Comscore CEO Bill Livek Announces Intention to Retire

Comscore CEO and Executive Vice Chairman Bill Livek announced Monday his intention to retire from the role, though a specific date of departure was not set, while still serving as the Vice Chair of Comscore’s Board through the completion of his Board term in mid-2024. Livek previously served as CEO of Rentrak up through its merger with Comscore in 2016, after which he served on the enlarged company’s Board for three years until becoming CEO in 2019. His career in media measurement began in 1978. “It has been an honor to serve Comscore’s shareholders, customers and employees, and I am so proud of what we have accomplished together as a team to make Comscore synonymous with census measurement,” Livek said in a press release. “I am confident about Comscore’s future and honored to continue to be part of it.” “On behalf of the Comscore Board, employees and industry, we want...

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AMC Entertainment Promotes Dan Ellis to Chief Operations and Development Officer, Names Eliot Hamlisch as Chief Marketing Officer

AMC announced a shakeup of several top executives on Monday, including: Dan Ellis, currently AMC’s Senior Vice President of Development and International, will become its new Chief Operations and Development Officer. He replaces John McDonald, who’s retiring as the head of U.S. Operations after a 47-year movie cinema exhibition career, all with AMC, starting at an individual theater in 1975 and serving in his current role since 2011. Eliot Hamlisch, currently Wyndham Hotels & Resorts’ Executive Vice President of Loyalty and Revenue Optimization, will become AMC’s Chief Marketing Officer. He replaces Stephen Colanero, who’s retiring after 12 years in the position at AMC. Jennifer Douglass, currently AMC’s Senior Vice President of Food & Beverage, becomes Senior Vice President of U.S. Operations. (Read Boxoffice PRO‘s 2019 interview with Douglass here.) Cynthia...

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IMAX and Vista Group Named 2022 Champions of UNIC Women’s Cinema Leadership Programme

European cinema trade groupe UNIC (International Union of Cinemas announced Monday that IMAX Corporation and Vista Group will be the principal sponsors of its Women’s Cinema Leadership Programme. Now in its fifth year after launching in 2017, the 12-month program offers workshops, mentors, and networking opportunities for women working in the cinema exhibition industry. IMAX’s Director of Theatre Development for EMEA (Europe + Middle East + Africa) Alessandra Pavan Bernacchi and Vista Group subsidiary Movio’s Chief Client Officer Sarah Lewthwaite are both alumni. More information is available here. Potential mentors and mentees alike can apply for the 2022-23 edition through March 30 by emailing Diana Stratan at dstratan@unic-cinemas.org. “We are delighted to welcome IMAX and Vista Group as ‘Champions of UNIC Women’s Cinema Leadership Programme.’ They share UNIC’s ambition...

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Weekend Estimates: Uncharted ($23.25M) & Dog ($10.13M) Post Strong Holds; Studio 666 ($1.58M) & Cyrano ($1.4M) Debut Quietly

Less than a week ahead of The Batman’s hugely-anticipated theatrical rollout, the major studios opted against releasing any new product in theaters this weekend, allowing Sony’s Uncharted to retain the No. 1 spot over its sophomore frame with an estimated $23.25M. Another holdover, the Channing Tatum dramedy Dog, also showed strong legs in second place. Elsewhere, Open Road debuted the Foo Fighters horror-comedy Studio 666 and UAR rolled out Cyrano in semi-wide release. After surpassing expectations last weekend with a solid $44.01M three-day tally, Uncharted held well in its sophomore frame, with a 47% drop from its debut. The Tom Holland-Mark Wahlberg video game adaptation seems to have benefitted from strong word-of-mouth (its Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score stands at a winning 90%), as well as goodwill from Holland’s starring turn in Spider-Man: No Way Home, which...

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Cinemark Reports $1.51B in 2021 Revenue, More Than Doubling 2020 Figures

Cinemark, the third-largest circuit in North America, released its 2021 yearly financials on Friday, reporting $1.51 billion in revenue—a 120 percent improvement over the prior yea’s results. The circuit’s performance is slightly ahead of the recovery of the domestic box office overall, which grew by 113 percent against 2020’s final figures. Annual admissions revenue at Cinemark comprised $780.0 million (up 118 percent), while concessions revenue comprised $561.7 million (up 143 percent). However, the company reported a total annual net loss of $-422.8 million, which nonetheless marked an improvement from its $-616.8 million net loss in 2020. A big portion of the circuit’s recovery came in the fourth quarter, when it welcomed 48 million across its theaters in the United States and Latin America. Q4 figures represented a 54 percent improvement over the prior...

