Boxoffice® Pro - March 2014

$6.95 

MARCH 2014 

JOHN FITHIAN 

ANSWERS THE 

QUESTION: 

TOO MANY MOVIES, 

OR TOO FEW? 

PATRICK 

CORCORAN SAYS 

“INNOVATE!” 

THE FUTURE OF 

ONLINE TICKETING 

WE TALK WITH 

FANDANGO’S 

PAUL YANOVER AND 

MOVIETICKETS.COM’S 

JOEL COHEN 

B&B THEATRE’S 

90TH BIRTHDAY 

OUR TRIBUTE 

The director and ocean 

explorer’s new documentary, 

James Cameron’s DeepSea 

Challenge 3D 

LIONSGATE’S 

DIVERGENT 

A FRANCHISE 

IN THE MAKING? 

AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH OUR BOXOFFICE ® 3D PIONEER AWARD WINNER 

SPECIAL REPORT THE POWER & PROMISE OF 3D 

The Official Magazine of the National Association of Theatre Owners

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Julien Marcel 

CEO 

BoxOffice Media 

CELEBRATING 

This month, we celebrate the great aspects of the 

3D movement. Sometimes it’s too easy to let 

negativity overshadow the positive impact 3D has 

had on our industry. At BoxOffice, we are more 

interested in facts than opinions when it comes to 

measuring what this new technology has brought to 

the industry over the past five years. 

Speaking of 3D technology, is there a bigger 

expert than James Cameron? Probably not. Mr. Cameron receives 

our first ever BoxOffice Pioneer Award in this issue and discusses his 

new documentary, DeepSea Challenge 3D. It’s an honor to have such 

an established filmmaker—and deep-sea explorer—give us a candid 

interview about the film and the state of cinematic 3D. 

Also in this issue, NATO’s John Fithian and Patrick Corcoran push 

against conventional wisdom as it relates to the number of movies 

released each year and the number of seats in a theater. At BoxOffice, we 

hail thinking outside the box. It’s where all the best ideas come from. 

This month, we are also pleased to celebrate the 90th anniversary of 

B&B Theaters. It is amazing that such an established brand approaches 

the industry with the same hunger, idealism, and freshness of vision of a 

start-up. We can certainly relate to that at BoxOffice as we initiate a new 

era. 

It is truly a privilege for me to join the BoxOffice team. I know 

how much our valued readers treasure this publication and I will do 

everything I can to make sure that it remains as vital as ever in this 

constantly changing industry. 

MARCH 2014 BoxOffice ® Pro The Business of Movies 3

MAR. 2014 VOL. 150 NO. 3 

JAMES CAMERON’S 

DEEPSEA CHALLENGE 3D 

OPENS IN APRIL 

6 EXHIBITION BRIEFS 

The latest news from the exhibition industry 

12 EXECUTIVE SUITE by John Fithian 

TOO MANY MOVIES, OR TOO FEW? A paradox of theatrical distribution 

and exhibition 

16 GOOD IDEAS by Patrick Corcoran 

BUTTS IN SEATS Narrowing your focus to broaden your audience 

16 ONLINE TICKETING by Daniel Loria 

THE DIGITAL BOX OFFICE BoxOffice takes a look at the role online 

ticketing plays in today’s exhibition industry 

35 BOXOFFICE TRIBUTE 

B&B THEATRES CELEBRATES 90 YEARS 

BOXOFFICE PRO’S 3D REPORT 

22 BOXOFFICE 3D 

PIONEER AWARD by Michael White 

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH 

JAMES CAMERON 

28 3D OVERVIEW by Michael White 

NUMBERS PROVE BOX OFFICE VALUE 

TO STUDIOS, EXHIBITORS 

31 3 QUESTIONS 

WE QUIZ REALD’S CEO MICHAEL LEWIS 

32 THE NEXT BIG THING 

A LOOK AT WHAT INDUSTRY INNOVATORS 

SEE COMING DOWN THE ROAD 

LIGHTS! 

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42 OSCAR GOLD? by Shawn Robbins 

Will the $265 million hit Gravity win the big prize on March 2 and make our top 

five all-time list or will 12 Years a Slave grab gold and become one of the lowest 

grossing winners ever? 

44 BIG PICTURE by Daniel Loria 

PERSONALITY TEST The makers of Divergent provide BoxOffice with an 

inside look at the latest adaptation of a young-adult best seller 

48 COMING THIS MONTH 

in wide release 

Noah / 300: Rise of an Empire / Mr. Peabody & Sherman / Need for Speed 

The Single Moms Club / Divergent / Muppets Most Wanted 

in limited release 

The Grand Budapest Hotel / A Farewell to Fools / Grand Piano / Journey 

to the West: Conquering the Demons / On My Way / The Face of Love 

Enemy / One Chance / Bad Words / Veronica Mars / The Art of the Steal 

The Right Kind of Wrong / U Want Me 2 Kill Him? / Blood Ties / Cheap Thrills 

Maladies / Rob the Mob / Cesar Chavez / Finding Vivian Maier 

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EXHIBITION 

BRIEFS 

INTERNATIONAL 

PEPE BATLLE TO 

RECEIVE UNIC 

ACHIEVEMENT AWARD 

AT CINEEUROPE 2014 

n CineEurope and UNIC are pleased 

to announce that José “Pepe” Batlle 

(above), former CEO of CINESA 

in Spain and COO for Continental 

Europe, ODEON & UCI Cinemas 

Group will be the recipient of the 

UNIC Achievement Award at this 

year’s convention. This honor will be 

bestowed during the opening ceremony 

on Monday, June 16 at Centre 

Convencions Internacional Barcelona 

(CCIB), in Barcelona, Spain. The 

UNIC Achievement Award is given 

each year to an outstanding person 

for his or her dedication and service 

to European 

cinema exhibition. 

CINEMACON 

n CHADWICK BOSEMAN (right) WILL RECEIVE 

THE CINEMACON MALE STAR OF TOMORROW 

AWARD Boseman will be presented with this 

special honor at the CinemaCon Big Screen 

Achievement Awards ceremony to take 

place on Thursday evening, March 27, 

in The Colosseum at Caesars Palace. 

The Coca-Cola Company, the official 

presenting sponsor of Cinema- 

Con, will host the final night gala 

awards program. 

“From the moment Chadwick 

Boseman appeared onscreen 

as Jackie Robinson in 42 there 

was no doubt that he would be an 

actor to be reckoned with in Hollywood,” 

notes Mitch Neuhauser, 

managing director of CinemaCon. 

“With upcoming roles in Draft 

Day and Get on Up, Boseman is 

sure to continue to impress and 

entertain audiences around the 

world and we could not be more 

honored to present him with the 

CinemaCon Male Star of Tomorrow 

Award.” 

EXHIBITION 

REGAL CROWN CLUB MEMBERS CAN 

WIN A PERSONAL DRONE AIRCRAFT AND SONY TABLET 

n Regal Crown Club members who purchase a ticket to RoboCop are entered for 

a chance to win their very own drone aircraft. The high-tech drone also comes 

with a camera, batteries, storage/shipping case, and a Sony tablet. 

The vehicle has a wingspan of over three feet, was designed and built by Lehmann 

Aviation, and is capable of flight for up to 3 km on a single battery charge. 

“Regal prides itself on offering memorable, unique experiences inside the 

theater, and this RoboCop sweepstakes creates an opportunity for our guests to 

take the experience of the film home with them,” says Dave Doyle, chief information 

officer at Regal Entertainment Group. “Regal is proud to embrace innovative 

technologies across our industry, and we are excited about this prize.” 

CINEMACON 

n SHAILENE WOODLEY (left) 

WILL RECEIVE THE CINEMACON 

FEMALE STAR OF TOMORROW 

AWARD at this year’s CinemaCon. 

Woodley will be presented with this 

special honor at the CinemaCon Big 

Screen Achievement Awards ceremony 

to take place on Thursday evening, March 

27, in The Colosseum at Caesars Palace. The 

Coca-Cola Company, the official presenting 

sponsor of CinemaCon, 

will host the final-night gala 

awards program. 

“With an award-winning 

and awe-inspiring performance 

opposite George 

Clooney in The Descendants 

already under her 

belt, Shailene Woodley has already proven that she is 

a rising star to watch in Hollywood,” notes Mitch Neuhauser, 

managing director of CinemaCon. “With upcoming 

starring roles in 20th Century Fox’s The Fault In 

Our Stars, as well as Summit Entertainment’s Divergent 

series, Woodley will be one young star to be reckoned 

with and we could not be more pleased to honor her 

with the CinemaCon Female Star of Tomorrow Award.” 

Woodley’s feature film debut in The Descendants 

earned her many accolades including a 2012 Independent 

Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actress, the 

National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting 

Actress along with a Golden Globe and Critics Choice 

award nomination. Most recently Woodley was seen 

in the critically acclaimed film The Spectacular Now, 

for which she has received an Independent Spirit 

Award nomination, along with the Gregg Araki–directed 

White Bird in a Blizzard. She can also be seen 

this month in Summit Entertainment’s Divergent (see 

page 44). 

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Don’t be left behind

EXHIBITION BRIEFS 

SOUND 

DOLBY ATMOS ADDS NEW DI- 

MENSION TO THE MONKEY KING 

n The Monkey King will be mixed 

and released in the Dolby Atmos 

cinema sound platform. The Monkey 

King, a much beloved story, is as 

much a part of Asian culture as The 

Odyssey or The Wizard of Oz is to 

the West. This first installment in a 

trilogy of live-action 3D movies is a 

prequel to The Journey to the West, 

the often-told story of the Monkey 

King’s adventures on the road to 

India. 

“As an important player in the 

filmmaking industry, we are always 

looking forward to delivering exceptional 

experiences through great 

storytelling and new technologies. 

Dolby Atmos will help us use sound 

to transport audiences right into 

the world of The Monkey King,” says 

director Soi Cheang. 

The Monkey King will be released 

in domestic markets September 14. 

ALTERNATIVE CONTENT 

NCM FATHOM PRESENTS 

ELTON JOHN: THE MILLION 

DOLLAR PIANO 

n Captured live from The Colosseum at 

Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, The Million 

Dollar Piano features all of Elton’s 

greatest hits from throughout his legendary 

career. At the centerpiece of this 

concert event is the show’s namesake 

piano. Featuring more than 68 LED video 

screens, this unique instrument was created 

especially for Sir Elton. NCM Fathom 

will be presenting The Million Dollar Piano 

in select theaters on March 18 and 28. 

INTERNATIONAL 

WANDA TO ADD 80 IMAX 

SCREENS BEGINNING IN 2016 

n The new IMAX screens at Wanda, 

the largest theater chain in the world, 

will bring the total in China to 210. 

Half of these additional screens will 

use next-generation laser projection. 

AWARDS 

U2 TO PERFORM AT THE OSCARS 

n Bono and the band will perform 

their Oscar-nominated song 

“Ordinary Love” from the film 

Mandela: A Long Walk Home at 

the March 2 ceremonies. This is 

the band’s second Oscar nomnation 

after “The Hands That 

Built America” from Gangs of New 

York. They lost that year to Eminem’s 

“Lose Yourself” from 8 Mile. 


UPCOMING 3D MOVIES 

2014 

MAR 7 WARNER BROS. 300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE 

MAR 7 FOX/DREAMWORKS ANIMATION MR. PEABODY & SHERMAN 

MAR 7 DISNEY/DREAMWORKS NEED FOR SPEED 

APR 4 DISNEY CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER 

APR 4 WARNER BROS./IMAX ISLAND OF LEMURS: MADAGASCAR 

APR 11 FOX RIO 2 

MAY 2 SONY/COLUMBIA THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 

MAY 9 CLARIUS LEGENDS OF OZ: DOROTHY’S RETURN 

MAY 16 WARNER BROS. GODZILLA 

MAY 23 FOX X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST 

MAY 30 DISNEY MALEFICENT 

JUN 6 WARNER BROS. EDGE OF TOMORROW 

JUN 13 FOX/DREAMWORKS ANIMATION HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2 

JUN 27 PARAMOUNT TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION 

JUL 11 FOX DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES 

JUL 18 WARNER BROS. JUPITER ASCENDING 

JUL 18 DISNEY PLANES: FIRE AND RESCUE 

JUL 25 LIONSGATE/SUMMIT STEP UP ALL IN 

AUG 1 DISNEY GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY 

AUG 22 WEINSTEIN/DIMENSION SIN CITY: A DAME TO DIE FOR 

SEP 26 FOCUS THE BOXTROLLS 

NOV 7 DISNEY BIG HERO 6 

NOV 26 FOX/DREAMWORKS ANIMATION HOME 

DEC 17 WARNER BROS. THE HOBBIT: THERE AND BACK AGAIN 

2015 

JAN 16 LIONSGATE NORM OF THE NORTH 

FEB 6 UNIVERSAL SEVENTH SON 

FEB 27 UNIVERSAL EVEREST 

MAR 27 FOX/DREAMWORKS ANIMATION THE PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR 

MAY 15 WARNER BROS. MAD MAX: FURY ROAD 


JUN 5 FOX/DREAMWORKS ANIMATION B.O.O.: BUREAU OF OTHERWORLDLY OPERATIONS 

JUN 5 WARNER BROS./NEW LINE SAN ANDREAS 

JUN 12 UNIVERSAL JURASSIC WORLD 

JUN 19 DISNEY INSIDE OUT 

JUN 19 FOX THE FANTASTIC FOUR 

JUL 10 UNIVERSAL MINIONS 

JUL 17 WARNER BROS. PAN 

AUG 14 SONY/COLUMBIA THE SMURFS 3 

OCT 9 DISNEY THE JUNGLE BOOK 

NOV 6 FOX UNTITLED PEANUTS FILM 

NOV 25 DISNEY THE GOOD DINOSAUR 

DEC 18 DISNEY STAR WARS: EPISODE VII 

DEC 23 FOX/DREAMWORKS ANIMATION KUNG FU PANDA 3 

2016 

FEB 12 UNIVERSAL UNTITLED PETS PROJECT 

MAR 4 DISNEY UNTITLED DISNEY ANIMATION FILM 1 

MAR 11 UNIVERSAL WARCRAFT 

MAR 18 FOX/DREAMWORKS ANIMATION MUMBAI MUSICAL 

MAY 27 DISNEY ALICE IN WONDERLAND 2 

JUN 17 DISNEY FINDING DORY 

JUN 17 FOX/DREAMWORKS ANIMATION HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 3 

JUL 1 SONY/COLUMBIA ANGRY BIRDS 

JUL 15 FOX ICE AGE 5 

NOV 4 FOX/DREAMWORKS ANIMATION TROLLS 

NOV 23 DISNEY UNTITLED DISNEY ANIMATION FILM 2 

2017 

APR 7 FOX FERDINAND 

JUN 16 DISNEY UNTITLED PIXAR ANIMATION FILM 1 

NOV 22 DISNEY UNTITLED PIXAR ANIMATION FILM 2 

2018 

MAR 9 DISNEY UNTITLED DISNEY ANIMATION FILM 3 

MAR 23 FOX ANUBIS 

JUN 15 DISNEY UNTITLED PIXAR ANIMATION FILM 3 

NOV 21 DISNEY UNTITLED DISNEY ANIMATION FILM 4 


EXECUTIVE 

SUITE 

TOO MANY MOVIES, 

OR TOO FEW? 

A PARADOX OF THEATRICAL DISTRIBUTION 

AND EXHIBITION 

by John Fithian, 

President and CEO, NATO 

Cinema operators in New York 

and Los Angeles have described to 

me the sheer volume of requests 

they receive to exhibit more movies 

than they can possibly manage. 

Members in other markets tell 

me they wish they had more 

commercial product to choose 

from, particularly in the “off-peak” 

months. Does the industry have 

too many movies, or too few? 

n Paradoxical though it may seem, the answer 

may be both. There may be too many movies 

playing on a limited number of screens with 

little or no chance of breaking into a wider 

theatrical run. At the same time, there may be 

too few movies that secure a wider theatrical 

footprint and have real commercial viability. 

Earlier this year a famed film critic for the 

New York Times, Manohla Dargis, wrote that 

“there are too many lackluster, forgettable and 

just plain bad movies pouring into theaters.” 

Indeed, nearly 900 movies were reviewed by 

that newspaper in 2013. 

Why do distributors want screen time 

if box office receipts will likely be very low? 

Often, a theatrical release satisfies a contractual 

agreement with financiers. Similarly, the simple 

fact of a theatrical release can be used to drive 

home release deals and sales. And many publications, 

such as the New York Times, publish 

film reviews principally for movies released 

theatrically, and those reviews can be helpful 

for the ancillary markets. Some distributors 

are so desperate to get a theatrical release that 

they pay to “four wall,” or rent out, a cinema 

auditorium(s) just to legitimize the claim that 

their movie played in theaters. 

At the same time, though, exhibitors 

outside the two leading markets of Los Angeles 

and New York often have a different experience. 

In a recent chat with the independent members 

of the NATO executive board, for example, 

I heard all four of those exhibitors explain 

that they would like more movie choices with 

commercial appeal for exhibition, particularly 

during the months of February, March, April, 

September, and October. The major studios 

with their big distribution and marketing 

machines often ignore some or most of those 

months when it comes to titles they consider 

potential hits. Compounding the problem, the 

number of movies released by the major studios 

has been in consistent decline. The six major 

studios who are members of the Motion Picture 

Association of America, and their subsidiaries, 

released 189 movies in 2007 compared with 

128 in 2012 (see chart). 

In terms of domestic box office receipts, the 

increasing concentration of returns is troubling. 

In 2013, 829 movies recorded a domestic gross, 

according to Rentrak. But a mere 31 of those 

movies, all of which grossed more than $100 

million, accounted for 54.4 percent of the total 

box office, while the 100 top-grossing movies 

accounted for 89 percent. 

Not only have the major studios distributed 

fewer movies, they have also reduced the 

breadth of genres they offer. In their desire to 

make tentpoles, the studios have concentrated 

189 

168 

158 

MAJOR STUDIO FILM RELEASES 

MPAA STUDIOS WITH SUBSIDIARIES 

SOURCE: NATO 

141 141 

128 

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 


on sequels, prequels, and reboots of comic book stories or best-selling 

books or fairy tales. In other words, the studios have focused on 

known themes with pre-awareness and the potential for “four quadrant” 

commercial appeal. Original stories, particularly nonaction dramas and 

comedies, have a much more difficult time getting the green light in 

Hollywood. 

Lynda Obst, the successful producer of movies like Sleepless in Seattle 

and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, recently published a book that 

explains this phenomenon. In Sleepless in Hollywood (Simon & Schuster, 

2013), Obst describes what she calls a “new abnormal in the movie 

business” in which fewer, but bigger and more generic, movies are being 

made to satisfy a global audience. 

Obst believes that the first 

cause of this transition was the 

collapse of the DVD market. 

Between 1995 and 2005, the 

studios profited handsomely 

from DVD sales. During that 

period the DVD business 

represented 50 percent of the 

studios’ profits, which ran on 

average at about a 10 percent 

overall margin. With those profit 

margins, studios could offer a 

more diverse movie slate. Then, 

technology seriously damaged 

the DVD market as legal, and 

illegal, digital access emerged. 

