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Friday, April 30, 2021

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 Kongwhich 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 Evangelion, the two highest-grossing titles for Imax in Japan.

“For all its challenges, the pandemic has revealed many strengths of the IMAX business,” said Gelfond—these including a “flexible, asset-light business model,” a global footprint of 84 countries, and—unlike exhibitors—not being “burdened by leases” or having to provide staffing at theaters. “As global markets reopen, we’re able to bounce back quickly to generating box office, essentially flipping a switch without significant start-up costs or lead time.” 

Though a lack of Hollywood tentpoles continues to affect Imax’s bottom line, local content in China—a market of increasing importance to Imax over the last year, as their recovery precedes that of North America and much of Europe—remains strong on Imax screens. In China, notes Gelfond, “the box office rebound and the robust pickup in installations drove revenue recovery to [the] pre-pandemic level of $26 million, in line with our first quarter of 2019—and that’s without Hollywood films.” In Japan, Imax’s per-screen average since last April stands at $1.2 million, indicating a willingness of consumers to opt for premium experiences upon their return to the movies. In China, the re-release of Avatarwhich led the 2009 film to reclaim its global box office throne from Avengers: Endgame—saw 30 percent of box office come from Imax screens, which represented just one percent of the release.

During the pandemic, Imax added “80 new systems to our network,” said Gelfond, “as exhibitors look to Imax to reinvigorate their business union reopening. Customers want the most immersive experience as they return to the cinema, and they are choosing Imax.” Japan and Saudi Arabia were highlighted by Gelfond as areas of future growth for the PLF provider—in Japan, the executive said, “we have 30-something theaters open now, and we have a target in the next three years of possibly 100 zones.” Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, is seen as a market “where you’ll see an enormous amount of growth” in the coming years. That’s not the case in North America, where “there’s some room for growth…. But not a lot in screens.” This is attributable both to exclusivity agreements with exhibitors and Imax already having 85 percent of the top-grossing screens; asked about domestic competition from other PLF providers, Gelfond said that “they are fairly penetrated in [the] market, so I don’t think there’s a lot of places to go. They could go to smaller markets, but the economics of those markets aren’t going to support a large Imax expansion or, I think, the development of a lot of other big screens.” 

An increase in box office for Imax screens in North America over the coming months will come down to the return of a robust studio slate, with Gelfond citing Memorial Day release A Quiet Place Part II as “somewhat of a benchmark” to assess the strength of the domestic industry, “depending [on] where capacity limits are.” When tentpoles do return to the big screen, many will do so with shortened theatrical exclusivity, as several studios have coalesced around a 30-45 day window for post-pandemic releases. For Imax, the shortened window isn’t a concern, with Gelfond noting that the company doesn’t “really compete with the streaming window”—especially since titles typically only play on Imax screens for one or two weeks. When it comes to potential competition from at-home viewing, said Gelfond, “People have always been willing to pay a price premium. People want to go to something special. They want to get out of their houses. So we’ve never been caught up in it.”

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Thursday, April 29, 2021

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. That pic declined 56 percent in its second weekend, one of the better showings of Warner’s day-and-date openers since the strategy began in December with Wonder Woman 1984.

Demon Slayer, on the other hand, saw its Thursday evening grosses rolled into Friday’s as one overall “opening day” reported by Funimation. Following that $9.54 million combined figure, Saturday slid 32.4 percent to $6.45 million. The film has since found some stability, though, dropping only 19.9 percent on Sunday and 66 percent on Monday, then increasing almost 6 percent on Tuesday.

Warner Bros., unfortunately, has not reported official daily estimates for Kombat since Sunday.

Adding a degree of fascination to the sophomore frame of these two films will be the fact that Demon Slayer‘s location count is climbing. The film screened at over 1,600 domestic cinemas last weekend and is currently confirmed in no less than 1,833 theaters starting this Friday, according to The Boxoffice Company’s Showtimes Dashboard. That figure could approach 2,000 or more as theaters continue booking.

Kombat‘s pre-existing 3,073 theater count last frame isn’t likely to change by much, in contrast. In fact, the Warner Bros. film is losing some of premium screen footprint to Demon Slayer. Major chains are dividing showtimes across premium formats between the two titles in an effort to correct for the demand they saw last weekend. That could prove to further soften Slayer‘s drop this weekend, while exacerbating Kombat‘s.

On Dashboard, Kombat currently leads Slayer 21 percent to 16 percent among total showings booked by cinema operators. Also worth considering is the history of anime films to be quite frontloaded at the domestic box office, with a recent example like Dragon Ball Super: Broly sliding more than 69 percent in its second weekend back in January 2019. Slayer has thus far bucked a few early trends typical of the genre, though.

New Releases & Holdovers

Open Road returns to theaters this weekend with the release of their latest horror pic, Separation, in 1,751 domestic theaters. The studio has been one of the notable supporters for exhibition during the early push toward recovery since last fall, most recently opening Liam Neeson’s The Marksman to $3.5 million over the four-day MLK frame back in mid-January.

That figure was a relative win at the time in a virtually dead market, and things have changed quite substantially in the last three-and-a-half months with more mainstream content releasing and major markets reopening. Separation, unfortunately, is trending quietly on all fronts with muted social media activity. The best comps at this point are the likes of Sony’s The Unholy ($3.15 million opening weekend earlier this month) and Lionsgate’s Voyagers ($1.38 million). A debut much closer to the latter appears likely.

Meanwhile, Universal Pictures is re-releasing Scott Pilgrim vs. the World for its 10th anniversary (which was technically last year for the 2010 release) in a projected 130 theaters this weekend, per Showtimes Dashboard. The film is exclusively playing at Dolby Cinema venues, so it’s unlikely to register among the top ten despite solid pre-sales for the modern cult classic written and directed by Edgar Wright.

