Eight people were named as winners of the Gold Award at October’s upcoming cinema and exhibition convention CineEurope, given for “outstanding dedication and service to the sector.”
Hanna Dobslaw: Theatre Manager, Cineplex Alhambra, Berlin, Germany
Alexander Kuznetsov: COO, KARO Cinema Chain, Russia
Ulf Jansson: CTO, Winberg Kino, Sweden
Jon Nutton: Marketing Director, Empire Cinemas, UK
Angeles San Gabino: Former Managing Director, FECE, Spain
Alain Surmulet: Technical Director, Noé Cinemas, France
Dee Vassili: Executive Director, Group HR, VUE International, UK
Martin Waller: Group Food and Beverage Director, ODEON Cinemas Group, UK
The awards will be presented on the final night of CineEurope at the awards cremony on Thursday, October 7 at the Centre de Convencions Internacional de Barcelona (CCIB) in Barcelona, Spain.
“The Gold Awards were started by UNIC [the International Union of Cinemas] and CineEurope in order to recognize individuals that have served our industry in so many ways throughout their careers,” CineEurope co-managing director Andrew Sunshine said in a press release. “On behalf of the entire Film Expo team, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the eight individuals being honored in 2021 and thank them for their contributions, hard work, and dedication. Each and every one exemplifies what this award is about.”
Rolando Rodriguez was announced this week as 2021’s winner of the Dan Fellman Show “E” award, a lifetime achievement prize, at November’s upcoming film convention ShowEast.
Rodriguez is the chair, president and CEO of Marcus Theatres and executive vice president of The Marcus Corporation, in addition to his roles as chair of the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) and serving on the Board of Directors of the Global Cinema Federation.
Previously, he was the CEO and president of Rave Cinemas, and before that the senior vice president of North American field operations for AMC, the company at which he began his career in 1975.
“We are extremely honored to present Rolando Rodriguez with this award at ShowEast this year. There is no better example in our business that truly represents what this award is all about,” Film Expo Group President Andrew Sunshine said in a press release. “Rolando’s dedication and commitment to the theatrical community is second to none.”
ShowEast, which is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, will be held from November 8-11 at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel in Florida.
The Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based Marcus Theatres ranked fifth in Boxoffice PRO‘s Giants of Exhibition 2021 ranking of North America’s largest cinema circuits, with 1,097 screens at 89 locations.
Listen to Boxoffice PRO editorial director Daniel Loría interview Rodriguez for an October 2020 episode of The Boxoffice Podcast below, or read a transcript here.
July comes to a close this weekend with a trio of new releases — Jungle Cruise, The Green Knight, and Stillwater — catering to various audiences after last weekend saw mixed results from Old and Snake Eyes.
Once again adding to the volatility of forecasts right now, domestic concerns around the Delta variant of COVID-19 have become more prominent over the past couple of weeks. On Tuesday, the CDC reversed its previous May announcement and recommended that vaccinated people resume wearing masks indoors. Without mandates in place, though, that’s leading to some questioning from experts and people in general as to what this latest guidance means as virus cases climb again among the unvaccinated.
How does all of this impact moviegoing? That’s something the next few weeks may tell us.
While some have pointed to last weekend’s underwhelming debuts as evidence that audiences are already shying away from theaters again, it’s too soon to tell. The openers were poorly reviewed and had fair amounts of baggage attached to them from the get-go, a number of films continued to enjoy healthy holds last weekend (F9 declined just 37 percent despite new, direct competition), and of course, streaming availability for films like Black Widow and Space Jam: A New Legacy continue to alter post-opening consumer habits for those realizing they can save money watching some of these films at home.
Rather, last weekend simply qualifies as part of the ebb and flow expectation predicted throughout this long box office recovery period. It was inevitable that the declining quality of content would result in weaker box office performances after several bright spots and benchmarks this summer, and that came to fruition last week.
Cautiously, though, it’s also wise to prepare for continued slow-downs if Delta concerns and resumption of masking do indeed stall box office recovery again in the short term. Even if they don’t have a profound impact in the long term, the release slate runs low on four-quadrant blockbusters until September and October.
With that analysis in mind, here’s a breakdown of what to expect from this weekend’s new releases.
PROS:
Jungle Cruise boasts some of the best star power of any film to open during the pandemic so far with Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt in the lead. Johnson, of course, has powered many a standalone and franchise film to strong box office performances and he continues to be a draw among men and women. Blunt is fresh off the resounding symbolic and financial success of A Quiet Place Part II earlier this summer, further bolstering her ever-increasing appeal to casual audiences and movie fans alike.
Cruise‘s marketing footprint has reached far and wide thanks to promotion during major sporting and television events this summer, on top of it’s built-in IP awareness — vis-à-vis, the Disney theme park ride. Reviews are healthy for a family adventure film, with many critics referencing its comparability to modern classics like Pirates of the Caribbean and 1999’s The Mummy as similar crowd-pleasers.
Cruise‘s pre-sales and social media tracking models are exceeding those of Cruella and Space Jam: A New Legacy, a particularly encouraging stat given the lack of any pre-existing franchise movie lead-in for Cruise. With appeal to men and women of virtually all ages, it has the potential to over-perform expectations this weekend with its big screen-friendly adventure premise. The film will enjoy a presence at 390 IMAX auditoriums, over 825 PLF screens, 1,300 3D locations, and 230 specialty D-Box and 4DX auditoriums.
A24’s The Green Knight has been the recipient of strong pre-sale activity as indie and art house fans drive demand for what could be a sleeper hit this weekend and one of the year’s early award season contenders. Strong reviews bode well, and past A24 summer releases like Hereditary and Midsommar have proven how capable the studio is at delivering a box office hit even in a highly competitive market.
Appeal to young adults should be another strength for Green Knight as they remain a driver in the current moviegoing climate. Despite sharply rising COVID cases among the youth, they’re still a demographic most willing to venture back into public and indoor settings right now.
Focus Features has been a staple of specialty releases during the pandemic, and Stillwater has been given their biggest marketing push yet. Star Matt Damon and Spotlight director Tom McCarthy make for strong selling points to attract adult audiences not interested in either of the weekend’s other releases, while appeal to men specifically could be an advantage as similar films have attracted that base to theaters during the pandemic.
CONS:
Once again, Disney is experimenting with its day-and-date hybrid model on Jungle Cruise as the film releases Friday on streaming for an additional $30 to Disney+ subscribers. With parents and those over 35 being among the most hesitant to come back to theaters so far, coupled with the lack of eligibility for kids under 12 to be vaccinated, much of the family audience will likely choose the bargain discount method of watching this film at home right now. As prior day-and-date releases have shown this summer, that will almost certainly cut into box office potential — which, pre-pandemic, had Jungle Cruise forecast north of a $50 million domestic opening as part of an exclusively theatrical release.
The Green Knight hasn’t had the kind of blanket media marketing spread as the other major studio films opening this weekend, so awareness is likely hyper-targeted to those who have followed A24 and the film’s road through production and ultimate release. The film also has a 20-day exclusive window to theaters.
Stillwater‘s reviews are mixed for the genre, which may dampen demand to see it in theaters. Doubling down on that disadvantage is the fact that, as mentioned, adults remain the most cautious to get back in theaters. This might ultimately be the kind of movie some of them wait to see at home right now as it’s expected to become available via PVOD in just 17 days as part of parent studio Universal’s new windowing structure.
In general, a close eye should be kept on openers and holdovers alike this weekend as the aforementioned Delta variant concerns become more prevalent for some potential patrons.
Opener Forecast Ranges
Jungle Cruise Opening Weekend Range: $25 – 35 million
Domestic Total Range: $75 – 135 million
The Green Knight Opening Weekend Range: $7 – 12 million
Domestic Total Range: $20 – 40 million
Stillwater Opening Weekend Range: $2 – 7 million
Domestic Total Range: $7 – 25 million
Weekend Forecast
Boxoffice projects this weekend’s top ten films will increase between 5 and 15 percent from last weekend’s $67.1 million top ten aggregate.