The studios compounded the 

problem (my statement, not 

Ms. Obst’s) by facilitating cheap 

rentals and subscription services 

that greatly undermined the more profitable hard goods sales. 

At the same time that technology was changing the business, the 

global recession of 2008–2010 reduced the ability of consumers to buy 

movies. And a nasty strike by the writers’ union in 2007–2008 compounded 

problems even further. After the collapse of the DVD market, 

studio profit margins were reduced to approximately 6 percent on 

average. 

The DVD business is not coming back. To be sure, digital sales are 

growing for the studios now, but nothing yet like the Golden Goose days 

of the almighty DVD. So where did the studios turn for growth, and 

how did that move affect moviemaking and distribution? The international 

market provides the answer. 

Jim Cameron, whom we appropriately honor in this edition of the 

magazine, foreshadowed the growth of the international market back in 

December 1997 with the release of Titanic. That one movie broke global 

box office records and made money in new territories. Before Titanic, 

the domestic market was the key to Hollywood’s box office returns. As 

recently as the 1980s, international receipts on many movies counted for 

20 percent or so of Hollywood’s theatrical returns. By 2008, when the 

DVD market was collapsing and the world entered a period of economic 

turmoil, the domestic-international box office receipts breakdown was 

approximately fifty-fifty. Today, international box office constitutes more 

than 60 percent of most major movies, and more than 70 percent in 

some cases. 

In the January issue of this magazine, Daniel Loria chronicled the 

box office returns of the top 25 movies of 2013. Of those movies, four 

took more than 70 percent of their theatrical take internationally; 14 

more took more than 60 percent overseas; six took more than 50 percent 

but less than 60 percent internationally; and only one movie on that 

list (We’re the Millers at No. 25) took more than 50 percent from the 

domestic market. 

The United States represents approximately 5 percent of the world’s 


EXECUTIVE SUITE 

UPCOMING EVENTS 

CinemaCon 2014 Mar. 24–27 

National Assoc. of Broadcasters 

(NAB) Conf. & Exhibition 

Apr. 5–10 

NATO of Pennsylvania Apr. 23 

NATO of CA/NV Southern 

California Film Product Seminar 

Apr. 24 

North Central States NATO 2014 Apr. 29–30 

NATO of CA/NV Northern 

California Film Product Seminar 

TONE 2014 Future of Cinema 

Conference 

Mid-Atlantic NATO “Cinema Show 

& Tell” 

Apr. 29 

May 7 

May 13–14 

ShowCanada 2014 June 3–5 

Cine Europe 2014 June 16–29 

NAC Convention & Trade Show 

2014 

July 15–18 

ShowSouth 2014 Aug. 19–20 

Geneva Convention 2014 Sept. 9–11 

CineShow 2014 Sept. 16–17 

Kino Expo International 

Convention & Trade Show 2014 

NATO General Membershp and 

Board of Directors Meeting 

Sept. 22–26 

Sept. 30–Oct. 1 

Rocky Mountain NATO 2014 Oct. 7–9 

Australian International Movie 

Convention 2014 

Oct. 12–16 

ShowARama Oct. 14–16 

ShowEast 2014 Oct. 27–30 

CineAsia 2014 Dec. 9–11 

population. Americans go to the movies a little more than four times 

a year at a relatively (by global standards) high ticket price. The U.S. 

market is strong but mature. The European market is also relatively 

mature, though people there go to the movies about twice a year on 

average. Meanwhile, box office is exploding in places like China, India, 

Russia, and Brazil. Chinese box office grew 400 percent in five years and 

will likely outpace the United States by 2020. Simply put, the emerging 

markets have become the growth engine to replace declining DVD sales. 

What does the growth of the international market mean for the 

quantity and diversity of movies distributed by the majors in the United 

States? I have shown how the numbers have declined. Ms. Obst’s book 

describes the resulting death of genres, including many (but not all) comedies; 

sports movies; small dramas generally, and particularly those that 

explore national history; political pieces; period pieces; romances; movies 

with minimal pre-awareness; mixed genres; westerns; and more. 

AVATAR 

MARVEL’S THE 

AVENGERS 

TOY STORY 3 

IRON MAN 3 

TOP 5 HIGHEST-GROSSING 3D FILMS 

HARRY POTTER 

AND THE DEATHLY 

HALLOWS PART 2 

DOMESTIC 

INTERNATIONAL 

$760.5m 

$2,021.8m 

27.3% 72.7% 

$623.5m 

$895.2m 

41.0% 59.0% 

$415.0m 

$648.1m 

39.0% 61.0% 

$409.0m 

$806.4m 

33.7% 66.3% 

$381.0m 

$960.5m 

28.4% 71.6% 

SOURCE: BOXOFFICE.COM 

At the same time, 3D works better overseas than it does in the United 

States, which may explain why so many movies are released in that format. 

After Avatar (once again from our honoree Jim Cameron) and Alice 

in Wonderland had great success with 3D, the expectations were sky-high 

for the format. But as the technology didn’t work well with some movies, 

the slice of domestic box office coming from 3D has waned. Not so in 

many overseas territories. And the fact that China’s movie-import quota 

system applies differently to 3D than other movies also has an effect. 

Further compounding the problem in the United States are rules 

of some foreign countries that give preference to movies made in their 

homelands. To cope with these rules, the major studios enter into coproductions 

with foreign firms and produce movies in foreign lands. The 

coproduction factor also has a diminishing effect on the breadth of movie 

genres released by the majors in the United States. 

At the same time that major studios have reduced the number and 

scope of their slates, more independent movies are being made. These are 

the movies fighting to get on a few screens, often in New York and Los 

Angeles. Traditionally there have been three barriers to entry in the movie 

business: production costs, distribution costs, and marketing. Inexpensive 

digital technologies have made it easier to make and distribute movies. 

Yet few of these movies have found the ability to secure a theatrical run 

of more than a handful of screens, or the financial backing to properly 

market their wares. And yet we know that some of those movies could 

have substantial commercial success if they could secure broad screen 

access and awareness. 

The challenge for exhibitors who want more commercial movies of diverse 

genres on their screens is real and has become a topic for discussion 

at NATO. We look forward to exploring those issues in future discussions 

in this magazine. 


GOOD 

IDEAS 

BUTTS IN SEATS 

NARROWING YOUR FOCUS TO BROADEN 

YOUR AUDIENCE 

by Patrick Corcoran, 

Vice President and 

Chief Communications Officer, NATO 

WHAT IF I TOLD YOU YOU 

COULD NEARLY DOUBLE YOUR 

ATTENDANCE BY GETTING 

RID OF TWO THIRDS OF YOUR 

SEATS? 

Crazy, right? Well, it’s not just a crazy idea, because it’s 

happening right now. AMC Theatres has embarked on 

an ambitious renovation program that entails ripping 

out their existing seats and replacing them with wider, 

plusher, powered recliners that reduce the seat counts 

in those auditoriums by 66 percent. Those big new 

seats are getting a workout—attendance in those auditoriums 

has increased by an average of 91 percent. 

n AMC is not alone in this. I have had many conversations with 

exhibitors large and small who have launched similar conversion 

efforts, and they have invariably reported increased attendance 

with fewer seats. So what is driving this seeming paradox? 

Novelty is certainly one reason. New and improved ways of 

seeing movies in the movie theater have a way of bumping 

attendance. We saw a similar bump in the early part of 

the last decade with stadium seating. Digital-driven 

3D provided another boost. Innovations rapidly 

become the new expectation, and something new is 

required to exceed them. 

While annual box office is nearly $2 billion 

higher than it was in 2002, annual admissions 

have not kept pace. Approximately 200 million 

fewer tickets were sold in 2013 than 

in 2002, which remains the peak year 

for attendance in modern moviegoing. 

That is not to say that attendance is 

on a downward trajectory. We have 

experienced ups and downs over 

the period—roughly 80 million 

more tickets were sold in 2013 

than were sold in 2011—but 

we have yet to return to our 

peak. 

There are a lot of reasons for that. Variations in 

the movie slate from year to year (John Fithian explores 

the need for product diversity elsewhere in this issue); a 

stagnant job market for most of the decade before we ran into 


the worst economy since the Great Depression 

is another factor. I would argue that the cinema 

business has more than held its own during 

seriously tough times. 

And I would also argue that innovation is 

what has carried us through. Stadium seating 

is now commonplace throughout the industry; 

billions have been spent on remaking the 

way our audiences experience movies in our 

theaters. Hard on the heels of that transformation 

came another fundamental—and radical— 

transition. The digital cinema makeover, which 

has consumed another $2.5 billion, has had an 

impact not just on the exhibition business but 

on the moviegoing experience. Pristine images 

week in and week out are really something 

new for vast numbers of moviegoers. Some 

of our most reluctant theater owners, who 

felt they were being pressured into a costly 

transition that held no benefit for them, have 

been shocked at the quality of the images they 

can now project—and their customers have 

noticed. 

The transition to digital is nearly complete. 

Ninety-three percent of U.S. screens and more 

than 81 percent of theaters have made the 

change, and more convert every day. The economy 

is slowly but steadily improving. These 

innovations will allow us not just to hold our 

ground, but to grow. 

Digital cinema opens up new avenues for 

distribution of movies and other content, 

allowing us to tailor our offerings more closely 

to an audience we know more about than ever 

through loyalty programs and Facebook likes. 

The digitization and social networking of our 

culture have provided the biggest opportunities 

and challenges of our young century so far. The 

very access that the Internet provides also accelerates 

the fragmentation of our culture into 

smaller and smaller areas of interest. The mass 

audience that has always driven our industry 

has become harder to reach, even as our studio 

partners increasingly target a mass audience 

with every movie. Marketing budgets balloon 

as they chase the audience they need to make 

those big production budgets work. 

But we have always known that there isn’t 

just one audience—there are many, and they 

have different needs. You see it every week in 

your theaters as they combine, split up, and 

recombine for each new movie. This is partly 

a function of our product-driven industry; 

different people want to see different movies. 

Yet we have to reconcile that fact with another 

fact—a sizeable portion of the audience shows 

up at your box office to watch a movie, but not 

a particular movie. Ask your cashiers how often 

people step up to the window and ask, “What’s 

good?” or “What’s playing at 7:30?” 

What they are telling us is that they want to 

go to the movie theater. You can do your best 

to program your screens to offer movies with 

the best chance of luring an audience, but there 

are things that drive patrons to movie theaters 

that are more completely under your control, 

from the friendliness and helpfulness of your 

staff to the way you deal with rude patrons who 

disrupt that experience. 

Which brings us back to those new, stateof-the-art 

seats. The seats are not just more 

comfortable, but they put more control, quite 

literally, in customers’ hands. Broader availability 

of online ticketing and reserved seating 

are also tools that give customers control of 

their experience. American moviegoers have 

historically been resistant to reserved seating in 

theaters; it may be our democratic nature—everybody 

has the same shot at seats when the 

COCA- 

COLA 

FREESTYLE 

AMC IS TOUTING 

THIS MEGA-MACHINE 

THAT PUTS 100+ 

DRINK CHOICES AT 

YOUR PATRONS’ 

FINGERTIPS. 

auditorium doors open—but that seems to be 

changing. 

Concessions are another area where the customer 

is increasingly the boss. Soda machines 

that can offer a seemingly infinite variety of 

soda combinations, self-serve candy bins, and 

increasingly, full-service restaurant and bar 

menus offer patrons an array of choices that 

makes the moviegoing experience one that is 

particular to their tastes. 

The physical layout of your theater, the 

décor, and the range of seating and screen sizes 

and formats all provide ways to offer a moviegoing 

experience that suits your customers. Do 

you have an auditorium that’s more like an intimate 

screening room? One with couches? Does 

your lobby look more like an art gallery than a 

neon movie palace? Do you have table-side wait 

service in one and an over-21-only auditorium 

that serves movie-themed cocktails in another? 

All of these amenities exist now and there’s an 

audience for them. 

Proprietary large-format screens, IMAX, 

and traditional screens are all out there, often 

facing one another across the same lobby. The 

audience is going to continue to fragment, and 

there is opportunity in that fragmentation. 

Blockbusters will continue to dominate the 

landscape, but getting everyone to come see the 

same thing is going to get harder and harder. 

The common wisdom is that the Internet has 

given consumers greater control over their entertainment 

choices, and that is true. The less common 

wisdom is that consumer control—giving 

the audience what they want, when they want 

it—represents a threat to movie theaters and 

provides a rationale for shrinking or eliminating 

the theatrical release window, but that is not a 

choice consumers can, or even seem interested 

in forcing upon our business. Only intentional 

business decisions, no matter how foolish, can 

end that exclusive marketing channel. 

What it really means, I think, is that audiences—consumers—everywhere 

have come 

to expect that they can choose the nature of 

their experiences, if they choose to have the 

experience at all. The mass experience, if not 

going away, is certainly changing. Paradoxically, 

attracting those smaller segments, those many 

audiences, may end up meaning we have a 

bigger audience overall. 

Fewer seats, higher attendance. Smaller 

audiences, higher attendance? Crazy. 


BOXOFFICE TAKES A LOOK AT THE ROLE ONLINE TICKETING 

PLAYS IN TODAY’S EXHIBITION INDUSTRY 

By Daniel Loria 

Do you remember how it used to be? Waiting in 

line next to all those people in their Star Wars 

costumes, heart pounding in fear of reaching the 

box office only to be greeted by the dreaded Sold 

Out sign? 

That Kafkaesque scene was commonplace in the 

ancient year of 1999—a time before online ticketing 

n The essential nature of ticket purchasing makes it an excellent fit for 

e-commerce, according to Fandango President Paul Yanover. “It’s one 

of the most perfect products to buy through a self-service interactive 

interface, meaning I don’t have to try it on, it doesn’t perish; it’s a 

perfect product.” 

Recent developments indicate the marketplace will provide new 

opportunities for exhibitors in reaching clients through a variety of 

e-ticketing providers. AMC and Carmike Cinemas recently added 

MovieTickets.com as a provider, increasing consumer options in the 

space. 

“This could potentially open up some additional opportunities,” 

says Joel Cohen, CEO of MovieTickets.com. “It’s a definite shift in the 

industry and we’ll just have to see how it plays out.” 

revolutionized the cinemagoing experience for 

audiences around the world. Today online ticketing 

plays a major role in the exhibition industry. 

Companies are evolving in a dynamic 

marketplace, innovating 

through new technologies in 

order to provide consumers 

with a fast, reliable, and 

efficient way of enjoying 

their night at the 

movies. 

The new options do not present a direct challenge to Fandango’s 

activity in the marketplace, says Fandango’s Yanover. 

“It’s very uncomplicated,” he explains. “We structure relationships 

that work for us and for our partners. We have partners for whom 

exclusivity works for a variety of reasons, from the set of services we 

provide them and the level of integration we can achieve, all the way 

through the sense of simplicity for their consumers. 

“Other partners want nonexclusive relationships and want their ticketing 

pushed through as many channels as possible, and we’re with them— 

we’ll work closely with them on their products, marketing, and everyday 

operational needs. We don’t operate in a one-size-fits-all manner.” 

In many ways online ticketing isn’t a one-size-fits-all business 

either. The rise of e-commerce catapulted Fandango and MovieTickets.com 

into their roles as key players in the industry ever since both 

companies launched in 2000, but a cultural shift in film production 

has benefited the service too. 

Cohen confirms that the move toward bigger films with built-in 

franchise potential has helped business at MovieTickets.com, “The 

studios have worked very well with exhibition, making sure that 


tickets go on sale earlier and there’s really an 

event-type scenario built up for each one of 

these big movies.” 

Fandango has enjoyed similar growth 

thanks to the event marketing that dominates 

today’s film industry. The company has 

partnered with exhibitors and studios to offer 

“SuperTicket” bundles for select films that 

can include concession rebates, a pre-purchase 

of a digital or DVD copy of the film, and the 

opportunity to see a highly anticipated film 

days ahead of its wide release. 

The rise of mobile devices like smartphones 

and tablets has redefined consumers’ 

approach to e-commerce, and online 

ticketing isn’t an exception. MovieTickets. 

com experimented with a podcast as early as 

2005, developing its mobile presence through 

the release of their first mobile ticketing app 

in 2007. Fandango launched a WAP site in 

2005 and entered the Apple App Store in 

2009. The Fandango app reached 39 million 

downloads across mobile platforms by the 

end of 2013. 

The online ticketing business, however, 

doesn’t provide an established blueprint for 

success. Examples from outside the United 

States signal the different routes that businesses 

can take in claiming a share of the market. 

AlloCiné maintains a dominating presence 

among cinema-oriented web portals in 

France. The company began as a telephone 

service for show times in 1993 before selling 

tickets through their service in 1994. A website 

followed in 1997, during the dawn of the 

Internet, eventually becoming the Internet 

resource for cinema in France. AlloCiné announced 

a partnership with French retail and 

event-ticketing giant FNAC at the 

2011 Cannes Film Festival. 

The companies 

would join forces in 

entering the online 

ticketing industry 

during a time when 

French exhibitors 

had begun making headway with proprietary 

e-ticketing technology. The new venture 

snapped up ticketing rights to the iconic Le 

Grand Rex theater in Paris, a popular site for 

big premieres in the country. The project hit 

a stumbling block, however, when the idea 

failed to gain traction among the country’s 

top exhibitors, falling short of its goal of 

becoming a universal solution for online 

ticketing in France. Le Grand Rex concluded 

its relationship with the AlloCiné-FNAC 

venture and the project was scrapped shortly 

thereafter. 

Clearly, maintaining successful relationships 

with exhibitors is vital for e-ticketing 

providers to thrive. “We really look at ourselves 

like relationship experts,” says Cohen. 

“We only do movie ticketing from an online 

and technology perspective; that’s our core 

competency and we want to bring solutions 

to the theaters so they can focus on their own 

day-to-day business.” 

Paul Yanover says he shares that philosophy 

and considers Fandango “as much of a 

B2B company as a B2C company.” He points 

to Fandango’s media partnerships as part of 

that strategy. “We are powering the ticketing 

for IMDb, Yahoo Movies, AOL 

Moviefone, MSN Movies, and 

others as well,” says Yanover. 

“We want movie ticketing to be 

available wherever and whenever 

people are talking or even thinking 

about movies.” 

Spanish e-ticketing leader 

Entradas.com adopted an innovative 

solution to spread the appeal 

of online ticketing in its home 

country. Leaders at that company 

made their product work with existing 

technology that consumers 

already trusted in order to build 

and expand their brand. Among 

other distribution options, the 

company offers ticket-buying and pick-up 

services at more than 11,000 ATMs across 

Spain, partnering with some of the country’s 

top banks in the process. 

Yanover emphasizes the importance of the 

consumer, noting Fandango’s efforts to make 

the e-ticketing experience as streamlined as 

possible. “We look at how we can maximize 

efficiency for the consumer in finding information, 

transactions, and delivery of tickets.” 

To do so, ticketing providers have 

increased their content offerings 

to include trailers, movie news, 

behind-the-scenes features, show 

times, and accurate maps. These 

data points are the bread-andbutter 

of the market, the basics 

that no company can overlook. 

Regardless of how you reach 

the consumer, whether it be via 

mobile apps or a bank’s ATM, the 

success of any business still hinges 

on providing the consumer with 

the necessary comfort and confidence 

to make a transaction. 

