Shelli Taylor to Replace Tim League as CEO of Alamo Drafthouse

Alamo Drafthouse—currently with all 41 of its theaters closed, and no immediate plans to reopen, in the midst of the Covid-19 shutdown—is seeing a shift on its executive level. Tim League, who founded the pioneering drive-in chain in 1997, will be stepping down as CEO. He will remain at Alamo Drafthouse in the role of Executive Chairman, in which capacity he will lead the board of directors and continue to be involved in Drafthouse along with sister companies Mondo and Fantastic Fest. League will continue to take the lead on Alamo Drafthouse’s booking and programming strategy. Says League, “As Executive Chairman I’ll continue to lead the brand, digging hard into developing new creative and marketing initiatives at Alamo Drafthouse, Mondo and Fantastic Fest.” League’s replacement as Alamo’s CEO, effective May 1, will be Shelli Taylor. Most recently the president of...

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ShowBiz Cinemas to Open Texas and Oklahoma Locations on May 18

Showbiz Cinemas will be joining fellow Texas-based circuits EVO Entertainment and Santikos in being among the first cinema circuits in the world to reopen after COVID-19 closures. The circuit announced it is planning to reopen its Texas and Oklahoma locations on May 18, programming archival titles at a reduced price until the launch of Christopher Nolan’s Tenet, currently scheduled on July 17. The plans are contingent on guidance from local authorities as the reopen date approaches. ShowBiz announced it will be instituting several sanitary measures when their cinemas open once again. These include, but are not limited to, staff wearing masks and gloves; requiring patrons to wear masks; and newly implemented auditorium disinfection procedures between every showtime. Seating capacity per auditorium will be capped at 25 percent, with six feet of distance between all seating...

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Boxoffice LIVE Sessions Recap: Social Media Marketing During COVID-19

As the majority of cinemas remain closed nationwide, independent exhibitors have begun tackling the challenge of keeping in touch with audiences in different ways. From virtual fundraisers to curbside concessions sales, their ingenuity has helped them stay close to audiences while their doors are closed. As the industry slowly begins to enter a recovery phase, with reports of the first cinemas in the country beginning to open up, a new challenge has emerged: how do you communicate effectively with audiences when it’s time to return to the movies? A Boxoffice Pro LIVE Session webinar moderated by Rebecca Pahle, deputy editor of Boxoffice Pro,...

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This Weekend in Box Office History: Spider-Man Heralds the Superhero Summer Lead-Off, Avengers Assemble, & Gladiator Turns 20

In a continuing look back at benchmark box office runs, our attention turns to the eighteenth weekend of the year — which has typically represented the first weekend of May, and the official start to summer movie season. This weekend in the history of moviegoing is notable for its bevy of blockbusters — particularly over the last decade-and-a-half. In the late 20th century, it was common for summer’s perceived movie season to not truly begin until around Memorial Day. That began to change in a big way as the 2000s greeted us, though. Sure, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery became an instant comedy classic with its leggy theatrical run that began on the weekend of May 2 – 4, 1997. It wasn’t an instant event, though, opening in second place with $9.6 million (behind Breakdown‘s $12.3 million) before tapping out with a strong $53.9 million domestically, igniting...

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Brooklyn’s Spectacle Theater Brings the Eccentric and the Obscure to Twitch

Among New York City’s diverse independent exhibition community, the Spectacle Theater stands out as something unique. Located in an ex-bodega in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, the theater has no concessions, no paid staff members, and no more than 35 seats. Its programming, mostly repertory in nature, can be best described as “eclectic,” tending tends towards cult classics, deep cuts, and overlooked obscurities. Now, that programming has shifted online: to Twitch. A live streaming service that boasts an average 1.5 million viewers at any given moment, Twitch is mostly known as a platform to livestream—and watch livestreams of—videogame play. With COVID-19...

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San Antonio’s Santikos Entertainment to Open Select Movie Theaters This Saturday

Following Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s announcement that his state’s stay-at-home order would expire, allowing theaters to open at reduced capacity as soon as this Friday, Texas chains have begun to chime on in their own reopening timetables. Alamo Drafthouse will “not be opening this weekend,” while EVO Entertainment is opening two of its locations next Monday, May 4th, under Phase 1 of their reopening procedures. Joining EVO Entertainment is San Antonio-based Santikos Entertainment, which in a video statement released last night announced that they will be opening three of their locations—one theater (the Palladium) and two cinema entertainment centers (Casa Blanca and Cibolo) starting this Saturday. In addition to following the “governor’s standards for how theaters should operate,” says CEO Tim Handren, Santikos will be following standards established by the National...