Film
Distributor
3-Day Weekend Forecast
Projected Domestic Total through Sunday, August 1
Location Count
% Change from Last Wknd
Jungle Cruise
Walt Disney Studios
$30,000,000
$30,000,000
4,310
NEW
The Green Knight
A24
$9,600,000
$9,600,000
~2,700
NEW
Old
Universal Pictures
$7,100,000
$31,100,000
3,379
-58%
Black Widow
Disney / Marvel Studios
$6,500,000
$167,000,000
3,360
-44%
Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins
Paramount Pictures
$5,200,000
$23,500,000
3,540
-61%
Space Jam: A New Legacy
Warner Bros. Pictures
$4,900,000
$61,000,000
~3,600
-49%
Stillwater
Focus Features
$4,000,000
$4,000,000
2,531
NEW
F9: The Fast Saga
Universal Pictures
$2,900,000
$168,800,000
2,336
-40%
Escape Room: Tournament of Champions
Sony Pictures / Columbia
$2,100,000
$20,400,000
2,086
-40%
The Boss Baby: Family Business
Universal Pictures
$1,700,000
$53,700,000
1,863
-40%
All forecasts subject to revision before the first confirmation of Thursday previews or Friday estimates from studios or alternative sources.
Theater counts are updated as confirmed by studios.
For press and media inquiries, please contact Shawn Robbins
This week on the Boxoffice Podcast, co-hosts Daniel Loria and Rebecca Pahle sit down with veteran producers John Fox and John Davis of Davis Entertainment, whose credits include Game Night, Chronicle, and Dolemite Is My Name. Davis and Fox’s latest outing—Jungle Cruise, starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt—comes to theaters and Disney Premium Access this weekend. In the following conversation, edited for length and clarity, Fox and Davis speak candidly on the film’s hybrid release model and the struggles of setting a metric of success for a film being released during the pandemic era.
Listen to The Full Episode:
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Could you tell us how you came to be involved in this project–when that was, and how the process developed to finally getting this film out in theaters?
John Fox: It’s been a long process. John, when did we first pitch Disney?
John Davis: It’s been six years, right?
John Fox: Six years. First of all, we love the ride. Both John and I have been going to the theme park our entire lives, and we love, love, love the ride. It felt like a unique opportunity, because there’s a character in the jungle boat captain, and there’s a loose story for the ride. The Imagineers always, for those iconic rides, tell a story. So we felt like, “Okay, those are two assets we can use as jumping off points to build a bigger story for the movie.” We went to Disney, we pitched them our own original story for the movie, and they said, “Hey, this is great. Can you go get a movie star?” And we said, ‘Sure, okay.’ We reached out to Dwayne [Johnson], who I had made a movie with years and years and years ago, and we stayed in touch over the years. Dwayne read the story, called us not even a day later and said, “I’m in.” And then he called Sean Bailey at Disney and said, “I’m your jungle boat captain. I’m in. Let’s do this.” And then John, you called Alan Horn, right?
John Davis: I called Alan Horn, who was chairman of the Disney Motion Picture Group, who I’ve known for years and years and years. And he thought it was a great idea. Then the script came in, and it was great. It was time to make sure we cemented Dwayne Johnson’s involvement in the movie. So John and myself and Sean Bailey, who’s president of production, went to the set of “Ballers,” which he was shooting in suburban L.A. We brought these great Disney picture books. We showed up on set and we said, “We’ve got four great books for you. And here’s the script for the movie.” And he just laughed, and he looked at it. And he called us Monday morning and said, “I’m in.:
John Fox: I gotta say, movies can be a tortured process. This wasn’t. We got very lucky that we had a supportive studio from the get-go. And we had a movie star who was passionate about this role and about this movie as a potential franchise. We got the stars aligned on this one.
Jungle Cruise has been compared to a franchise like Pirates of the Caribbean. Do you guys think that’s a fair comparison? Are you comfortable with it?
John Fox: Yeah, I think that’s a great comparison. If somebody tells you, “You’re as handsome as Brad Pitt,” are you going to be like, “No, I don’t think so?” Pirates of the Caribbean—we should be so lucky to be in that same conversation. That’s one of the greatest, maybe the greatest adventure franchise of all time.
John Davis: And, by the way, two and a half billion people have been on the Jungle Cruise ride. Not only in Disneyland, but in Florida and in some of the international parks. So it may be the most ridden ride in the history of Disney.
And the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise was one of the first that really proved the power of international markets and international audiences. The fourth one didn’t do so well in the United States, but it made a ton internationally. Dwayne Johnson himself also has that same kind of international appeal.
John Fox: He does. He really does. He’s a brand. Dwayne has evolved from just a movie star to a global brand. He is the only actor I can think of that is truly, truly a global brand. He’s reaching more people on his social media than any Disney platform, I would imagine, at this point. He’s reaching 200 million people with every post, or more. I haven’t kept track of his latest tally of followers. But yeah, it’s extraordinary. And his acumen for marketing is extraordinary. The guy is so tapped in to how to market himself, the movie, how to really get his fans excited about whatever it is that he’s promoting. Dwayne’s a marketing genius.
John Davis: He is. He did what Arnold Schwarzenegger figured out early on, that if you’re willing to go to all those international market——because, in those international markets, to become a star in those markets, they want to see you and they want you there.
You’re releasing your film with two different asterisks attached to what the box office performance will be for theater owners. First, it’s coming off of a recovering market. The pandemic is still a reality, not only here in the U.S., but in many countries around the world. And the additional asterisk is of it being available on PVOD day and date, which was a very controversial decision for a lot of our colleagues in exhibition. With all of that around the title, for you guys as producers, what is your success metric for this film, for you to be comfortable to step back and say, “Alright, we’re happy with this performance?”
John Davis: I just want to point out, the original Pirates did about $30, $31 million its opening weekend. It just kept going, and then it was huge internationally. The first Jumanji opened at $25 million and just kept going. We’ve tested this movie with audiences, and we know that it tests through the roof. We’ve shown this to distributors around the world. Theater owners. Uniformly, they love this movie. This movie really, really plays. And so I think it’s possible this movie does a six to one expansion multiple. You don’t get that very often. You certainly don’t get it on action movies. You certainly don’t get it on horror pictures. But you can get it off of a film that’s four-quadrant, has a family component to it, but has those other audience metrics to it like Pirates did. So it’ll be very interesting to see, really, not the opening numbers so much as where are we in six or seven weeks. Because there’s no other family movies coming after us, and that we’re excited about.
I do worry sometimes about the day and date, because right now with this variant circulating, parents—we can see it in the numbers, people comfortable taking their kids to theaters, it’s been going down a little bit lately. So it may push more and more families to Disney Plus. But I am so happy, and I know John will say the same thing, that we’re going to have an opportunity to show this the way it should be shown, which is in a theater. Because it is a big movie with big sound, great set pieces, big music, and the way to see this movie and enjoy it is with an audience and seeing it on a huge screen. We shot that way, and it’s supposed to be [seen] that way.
Another movie that was very suited to the big screen experience and that had four-quadrant appeal—though not so much the family elements—is Black Widow, which also had a hybrid release from Disney. That second week drop was pretty steep. What’s your reaction been to seeing Black Widow‘s theatrical run play out?
John Fox: You know, I honestly don’t know. I absolutely loved the movie. I thought it was such a good time. It’s smart and fun. I loved it. I thought word of mouth would have been better. Did Disney Plus cannibalize it a little bit more on the second weekend? Maybe. I honestly don’t know. But that steep of a drop off, there has to be some fundamental reason why. It’s too big a drop off for it to just be margin of error. There has to be a very clear reason why. I don’t think it was the quality of the film, so I can only attribute it, possibly, to the Disney Plus of it all. But listen, I don’t know.