That studio’s sibling, Focus Features, will also unfurl Ben Sharrock’s Limbo in limited release at 208 locations in North America. Such a level will be more condensed than Focus’ own Boogie, which opened to $1.2 million from 1,252 locations in early March, so an opening for outside the top ten may be inevitable. That being said, the Cannes, TIFF selection, and recent two-time BAFTA winner for “Best British Film” and “Best Debut by a British Writer, Director, or Producer” could play well in coastal cities and arthouse venues currently open.

Elsewhere, top-performing holdovers should fare well overall as the market enters another quiet weekend on the front of competition while existing players continue stretching their legs.

This Weekend vs. Last Weekend

Boxoffice projects this weekend’s top ten will decline between 45 and 50 percent from last weekend’s pandemic record of $55.6 million, which was anchored by the strong debuts of Mortal Kombat and Demon Slayer.

Weekend Forecast

Film Distributor 3-Day Weekend Forecast Projected Domestic Total through Sunday, May 2 Location Count % Change from Last Wknd
Demon Slayer – Kimetsu no Yaiba – the Movie: Mugen Train Funimation $9,600,000 $36,700,000 ~2,000 -55%
Mortal Kombat (2021) Warner Bros. Studios $9,000,000 $37,300,000 ~3,070 -61%
Godzilla vs. Kong Warner Bros. Studios $3,500,000 $91,400,000 ~2,800 -18%
Raya and the Last Dragon Walt Disney Pictures $1,700,000 $42,000,000 1,810 -2%
Nobody Universal Pictures $1,600,000 $23,700,000 2,056 -8%
Separation Open Road Films $1,500,000 $1,500,000 1,751 NEW
The Unholy Sony Pictures / Screen Gems $1,100,000 $13,200,000 1,538 -25%
Tom & Jerry Warner Bros. Studios $700,000 $44,400,000 ~1,700 -3%
Together Together Bleecker Street $350,000 $1,100,000 659 -34%
The Girl Who Believes in Miracles Atlas Distribution $250,000 $2,800,000 ~700 -27%

All forecasts subject to change before the first confirmation of weekend estimates from studios or alternative sources.

Theater counts are updated as confirmed by studios.

Forecasts above do not necessarily represent the top ten, but rather films with the widest theatrical footprint based on studio confirmations entering the weekend.

For press and media inquiries, please contact Shawn Robbins

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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 week’s episode of The Boxoffice Podcast is brought to you by QSC. Visit QSC.com/podcast to find out more. 

Episode Resources:

Listen to The Full Episode:

Subscribe to The Boxoffice Podcast on SpotifyApple, and wherever you get your podcasts.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THIS WEEK’S EPISODE

SHAWN ROBBINS on the Academy Awards Pre-Show
It was very interesting that the musical segments were kept out of the main part of the show. I think that would have been very beneficial to keeping attention spans on track, especially this year. But really, I think the big standout were the ads from Fast Nine and The Big Screen is Back. That was something all three of us and countless others in this industry have talked about wanting to see more of in this lead up to more big movies coming out: actually advertising to the masses, not just movie fans and people who work in the movie industry. From a glass-half-full standpoint, I thought that was a very positive thing. But it is still a very sensitive subject for the Academy to hit on because this is a global broadcast, and as [things have improved] in the United States, there are still plenty of other markets very far from this kind of progress. It is a tightrope that they have to walk and will have to walk for some time.

REBECCA PAHLE on the Academy Awards Main Broadcast
Throughout the entire three-and-a-half hour Oscar ceremony there was one mention of movie theaters. It wasn’t from a presenter, it wasn’t anything scripted, it was an impromptu nod from Frances McDormand: one of the people accepting the Best Picture award for Nomadland saying, “Go see this movie on the biggest screen possible, see all these movies on the big screen.” I was a little bit peeved that movie theaters didn’t get mentioned other than that…it felt like there was an entire half to this industry that got ignored and it left a bad taste in my mouth. I wasn’t happy about it. None of the people who were nominated, none of the winners or any of the other people in that room would have been there if not for movie theaters. 

SHAWN ROBBINS on the Highest Earning Weekend at the Domestic Box Office During the Pandemic
I think we can safely say this was another weekend that beat even the most optimistic expectations. We had two R-rated movies open at the same time and before this weekend, the highest R-rated opening during the pandemic was Nobody with $6 million. [Mortal Kombat and Demon Slayer] each did more than that in their opening day. 

SHAWN ROBBINS on What’s Next for Demon Slayer After a Great Opening Weekend at the Box Office
Historically, anime releases have usually been very niche and very front loaded in North America. Probably the best example most recently was Dragon Ball Super Broly that dropped 70% in its second weekend, after opening to about $20 million in its first five days. Instinctively that’s kind of the obvious comparison to make and expectation to have for Demon Slayer. But that was two years ago, when there were a lot more movies in the market than there are now. Maybe that helps expand the audience for these kinds of imported films. In the middle of a pandemic, when there isn’t a lot of new content, people are going to hear about Demon Slayer’s opening and maybe go give it a chance

The post This Week on The Boxoffice Podcast: Oscars Recap, <em>Mortal Kombat</em> and <em>Demon Slayer</em> Open Big, Anime at the Box Office appeared first on Boxoffice.



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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 Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train – having both grossed north of $20 million last weekend.

