WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Tom & Jerry Blasts Past Expectations w/ $13.71M Debut, 2nd Best of the Pandemic to Date

Pointing to a hunger for new theatrical content among family audiences that have had few options aside from The Croods: A New Age and The War With Grandpa over the last several months, Warner Bros.’ Tom & Jerry debuted with an impressive $13.71 million this weekend, blowing way past expectations to become the second-highest opening weekend of the pandemic after Wonder Woman 1984, which grossed a $16.7 million in its debut frame back in December. Tom & Jerry’s better-than-anticipated debut is even more remarkable given that just 45% of domestic theaters are currently open at limited capacity and that the film debuted simultaneously on HBO Max, giving viewers the option of staying home to watch the film as opposed to paying a premium to see it in theaters. Its strong debut serves as a shot in the arm for the exhibition industry, suggesting that families with children,...

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Kinepolis Box Office Revenues Drop 70% in 2020

Multinational cinema circuit Kinepolis reported its 2020 financial year results this week, providing a glimpse into the full scale of disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.  Box office revenues across the circuit fell by 70 percent, with concessions sales declining by the same margin, in a year that challenged each of the group’s 56 European and 55 North American locations. Kinepolis was outpacing its 2019 admissions by 12 percent up to March 12, when its numbers, along with the rest of the cinema industry’s, plunged due to the onset of the pandemic. The circuit finished the year with a total of 12.1 million visitors, 73 percent lower than its original projections and 70.1 below 2019 levels. The circuit’s best performing market in 2020 was the Netherlands (-55.7%) where looser restrictions and a solid slate of local productions helped mitigate losses over the...

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Long Range Box Office Forecast: What Do New York City’s March 5 Reopening and Paramount’s Shorter Windows Mean for the Industry?

It’s been another rollercoaster week for the film industry. Two major announcements with a wide range of implications are still being absorbed by anyone and everyone with an interest in this sector of the entertainment ecosphere. On Monday, the long-awaited greenlight for New York City’s movie theaters to reopen was finally given by Governor Andrew Cuomo. Effective March 5, the city’s cinemas will be allowed to operate at 25 percent capacity seating, with no more than 50 people per auditorium. It’s one of the two biggest moviegoing markets in the country, one that will finally show signs of life after eleven months in shutdown mode. The second...

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Independence Cinema Alliance Voices Support for Paramount’s 45-Day Window

The Independent Cinema Alliance, a trade group representing independent cinemas in the North American market, has voiced its support for Paramount’s recent changes to its handling of the theatrical exclusivity window. The Independent Cinema Alliance (ICA) supports Paramount Pictures and its commitment to a 45-day theatrical window for movies, including the upcoming A Quiet Place 2 and Mission: Impossible 7. Paramount’s commitment to a theatrical experience will allow independent cinemas large and small the opportunity to showcase blockbuster films to communities around the United States, while keeping their guests safe with expert-backed industry health and safety protocols. “Paramount has chosen to ‘accept the mission’ to help movie theaters recover and thrive,” said Byron Berkley, ICA president, in a written statement referencing the studio’s Mission:...

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Disney Releases Teaser Trailer, Cast Details for Pixar’s Luca

Disney has unveiled the teaser trailer and new details on its forthcoming Pixar release Luca, which is slated for release this summer (date TBD). Directed by the Oscar-nominated Enrico Casarosa (La Luna), Luca is a coming-of-age story with a twist: The eponymous lead character and his best friend, Alberto, are actually sea monsters posing as humans. As announced today, the title character Luca Paguro is voiced by Jacob Tremblay (Room, Wonder), while his friend Alberto Scorfano is voiced by Jack Dylan Grazer (We Are Who We Are, Shazam). Elsewhere, Emma Berman plays Giulia, “an outgoing and charming adventurer who befriends Luca and Alberto”; Maya...

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Weekend Box Office Forecast: Tom & Jerry Continues the Warner Bros. Experiment, Offers 2021’s First Family Movie In Domestic Cinemas

February’s final frame is in sight, and with it arrives 2021’s first high-profile family movie. The fourth film under Warner Bros.’ hybrid release experiment, Tom & Jerry will offer fresh content to theaters in need of it, and families with kids who are only increasingly eager to get out of the house. The latter is an audience that has already shown their willingness, where safe and able, to turn out for films like The War with Grandpa and The Croods: A New Age in recent months. The latter returned to the top of the box office two weeks ago — its 12th of release — and remained there last weekend. The former just finished its 20th weekend of play, having opened in early October, and has charted among the top ten every single weekend since. Where Tom & Jerry differs is its immediate availability to stream for free on HBO Max with an existing subscription. Even the...

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This Week on The Boxoffice Podcast: Bringing Back an Iconic South Dakota Single Screen Cinema

Founded in 1926, the State Theatre was for years a staple of the local film community, bringing movies and–in its early years, vaudeville–to downtown Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The one-screen movie palace stayed a first-run movie theater for decades, even though the tumultuous ’70s, when a nationwide trend towards suburbanization caused many downtown movie palaces to turn to exploitation or risque content in order to stay open. In the ‘80s, competition from newly-built multiplexes and a lack of investment in updated equipment led the State to becoming a discount theater. In the early 90s, it closed its doors… but not for good. The non-profit...