John Davis: Where Disney Plus, I think, is really going to help us is in those Latin American countries, because they’re under-vaccinated right now and the virus is really raging there. I suspect that in a lot of those great Latin American markets like Brazil, Argentina, or Colombia, people are going to be uncomfortable going into theaters. So the fact that we can go into their homes I actually am thankful for. But, look, we believe the movies should be in movie theaters… That’s why I got into this business as a kid growing up. I saw those movies in Denver, Colorado. My father owned a movie theater. We had the first twin in Colorado, and I used to see like 300 movies a year. We used to get really excited when we would have Star Wars, and there was a line around the block. We would watch the line and go, “This is the greatest thing in the world.” And I just think, as an industry, we have to do everything we can do as we come out of this pandemic to make sure those theaters are thriving and survive, and that people watch movies that way. Because I believe they want to, and there’s nothing like the communal experience of watching a movie. That is half the fun of it.
John Fox: Amen to that. But I will say—Disney Plus, for families, for people who are not comfortable taking their kids to the movie theaters right now, what a great asset to have. For this movie, for every movie right now, it’s good. It’s good that families can see it.
John Davis: Because they otherwise, especially now, a lot of families would probably be afraid to go to the theaters. And we needed to release this movie sooner or later, right? We’d sat on it for a year.
It’s easy for us to sit down and analyze performance theatrically. When it comes to making decisions based on these hybrid models, how in the dark are you guys as producers? Do you have access to data points? Or is that a gap for producers as much as it is for the rest of the industry?
John Davis: You get them incidentally. They kind of share them with you. We do this at Netflix a lot. John and I had a big movie at Netflix, Dolemite [Is My Name], [the] Eddie Murphy movie.
One of my favorites of the year, by the way. I hate to interrupt, but that was just a spectacular movie. And I wish I’d seen it on the big screen.
John Fox: Thank you. It’s fun on the big screen.
John Davis: It is. John and I got to test it with audiences, where they went crazy. With a comedy, half the fun of the movie is the raucous audience, that laughter, right? If something is funny, the audience makes it even funnier with the way they react to it.
What kind of data did Netflix give you on Dolemite?
John Davis: They gave us an incidental [data]. They didn’t print anything out. They didn’t give us comparisons. They said, “You did really great. You did really great in the foreign market. You overindexed. The algorithm went to sleep happy last night.” You know what I mean? They kind of suggest it so you can put it together, but nobody really shares the hard facts or puts it into context.
Does that make your job tougher, as producers, that you sort of have to poke around and guess on audience response? Or are the success metrics different today than they were five years ago?
John Davis: Our job is to make great movies.
John Fox: I was going to say the same thing. Tell great stories. That’s our job. Release strategy, what platform, theatrical, streaming—it’s out of our control. I get frustrated, especially when you’re working with a streaming platform, and they don’t give you—they kind of hint at numbers, but then they don’t give you comps. Like, OK, I hear that number, but I don’t know—what are the comps? Am I above the comp? Am I below? I don’t know what the expectation is. So that can be frustrating. We’ll find out with Jungle Cruise. But Disney Plus has only been around for a little bit, so they don’t probably have real historic comps yet. They’ve got a few films. But I’m curious. Nobody has told us what their expectations would be for either a theatrical number or a Disney Plus number.
John Davis: And I think, in these pandemic times, they really don’t know themselves. They don’t know how to calibrate—I mean, they can look at profit and loss, I’m sure. But they don’t know how to calibrate, really, what’s a success and what’s not a success. It could be what a success is is that the movie spawns—like we believe our movie will—a sequel. The movie did really, really well, audiences loved it, and you go and you make a sequel knowing that the sequel will come out when everybody’s back to theaters and the world gets back to normal.
Right now, there are so many question marks in the recovery process for movie theaters. As producers, what role does theatrical play for you in the coming years?
John Davis: Every movie we are trying to make, every movie we have in development—and I believe we have 39 movies in development right now—every one of them is geared for a theatrical movie experience. We love movies coming out in theaters. That is how we grew up. That is how people traditionally have seen movies in this country. And I think that we have a real obligation, this generation of movie producers and this industry, to the people of the last 80 years who got us to this point. Who created this tradition, who created this industry, who created this uniquely American form of entertainment that’s now gone around the world. I will do everything possible to support in-theater movie viewing—our movies or anybody else’s.
John Fox: A hundred percent. We’re in this to make movies that people can see in a theater. A communal experience. Laugh and cry together. That’s why we do this. That said, if they happen to roll it to a streaming platform, okay. That’s the way it works.
John Davis: We made a movie that we always wanted to make. A Disney movie, a big blockbuster movie, a big event movie, a movie with a great, big movie star. We could never [have] predicted the road the distribution of it would take, but we’re rolling with the punches.
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As moviegoers make their long-awaited return to cinemas, premium large-format (PLF) auditoriums have emerged as a preferred destination. The trend began to emerge as early as last summer, when Chinese cinemas first reopened following the closures that presaged the pandemic’s global disruption. The August release of The Eight Hundred, the first Chinese film to be shot in Imax, brought blockbuster earnings from Imax screenings despite the format being available in just 1 percent of the country’s screens. Imax continued to see similarly strong performances from its locations as more cinemas opened around the globe. The box office hot streak carried over during the lull in new releases experienced by much of the market during the first half of 2021. A rerelease of James Cameron’s Avatar in China, for instance, brought in nearly a third of its opening weekend haul from Imax screens. Domestically, Imax began to hit similar benchmarks as audiences returned. By July, Imax claimed nearly 10 percent of the $80 million domestic opening weekend from Disney’s Black Widow—at the time, the biggest pandemic-era debut in North America.
The over-indexing of PLF auditoriums in the global return to cinemas hasn’t been exclusive to Imax. Immersive seating provider D-Box experienced that same bump with the release of Godzilla vs. Kong earlier this year. The film opened overseas in late March to $123.1 million from 53,256 screens, 5 percent below the $130 million international bow of 2019’s Godzilla King of the Monsters from 53,515 screens. Despite the slight drop in overall box office, D-Box sold more tickets in its motion-seating format for Godzilla vs. Kong than it did for the film’s 2019 predecessor—even with cinemas operating under capacity restrictions.
The number of PLF auditoriums has more than doubled over the past six years, according to the latest report from research firm Omdia. The sector grew by 17 percent from 2018 to 2019, slowing down to a 7 percent growth the following year because of the pandemic. By the end of 2020, there were close to 6,400 PLF screens globally, “a very small number in terms of the 203,000 cinema screens worldwide,” says Charlotte Jones, associate director of cinema at Omdia. Jones expects that global footprint to increase in the coming years, sharing her insights in a presentation at a recent edition of Boxoffice Pro’s latest “Live Sessions” webinar series focusing on the topic.
Jones defines PLF as auditoriums where best-in-class image and sound technology feature prominently and sometimes include newer formats, like immersive seating and panoramic screens. “By definition, premium formats elevate the cinema experience. They are multifaceted, often consisting of more than one element, and, in fact, exhibitors are known to cherry-pick and combine a number of concepts in their approach,” she says.
If her definition is broad, it is by design. The rise of premium-format screens over the years has expanded from what Omdia defines as “global-branded PLFs,” auditoriums under a third-party vendor’s brand like Dolby, RealD, and Imax, involved in the end-to-end life cycle of a film—from production to exhibition—to what has come to be known as “exhibitor-branded PLFs.” The exhibitor-led efforts are private-label offerings independently assembled by circuits themselves and oftentimes incorporate branded formats like Dolby Atmos immersive audio with non-branded fixtures like luxury seating or laser projection.
“Different exhibitors have different strategies, investing in a number of formats,” says Jones. “While [the top five circuits in North America] have investments in exhibitor PLF, it doesn’t preclude them from any investment across a number of other formats, so multiple brands can coexist, and we’ve actually seen this trend increasing.”