“This past weekend’s box office wasn’t just the biggest for our theaters during the COVID era – in fact, it would have been pretty healthy in ‘the old days’ era,” said Shelli Taylor, Alamo Drafthouse CEO, in a statement. “It’s so gratifying to see audiences so enthusiastically embracing not just our theaters but our industry as a whole.”

“We’ve spent the last eight months refining what we think is the safest and most relaxing cinematic experience possible,” added Tim League, Alamo Drafthouse founder and Executive Chairman. “We are thrilled to finally be able to bring what we’ve learned to New York, Los Angeles, and many other theaters for what we hope is the home stretch, and a colossal season of big movies.”

The Brooklyn location’s reopening weekend programming will include both new films and repertory screenings including Mamma Mia! (in celebration of Mother’s Day) and Alamo Drafthouse’s Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring cast reunion hosted by Stephen Colbert. New releases screening at the theater will include Mortal Kombat, Demon Slayer, United Artists’ Guy Ritchie action film Wrath of Man and the new Sesame Street documentary Street Gang.

Throughout the month of May, the Brooklyn theater will additionally spotlight iconic Brooklyn or New York City films. These include Do the Right Thing, The Wiz, Goodfellas, The Wolf of Wall Street, The Warriors and – “as a nod to theater homebase City Point Brooklyn’s Ruth Bader Ginsburg statue,” a press release notes – the documentary RBG.

Safety protocols established at previously-opened Alamo Drafthouse locations, including mandatory mask-wearing and social distancing, will presumably remain in place at the exhibitor’s soon-to-reopen theaters. The company notes that some of the “COVID-era innovations” it instituted, including pre-ordering food and beverages and personal theater bookings, will persist as part of its model going forward.

A full list of planned Alamo Drafthouse reopenings, as well as locations currently in operation, can be found below. Details on additional reopenings as well as brand-new locations will be announced later in the year.

To buy tickets and for additional details, visit drafthouse.com. Current safety protocols can be found here.

Locations scheduled to reopen:

May 7th New York, NY (Brooklyn)

May 28th

Los Angeles, CA

Austin, TX (Mueller)

June

Dallas / Fort Worth, TX (Cedars, Lake Highlands, Richardson)

Denver, CO (Westminster)

Omaha, NE San Antonio, TX (Stone Oak)

July

Austin, TX (Village)

Laredo, TX

Lubbock, TX

San Francisco, CA

Yonkers, NY

Currently Open:

Austin, TX (Lakeline, Slaughter Lane, South Lamar)

Central Virginia (Charlottesville)

Corpus Christi, TX

Denver, CO (Sloans Lake)

El Paso, TX (East El Paso, Montecillo)

Houston, TX (LaCenterra)

Northern Virginia (Ashburn, Woodbridge)

Phoenix, AZ (Chandler, Gilbert, Tempe)

Raleigh, NC

San Antonio, TX (Park North)

Springfield, MO

Winchester, VA

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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 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.

Cinemas in France, as in much of the rest of Europe and North America, were ordered to shut down in mid-March, 2020. Most of the nation’s cinemas reopened on June 22 as Covid numbers subsided; rising case numbers, however, led to the introduction of a curfew in October, followed by a second national lockdown starting on October 30. “It really added insult to injury,” said UNIC CEO Laura Houlgatte Abbott in a November appearance on the Boxoffice Podcast, that French cinemas had their “most successful weekend since reopening” just before the second lockdown went into effect.

Other key markets across Europe remain fully or partially closed, though some territories have set reopening dates. In the U.K., indoor cinemas will be able to open as early as Monday, May 17. Per information provided by UNIC, cinemas in Austria, Denmark, and the Netherlands are expected to be allowed to open at limited capacity in May. Russia is the largest European cinema market to be completely open, albeit with capacity restrictions.

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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 were allowed to open at 25 percent capacity; shortly following that announcement, NATO and NATO of NY expressed hope that the limit would be raised to fifty percent in the coming weeks. Last Monday, March 26, marked New York City theaters being allowed to increase their capacity to 33 percent, with no timeline given for when a bump to 50 percent can be expected.

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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 and Tiffany Salaberrios alongside producers Mark Shaw, John Shepard and Dr. A.R. Bernard with Miss Muffet, as well as Six+One Studios.

“We are thrilled to be working with Dimas and Tiffany Salaberrios on bringing this crucial film to audiences across the U.S.,” said Bernadette McCabe, Executive Vice President of CineLife Entertainment, in a statement. “Through bringing Chicago: America’s Hidden War to theaters, we hope to educate audiences across the country about the origins and consequences of gun violence and shed light on a subject of great importance that their direct communities may not be as familiar with yet.”

Added producers Dimas and Tiffany Salaberrios, “Films have the power to shed light on untold stories and generate meaningful outcomes. For too long, violence in Chicago has been met with apathy and outrage alone is fruitless. This movie will help all Americans learn how to tackle the urgent crisis that is going on in America’s heartland and take actions to stop it, regardless of where they are from or how they are different.”

Dimas Salaberrios’ previous credits include the 2019 documentary Emanuel, which concerns the 2015 mass shooting at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina.

For the release, CineLife will utilize CinemaSafe, a program that promotes “protocols and guidelines developed and supported by leading epidemiologists to support a safe return to movie theatres.”

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Wednesday, April 28, 2021

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 more live-capable theaters being added every day,” said Bunnell. “There’s enormous potential for growth in this sector of the business in the United States by making this content broadly available to any and all exhibitors, and I’m tremendously excited to be leading Iconic’s efforts. Putting optionality into the hands of exhibition and giving them more choices for their customers couldn’t be more important.”