The studios have already realized 

the earning potential of the international 

box office. We are living in a time when a flop 

in North America can mean big business in 

emerging markets like China and Russia. The 

international market offers alluring opportunities 

in the online ticketing industry, as the 

global growth of the middle class has sparked 

a new boom for the exhibition industry. 

MovieTickets.com is an experienced player 

in international expansion, with a presence in 

17 countries, including the United Kingdom, 

Argentina, Mexico, Spain, and Canada. 

JOEL COHEN 

CEO 

MOVIETICKETS.COM 

PAUL YANOVER 

PRESIDENT 

FANDANGO 

Cohen is quick to underscore the importance 

of his company’s current relationship with 

exhibitors when it comes to launching a new 

venture abroad. 

“We work with our exhibitor partners who 

have a presence there to get a good understanding 

of a specific market. Once we are 

established, we work to get additional exhibitors 

in that particular area,” says Cohen. “In 

some areas, one of the positives is 

that the consumer buying activity 

is a bit more advanced than in 

the United States. We will do 

larger percentages of advance 

and online ticket sales in some of 

those countries when compared 

to U.S.” 

As the case study from France 

shows, however, expanding into 

a new country can coincide with 

exhibitors’ efforts at developing 

their own online ticketing 

systems. Cohen recognizes this 

as a challenge when working 

abroad. “Many exhibitors have 

established successful solutions 

on their own,” he says. “I’d say one of our 

challenges has been to convince some of the 

international markets that there is a need for 

an aggregator like there is in the U.S. with 

MovieTickets.com.” 

Fandango’s Yanover says he shares that 

outlook and views the role of online ticketing 

providers as part of the film community as a 

whole. 

“The broader reality of Fandango is that 

we are just as relevant to moviegoers 

who are not buying online. We 

are more than just a ticketing utility; 

we are a discovery, information, 

and ticketing environment. 

I think we benefit the industry 

in a really broad way. While I’d 

love everyone to buy their tickets 

through us, we’re important in 

the moviegoing ecosystem as a 

decision-making vehicle for all 

ticket-buyers, regardless of where 

they make their purchase.” 

The online ticketing business 

has been transformed by the 

emergence of digital technology 

and the rising popularity of e-commerce 

among consumers. As a result, these services 

have become an integral part of contemporary 

cinema culture. The digital box office 

isn’t merely a transactional environment, but 

a place where the moviegoing experience as 

a whole is promoted and celebrated. The 

Internet and digital technology might be the 

source of many headaches for the exhibition 

industry, but when it comes to online ticketing, 

it is a welcome solution to providing 

audiences with a better experience. 


DIRECTOR AND OCEAN EXPLORER 

JAMES CAMERON ABOARD 

THE DEEPSEA CHALLENGER 

CONGRATULATIONS JAMES CAMERON 

BOXOFFICE 3D PIONEER AWARD

22 BOXOFFICE ® 

3D PIONEER AWARD 

OUR EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW 

WITH JAMES CAMERON 

28 3D OVERVIEW 

NUMBERS PROVE BOX OFFICE 

VALUE TO STUDIOS, EXHIBITORS 

30 3 QUESTIONS 

REALD’S CEO MICHAEL 

LEWIS DISCUSSES NEW 3D 

TECHNOLOGIES 

32 THE NEXT BIG THING 

A LOOK AT WHAT SOME OF THE 

LEADERS IN 3D ARE PLANNING 


Oscar-winning director James Cameron hasn’t rested on his laurels 

since his science-fiction epic Avatar turned 3D filmmaking into a Hollywood 

staple. Last year the filmmaker/explorer piloted a submersible 

to the deepest point under the ocean, the Mariana Trench. The resulting 

film, the August release James Cameron’s Deepsea Challenge 3D, 

by Michael White 

was shot using new 3D technology Cameron and his team designed. 

The film, along with and his previous contributions, earned Cameron 

the inaugural BoxOffice® 3D Pioneer Award. He discussed his new film 

with BoxOffice Pro in a telephone interview from his farm in New 

Zealand, where he is busy writing scripts for three Avatar sequels. 

(continued on page 24) 

Crammed with equipment and just 43 

inches (109 centimeters) wide, the 

interior of the pilot sphere is so small 

that Cameron had to keep his knees 

bent and could barely move. 


Congratulations 

JAMES CAMERON 

on receiving the 

BoxOffice 

3D Pioneer Award

BOXOFFICE PIONEER AWARD > JAMES CAMERON 

BoxOffice Pro: You put 3D on the 

map with Avatar, and now with Deepsea 

Challenge 3D you’re moving the 

genre forward again with new technology 

and a remarkable documentary 

film. But before jumping into questions 

about the movie, we would like to get 

your thoughts on the state of 3D. Is 

Hollywood getting closer to fulfilling 

the potential of the format? 

James Cameron: I think we still have a ways 

to go. The quality of projection continues to 

improve. It’s usually about light levels more 

than anything. I think high frame rate shows 

promise in resolving some of the issues people 

have with 3D, but so far it has relatively few 

champions—Peter Jackson and myself, and a 

few others. We continue to see milestone 3D 

productions where 3D is integrated into the 

filmmaking. You have auteur filmmakers who 

are making it an integral part of their artistic 

process, which I think is the best thing you 

could have. 

You’re known for making movies that 

are difficult with respect to technology 

and logistics. Avatar and Titanic come 

to mind. Here, you’re diving to the bottom 

of the Mariana Trench. 

And shooting in 3D! What’s the point of 

going if you can’t shoot in 3D? 

Was this the most difficult film you’ve 

done? 

If you look at it purely from an engineering 

standpoint and technical hurdles, yes. 

What was the biggest challenge? 

Just making the vehicle to get down there 

was challenging enough, but we also had to 

build the cameras. We actually built a camera 

that probably weighed less than a quarter of 

a pound, and the size of your thumb, that’s 

spitting out HD SDI. That’s pretty amazing. 

We stuck two of them into titanium housing 

to withstand almost 15,000 psi pressure. We 

wound up with two of these smaller housings 

side by side. We had an ocean-rated stereo 

camera system that weighed 4.5 pounds. It’s 

really a technical challenge, certainly along the 

lines of building the vehicle. 

Cameron descended 35,787 feet (6.77 

miles/10.90 km), but his ears didn’t 

pop during the journey; the pressure 

inside the pilot’s sphere stays constant. 

How much did the project cost? 

It’s a small fraction of what it would have 

cost had the government done it or big institutions 

done it. It was privately funded with 

some corporate sponsors and some money 

from myself. It was done extremely cost-effectively 

with a tiny team. Myself and one 

member of the sub’s team are the only two 

who had worked on a submersible before. 

My theory on it was to put together a young, 

bright-eyed group that didn’t know what they 

didn’t know. The vehicle was so far outside 


Designed by Volfoni in France

BOXOFFICE 3D REPORT > JAMES CAMERON 

The sub’s four external cameras are 

a tenth the size of previous deepocean 

HD cameras. The housings were 

designed by the Deepsea Challenge 

team, and the cameras themselves 

were created from scratch, from the 

sensor up. 

the box from its conception that we couldn’t 

see the box. 

Do you view yourself primarily as a 

filmmaker or an explorer? 

When I’m making a feature film, I’m a feature 

filmmaker. When I’m doing an expedition, I 

focus on that and being a filmmaker becomes 

secondary. I don’t want to define myself 100 

percent as a feature director because then the 

slings and arrows of critics and production 

problems become all consuming. So I will 

probably continue to do some of each. 

Was there a point when you felt you 

were in danger? 

You live with risks every second on a dive like 

that, when you depend on life support every 

second. An electrical fire could be devastating 

in such a tiny space. I didn’t let it prey on my 

mind. There was one point when I did have a 

close scrap. We were on one of the test dives 

in the New Britain Trench. The computer system 

failed and things were basically going nuts 

and I had to shut the sub down. I had to sit 

there and figure out how to stop the sub from 

crashing into the bottom, which I was able to 

do. So that was kind of scary. 

In DeepSea Challenge there is a segment 

that shows you as a child, building 

a cardboard submarine. You’ve set 

a number of films at sea. What inspired 

your interest in the ocean? 

It was an interesting journey because it started 

with science fiction and going to other planets. 

When I was at an impressionable age I 

came in contact with Jacques Cousteau. I read 

about him and watched his TV specials and, 

man, I just ate that stuff up because I related 

to it as exploring another world on this planet. 

When I was 16 I was scuba certified, which 

is no mean feat when you live 600 miles 

from the ocean in Canada. I made my first 

open-water dive in a creek. 

How did the reality compare with the 

imagination of your youth? 

I wasn’t that kid anymore, so I knew a lot 

about the deep ocean and I knew about the 

animals I would see. I didn’t expect to see a giant 

squid, for example. I saw what I expected 

to see, informed by science. But that doesn’t 

account for the emotional reactions. One was 

pride for the team and all it took for us to do 

it. I just happened to be the guy on the screen. 

And there’s always something amazing when 

you see something nobody has seen before. 

That’s a different sense of wonder. 

You had a terrible setback with the 

death of director Andrew Wight and 

cinematographer Mike deGruy in a helicopter 

crash just as you were about to 

sail to the Mariana Trench. How did you 

and crew deal with that? 

We just had to confront whether it even made 

sense to go on. It felt like there was this cloud 

over the project, with all of the risks of doing 

the deep diving with an unproven vehicle, 

an unproven crew. None of us had any faith 

in it and we just had this sense, did we really 

want to go out and maybe incur another 

tragedy? At a certain point almost everyone 

independently came to the same conclusion: 

Andrew and Mike, if they had lived and had 

to make this same decision, they would have 

gone on, because that’s what they did, they 

were explorers. And the best way to honor 

them was to go on. 

Generally documentaries don’t do well 

commercially. What advice would you 

give to documentarians to make their 

work more appealing? 

You have to know your market and you have 

to have realistic expectations. If you have a 

social cause, you have to understand people 

aren’t going to think about that as entertainment. 

That’s going to be self-limiting because 

most people, when they go to the movies, just 

want to have a good time. I think a film like 

DeepSea Challenge inhabits a halfway point 

because it offers adventure and it also has an 

educational component. You’re going to learn 

something. 


SOMETHING BRIGHTER IS COMING. 

MI-HORIZON3D 

EXPERIENCE MI-HORIZON3D AT CINEMACON | GET THE LATEST UPDATES AT MIHORIZON3D.COM

3D 

OUTLOOK 

Sandra Bullock, George Clooney, 

and director Alfonso Cuarón on the 

set of Gravity. The 3D space thriller 

has grossed more than $700 million 

worldwide since its October 2013 

debut 

NUMBERS PROVE BOX OFFICE 

VALUE TO STUDIOS, EXHIBITORS 

Lower production costs, better technology mean 3D 

adds as much as 30 percent to movie profit 

by Michael White 

n In the opening scenes of Alfonso Cuarón’s 

Gravity, viewers quickly realize that the astronauts 

portrayed by George Clooney and Sandra 

Bullock disagree about the joys of floating in 

orbit miles above Earth. Clooney’s veteran space 

traveler can’t get enough. Bullock’s character 

would rather be anywhere else. 

They might be a couple of fans, or critics, 

talking about 3D. 

Five years after 3D releases first broke the 

billion-dollar mark in domestic box office sales, 

critics, consumers, and auteurs still debate 

just what the three-dimensional effects add to 

the cinema experience. In the right hands— 

Cuarón’s, for example—3D draws the audience 

into a filmmaker’s imaginary world. Poorly 

done, it turns high drama into a joke. 

What isn’t debatable is the financial contribution 

3D has made to studios and exhibitors as 

they deal with tougher competition from cable, 

Internet-based movie services, and low-cost 

DVD vendors. Last year the surcharge for 3D 

showings around the world added $1.5 billion 

to box office sales, as estimated by MasterImage 

3D, the Los Angeles–based technology provider. 

For an international hit, the format can increase 

profit by more than 30 percent, according to the 

analysis of the International 3D Society. So it’s 

no surprise that the genre dominates box office 

charts. Last year, eight of the 10 top-grossing 

films worldwide were released in 3D. 

As early as 2008, Journey to the Center of 

the Earth, a modest success with $242 million 

in global ticket sales against a budget of $60 

million, teased the potential of 3D. James 

Cameron’s Avatar blew the business and creative 

possibilities wide open the following year. The 

science-fiction epic became the top-grossing 

film of all time with $2.7 billion in global ticket 

sales. 

“You cannot get away from the fact that 

for any movie that is animated or live action 

and has any sort of thrill component, 3D can 

be brought to this experience in a decidedly 

valuable way,” says Jim Chabin, president of 

the International 3D Society. “Your return on 

investment is going to be very, very good.” 

More than 84 percent of tickets sold worldwide 

for Warner Bros.’ Gravity were for 3D 

showings. The incremental price jump for the 

screenings accounted for about $200 million 

of the movie’s $694.4 million box office take, 

according to Beverly Hills–based RealD Inc., 

the largest provider of 3D projection technology 

with about 25,000 screens worldwide. 

“Any business where you can have 20 

percent to north of 50 percent be a premium 

is a pretty good business,” says RealD Chief 

Executive Officer Michael Lewis. “In many 

cases it’s north of 50 percent, especially as you 

get into some of these overseas territories. That’s 


probably the number-one element right now 

that we’re excited about. As the filmmakers get 

better using this tech, there are a lot of markets 

just discovering it.’’ 

Advocates argue that the artistry of 3D is 

improving as well. With more of Hollywood’s 

top directors choosing to make movies in 3D, 

the format may be poised to attract new converts 

among consumers who were turned off by 

a glut of poorly conceived projects that followed 

the success of Avatar. Auteur-driven films 

like Peter Jackson’s second Hobbit movie and 

Gravity, ranked fifth and eighth respectively in 

worldwide sales last year, have lifted the quality 

of storytelling and the look of 3D. Gravity was 

nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including 

Best Director and Best Actress for Bullock. Last 

year Ang Lee won the Best Director Oscar for 

the live-action fantasy Life of Pi. 

“It has really matured significantly,” says 

Barry Sandrew, founder and chief technology 

officer of Legend3D Inc., a special effects and 

conversion company whose credits include 

Life of Pi and The Amazing Spider-Man. “We’re 

seeing a broader range of genre. We’re seeing it 

in Hugo, Life of Pi, and The Great Gatsby.” 

The format can use the boost, particularly 

in the United States. Last year 3D admissions 

declined as much as 15 percent, costing studios 

and exhibitors $140 million to $220 million in 

potential revenue, according to B. Riley analyst 

New Zealand director Peter Jackson is 

a strong proponent of 3D technology 

in addition to HFR presentation. James 

Cameron his considering shooting and 

exhibiting the Avatar sequels at a high 

frame rate. 

Eric Wold. He blames the drop on an overly 

crowded 3D calendar and, in particular, too 

many animated films. 

Foreign audiences have embraced 3D more 

enthusiastically. About 342 million tickets 

were sold for 3D screenings outside the United 

States last year, compared with about 184 

million domestically, according to MasterImage. 

Opportunities for filmmakers and equipment 

suppliers are especially bright in emerging markets, 

says Chris Ward, president of LightSpeed 

Design Inc. The Bellevue, Washington–based 

company’s 3D polarization equipment is used to 

enhance images on 1,400 screens worldwide. 

Consumers overseas “tend to be a little more 

open-minded, a little less jaded,” he says. “People 

in these places are very excited about having 

a better product. It’s an affordable luxury.” 

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BOXOFFICE 3D REPORT > 3D OUTLOOK 

Sebastian Stan, as Bucky Barnes, does 

battle in Marvel’s next big 3D epic, 

Captain America: The Winter Soldier, 

opening worldwide later this month. 

Studios are scheduled so far to release 27 

films in 3D this year, including The Amazing 

Spider-Man 2 and Captain America: The Winter 

Soldier. Wold says he expects 3D demand to 

stabilize this year and rebound in 2015 when 

the lineup will include Star Wars: Episode VII, 

directed by J.J. Abrams. “I think this year is for 

rebuilding, to get consumers back on your side 

to embrace 3D,” he says. “Next year is going to 

be a huge year.” 

The number of 3D releases rose in 2010 as 

studios sought to cash in quickly on the success 

of Avatar. Revenue from 3D screens hit $2.2 

billion domestically, or about 21 percent of the 

total box office, on the sheer volume of films, 

according to Wold. But the rush to cash in 

resulted in poorly executed conversions that left 

consumers skeptical of what they were getting 

for the extra $3.50 or so they paid to see the 

films. 

The perfectionist Cameron spent 10 years 

developing Avatar. In the process, he and his 

crew created a unique 3D camera system and 

a performance-capture technique that enabled 

filmmakers to better depict the emotions of 

actors in scenes converted to animation. Those 

technologies, along with others developed since, 

are available at lower costs to producers. The 

average cost of converting a film to 3D has 

fallen as well, dropping to about $6 million last 

year from $9.6 million in 2010, according to 

MasterImage 3D’s estimate. 

Costs have been driven down in part because 

more equipment manufacturers are competing 

for business with studios and exhibitors, says 

Jerome Testut, managing director for Volfoni 

Americas, the U.S. unit of Paris-based Volfoni 

Group. The company makes 3D projection 

equipment designed to improve lighting and 

color contrast on the screen. 

“People are always looking for something 

simple to use, simple to deal with, with better 

light efficiency,” he says. “That for sure has been 

key. In terms of digital models, people didn’t 

even have a choice before.” 

The return on investment for a conversion 

averages about 7.3 times the cost, says 

Chad Aaron, MasterImage’s chief financial 

officer. He estimates that since 2010, the 3D 

surcharge has added $4.9 billion to revenue, 

based on an average per-ticket increase of 

$3.50 in the United States and $2.50 in international 

markets. 

Yet for James Cameron, what’s most important 

for the future of the format is that an 

increasing number of directors and cinematographers 

are taking time to master the skills 

necessary to incorporate 3D at the earliest 

stages of development. 

“There’s been pushback from the consumer 

for the premium price,” he continues. “When 

they see Hugo or Life of Pi they’re getting their 

money’s worth. When they see something that’s 

sort of two-and-a-half D and hard on their eyes 

and so on, they feel like they’re getting ripped 

off. It’s all going to come out in the wash eventually, 

but we’re not there yet.” 

Paramount Pictures credits the success of 

films including the Transformers and Star Trek 

series to starting early, says Corey Turner, vice 

president of post-production. It’s Turner’s job 

to work closely with directors J.J. Abrams, 

Michael Bay, and John Chu to integrate 3D 

into their films. 

“I think we’ve found a good balance,” 

between technology and storytelling, he says. 

“Besides success, ultimately, they’ve just been 

fun, and we’ve been able to create a partnership 

with the directors to preserve their traditional 

moviemaking style.” 

One challenge of converting live-action 

films to 3D is establishing the right depth 

relationships between objects on the screen, 

including the actors’ facial features. For World 

War Z, the studio created a precise sculpture of 

Brad Pitt’s face to eliminate the risk of distortions. 

“Brad Pitt is a face known to millions,” 

says Turner, “so you want to make sure people 

watching the movie in 3D recognize him.” 

RealD is offering financial and promotional 


incentives to encourage studios and exhibitors 

to plan for 3D early in the development and 

marketing processes for certain movies, says 

CEO Lewis. The incentives might include discounts 

on royalties, glasses, or marketing help, 

he says. The company will focus on potential 

break-out hits, he says. 