In North America, for example, more than 80 percent of AMC Theatres’ PLF auditoriums are globally branded through Imax and Dolby Cinema, the latter available exclusively in the United States through AMC. Regal and Cineplex each have 40 percent of their PLF fleet under their in-house brands—Regal RPX and Cineplex UltraAVX, respectively—with over half of their premium auditoriums branded under a variety of global partners.
On the other hand, the two remaining top five cinema chains in North America, Cinemark and Marcus Theatres, both have a majority of their PLF rooms under their respective private labels. Cinemark XD auditoriums represent over half of the circuit’s premium-format screens, with the bulk of its global-branded PLFs represented by D-Box and Imax auditoriums. D-Box expanded its relationship with Cinemark in the United States earlier this year, increasing its footprint by eight locations and reaching a total of 99 screens across the circuit. In the case of Marcus Theatres, over 90 percent of the circuit’s PLF screens operate under its in-house brand, UltraScreen DLX.
“When we break out that split between the global and exhibitor PLF brands, we can see a very different picture emerging by region,” says Jones. “North, Central, and South America are the only regions with more exhibitor-branded PLF screens than global PLF screens. Exhibitor PLF screens are less developed in Europe, particularly among some of the exhibitors in Eastern Europe, whereas in Asia Pacific there is a very high proportion of global PLF—mostly coming from China.”
The share of PLF screens relative to a territory’s total screen count remains low despite this growth. Emerging markets like Croatia, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Morocco are the only countries where PLF represents more than 5 percent of total screens, in accordance with markets tracked by Omdia.
“There is definite potential to expand in a lot of these markets. Looking towards the end of the scale, we do have some European markets, particularly those in Eastern Europe, as well as some others such as Germany and France that we can consider to be under-penetrated when it comes to PLF,” says Jones.
Recognizing the opportunity of investing in PLF while their territory was still underserved, French circuit CGR Cinemas hit the market in the late 2010s looking for a solution they could introduce to their audience. Unable to settle on any one concept, CGR devised its own PLF, Ice Theaters, in 2018. “We looked at all the premium large formats; those we found impressive were financially challenging for us, and those that were financially easy to recoup were not that impressive,” recalls Ice Theaters SVP of Global Sales Guillaume Thomine Desmazures. “So we tried to build our own premium large format, which initially was only for our own theaters, but all of a sudden it started to generate interest outside of our own theaters in France, and we realized that maybe this model, invented by an exhibitor, might interest other exhibitors.”
CGR spun off its Ice Theaters concept as a global-branded PLF, making it available to other cinema chains around the world. Ice incorporates a series of LED panels into the sides of the screen, creating an immersive experience by adding background peripheral elements to a viewer’s line of sight throughout a film, without distracting from the film image on the screen itself. The auditoriums are equipped with laser projectors, luxury recliner seating, and Dolby Atmos. “These are elements that not everyone will be able to recognize at first glance,” says Desmazures. “For instance, my niece and her friends won’t have a clue if they are in a theater with Dolby Atmos or laser projection—but they’ll be able to recognize the LED panels from the moment they walk into the room.”
CGR’s approach to developing Ice Theaters reflects Jones’s comments about how the latest generation of PLFs have incorporated a variety of elements into their design. Desmazures admits Ice Theaters had to walk a tightrope in its messaging to consumers in order to sell the premium nature of the format. “The main risk we identified is that if we treat this as a gimmick, we may attract some audiences—but they won’t come back later,” he says. “We needed to start with something flashy enough to be new, but complement it with a spectacular presentation so it convinced both studios and moviegoers on returning to the format.”
CGR now operates 40 Ice locations in France. Ice Theaters has since expanded to global sites like Regal’s L.A. Live location in the U.S. and a six-screen deal with Middle Eastern circuit Vox. Omdia’s research identifies emerging markets in general, and the Middle East in particular, as the hottest hubs for PLF expansion in the coming years. The Middle East boasts 129 PLF auditoriums spanning 16 territories, showing above-average investment in the sector. “We think it’s driven by the innovative nature of these exhibitors. We’ve got new screen construction there; new screens are more likely to invest in premium formats because they’re built from scratch,” says Jones. “It also has to do with the propensity of local audiences and a very high prevalence of multiplex theaters, as opposed to the sort of boutique or art house cinemas more common in some European territories.”
Programming also plays a big role in the prevalence of PLF, as major studios dedicate additional effort to incorporating premium formats into the production and post-production stages of their biggest titles. A film’s availability in premium format is often mentioned in marketing materials for the biggest tentpoles on the studio calendar. Those campaigns help eventize theatrical releases over other distribution models—including day-and-date SVOD and PVOD releases—enticing viewers to leave their homes and pay a higher ticket price at the cinema.
“Even the smallest screen in any of our theaters is better than what you have at home, but the premium experience—whether it’s sight and sound or seating—is something that you just can’t get in your living room,” says Ryan Wood, SVP and head film buyer at AMC Theatres. “We’ve seen it from our loyal guests and average consumers alike: they seek out our premium formats, especially on the big event titles.”
If PLF was once the domain of action-driven capers and sci-fi adventures, more genres have come to find success in premium format in recent years. Family films, horror movies, and musicals have all reached PLF screens in 2021. “We work across all genres,” says Jean-François Gagnon, global sales director, theatrical, at D-Box. “We’ve seen the haptic experience deliver a value that consumers recognize and are willing to pay extra for because it’s so different from anything they have at home.”
D-Box has leveraged the unique quality of its motion seating system as a main selling point for moviegoers. The company works with studios during a movie’s post-production to ensure its haptic seating technology works in harmony with the sound and visuals on-screen. That process is perfected by a team of designers, most of whom have a background in music or sound design, to design each film’s unique haptic track in a way that can accentuate and highlight specific details of a scene. The end result is a synchronization between the film and the patron’s seat, offering a level of immersion unavailable to home viewers.
A focus on the out-of-home experience, positioning cinemas as entertainment destinations for a night out, has received increased attention as movie theaters contend with a shorter (in some cases, nonexistent) theatrical exclusivity window emerging from the pandemic. “I think we’ve already seen how audiences are seeking out enhanced experiences on their return to movie theaters,” says Jones. “I think this presents further opportunities for cinemas to invest in their flagship screens. The rollout of these new concepts is not coming at a particularly opportune time [during the pandemic], but nonetheless, exhibitors need to continue to innovate and invest to remain relevant, particularly in the case of audiences having a higher number of subscriptions at home. What we’ve seen is that premium format creates more value for the whole content chain, not just in movie theaters, by eventizing the movie.”
The saturation of streaming content available at home has made it more difficult for new releases to stand out in the market. It has also led to a collaboration between studios and exhibitors that prioritizes event-driven campaigns ahead of a film’s release, often attached to advance ticketing opportunities. AMC’s Wood emphasizes the importance of promoting a circuit’s PLF showtimes during these advance-ticketing campaigns, “We make sure whenever an advanced sale campaign is launched by a studio, that our premium formats go along with it,” he says. “Normally, the first consumers to come to the movies want to see a title in the best format. If you are buying your ticket early, it means you want the best seat and you want the best format.”
The titles usually released in PLF auditoriums tend to be front-loaded studio tentpoles, earning the bulk of their gross during the first 10 days of release. Success or failure for a PLF release often comes down to a film’s opening-weekend performance in these auditoriums. “For us, we need to be there on opening weekend,” says Gagnon. “That’s the important part, reaching the people who are ready to pay for a ticket to see a movie the day it comes out.”
Coordinating the release schedule around the availability of premium screens is another important factor Wood believes exhibitors should consider in their PLF strategy. “You want to make sure you maximize your starts on premium format because, as we know, those runs typically only last for a week,” he says. “It’s a churn business, especially with this year’s slate. As a norm, if that consumer doesn’t get a chance to see it during the opening week, they may not get the chance to see it in Dolby or Imax.”