Prior to taking on the CEO role at Iconic Events, Bunnell helmed bookings for Alamo Drafthouse as the circuit’s SVP, Film Content Buying Licensing. Previous roles include stints as chief content officer at Regal Entertainment Group, a position he has also held at Cinemark, EVP/general sales manager at Universal Pictures, and head film buyer at Loews Cineplex Theaters.


Iconic Events ramped up its theatrical offerings in 2021 with a slate of high-profile UFC mixed martial arts engagements for cinemas that will extend through this summer’s re-match between Connor McGregor and Dustin Porier. In May, it will handle the theatrical roll-out of the highly-anticipated boxing match between Mexico’s Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Billy Joe Saunders through a new partnership with the sports streaming service DAZN.

“Iconic Events has had an incredible start by securing the rights to UFC fights, live boxing matches, and other highly desirable and marketable content for distribution to our growing network of movie theaters,” said Lambert. “Steve Bunnell understands the business like few others and his special vision for expanding live and other content through his relationships and experience on both sides of the theatrical aisle at Cinemark, Universal, Regal, and most recently Alamo Drafthouse, make him uniquely qualified and perfectly suited to lead Iconic as we broaden our programming and extend into categories including concerts, music videos, live Q and A’s for premieres of new movies, cast reunions of classic movies, Anime, premiere episodes of beloved series from networks and streamers and even regional and local sports.” 

The event cinema sector has welcomed a slew of new players in the United States over the past couple of years. The sector could emerge from the pandemic with potential upside following the shortening of theatrical exclusivity windows between exhibitors and major studios.

“More and more, the multiplex is seen not just as a local theater. It is a community entertainment center and an event destination. We are delighted to have such fantastic response from our community– they understand their customers want more event cinema in their theaters, and more importantly, they understand the upside for their bottom line–especially right now, when every dollar counts,” said Bunnell. 

Updates on the company’s 2021 slate and leadership announcements can be found on Iconic Events’ official website.

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Tuesday, April 27, 2021

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. “We know Utah has an avid moviegoing community, and we are proud to work with long-time partner CenterCal Properties to bring this new entertainment destination to life with our best amenities and the sight and sound technology that cannot be replicated at home.”

Added Craig Trottier, CenterCal Properties’ president, mountain region: “We are honored and thrilled to once again partner with Cinemark Theatres, this time for Mountain View Village, Phase II. The groundbreaking of this new Cinemark location represents one of the first new theatres to begin construction since the Covid pandemic began and is a testament to Cinemark’s strength and commitment to its customers. This theatre will set a new standard for entertainment in the Intermountain West. We can’t wait for their grand opening next year.”

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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 of the pandemic and its resultant cinema closures on those in the theater industry remains. Per data provided by Will Rogers, 100,000-plus theater employees were affected by the pandemic and 55 percent of the cinemas that closed were community- or family-owned and operated. With the pandemic still ongoing, Will Rogers is unable to host their annual Pioneer of the Year Dinner, which traditionally serves as one of the non-profit’s key fundraising events.

With the “Big Screens Big Hearts” campaign, the Will Rogers Pioneers Assistance Fund hopes to fill that gap. By raising one million dollars to provide financial aid and supportive counseling to those who work in the exhibition arena—whether as an employee of a cinema, a theatrical distributor, or a vendor that works exclusively in the theatrical space. Donations are open here.

“The Pioneers Assistance Fund’s Big Screens Big Hearts campaign wants to raise $1 Million to support exhibitors and their employees who work tirelessly to make our moviegoing experience special,” says Todd Vradenburg, executive director of the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation. “While movie theaters may be open, theater workers all over the country are struggling to rebuild their lives.  We value the critical role these individuals play in the film industry. Supporting Big Screens Big Hearts will help our workforce get back on their feet.”

The Pioneers Assistance Fund is supported by the theatrical industry at large, with senior leadership from both the theatrical and distribution side of the business appearing on the group’s Board. One of those, Paramount Pictures’ President of Film Distribution and PAF Committee Chairman Chris Aronson, said of the “Big Screen Big Hearts” campaign: “The Will Rogers Pioneers Assistance Fund wants to help exhibitors bring back furloughed employees and retain their dynamic and skilled workforce. These hard-working individuals matter to providing audiences with a magical moviegoing experience.  We are grateful for the motion picture industry’s support of our Covid emergency grant program which supplemented the federal relief package and helped workers weather the storm.  Now that stimulus money is nearing an end, our Big Screens Big Hearts campaign will continue to support theater employees and their families as we embark on the road to recovery.” 

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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 and this model is one of the safest and most innovative options for world-class, fun events for the whole family. There are millions of fans who don’t usually attend live shows, whether it’s because they live far away from the big touring arenas or because of the cost. Artists can now connect with these fans in a completely new way.”

Encore Drive-In Nights is presented by event production company Encore Live. Trafalgar Releasing will distribute the concert to indoor cinemas.

Tickets for the Bon Jovi show go on sale April 29 at 12 p.m. ET at bonjoviconcert.com. For more information and to check for screening locations, visit encorenights.com or call your local theater.

You can also find a full list of safety procedures for the screenings at encorenights.com.

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Monday, April 26, 2021

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 our industry with an unblemished reputation making it an easy choice. Service complemented by CIELO’s software, will allow us the best chance of keeping our screens on during a post-pandemic world,” GQT Movies COO Matt McSparin said in the same press release. “Every show counts and we chose CES+ and CIELO to help us.”

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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 disappearances on a train.

Pending the release of actuals from Warner Bros. later this afternoon, their new release Mortal Kombat is still tentatively projected to open in first place with around $22.5M.

However, it was playing on far more screens: 3,073 versus Demon Slayer‘s 1,605. And if Kombat ends up finishing sufficiently below its Sunday estimate, it’s possible Demon Slayer could actually earn a surprise box office win.

