Imax Touts Role in Asian Cinema Recovery, Enjoys First Year-on-Year Increase in Global Box Office Since Start of Pandemic

Imax CEO Richard Gelfond, in the company’s Q1 2021 investor call, highlighted the continued success of the PLF format in key Asian markets—success that contributed to Imax having its first quarter of year-on-year increase in global box office since the beginning of the pandemic. Though Imax’s Q1 revenue ($38.8 million) is down 11 percent from the year prior, the company’s global box office of $110 million marks an increase from the same period the prior year, during much of which Chinese cinemas remained closed while the Covid-19 pandemic had yet to meaningfully impact domestic exhibitors. Imax’s $110 million global box office over the first three months of the year was driven by the success of Godzilla vs Kong—which gave Imax its strongest domestic opening since the start of the pandemic—as well as the Chinese New Year and, in Japan, the release of Demon Slayer and Shin...

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Weekend Box Office Forecast: Demon Slayer and Mortal Kombat Look to Extend Their Reign in Tight Race for 1st During Sophomore Frame

Last week provided another encouraging sign that audiences are increasingly ready to resume moviegoing in theaters as Warner Bros.’ Mortal Kombat and Funimation’s Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train demolished pandemic-era standards for R-rated films. That duo is poised to easily reign again this weekend as April comes to a close and we turn the page into May. Kombat‘s own $23.3 million opening weekend wasn’t far off from our pre-pandemic forecasts, nor was its natural frontloading by fans. Driven primarily by males over the age of 25, the film opened to $9.09 million on Friday and slid 4.6 percent to $8.675 million on Saturday before an estimated haul of $5.535 million on Sunday. By comparison, Godzilla vs. Kong increased 7.6 percent on its first Saturday, although it had already burned off some demand on Wednesday and Thursday in its pre-weekend start a few weeks ago....

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This Week on The Boxoffice Podcast: Oscars Recap, Mortal Kombat and Demon Slayer Open Big, Anime at the Box Office

In this week’s episode of the Boxoffice Podcast, co-hosts Daniel Loria, Rebecca Pahle, and Shawn Robbins share their impressions of this year’s Academy Awards: a great shout-out in the pre-show but were movie theaters snubbed during the main broadcast? The panel also also looks at a record weekend at the pandemic box office with the debuts of Mortal Kombat and Demon Slayer. Mortal Kombat delivered the highest opening weekend for an R-rated movie during the pandemic and Demon Slayer emerged as a surprise crossover hit at the box office. What does Demon Slayer’s success tell us about the future potential of anime titles at the box office? This...

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Alamo Drafthouse to Reopen Additional 15 Locations, Doubling Current Footprint

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema has announced reopening plans for an additional 15 theaters across the U.S., effectively doubling the number of operational Alamo locations to 31 by July, the company revealed today. First to open will be the exhibitor’s Brooklyn location on May 7, followed by Los Angeles and Austin, Texas’ Mueller location on May 28. A dozen others are slated to reopen in June and July. Tickets for the Brooklyn location go on sale May 7 at drafthouse.com/nyc, while tickets for Los Angeles and Austin’s Mueller location go on sale May 17. The first 3,000 guests to attend the Brooklyn theater will receive a free scratch-off ticket good for free food and other prizes. Today’s announcement follows on the heels of the most robust frame at the North American box office since the start of the pandemic, with two films – Warner Bros.’ Mortal Kombat and Funimation’s Demon...

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Cinemas in France Allowed to Reopen on May 19 at 35% Capacity

As reported by Boxoffice Pro sister publication Boxoffice France, movie theaters in France will be allowed to open on Wednesday, May 19—a long-awaited return to moviegoing for a country whose cinemas have been shuttered since last October. Per an announcement from President Emmanuel Macron, theaters can open at 35 percent capacity on May 19, followed by an increase to 65 percent capacity on June 9 and 100 percent on June 30–a week before the beginning of the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. The country’s 7pm curfew will be extended to 9pm on May 19 and 11pm on June 9 before being lifted fully starting June 30. It is not yet known if cinemas will be given an exception to the national curfew; the FNCF, the country’s cinema trade association, is currently seeking an exemption. Reopening dates and capacity limits can be adjusted in regions where Covid positivity rates surpass 400...

