WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Dune Wins Halloween Frame w/ $15.53M; My Hero Academia Debuts in 4th ($6.4M); Last Night in Soho ($4.22M) & Antlers ($4.2M) Disappoint

Despite the opening of no fewer than three titles in wide release this weekend (Last Night in Soho, Antlers and My Hero Academia) and the expansion of The French Dispatch into 788 theaters, Warner Bros.’ Dune easily retained the top spot at the box office in its sophomore frame with an estimated $15.53M, marking a rather steep 62% decline from its $41M debut. Mixed results were in store for the remainder of the weekend’s new titles, whose grosses were depressed in part due to Halloween falling on a Sunday. As a big-budget tentpole, Dune had little direct competition this weekend, though as with previous HBO Max day-and-date titles – namely The Suicide Squad and Mortal Kombat, both of which dropped over 70% in their sophomore frames – it suffered a relatively steep decline. The $165M-budgeted title, which had a sequel greenlit by the studio last week, has taken in $69.4M...

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Cinemark Delivers Best COVID-Era Box Office Performance in Month of October

Cinemark, the third-largest cinema chain in North America, achieved its strongest month at the domestic box office of the pandemic in the month of October. “Moviegoer enthusiasm for the in-theater experience reinforces the power of watching a great film in our larger-than-life immersive environment with our bingeworthy popcorn,” said Cinemark CEO Mark Zoradi. “I am thrilled that we have reached a new milestone within the industry’s recovery, delivering our best monthly box office performance since the reopening of our theatres. I want to thank our entire Cinemark team that has worked tirelessly to provide a premium out-of-home entertaining escape for moviegoers. Congratulations to our studio partners for creating must-see big-screen content with something for everyone.” Cinemark suspended operations in the United States in mid-March 2020 due to the emergence of the Covid-19...

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Christmas With The Chosen: The Messengers Sets Fathom Events Pre-Sales Record in First 12 Hours

The crowd-funded breakthrough hit The Chosen will be coming to cinemas with CHRISTMAS WITH THE CHOSEN: THE MESSENGERS, the first entry of the franchise to receive a theatrical release. Fathom Events will be handling its event cinema release in December, with the distributor already reporting record pre-sales within hours of the announcement. “CHRISTMAS WITH THE CHOSEN: THE MESSENGERS broke Fathom Events’ record with $1.5 million in sales in the first 12 hours,” said Ray Nutt, CEO of Fathom Events. “Originally slated to premiere in 1079 theaters, we’ve already added 450+ locations and thousands of screens to satisfy demand and anticipate these numbers will continue to grow.” The faith-based title shows the birth of Christ through the eyes of Mary and Joseph, featuring actors from The Chosen series. The event will also features performances...

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Flix Brewhouse Taps Chance Robertson as President and COO

Chance Robertson, the former VP of Operations at Cinepolis USA, has been named as the new President and Chief Operating Officer of the dine-in chain Flix Brewhouse. The circuit, known for its unique brewpub-cinema concept, founded its first location in Round Rock, Texas in 2011 and currently operates 78 screens across 9 locations in 6 states. “Chance is an intelligent and impactful leader who deeply understands both casual dining and theatrical exhibition. His outgoing personality and can-do attitude are terrific fits with our culture,” said Flix Founder and Executive Chair Allan Reagan. “The endemic staffing and supply shortages across the country now impacting hospitality industries as never before are an extreme set of problems, and Chance has the operational expertise needed to navigate these challenges.” Longer-term, Reagan said Robertson’s insight and creativity...

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Cinemark Creates New VP Role to Spearhead Strategic Vision of Gaming Initiatives

Cinemark has announced it will create a new vice president position, as yet unfilled, to focus on expanding the company’s moves into gaming. The role will focus on forging strategic partnerships and pursuing content and product licensing agreements with gaming companies and leagues. Among the company’s recent forays into the gaming world include: Last Thursday, October 21, Cinemark screened a theatrical simulcast of a campaign in the video game Critical Role, which sold out auditoriums across 25 U.S. cities. Gamers can rent private Cinemark auditoriums to play video games with their friends or family on the big screen for up to two hours; more than 10,000 such hours have been rented for gaming to date.  Cinemark will also livestream the the Game Awards at many of its locations in December. “Our big screens, booming surround sound and ultra-comfy seats create...