Among films theatrically released in 2020, Demon Slayer is the fourth-highest biggest globally with $407.6 million, of which currently 89.5 percent was earned in Japan.

It’s possible the film could belatedly ascend additional ranks on the global list of 2020 releases, several months into 2021. Currently, it’s not too far behind China’s My People, My Homeland in third place with $422.3M, the domestic Bad Boys For Life in second place with $426.5M, or China’s The Eight Hundred in first place with $461.3M.

“This remarkable film with emotional depth and breath-taking animation has clearly delighted both die-hard anime fans and wider audiences who are hungry for a great movie experience,” Funimation Global Group CEO of Colin Decker said in a company press release. “We believe this to be an important mainstreaming moment, not just for the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba franchise, but for the U.S. anime brand overall.”

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Sunday, April 25, 2021

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 in nine of 2021’s seventeen weekends to date, accounting for 48 percent of the domestic market share as rival studios continue to delay high-profile titles to later in the year.

Los Angeles and New York represented the film’s top two DMAs for Mortal Kombat. Six of the film’s top ten performing theaters were located in the state of Texas.

Mortal Kombat
Top Domestic DMAs – Opening Weekend

  1. Los Angeles, CA
  2. New York, NY
  3. Dallas, TX
  4. Houston, TX
  5. Chicago, IL
  6. Phoenix, AZ
  7. San Francisco, CA
  8. Atlanta, GA
  9. Orlando, FL
  10. Philadelphia, PA

Mortal Kombat
Top Domestic Locations – Opening Weekend

  1. AMC Burbank Los Angeles, CA
  2. Santikos Palladium San Antonio, TX
  3. Cinemark Tinseltown El Paso, TX
  4. Santikos Casa Blanca San Antonio, TX
  5. AMC Orange Los Angeles, CA
  6. Cinemark Pharr Town Center, TX
  7. AMC Empire New York, NY
  8. Cinemark Century 16 Corpus Christi, TX
  9. AMC Gulf Pointe Houston, TX
  10. MC Southlake Pavilion Atlanta, GA

Imax screenings represented 11 percent of the Mortal Kombat‘s overall domestic gross, contributing $2.5 million in North America. Globally, Mortal Kombat has earned a total of $4.3 million on Imax.

Mortal Kombat opened day-and-date on HBO Max, and while Warner Bros. did not provide home viewership figures it did indicate the film earned $2 million from its Canadian PVOD release, where a significant portion of the country’s theaters remain closed.

Mortal Kombat added $6.3 million from 36 markets to raise its overseas tally to $27.6 million. The film opened to $3.2 million in Australia, becoming the third-highest rated R debut of all time in the country. Russia is the film’s second-highest performing market with $10.2 million after three weeks in release. Mortal Kombat has grossed $50.1 million worldwide and is scheduled to expand to the UK on May 17, Brazil on May 20, and Japan on June 18.

Warner Bros. set a major global box office milestone this weekend with its other major title currently in release, Godzilla vs. Kong, crossing the $400 million benchmark. The kaiju showdown finished in third place at the domestic box office this weekend with $4.2 million from 2,856 screens while adding $5.7 million from 41 overseas markets. Godzilla vs. Kong has grossed a total of $86.6 domestically and $320 million overseas for a $406.6 global cume. Top markets are led by China ($183.1 million), followed by North America (U.S. & Canada, $86.6 million), Australia ($20.1 million), Mexico ($18.2 million), and Taiwan ($12.4 million).

Demon Slayer is expected to finish the weekend around $19.5 million from 1,600 locations, totaling a robust per screen average of $4,029. The movie made the most out of the current market conditions by claiming premium auditoriums in 4DX, Dolby, and Imax formats that would have been otherwise difficult to secure.

Demon Slayer‘s impressive opening weekend was enough to secure it the seventh spot among all anime titles at the domestic box office. The film came in after a record-setting run in its native Japan, where it opened in October 2020 to become the highest-grossing film of all time in the market. The title’s North American run is being handled by Aniplex of America and Funimation. With this result, distributor Funimation now counts on seven of the top twenty highest-grossing anime titles in the domestic market.

The few best picture nominees still in theatrical release experienced a negligible Oscars bump leading to Sunday’s Academy Awards. A24’s Minari took in $141k from 704 screens to hit $2.7 million. Sony Pictures Classics’ The Father grossed $73k from 575 screens to reach $1.7 million. Focus Features’ Promising Young Woman took in $70k from 744 screens for a $6.4 million total. Warner Bros.’ Judas and the Black Messiah added $38k from 714 screens to hit $5.4 million.