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Mayor De Blasio: “Our Plan is To Fully Open New York City,” Including Theaters, by July 1

In an appearance on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio stated that he plans for New York City to be “fully open” by the first of July. “Our plan is to fully open New York City on July 1st. We are ready for stores to open. For businesses to open. Offices, theaters—full strength,” said the Mayor, citing the pace of vaccinations in the city. Previous official announcements as to capacity limits for New York City theaters have come from Governor Cuomo, not Mayor De Blasio. It is unclear as to when, or if, Cuomo will back De Blasio’s plan to have New York City theaters—as well as other industries—returned to 100 percent capacity by July 1. To this point, the raising of capacity limits on New York City theaters has been somewhat halting. In October of last year, theaters were allowed to open in New York State but not New York City. In February, NYC theaters...

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CineLife to Release Chicago: America’s Hidden War in U.S. Theaters

Event cinema distributor CineLife Entertainment will release the documentary Chicago: America’s Hidden War in U.S. theaters from May 12 to June 15, 2021, the company announced today. According to a release, Chicago: America’s Hidden War deals with the title city’s epidemic of gun violence and “pulls back the curtain to expose the pervasive genocidal-like behavior in Chicago, explain what birthed and contributed to this war, and why so little has been done to stop it. Through interviews with Chicago civilians, the film explores how gun violence has permeated their homes and detrimented their lives, and ultimately serves as an inspiration for a clear path toward change, presenting viewers with an action plan on how to get involved in creating a better future for the Chicago community.” Chicago: America’s Hidden War was directed by Daylight Supreme and produced by Dimas...

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Iconic Events Extends Theatrical Network to Over a Thousand Locations, Adds Steve Bunnell as CEO

Iconic Events, a new player in the growing event cinema sector in North America, has named industry veteran Steve Bunnell as the company’s CEO along with announcing a launch network of over 1,000 locations from some of the country’s most infliential circuits. The announcement was made by Iconic Events Executive Chairman Michael Lambert, who founded Iconic Events in 2019 along with former   Cinemark CEO Tim Warner and several colleagues with a background in the exhibition and entertainment industries. The company’s management team also includes SpecitCast and CineLife Entertainment alum Mark Rupp as CFO/COO and marketing veteran Steven Menkin as CMO. “Now, more than ever, theaters need the additional programming choices like those being offered by Iconic. We already have access to over one thousand theaters representing nearly ten thousand screens in the US, with...

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Cinemark Announces New Theater in Riverton, Utah

Cinemark, North America’s third largest exhibitor, has announced that they will be opening a new theater in Riverton, Utah, in partnership with CenterCal Properties LLC. The 14-screen theater will be located in Riverton’s Mountain View Village, a mixed-use lifestyle center in the southern Greater Salt Lake area. Cinemark’s new Riverton theater, formally agreed upon in 2019, is currently under construction and is set to open mid-2022. Amenities at the theater will include a Cinemark XD premium large format auditorium, Cinemark’s Luxury Loungers, reserved seating in all auditoriums, 4K laser projection from Cinionic, expanded food and beverage offerings, and more. “We are thrilled to be expanding the immersive, cinematic experience of seeing a film on the big screen with the addition of a brand-new Cinemark theatre in Riverton,” said Jay Jostrand, Cinemark EVP of Real Estate....

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Will Rogers Pioneers Assistance Fund Launches “Big Screens Big Hearts” Campaign to Help Movie Theater Workers

Since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic—and, for that matter, for 80-plus years prior—the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation has made a priority of assisting theater employees in need. That need has never been greater than over the past year. As such, in March 2020 the Will Rogers Pioneers Assistance Fund launched their Covid-19 Emergency Grant, through which they distributed $3.5 million in grants to furloughed or laid-off theater employees throughout 2020. Now, the Pioneers Assistance Fund has launched the “Big Screens Big Hearts” Campaign as a way to further assist at-need theater workers as the industry recovers. The existence of the “Big Screens Big Hearts” campaign is reflective of the fact that, though the bulk of theaters in North America have reopened (if at limited capacity) and films are slowly making their way back to theaters, the negative impact...