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Long Range Box Office Forecast: The Lost City, Plus The Batman‘s Latest Tracking Update

This week’s report welcomes the addition of Paramount Pictures’ The Lost City to the Long Range Forecast. Led by Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum, the comedy is slated to open exclusively in theaters on Friday, March 25. In addition, the chart below includes the latest tracking update for next week’s highly anticipated launch of The Batman, as well as the removal of Guy Ritchie’s Operation Fortune: Ruse De Guerre from the forecast and calendar following STXfilms’ un-dating of the picture late last week. The Lost City Paramount Pictures March 25, 2022 PROS: In an era when star power is often questioned, Bullock and Tatum each have arguments in their favor when it comes to drawing ability at the box office. Bullock has long history of success in the comedic genre from the Miss Congeniality films to The Proposal, Ocean’s 8, and The Blind Side, while Tatum expanded his...

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Marcus Corporation CFO Douglas A. Neis Set to Retire

The Marcus Corporation has announced the upcoming retirement of EVP and CFO Douglas A. Neis, an industry veteran who’s been with Marcus for 36 years. After Neis’ retirement on May 15, 2022, Marcus’ CFO role will be filled by Chad Paris, current corporate controller and treasurer of The Marcus Corporation. Neis will serve as an advisor to the company following the transition. “Doug has been a friend and valued colleague since the day I joined The Marcus Corporation, and I know I speak for all of us when I say how grateful we are for the impact he has made on our company,” said Gregory S. Marcus, president and chief executive officer of The Marcus Corporation. “Over the course of 36 years, Doug has been a stalwart through times of growth and opportunity as well as times of change and challenge. Yet through it all, Doug kept us on course thanks to his thoughtful foresight,...

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Emagine Entertainment Announces Renovations of Four Newly Acquired Theaters

Luxury theater chain Emagine Entertainment announced this week that its affiliate, Dandiprat Holdings LLC, has initiated processes to remodel and upgrade four former Goodrich Quality Theaters locations, with the goal of turning them into state-of-the-art movie palaces.  The theaters are located in Kochville Twp., Michigan; Batavia, Illinois; Portage, Indiana; and Noblesville, Indiana.  The four facilities, leased from Spirit Realty Capital, Inc., were placed under Emagine’s management in September 2020 following the bankruptcy of Goodrich Quality Theaters, Inc. earlier that year.  Three of the venues reopened last summer as governmental restrictions imposed on movie theaters due to Covid-19 were lifted and the supply of first-run feature films returned. The two Indiana facilities will remain operational throughout construction, as one half of each...

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Weekend Box Office Forecast: Uncharted and Dog Look to Continue Success as Cyrano and Studio 666 Debut

After a welcome surprise from Uncharted last week, the domestic box office enters a “calm before the storm” corridor with a post-holiday frame that precedes the highly anticipated launch of The Batman next week. Before we get to the Caped Crusader’s return, though, the business of February must be closed out. As noted, Uncharted exceeded even the most optimistic of forecasts during its Presidents’ Day frame start with $44 million over the three-day portion. That’s the fourth highest debut in history for a video game adaptation behind Sonic the Hedgehog, Detective Pikachu, and 2001’s Tomb Raider: Lara Croft. Thanks to star Tom Holland, Sony capitalized on the aura of Spider-Man: No Way Home‘s massive success — in tandem with co-star Mark Wahlberg, a strong video game fan base, and better-than-hoped walk-up business at ticket kiosks. Reception is far more positive than...

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EVO Entertainment Set to Open its First Dallas-Fort Worth Location on March 11

EVO Entertainment Group, the largest operator of cinema-entertainment centers in the United States, will be opening its first Dallas-Fort Worth area location on March 11. Tickets for the venue’s grand opening will be on sale to the public beginning on March 22 through the circuit’s website. The Dallas-Fort Worth site will be located at 1450 Plaza Place in Southlake Town Square, in a nearly 70,000 square foot state-of-the-art entertainment complex. The space has undergone a multi-million dollar renovation to become EVO’s flagship experiential entertainment concept featuring seven upscale dine-in theaters with heated-recliner seating and push-button wait service, a scratch kitchen and craft bar with outdoor patio space, a 12-lane bowling center, over 100 video and redemption arcade games, climbing walls, bumper cars, a three-story gravity ropes course, outdoor patio, private...