While the rise of PLF pre-dates the pandemic by several years, its role in drawing audiences during the reopening period has been significant enough to make analysts question the pace of its future growth. The slowdown in growth that occurred in 2020 can likely be attributed to the pandemic’s devastating effect on cinema circuits, which were forced to either temporarily suspend or permanently shutter operations. Those that did reopen now face the challenge of negotiating back-rent agreements with landlords. These factors could cause further disruption for the expansion of PLF screens in the coming years, as circuit’s capex investments are paused or curtailed because of the pandemic.
“Obviously this will have an impact going forward in terms of operators and their target investments. I think the first port of call was in reducing operating costs and driving down expenses. But operators need to innovate to survive, and I think, going forward, these premium formats will become a clear target for investment,” says Jones. “But of course, this is all based on their return on investment.”
Cinemark, the third-largest exhibition circuit in North America, has announced major personnel changes among its executive ranks. Mark Zoradi, CEO and Board Director, will retire as the circuit’s Chief Executive Officer at the end of 2021 while remaining a member of the Board of Directors until the company’s 2024 annual meeting.
Sean Gamble, currently serving as CFO and COO, will serve as the circuit’s new Chief Executive Officer as of January 1, 2022. Gamble has been promoted to President at Cinemark effective immediately and will serve as the company’s CEO and President following Zoradi’s departure.
Cinemark operates 523 theaters with 5,872 screens in 42 states domestically and 15 countries throughout Latin America.
“Serving as Cinemark’s CEO during the past six years has truly been the highlight of my career,” stated Zoradi. “While I’ve been in the industry for more than four decades, the vast majority was spent on the studio side of the business. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed participating in all aspects of theatrical exhibition and will treasure the time spent and deep connections established with the Cinemark team, as well as the many other industry relationships formed around the world.”
Zoradi continued, “Sean has been a tremendous partner in overseeing Cinemark’s operational execution and strategic vision, as well as effectively navigating the prolonged effects of COVID-19. As the industry is now on the path to recovery from the pandemic, I felt it was time to begin transitioning the CEO role to Sean’s capable hands. I have full confidence in Sean’s leadership abilities, particularly with the strength and depth of the executive team, and I look forward to continuing our relationship in my Board Director capacity.”
Gamble previously served as Executive Vice President and CFO of Universal Pictures prior to joining Cinemark. He held multiple senior leadership roles within the General Electric Company prior to his CFO role at Universal. During his tenure at Cinemark, Gamble has been instrumental in leading the strategic vision of the company, enhancing and strengthening Cinemark’s financial discipline and capabilities, driving varied growth and margin expansion initiatives, introducing a culture of continuous improvement and streamlining numerous processes, all of which have been transformational for the company.
“It is an honor to be named Cinemark’s next CEO and have an opportunity to lead such a world class team,” said Gamble. “In this role, I will aim to continue building upon Cinemark’s over 35-year history of growth, industry leadership and entertaining guests through an unparalleled cinematic experience. I look forward to continuing to work closely with our exceptional leadership team and Board of Directors as we drive a wide range of consumer-facing and productivity initiatives that will position Cinemark for ongoing success in the evolving media and entertainment landscape.”
Gamble continued, “It’s been an absolute pleasure working alongside Mark over the course of the past six years. I am grateful for his partnership and mentorship during that time, as well as his support in ensuring a seamless transition over the coming months.”
Lee Roy Mitchell, Cinemark’s Founder and Executive Chairman stated, “We are grateful for Mark and the significant impact he has made on our company, and our industry, during his tenure as CEO. Mark reinvigorated a culture of innovation and evolution in our company, challenging the teams’ line of thought and rationale, all while staying steady at the helm when our industry needed him most. We are thrilled that Cinemark will continue to benefit from Mark’s background, business expertise and perspective as an ongoing member of our Board.”
Mitchell continued, “As an integral member of the executive leadership team with a consistent emphasis on innovation, growth and process improvement, Sean has proven to be the natural successor following Mark’s retirement. He will continue the momentum of the company as it recovers from COVID-19 and further solidify our industry-leading position. Sean has the full support of the Board and we are confident in a smooth transition over the coming months.”
Cinemark also announced the promotion of several executives as part of the executive leadership transition:
Wanda Gierhart Fearing has been promoted to Chief Marketing and Content Officer. Since joining Cinemark in 2018, Gierhart Fearing has significantly enhanced the strength of key marketing functions and spearheaded the company’s e-commerce and digital/social media transformation. Her extensive retail background has been invaluable in numerous company initiatives, including the re-launch of Cinemark’s branding, evolution of the customer experience and in-theatre journey, as well as modernizing and streamlining theatre designs. Gierhart Fearing has also been instrumental in building and enhancing the company’s studio marketing and exhibitor relations rapport through her strategic partnerships team. To benefit from the growing synergies between marketing and content distribution, the company is re-aligning its internal corporate structure. Justin McDaniel will continue to lead Cinemark’s outstanding film team and now report to Gierhart Fearing.
Damian Wardle has been promoted to EVP Theatre & Technology Operations. Wardle has been with Cinemark/Century for over thirty years and has significant experience in field operations, information technology and theatre technology. He is a highly respected industry leader who is widely recognized as the best in the theatre tech business. Under Wardle’s management, Cinemark has consistently delivered the highest level of projection and sound quality, developed a top-notch guest service center, and designed the strategy for laser projection deployment across the company’s global platform over the course of the next decade. Throughout the pandemic, Wardle was an evolutionary change agent through his tactical planning, forward thinking and operational excellence, which were vital in the successful staging, relaunch and ramp-up of Cinemark’s theatres. With this promotion, Wardle will now oversee theatre operations with the continued leadership of Steve Zuehlke and his industry-leading field operations team.
Sid Srivastava has been promoted to EVP Human Resources, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Corporate Social Responsibility. Prior to joining the company in 2016, Srivastava had an extensive background with Coca-Cola and the General Electric Company spanning nearly twenty years. During his tenure at Cinemark, Srivastava has implemented a new human resources management system, redesigned the company’s total rewards structure and led a range of strategic organizational development programs. This promotion is in recognition of his proven leadership, proficiency, and collaboration, as well as his ability to drive initiatives and deliver results. Furthermore, his role will expand to oversee the company’s ongoing Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives.
In addition, the full management team is comprised of highly skilled and experienced leaders with significant industry tenure represented by the following department heads:
Valmir Fernandes, President International
Michael Cavalier, EVP General Counsel & Business Affairs
Phillip Couch, EVP Food & Beverage
Jay Jostrand, EVP Real Estate
Steve Zuehlke, EVP Global Theatre Operations
Don Harton, EVP Construction & Design
Justin McDaniel, SVP Global Content Strategy & Analysis
As the joke goes: on the first day of school, what did the teacher say her three favorite words were? June, July and August.
The end of the summer makes people want to cram in all that fun and entertainment at the last minute, and cinemas are obliging with a packed schedule of films to close out the season. Here’s your guide to the titles playing wide on the big screen in August 2021.
The Suicide Squad
Friday, August 6
Premise: Margot Robbie returns as Harley Quinn in this R-rated action comedy sequel about a team of offbeat and inappropriate superheroes, which now add John Cena’s Peacemaker, Idris Elba’s Bloodsport, and Pete Davidson’s Blackguard. Guardians of the Galaxy screenwriter and director James Gunn helms.
Box office comparisons: 2016’s prior installment remains the biggest August opening weekend of all time by a large margin with $133.6M, ending with a $325.1M domestic total. However, the franchise appeared to quickly lose steam, as the Quinn-centered spinoff Birds of Prey failed to fly with a $33.0M start / $84.1M total.