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Bon Jovi to Kick Off 2021 Encore Drive-In Nights Concert Series

Bon Jovi is kicking off the 2021 edition of Encore Drive-In Nights, an ongoing series that broadcasts never-before-seen, one-night-only concerts to outdoor venues. The Bon Jovi concert will screen at roughly 300 drive-in and outdoor theaters in the U.S., Canada and Ireland, along with select indoor cinemas across the globe. The premiere date in North America is May 22, 2021, with international release dates to be announced soon. Kicked off last year in response to the shutdown of concert venues due to Covid-19, Encore Drive-In Nights has hosted concerts by major acts including Metallica, Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani and Kane Brown. “Bon Jovi is a global icon and we’re so happy that the band will be launching our 2021 concert season!” said Walter Kinzie, CEO at Encore Drive-In Nights, in a statement. “The pandemic has taught us that there are new avenues for live entertainment...

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CES+ Announces Partnership with New Exhibition Chain GQT Movies

Cinema software management and technology company CES+ announced a parternship with Michigan-based exhibition chain GQT Movies earlier this month. GQT Movies was founded in June 2020, after acquiring the fomer Goodrich Quality Theaters out of bankruptcy. The chain ranked #25 on Boxoffice PRO‘s Giants of Exhibition 2021, the annual ranking of North America’s largest exhibition circuits, with 200 screens at 25 locations. The deal will utilize the CIELO platform from CES+ for digital management, for both GQT Movies’ current and upcoming locations. “We are very excited that GQT Movies has selected us as their provider, enabling higher efficiency, cost savings and resource optimization,” CES+ CEO Alex Younger said in a press release. “These are key components to the continued success of the business in the post-pandemic world.” “CES+ has been a proven technology leader in...

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Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train Opens Higher Than Originally Projected w/ $21.1M

After a Sunday estimate of $19.5M, Funimation’s animated Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train actually debuted at $21.1M, according to their actuals released Monday. Based on the Japanese manga comic book series by Koyoharu Gotoge, which has sold 150 million copies, the title opened theatrically in Japan in October 2020 and became the highest-grossing movie of all time in that country — defeating the 19-year record holder, 2001’s Spirited Away. The North American version, which was released this weekend in both dubbed and subtitled formats, started with $21,144,800 on 1,605 screens, for a $13,174 per-screen average.  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 and supernatural...

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WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Mortal Kombat Wins with $22.5M Bow, Demon Slayer Impresses with $19.5M Debut

The domestic box office showed yet another sign of recovery this weekend: two new titles opened above $15 million respectively. Warner Bros.’ action video game adaptation Mortal Kombat topped the box office with a $22.5 million haul from 3,073 screens. It was followed by Japansese anime import Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie:Mugen Train, which exceeded all expectations in what is estimated to be a $19.5 million opening weekend. It is the first time during the pandemic the domestic market has welcomed two simultaneous new releases at this level. The weekend will likely finish as the second-highest frame at the domestic box office in the pandemic. Mortal Kombat‘s scored the highest debut for an R-rated movie during the pandemic and the second largest opening weekend behind Warner Bros.’ Godzilla vs Kong. Warner Bros. titles have led the domestic box office...

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Early Weekend Estimates: Mortal Kombat & Demon Slayer Pacing for Combined $35M+, Setting Pandemic Records for ‘R’ Movies

Saturday Update: Domestic box office recovery continues. Three weeks after Warner Bros. set a new pandemic-era record with its Godzilla vs. Kong debut, the studio’s latest day-and-date release, Mortal Kombat, achieved $9.03 million from 3,073 locations on opening day Friday. That’s the second best opening day gross of the last 13 months, trailing only GvK‘s $9.7 million Wednesday launch. Perhaps more notably, it is by far the best single-day take of any R-rated film during the pandemic. Kombat achieved the mark by a wide margin, surpassing Nobody‘s $2.51 million first day one month ago. The video game adaptation isn’t alone in delivering good news for the industry this weekend, though. Funimation reports Demon Slayer: The Movie earned $9.5 million from 1,598 locations across Thursday night and Friday shows combined. The studio is reporting only a single-day gross, which...