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Despite Claim of a PVOD Record, Trolls: World Tour Unlikely to Signal a Shift in Theatrical Release Strategy

A lot has been made of Universal’s reporting that Trolls World Tour earned an estimated $95 million from PVOD rentals in its first 19 days of availability. The studio claims this is a record for a PVOD release. While the headlines are eye-catching, the story they tell reflects only part of the film’s total earning potential. For a variety of reasons, comparisons between a traditional release and one that forgoes cinemas entirely aren’t one-to-one. The unique market situation currently taking place, with families around the world confined to their homes with little new content available, means that Trolls World Tour’s performance does not reflect the typical nature of a competitive market.   For example, the first Trolls film, released in November 2016, achieved its box office performance while contending with a new Marvel film (Doctor Strange) and the first...

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Megaplex Theatres to Participate in “Driven to Assist” Food Drive to Support the Utah Food Bank

Megaplex Theatres will be taking part in a week-long food drive organized by its parent company, the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies (LHM Group). Other divisions of the LHM Group–including car dealerships and sports facilities—will also take part in the public food drive, with donations going to the Utah Food Bank. The campaign, called “Driven to Assist,” will take place from Thursday, April 30 through Wednesday, May 6 at all 22 Larry H. Miller car dealerships locations in Utah; 13 Megaplex Theatres locations; the Vivint Smart Home Arena, home of the Utah Jazz; and Smith’s Ballpark, home of the Salt Lake Bees. Drive-through donations can be made between 2-6 p.m. each day, except Sunday, May 3. LHM Group employees will be on-site utilizing appropriate Utah Department of Health social distancing and sanitization practices, including the wearing of face masks. “We invite...

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AMC Theatres Vows to Drop Universal Titles in Public Fall-Out Over Studio’s Simultaneous Release Plans

AMC Theatres, the world’s largest movie theater chain, has vowed to no longer carry any films from Universal Pictures following a public fall-out over the future of the theatrical window, spurred by Universal’s Trolls: World Tour. Universal executive Jeff Shell, CEO of NBCUniversal, provided a quote to the Wall Street Journal, celebrating the earnings of Trolls: World Tour on PVOD and indicating the studio would move to a simultaneous release model once theaters reopen following the COVID-19 crisis. The article caused a rebuke by the National Association of Theatre Owners, which released a statement in support of a theatrical exclusivity window. “Universal does not have reason to use unusual circumstances in an unprecedented environment as a springboard to bypass true theatrical releases,” said NATO president and CEO John Fithian. “Theaters provide a beloved immersive,...

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Texas Governor to Allow Stay-At-Home Order to Expire, Theaters Ponder Re-Opening

Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced on Monday, April 28 that he would allow his state’s stay-at-home order to expire on Thursday, May 1, a move that will allow select businesses to reopen as soon as this Friday. Among those businesses are movie theaters, which will be limited to 25% capacity. Texas has long been one of the biggest hubs of movie theater innovation within the United States; top-50 chains Cinemark, Studio Movie Grill, Alamo Drafthouse, Premiere Cinema Corp. Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas (United States operations), Santikos Entertainment, and Showbiz Cinemas are all headquartered there. Chains founded in the state were early innovators in the realms of dine-in cinemas and cinema entertainment centers. Alamo Drafthouse, which is based in Austin and has 21 locations in Texas, released a statement clarifying that they will “not be opening this weekend.” The statement,...

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Neon Ups Elissa Federoff and Christina Zisa to President Roles

PRESS RELEASE — NEW YORK, NY (April 28, 2020) – NEON announced today that Elissa Federoff and Christina Zisa have been promoted to President of Distribution and President of Publicity, respectively.  Under their leadership, the company most recently made history with four Academy Award® wins for Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite, which grossed over $54 million at the box office becoming the third highest grossing foreign language film ever released in the US.  On May 8th, NEON will launch Matt Wolf’s highly acclaimed Sundance documentary Spaceship Earth across an innovative footprint of both traditional and non-traditional venues, as a way to address current limitations. Both Federoff and Zisa have been with NEON since its inception in January 2017. “Elissa Federoff and Christina Zisa have been the cornerstone to NEON’s success since we launched. In a very...

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Digital Lights Sources (DLS) Signed Agreement with AUV to Supply UV-C Light Disinfection Solutions to U.S. Cinemas

PRESS RELEASE — (Simi Valley, CA / Lebanon, Indiana – April 22, 2020) Digital Light Sources (DLS) and American Ultraviolet (AUV) are excited to announce an exclusive distribution agreement for DLS to supply UV-C disinfection equipment and systems, in timely preparations for U.S. cinemas to re-open. Diligent and proactive against Covid-19, we can bring the proven power of UV-C light in air sterilization and surface disinfection to any U.S. movie theater building. This technology works to disinfect HVAC air as well as surfaces and water. “DLS is very excited to work with AUV on this unique and much needed program,” said Sami Haddad, President of Digital Light Sources. “This opportunity can only emphasize our company’s position and commitment to help the cinema industry win back customer confidence for a sustained recovery from Covid-19.” American Ultraviolet’s UVC equipment,...