“Our goal is to identify these types of films 

early on, work closely alongside the key film 

constituents, and dedicate resources to maximize 

the performance of each film,” says Lewis. 

Cinema operators also are addressing the 

issue of screen lighting. By the time 3D images 

have passed from the projector through a 3D 

filter and the consumer’s glasses, the amount 

of light on the screen can be reduced by more 

than half. Companies including Dolby and 

MasterImage 3D are developing projection 

gear that puts more light on the screen. Marcus 

Theatres actually uses two separate projector 

units in its wide-screen auditoriums to ensure 

customers aren’t shortchanged, says Rolando 

Rodriguez, president and chief executive officer 

of Marcus, the fifth-largest U.S. cinema chain 

with 685 screens. About a third are set up for 

3D screenings. 

“There are the capabilities” needed to solve 

the lighting problem, Rodriguez says. “That 

shouldn’t be a hindrance. It’s more, so how do 

we ensure that the format connects with the 

consumer?” 

TOP 20 GROSSING 3D MOVIES 

1 Avatar $760,507,625 

2 Marvel’s The Avengers $623,357,910 

3 Toy Story 3 $415,004,880 

4 Iron Man 3 $409,013,994 

5 

Harry Potter and the 

Deathly Hallows Part 2 

$381,011,219 

6 Despicable Me 2 $368,061,265 

7 

Transformers: 

Dark of the Moon 

$352,390,543 

8 Frozen $340,829,000 

9 Alice in Wonderland $334,191,110 

10 

The Hobbit: 

An Unexpected Journey 

$303,003,568 

11 Up $293,004,164 

12 Man of Steel $291,045,518 

13 Monsters University $268,492,764 

14 The Amazing Spider-Man $262,030,663 

15 Gravity $259,673,000 

16 Despicable Me $251,513,985 

17 

18 

The Hobbit: 

The Desolation of Smaug 

Pirates of the Caribbean: 

On Stranger Tides 

$250,679,000 

$241,071,802 

19 Shrek Forever After $238,736,787 

20 Brave $237,283,207 

SOURCE: BOXOFFICE.COM / GROSSES INCLUDE 2D TOTALS 

With Gravity, audiences quickly caught 

on that the science-fiction adventure tale was 

a film that had to be seen in the format, and 

preferably on a wide screen. Cuarón used 3D 

to immerse his audience in the expanse of outer 

space and stun them with effects that included 

a terrifying sequence depicting a space station 

as it is torn apart by the hurtling debris. About 

84 percent of tickets sold worldwide were for 

3D showings, says Chabin of the International 

3D Society. 

Ultimately, success comes down to producing 

a movie that people want to see. In this 

sense, 3D is no different than any other medium. 

Gravity provided spectacular effects, but 

the film worked because audiences were captivated 

by the story of two astronauts, played by 

Clooney and Bullock, stranded in orbit with no 

way back to Earth, says Bud Mayo, president 

and chief executive of the New Jersey–based 

chain Digital Cinema Destinations Corp. 

“Gravity demonstrated it’s about the 

content,” says Mayo, who helped lead the 

transition to digital projection as CEO of 

Cinedigm Digital Cinema Corp. “The first and 

foremost thing that gets people into theaters is 

the answer to the most important question: Do 

I want to see this? Then the question becomes, 

do I want to see it in 3D? It’s incumbent on 

the creative people behind the movie to make it 

imperative that you see it in the 3D versions.” 

RealD Inc., the largest provider of 

3D projection technology, has been 

a leading force in bringing three-dimensional 

films to cinemas around the 

world. Chairman and Chief Executive 

Michael Lewis discusses the outlook 

for 3D and new technologies that will 

improve the format. 

BOXOFFICE: There has been a learning 

curve for filmmakers and exhibitors 

as they figure out how to make 

and market 3D movies. Do you feel 

they are closer to cracking 

that code? 

Michael Lewis: I would 

say they’ve probably 

already cracked it. It’s 

like any new technology. 

There’s a period of 

feeling out and figuring 

out how you maximize 

it from a technology 

and business 

standpoint. 

Clearly the 

ability to use 

the technology 

is getting easier 

QUESTIONS 

FOR REALD’S 

MICHAEL LEWIS 

and cheaper and the results qualitatively 

continue to improve, so I think that’s a very 

strong selling point. 

We’ve seen local-language productions 

win an increasing share of the 

box office overseas, including films 

made in 3D. China’s Journey to the 

West: Conquering the Demons, for 

example, buried Iron Man 3. How 

does this fit into the outlook for 3D 

growth? 

For us the focus is China, Russia, and 

Brazil. China is really interesting. Four of 

China’s top six movies last year were 3D. In 

Russia, of course, Stalingrad was a big hit, 

and that did north of $60 million just in 

Russia alone. So a market that was probably 

a low single-digit overall percent of our revenue 

at RealD starts moving north of double 

digits. Indigenous filmmaking is clearly a 

growth market. 

Laser projection systems promise to 

improve the look of 3D movies. What 

is RealD doing in this area? 

There has been R & D on lasers with other 

companies as well, but we think we are 

uniquely positioned. The promise of laser 

is to get more light on the screen at a lower 

cost. We’re reasonably optimistic that this 

is where the technology is going. It would 

resolve the issue of bulb brightness, and the 

potential is there to save on this cost—power 

costs and bulb costs. Initially, though, 

laser is probably only going to be suitable 

for large-screen. 


INNOVATIONS IN LASER PROJECTION, IMAGE QUALITY, FRAME RATES, 

EYEWEAR, SCREENS, AND IMMERSIVE SOUND ENSURE A BRIGHT FUTURE FOR 3D 

LASER PROJECTION 

Consumers love 3D movies if the 3D movie is 

presented at the highest quality possible—both 

in production and in exhibition. And the key 

to a great 3D image is a bright picture. Xenon 

lamps and polarizing filters have limitations 

when it comes to high-quality 3D. According 

to Matt Cuson, senior director of cinema marketing 

at DOLBY as much as 90 percent of the 

light from a laser projector reaches the viewer as 

compared to 30–60 percent with systems currently 

available. Laser projection also holds the 

promise of signficantly less maintenance and 

lower energy expenditure reducing operational 

costs. NEC DISPLAY SOLUTIONS launched 

the first-ever DCI-compliant laser light source 

projector late last year with a light source that 

boasts a lifetime of 20,000 hours. Though a 

2K projector and targeted to smaller auditoriums, 

it is becoming available for operators this 

month. Laser projectors are also a greener alternative 

to xenon lamps, which must be replaced 

and disposed of. 

IMAGE QUALITY 

It’s all about the pixels. From mobile phones to 

cinema screens, the push is on to add more and 

smaller pixels. The more crisp and detailed the 

image, the clearer the 3D picture. CHRISTIE 

and BARCO lead the pack of 4K cinema 

projectors that pack 4four times the number of 

pixels in each frame than 2K projectors. However, 

3D image quality is also dependent on the 

polarizing filters and systems used, and companies 

like MASTERIMAGE and RealD are at 

the leading edge of presentation technology. 

Christie CP4230 DLP 

Digital Cinema 4K 

Projector 

FRAME RATES 

Frame rates have been a controversial subject 

the last few years, particularly with the release 

in 2012 of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey 

and its followup in 2013, which was shot at 

48fps in 3D. The logic behind the decision 

by the filmmakers was sound: a high frame 

rate (HFR) improves 3D presentation by 

removing much of the motion blur, juddering, 

and strobing that occur during action 

scenes where the camera moves are fast and 

furious. However, the look of a 3D HFR film 

is unlike the cinema moviegoers have grown 

accustomed to over the last 100 years. HFR 

brings a hyperrealism to the image that some 

viewers liken to live television. James Cameron 

intends to use HFR (perhaps as high 

as 60fps) on his Avatar sequels as will Andy 

Serkis (The Hobbit’s second-unit director) for 

his upcoming adaptation of Animal Farm. 

HFR is an acquired taste and its future is 

unknown at this point. But would you bet 

against Cameron? 

WHAT’S THE NEXT BIG THING? 

“With the 3D market maturing, exhibitors now can choose between 

several brands of 3D providers which follow the total cost of 

ownership model. Systems using disruptive new technologies (like 

Volfoni’s “Triple Beam” technology) will offer up to 20 percent more 

light than previous systems, creating significant savings in projector 

power, lamps, and electricity for exhibitors.” 

—Jerome Testut 

Chief Communications Officer 

Volfoni Group 



“We believe the cinema industry will continue to go premium. Premium 

large format theaters. Premium image quality through image 

processing like RealD TrueImage. Premium light levels through laser. 

Premium sound like Atmos. With so many entertainment options 

available, moviegoers will seek out a premium entertainment experience 

when they go to the theater and the industry will continue to 

elevate and deliver.” 

—Rick Heineman, Senior Vice President, 

Marketing Communications, RealD 

EYEWEAR 

Until autoscopic presentation arrives —3D 

without the glasses—exhibitors 

continue to have the choice of 

two technologies, each 

with its own strengths. 

With laser projection 

promising a brighter, 

sharper image, passive technologies 

like those offered by REALD will 

XPAND’s Cinema 

3D Active Shutter 

Glasses 

continue to improve the theatergoer experience. 

Active shutter systems, like those offered 

by XPAND are a good choice for operators 

who want to offer 3D without the installation 

of silver screens. Eyewear will be required for 

3D movies in the near future and vendors 

continue to devise ways to make them lighter, 

more comfortable, and easier to maintain. 

SCREENS 

Screen technology is a 

significant contributor 

to high-quality 3D 

presentation. To that 

end HARKNESS 

SCREENS, a leader in 

2D and 3D screen technologies, 

has just released a 

mobile app that calculates the 

capabilities of equipment choices 

and provides recommendations on projector, 

lamp, and screen choices based upon chosen 

screen size and light levels for 3D. An additional 

app, the Digital Screen Modeller, allows 

architects, engineers, and exhibitors to visualize 

and optimize digital cinema scenarios in a 

virtual environment. 

SOUND 

There’s more to 3D movies than just the 

visuals. Filmmakers can now precisely position 

and move sounds anywhere in a theater—even 

overhead—to heighten the realism and impact 

of every scene. Two of the films Oscar-nominated 

this year for best sound mixing, The 

Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and Gravity, 

utilized the DOLBY Atmos platform to design 

their aural soundscapes. Oscar-nominated 

sound mixer Christopher Boyes says this about 

working on the sound for The Hobbit: “We 

put the spider feet and the stress sounds right 

on top of us so that the audience feels the 

weight of the spiders overhead. This shows off 

the capabilities of Dolby Atmos in a unique 

way.” Combining HFR, brighter images, and 

realistic sounds is the next big thing. 


“The next big thing in cinema won’t be one technology but a combination 

of better sound and imaging solutions. One very exciting development 

will be highly realistic and clear 3D images that becomes 

possible with laser projection and Dolby 3D technology. The combination 

of Dolby 3D, high frame rate, and laser projectors can produce 

a bright, vivid, and sharp picture that appears natural and easy to 

watch. On the audio front, object-based audio technologies can pull 

audiences into the middle of the action by giving filmmakers the creative 

freedom to easily place or move sounds anywhere in the movie 

theater to create a lifelike, virtual reality of sound. Dolby is already 

equipping the cinema world with Dolby Atmos, the only object-based 

cinema sound platform available today. The future cinema experience 

will be unlike anything you can replicate in the home.” 

—Stuart Bowling, Director 

Cinema Market Development, Dolby 

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BOXOFFICE 

TRIBUTE 

ALL IN THE FAMILY 

WHILE B&B THEATRES CELEBRATES ITS 90TH BIRTHDAY, WE ASK THE 

FAMILY-OWNED CIRCUIT ABOUT WHAT MAKES THEM SUCCESSFUL AND 

WHAT’S IN STORE FOR THE FUTURE 

B&B Theatres stands for Bills and Bagby, two families 

that both launched movie theaters and joined forces— 

for business and love—in 1980. 

The history of B&B stretches back to 1924, when 

Elmer Bills Sr. bought the Lyric Theatre in Salisbury, 

Missouri, and founded Bills Theatres. It was there that 

he met his future wife, Johnnie, who played the piano 

accompaniment for the silent movies. Years later their 

son Elmer Bills Jr. was born into the business. 

In 1936, the elder Elmer hired 10-year-old Sterling 

Bagby as a concession clerk. Sterling grew up, fought 

in World War II, and came home to marry Pauline, a 

Higbee, Missouri, ticket seller. Together they started the 

Bagby Traveling Picture Show and roamed rural Missouri 

with their films, projection equipment, seats, and snack 

bar. The Traveling Picture Show screened movies in 

barns, schools, and parks. Eventually Sterling and Pauline’s 

company evolved into a Kansas circuit of drivein 

theaters and “hardtops,” their nickname for indoor 

theaters. 

Meanwhile, young Elmer Bills Jr. had met his wife-tobe, 

Amy, when both were 13 (he lovingly refers to her 

as “the best popcorn girl I ever hired”) and gone on to 

graduate from the University of Missouri in 1959. Elmer 

and Amy joined his parents, Elmer Sr. and Johnnie, and 

continued the expansion of Bills Theatres, Inc. 

(continued on next page) 


BOXOFFICE TRIBUTE > B&B THEATRES 

THE B&B FAMILY: BROCK BAGBY, ZACH FORD, FIONA FORD, BOBBIE BAGBY FORD, ELMER BILLS, AMY BILLS, 

BRIDGET BILLS BAGBY, BOB BAGBY, BRITTANIE BAGBY BAKER, JESSE BAKER 

On January 1, 1980, the Bills and Bagby What is the secret to your success? Tell us about Sensory Friendly Showings. 

How did this idea come about? 

families cemented decades of friendship 

Bob Bagby: We have always had another generation 

by formally joining their two theater 

companies into B&B Theatres. At the same 

time, Sterling and Pauline’s son Bob married 

Elmer and Amy’s daughter Bridget, truly 

wedding their families together. After taking 

the B&B into the 21st century, Sterling 

Bagby passed away in October of 2000. 

Today, Pauline, Bob, Bridget, Elmer and 

Amy run one of the Midwest’s fastest-growing 

theater circuits. And Bob and Bridget’s 

children Bobbie, Brittanie and Brock (yes, 

they are all Bs) are the fourth generation to 

work for their family’s chain, which now employs 

more than 900 people. B&B Theatres 

was recognized in 1999 by the National Association 

of Theatre Owners as one of the 

oldest family-owned circuits in the Midwest. 

Through the years, B&B has seen the 

coming of sound, color, wide-screen, digital, 

3D, and countless small advances in 

stereo sound and projection. Their newest 

complexes offer the latest in sound and 

comfort, including DOLBY 7.1 surround 

sound and digital sound in all auditoriums, 

stadium seating, wide screens, high-back 

rocker chairs with cup holders, and digital 

projectors with 3D capabilities. Today, B&B 

operates theaters in towns of all sizes, and 

they’ve even opened multiplex theaters in 

many of the same places that once were 

home to their old-time single-screen and 

twin theaters. And Elmer Bills Jr. continues 

to maintain an office in Salisbury, Missouri, 

where the Lyric—the theater where his 

parents met—stands proudly as a town 

landmark. 

that wanted to carry on the family business, 

so everything we do is for the long haul. We own 

most of our real estate, we don’t have to operate 

to please stockholders, and long-term results are 

more important than quarterly profits. By having 

the next generation involved, we are always 

innovative and creative. It’s easy to get set in your 

ways, but young, fresh ideas and enthusiasm 

really push you to keep moving forward. We try 

to find underserved markets in noncompetitive 

areas. We have great relationships with other circuit 

leaders because we don’t really compete with 

anyone. Bridget and I love going to the movies 

and our children love going to the movies; it’s not 

just a business to us. We love what we do, we do 

it as a family, and we treat our employees as family 

members. There is just nothing like sitting in a 

dark auditorium with my Pepsi and hot popcorn 

with a crowd of moviegoers experiencing the 

magic of the movies. Of course we like it even 

better when the auditorium is full! 

Your Facebook page has over 30,000 

likes. How important is social media in 

how you market your theaters? How 

have you incorporated social media into 

your marketing and patron outreach? 

Bobbie Bagby Ford: Social media plays a vital 

role in our marketing efforts. We’ve moved away 

from focusing on our main page and have turned 

our focus to our individual theater Facebook 

pages. We have found the individual pages to 

be very successful. It is now the main way we 

connect with our guests. We post promotions, 

coupons, trivia, and specific movie information 

on these pages. 

Bobbie Bagby Ford: We saw there was a need in 

several of our communities. It is a new program, 

and we are proud to offer it. We open several auditoriums 

with varying sound and light levels to 

accommodate different needs. Seeing families get 

to enjoy a movie on the big screen together, often 

for the first time, is pretty darn special. At the 

end of the day, bringing the magic of the movies 

to people is what we are all about. 

Regarding the Marquee Bar & Grille—do 

you foresee more theaters adopting the 

cinema eatery model? 

Brock Bagby: Yes, our plans are to have some 

version of our Marquee Bar & Grille in most 

of our new theaters. Some of our customers 

simply do not have time to go out for dinner 

and a movie, and so if we can offer some sort of 

limited-menu items we might pick up customers 

who otherwise might have chosen dinner instead 

of a movie. A full bar is also something that our 

customers really like, but that will depend on 

local liquor laws. It’s very fun because our building 

designs are always changing to fit each new 

market. We aren’t a cookie-cutter big box, which 

can be frustrating to our architect, but each build 

is a fun, new challenge. It definitely keeps our 

development team busy. 

What is the greatest obstacle theaters 

must overcome in the next five years? 

Brock Bagby: Digital projection is wonderful 

but it is expensive to operate. Film rental continues 

to rise, labor costs and benefits are increasing, 

and the costs of building new state-of-the-art 




theaters with large screens is through the roof. 

The rapid change since digital will be a challenge; 

because of digital, technology is now moving very 

quickly. We have already seen huge changes in 

digital projection: 2K to 4K, higher light levels, 

HFR 3D, Xbrite 3D, dual projection, and now 

laser projection. On the audio end we are seeing 

3D immersive audio with AURO and Dolby 

Atmos. Another area that is changing is seating. 

With motion-sensor capability, luxury seating, 

leather rockers, in-theater dining seating with 

tables, etc., what seat to choose is becoming very 

difficult. Also, expanded concessions offerings 

is a new challenge. Many of us are longtime 

theater veterans, not longtime food and beverage 

veterans. Putting in full kitchens is a whole new 

ball game, something we are growing and trying 

to get better at daily. Overall the biggest challenge 

will be keeping up with the rapidly changing 

technologies while buoying oneself against the 

cost to install these amazing features, all without 

pricing yourself out of the market. We want 

customers to be able to afford to come week after 

week. We have to be careful about letting the 

pursuit of the new best thing escalate the price of 

showing movies to the point that we must charge 

more for admission. As my dad always says, 

“Everything in moderation,” and I think we do a 

great job with that and will continue to for many 

years to come. 

How big of a problem is texting during 

films? How do you handle it? 

Bobbie Bagby Ford: We have a zero texting policy. 

That policy is posted in our theaters and is in 

our on-screen preshow. We are pretty strict with 

this policy. Movies are meant to be an escape 

from reality, and we intend to continue to facilitate 

that escape for our guests. 