Don’t Breathe 2
Friday, August 13
Premise: Stephen Lang returns as Norman Nordstrom, a blind man fighting home intruders, in this R-rated horror thriller sequel.
Box office comparisons: August 2016’s original installment breathed easy with a better-than-expected $26.4M opening / $89.2M domestic total.
Free Guy
Friday, August 13
Premise: Ryan Reynolds stars as the titular Guy, a video game background character on a mission to save his entire — albeit digital — world before the game’s developers shut it down. Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum, Cheaper by theDozen) directs.
Box office comparisons: In terms of “video games come to life” movies, 2015’s Pixels starring Adam Sandler leveled up with a $24.0M opening / $78.7M domestic total. And while this R-rated title is hardly a perfect comparison, Reynolds’ fellow summer 2021 action comedy The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard shot up a $11.3M opening / $37.4M domestic total to date.
Respect
Friday, August 13
Premise: Jennifer Hudson stars as iconic soul singer Aretha Franklin in this biopic, named for her signature 1965 chart-topping song. Liesl Tommy makes her feature film directorial debut, after earning a Tony Award nomination for directing Lupita Nyong’o in Broadway’s Eclipsed.
Box office comparisons: Among other 1960s soul musician biopics, see the opening weekends and domestic totals of 2014’s James Brown biopic Get on Up ($13.5M / $30.5M) and 2004’s Ray Charles biopic Ray ($20.0M / $75.3M).
PAW Patrol: The Movie
Friday, August 20
Premise: Based on the hit Nickelodeon show aimed at toddlers, airing since 2013, the movie follows a group of talking dogs assigned to protect the town of Adventure Bay. An eclectic voice cast includes Kim Kardashian, Tyler Perry, and Jimmy Kimmel.
Box office comparisons: Among animated television show film adaptations, look to the opening weekends and domestic totals of this summer’s Spirit Untamed ($6.1M / $17.5M) and 2017’s My Little Pony: The Movie ($8.8M / $21.8M).
The Protégé
Friday, August 20
Premise: Maggie Q stars as the titular Anna Dutton, an assassin out to avenge the murder of her mentor, played by Samuel L. Jackson, in this R-rated action thriller. Martin Campbell (Casino Royale, GoldenEye) directs.
Box office comparisons: Among other recent R-rated female-led action thriller, look to the openings and domestic totals of 2017’s Kidnap starring Halle Berry ($10.0M / $30.7M), 2018’s Peppermint starring Jennifer Garner ($13.4M / $35.4M), and 2017’s Atomic Blonde starring Charlize Theron ($18.2M / $51.5M).
Reminiscence
Friday, August 20
Premise: Hugh Jackman stars in this sci-fi title as Nick Bannister, a man who helps clients relive their past memories, until one of them has memories implicating Bannister’s love interest in a series of crimes.
Box office comparisons: Among mid-budget cerebral sci-fi thrillers, look to the opening weekends and domestic totals of Self/Less starring Ryan Reynolds ($5.4M / $12.2M), Transcendence starring Johnny Depp ($10.8M / $23.0M), In Time starring Justin Timberlake ($12.0M / $37.5M), or Flatliners ($6.5M / $16.8M).
Candyman
Friday, August 27
Premise: Jordan Peele (Get Out, Us) cowrote this horror sequel about a supernatural murderer in a Chicago public housing project who appears whenever the the word “Candyman” is said five times into a mirror.
Box office comparisons: 1992’s original Candyman opened to $5.4M (or $11.9M if adjusting for ticket price inflation) and scared up a $25.5M domestic total (or $56.4M adjusted).
At its just-concluded annual convention at The Hermitage Hotel in Nashville, the International Cinema Technology Association (ICTA) elected Moving Image Technologies vice president of technical sales support Frank Tees as ICTA president, the organization announced today.
The ICTA is a trade organization that represents companies dedicated to cinema technology including cinema equipment, manufacturers, dealers and service operators from around the world.
Alan Roe, President of JACRO and former ICTA president, congratulated Tees in a statement. “Frank is smart, professional and passionate about the motion picture industry and will lead the group with great distinction,” said Roe.
Tees is a more than 30-year veteran of the cinema industry and an experienced cinema technologist, versed in most aspects of cinema exhibition, technical management and operations. He specializes in developing unique technology solutions to commercial cinemas to support innovation of the moviegoing experience.
Other officers elected at the ICTA convention include QSC director of global cinema marketing Mark Mayfield as vice president; American Cinema Equipment vice president and COO Doug Sabin as treasurer; and Dolby Laboratories senior sales manager, North America Beth Figge as secretary.
Additionally, three major awards were presented at the convention including the Teddy and Rodney Awards, which are presented to the top manufacturer and dealer within the ICTA that delivered professional and quality services to its customers. The Teddy Award was presented to GDC Technology and the Rodney Award went to Sonic Equipment Co.
The ICTA also presented the Allen Award, which is handed out annually to a member “who has delivered exceptional service and dedication to the organization,” at the convention. Named for industry icon Ioan Allen, the award went to Mark Mayfield of QSC.
The ICTA officers and board are next slated to meet at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, where many of its members will be included as part of the programming. The ICTA session at the annual convention, “Lessons Learned and The Way Forward in the Wake of the Pandemic,” will take place Thursday, August 26 in Caesars Palace’s Palace Ballroom III.
Upcoming events for the ICTA include the Barcelona Seminar Series, slated for October 3-6, 2021 in Barcelona, Spain; the Los Angeles Seminar Series, slated for January 17-19, 2022 at the Universal Hilton; the Barcelona Seminar Series, slated for June 19-22, 2022 in Barcelona; and the next annual convention, slated for July 24-28, 2022 in Brussels, Belgium.
Sharp NEC Display Solutions announced today that its NC1202L laser light source projector, a new addition to its digital cinema projection series, is now available.
Designed specifically for smaller screens at 7,000 lumens, the NC1202L boasts a built-in laser light source that provides approximately 50,000 hours of expected usage (under normal usage conditions and not constituting the warranty period), with no need for lamp replacement and eco-friendly power consumption. It also includes high frame rate (HFR) capability, 2K DCI-compliant cinema quality and is bright enough to display 14 feet-L on screens up to 39.4 feet in DCI color. It can also play 3D content.
The NC1202L projector additionally features dust protection with NEC’s patented heat exchanger, along with a newly developed and sealed optical engine. With no exhaust system required, this projector is also suitable for both floor and ceiling installation.
“The new NC1202L, an upgraded model from its previous generation, is the latest and greatest projector for the small screen market with exceptional picture quality and color rendition,” said Rich McPherson, Senior Product Manager for Sharp NEC Display Solutions, in a statement. “This digital cinema projector provides overall, better picture quality in a completely self-contained dust proof system, without the need for external cooling and maintaining a quiet atmosphere. This projector creates the immersive experience that audiences are seeking when returning to the theater this summer.”
A love of the movies runs deep for Pat Gonzalez, SVP of in-theater marketing at Paramount Pictures. A child of Los Angeles, she grew up as a regular at the Egyptian Theatre, where her introduction to the art form in which she would eventually establish a 40-year career came, not from children’s movies, but from capital-C Classics that were not always the most appropriate viewing for a child not yet in middle school.
“I was one of those younger girls hanging out with older cousins,” Gonzalez recalls. “At 9 years old, I was a chaperone for my cousin, 17, and her boyfriend—at the time, 19. When they went out to the movies, they took me. So I saw movies that were very much out of my age range. I saw the Godfather at age 9.”
Such an early exposure to, say, The Godfather’s horse-head scene (“I couldn’t get that out of my mind”) could have turned young Pat off film for good. Fortunately, her childhood moviegoing experiences were mostly thrilling, with the classic old movie houses of L.A. serving as the source of a cinema obsession that continues to this day. “I wasn’t, probably, in a multiplex until I was a teenager,” she recalls. Gonzalez will take a black-and-white movie over a color one. The Hepburns—Audrey and Katharine—are her actresses of choice, along with the great Myrna Loy. For the men, it’s Clark Gable. And as for big screen vs. small—the answer should be obvious.
