BoxOffice® Pro - April 2014

MEET YOUR EXHIBITOR RELATIONS PARTNERS
“Cinergy Cinemas is proud to work with the exhibitor relations
team at Lionsgate. The Lionsgate team is always cordial, extremely
helpful, and quick to respond to requests for every sort of
promotional materials. Phenomenal movies and a stellar team make
working with them a sheer pleasure.”
— Jeffrey P. Benson, CEO & Founder, Cinergy Cinemas
Will Preuss
VP Exhibitor Relations
310.255.4038
wpreuss@lionsgate.com
Amanda Rufener
Director Exhibitor Relations West
310.255.5758
arufener@lionsgate.com
Joanna Fang
Manager Exhibitor Relations East
310.255.3747
jfang@lionsgate.com
Sheena Benitez
Manager Exhibitor Relations Central
310.255.3679
sbenitez@lionsgate.com
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
WILL PREUSS: I have two young children at
home, so these days, when I’m not working, I’m
chasing them around. Does sleep deprivation
count as fun? In all seriousness though, I love
being a dad. It’s an amazing journey. I started
with Lionsgate in November of 2010
WHY EXHIBITOR RELATIONS? I began working
in exhibitor relations at Fox. They had an opening
as a temp—no sick days, no vacation days, no
benefits. My paycheck was so little I think I
actually owed them money every two weeks.
But it allowed me to get my foot in the door and
I jumped at the opportunity. I really lucked out,
working with some very smart, innovative people
at Fox, which led me on the path to Lionsgate.
I LOVE MY JOB I love helping move the needle
and generating awareness for our films. When
an exit poll shows that our in-theater trailer
drove the audience to buy a ticket, I get a
rush. I really enjoy working with exhibition and
putting together programs, like we did for the
Twilight marathon, where we can help influence
the fan’s moviegoing experience. That’s extremely
satisfying.
MY FIRST FILM This may not be the first movie
I saw, but I can clearly remember seeing movies
like Star Wars in the theater. I think I wore
a cape to see Superman. Those early theater
memories are really sacred.
MY FAVORITE FILM This one is easy—E.T. It’s
very special to me.
MY GO-TO SNACK Give me some popcorn and
I’m happy.
WHY CINEMACON? I love reconnecting with
people I’ve been doing business with for 15
years. It reminds me how fortunate I am to
work in an industry like this.
THE FUTURE We’ve been through such
massive changes these past five years, driven
by advancements in technology, and I see it
continuing. Digital cinema allows us at Lionsgate
to deliver content much more effectively and
swiftly. I see that trend continuing. What it
means, ultimately, for the consumer is more
customizable and innovative content being
shown on the big screen at the movie theater.
OUR 2014 SLATE In 2014, Lionsgate will
build on our back-to-back billion-dollar years
at the box office with a slate that is both
diverse and very commercial. We are very
high on Divergent, opening March 21, based
on the übersuccessful book series from author
Veronica Roth. This fertile March play period
is where we launched The Hunger Games in
2012, and we think we have the goods with
Divergent in 2014. In addition to some sequels
to familiar Lionsgate properties this summer,
like The Expendables 3 and Step Up All In,
we’re excited about our partnership with the
NFL on Draft Day, starring Kevin Costner. We
expect more big things from our Codeblack
and Pantelion labels in 2014, and it wouldn’t
be a Lionsgate release slate without a couple
innovative horror titles and an offering from
our good friend Tyler Perry. Of course, there’s
one title the world is waiting for, and that’s
the return of Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger
Games: Mockingjay, Part 1. With Catching Fire
now sitting as the number-ten-grossing film of
all time, we know that moviegoers will be lining
up for Mockingjay and we can’t wait to deliver
it to them.
54 BoxOffice ® Pro The Business of Movies APRIL 2014