Title Estimated weekend % change Locations Location change Average Total Weekend Distributor
Mortal Kombat $22,515,000   3,073   $7,327 $22,515,000 1 Warner Bros.
Demon Slayer The Movie: Mugen Train $19,500,000   1,605   $12,150 $19,500,000 1 Funimation
Godzilla vs. Kong $4,200,000 -46% 2,856 -145 $1,471 $86,576,000 4 Warner Bros.
Nobody $1,860,000 -26% 2,252 -153 $826 $21,671,720 5 Universal
Raya and the Last Dragon $1,680,000 -13% 1,819 -126 $924 $39,844,169 8 Walt Disney
The Unholy $1,400,000 -32% 1,835 -222 $763 $11,545,129 4 Sony Pictures
Tom and Jerry $650,000 -40% 1,930 -98 $337 $43,472,000 9 Warner Bros.
Together Together $522,440   665   $786 $522,440 1 Bleecker Street
In the Earth $204,000 -60% 571 -523 $357 $894,665 2 Neon
The Croods: A New Age $191,000 -37% 1,156 -13 $165 $57,339,623 22 Universal
Voyagers $170,000 -78% 1,278 -718 $133 $2,956,536 3 Lionsgate
Minari $141,000 1% 704 -41 $200 $2,710,000 20 A24
Chaos Walking $112,500 -46% 1,071 -171 $105 $13,158,685 8 Lionsgate
The Marksman $70,000 -57% 222 -109 $315 $15,546,574 15 Open Road
Promising Young Woman $70,000 -30% 744 108 $94 $6,449,795 18 Focus Features
Judas and the Black Messiah $38,000 -33% 714 -69 $53 $5,422,000 11 Warner Bros.
SAS: Red Notice $37,000 -53% 151 -38 $245 $146,329 2 Vertical Entertainment
Wrong Turn $35,827 -26% 46 -17 $779 $1,177,031 13 Saban Films
The War with Grandpa $25,327 -9% 195 -20 $130 $21,173,287 29 101 Studios
News of the World $10,000 -62% 92 -51 $109 $12,667,350 18 Universal
Gunda $8,400 67% 10 5 $840 $51,180 2 Neon

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Saturday, April 24, 2021

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 would ordinarily be in line with pre-pandemic standards of studios including preview grosses in the opening day count. Unofficially, Slayer scored very strong sellout numbers on Thursday night — meaning Kombat was technically the top film on Friday.

Even with a split Thursday-Friday consideration, though, Demon Slayer still easily generated the second and third best R-rated single-day earnings during the pandemic.

Regardless of the splits, this tandem is proving just how well the theatrical rebound is progressing in North America. Even with seating capacities in mind and many theaters still closed in Canada and the United States, the ability for two R-rated films with some crossover audience to exceed expectations speaks volumes.

How the weekend plays out from here depends on a number of factors. Both movies are fan-driven, but Demon Slayer is a virtual lock to see a sharp “decline” from the $9.5 million figure come Saturday. Anime releases in this market tend to be quite front-loaded, while the combination of Thursday and Friday grosses skews all comparisons since the former was effectively its opening day.

Kombat, meanwhile, is also likely to be a bit more fan-heavy early in its run. Sales for the weekend look very healthy, though. In all, Kombat should easily clear $20 million (upward of $24 million is feasible) while Demon Slayer‘s projections are a bit more volatile. We’re currently sticking with our previous forecast of $15 million for the import by the end of Sunday.

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Friday, April 23, 2021

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 movie theaters, many of which only recently began to reopen their doors and were in dire need of content to bring audiences back. Vanco calls programming a theater, particularly an independent, as a case of “feast or famine” in normal years—and that dynamic was more “famine” than ever during the pandemic, when even theaters that were able to reopen had little in the way of top-tier content to offer.

“I think the theaters are using this as a calling card to get people to know, ‘Hey, we’re back,’” says Carter Pilcher, chief executive and founder of ShortsTV, which has been producing and distributing the Oscar shorts since 2006.

That’s certainly the case at the IFC Center, which reopened its doors on March 5 after being closed for a total of 51 weeks. “I think a lot of theaters really looked forward to the Oscars shorts as a first-class program that would do well any year,” adds Vanco. “And frankly [it] looks even better this year when there just aren’t that many top-level releases from the indie studios coming out in the in the first three or four months of the year.”

A robust vaccine rollout has also helped matters. “In New York, vaccinations are going pretty well,” says Vanco. “So…the proportion of our audiences who are ready and willing and excited to come back to see movies keeps going up a little bit each week.”

Normally screening in around 700 theaters each year, the Oscar shorts, due to a patchwork of reopening guidelines across the U.S., only played in around 350 this year at their height (many theaters stop showing the shorts on Oscar weekend). Another 200 or so have been exhibiting them virtually, with proceeds from those ticket sales split evenly between ShortsTV and theaters. Viewers can also watch the shorts via the indie streaming platform Eventive; revenue from those sales are spread evenly among all participating theaters that have yet to open their doors.

Due to the lower screen count and capacity restrictions, ticket sales are way down from a typical year, when the shorts normally gross around $4 million by the end of their run. Pilcher says box office for the 2021 Oscar shorts is about 10 percentof that currently, but thanks to a reduction in marketing and other expenses, they are nonetheless inching toward profitability.

“We went into this year with the high expectation that we would lose some money,” says Pilcher. “[But] I would just say this: I think we might be pleasantly surprised.”

That’s good news for everyone’s bottom line. Perhaps more importantly, it provides a much-needed sense of continuity.

“Traditions in exhibition have been kind of undermined by the past year,” says Vanco. “So being able to maintain a positive tradition like this feels extra special.”

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Thursday, April 22, 2021

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 for Demon Slayer are indicative of a quick burst, niche breakout among fans akin to Dragon Ball Super: Broly. That film posted a $20.2 million five-day opening back in January 2019. Internal models show Slayer outpacing Kombat‘s advance tickets by significant margins in select areas, but the latter is almost assured to have a wider spread of late purchases and walk-up business as the weekend progresses.

While some may argue the R rating hinders Demon Slayer and its brand strength in comparison to an established franchise with younger appeal, there’s something to be said for the fact that it became Japan’s biggest box office hit of all time last year… during a pandemic. The film has earned over $400 million globally to date, making it the highest earning anime film and Japanese film in history.

Like Slayer, the Mortal Kombat is courting a fan base of its own. Wider appeal among general audiences should help it prove less front-loaded than Demon Slayer past the initial days of release, although a similar R rating and current (as of Thursday evening) 56 percent Rotten Tomatoes score may combine to make the film less of a broader commercial draw than Godzilla vs. Kong. The scattershot (but mostly underwhelming) history of video game adaptations is also a factor in current forecasts.