“It was at a time when it was safe. You could walk places,” recalls Gonzalez of her Hollywood childhood. “I was allowed to walk to Hollywood Boulevard to go to the movies.” Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Sting, The Heartbreak Kid, and Jeremiah Johnson were early favorites, along with the road comedies of Bob Hope and Bing Crosby. “It is such a different way to see a movie, right when you walk in,” says Gonzalez of her early years haunting the Egyptian, the Mann’s Chinese Theatre, and classic cinemas dotted around Westwood. “In those theaters, you feel so small. Especially as a kid. And it’s this big, enormous picture—it does suck you in. I love the way that we see movies today. But there is something really special about the throwback of seeing them on those big screens, where you had eight, nine hundred people in one auditorium seeing a big movie.”
It made sense that someone who spent so much time in theaters would eventually get a job in one—which Gonzalez did, at a General Cinema location, where, starting at age 17, she worked the concession stand one day a week. One day turned into five, then six. Gonzalez was “enamored by that whole experience,” she says, and her plans of being a graphic designer fell by the wayside.
It surely didn’t hurt that the cinema where Gonzalez started her entertainment career played host to extensive audience research screenings—she estimates 250 a year. “You had Julia Roberts, Richard Gere. It was a constant influx of talent for research screenings and also just hanging out and coming to the movies.”
Gonzalez moved to the corporate side of General Cinema, eventually becoming their national director of film marketing. She would work on the exhibition side of the business for 16 years before moving over to DreamWorks—where she was the head of theatrical marketing services until 2006—and then Paramount Pictures. Regardless of the company she worked for, or whether she was on the distribution or the exhibition side, her goal was the same: getting people into theaters. Working creatively to do just that was the part of her time at General Cinema that she loved the most. “We did a lot together collectively as a staff,” she says. “If we knew that Universal’s coming in, and they were doing a big research screening, I’d get our team together: ‘Listen, Backdraft is opening. Let’s do this really amazing still life with set pieces and tie-ins with the local fire station.’ You’d be collaborating and actually creating something that would create a focal point.”
In working on the exhibitor side of in-theater marketing, Gonzalez would collaborate with studios—though, at the time, “exhibitor relations” was still coming into being as a distinct role. “Way back in the day, there wasn’t a department at an exhibition company programming the trailers. It would have been myself or anybody else that was the manager of that complex—we would be programming our screens. And as things got more … I’m going to say competitive, and you had everybody vying to get on-screen, it actually got taken out of the individual theaters and became a home office responsibility. But back in the day, in the ’80s, there were maybe two or three people doing what, today, you might have 100 people doing.”
Whether it’s two people or 100, distributor or exhibitor: “Whatever we do, we have to continue to elevate the theatrical experience. Showmanship has always been important. But I feel like it’s even more important today than ever before.”
What does that mean in the post-Covid era, when exhibitors and studios, filmmakers and talent, must work together to remind moviegoers of how powerful the cinema experience can be—when the resources for a big, splashy spend may not be there? “What can you do that becomes a little bit more turnkey yet feels special?” Gonzalez asks. She offers up as an example an event around Paramount’s A Quiet Place Part II, where a Thursday preview screening at the Cinemark Playa Vista and XD featured a live Q&A with director John Krasinski, simulcast to over 500 theaters across the country.
“Our big thing was, how do you bring this experience and not charge anything extra for it? For this event, it’s the regular price of admission,” says Gonzalez. “These things—they were important before the pandemic, but I think it’s really even more important now. We’re doing some taped greetings. We’re doing things to verbally remind people: ‘You’re here. We know it wasn’t easy for you to get out of your house and come to the movie theater. We’re grateful that you’re here.’”
The pandemic may have caused a time of unprecedented, extended precarity in the cinema industry, but championing the experience of seeing movies in theaters is nothing new to Gonzalez and her team, nor is doing so on a shoestring budget. Asked about an underdog film that she’s worked on during her time at Paramount, Gonzalez flashes back to the first Paranormal Activity, the campaign for which memorably (and quite successfully) showcased moviegoers’ terrified in-theater reactions to the horror unspooling on the screen. “It was a small group of us trying to do things in a very nontraditional way,” she says. The film initially opened in 13 markets—not “typical, mainstream theaters,” but more out-of-the-way places and college towns. When they added Santa Cruz, people would drive the five-plus hours from Los Angeles to get there, despite the fact that there were only two screenings per day, one at 10 and the other at midnight.
The experience was, “in the truest sense, about working hand in hand with your exhibitor partners,” says Gonzalez. Promotion was largely by word-of-mouth—no television and a modest digital “Demand It!” campaign, in which those curious about all the fuss could go to the film’s official website and vote for Paranormal Activity to come to their city. If the film got a million votes—which it did, as evidenced by the five-and-counting sequels—it would open nationwide. “It was really the strangest, most fascinating process, but also the most rewarding, because you saw the fruits of the grassroots efforts,” says Gonzalez.
The Paranormal Activity marketing campaign may have been exceptional in its creativity and effectiveness, but every film requires something a little different from the rest—and that’s what Gonzalez likes most about her job. “It’s a constantly changing landscape. We get more involved now in life cycle marketing, because you’re talking about theatrical and the home entertainment piece, and a lot of the exhibitor partners now have [streaming platforms],” she says. “You’re always going to have what I call a traditional marketing mix. And then separate from all that is, what do you do to really step out? What can you do that feels like you’re taking the movie to the next level?” Whatever marketing magic is required to get people to see a particular film, Gonzalez says it’s most important that the programs her team proposes “have to be good for both of us,” studio and theaters. “It can never be one-sided. It has to be good for us and for our exhibitor partners,” she says. “I have fun! At the end of the day, I have fun doing what I do with the team that I get to work with and the people that I work with in exhibition.”
Pat Gonzalez receiving Studio Movie Grill’s 2019 Opening Hearts and Minds Award for her work with Variety, the Children’s Charity of Southern California and Variety Boys and Girls Club of Boyle Heights. Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images, courtesy Studio Movie Grill
The joy and the pride Gonzalez takes from her work in the entertainment industry extends beyond her work in exhibition and distribution to her years of service with Variety – the Children’s Charity, where she serves on the boards of two chapters: Variety the Children’s Charity of Southern California and Variety Boys & Girls Club of Boyle Heights. “I work with incredible men and women,” she says. “We all have day jobs. But we’re all so motivated by this passion of trying to make the world a little bit better. And one of the ways you can do that is through helping kids and youth, so that everyone has a fair shot at making their dreams come true.”
Through her work with Variety, Gonzalez has seen first-hand the good that the film industry does in providing children who have health challenges the mobility bikes they need. “You give that child a moment to actually feel like other kids feel, things that we all take for granted.” The children who attend the Variety Boys & Girls Club of Boyle Heights, meanwhile, “just take your breath away. They’re such smart kids. This club is in a really tough part of Los Angeles. It’s in the inner city, and it’s surrounded by a lot of gangs—it’s just a tough neighborhood to live in. But that club is a safe haven for all these kids. I’m inspired by the kids and their desire to learn. I’m part of the scholarship review at Variety SoCal. A lot of those kids that get scholarships, they’re the first in their families going off to college.” Once they do, many come back, “because they want to help make their community better. I’m really inspired by that, too.”
“I’ve been very lucky,” Gonzalez says. “I don’t forget how blessed I am. I love this industry.”
Alex Younger, the CEO of cinema equipment, software and technology company CES+, was appointed as a board member for the International Cinema Technology Association (ICTA).
The announcement was made at the association’s annual convention at the Hermitage Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee.