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Amsterdam’s 100-Year-Old Tuschinski Theatre Awarded ‘Royal’ Status by King of the Netherlands

King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands granted Amsterdam’s Tuschinski Theatre the right to use the designation ‘Royal’ as a prefix on its centenary anniversary Thursday. The cinema will bear the name Royal Tuschinski Theatre from now on. The title was officially awarded at the gala celebration in honor of this milestone anniversary by the King’s Commissioner Arthur van Dijk and Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema. “The Tuschinski Theatre is our pride and joy and our flagship cinema, so we are extremely honored that we will be able to call it ‘Royal’ from now on,” Pathé General Director Jacques Hoendervangers said in a press release. “To us, the conferral of this status is the crowning achievement of… the many employees who been committed, through their efforts, to preserving the legacy of Abraham Tuschinski for a full century. We at the Royal Tuschinski Theatre are fully...

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Kinepolis Announces Quarterly Earnings, Touts Across-the-Board Attendance Increase

The multi-national circuit Kinepolis, which operates 108 cinemas across Europe, the United States, and Canada, has released their Q3 2021 earnings, revealing a continued increase in attendance thanks to a strong slate of blockbuster releases. Attendance numbers have continued to rise across the chain into October, thanks to the release of recent films Dune, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, and No Time to Die. The third quarter of 2021 saw Kinepolis welcome 7.1. million visitors, or 70.5 percent of the total visitors in the equivalent period of pre-pandemic 2019. All countries in which Kinepolis operates—the United States, Canada, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Spain, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and Poland—saw visitor-related revenue increase at a faster rate than attendance, the result of an increased per-patron spend on concessions and tickets compared to the previous quarter. As...

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Long Range Box Office Forecast: Ghostbusters: Afterlife Outlook, Eternals Tracking Softens, and More Updates

The pre-Thanksgiving domestic box office corridor will get a jolt of momentum with Ghostbusters: Afterlife on November 19. How is the anticipated follow-up to the classic 1980s franchise shaping up in box office outlooks so far? In addition to that analysis below, we’ve also updated preliminary ranges for Eternals based on revised models factoring in mixed critical reviews, which are impacting social media sentiment, and a potentially related slowdown in pre-sales activity for the next Marvel Cinematic Universe blockbuster. Nevertheless, the MCU brand has a gargantuan built-in audience even for unestablished sub-franchises that may be somewhat review-proof come opening weekend, so a great many factors are in play before the film opens one week from now. Meanwhile, preliminary tracking ranges for Clifford the Big Red Dog (opening Wednesday, November 10) and King Richard...

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Weekend Box Office Forecast: Dune Set for #1 Repeat as Last Night in Soho, My Hero Academia, & Antlers Debut for Halloween

Capping off a streak of four consecutive $40 million-plus opening weekends this month, the end of October and Halloween weekend are poised for a brief and expected slowdown at the domestic box office. Leading the charge in its second weekend will be Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Dune, which is fresh off a $41.0 million opening frame. Despite some cannibalization from a simultaneous HBO Max release and ongoing hesitancy from older audiences that kept the film from reaching pre-pandemic expectations, the film at least hit forecasts in its start. Dune will retain the IMAX footprint driving a significant share of its business thus far, but the question now turns to how strong of a hold it can muster in its sophomore frame. On the plus side: Dune faces very little direct competition as an adult-driven sci-fi epic, and word of mouth is very healthy so far. On the negative...