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How Iowa’s Atlas Atlantic Cinema Used Popcorn to Raise Over $2K for the Local Food Bank

When Atlas Atlantic Cinema co-owners Jacob and Rylea Anderson decided to host a “popcorn pop-up” outside the theater to benefit their local food bank, they didn’t expect a big turnout. Then came the crowds. “We started popping popcorn about 1pm. The pop-up wasn’t till 6…[and] we went through all the popcorn we had made by like 6:15,” Jacob tells Boxoffice Pro of the theater, which is located in the small town of Atlantic, Iowa in the southwest corner of the state. By the end of the evening, the married couple had sold 315 buckets of $6 popcorn and raised over $2,000 for the Atlantic Food Pantry (an amount that includes matching donations from the Andersons for a portion of the proceeds). Though offering curbside pickup of concessions is far from an anomaly in the coronavirus age, most exhibitors understandably keep the money for themselves to help offset lost revenues....

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Cinema In Flux Launches Merchandise Store to Support Will Rogers Foundation

Influx Worldwide is opening an online merchandise store tied to its industry webinar series, Cinema In Flux, with proceeds going to the Will Rogers Motion Pictures Pioneers Foundation’s Pioneers Assistance Fund. The National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) and the Will Rogers Motion Pictures Pioneers Foundation started the fund with an initial $2.4 million to provide financial assistance to movie theater employees whose employment and livelihoods have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. “We envision Cinema In Flux to be a marketplace of ideas for anyone associated with the cinema industry. In addition to our ongoing webinar series, we recently launched an online store selling fan-art merchandise and are delighted to contribute 100% of all profits to the Pioneers Assistance Fund,” said Harish Anand Thilakan, CEO of Influx Worldwide. “We greatly appreciate the...

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This Week on The Boxoffice Podcast: A Timetable to Open U.S. Cinemas

With select states announcing they will be reopening their respective economies in the coming weeks, The Boxoffice Podcast hosts Russ Fischer and Daniel Loria go over the White House guidelines to reopen business and what they mean for cinemas. Subscribe to the Boxoffice Pro Magazine Episode Resources: Cinemas Listed Under ‘Phase One’ of White House’s Plan to Reopen the Economy Georgia Governor to Allow Theaters to Reopen as of Monday, April 27 NATO On Early State Reopenings: “New Wide Release Movies Are Unlikely To Be Available” IFC To Make 200 Films Available to Cinemas for Free Available on Spotify, Apple, and wherever you get your podcasts. The...

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Vista Mobile Apps Offer Curbside Concessions Pickup

Vista Cinema’s mobile apps can now help closed movie theaters keep in touch with audiences and generate revenue with curbside concessions pickup. The solution allows moviegoers to order concessions from an exhibitor’s mobile app and pick it up at their local movie theater without any person-to-person contact. The feature is already available at 14 of Utah’s Megaplex Theatres 15 sites. “I can say emphatically that we could not have done this without the team at Vista. It’s an invaluable partnership,” says Ryan Miner, VP of Digital Strategy. “In just the past few weeks, we’ve seen our mobile app uptake increase dramatically. Where typically we would have 1,400 or so downloads and installs of our app per month, we’re seeing over 6,000 across iOS and Android in the same amount of time.” Vista’s mobile apps also provide are directly integrated to its loyalty programs, helping...

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Cinema Technology Community Releases Drive-In Movie Screenings Guide

PRESS RELEASE Not-for-profit independent trade organization Cinema Technology Community (CTC) has released a comprehensive guide to drive-in movie screenings. The guide is in direct response to resurgence in drive-in screenings around the world as the cinema industry seeks to provide the big screen experience to movie-goers whilst adhering to government guidelines which have forced the closure of cinemas globally and the requirement for social distancing. “We have received a growing number of enquiries and calls for advice from our global community since Covid-19 forced the closure of cinemas,” explains Peter Knight, author of the guide and director of CTC.  “The CTC team designed the guide with the aim of raising awareness to all of the areas that need consideration prior to hosting a drive-in screening.” The guide is available to CTC members on the CTC web site...

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Cats, Quarantine, and COVID-19: A Conversation with Pittsburgh’s Row House Cinema

With the world in shambles around us, much of movie theatres’ communication with the outside world has shifted towards a mix of seriousness and levity—acknowledging the situation we’re all in, virtually trapped in our homes with nowhere to go, while also recognizing the need for some escapism. Movie recs and memes. Trivia and takeout popcorn.  And cat videos. Lots and lots of cat videos. Tapping into the needs of so many to veg out while watching a bunch of cute cats for an hour or so is Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania’s Row House Cinema. Like many other independent cinemas across the U.S., Row House has embraced the virtual theatrical model, with 50 percent of each ticket going directly back to the cinema. With one upcoming film, Row House has bitten off a bit more: not only selling tickets to the film, but making and distributing it on their own transactional VOD platform.  It’s...

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