The Biggest Movies Coming to Theaters in April 2022

It will arguably be the first “normal” month at this year’s box office. December 2021 was packed with the likes of Spider-Man: No Way Home, West Side Story, Sing 2, and The Matrix Resurrections. But then the Omicron variant hit in late December, spiking daily Covid-19 cases rates to their highest levels of the entire pandemic. As a result, a number of high-profile theatrical titles postponed or vacated their planned January, February, or March release dates. The Batman led for three consecutive weekends in March, as not a single major wide release debuted in competition on either the film’s second or third frames. Here’s our guide to the top movies poised to receive a wide release in April 2022. Morbius Friday, April 1 Premise: Jared Leto stars as title character Michael Morbius, a scientist searching for a cure to his blood disease who tests a concoction...

Read More

ABBA: The Movie – Fan Event in Cinemas Thursday, May 12 and Saturday, May 14

45 years after the film’s original release, a remastered version of 1977’s concert documentary Abba: The Movie will be released in cinemas on Thursday, May 12 and Saturday, May 14. Directed by diector Lasse Hallström — who would later go on to helm What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, The Cider House Rules, Chocolat, Dear John, A Dog’s Purpose, and The Nutcracker and the Four Realms — the film features footage from the Swedish pop group’s 1977 Australian tour. For this re-release, the film was remastered and scanned at 2K resolution, with restored audio and removal of the original cut’s dirt, scratches, and stains. The group’s four members — Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, and Agnetha Fältskog — reunited in November 2021 to release Voyage, their first studio album since 1981. The set reached #2 on the Billboard...

Read More

Looking Forward to the Future of Cinema with the Giants of Exhibition

In our March/April issue, Boxoffice Pro revealed our 2022 Giants of Exhibition, ranking the top 50 circuits in North America by screen count. Our rollout was accompanied by an online panel discussion, held on March 15, 2021, designed to explore the potential of cinemas amid a time of continued and substantial change for the industry. Our panelists hailed from chains that represent a small part of the diversity of the North American cinema landscape: Bob Bagby, CEO of B&B Theatres (sixth-largest chain in North America), the market’s largest family-owned exhibitor; Anthony Laverde, CEO of Emagine Entertainment, a Michigan-based luxury chain...

Read More

EXCLUSIVE: Jocelyn Bouyssy, CEO of France’s CGR Cinémas, Reveals Europe’s Sixth-Largest Circuit is Exploring a Sale

In an exclusive interview with Boxoffice Pro France, Jocelyn Bouyssy, CEO of CGR Cinémas, the second-largest exhibition circuit in France and sixth-largest in Europe, reveals current owners Luc and Charles Raymond are exploring the sale of the circuit. CGR Cinémas is well known in the industry as one of the world’s top cinema circuits—the second-largest chain in France (claiming 12% of the market share in 2021)  and sixth-largest in Europe—but the group’s activities expand beyond exhibition. Could you remind us of the other areas in entertainment in which you currently operate? Georges Raymond founded the company as an exhibition circuit....

Read More

Weekend Box Office Forecast: Morbius

Sony has been on a box office hot streak thanks to their delivery of theatrically exclusive, crowd-pleasing hits throughout the pandemic recovery. This weekend, as 2022 turns the page into its second quarter, the studio returns with Morbius. Produced in association with Marvel, Morbius will transition another anti-hero character from comic books to the big screen. Still, this film is not yet officially confirmed to be part of Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe. The tangential brand association remains a possible strength for the Jared Leto-led film, but as discussed previously, this origin story has had a challenging road to release. Unfortunately, pre-release tracking hasn’t improved since the initial long range outlook. Morbius has yet to capture widespread mainstream interest in the way both Venom films did leading up to their debuts, and that portends a much more...

Read More

Cinionic Celebrates 100,000 Projector Milestone at CinemaCon 2022

Cinionic will be returning to Las Vegas for CinemaCon 2022 with with an all-laser portfolio and solution for movie theaters around the world. The company will also celebrate a major milestone at the event, having installed over 100,000 projectors globally since its launch. To commemorate the benchmark, Cinionic will be hosting a week of special presentations and events at its expanded Cinionic World exhibition space in the Romans Ballrooms at Caesar’s Palace. Cinionic’s all-laser portfolio of cinema services and solutions will be on display at Cinionic World throughout the show. Their suite of products include laser solutions and enhanced services such as Barco Series 4 projection for screens of every size, Laser Light Upgrades for Series 2 projectors, vendor-financing, and the ability to sign-up to new as-a-service models like premium with Cinionic Giant Screen (CGS). “After...