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Moscow’s Karo 11 October Cinema Installs Barco Flagship Laser Projector

Leading Russian cinema chain Karo has opted for Barco’s DP4K-60L laser projector from Cinionic—a joint project of Barco, CGS, and ALPD—for the premiere hall at their “Karo 11 October” cinema. Founded in 1967, the October cinema was converted into an 11-screen multiplex in 2005, with the largest screen—boasting approximately 1,000 seats—serving as a common venue for Russian film premieres. The October cinema is also home to the Moscow International Film Festival. Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, Russian cinemas have had a busy year—relative, of course, to capacity restrictions and regional closures. Their box office and admissions statistics in September 2020 were similar to what they were in September 2019, caused in part by the opening of two new Moscow theaters. The market has also had success with key local titles, including family fantasy The Last Warrior: The Root...

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Showcase Cinemas to Open Three New York City Locations on March 5

Following Monday’s announcement that movie theaters in New York City will be allowed to open on March 5, Showcase Cinemas has announced that three of their locations—two in Queens, one in Brooklyn—will reopen on that date. Governor Cuomo’s announcement—long-anticipated yet sudden—gives theaters in NYC the ability to reopen at 25 percent capacity, with a maximum of 50 attendees per auditorium. Theaters in the city were legally ordered to close on March 16 of last year; in October, theaters in wider New York State were allowed to re-open in counties where Covid infection numbers stayed below a certain point. At that time, Showcase re-opened five of their New York State locations; they have also re-opened theaters in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Ohio. All of Showcase’s re-opened theaters—including the three New York locations set to open their doors on March 5—are operating...

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Paramount Cuts Down Theatrical Exclusivity for Major Titles to 30-45 Day Window

By Daniel Loria and Rebecca Pahle Upcoming Paramount releases will be available at home as early as 30 days following their theatrical release. The revelation was made at Paramount parent company ViacomCBS’s Investor Day presentation, focusing on the media conglomerate’s newly rebranded Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD) streaming platform, Paramount Plus, which will host exclusive streaming rights for Paramount titles immediately following their respective theatrical run.   Originally launched as CBS All Access, the ViacomCBS streaming app will now be known as Paramount Plus, assuming several new programming verticals from the ViacomCBS...

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ShowEast Rescheduled to November

ShowEast, one of the first in-person exhibition industry trade shows scheduled to take place in North America since the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic, has moved from its previously scheduled dates of October 18-21 to three weeks later: Monday, November 8 to Thursday, November 11. The change occurred, per Film Expo Group, which runs ShowEast, in order “to better accommodate our attendees and be able to offer lower rates.” The show will still take place, as in previous years, at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida. Registration is not currently open for ShowEast, though it is for the Film Expo Group’s CineEurope, recently rescheduled...

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Next Spider-Man Movie Named Spider-Man: No Way Home, Will Hit Theaters on December 17

Marvel has confirmed that the title for the third Spider-Man movie—in its current incarnation, with star Tom Holland behind the mask—will be Spider-Man: No Way Home. #SpiderManNoWayHome only in movie theaters this Christmas. pic.twitter.com/WmBXrTQMf8 — Spider-Man (@SpiderMan) February 24, 2021 The film, previously slated by Sony for theatrical release on Friday, December 17, 2021, is the follow-up to Spider-Man: Far From Home, which was the fourth highest-grosser of 2019 globally. Domestically, it earned $390.5 million, with a global cume of $1.13 billion. No Way Home‘s December 17 release puts it in the middle of a tentpole-heavy December, as studios have largely been vacating the Spring months in favor of release dates further back in the year. Spidey’s latest theatrical jaunt currently shares its release date with an untitled Disney live action film. Disney’s...

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Galalite Screens Strikes Strategic ‘100-Screen’ Partnership With Indian Exhibitor Miraj Cinemas

Screen manufacturer Galalite Screens has entered a strategic partnership with the India-based company Miraj Group in which it will provide 100 screens to Miraj Cinemas for upcoming projects over the next 15 months, it was announced Tuesday (Feb. 23). The agreement amps up the longstanding relationship between the two companies that was first established in 2013. Galalite screens provided for the so-called “100 Screen Project” will be powered by the company’s recently launched Lensray Technology, which is designed to significantly reduce visual noise, leading “to a truly superior visual experience,” according to a press release. “Miraj Group has always believed in enhancing a movie-viewer’s experience. With innovation at the core of our philosophy, we have remained mindful in choosing our partners,” said Miraj Group managing director (entertainment) Amit Sharma in a statement....

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New York City Cinemas Allowed to Open at 25% Capacity Starting March 5

Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced that cinemas in New York City will be allowed to open at 25 percent capacity starting on March 5, with a maximum per-screen capacity of 50 people–putting an end to months of frustration surrounding an absent reopening timeline for one of North America’s two largest markets. NEW: Movie theaters in New York City can reopen on March 5 at 25% capacity, with no more than 50 people per screen. Assigned seating, social distancing and other health precautions will be in place. — Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) February 22, 2021 New York State cinemas in counties that hit certain benchmarks for Covid-19 infection rates were given permission by Governor Cuomo to operate at limited capacity in October of last year—with the notable exception of New York City, where cinemas had been ordered to close by Mayor De Blasio on March 16, 2020. In the...

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