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Milton I. Moritz to Step Down as President and CEO of NATO of California/Nevada

Milton I. Moritz will be retiring from his position as President & CEO of the National Association of Theatre Owners of California/Nevada, the trade group representing California and Nevada cinemas, after a 23 year tenure as its President and Chief Executive Officer. His retirement will be effective January 31, 2022. NATO of California/Nevada nearly doubled in size throughout Moritz’s stewardship, growing from 35 member companies to 63. Today, the association represents a total of 4,682 screens across California and Nevada. During his tenure, Moritz introduced college and vocational school scholarship grants awarded to field level member theaters’ employees and family members, and scholarship grants to aspiring filmmakers attending the film schools at UCLA and USC. He also launched the association’s community outreach efforts, with grants being presented to deserving...

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This Week on the Boxoffice Podcast: Thomas Van de Weerd of the Netherlands’ 14-Seat (Any)Thing Cinema

On this week’s episode of the Boxoffice Podcast, co-hosts Daniel Loria, Rebecca Pahle, and Russ Fischer break down the opening weekend of Dune, which matched expectations with a $41.1 million opening cume to become Warner Bros.’ . highest-opening movie of the pandemic. Another record was broken by limited release The French Dispatch, which broke Venom: Let There Be Carnage‘s record for the highest per theater average of the pandemic era. In the episode’s feature interview, Pahle speaks with Thomas Van de Weerd, co-founder of the Netherlands’ (Any)Thing Cinema. The recipient of this year’s ICTA Special Innovation Award, the (Any)Thing Cinema boasts...

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Gower Street Raises 2021 Global Box Office Forecast to $21.6 Billion

Gower Street Analytics, a data analytics company servicing the motion picture sector, has raised its 2021 global box office forecast to nearly $22 billion following better-than-expected results through the month of October. The firm is now expecting global box office to hit $21.6 billion in 2021, up from its previous forecast of $20.2 billion, with the potential to hit the $22 billion by the end of the year. Gower Street states the $21.6 billion figure would represent an 80% bump from 2020’s results but still 49% 2019’s pre-pandemic numbers. The company cites gains in Asia Pacific (APAC) stemming from China’s box office recovery that represent a 52.2 percent market share of the global theatrical market, compared to 2020’s 50% figure. North America’s market share is expected to be down marginally, 21.6% compared to 2020’s 21.8%, with a similar decline in Latin America...

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Kerasotes ShowPlace Theatres Names Fred Meyers as Chief Executive Officer

One of the longest-operating exhibitors in the United States has announced a new Chief Executive Officer. Kerasotes ShowPlace Theatres, a 112-year-old exhibitor which operates 78 screens in 6 locations across 5 states, has named former Silverspot Cinemas CEO Fred Meyers as its new Chief Executive Officer. Meyers will take on the role effective immediately, assuming the position previously held by company owner Tony Kerasotes. Meyers is a 30-year veteran of the restaurant and hospitality industry who has dedicated over a decade of his career focused on theatrical exhibition. Prior to his role as CEO of Silverspot Cinemas, Meyers led the development and growth of Cobb Theatres’ CinéBistro dine-in brand as the company’s Executive Vice President of Food & Beverage. Meyers continued to serve in that function for CMX Theatres after its 2017 acquisition of Cobb...

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Boxoffice Pro Barometer 2021 Food and Beverage Vendor of the Year: Vistar

Boxoffice Pro is reviving its iconic Boxoffice Barometer readers’ poll, a popular annual feature of our magazine for decades, in which exhibitors vote on the best achievements in the industry. In this newly revamped edition of the Barometer, representatives from over 50 exhibition circuits around the world voted online to select the most important and influential contributions to the exhibition industry in 2020. Food & Beverage Vendor of the Year: Vistar Interview with Sean Mahoney, Senior V.P. Sales and Marketing, Vistar Since your acquisition by Wellspring Capital Management LLC in 2002, it looks like Vistar has entered new markets. Could you give me some background on your pre-2002 history? Vistar is a division of Performance Food Group, which traces its beginnings back to 1875. In 2002, Wellspring Capital acquired Multifoods Distribution Group and renamed it...