Strong social media presences are also to thank for what’s set to be a banner weekend as R-rated films go during the pandemic. FUNimation has a strong track record when it comes to rallying anime fans and translating that to big pre-sales corridors, while the red band Kombat trailer itself was one of the most viewed of all time.

Another plus for Demon Slayer: no streaming availability until an electronic sell-through period begins on June 22 (pre-orders start April 26).

So far, Nobody holds the “R” crown with its $6.8 million debut in late March — a mark both of these films will easily surpass. The bottom line, however, is that pandemic-era models have no blueprint for this coming weekend, a common reality when a major studio releases a new film these days. With two fan-driven franchises in play for very similar niche target audiences and limited ticket selling power to teens, there is bound to be some overlap and potential oversaturation as market recovery is still progressing.

In favor of the scenario where both films could beat expectations, though, is the fact that Regal’s re-opening process continues with another 45 locations turning the lights back on this weekend — including seven in California and eight in New York state. New York City also just announced seating capacities can increase to 33 percent, but not until Monday, April 26 — so that won’t have much impact on this frame.

The headline outcome of the weekend will greatly depend on how FUNimation chooses to count box office grosses for Demon Slayer. The film opens Thursday evening in more than 1,200 locations, but there has been no confirmation as to whether those earnings will be counted separately or rolled into Friday and the weekend. For our purposes in the mean time, we’re excluding Slayer‘s forecasted Thursday from weekend figures.

On Showtimes Dashboard, Demon Slayer is currently the leader with 21 percent of all booked shows on Thursday (edging out Godzilla vs. Kong‘s 20 percent share). By Friday, the race widens a bit with Mortal Kombat claiming 24 percent versus Slayer‘s 18 percent. GvK slips to 13 percent as the weekend proper begins.

On the holdover front, we can safely expect the three-week champ to take a tumble. Warner Bros. day-and-date releases have at times been prone to sharper drops than others in the market, and this weekend will see Godzilla vs. Kong lose virtually all of its IMAX and premium screen footprint to both Kombat and Slayer.

In conjunction with appeal to male audiences, that’s a triple whammy that will put the shared monster universe pic’s trajectory for a $100 million domestic finish in further jeopardy. It stood at $80.66 million through Sunday, April 18.

Elsewhere, two new wide releases — plus Bleecker Street’s Together Together in 665 cinemas — will have some mild impact on screen availability. Any male-driven films like Nobody and The Courier are bound to take slightly more significant dents than family fare like Raya and the Last Dragon and Tom & Jerry as they remain free of direct audience competition. Everything will come down to location counts for those movies.

This Weekend vs. Last Weekend

Boxoffice projects this weekend’s top ten films will increase between 100 and 150 percent from last weekend’s $18.0 million top ten haul.

Weekend Forecast

Film Distributor 3-Day Weekend Forecast Projected Domestic Total through Sunday, April 25 Location Count % Change from Last Wknd
Mortal Kombat (2021) Warner Bros. Studios

$17,400,000

($14 – 19 million range)

$17,400,000

($14 – 19 million range)

~3,073 NEW
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train FUNimation

$11,500,000

($9 – 14 million range)

$17,000,000

($14 – 19 million range)

1,500+ NEW
Godzilla vs. Kong Warner Bros. Studios $3,000,000 $85,200,000 ~2,600 -62%
Raya and the Last Dragon Walt Disney Pictures $1,700,000 $39,900,000 1,819 -12%
Nobody Universal Pictures $1,600,000 $21,400,000 2,252 -36%
The Unholy Sony Pictures / Screen Gems $1,300,000 $11,400,000 1,835 -37%
Tom & Jerry Warner Bros. Studios $825,000 $43,700,000 ~1,500 -26%
Together Together Bleecker Street $625,000 $625,000 665 NEW
The Girl Who Believes in Miracles Atlas Distribution $450,000 $2,600,000 ~800 -19%
Voyagers Lionsgate $375,000 $3,100,000 1,278 -52%

All forecasts subject to change before the first confirmation of weekend estimates from studios or alternative sources.

Theater counts are updated as confirmed by studios.

Forecasts above do not necessarily represent the top ten, but rather films with the widest theatrical footprint based on studio confirmations entering the weekend.

For press and media inquiries, please contact Shawn Robbins

Follow Boxoffice PRO on Twitter

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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, Chief Partnership Officer, Screenvision Media. “We are proud that, coming out of the last year, Screenvision continues to represent 7 of the top 10 exhibitor companies. Our most recent deal with Studio Movie Grill, as well as with other key exhibitor partners over the last 12 months, reflect the confidence they continue to show in Screenvision as the destination for advertisers desiring to reach the sought-after moviegoing consumer.”

Screenvision cites its Marquee Position program, a premium ad-spot that runs prior to the theatrical presentation, as one of its main draws for clients as the cinema business begins to recover in the United States. The company launched the concept in late 2019 and will continue offering it as more audiences return to theaters in the weeks and months ahead.

“As Studio Movie Grill emerges from Chapter 11, one of our first moves was to extend our relationship with Screenvision to begin reengaging with advertisers,” said Ted Croft, Studio Movie Grill CEO, in a press release. “Screenvision has proven to be an outstanding partner and we are pleased to extend our relationship for many years to come.”

“We are confident that moviegoing audiences will soon fill our theatres and important advertising revenue will follow,” added Ryan Jankovic, Executive Vice President, NCG, in the same release. “Screenvision consistently takes an innovative approach in optimizing inventory and leveraging its long-standing relationships with advertisers that enhances the moviegoing experience.”