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of its 1971 founding, the ICTA is a trade organization representing companies which create and manufacture products including digital cinema systems, lenses, sound equipment, seating, and 3D technology. The board consists of 15 members, listed here, in addition to the group’s president and vice president.
“To say I am excited to join the board of ICTA is an understatement. CES+ and myself will contribute as much as we can to the ICTA in order to help awareness and help the cinema industry recover from Covid,” Younger said in a press release. “I look forward to helping the current team at ICTA for the foreseeable future.”
Opened on May 22, 2021, the Multicines Mall del Rio in Guayaquil, Ecuador was the only cinema project to be started and developed in Latin America during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 11-seat auditorium includes a 4D E-Motion + 3D screen as well as a PLF (premium large format) screen with a Dolby Atmos sound system.
Multicines features Dolby Atmos and Dolby audio systems and servers, chairs by Inorca and Lumma, screens by Severston, and RGB pure laser projection technology by Christie.
“Selecting the right partners has always been important to us, and CES+ is definitively one of them,” Multicines CEO Gonzalo Lopez said in a press release. “We have been working with Guillermo [founder Guillermo Younger] and [current CEO] Alex Younger for more than two decades with excellent results. CES+ delivered during the most challenging year in our industry’s history.”
CES+ is a cinema equipment, software, and technology company based in Florida.
Cineplex premiered its 10th ‘The Rec Room’ entertainment center location on Monday. The 30,000 square foot complex features a VRcade ATOM pod with eight virtual reality games, bowling, pool tables, ping pong, a live performance space featuring events including trivia and karaoke, and the full-service restaurant Three10.
Virtual reality games include Terminal 17: Mission Critical, VR Showdown in Ghost Town, Target Capture, Territory Control, Team Deactivation Match, Baking Irons Gunslinger: Destruction, Baking Irons Gunslinger: Draw, and Baking Irons Gunslinger: Shootout.
Restaurant menu items include the 10-ounce New York steak, herb-rubbed Atlantic salmon, barbeque ribs with three types of sauces (chipotle BBQ, sweet heat, and ginger soy), and the lumberjack burger with fried egg and Canadian bacon.
The facility is opening under reduced capacity due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Launched in 2016, the Rec Room includes nine other locations across Canada in Burnaby (British Columbia), West Edmonton (Alberta), South Edmonton (Alberta), Calgary (Alberta), Winnipeg (Manitoba), London (Ontario), Mississauga (Ontario), Toronto (Ontario), and St. John’s (Newfoundland).
Read Boxoffice PRO‘s feature article from last August about the rise of cinema entertainment centers here.
Cineplex ranked fourth on Boxoffice PRO‘s Giants of Exhibition 2021 list of North America’s largest cinema exhibition circuits, with 1,657 locations at 161 locations. The Toronto-based circuit also ranked as the largest based in Canada.
Following strong debuts by F9, Black Widow and Space Jam: A New Legacy over the past several weeks, the North American box office slowed down a tad this weekend as two new studio films — Universal’s Old and Paramount’s Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins – debuted in theaters. After a close race, the former title ultimately won the weekend with an estimated $16.5M from 3,355 screens, demonstrating the continued power of horror in the North American marketplace following other recent genre successes such as A Quiet Place Part II, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It and The Forever Purge.
Directed by M. Night Shyamalan, Old became the latest box office success story for the filmmaker – a run kicked off by 2015’s The Visit ($25.43M opening) and followed by 2016’s Split ($40.01M) and 2019’s Glass ($40.33M). While Old’s opening comes in at the lower end of the spectrum in terms of recent Shyamalan releases, its debut looks impressive in light of the film’s $18M reported budget. It may have been dinged slightly by mixed reviews (it currently stands at a 52% “Rotten” average on Rotten Tomatoes), though its theatrical exclusivity likely boosted grosses as audiences weren’t given an opportunity to watch the film at home this weekend. Sixty-two percent of the opening-weekend audience for Old was over the age of 25, while the crowd was almost evenly split between men (52%) and women (48%). In terms of Shyamalan releases, Old is the 14th film from the director to open above $15M and the seventh to debut at No. 1.
Coming closely behind Old in second place was Snake Eyes, which debuted to an estimated $13.35M – far below the openings of 2009’s G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra ($54.7M) and 2013’s G.I. Joe: Retaliation ($40.5M). The standalone origin story/franchise reboot starring Henry Golding may have been affected somewhat by mixed-to-negative reviews (it’s at 42% “Rotten” on Rotten Tomatoes) and its relative lack of star power; the two previous entries in the series starred heavy-hitters such as Dwayne Johnson and Channing Tatum. Predictably, men made up a full 60% of the opening-weekend audience, while half were under the age of 25. Like Old, Snake Eyes was given an exclusive theatrical window – 45 days in Snake Eyes’ case, after which it will make its debut on the Paramount+ streaming service.
Black Widow finished in third place in its third weekend of release with an estimated $11.6M, a 55% drop from last weekend. The Disney/Marvel release has banked $154.8M so far, putting it just 6% behind the pace of 2018’s Ant-Man and the Wasp, which had taken in $165M by the end of its third weekend. The latter film finished its domestic run with $216.65M. Black Widow is now the fastest pandemic-era film to top $150M.
After opening to $31.05M in first place last weekend, Space Jam: A New Legacy plummeted to No. 4 with an estimated $9.56M, marking a steep 69% drop from its debut. The Warner Bros. release, which debuted day-and-date on HBO Max, has proven to be a front-loaded title in theaters, with its streaming availability likely leading many families with young kids to watch the film at home. The sequel’s total stands at $51.37M to date.
F9 finished in fifth place with an estimated $4.7M in its fifth weekend, bringing the Universal sequel’s total to $163.3M. That paces it about 4% ahead of 2019’s Hobbs & Shaw, which had $157.27M by the same point in its run and finished with $173.96 in North America.
Escape Room: Tournament of Champions dropped to sixth place in its sophomore frame with an estimated $3.4M, representing a steep 61% decline from its $8.8M debut. The $15M-budgeted Sony sequel has $16.05M to date — only about half of what the first film had through the end of its second weekend. It’s likely the film’s audience was cut into somewhat by Old, another PG-13 horror-thriller catering to a similar audience.
Two Universal sequels, The Boss Baby: Family Business and The Forever Purge, took seventh and eighth place in their fourth weekends of release with an estimated $2.7M and $2.3M, respectively. Their totals stand at $50.1M and $40.3M so far.
Paramount’s A Quiet Place Part II slipped to ninth place in its ninth weekend with an estimated $1.25M, giving the horror sequel $157.52M to date.
Focus Features’ Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain rounded out the top 10 with an estimated $830k. The heavily-publicized documentary has $3.7M through the end of its second weekend.
The final new release of the weekend, Joe Bell starring Mark Wahlberg, had a soft opening outside the top 10 with an estimated $770k from 1,094 locations, giving it a per-screen average of just $646.
OVERSEAS
Black Widow racked up an estimated $14.5M in 48 territories, bringing its international total to $160.1M and its worldwide total to $314.9M. Top-grossing overseas markets for the MCU entry are Korea ($23.1M), the U.K. ($19M) and France ($12.9M). The film has yet to open in China, where it hasn’t yet received a release date.
Space Jam: A New Legacy grossed an estimated $12.6M from 66 markets, taking its international tally to $42.6M and its global cume to $94M.
F9 took in an estimated $11.59M in 59 territories, bringing its overseas total to an impressive $457.87M and its global total to $621.26M. Notably, the Fast & Furious sequel is the first Hollywood film to top $600M global since Jumanji: The Next Level reached the milestone in January 2020.
The Boss Baby: Family Business grossed an estimated $7.19M in 18 territories, bringing its international total to $11.15M and its global cume to $61.28M.
Old debuted to an estimated $6.5M in 23 markets, including a $2.1M opening in Russia and $1.1M in the U.K. and Ireland.