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How Indie Theaters Have Used This Year’s Oscar-Nominated Shorts to Bring Audiences Back

The same as every year, New York’s IFC Center is seeing sellouts for its screenings of this year’s Oscar-nominated short films. Then again, selling out means something different during a pandemic. “When you’re in a sold-out show, you don’t think you’re in a sold-out show because it’s mostly empty,” says John Vanco, VP and general manager at the IFC Center, which programs the Oscar shorts every year. “It’s all very odd, but it is what it is.” The IFC Center, which operates independently but is owned by AMC Networks (not to be confused with the mega-exhibitor of the same name), is currently operating at 25 percent capacity under state guidelines for New York City, significantly reducing potential turnout for the Oscar shorts, which Vanco calls one of the theater’s most consistent box-office performers. The 2021 Oscar-nominated shorts arrived at a pivotal time for independent...

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Weekend Box Office Forecast: Mortal Kombat and Demon Slayer Are Posturing for a Battle Royale with a Potential $30M+ Combined

After three weekends atop the domestic box office, Warner Bros.’ Godzilla vs. Kong finally has significant competition on its hands for April’s penultimate frame as the studio opens its own Mortal Kombat reboot in tandem with Sony / FUNimation’s domestic import of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train. Prior to the former most of those three films, this weekend seemed like it might be a fairly quiet one. Forecasts were considerably modest on the Kombat remake (which moved back one week from a prior April 16 target opening), while Demon Slayer‘s stateside release had only begun to appear on industry tracking radars and there has been point of comparison for what an anime release could do mid-pandemic. Given the monster-versus-monster’s box office success, though, models for Kombat have shifted in some significant ways. Likewise, stronger-than-expected pre-sales...

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Screenvision Adds New Exhibitor Partners, Grows Cinema Advertising Network to 14k Screens

Screenvision, one of the leading cinema advertising networks in the United States, is emerging from the pandemic with a new slate of exhibitor partners. The company’s new agreements over the past year bring its total footprint to 2,000 locations and 14,000 screens in the United States. Among the company’s new partnerships are deals with NCG (26 theaters, 250 screens), Studio Movie Grill (20 theaters, 208 screens), Megaplex Theatres (16 theaters, 178 screens),  Emagine Northwoods (12 theaters, 152 screens),  Phoenix Theatres Entertainment (14 theaters, 144 screens), and CineLux Theatres (7 theaters, 53 screens) .  “Following a year of pandemic-headwinds and multiple disruptive forces, theatres nationwide are reopening with the expectation of a robust slate and a highly-engaged moviegoing audience hungry for the cinema experience,” said Darryl Schaffer,...

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Southern Theatres Partners with Row8 for PVOD Streaming Platform

Southern Theatres has become the latest exhibition circuit in the United States to launch its own premium video on demand streaming platform, following in the footsteps of other circuits like AMC, Alamo Drafthouse, and Showcase Cinemas. Southern’s streaming service will be linked directly to its “Reel Rewards” loyalty program under the chain’s Grand Theatre and AmStar Cinemas brands and will offer Premium Video on Demand (PVOD) digital rentals after a film’s theatrical run and ahead of the SVOD and premium cable windows. The service is scheduled to go live in May. Southern Theatres partnered with OTT provider Row8 to provide the direct-to-consumer PVOD platform. Row8 counts on a robust lineup of major studios for its services, including  Disney, Paramount, Sony, Warner Brothers, and Universal.  “First and foremost, having our guests view films in our theaters...