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A Cinematic Escape: Joe Wright Brings a Musical Cyrano de Bergerac to the Big Screen

Call him the modern-day master of the period drama. Director Joe Wright, whose award-winning films have taken audiences through Britain of the 1940s (The Darkest Hour, Atonement), 19th-century Russia (Anna Karenina), and Georgian-era England (Pride & Prejudice) turns to 17th-century France with Cyrano, in theaters January 21 from MGM. An adaptation of Edmond Rostand’s 1897 play Cyrano de Bergerac, this new version of the classic love story—based on a 2018 stage adaptation penned by Erica Schmidt, who also wrote the screenplay–makes several key changes to its source material. One: It’s a musical, with music by Bryce and Aaron Dessner of Grammy-winning band The National, and lyrics by The National’s Matt Berninger and his frequent collaborator (and wife) Carin Besser. Two: Schmidt has eliminated Cyrano’s signature long proboscis, instead presenting Peter Dinklage (who...

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Arts Alliance Media Partners with Cielo on New NOC Solution for Cinemas

Digital cinema software and support service provider Arts Alliance Media (AAM) is partnering with Cielo, one of the cinema industry’s leading cloud-based monitoring and analytics software companies, to bring a new Network Operations Center (NOC) solution to movie theaters worldwide. The offering, Lifeguard, was developed collaboratively by Arts Alliance Media and Cielo and is designed to provide an all-inclusive asset management tool with an enriched user experience. Lifeguard offers over 30 operational reports to help exhibitors identify issues and manage their theaters more efficiently. It presents a one-click remote for every digital device within an organization, enabling comprehensive visibility and meticulous monitoring. As a cloud-based solution, exhibitors can enjoy easy installation with no hardware required. Existing AAM customers who do not yet own Lifeguard...

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Reel Cinemas Ltd Announces Partnership with Showtime Analytics

Showtime Analytics announced an agreement Monday with Reel Cinemas Ltd, the independent British cinema exhibition chain, to provide their operational data platforms and customer communication solutions. The company’s technological offerings include Showtime Insights (which offers real-time analytics on items ranging from tickets to concessions), Showtime Benchmark (which collates an exhibitor’s box office data on categories from individual movies to genres and days of the week), and Showtime Engage (which provides behavioral data analysis of repeat customers and allows for personalized marketing). Reel Cinemas Ltd currently operates 15 multiplexes with 78 screens, across the U.K., including two sites which opened during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the past month, Showtimes Analytics has also signed partnerships with Southern Theatres and with Ireland’s Omniplex Cinemas. “One...

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Weekend Estimates: Uncharted Overperforms w/ $44.16M 3-Day/$51M 4-Day, Dog Opens to Better-Than-Expected $15.14M/$18.05M

Following a relatively slow Super Bowl frame, the North American box office picked back up again over the long President’s Day weekend with the release of Sony’s Uncharted, which easily won the weekend with an estimated $44.16M through Sunday and $51M through Monday from 4,275 locations. Elsewhere, United Artists/MGM’s Dog also saw strong results while LD Entertainment’s The Cursed just barely scraped its way to a top 10 debut. Starring MCU darling Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg, Uncharted – based on the video game series of the same name – was positioned as an event-sized release by Sony, and Holland’s Spider-Man star power, particularly on the back of No Way Home’s massively successful run, certainly helped it do solid business this weekend despite mostly poor reviews. Based on its three-day debut, the film enjoyed the fourth-highest opening weekend of any video game...

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Apple to Re-Release Academy Award Best Picture Nominee CODA in Cinemas, Free and with Open Captions

Fresh off its Academy Award nomination for Best Picture, CODA will return to cinemas for one weekend only from Friday, February 25 to Sunday, February 27. The film will screen three times a day at cinemas in select cities, free of charge. Audiences at a Los Angeles showing can also participate in a live Q&A with the cast and writer/director Siân Heder. Heder is also nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay, as the film was based on the 2014 French movie La Famille Bélier, while Troy Kotsur is nominated for Best Supporting Actor. The comedy-drama follows teenager Ruby Rossi (Emilia Jones), the only hearing member of an otherwise-deaf family in working class Massachusetts: father Frank (Kotsur), mother Jackie (Marlee Matlin), and brother Leo (Daniel Durant). During her senior year of high school, Ruby finds herself torn between wanting to leave college to study her true...

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