How does B&B Grand Screen differ from 

other large-format presentations? 

Brock Bagby: We are very proud because we premiered 

our B&B Grand Screen in October 2010. 

We were one of the first companies to begin a 

PLF experience. In the three years since, almost 

every major chain has jumped on the PLF wagon, 

and we as an industry have made rapid improvements 

in PLF presentation. We offer XL 

stadium seating. We always say, “Shaq can sit in 

front of you and you can see the screen.” We offer 

high-back 24- to 25-inch leather rocker chairs 

that are the utmost in theater comfort. We also 

boast over 10,000 watts of 7.1 Dolby surround 

sound. For all the event pictures, we have an employee 

talk before the film and point out all the 

features. We are very proud of our PLF Grand 

Screens; they create an epic experience that can’t 

be duplicated at home. 

You’re currently listed as No. 20 on our 

Giants of Exhibition list. What are B&B’s 

long-term goals? 

Brittanie Bagby Baker: The future looks super 

bright! The fourth generation [Bobbie Bagby 

Ford, Brittanie Bagby Baker, and Brock Bagby] 

of future owners is taking larger leadership 

positions. We’re continuing to expand each year 

with several projects lined up for the coming 

years. Food and beverage is something we’ll keep 

refining and adding to locations with the goal of 

offering the ultimate premium experience while 

not forgetting our core, which is families. We 

are a family company and plan to be around for 

another 90 years. We don’t want to be the generation 

that fails. We have a lot to live up to, but we 

welcome the challenge. 

Does being a family-owned business 

give you an advantage in the marketplace? 

What unique challenges do you 


Congratulations 

B&B Theatres! 

Celebrating 90 years in business proves that you 

elevate excellence in entertainment to a whole new level. 

christiedigital.com 

© 2014 Christie Digital Systems USA, Inc. All rights reserved. 

38 BoxOffice ® Pro The Business of Movies MARCH 2014 

CHRI3773_CinemaCon_CongratsAd_Feb-14_HalfPage_Final.indd 1 

14-02-11 10:47 AM


face that a publicly owned 

corporation does not? If 

a member of the Bagby/ 

Bills family decided to go 

into the rental car business, 

would they be banished to 

the Phantom Zone? 

Bobbie Bagby Ford: No 

[laughs], they would not be 

banished to the Phantom 

Zone: too many escapees. But 

seriously, we were all encouraged 

to explore other ideas and 

options, but what can we say, it’s 

in our blood. It’s an exciting industry 

and I wouldn’t want to 

do anything else. I think there 

are some advantages to being a family-owned business. For one thing, 

we come up with a lot of awesome ideas (and an occasional tepid one) 

around the dinner table. We brainstorm together all the time. We also 

have employees who feel like family, some of whom knew our great 

grandfather and have worked beside my grandparents, parents, and now 

us. The challenge of being privately owned is funding new technologies. 

It’s my dad and mom’s name on the line at the end of the day. As a result 

though, we get to pursue passion projects and to dream big and to not 

answer to anyone but ourselves. And that, for the record, is great when 

you do something good, but when you mess up, you’ve let down your 

grandparents, parents, siblings, brothers-in-law, uncles—the list goes on. 

We are so lucky that we all work together so well. It’s easy when we have 

a common goal. 

THE LYRIC THEATRE IN SALISBURY, MISSOURI 

Do you offer alternative 

content (NCM Fathom, 

live events, etc.) in your 

theaters? If so, have these 

screenings been successful? 

Bobbie Bagby Ford: We 

do some alternative content and 

screenings. It really depends on 

the market. We have done gaming 

events, older movies, theme 

nights, live events, and more. 

The industry is changing and 

growing, and we need to change 

and grow with it. We would love 

to be able to show TV events like 

the Oscars, big games, etc. The 

industry just needs to get the 

licensing issues worked out first. We always look forward to trying new 

things. 

As a major and long-lived circuit, what advice can you give the 

small family-owned operator? 

Bobbie Bagby Ford: Be creative! We continue to see that grassroots 

marketing and social media can make or break an event. Don’t be afraid to 

try new show times, concession items, couponing, etc. Get in touch with 

your local community. There is great value in being involved and playing 

an active role in your community. 

What are you fondest memories of growing up in the exhibition 

industry? 

Bobbie Bagby Ford: When a movie hits, catching us by surprise. Being 

a family business, the thrill of a movie hitting is just awesome. For my 

family it means we are all texting, video chatting, calling, checking in 

with managers, and high-fiving. When I was a little girl, 101 Dalmatians 

hit far bigger than expected. We were having dinner at my grandparents’ 

house, Elmer and Amy Bills. My other grandparents (the third set of 

owners, Sterling and Pauline Bagby) were on the phone and Papa Elmer 

popped champagne and sparkling grape juice for us. Such fun memories! 

My fondest childhood memories (and new memories, as I play a bigger 

role) involve the opening of new locations. It’s the fruit of everyone’s 

labor: welcoming the first guest, popping popcorn, cleaning bathrooms, 

side by side. My family and larger B&B family made me who I am today. 

Brock Bagby: So many wonderful memories, where do I start? One of my 

favorite memories was when I was in sixth grade and my dad took me out 

of school to go to the first Harry Potter screening. I felt so cool! I was so 

excited. Another favorite memory was at our Dodge City opening, where 

we had customers walking in the door as we were ushering carpet layers 

out the back door. It was down to the wire. A recent favorite memory 

is seeing my grandpa (Elmer Bills) inducted in the ShowEast Hall of 

Fame. What an honor it was for our family and company. We were all 

very proud. 

Brittanie Bagby Baker: A great memory that pops into mind was growing 

up watching the Academy Awards. To my family, they are what the 

Super Bowl is to most. As kids we got to stay up late, cast our votes, and 

my mom and grandma would make fabulous dinners and decorate the 

house like Hollywood. 

We also spent a lot of our summer traveling between our theaters or 

going on theatre runs. We loaded up in our motor home (sometimes 

both grandparents and my family) and traveled between sites checking 

the facilities. Even though it was work, we always managed to have a blast 

doing it. 

A recent memory has been watching as my husband, Jesse Baker, who 


also works for the company, become as passionate 

about the business as the rest of my family. He and 

my mother and grandmother were very instrumental 

in the exterior and interior design of our 

newest location, including creating the murals and 

designing the wallpaper, carpet, and railings. It was 

a proud moment to see their designs come to life. 

Bob Bagby: My favorite times and memories are 

theater openings. The entire family attends as well 

as our top “family member” employees. We work 

together all week to clean, train, and promote and 

then have a big red-carpet grand opening that is 

normally a benefit for a local charity. Seeing our 

entire team working together for a common goal 

and then seeing the look on our guests’ faces as they 

arrive is fantastic. At 

the end of the public 

event we have a private 

party for our extended 

B&B family that sometimes 

goes way too 

AMY BILLS 

ELMER BILLS 

late into the morning. BOB BAGBY 

Some memories that at BRIDGET BAGBY 

the time were stressful 

but now make us laugh BOBBIE BAGBY FORD 

are the opening when 

the water line broke on BRITTANIE BAGBY BAKER 

the sidewalk during a 

cold winter, and having BROCK BAGBY 

a huge “ice sculpture” 

ELMER BILLS AND STERLING BAGBY 

Owner: 2nd Generation 

President of B&B and Owner: 3rd Generation 

Owner of B&B: 3rd Generation 

Vice President of Marketing: 4th Generation 

Director of Business Affairs: 4th Generation 

Director of Programming & Business Development: 

4th generation 

out in front of the theater; the opening when the 

toilets backed up on the carpet with ladies dressed 

in long evening gowns; and the night that we made 

our guests wait outside on the sidewalk while we 

had our final inspection; I wanted to be hospitable 

so we passed out free large drinks and popcorn to 

the guests. After waiting for 30 minutes outside and 

serving lots of free Pepsi, we finally were allowed to 

let our guests enter, but at the last minute we were 

told that we couldn’t open the toilets because there 

was a leak in the sewer line—and we were five miles 

from the closest restroom. 

Bridget Bagby: One of my favorite memories is 

after my mom, Amy Bills, finished selling tickets to 

The Sound Of Music, I’d dance to all the music out 

in the lobby. I saw 

the movie 23 times. 

B&B GENERATIONS 

It was, and still is, 

one of my favorite 

Chairman of the Board and Owner: 2nd Generation 

movies. 

Elmer Bills: Every 

day is great in this 

business. How do 

you pick just one? 

Amy Bills: The day 

Elmer asked me 

to be his “popcorn 

girl.” 


Will the $265 million hit Gravity win the big prize on March 2 and make 

our top five all-time list or will 12 Years a Slave grab gold and become 

one of the lowest-grossing winners ever? 

Awards season brings out the critic in everyone. Hollywood 

hoists its glitz and glamour in tribute to what certain corners 

of the industry consider the “best” of the year, while movie 

fans get a chance to pick apart every reason the industry is wrong 

or right. 

Should Shakespeare in Love have won the 1998 Best Picture 

Oscar over Saving Private Ryan? Should The Shawshank Redemption 

or Pulp Fiction have won instead of the victorious Forrest 

Gump in 1994? These are two of the most passionate Oscar arguments 

within film circles in recent history. The latest question 

fueling the fires of debate: should the Academy revert back to its 

previous five-nominee system? 

The story behind the debate is relatively short: The Dark 

Knight, one of the most popular and iconic films of the modern 

box office era, failed to receive a Best Picture nomination in 

2008. When the Academy expanded the field to 

10 nominees beginning in 2009, many insiders 

credited the decision to the realization that with 

Hollywood’s most popular films often being 

ignored by Oscar, the relevance of the ceremony 

was slipping away. After all, for every person 

who saw 2008’s Best Picture winner, Slumdog 

Millionaire, nearly four saw Christopher Nolan’s 

Batman sequel. 

Now the debate is shifting again. Commentators 

and industry experts are pondering 

whether the expanded field has been a good 

thing. Some are of the opinion that the category 

lost its pedigree with the inclusion of films that, 

in previous years, probably wouldn’t have made 

the final cut of five—based on historical comparisons, 

such as the consistency of frontrunners 

to garner attention in other major categories like 

acting, directing, writing, and editing. 

by Shawn Robbins, 

Forums Editor, BoxOffice.com 

AVERAGE BEST 

PICTURE NOMINEE 

($MILLION DOMESTIC 

GROSS) 

2013 $82.6 

2012 $111.4 

2011 $69.8 

2010 $135.8 

2009 $170.5 

2008 $70.7 

2007 $71.6 

2006 $59.4 

2005 $49.1 

2004 $80.3 

Whether that camp is right or wrong is entirely subjective, 

and that’s why these debates will continue. That said, if the Academy’s 

goal has been to solidify the pop-culture relevancy of the 

Oscars, they’ve succeeded. 

From 2001 to 2008, only 10 films that grossed over $100 

million domestically were nominated for Best Picture. Half of 

them were made up of The Lord of the Rings trilogy and a couple 

of Martin Scorsese pictures. That total of 10 represents the same 

number as have been nominated in the last two years alone (six 

in 2012, four in 2013). In the last five years, 23 $100-plus-million 

earners have been nominated, with Avatar, Up, The Blind 

Side, Toy Story 3, Inception, and Gravity representing the biggest 

blockbusters to receive nods in recent years, each grossing more 

than $255 million stateside. Critics who oppose the expanded 

field generally agree that, with the exception of The Blind Side, 

these films would have made a theoretical fivefilm 

cut. That includes Gravity, which is the 

highest-grossing nominee in three years. 

How about this year’s American Hustle, 

The Wolf of Wall Street, or Captain Phillips? 

They’ve each earned between $104 million and 

$135 million as of the writing of this article, 

with a little more yet to come for Hustle and 

Wolf—especially if either takes home one of the 

big awards. These also would have been likely 

nominees in a supposed five-film cut, and they 

fill out the top four grossers of this year’s Best 

Picture nominees. 

Then we have 12 Years a Slave, Philomena, 

Dallas Buyers Club, Her, and Nebraska. Those 

films combined have grossed roughly half as 

much as Gravity, but they still represent some 

of the best reviewed films of 2013. Granted, 

the studio campaign machine is a heavy factor 


in the fates of movies contending for golden 

statues, but that group includes one frontrunner 

(12 Years a Slave) on the opposite end of 

the revenue spectrum from Gravity, while the 

remaining frontrunner—American Hustle—is 

in the middle with its $134 million so far. 

How’s that for parity? 

As a whole, 2013’s nine nominees have 

earned $742 million through February 4— 

noticeably down from last year’s $1 billion 

nine-nominee cumulative gross, 2010’s $1.36 

billion, and the staggering record of 2009’s 

$1.7 billion (anchored by Avatar’s $749 million). 

On the flip side, this year’s diverse group 

has already topped the disappointing class of 

2011, which drew only $628 million from 

nine films. 

Does the status quo change when speaking 

of Best Picture winners? Not really. Two of 

the lowest-grossing recipients in history were 

crowned after the category’s expansion: 2008’s 

The Hurt Locker ($17 million) is the all-time 

lowest, while 2011’s The Artist ($44.7 million) 

marked the third lowest. Contrast that with 

Argo ($136 million) and The King’s Speech 

($135.5 million)—highly respectable box 

office performers, but not necessarily blockbusters 

either. 

In special cases Oscar attention can be a 

major boon to a film’s success. Take last year’s 

Silver Linings Playbook and 2010’s Black Swan: 

both enjoyed leggy runs past the holiday 

season through great word of mouth, but also 

through significant attention from the awards 

circuit in general, and Oscar in particular, 

which helped make those pictures even more 

relevant to the general populace (particularly 

in Swan’s case). 

The takeaway here is simple: let’s not be 

hasty in writing off the expanded Best Picture 

nominee field after only a few years. Prior to 

2009 it was uncommon for movies that didn’t 

appeal to the niche tastes of film enthusiasts to 

receive much attention at the biggest awards 

ceremony in the world. Winners such as Titanic 

($601 million) and The Lord of the Rings: The 

Return of the King ($377 million) represent the 

rare instances where audiences’ and Hollywood’s 

opinions coalesced around the same 

hugely popular films, but typically, Oscar has 

a more balanced history of awarding smaller 

performers and mid-level box office hits. 

Now the nominee field allows for more of 

those types of hits. In turn, exhibitors can reap 

the box office benefits of under-the-radar movies 

crossing over into the mainstream, jaded 

enthusiasts can boast about artsy films gaining 

needed recognition, and general audiences can 

find something about the Oscars to hold their 

interest. That makes this year, arguably, the best 

example so far of how an expanded Best Picture 

field works to the benefit of all movie fans— 

not that that’s ever going to muzzle our inner 

critics, of course. 

Top Five Best Picture Winners 

$ Million Domestic Gross 

Titanic $600.8 

The Lord of the 

Rings: The Return 

of the King 

$377.0 

Forrest Gump $329.7 

Gladiator $187.7 

Dances with 

Wolves 

$184.2 

Bottom Five Best Picture Winners 

$ Million Domestic Gross 

The Hurt Locker $17.0 

The Last Emperor $44.0 

The Artist $44.7 

The Deer Hunter $49.0 

Amadeus $51.6 


BIG 

PICTURE 

SHAILENE WOODLEY STARS IN 


PERSONALITY TEST 

The makers of Divergent provide BoxOffice with an 

inside look at the latest adaptation of a young-adult 

best seller 

By Daniel Loria 

Producers Douglas Wick and Lucy Fisher make a prolific 

producing team. The married couple will share their 12th 

producing credit on a feature film with Divergent, the bigscreen 

adaptation of Veronica Roth’s best-selling novel series. 

The story of how Divergent came to light begins well 

before the books’ success. Producers on the film initially 

encountered the property before it flew off the young-adult 

shelves at bookstores across the country. 

“When we first bought it, it was an unheard-of manuscript 

by an unknown person,” explains Fisher, referring to the 

author Veronica Roth, who wrote Divergent as an undergraduate 

at Northwestern University. 

(continued on next page) 

OPENING MARCH 21, 2014 


BIG PICTURE > DIVERGENT 

“It was a manuscript by a young 

writer that was making the rounds,” 

adds Wick. “We read it and thought 

she was an incredibly fresh, original 

voice and natural storyteller.” 

The producing team was pleasantly 

surprised that, as Wick characterizes 

it, “a student sitting around 

a dorm would write a manuscript 

that was primitive in its emotional 

connection and also sophisticated in 

telling an emotional rite of passage 

in a kind of operatic story.” It didn’t 

take long before the producers 

approached Summit/Lionsgate to 

express their interest in the story. 

Divergent takes place in a futuristic 

Chicago where society has been 

divided into five different factions, 

separating the city’s residents 

according to specific personality 

traits. At the age of 16, all citizens 

take a test that reveals which faction 

they belong to. They then have the 

choice to join their newly revealed 

faction or stay with their family in 

their current one. When Tris Prior 

discovers she is Divergent, a person 

who doesn’t fit into any specific faction, 

she begins an odyssey that pits 

her against powerful people set out 

to eliminate all Divergent individuals 

from society. 

Lucy Fisher was drawn to the 

material instantly, she says, finding 

at its core “a young person writing 

about another young person finding 

their own identity.” Fisher emphasizes 

the story’s themes of self-discovery and identity that are universal 

for young people as they grapple with their own insecurities: “If I show 

people who I really am, will they like me or will they kill me?” 

Shailene Woodley, as 

Beatrice “Tris” Prior, is 

tested to determine her 

faction in futuristic Chicago 

Those themes clearly resonated in the highly competitive young-adult 

literary market as well, and Roth’s first novel was quickly catapulted to the 

top of the best-seller list. Summit/Lionsgate had already secured the film 

rights by that point. “We brought them the manuscript, they bought it 

and have been involved in every aspect of development, production, and 

distribution since,” says Wick. 

The project is in line with the studio’s recent blockbuster success after 

bringing the Hunger Games series to the big screen. “There’s no other studio 

that understands these type of films better and is more savvy at finding 

the audience for them,” says Wick. 

The release date is the most obvious strategy that Summit/Lionsgate 

is borrowing from the Hunger Games playbook. Divergent will open on 

March 21, the same weekend that made The Hunger Games a smash hit in 

2012, and a date that Fisher describes as, “the sweet spot after Christmas 

and before the big summer rush.” 

The calendar doesn’t guarantee success for the genre, however, a lesson 

that The Host learned the hard way with a $10.6 million opening weekend 

in the same frame last year. The Host was meant to continue the momentum 

stemming from the cross-quadrant appeal of author Stephenie 

Meyer’s Twilight series, but the project failed to gain any traction at the 

box office. The Host finished its run in North America with a disappointing 

$26.6 million haul. 

The Hunger Games might be the gold standard in terms of succeeding 

in the market, but recent box office 

misfires aimed at the same youngadult 

demographic loom ominously 

in the background. The Mortal Instruments: 

City of Bones had a similar 

box office performance as The Host, 

taking a $9.3 million opening weekend 

from late August and finishing 

with a $31.1 million tally in North 

America. Ender’s Game showed 

promise with a $27 million opening 

weekend in early November, but 

the sci-fi film was unable to post 

consistent holds at the box office 

and concluded its North American 

run with $61.7 million. 

