New Year’s Weekend Box Office Forecast: Wonder Woman 1984 Set to Ring In 2021 as Mid-Pandemic’s Top Film

Following a best-of-the-pandemic-era debut last weekend, Wonder Woman 1984 is charting an easy course toward a repeat claim atop the domestic box office over the New Year’s frame. Fresh off that $16.7 million first weekend, underscored by a litany of asterisks such as the pandemic itself and the sequel’s day-and-date streaming release on HBO Max, Warner Bros.’ tentpole won’t be facing any direct competition this weekend — or anytime soon, for that matter. Studios typically sit out the New Year’s frame for the most part, and that’s certainly true in a market where less than 40 percent of theaters are open right now. January itself only boasts a handful of films slated to open nationwide, and if the DC sequel can stabilize after expected post-holiday drops, it may be sitting on top of the box office charts for at least a few weeks. When New Year’s Day lands on a Friday,...

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The Warner Bros. Movies Hitting Theaters in 2021 and Beyond

While Warner Bros. may have abandoned theatrical exclusivity for its 2021 releases, they’re not abandoning theaters. The distributor’s titles for the next year will debut concurrently on both the big screen and the small screen, through the streaming platform HBO Max. In 2022, though, it remains possible Warner Bros. that could return to a primarily theatrical business model, as they had pre-pandemic. Statements from company leadership hinted at that scenario, with Warner Bros. chair and CEO Ann Sarnoff calling this release strategy a “unique one-year plan.” Here are the company’s announced theatrical releases in 2021 and beyond. Read our...

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Demon Slayer the Movie: Infinite Train Becomes Highest Grossing Movie of All Time in Japan

It took 19 years, but Japan has a new highest grossing movie ever: the animated Demon Slayer the Movie: Infinite Train. Over the weekend, the film from Toho and Aniplex reached 32.48 billion Yen earned in the country, equivalent to approximately $313.0 million USD. This surpasses 2001’s (also animated) Spirited Away, which had held the record for almost two decades with 31.68 billion Yen, equivalent to approximately $305.2 million USD. Distributed in Japan by Toho and Aniplex, Infinite Train is adapted from a popular manga comic book series written and illustrated by Koyoharu Gotōge, and adapted into a 2019 anime television series. Set in 1910s Japan, the teenage protagonist embarks on a mission to avenge his family’s death by — as the title suggests — slaying demons. The movie follows that lead character, Tanjiro Kamado, as he investigates a series of mysterious...

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Premium Seating Pros Fred and Denise Jacobs and Their Journey at Telescopic Seating Systems

“Jacobs” might not be in the name—but Telescopic Seating Systems counts itself among the many family-run businesses that keep the exhibition sector moving. Married for 43 years, Fred and Denise Jacobs have come up through multiple industries together, landing in the seating world—along with their son, the engineering manager, and daughter-in-law, the CPA—as the couple behind Telescopic Seating Systems. Born in Flint, Michigan, Fred and Denise began their respective careers in the automotive industry. Fred found his niche in automotive interiors, while Denise—needing “a little more challenge” than her job at General Motors afforded—went back to college at the University of Michigan. While there, she had two children in four years and earned her Bachelor’s in physics before joining Fred at the AC Spark Plug Division of General Motors as a Manufacturing Engineer.  “We...

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Wonder Woman 1984 Stands at $85.4M Worldwide Through Christmas Weekend

Wonder Woman 1984 finished the Christmas weekend with a global box office haul of $85.4 million, including a cumulative $68.7 million from 40 overseas markets. Warner Bros. is reporting that IMAX screenings have contributed 10 percent of the film’s overall international grosses to date. The superhero sequel opened across 32 overseas markets on December 16, earning $38.2 million from 31,777 screens a week ahead of its debut in North America. Domestically, the film opened on December 25 with a day-and-date simultaneous release in cinemas and HBO Max and commanded the largest post-pandemic theatrical opening weekend to date. The film’s availability in key overseas markets, particularly across Europe, has been impacted as cinemas around the world continue to grapple with strict operating restrictions due to the latest surge in Covid-19 cases. Cinemas across France,...