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This Week on the Boxoffice Podcast: How Nigerian Movie Theaters Are Surviving the Pandemic

On this week’s episode of the Boxoffice Podcast, co-hosts Rebecca Pahle and Daniel Loria sit down with Moses Babatope, Group Executive Director of Nigeria’s leading cinema chain, Filmhouse Cinemas. Honored with CinemaCon’s Emerging Market Award in 2019, Nigeria saw its box office suffer a year-on-year drop of 73 percent in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic—but this vibrant market continues to grow, boosted by a robust local film scene and the willingness of the film community to band together and promote the theater experience. LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE  Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify Highlights from Moses Babatope on this week’s episode: Local Filmmakers Helping to Support the Theatrical Industry “When it looked like the lockdown was being prolonged, we had a rallying call of various actors and actresses and filmmakers, using their social...

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Cinema Software Provider Unique X Inks Three-Year Deal with Pathé Netherlands for Smart Trailering

Unique X, an international cinema software company that operates in 80 countries globally, has signed a three-year deal with Pathé Netherlands for the deployment of Smart Trailering, a pre-show management solution that will be utilized in the chain’s Dutch theaters. Smart Trailering is a fully automated and centralized trailer scheduling system that automatically pairs trailers with movies in such a way as to optimize operational efficiency. Features include allowing the user to schedule and target pre-show playlists for individual showtimes. Factors taken into account in the Smart Trailering system include film, number of showings, location, date, and time; it also works to prevent errors, including certification, duplicate placement, and the screening of incorrect versions of a trailer. Pathé Netherlands currently utilizes Unique X’s RosettaBridge Theatre Management...

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Studio Movie Grill Emerges from Chapter 11, Names Ted Croft As New CEO

Texas-based dine-in chain Studio Movie Grill, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in October of last year, has officially emerged from bankruptcy and named company CFO/COO Ted Croft as its new CEO. Studio Movie Grill entered 2020 with plans for expansion, having received an investment in mid-2019 that would allow them to accelerate their growth; they announced plans in January 2020 to open five new locations over the following year. The Covid-19 pandemic and the aftermath thereof put a pause on SMG’s growth, and in October the chain filed for Chapter 11 and embarked on restructuring that would, in the words of founder Brian Schultz, “position Studio Movie Grill for long-term stability.” SMG’s roster of currently open cinemas consists of 17 locations in five states, with two additional locations scheduled to re-open on April 29 (Indianapolis) and May 27th (Upper Darby,...

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Eric S. Wohl Joins National CineMedia (NCM) as Chief Human Resources Officer

National CineMedia, the nation’s largest cinema advertising network, announced Eric S. Wohl as their new Chief Human Resources Officer on Wednesday. Wohl was most recently the Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer with e-commerce company Radial, Inc. He previously served in senior human resources roles at DISH Network and Dell. “Eric brings valuable perspective and leadership to our team in this vital time for NCM as the world gets back to the movies,” NCM’s CEO Tom Lesinski said in a press release. “I look forward to working with him as we continue to reimagine our company and strengthen our cinema advertising leadership position in the marketplace with new ways to unite brands with the power of movies and engage movie fans anytime and anywhere.” Wohl will be based in NCM’s Centennial, Colorado headquarters. The post Eric S. Wohl Joins National CineMedia...

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Severtson Supplies Cinema Screens to FatCats Entertainment’s New Arizona Location

Severtson Screens is providing FatCats Entertainment, the Utah-based theater chain whose cinemas are billed as “family entertainment” centers, with custom projection screens for all eight auditoriums in its newly-opened Queen Creek, Arizona location, it was announced today. The theater, FatCats’ ninth location and third in Arizona, had its grand opening on April 16. “Besides supplying eight cinema screens for its latest location near us in Queen Creek, we also supplied FatCats with eight cinema screens in their Mesa, Ariz. location and six cinema screens in their Gilbert, Arizona location just a few years ago,” said Toby Severtson, CEO of Severtson Screens, in a statement. “FatCats is a terrific environment for the entire family, and we are proud to continue to help our local economy and customer base by being a part of such great venues.” In collaboration with RU Theatre...

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