The studio has faith that Divergent 

can thrive at the box office. A 

sequel, Insurgent, is scheduled to 

shoot this summer, with the studio 

aiming for a March 2015 release. 

Producers on the film are also optimistic, 

noting the source material’s 

strength has proven itself in recent 

months. 

“When we made the movie, two 

of the books had been written and 

had sold two or three million copies,” 

explains Fisher. “By the time we 

finished the movie, the third book 

had already been released. The series 

will be at around 14 million in sales 

by the time the movie comes out.” 

That level of pre-awareness helps 

Divergent stand out in the marketplace, 

but the production team 

knew they needed to package the 

film with the right talent in order to 

make it a hit. Like The Hunger Games, Divergent looked at the independent 

circuit to find its young female star. Jennifer Lawrence broke through 

with her Academy Award–nominated performance in the independent 

drama Winter’s Bone, the Grand Jury winner for a dramatic film at the 

2010 Sundance Film Festival. Lawrence’s indie background proved she 

had the potential to become a mainstream star; The Hunger Games turned 

that potential into a reality. 

Shailene Woodley impressed critics and audiences alike with strong 

performances in Alexander Payne’s The Descendants and last year’s Sundance 

darling The Spectacular Now. The producers settled on Woodley as 

their lead on the same day they met her, immediately sensing her potential 

to become a star in her own right. Their search for the male lead, Four, 

would take them around the world before finding Theo James, a young 

English actor with the acting chops and leading-man looks necessary to 

play opposite Woodley. 

Creating the futuristic society of Divergent presented one of the biggest 

yet most appealing challenges for the producers. “It required a very high 

skill set,” explains Wick. “The director had to have a real nose for performance 

because it’s a character-driven movie. It’s also a movie that involves 

world creation, which necessitates the visual skills and intelligence to 

create a coherent world with science-fiction elements—a combination of 

utopia and dystopia. They have to pull that off along with an unusual mix 

of highly personal and epic elements.” 

Neil Burger won the job, bringing with him the experience of balancing 

intricate production design and a touch for nurturing performances in 

films like The Illusionist and Limitless. 


“I was drawn to this story of a young woman 

who goes from being very ordinary to being 

badass,” says Burger. “I also liked the themes 

of conformity: how one conforms to fit into a 

group or family, and the cost of not conforming 

to your society or community.” 

Burger shot the film on location in Chicago, 

using the city’s iconic skyline to lend Divergent 

the sort of verisimilitude usually absent from 

films in the genre. “We started by using Chicago 

as Chicago,” explains the director. “We used 

the monumental skyline that’s already there and 

augmented it in a futuristic way. We tried to 

keep everything as real as possible; 80 percent of 

what would be in the frame had to be real.” 

The producers hope to combine these 

elements to draw in audiences that aren’t already 

familiar with the book series, a key factor in the 

success of franchises like Harry Potter, Twilight, 

and The Hunger Games. Fisher says she trusts 

that the same attributes that helped the book 

become a hit will help the film find a wider 

audience. 

“So many people, not just girls but guys and 

women also, are drawn to these themes: How 

much can you reveal of yourself? What do you 

have to sacrifice to be your real self? Can you 

be more than one kind of person? Can you 

integrate all the aspects of your personality?” 

says Fisher. “Can you do all that and still get the 

guy?” 

Oscar-winner Kate Winslet 

costars as Jeanine Matthews, 

leader of the Erudite faction 

in Divergent 

NOVEMBER 2013 BoxOffice ® Pro The Business of Movies 57 

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MARCH 2014 BoxOffice ® Pro The Business of Movies 47 

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COMING 

THIS MONTH 

n Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan) brings 

the Old Testament (and Koran) story of the 

worldwide flood to the screen with a little 

help from Industrial Light and Magic, with 

Gladiator Russell Crowe as the 500-year-old 

grandson of Methuselah (Anthony Hopkins). 

Test screenings have seen mixed results and 

you’ll have to travel outside of North American 

if you want to see the earth destroyed 

in 3D. 

DISTRIBUTOR Paramount Pictures CAST 

Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly DIRECTOR 

Darren Aronofsky WRITERS Darren Aronofsky, 

Ari Handel GENRE Biblical RATING TBD 

RUNNING TIME TBD RELEASE DATE March 28 

W I D E R E L E A S E S 

300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE 

3D 

n Delayed six months, this sequel to the 2007 Zach Snyder (Man 

of Steel) hit 300 fictionalizes the events surrounding the Battle of 

Artemisium during the second Persian invasion of Greece 2,500 

years ago. 300’s Rodrigo Santoro (above) returns as Xerxes, the 

God King. 

DISTRIBUTOR Warner Bros. CAST Sullivan Stapleton, Rodrigo 

Santoro, Eva Green, Lena Headey DIRECTOR Noam Murro WRIT- 

ERS Zach Snyder, Kurt Johnstad GENRE Action | Drama | War 

RATING R for strong sustained sequences of stylized bloody 

violence throughout, a sex scene, nudity, and some language 

RUNNING TIME 102 min. RELEASE DATE March 7 

3D 

MR. PEABODY & SHERMAN 

n Have you ever used Archive.org’s Wayback Machine? Ever 

wonder why it’s called that? This animated feature based on the 

Jay Ward television cartoon shorts Peabody’s Improbable History 

will answer your question. Ty Burrell voices the talking beagle, Mr. 

Peabody, who with his “pet boy” Sherman travel through time in 

Mr. Peabody’s invention, the WABAC, to meet famous men and 

women from history. 

DISTRIBUTOR Fox CAST Ty Burrell, Max Charles, Stephen Colbert 

DIRECTOR Rob Minkoff WRITER Craig Wright GENRE Animation 

RATING PG for some mild action and brief rude humor RUNNING 

TIME 92 min. RELEASE DATE March 7 


NEED FOR SPEED 

n Based on Electronic Arts’ spectacularly 

successful video game franchise, Need 

for Speed is banking on Breaking Bad’s 

Aaron Paul to carry this story of a man 

released from prison for a crime he didn’t 

commit, out to avenge the death of his 

friend. Michael Keaton appears as the 

reclusive organizer of illegal street races. 

DISTRIBUTOR Disney CAST Aaron Paul, 

Dominic Cooper, Scott Mescudi DI- 

RECTOR Scott Waugh WRITERS George 

Gatins, John Gatins GENRE Action | 

Crime | Drama | Thriller RATING PG-13 

for sequences of reckless street racing, 

disturbing crash scenes, nudity, 

and crude language RUNNING TIME 

TBD RELEASE DATE March 14 

THE SINGLE MOMS CLUB 

n Tyler Perry has written, directed, and acted in more than two dozen plays and films in the 

past eight years. Does this man ever sleep? His latest concerns the struggles of single women 

juggling children, life, and love who are thrown together as co-chairs of their children’s 

school fundraiser. They form a support group that they dub The Single Moms Club. Terry 

Crews (Brooklyn Nine-Nine) and Perry himself appear as potential suitors. 

DISTRIBUTOR Lionsgate CAST Nia Long, Amy Smart, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Zulay 

Henao, William Levy DIRECTOR/WRITER Tyler Perry GENRE Comedy | Drama RATING PG- 

13 for some sexual material and thematic elements RUNNING TIME TBD RELEASE DATE 

March 14 

DIVERGENT 

n In a futuristic Chicago, people are divided 

into five distinct factions based on 

their personalities. Beatrice “Tris” Prior 

(Shailene Woodley) discovers that she 

is Divergent, meaning she does not fit 

into any one faction, and soon uncovers 

a sinister plot brewing in her seemingly 

perfect society. Divergent aims to be the 

latest in dystopian film franchises. For 

more, see this month’s Big Picture. 

DISTRIBUTOR Summit CAST Shailene 

Woodley, Theo James, Zoë Kravitz 

DIRECTOR Neil Burger WRITER Evan 

Daugherty, Vanessa Taylor GENRE 

Action | Adventure | Romance | Sci-Fi 

RATING TBD RUNNING TIME TBD RELEASE 

DATE March 21 

MUPPETS MOST WANTED 

n Jim Henson’s famed creations go on a European tour, selling out the grand theaters of 

London, Berlin, and Madrid. Unfortunately, Kermit bears an uncanny resemblance to the 

World’s Number One Criminal, Constantine (also played by Kermit), thus entangling the 

Muppets in international crime and intrigue. Tina Fey appears as a Russian gulag officer. 

DISTRIBUTOR Disney CAST Kermit, Miss Piggy, Tina Fey, Ricky Gervais, Ty Burrell DIREC- 

TOR James Bobin WRITERS James Bobin, Nicholas Stoller GENRE Adventure | Comedy | 

Crime | Family | Musical RATING PG for some mild action RUNNING TIME 112 min. RELEASE 



COMING THIS MONTH > LIMITED RELEASES 

THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL 

n Set in a fantasy version of 1920s Europe, 

The Grand Budapest Hotel is a tale told in three 

timelines. To highlight this storytelling device, 

Wes Anderson (Moonrise Kingdom) has shot 

the film in three aspect ratios: 1.33 (which 

is featured in the colorful trailer), 1.85, and 

2.35. The story concerns a concierge who has 

been left a valuable painting in the will of 

an elderly—and very murdered—one-night 

stand, and the efforts of her son to frame him 

for the killiing. 

DISTRIBUTOR Fox Searchlight Pictures CAST 

Ralph Fiennes, F. Murray Abraham DIREC- 

TOR/WRITER Wes Anderson GENRE Comedy | 

Drama RATING R for language, some sexual 

content, and violence RUNNING TIME 100 min. 

RELEASE DATE March 7 

A FAREWELL TO FOOLS 

n A German soldier is found dead near a 

village, and the local authorities must finger 

the culprit or they will all be shot by Nazis 

the next morning. Ipu (Gérard Depardieu), 

the madman of the village, is pressured by 

the town’s leaders to claim responsibility for 

the soldier’s death and die to absolve them of 

any guilt. A Farewell to Fools is a farce seen 

through the eyes of a young village boy, and 

the audience witnesses the comedy and horror 

of human nature as the villagers manipulate 

one another—even the ones you’d least expect. 

DISTRIBUTOR Monterey Media CAST Gérard 

Depardieu, Harvey Keitel DIRECTOR Bogdan 

Dreyer WRITER Anusavan Salamanian GENRE 

Comedy | Drama | War RATING PG-13 for a 

violent image and brief strong language 

RUNNING TIME 85 min. RELEASE DATE March 7 

GRAND PIANO 

n An English-language Spanish thriller, Grand 

Piano has a plot that is as simple as it is sinister: 

a concert pianist (Elijah Wood) who has 

been suffering from debilitating stage fright 

finally returns to the concert hall. During a 

Chicago performance he turns the page of the 

score in mid-arpeggio to discover a frightening 

message: miss a note and you and your wife 

will die. In a manner too complicated to describe 

here, the musician procures an earpiece 

so that the killer can speak to him during 

the concert. The film had a nice reception at 

Fantastic Fest in Austin in late 2013. 

DISTRIBUTOR Magnet CAST Elijah Wood, John 

Cusack, Tamsin Egerton DIRECTOR Eugenio 

Mira WRITER Damien Chazelle GENRE Mystery 

| Thriller RATING R for some language RUN- 

NING TIME 90 min. RELEASE DATE March 7 

3D 

JOURNEY TO THE WEST: 

CONQUERING THE DEMONS 

n A gigantic hit in China with a homegrown 

gross of over $200 million to date, actor/director/stunt 

performer Stephen Chow (Kung 

Fu Hustle) brings the classic Chinese novel to 

the screen as an action comedy. This is Chow’s 

first directorial effort that does not feature 

himself in a starring role but does feature 

characters named the Monkey King, Almighty 

Foot, Master Nameless, Fist of the North Star, 

and Killers One and Two. 

DISTRIBUTOR Magnet CAST Huang Bo, Shu Qi, 

Wen Zhang DIRECTORS Stephen Chow, Derek 

Kok GENRE Adventure | Comedy | Fantasy 

RATING PG-13 for fantasy violence including 

bloody images, some sexual content, and 

partial nudity RUNNING TIME 110 min. RELEASE 



ON MY WAY 

n Bettie (Catherine Deneuve) is an aging 

former beauty queen with an estranged family. 

She loves a married businessman who always 

told her he would divorce his wife in order 

to marry her. But when he files for divorce, 

Bettie discovers that it is actually because he 

is also having an affair with another much 

younger woman. When she goes out to run 

some errands, she impulsively decides to leave 

her former life behind. She takes her car and 

just keeps on driving. 

DISTRIBUTOR Wild Bunch Films CAST Catherine 

Deneuve, Gérard Garouste DIRECTOR 

Emmanuelle Bercot WRITERS Emmanuelle 

Bercot, Jérôme Tonnerre GENRE Drama RAT- 

ING TBD RUNNING TIME 116 min. RELEASE DATE 


THE FACE OF LOVE 

n Annette Bening stars as Nikki in Israeli 

director Arie Posin’s story of a widow who falls 

in love with a man (Ed Harris) who bears an 

impossible resemblance to her late husband. 

Posin based the story on his own mother’s 

experience of seeing a man crossing a street 

who resembled her late husband. Robin Williams 

appears as a neighbor who has feelings 

for Nikki. In a nod to its filmic inspiration, 

a poster of Hitchcock’s Vertigo appears in the 

movie on the wall of a character’s home. 

DISTRIBUTOR IFC Films CAST Robin Williams, 

Annette Bening, Ed Harris DIRECTOR Arie 

Posin WRITERS Arie Posin, Matthew McDuffie 

GENRE Drama | Romance RATING PG-13 for 

brief drug references RUNNING TIME 92 min. 


ENEMY 

n Following along on The Face of Love’s dopplegänger 

theme, Enemy stars Jake Gyllenhaal 

as a man who sees his exact double in a movie 

and attempts to seek him out. Gyllenhaal plays 

the dual roles of Adam, a dull college professor 

with a beautiful girlfriend (Mélanie Laurent of 

Inglourious Basterds) and the sexually aggresive 

actor Daniel Saint Claire. An enigmatic puzzle, 

Enemy, based on The Double by Nobel laureate 

José Saramago, premiered to positive notices at 

the Toronto International Film Festival. 

DISTRIBUTOR A24 CAST Jake Gyllenhaal, 

Mélanie Laurent, Isabella Rossellini DIRECTOR 

Denis Villeneuve WRITER Javier Gullón GENRE 

Thriller RATING R for some strong sexual 

content, graphic nudity, and language RUN- 

NING TIME 90 min. RELEASE DATE March 14 

ONE CHANCE 

n If you go to YouTube and search for “Paul 

Potts Britain’s Got Talent” you will find the 

4:10 clip (with 120 million votes to date) 

that inspired this movie. Potts, the first winner 

of the talent show, was an amateur opera 

singer who worked in a cell phone store but 

had dreams of life on the operatic stage. This 

lighthearted retelling of his rise from shop 

assistant to international recording artist stars 

Tony-winner James Corden (BBC’s Gavin 

and Stacey) as Potts (lip-synching Potts’s actual 

singing voice). 

DISTRIBUTOR Weinstein CAST James Corden, 

Julie Walters, Colm Meaney DIRECTOR David 

Frankel WRITER Justin Zachham GENRE Biography 

| Comedy | Drama RATING PG-13 for 

some language and sexual material RUNNING 

TIME 103 min. RELEASE DATE March 14 

BAD WORDS 

n Guy Trilby (Jason Bateman), a 40-year-old high school dropout, gets his revenge by finding a 

loophole and attempting to win a spelling bee as an adult. Along the way, he befriends a female 

reporter and a young Indian contestant whom he exposes to the wilder side of life. The R-rated, 

red-band trailer has been popular online, and the script for Bateman’s first directoral effort 

has been highly regarded in the Hollywood community being compared to Bad Santa, a very 

positive sign. 

DISTRIBUTOR Focus Features CAST Jason Bateman, Allison Janney, Rachael Harris DIRECTOR 

Jason Bateman WRITER Andrew Dodge GENRE Comedy RATING R for crude and sexual content, 

language, and brief nudity RUNNING TIME 88 min. RELEASE DATE March 14 


COMING THIS MONTH > LIMITED RELEASES 

VERONICA MARS 

n One of the most successful Kickstarter 

campaigns ever, with $5,702,153 raised from 

91,585 backers, Rob Thomas’s cult television 

series moves to the big screen seven years 

removed from its original UPN/CW network 

run. Kristen Bell (Frozen) returns as the amateur 

sleuth with her boyfriend Logan Echolls 

(played by series regular Jason Dohring) who 

is accused—once again—of murder. 

DISTRIBUTOR Warner Bros. CAST Kristen Bell, 

Jason Dohring, Krysten Ritter DIRECTOR Rob 

Thomas WRITERS Rob Thomas, Diane Ruggiero 

GENRE Comedy | Crime | Drama RATING 

PG-13 for sexuality including references, 

drug content, violence, and some strong 

language RUNNING TIME TBD RELEASE DATE 


THE ART OF THE STEAL 

n Crunch Calhoun (Kurt Russell) is a motorcycle 

daredevil and semireformed art thief 

who agrees to pull off just one more heist 

with his brother, Nicky (Matt Dillon). When 

Calhoun gets his old team back together to 

steal a priceless historical book, the plan leads 

to another riskier plan formed by Nicky. The 

two brothers don’t realize that each one has his 

own hidden agenda and their plans go awry. 

Comic actor Jason Jones (The Daily Show) 

makes an appearance as an Interpol agent on 

the gang’s trail. 

DISTRIBUTOR Darius Films CAST Kurt Russell, 

Jay Baruchel, Katheryn Winnick DIRECTOR/ 

WRITER Jonathan Sobol GENRE Comedy 

RATING R for language throughout including 

some sexual references RUNNING TIME 90 

min. RELEASE DATE March 14 

THE RIGHT KIND OF WRONG 

n Leo Palamino (Ryan Kwanten, True Blood) 

is a failed-writer-turned-dishwasher made 

famous for his many flaws and shortcomings 

in a blog called Why You Suck, a huge 

Internet success written by his ex-wife. Then 

Leo meets Colette (Sara Canning, Primeval: 

New World), the girl of his dreams…on the 

day she is marrying the perfect man. And so, 

the ultimate underdog story begins as Leo, a 

fearless dreamer, risks all to show Colette and 

the whole wide world all that is right with a 

man famous for being wrong. 

DISTRIBUTOR Magnolia CAST Ryan Kwanten, 

Will Sasso, Catherine O’Hara DIRECTOR 

Jeremiah S. Chechik WRITERS Megan Martin, 

Tim Sandlin GENRE Comedy | Romance RAT- 

ING TBD RUNNING TIME 97 min. RELEASE DATE 


U WANT ME 2 KILL HIM? 

n When 16-year-old Mark, a handsome and 

popular boy, meets local girl Rachel on the 

Internet, he quickly finds himself in an intense 

online relationship. Besotted, he will do anything 

for her—even befriend and defend her 

bullied, loner brother, John. When Rachel, 

who is trapped in an abusive relationship, is 

murdered, Mark and John are determined 

to avenge her death. Their actions draw the 

attention of a female MI5 agent as they unwittingly 

stumble into an ongoing operation. 

Soon Mark is recruited to commit a devastating 

crime, one that made British legal history. 

