BoxOffice® Pro - May 2014

CINEMACON 2014 > PANEL ROUND-UP
Scott Mantz, Film Critic & Producer,
Access Hollywood, speaks during the
Rotten Tomatoes panel.
Ken Masson Inter-Society Award recipient Jack Kline, Chairman, President and CEO
of Christie’s Operating Companies and Susie Beiersdorf, the Inter-Society’s President
and VP of Sales at Sony Electronics
Rotten Tomatoes Critics vs. the
Audience: The Relevance of Film
Critics Today
Moderators: Matt Atchity, Editor-in-Chief,
Rotten Tomatoes / Grae Drake, Senior
Editor, Rotten Tomatoes
Panelists: Christie Lemire, Film Critic,
Associated Press / Leonard Maltin, Host,
Maltin on Movies / Scott Mantz, Film
Critic & Producer, Access Hollywood /
Claudia Puig, Film Critic, USA Today
The role that film critics play served as a
backdrop for this lively, interactive panel that
encouraged attendees to challenge the views of
some of the nation’s top critics on key movies.
The debate rages as to whether recommendations
through social media now mean more
than what critics think. “Nothing’s stronger
than word of mouth,” Leonard Maltin said
on the panel. “But critics sometimes start the
conversation because we see the film first.”
DAY 2
TUESDAY, MARCH 25
Inside the Cinema: Breakfast,
Awards Ceremony, and Special
Program
Sponsors: Reynolds & Reynolds, Vantiv
2014 Bert Nathan Award
Timothy A. Farha, Customer Development
Manager, Nestlé USA
Ken Masson Inter-Society Award
Jack Kline, Chairman, President & CEO,
Digiplex Destinations
The cinema industry would not be what it is
without great concessions and exciting technology,
so it’s fitting that two leaders in those fields
were honored at this year’s event. Timothy A.
Farha’s involvement in the National Association
of Concessionaires has helped the organization
immensely. Jack Kline’s leadership at Christie
for more than 35 years has helped the cinema
business achieve new technological heights.
Alternative Content Part I: Everything
You Wanted to Know About
Alternative Content and Event Cinema
but Were Afraid to Ask
Bud Mayo, Chairman & CEO, Digiplex
Destination
Alternative content is far from a passing trend.
It’s here to stay. Bud Mayo led attendees
through key questions concerning scheduling,
content providers, and delivery. The potential
is there for all exhibitors to increase business
by finding specialized content that will really
engage their communities.
DAY 3
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26
The Affordable Care Act:
“Obamacare”—Managing Your Legal
Responsibility
Steve Gooding, President, Benefits
Division, Reynolds & Reynolds / Stan W.
Reynolds, Vice President, Reynolds &
Reynolds
The Affordable Care Act will have an impact
on many businesses in our country, and the
exhibition industry is one of them. This panel
helped attendees better understand what
these changes will mean for their respective
businesses.
From Passion to the Big Screen: The
Work of Christopher Nolan
Sponsors: Barco, The Hollywood Reporter
Christopher Nolan took some time off from
supervising the editing of Interstellar to join
a lunchtime conversation moderated by the
Hollywood Reporter’s chief film critic Todd
McCarthy. Nolan remained tight-lipped
on details about Interstellar two days after
Paramount’s presentation at CinemaCon failed
to reveal any new information on the project,
only suggesting that audiences are in store for
a visual feast this fall. Nolan’s last films have
been released over the summer, but Interstellar
will be premiering in November in order to
accommodate the film’s special effects.
“We shot quite a lot of film on IMAX, more
than we have ever done in the past,” said the
director. “What we’re trying to do is give audiences
an incredible experience, an immersive
experience,” he said. “On this film, the technical
aspects of how the film is presented are more important
than on any other film I’ve ever done.”
Not Showing at Your Theater: DCDC
and the World of Content Delivery
Moderator: Brian McKay, EVP of Product
Operations, Warner Bros. Technical
Operations
Panelists: Noah Bergman, VP, Content
Services, Universal Pictures / Randy
Blotky, CEO, DCDC / Ron Krueger II,
44 BoxOffice ® Pro The Business of Movies MAY 2014