BoxOffice® Pro - May 2014

CINEMACON 2014 > PANEL ROUND-UP
Craig Dehmel, SVP, Sales & Strategic Planning, 20th Century Fox International
and Paul Hanneman, Co-President, Fox International during the International
Day Lunch
Director Carlos Saldanha (Rio 2)
and actor George Lopez pose
during the International Day Lunch
International Electronic Delivery:
The Issues and Challenges that Lie
Ahead
Jean Mizrahi, CEO, Ymagis
Jean Mizrahi spoke about satellite delivery and
what the new distribution model can offer
exhibitors. The CEO of digital leader Ymagis
revealed that more European films are opting
for pan-European distribution, expanding
the reach of the continent’s national cinemas
beyond their borders. Mizrahi also highlighted
looming changes in the satellite delivery space,
noting that the abundance of current providers
will likely be consolidated in the near future.
The World Has Gone Online: What’s
Next and What Can You Do About
It?
Malcolm MacMillan, Business Development
Director, Peach Digital Limited /
Patrick Bjorkman, Design Director, Peach
Digital Limited
The duo from Peach Digital Limited spoke on
the allure of unlocking the digital potential of
today’s media landscape. Their presentation
emphasized that every device and platform in
today’s world can become a point of sale, highlighting
the strong growth of cinema-oriented
web traffic coming from mobile devices.
International Day Lunch and Awards
Sponsors: Christie, Doremi, Rentrak
Theatrical
Global Achievement Award in
Exhibition
Eddy Duquenne, CEO, Kinepolis Group
CinemaCon Passepartout Award
Craig Dehmel, SVP, Sales & Strategic
Planning, 20th Century Fox International
International Filmmaker of the Year
Carlos Saldanha, Rio 2
Rentrak International Box Office
Achievement Award
Warner Bros. Pictures
Defying Gravity: Keeping Cinema
Relevant in a Growing Multi-Option
Viewing World
Moderator: Steven Gaydos, Vice President,
Executive Editor, Variety
Panelists: Andrew Cripps, President
EMEA & EVP, IMAX Corporation / Eddy
Duquenne, CEO Kinepolis Group / Paul
Heth, CEO & General Director, Karo Cinemas
/ Alejandro Ramirez Magaña, CEO,
Cinépolis / Justin Skinner, Vice President,
Marketing, Cineworld
Cinepolis CEO Alejandro Ramirez Magaña
reminded CinemaCon attendees of the importance
of international exhibitors by pointing
out that the recent upscale cinema trend began
abroad. His company has been responsible for
popularizing luxury cinemas in Latin America
and has begun to make inroads in the United
States with an upscale expansion. Kinepolis
CEO Eddy Duquenne emphasized that this type
of innovation is crucial in driving the exhibition
industry forward by implementing more creative
concepts. Justin Skinner, VP of marketing at
Cineworld, offered the airport industry as an
example of redefining the social and practical use
of a space by adding shopping options for consumers:
“At the end of the day, we’re retailers.”
The CEO of Russian exhibitor Karo, Paul Heth,
raised the issue of appealing to a graying consumer
base by noting the frequency of filmgoers
35 years of age and older. That crowd, according
to Heth, tends to favor Russian blockbusters
over Hollywood fare. IMAX experienced this
phenomenon firsthand with the Russian film
Stalingrad, released in IMAX 3D. It is part of
what Andrew Cripps, president EMEA and EVP
of IMAX, calls “the globalization of content.”
IMAX is seeing a surge in international markets,
with strong interest coming from China and
Russia, and is responding by getting involved
with domestic productions from those markets.
Ramirez, however, insists that the graying audience
isn’t widespread—more than 60 percent of
tickets sold in Mexico were to filmgoers between
the ages of 15 and 35, and only 5 percent to
patrons over 50. That doesn’t mean that domestic
films don’t work across age groups in Latin
America; Mexico had two domestic films crack
its annual top 10 in box office last year.
42 BoxOffice ® Pro The Business of Movies MAY 2014