DISTRIBUTOR Tribeca CAST Jamie Blackley, 

Toby Regbo, Joanne Froggatt DIRECTOR 

Andrew Douglas WRITER Mike Walden GENRE 

Drama | Thriller RATING TBD RUNNING TIME 92 



BLOOD TIES 

n After being released from prison, Chris 

(Clive Owen) tries to go straight, but is unable 

to start a new life and returns to his criminal 

ways. This puts him in direct conflict with his 

brother Frank (Billy Crudup), a New York 

cop. This Brooklyn-based thriller set in the 

’70s is a remake of the 2008 French film Les 

liens du sang by Jacques Maillot and premiered 

at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. And if you 

want your film to have that authentic ’70s 

vibe you, of course, cast James Caan. 

DISTRIBUTOR Rogue CAST Clive Owen, Billy 

Crudup, Marion Cotillard, Mila Kunis, Zoe 

Saldana DIRECTOR Guillaume Canet WRITERS 

Guillaume Canet, James Gray GENRE Crime 

| Drama | Thriller RATING TBD RUNNING TIME 

144 min. RELEASE DATE March 21 

CHEAP THRILLS 

n Craig is an auto mechanic who loses his 

job. He is unable to pay his rent and after 

seeing the eviction sign, he goes to a bar, 

where he meets someone from his old high 

school, Vince. A rich couple, Colin (Anchorman’s 

David Koechner) and Violet, give them 

money for completing certain tasks. The tasks 

are simple at first, but they later become violent. 

Fearnet says, “Cheap Thrills breezes by on 

a twisted idea, a fantastic cast and a bunch of 

ethical quandaries that are…eerily uncomfortable 

and slyly fascinating…” 

DISTRIBUTOR Drafthouse CAST Pat Healy, 

Sara Paxton, Ethan Embry DIRECTOR E.L. 

Katz WRITERS Trent Haaga, David Chirchirillo 

GENRE Thriller RATING TBD RUNNING TIME 85 


MALADIES 

n In addition to appearing in almost every 

movie coming out in 2014, James Franco 

stars in this drama directed by Carter, the 

New York photographer/artist working from 

his own script. Franco had earlier appeared in 

the unusual Carter film Erased James Franco, 

which feartured the actor acting out scenes 

from his entire oeuvre. Maladies concerns a 

talented and successful actor (Franco) who retires 

at a young age due to a perceived mental 

illness and moves to a small town to live with 

his deranged sister and his best friend. The 

audience watches as their maladies intertwine. 

DISTRIBUTOR Tribeca CAST James Franco, 

Catherine Keener, Fallon Goodson DIREC- 

TOR/WRITER Carter GENRE Drama RATING TBD 

Harkness_Android_iPad_Ad_half 7.25x4.75" (Box_Office_USA):Layout 1 02/10/2013 10:34 Page RUNNING 1 TIME 96 min. RELEASE DATE March 21 

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ROB THE MOB 

n Small-timers Tommy and Rosie have two 

things in common: a crazy love for one another 

and prison records. Trying to go straight, 

Rosie lands a job at a debt-collection agency 

and persuades Tommy to join her. But soon 

Tommy is skipping his shifts to do something 

much more interesting—attend the landmark 

trial of Mafia hit man Sammy Gravano, whose 

graphic testimony could finally bring down 

flamboyant Gambino-family boss John Gotti. 

DISTRIBUTOR Millennium CAST Michael Pitt, 

Nina Arianda, Ray Romano DIRECTOR Raymond 

De Felitta WRITER Jonathan Fernandez 

GENRE Crime | Drama RATING R for pervasive 

language, some sexual material, and brief 

drug use RUNNING TIME TBD RELEASE DATE 


CESAR CHAVEZ 

n Set in the ’70s, the film follows Cesar 

Chavez’s efforts to organize 50,000 farm 

workers in California, many of whom were 

braceros—temporary workers from Mexico permitted 

to live and work in the United States in 

agriculture and required to return home if they 

stopped working. Working conditions are poor 

for the braceros, who also suffer from racism 

and brutality at the hands of the employers and 

the locals. John Malkovich, as an inductrial 

grape farmer, opposes Chavez’s efforts. 

DISTRIBUTOR Panorama Media CAST Michael 

Peña, America Ferrera, Rosario Dawson 

DIRECTOR Diego Luna WRITER Keir Pearson 

GENRE Biography RATING PG-13 for some 

violence and language RUNNING TIME TBD 


FINDING VIVIAN MAIER 

n Vivian Maier was an American street 

photographer from New York, though it was 

in France that Maier spent most of her youth. 

Maier returned to the U.S. in 1951 at age 25, 

where she took up work as a nanny and began 

to venture into photography. Consistently 

taking photos over the course of five decades, 

she would ultimately leave over 100,000 

negatives. Maier would further indulge in her 

passionate devotion to documenting the world 

around her through homemade films, recordings, 

and collections, assembling windows into 

American life. 

DISTRIBUTOR IFC Films DIRECTORS/WRITERS 

John Maloof, Charlie Siskel GENRE Documentary 

RATING PG RUNNING TIME 84 min. RELEASE 



BOOKING 

GUIDE 

compiled by Daniel Garris 

TITLE RELEASE DATE STARS DIRECTOR(S) RATING GENRE SPECS 

DISNEY 818-560-1000 / Ask for Distribution 

NEED FOR SPEED Fri, 3/14/14 WIDE Aaron Paul, Dominic Cooper Scott Waugh PG-13 Act 

3D/Dolby Atmos/ 

Quad 

MUPPETS MOST WANTED Fri, 3/21/14 WIDE Ricky Gervais, Tina Fey James Bobin PG Adv/Com/Fam Dolby Dig 

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER 

SOLDIER 

Fri, 4/4/14 WIDE 

BEARS Fri, 4/18/14 WIDE John C. Reilly 

Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson 

Anthony Russo, Joe 

Russo 

Alastair Fothergill, Keith 

Scholey 

NR Act/Adv 3D/IMAX/Dolby Dig 

NR Doc Dolby Dig 

MILLION DOLLAR ARM Fri, 5/16/14 WIDE Jon Hamm, Aasif Mandvi Craig Gillespie PG Dra/Sport Dolby Dig 

MALEFICENT Fri, 5/30/14 WIDE Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning Robert Stromberg NR Adv/Fan 3D/Dolby Dig 

PLANES: FIRE & RESCUE Fri, 7/18/14 WIDE Dane Cook Bobs Gannaway NR Ani/Adv/Fam 3D/Dolby Dig 

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Fri, 8/1/14 WIDE Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana James Gunn NR Act/Adv/SF 3D 

THE HUNDRED-FOOT JOURNEY Fri, 8/8/14 WIDE Helen Mirren, Manish Dayal Lasse Hallström NR Dra 

ALEXANDER & THE TERRIBLE, HORRI- 

BLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY 

Fri, 10/10/14 WIDE Ed Oxenbould, Steve Carell Miguel Arteta NR Com/Fam 

BIG HERO 6 Fri, 11/7/14 WIDE Don Hall, Chris Williams NR Ani/Act/Adv 3D 

MCFARLAND Fri, 11/21/14 WIDE Kevin Costner, Maria Bello Niki Caro NR Dra/Sport 

INTO THE WOODS Thu, 12/25/14 WIDE Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp Rob Marshall NR Mus/Fan 

CINDERELLA Fri, 3/13/15 WIDE Lily James, Richard Madden Kenneth Branagh NR Adv/Dra/Fan 

FOCUS FEATURES Mingun Kim / 818-777-3071 

BAD WORDS Fri, 3/14/14 LTD. Jason Bateman, Kathryn Hahn Jason Bateman R Com Dolby Dig 

THE BOXTROLLS Fri, 9/26/14 WIDE Ben Kingsley, Isaac Hempstead Wright 

Graham Annable, 

Anthony Stacchi 

NR Ani/Adv/Fam 3D/Dolby Dig 

SELFLESS Fri, 2/27/15 WIDE Ryan Reynolds, Natalie Martinez Tarsem Singh NR SF/Thr 

FOX 310-369-1000 / 212-556-2400 

MR. PEABODY & SHERMAN Fri, 3/7/14 WIDE Ty Burrell, Max Charles Rob Minkoff PG Ani/Com/Fam 3D/Dolby Atmos 

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BOOKING GUIDE 


RIO 2 Fri, 4/11/14 WIDE Anne Hathaway, Jesse Eisenberg Carlos Saldanha NR Ani/Adv/Fam 3D/Dolby Atmos 

THE OTHER WOMAN Fri, 4/25/14 WIDE Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann Nick Cassavetes NR Com Dolby Dig 

X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST Fri, 5/23/14 WIDE Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy Bryan Singer NR Act/Adv 3D/Dolby Atmos 

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS Fri, 6/6/14 WIDE Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort Josh Boone NR Dra/Rom Dolby Dig 

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2 Fri, 6/13/14 WIDE Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler Dean DeBlois NR Ani/Adv/Fam 3D 

DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES Fri, 7/11/14 WIDE Andy Serkis, Gary Oldman Matt Reeves NR Act/SF 3D/Dolby Atmos 

LET’S BE COPS Wed, 8/13/14 WIDE Jake Johnson, Damon Wayans Jr. Luke Greenfield NR Act/Com 

THE MAZE RUNNER Fri, 9/19/14 WIDE Dylan O’Brien, Will Poulter Wes Ball NR SF/Thr 

GONE GIRL Fri, 10/3/14 WIDE Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike David Fincher NR Dra/Thr 

BOOK OF LIFE Fri, 10/17/14 WIDE Channing Tatum, Zoe Saldana Jorge R. Gutierrez NR Ani/Adv 

UNTITLED VINCE VAUGHN MOVIE Fri, 10/24/14 WIDE Vince Vaughn, Tom Wilkinson Ken Scott NR Com 

HOME Wed, 11/26/14 WIDE Jim Parsons, Rihanna Tim Johnson NR Ani/Adv/SF 3D 

EXODUS Fri, 12/12/14 WIDE Christian Bale, Joel Edgerton Ridley Scott NR Dra 

NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM 3 Fri, 12/19/14 WIDE Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson Shawn Levy NR Adv/Com/Fam 

FRANKENSTEIN Fri, 1/16/15 WIDE Daniel Radcliffe, James McAvoy Paul McGuigan NR Hor/SF 

POLTERGEIST Fri, 2/13/15 WIDE Sam Rockwell, Rosemarie DeWitt Gil Kenan NR Hor/Thr 

THE SECRET SERVICE Fri, 3/6/15 WIDE Colin Firth, Taron Egerton Matthew Vaughn NR Act/Thr 

THE PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR Fri, 3/27/15 WIDE Tom McGrath, John DiMaggio Simon J. Smith NR Ani/Com/Fam 3D 

FOX SEARCHLIGHT 212-556-2400 

THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL Fri, 3/7/14 LTD. Ralph Fiennes, Tony Revolori Wes Anderson R Com/Dra 

DOM HEMINGWAY Fri, 4/4/14 LTD. Jude Law, Richard E. Grant Richard Shepard R Com/Cri/Dra 

BELLE Fri, 5/2/14 LTD. Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Tom Wilkinson Amma Asante PG Dra Dolby Dig 

THE DROP Fri, 9/19/14 LTD. Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace Michaël R. Roskam R Cri/Dra 

LIONSGATE / 310-309-8400 

THE SINGLE MOMS CLUB Fri, 3/14/14 WIDE Nia Long, Wendi McLendon-Covey Tyler Perry PG-13 Com/Dra 

DIVERGENT Fri, 3/21/14 WIDE Shailene Woodley, Theo James Neil Burger NR Act/Adv/SF IMAX/Dolby Dig 

CESAR CHAVEZ Fri, 3/28/14 MOD. Michael Peña, America Ferrera Diego Luna PG-13 Dra 

DRAFT DAY Fri, 4/11/14 WIDE Kevin Costner, Jennifer Garner Ivan Reitman PG-13 Dra/Sport 


BOOKING GUIDE 


THE QUIET ONES Fri, 4/25/14 WIDE Jared Harris, Sam Claflin John Pogue PG-13 Hor 

STEP UP ALL IN Fri, 7/25/14 WIDE Ryan Guzman, Briana Evigan Trish Sie NR Dra/Rom/Dance 3D 

THE EXPENDABLES 3 Fri, 8/15/14 WIDE Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham Patrick Hughes NR Act/Adv 

JESSABELLE Fri, 8/29/14 WIDE Sarah Snook, Mark Webber Kevin Greutert PG-13 Hor/Thr 

ADDICTED Fri, 9/5/14 WIDE Sharon Leal, Boris Kodjoe Bille Woodruff NR Dra 

THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY 

- PART 1 

Fri, 11/21/14 WIDE Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson Francis Lawrence NR Act/Adv/SF IMAX 

NORM OF THE NORTH Fri, 1/16/15 WIDE Rob Schneider, Ken Jeong Anthony Bell NR Ani/Com/Fam 3D 

LAZARUS Fri, 1/30/15 WIDE Olivia Wilde, Mark Duplass David Gelb NR Hor/Thr 

INSURGENT Fri, 3/20/15 WIDE Shailene Woodley, Theo James NR Act/Adv/SF 

OPEN ROAD FILMS 310-696-7504 

SABOTAGE 

Fri, 3/28/14 WIDE 

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sam Worthington 

David Ayer R Act/Cri/Thr Dolby Dig 

A HAUNTED HOUSE 2 Fri, 4/18/14 WIDE Marlon Wayans, Jaime Pressly Michael Tiddes NR Com/Hor Dolby Dig 

CHEF Fri, 5/9/14 WIDE Jon Favreau, Sofía Vergara Jon Favreau NR Com 

THE GREEN INFERNO Fri, 9/5/14 WIDE Lorenza Izzo, Ariel Levy Eli Roth R Hor/Thr 

PARAMOUNT 323-956-5000 

NOAH Fri, 3/28/14 WIDE Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly Darren Aronofsky NR Adv/Dra IMAX 

TRANSFORMERS: 

AGE OF EXTINCTION 

Fri, 6/27/14 WIDE Mark Wahlberg, Nicola Peltz Michael Bay NR Act/Adv/SF 

HERCULES Fri, 7/25/14 WIDE Dwayne Johnson, Rufus Sewell Brett Ratner NR Act/Adv Quad 

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES Fri, 8/8/14 WIDE Megan Fox, William Fichtner Jonathan Liebesman NR Act/Adv 

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 5 Fri, 10/24/14 WIDE Gregory Plotkin NR Hor 

INTERSTELLAR 

Fri, 11/7/14 WIDE 

Matthew McConaughey, Anne 

Hathaway 

Christopher Nolan NR SF IMAX 

HOT TUB TIME MACHINE 2 Thu, 12/25/14 WIDE Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson Steve Pink R Com 

SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS 2 Fri, 2/13/15 WIDE Tom Kenny, Bill Fagerbakke Paul Tibbitt NR Ani/Com/Fam 

FRIDAY THE 13TH Fri, 3/13/15 WIDE NR Hor 

3D/IMAX/Dolby 

Atmos 


BOOKING GUIDE 


RELATIVITY Mara Buxbaum / 323-822-4800 / relativity@id-pr.com 

OCULUS Fri, 4/11/14 WIDE Karen Gillan, Brenton Thwaites Mike Flanagan R Hor 

BRICK MANSIONS Fri, 4/25/14 WIDE Paul Walker, David Belle Camille Delamarre NR Act/Cri/Thr 

EARTH TO ECHO Wed, 7/2/14 WIDE Teo Halm, Astro Dave Green PG Adv/Fam 

JANE GOT A GUN Fri, 8/29/14 WIDE Natalie Portman, Ewan McGregor Gavin O’Connor NR Wes/Act 

THE BEST OF ME Fri, 10/17/14 WIDE Michelle Monaghan, James Marsden Michael Hoffman NR Dra/Rom 

BLACKBIRD Fri, 11/14/14 WIDE Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Nate Parker Gina Prince-Bythewood NR Dra 

SONY 212-833-8500 

HEAVEN IS FOR REAL Wed, 4/16/14 WIDE Greg Kinnear, Kelly Reilly Randall Wallace PG Dra/Fam Quad 

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 Fri, 5/2/14 WIDE Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone Marc Webb NR Act/Adv 

3D/IMAX/Quad/ 

Dolby Atmos 

MOMS’ NIGHT OUT Fri, 5/9/14 WIDE Sarah Drew, Sean Astin 

Andrew Erwin, Jon 

Erwin 

PG Com 

22 JUMP STREET Fri, 6/13/14 WIDE Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill Phil Lord, Chris Miller NR Act/Com Quad 

THINK LIKE A MAN TOO Fri, 6/20/14 WIDE Kevin Hart, Michael Ealy Tim Story NR Rom/Com 

DELIVER US FROM EVIL Wed, 7/2/14 WIDE Eric Bana, Olivia Munn Scott Derrickson NR Cri/Hor/Thr 

SEX TAPE Fri, 7/25/14 WIDE Cameron Diaz, Jason Segel Jake Kasdan NR Com 

WHEN THE GAME STANDS TALL Fri, 8/22/14 WIDE Jim Caviezel, Laura Dern Thomas Carter NR Dra/Sport 

NO GOOD DEED Fri, 9/12/14 WIDE Idris Elba, Taraji P. Henson Sam Miller NR Dra/Thr 

THE EQUALIZER Fri, 9/26/14 WIDE Denzel Washington, Chloë Grace Moretz Antoine Fuqua NR Act/Thr 

THE INTERVIEW Fri, 10/10/14 WIDE Seth Rogen, James Franco 

Evan Goldberg, Seth 

Rogen 

NR Com 

FURY Fri, 11/14/14 WIDE Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf David Ayer NR Act/Dra/War 

ANNIE Fri, 12/19/14 WIDE Quvenzhané Wallis, Jamie Foxx Will Gluck NR Mus/Fam 

KITCHEN SINK Fri, 1/9/15 WIDE Nicholas Braun, Mackenzie Davis Robbie Pickering NR Com/Hor 

THE WEDDING RINGER Fri, 1/16/15 WIDE Kevin Hart, Josh Gad Jeremy Garelick NR Com 

SONY PICTURES CLASSICS Tom Prassis / 212-833-4981 

JODOROWSKY’S DUNE Fri, 3/21/14 EXCL NY/LA Alejandro Jodorowsky Frank Pavich PG-13 Doc 

THE RAID 2 Fri, 3/28/14 EXCL NY/LA Iko Uwais, Arifin Putra Gareth Evans NR Act/Cri/Thr 


BOOKING GUIDE 


ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE Fri, 4/11/14 EXCL NY/LA Tom Hiddleston, Tilda Swinton Jim Jarmusch R Dra/Rom Dolby Dig 

FOR NO GOOD REASON Fri, 4/25/14 EXCL NY/LA Johnny Depp, Ralph Steadman Charlie Paul R Doc 

UNIVERSAL 818-777-1000 

NEIGHBORS Fri, 5/9/14 WIDE Seth Rogen, Zac Efron Nicholas Stoller R Com Quad 

A MILLION WAYS TO DIE IN THE WEST Fri, 5/30/14 WIDE Seth MacFarlane, Charlize Theron Seth MacFarlane NR Com/Wes Quad 

THE PURGE 2 Fri, 6/20/14 WIDE Frank Grillo, Michael K. Williams James DeMonaco NR Hor/Thr/SF 