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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 is our focus, however, by partnering with Row8, we see premium video on demand as an opportunity to expand our services to our movie-loving guests and Reel Rewards members in a digital, in-home format. The Row8 platform is the next step in the extension of our overall guest offerings at Southern Theatres,” said Ron Krueger, President and Chief Operating Officer of Southern Theaters, in a press release. 

Row8’s Calkins added, “We think this is a big win for everyone who loves movies. As the timing for theatrical titles availabilities to the home continues to accelerate, now more than ever forward-thinking exhibitors are poised to extend their consumer relationships into the home by servicing the biggest titles at the peaks of their awareness and interest. And by doing so on the back of Row8’s significant investments in building a multi-platform national service of scale, now exhibitors of any size can compete with the larger in-home competitors.” 

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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.

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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 media forum to really put the word out that, ‘Look, [the theater industry] doesn’t have palliatives. We don’t have any [government] support system like they have in the West. All we have is these cinemas.’ Basically, when it came to the releases of their films, we had to emotionally connect with the audiences again: Look, guys, this is how we’re surviving. Come support us in the cinemas. Give us a chance to show you that in the seven months of the lockdown, we’ve been very creative. We’ve been working hard to give you films that can entertain you. And I have to say the last quarter, really, it was Nigerian films that were saviors of the day. In the last six, seven months, Nigerian firms have actually helped the cinema industry in English West Africa stay alive.” 

Film Piracy During the Pandemic

“One of the films that was really hit quite hit by this phase that we’re going through was Coming 2 America. We’re blessed—we are partners of Amazon, who gave us the rights to release it in Nigeria. Within hours of the launch on Amazon, it was everywhere. It was even physically duplicated. That was the one that was very, very painful, because based on the opening, it could have done record, record numbers. This was a film where people were asking, ‘Why are you going to see it in the cinema? I have a copy on my laptop.’ People were tweeting that and sharing file sharing sites. It was that brazen.”

The Potential of the Nigerian Film Market

“I’ve always said, for years, that people should watch out for the territory of Nigeria. What the territory needs is a little bit of injection of capital, and you’ll see an explosive growth. I have a lot of respect for what’s happened in China. But I think with Nigeria, you can get a lot of organic, real growth, because of the dynamism of the people and their entrepreneurial spirit. It’s really small amounts of capital that can make a big difference here. I think the data supports that. I hope that in a few years from now, we’ll be able to look at those key moments where we turn the corner and there is an inflection point and explosive growth.”

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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 System, RosettaNet circuit management, Basekey, and DCP content delivery network Movie Transit.

Unique X’s Chief Commercial Officer Phil Morris commented: “We are delighted to strengthen our supply relationship with Pathé Netherlands, with the addition of the Smart Trailering solution. The Dutch market is a key market for Unique X and the ongoing adoption of our technology by Pathé is a source of great pride to us.”

Doron Kurz, Commercial Director Pathé noted: “We are very pleased to be starting with Unique X. This smart way of trailering enables us to show the appropriate trailers for the right films and the right audience. Our visitors will be better informed about upcoming films that match their film preferences and should not be missed. This way, the support act films become even more part of the day or evening out for our visitors.”

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Wednesday, April 21, 2021

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, Philadelphia), respectively. Construction on a new location in Alpharetta, Georgia—a 14-screen cinema in that city’s Northpoint Mall—is slated for completion later this year.

Part of SMG’s restructuring is the naming of CFO/COO Ted Croft as its new CEO. Croft has been with Studio Movie grill since 2011 and has played a key role in the company’s expansion over the last decade. Says Croft: “This has been a challenging time for the industry and the brand. It’s a testament to SMG’s founder, team members, and our other stakeholders, that we’re standing here today delivering a best-in-class experience to folks getting out of their homes and safely back into theaters.”

In moving forward, SMG has also partnered with NATO to brings its own “Simple, Safer Ways to Enjoy the Show” safety and sanitation protocols further in line with NATO’s CinemaSafe program. Per SMG’s VP of learning and development Sheri Lawrence, “In a recent survey of more than 50,000 SMG Guests attending a location in the last 6 months, our ‘Simple, Safer Ways to Enjoy the Show’ safety and sanitation strategy earned SMG a 95% in cleanliness and 97% in safety.”

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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.

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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 and Southern California Cinetech Services, the installations at the Queen Creek theater consisted of seven Stellar White cinema screens ranging between 16ft. x 30ft. and 29ft. x 53ft., as well as one silver 24ft. x 44ft. SeVision 3D GX cinema screen.

In addition to its cinema auditoriums, the Queen Creek theater features a 20-lane bowling alley, glow-in-the-dark miniature golf course, 50-game arcade, virtual reality bays and VR games and rides. It also offers food deliveries to theater seats or bowling lanes as well as a full-service bar.

“In our state-of-the-art Queen Creek FatCats, we have once again gone with Severtson Screens because we value the unmatched quality and longevity of the screens Severtson produces,” added David Benson, development partner at FatCats Entertainment. “FatCats chose to expand to the town of Queen Creek because it is a great community that complements our FatCats values, not to mention the perfect spot for year-round fun. The City of Queen Creek is growing quickly and FatCats wants to be a part of something truly special.”

FatCats opened its first theater in Provo, Utah in 2001.

Severtson has manufactured cinemas screens for theaters in countries across the globe, including the U.S., Mexico, Canada, Korea, Japan, Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, Spain, Germany, France, New Zealand, Australia, Netherlands, Thailand, Scotland, China and Russia.

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