Read More

Iconic Events and UFC Partner to Bring UFC’s Monthly Marquee PPV Events to the Big Screen

Event cinema distributor Iconic Events will be bringing UFC’s monthly mixed martial arts (MMA) par-per-view series live to movie theaters across the United States through the end of 2022.  Iconic has previously served as the event cinema distribution partner of several UFC headline matches, including UFC 270: Ngannou vs Gane; UFC 271: Adesanya vs Whittaker 2; and UFC 272: Covington vs Masvidal.  Upcoming events include UFC 273: Volkanovski vs The Korean Zombie on Saturday, April 9. “UFC is the ultimate theatrical sporting event–there’s simply nothing like experiencing these highly entertaining, competitive, and captivating fights on the big screen,” said Steve Bunnell, Iconic Events’ CEO. “UFC athletes are the best in the world and seeing them on giant movie theatre screens with the high-end sound cranked up is a thrilling way to watch them. Iconic has been...

Read More

There Will Be Blood: Morbius Director Daniel Espinosa on Green Screen and Gratitude

Since the character’s 1971 introduction (in comic The Amazing Spider-Man #101), the vampire Morbius has been a Spider-Man universe staple, appearing in numerous comics, animated television series, and video games. Yet he’s never made the leap to film, until now. In the upcoming dark action-adventure Morbius, Jared Leto stars as scientist Michael Morbius, who accidentally becomes a vampire after attempting to cure himself of a rare blood disease. Leto, who won a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for Dallas Buyers Club (2013), previously starred as superhero villain Joker in Suicide Squad (2016). Sony Pictures debuts the film exclusively in cinemas on Friday, April 1. Swedish director Daniel Espinosa helms the project, having previously directed 2017’s outer space thriller Life, starring Ryan Reynolds and Jake Gyllenhaal, and 2012’s action-drama Safe House, starring Denzel...

Read More

CTC (Cinema Technology Community) Announces One Community Day 2022, Free Online Event for Global Cinema Industry

Nonprofit independent trade organization CTC (Cinema Technology Community) announced Monday its second one-day online event “One Community Day 2022.” The event will be held both in person as part of the UK Cinema Association’s forthcoming spring conference and live streaming online on Wednesday, April 6. Access to the live stream will be free for industry professionals, starting at 8:30 A.M. Eastern Standard Time. The day’s keynote talks, interviews, and presentations will cover issues including cybersecurity, event cinema presentation quality, engaging audiences with technology, and 3D. The day will end with a taping of CTC’s podcast In the Pub with Mike Bradbury. Cinema professionals can sign up for CTC’s One Community Day online by visiting www.onecommunityday.com. One Community Day 2022 forms the final part of CTC’s two-year Covid Response Program, which has...

Read More

National CineMedia (NCM) Launches New Data Intelligence Platform NCMx

National CineMedia (NCM) announced Monday the launch of NCMx, a new data, insights, and analytics platform using the company’s knowledge and data about moviegoer behavior to connect brands with custom audiences in theaters, as well as on digital screens — both before and after attending movies. The platform will allow NCM to execute advanced audience-matching against key geographic, behavioral, and contextual targets on the big screen, as well as use the NCMx capabilities to retarget moviegoers with digital ads and mobile offers afterwards. “Movie theaters continue to attract and capture the undivided attention of this highly desirable 18-34-year-old audience en masse,” NCM’s President of Sales, Marketing, and Partnerships Scott Felenstein said in a company press release. “With NCMx, cinema is now more targetable, measurable and accountable than ever before, offering...

Read More

B&B Theatres To Open Omaha, Nebraska Location

B&B Theatres will debut a 24-screen cinema location in Omaha, Nebraska — their first location in the state. The Omaha location, at 3555 S 140th Plaza, will include three PLF (premium large format) Grand Screen auditoriums. All auditoriums will include Barco laser projectors from Cinionic and luxury electric recliners. An opening date will be announced in the upcoming weeks. Primarily based in the south and midwest, the circuit currently has locations in Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and Washington. “Our family-owned, privately-held company is thrilled to join the Omaha market,” B&B Theatres President and CEO Bob Bagby said in a company press release. “We love what we do and can’t wait to bring the magic of the movies to the area.” B&B Theatres ranks #6 in Boxoffice...

Read More

Weekend Box Office: The Lost City Finds $31M and Reconnects with Missing Audiences

Paramount’s adventure comedy The Lost City debuted on top this weekend with an estimated $31 million, exceeding the openings of several other similar comedies from the past few years, including several pre-pandemic titles from 2017-19: +3% above Men in Black: International ($30.0M) +9% above Free Guy ($28.3M) +15% above Zombieland: Double Tap ($26.8M) +44% above Good Boys ($21.4M) +45% above The Hitman’s Bodyguard ($21.3M) +50% above Blockers ($20.5M) +82% above Game Night ($17.0M) More than double Dog, last month’s title which also starred Channing Tatum ($14.8M)   Directed by brothers Aaron and Adam Nee, making their major-studio feature film directorial debut, City stars Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, and Daniel Radcliffe. The film’s release this weekend sought to reconnect audiences with an adult-skewing audiences in the post-pandemic era, seen as...

Read More