GET ON UP Fri, 8/1/14 WIDE Chadwick Boseman, Octavia Spencer Tate Taylor NR Dra 

LUCY Fri, 8/8/14 WIDE Scarlett Johansson, Morgan Freeman Luc Besson NR Act/Thr 

AS ABOVE, SO BELOW Fri, 8/15/14 WIDE John Erick Dowdle NR Hor/Thr 

THE LOFT Fri, 8/29/14 WIDE Karl Urban, James Marsden Erik Van Looy R Thr 

SEARCH PARTY Fri, 9/12/14 WIDE Thomas Middleditch, T.J. Miller Scot Armstrong NR Com 

A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES Fri, 9/19/14 WIDE Liam Neeson, Dan Stevens Scott Frank R Act/Thr 

DRACULA UNTOLD Fri, 10/17/14 WIDE Luke Evans, Dominic Cooper Gary Shore NR Act/Hor 

OUIJA Fri, 10/24/14 WIDE Olivia Cooke, Douglas Smith Stiles White NR SF/Thr 

DUMB AND DUMBER TO Fri, 11/14/14 WIDE Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels 

Bobby Farrelly, Peter 

Farrelly 

NR Com 

UNBROKEN Thu, 12/25/14 WIDE Jack O’Connell, Domhnall Gleeson Angelina Jolie NR Dra/War 

UNTITLED MICHAEL MANN PROJECT Fri, 1/16/15 WIDE Chris Hemsworth, Viola Davis Michael Mann NR Cri/Thr 

THE BOY NEXT DOOR Fri, 1/23/15 WIDE Jennifer Lopez, Ryan Guzman Rob Cohen NR Thr 

SEVENTH SON Fri, 2/6/15 WIDE Jeff Bridges, Ben Barnes Sergey Bodrov PG-13 Adv/Fan 3D/IMAX/Quad 

FIFTY SHADES OF GREY Fri, 2/13/15 WIDE Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan Sam Taylor-Johnson NR Dra/Rom 

EVEREST Fri, 2/27/15 WIDE Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin Baltasar Kormákur NR Adv/Dra 3D/IMAX 

WARNER BROS. 818-977-1850 

300: RISE OF AN EMPIRE Fri, 3/7/14 WIDE Sullivan Stapleton, Eva Green Noam Murro R Act/War 

3D/IMAX/Dolby 

Atmos/Quad 

VERONICA MARS Fri, 3/14/14 LTD. Kristen Bell, Jason Dohring Rob Thomas PG-13 Com/Cri Quad 

ISLAND OF LEMURS: MADAGASCAR Fri, 4/4/14 LTD. Morgan Freeman David Douglas G Doc 3D/IMAX 


BOOKING GUIDE 


TRANSCENDENCE Thu, 4/17/14 WIDE Johnny Depp, Paul Bettany Wally Pfister NR Act/SF 

GODZILLA Fri, 5/16/14 WIDE Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ken Watanabe Gareth Edwards NR Act/Adv/SF 

3D/IMAX/Dolby 

Atmos/Quad 

BLENDED Fri, 5/23/14 WIDE Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore Frank Coraci PG-13 Rom/Com Quad 

EDGE OF TOMORROW Fri, 6/6/14 WIDE Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt Doug Liman NR Act/SF 3D/IMAX/Quad 

JERSEY BOYS Fri, 6/20/14 WIDE John Lloyd Young, Christopher Walken Clint Eastwood NR Mus/Dra 

TAMMY Wed, 7/2/14 WIDE Melissa McCarthy, Susan Sarandon Ben Falcone R Com 

JUPITER ASCENDING Fri, 7/18/14 WIDE Channing Tatum, Mila Kunis 

Andy Wachowski, Lana 

Wachowski 

NR Act/Adv/SF 3D/Quad 

INTO THE STORM Fri, 8/8/14 WIDE Richard Armitage, Sarah Wayne Callies Steven Quale NR Act/Thr 

IF I STAY Fri, 8/22/14 WIDE Chloë Grace Moretz, Mireille Enos R.J. Cutler NR Dra 

THE GOOD LIE Fri, 9/10/14 LTD. Reese Witherspoon, Corey Stoll Philippe Falardeau PG-13 Dra 

THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU Fri, 9/12/14 WIDE Jason Bateman, Tina Fey Shawn Levy R Com/Dra 

DOLPHIN TALE 2 Fri, 9/19/14 WIDE Nathan Gamble, Harry Connick Jr. Charles Martin Smith NR Dra/Fam 

THE JUDGE Fri, 10/10/14 WIDE Robert Downey Jr., Robert Duvall David Dobkin NR Dra 

HORRIBLE BOSSES 2 Wed, 11/26/14 WIDE Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis Sean Anders NR Com 

THE HOBBIT: 

THERE AND BACK AGAIN 

Wed, 12/17/14 WIDE Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman Peter Jackson NR Act/Adv/Fan 3D/IMAX 

HEART OF THE SEA Fri, 3/13/15 WIDE Chris Hemsworth, Benjamin Walker Ron Howard NR Dra 

WEINSTEIN CO./DIMENSION 646-862-3400 

ONE CHANCE Fri, 3/14/14 LTD. James Corden, Alexandra Roach David Frankel PG-13 Mus/Com Dolby Dig 

ST. VINCENT Fri, 4/11/14 WIDE Bill Murray, Naomi Watts Theodore Melfi NR Com 

CAN A SONG SAVE YOUR LIFE? Fri, 7/4/14 EXCL NY/LA Keira Knightley, Mark Ruffalo John Carney R Mus/Com/Dra 

THE GIVER Fri, 8/15/14 WIDE Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep Phillip Noyce NR Dra/Fan 

SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR Fri, 8/22/14 WIDE Josh Brolin, Eva Green 

Frank Miller, Robert 

Rodriguez 

NR Act/Cri/Thr 3D 

PADDINGTON Fri, 12/12/14 WIDE Nicole Kidman, Colin Firth Paul King NR Ani/Com/Fam 

AMITYVILLE Fri, 1/2/15 WIDE Franck Khalfoun NR Hor/Thr 


AD INDEX 

AMERICAN COMPUTER 

OPTICS, INC. 

(PORT WINDOW GLASS) 

240 Goddard 

Irvine, CA 92618-4625 

949-789-7700 

info@portwindowglass.com 

www.portwindowglass.com 

PG 58 

CARDINAL SOUND & 

MOTION PICTURE SYSTEMS 

6330 Howard Ln. 

Elkridge, MD 21075 

cardinal@cardinalsound.com 

www.cardinalsound.com 

PG 64 

CHRISTIE DIGITAL SYSTEMS 

10550 Camden Dr. 

Cypress, CA 90630 

www.christiedigital.com 

INSIDE FRONT COVER 

DOLBY LABORATORIES 

100 Potrero Ave. 

San Francisco, CA 94103 

Christie Ventura / 415-558- 

2200 

cah@dolby.com 

www.dolby.com 

INSIDE BACK COVER 

DOLPHIN SEATING 

313 Remuda St. 

Clovis, NM 88101 

575-762-6468 

www.dolphinseating.com 

PG 8 

ENPAR AUDIO 

Stetson Snell 

505-807-2154 / 505-615-2913 

stetsonsnell@enparaudio.com 

PG 56 

ENTERTAINMENT SUPPLY & 

TECHNOLOGIES, LLC 

4971 Van Dyke Road 

Lutz, FL 33558 

813-960-1646 

www.ensutec.com 

PG 4 

HARKNESS SCREENS 

Unit A, Norton Rd. 

Stevenage, Herts 

SG1 2BB UK 

+44 1438 725200 

www.harkness-screens.com 

PG 53, 55 

IRWIN SEATING COMPANY 

3251 Fruit Ridge NW 

Grand Rapids, MI 49544 

866-464-7946 

www.irwinseating.com 

PG 40 

KERNEL SEASONS 

1958 N. Western Ave. 

Chicago, IL 60647 

Krystal LaReese-Gaul 

773-292-4576 

www.kernelseasons.com 

PG 16 

LIGHTSPEED DESIGN 

1611 116th Ave. NE, Ste. 112 

Bellevue, WA 98004 

425-637-2818 

www.depthq.com 

PG 29 

MAROEVICH, O’SHEA & 

COUGHLAN 

44 Montgomery St., 17th Fl. 

San Francisco, CA 94104 

Steve Elkins / 800-951-0600 

selkins@maroevich.com 

www.mocins.com 

PG 5 

MASTERIMAGE 3D 

4111 W. Alameda Ave., Ste. 312 

Burbank, CA 91505 

818-558-7900 

www. masterimage3d.com 

PG 27 

MOVIE HEROES 

805-391-4376 

matt@movieheroes.com 

www.movieheroes.com 

PG 3 

ODELL’S 

8543 White Fir St. #D-1 

Reno, NV 89523 

odells@popntop.com 

www.popntop.com 

PG 59 

OMNITERM 

2785 Skymark Avenue, Unit 11 

Mississauga, Ontario 

Canada, L4W 4Y3 

866-629-4757 

www.omniterm.com 

PG 33 

QSC AUDIO PRODUCTS, LLC 

1675 MacArthur Blvd. 

Costa Mesa, CA 92626 

800-854-4079 

www.qsc.com 

PG 1 

READY THEATRE SYSTEMS 

4 Hartford Blvd. 

Hartford, MI 49057 

Mary Snyder 

865-212-9703x114 

sales@rts-solutions.com 

www.rts-solutions.com.com 

PG 57 

REALD 

100 North Crescent Dr., 

Ste. 200 

Beverly Hills, CA 90210 

310-385-4000 

realdglasses@reald.com 

www.reald.com 

PG 10-11, 23, 34 

RETRIEVER SOFTWARE 

7040 Avenida Encinas 

Ste. 104-363 

Carlsbad, CA 92011 

760-929-2101 

www.retrieversoftware.com 

PG 61 

REYNOLDS & REYNOLDS 

300 Walnut St., Ste. 200 

Des Moines, IA 50309-2244 

Darlene Fischer 

515-243-1724 

info@reynolds-reynolds.com 

www.reynolds-reynolds.com 

PG 39 

SCRABBLE VENTURES 

10550 Camden Dr. 


855-503-7322 

www.scrabbleventures.com 

PG 7 

SCREENVISION 

1411 Broadway 33rd Fl. 

New York, NY 10018 

Darryl Schaffer 

212-497-0480 

www.screenvision.com 

PP 41, BACK COVER 

SENSIBLE CINEMA 

SOFTWARE 

7216 Sutton Pl. 

Fairview, TN 37062 

Rusty Gordon / 615-799-6366 

rusty@sensiblecinema.com 

www.sensiblecinema.com 

PG 64 

SONIC EQUIPMENT 

COMPANY 

900 West Miller Rd. 

Iola KS, 66749 

800-365-5701 

www.sonicequipment.com 

PG 9, 37 

USHIO AMERICA, INC. 

5440 Cerritos Ave. 


800-838-7446 

www.ushio.com 

PG 13 

VANTIV 

8500 Governors Hill Dr. 

Symmes Township, OH 45249 

866-622-2880 

www.vantiv.com 

PG 15 

VOLFONI 

3450 Cahuenga Blvd W, 

Unit 506 

Los Angeles, CA 90068 

213-304-5054 

www.volfoni.com 

PG 25 

WHITE CASTLE 

555 West Goodale St. 

Columbus, OH 43215 

614-559-2453 

carrollt@whitecastle.com 

www.whitecastle.com 

PG 47 

Angiel’s got stuff to do. 

But at this moment, 

she’s fighting cancer. 

That’s why St. Jude Children’s 

Research Hospital® spends every 

moment changing the way the world 

treats children – with pioneering 

research and exceptional care. And no 

family ever pays St. Jude for anything. 

Don’t wait. Join St. Jude in finding 

cures and saving children like Angiel. 

Because at this moment, she shouldn’t 

just be dreaming of trips to the beach 

and the park. She should be there. 

©2012 ALSAC/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (10991) 

St. Jude patient Angiel: 

Big Dreamer 

Help them live. Visit stjude.org. 


COMING SOON 

PLUS SPECIAL INTERNATIONAL EDITION 

DISTRIBUTED AT THE CINEMACON INTERNATIONAL DAY LUNCHEON 

MONDAY, MARCH 24, 2014 

RESERVE BY MAR. 3, 2014 / MATERIALS BY MAR. 5, 2014 / ON SALE MAR. 17, 2014 

ADVERTISING CONTACT SUSAN UHRLASS / VP ADVERTISING / 310.876.9090 / SUSAN@BOXOFFICE.COM

BUYING & SELLING 

MARQUEE LETTERS. Buying and selling. New 

and Used marquee letters all types. We buy old. 

We sell new. All styles. Trade in your old letters 

and get new letters. Turn those old letters into 

cash. Your source for new Pronto, Zip-Change, 

Snap Lok, Slotted. mike@pilut.com 800-545- 

8956 

DRIVE-IN CONSTRUCTION 

DRIVE-IN SCREEN TOWERS since 1945. Selby 

Products Inc., P.O. Box 267, Richfield, OH 

44286. Phone: 330-659-6631. 

EQUIPMENT WANTED 

ASTER AUDITORIUM SEATING & AUDIO. We 

offer the best pricing on good used projection 

and sound equipment. Large quantities available. 

Please visit our website, www.asterseating. 

com, or call 888-409-1414. 

AMERICAN ENTERTAINMENT PRODUCTS 

LLC is buying projectors, processors, amplifiers, 

speakers, seating, platters. If you are closing, 

remodeling or have excess equipment in 

your warehouse and want to turn equipment 

into cash, please call 866-653-2834 or email 

aep30@comcast.net. Need to move quickly to 

close a location and dismantle equipment? We 

come to you with trucks, crew and equipment, 

no job too small or too large. Call today for a 

quotation: 866-653-2834. Vintage equipment 

wanted also! Old speakers like Western Electric 

and Altec, horns, cabinets, woofers, etc., 

and any tube audio equipment. Call or email: 

aep30@comcast.net. 

COLLECTOR WANTS TO BUY: We pay top 

money for any 1920-1980 theater equipment. 

We’ll buy all theater-related equipment, working 

or dead. We remove and pick up anywhere in 

the U.S. or Canada. Amplifiers, speakers, horns, 

drivers, woofers, tubes, transformers; Western 

Electric, RCA, Altec, JBL, Jensen, Simplex and 

more. We’ll remove installed equipment if it’s 

in a closing location. We buy projection and 

equipment too. Call today: 773-339-9035; cinema-tech.com; 

email ILG821@aol.com. 

FOR SALE 

TWO USED BARCO 20C DIGITAL PROJEC- 

TORS WITH GDC SERVERS. Located in Roswell, 

NM. Purchased new and installed July 

2012. This 10 plex cinema opened September 

2012 with 2 Digital and ten 35 Film projectors, 2 

digital and 2 35 Film were installed side by side. 

Cinema converted February 2013 to 10 Sony 515 

digital projector VPF deal. The Barco’s for sale 

are still installed side by side with Sony’s. They 

can be run showing movies showing that they 

work perfectly. Also for sale installed with these 

Barco’s are 2 Master Image 3-D units, they also 

work very well. Each Barco-GDC-Master Image 

set cost $79,000.00 New. Please call Stetson 

Snell cell 505-615-2913 to to make an offer or to 

arrange to see the equipment operating. Sellers 

are MOTIVATED to sell, they understand this 

is now used equipment, all offers will be considered. 

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to 

purchase “working like new” these 2 used sets. 

BARCO 3D/DIGITAL EQUIPMENT FOR SALE: 

Purchase for $55K. Equipment list provided 

upon request. Contact seller at mschwartz@ 

pennprolaw.com. 

PREFERRED SEATING COMPANY, your 

source for new, used and refurbished theater 

and stadium seating. Buying and selling 

used seating is our specialty. Call toll-free 

866-922-0226 or visit our website www. 

preferred-seating.com. 

12 PLEX THEATER FOR SALE with stadium 

seating. 6 acres of Land. Selling at below land 

value. $2,000,000. Located in Huntsville AL, at 

the University Mall. Please call 407-948-6751. 

TWO CHRISTIE DIGITAL PROJECTORS 

CP2000SB, Two Dolby DSS100, Two Dolby 

Show Player, Two Christie Series 1 ACT & Four 

Dolby Filter Wheel and Projector Assembly. All 

in very good condition. Call 360-993-0010. 

HELP WANTED 

THEATRE MANAGEMENT POSITIONS AVAIL- 

ABLE Pacific Northwest Theatre Company. Previous 

management experience required. Work 

weekends, evenings and holidays. Send resume 

and salary history to movietheatrejobs@gmail. 

com 

WE CLEAN THEATERS 

EXCLUSIVELY! 

From coast to coast for 35 YEARS. 

Let us give you our references. 

www.maintenancecooperative.com 

or call 770-503-1102 

THEATRE MANAGEMENT POSITION AVAIL- 

ABLE. Xscape Theatres is looking for managers. 

Previous theatre experience is required. Must 

be able to work evenings, weekends, and holidays. 

Send resumes, references, and salary requirements 

to cewing@alianceent.com or mail 

to Aliance Management Co. LLC 825 Northgate 

Blvd. Suite # 203 New Albany, IN 47150. Will 

conduct interviews at CinemaCon 2014. 

SERVICES 

DULL FLAT PICTURE? RESTORE YOUR XENON 

REFLECTORS! Ultraflat repolishes and recoats 

xenon reflectors. Many reflectors available for 

immediate exchange. (ORC, Strong, Christie, 

Xetron, others!) Ultraflat, 20306 Sherman Way, 

Winnetka, CA 91306; 818-884-0184. 

ALLSTATE SEATING specializes in refurbishing, 

complete painting, molded foam, tailor-made 

seat covers, installations and removals. Please 

call for pricing and spare parts for all types of 

theater seating. Boston, Mass.; 617-770-1112; fax: 

617-770-1140. 

CONSOLIDATED THEATRE SERVICES, LLC 

has a wide variety of theatre sound equipment 

available at competitive prices. Our extensive 

inventory includes amplifiers, processors, 

speakers and sound racks from makers such 

as JBL, Dolby, Ashly, Klipsch, Crown and more. 

You are welcome to call us at 305-908-1613 for 

further information. 

THEATER SPACE FOR LEASE 

AN 8,400 SQ. FT. SPACE containing two movie 

theaters is available for lease in Frankfort, KY, at 

a very reasonable lease rate. It would be perfect 

for the new concept of eating in the theater. 

The theaters are located in the middle of a major 

shopping center. The center owners would 

prefer an operating movie theater rather than 

convert the space into retail use. Contact Alexa 

at 859-221-9921 or email her at alexarkelley@ 

gmail.com for more information. 

DIRECTOR OF FOOD AND BEVERAGE METROPOLITAN THEATRES, a fourth-generation, family-owned company 

based in Los Angeles, is seeking a self-motivated professional to ensure premiere 

guest service and optimize food and beverage profit at its 17 locations in California, 

Colorado, Idaho, Utah, and British Columbia, Canada. Goal-oriented and budgetminded 

candidates must have prior senior concessions experience, be available 

for limited travel and possess excellent analytical, leadership and communication 

skills. Please send resume and salary requirements to: jobs@metrotheatres.com 


AVAILABLE 

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Boxoffice® Pro - March 2014

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