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CineLife Entertainment Announces Concert Documentary New Worlds: The Cradle of Civilization Starring Bill Murray on February 2

CineLife Entertainment, a division of Spotlight Cinema Networks, will release the concert documentary film New Worlds: The Cradle of Civilization in U.S. cinemas beginning February 2, 2022. Featuring Bill Murray, cellist Jan Vogler, violinist Mira Wang, and pianist Vanessa Perez, the concert was filmed in Greece at the Acropolis. A co-production between Dorn Music, Makuhari Media, and Neda Film, the title originally premiered at the 74th annual Cannes Film Festival in July 2021. “This concert-documentary brings together some of the most legendary and renowned voices of the industry,” CineLife Entertainment’s Executive Vice President Bernadette McCabe said in a press release. “We are thrilled to be distributing this across the country so viewers everywhere can enjoy this enchanting film.” “We couldn’t be more humbled that the years of working with Bill Murray, Jan...

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Emagine Entertainment to Screen Michigan vs. Michigan State Football Game for Free at Select Cinema Locations Saturday

Five Emagine Entertainment cinema locations will show this weekend’s biggest college football matchup on Saturday at noon Eastern Time. The five Michigan locations are in Royal Oak (200 N Main St), Saline (1335 E Michigan Ave), Novi (44425 W 12 Mile Rd), Canton (39535 Ford Rd), and the Emagine Palladium in Birmingham (209 Hamilton Row). Heading into the game, University of Michigan is ranked #6 in the country while Michigan State is ranked #8. Admission to the event is free, with tickets on a first-come first-serve basis. Food and drink specials include a four-piece chicken tenders and fries with a 16-ounce Bells Two Hearted ($18), a 16-ounce Founders All Day IPA ($18), or 16-ounce Bud Light ($17.50). Based in Troy, Michigan, Emagine Entertainment ranked #20 on the Boxoffice Pro Giants of Exhibition 2021 ranking of North America’s largest cinema circuits, with...

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Global Cinema Advertising Association (SAWA) Launches #HelloBigScreen Campaign

SAWA, the Global Cinema Advertising Association, unveiled their new #HelloBigScreen campaign Monday to emphasize the power of cinemas. In the full 2:47 spot, six notable figures from the worlds of advertising, communications, marketing, and humanitarian work speak about what cinema means to them. Alphabetically, these notable names include: Rosie Arnold, former Executive Creative Director of BBH London and former president of D&AD (Design and Art Direction). Sir John Hegarty, recipient of the D&AD President’s Award and knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2007. Mark Ritson, brand consultant who has taught at the the MBA programs for London Business School and MIT. Marcello Serpa, former Creative Director and Co-Chair of AlmapBBDO, and recipient of 45 Clio Awards and 149 Cannes Festival Lions. Mark Tutssel, former Executive Chairman and Global Creative Officer of...

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WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Dune Unearths $40.1M; Ron’s Gone Wrong Goes Wrong w/ $7.3M

Warner Bros. earned their biggest opening weekend since pre-pandemic with Dune, the ambitious sci-fi epic debuting with an estimated $40.1M. Despite releasing simultaneously day-and-date on HBO Max, the title from director Denis Villeneuve exceeded the theatrical openings for his two most recent sci-fi films, coming +66.5 percent ahead of Arrival ($24.0M) and +22.4 percent ahead of Blade Runner 2049 ($32.7M). Dune finished in line with expectations, with Boxoffice PRO‘s chief analyst Shawn Robbins projecting exactly $40M in his weekend forecast. Playing on 4,125 locations, the adaptation of Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel earned a per-theater average of $9,725, with IMAX comprising an impressive 22.5 percent market share. (73 minutes of the film were shot using IMAX cameras.) Animated comedy Ron’s Gone Wrong, from Disney’s 20th Century Studios, sputtered with...

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