired or blind. A lot of these movies have come a long way. When I’m in the theater and I’m using the equipment or I’m with somebody who’s using the equipment, they’re laughing at all the same jokes that everybody’s laughing at, they’re getting emotional with everybody else in the theater. One time I walked into a theater during a Guiding Eyes visit just to make sure everything was good, and everybody was laughing at what was happening and they all had headsets on. So, clearly, this technology and the narration are working.”

Wenke says the cinema “should be a medium where everybody has a favorite movie, everybody has a favorite actor. It should be a place where everybody can come together, experience something in the same way. Maybe we’re using different technology and different means to experience the art of the movie, but we want to be inclusive.”

Voice artist Roy Samuelson echoes those sentiments: “There’s another narrator who did one of the Toy Story films, and she said the only fan letter that she got was from a parent who had several children, one of whom was low-vision or blind. She wrote the narrator saying, ‘Thank you for the work that you do. This was the first time my family could watch a movie all together.’ And that’s what we’re doing. This is normalizing the experience of watching movies, being able to engage with others in watching and talking about their favorite moments. It provides access just like sighted people have.”

The post Hearing the Picture: How Audio Description Creates a Real Movie Experience for the Blind and Visually Impaired appeared first on Boxoffice.



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