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WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Wonder Woman 1984 Lassoes Highest Debut of the Pandemic Era to Date

Amid the darkest days of the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S. to date, Wonder Woman 1984 easily conquered the North American box office with an estimated $16.7 million at roughy 2,100 locations, marking the highest debut gross at the domestic box office since mid-March. Embedded in the studio’s release was news that the studio is already fast-tracking a third installment in the series with Patty Jenkins once again at the helm and Gal Gadot returning as the iconic superhero. “As fans around the world continue to embrace Diana Prince, driving the strong opening weekend performance of Wonder Woman 1984, we are excited to be able continue her story with our real life Wonder Women – Gal and Patty – who will return to conclude the long-planned theatrical trilogy,” said Warner Bros. chairman Toby Emmerich in a statement. Wonder Woman 1984 finished at the high end of expectations...

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Sheena and Sonja, Diana and Danvers: A Box Office History of the Female-Led Superhero Movie

By Rebecca Pahle and Jesse Rifkin This Christmas sees the release—theatrical and via HBOMax—of Wonder Woman 1984. The film marks the second solo outing for Diana Prince, aka Wonder Woman, the most prominent comic book superheroine. Though her DC brethren Superman and Batman have been popping up on the big screen (in the form of serials and, later, features) since the ‘40s, it took until 2014 for Wonder Woman to get her big screen debut: as a supporting character,  borderline cameo, in The Lego Movie. The character (played by Gal Gadot in the DCU) made her live-action movie debut in 2016’s Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, followed the next year by Wonder Woman. Upon the film’s release, it became (temporarily) the highest-grossing female superhero movie and the highest-grossing live-action movie by a female director.  The fate of Wonder Woman mirrors that...

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Christmas Weekend Box Office Forecast: Wonder Woman 1984‘s Unconventional Release; News of the World and Promising Young Woman Debut

After a handful of pandemic-induced delays, Wonder Woman 1984 is finally releasing to domestic audiences this weekend — but it will be a far different kind of event than anyone ever imagined. Warner Bros.’ highly anticipated DC sequel will be opening day-and-date in theaters and streaming on their parent company’s HBO Max platform. It’s an unprecedented move, and one that made shockwaves throughout the industry when it was announced last month. Director Patty Jenkins’ follow-up to the domestic market’s third-highest grossing film of 2017 will open in an estimated 2,150 locations amid the ongoing winter surge of COVID-19, currently responsible for daily national records in cases and hospitalizations. That fact alone is the reason why roughly 60 percent of domestic cinemas are temporarily closed, and why even audiences in areas where theaters are open may opt to stay home...

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The Movies in Theaters Between Christmas and New Year’s Day

Yes, Virginia, there are movies playing in theaters this Christmas. A number of titles will screen in cinemas during the week between December 25 and January 1. Here’s a guide for the films to watch when continuing the holiday tradition of a big screen with your family this holiday season. Wonder Woman 1984 This is the big one. Warner Bros.’ superhero sequel debuts concurrently in theaters and streaming on HBO Max the same day, December 25. “Watch it IN THEATERS, where it is made safe to do so,” director Patty Jenkins implored her Twitter followers. “Check out the great work theaters have done to make it so!” Gal Gadot returns as the title...

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Strong Technical Services Completes IPic Projection and Audio Installation at New Atlanta Location

PRESS RELEASE Strong Technical Services, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ballantyne Strong, Inc., has completed the installation of projection equipment for IPic Theater’s newest location in Midtown Atlanta at the Colony Square. Strong Technical Services (STS) installed projection systems complete with an advanced load balanced and fault tolerant network to support projection booth equipment, a streaming content library, and a large QSC Q-SYS ecosystem across the entire complex. “IPic Atlanta allowed STS to push the limits of a traditional booth network,” said Blake Titman, vice president and general manager, Strong Technical Services. “Our engineering team has been hard at work developing a new converged network architecture for theatres that can support a broad range of new technologies such as QSC Q-SYS, AV over IP for streaming applications, and in-theatre gaming....

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NATO Applauds Federal Aid to Movie Theaters

PRESS RELEASE U.S. movie theater owners today applauded the bipartisan COVID relief agreement that includes a $15 billion lifeline of grants to movie theaters, live entertainment venues, live theaters, and museums. The National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) expressed gratitude for the tireless and unwavering bipartisan advocacy of the Save Our Stages cosponsors Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Reps. Peter Welch (D-VT) and Roger Williams (R-TX); Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA); Senate and House Small Business Committee Chairs Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Nydia Velazquez (D-NY); Ranking Members Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Steve Chabot (R-OH); and all the many other cosponsors on behalf of this vital cultural,...

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