Boxoffice - January 2019

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JANUARY 2019

INCORPORATING

WELCOME TO

THE ART HOUSE

NEWS, INTERVIEWS, AND

COVERAGE OF ART HOUSE

CONVERGENCE 2019

CONVENTION

RECAPS

OUR LOOK BACK AT

CINEASIA AND EMERGING

CINEMA MARKETS 2019

A NEW

LANDMARK

COHEN MEDIA GROUP

ACQUIRES LANDMARK

THEATRES

BRIGHT LIGHTS

SAMSUNG’S LED CINEMA

SCREEN LOOKS TO THE FUTURE

JANUARY

CONVENTIONS

PREVIEWS OF ICTA

AND UDITOA 2019

VICE SQUAD

ADAM MCKAY ON THE

IMPORTANCE OF

THEATRICAL EXHIBITION

SAMUEL L. JACKSON,

JAMES MCAVOY,

AND BRUCE WILLIS

STAR IN UNI VERSAL’S

JANUARY THRILLER, GLASS

BEHIND

GLASS

M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN

ON WHY MOVIE THEATERS

CONNECT US

The Official Magazine of the National Association of Theatre Owners

2019 VOL. 155 NO. 1

WELCOME TO THE ART HOUSE 27

THE YEAR IN REVIEW

EVENT CINEMA PROVIDERS LOOK BACK AT 2018 28

SPOTLIGHT ON ART HOUSE CONVERGENCE 2019

INTERVIEW WITH ALISON KOZBERG, MANAGING

DIRECTOR, ART HOUSE CONVERGENCE 30

MERGERS & ACQUISTIONS

COHEN MEDIA GROUP ACQUIRES LANDMARK 33

SPOTLIGHT LIFETIME ACHIEVMENT AWARD

DENNIS DOROS AND AMY HELLER,

MILESTONE FILMS 34

FOUNDER’S AWARD

TAYLOUR CHANG, DIRECTOR,

DORIS DUKE THEATRE 37

COLLECTIVE CLOUT

ROB DEL MORO TAKES THE HELM OF

CINEMA BUYING ALLIANCE 40

FRENCH ART HOUSE

MK2’S NATHANAËL AND ELISHA KARMITZ 42

VICE SQUAD 44

ADAM MCKAY ON THE IMPORTANCE

OF THEATRICAL EXHIBITION

EMERGING MARKETS 54

THE FIRST ANNUAL ECM CONFERENCE

KICKS OFF IN ISTANBUL

UDITOA 2019 56

INTERVIEW WITH UDITOA’S PRESIDENT JOHN VINCENT

EASTERN PROMISE 58

A LOOK BACK AT CINEASIA 2018

CONVENTION PREVIEW 76

SHARING THEIR EXPERTISE: ICTA SEMINAR SERIES

OFFERS CINEMA TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION

TIMECODE COUNTDOWN TO CELEBRATION AS WE APPROACH

OUR 100TH ANNIVERSARY WE DIG DEEP INTO THE ARCHIVES.

THIS MONTH: BOXOFFICE AND THE MILLION DOLLAR BABIES.

COVER STORY by Phil Contrino

BEHIND GLASS M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN ON WHY

MOVIE THEATERS CONNECT US

5 HELLO

6 TRADE TALK

18 NEW PRODUCTS

22 GLOBAL AFFAIRS

24 CHARITY SPOTLIGHT

30 INDIE INFLUENCER brought to you by Spotlight Cinema Networks

66 SOCIAL MEDIA

68 INVESTOR RELATIONS

70 BIG DATA

74 TECHNOLOGY

78 EVENT CALENDAR

80 ON SCREEN

90 BOOKING GUIDE

96 MARKETPLACE

Boxoffice Magazine has served as the official publication of the National Association of

Theatre Owners (NATO) since 2007. As part of this partnership, Boxoffice is proud to feature

exclusive columns from NATO while retaining full editorial freedom throughout its pages. As

such, the views expressed in Boxoffice, except for columns signed by NATO executives, neither

reflect a stance nor endorsement from the National Association of Theatre Owners.

4 BOXOFFICE ® JANUARY 2019

hello.

>> 2018 was a great year for our industry—the

fifth this decade to set a record at the domestic box

office and the fourth consecutive year that the North

American market crosses the $11 billion mark. It

was a big year for us here at Boxoffice too, with the

announcement of our merger with Film Journal International.

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Angeles, Art House Convergence in Utah, and UDITOA in Florida. You’ll find ample

coverage of those events in the following pages, with interviews and preview pieces conducted

by our New York City–based staff: Kevin Lally, Daniel Loria, and Rebecca Pahle.

Speaking of event coverage, you’ll also find my byline in this issue, as I share my insights

from the most recent edition of CineAsia.

We’re entering a year with new challenges, opportunities, and yes—disruptive changes

to our business. The effects of consolidation will be felt on the studio side with the

Disney-Fox and AT&T-Time Warner deals, and in exhibition with added screen counts

for circuits like Marcus Theatres and new ownership for Landmark Theatres. Cinema

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movie theaters of tomorrow engage audiences around the world.

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JONGRYUL KIM, CEO OF CJ 4DPLEX (L), MARIAM EL BACHA, CEO OF CINEPAX

4DX THEATERS COMING TO MALAYSIA, PAKISTAN

>> CJ 4DPLEX and Golden Screen Cinemas (GSC) have announced plans to

launch the first three ScreenX theaters and roll out three additional 4DX theaters

in Malaysia. In similar news, the company also announced plans to partner with

Cinepax to launch the first two 4DX theaters in Pakistan.

In Malaysia, ScreenX, the panoramic cinema environment, will launch at

GSC’s flagship theater, 1 Utama Shopping Centre in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, in

2019. The two additional theaters will open in 2020. The 4DX theaters will be

opened at the 1Utama Shopping Centre. Two additional locations, IOI City

Mall, Putrajaya, and Southkey, Johor Bahru, will open in 2019.

The Cinepax locations in Pakistan, Ocean Tower Mall in Karachi and Packages

Mall in Lahore, will launch in 2019.

To date, 4DX is installed in 589 auditoriums in over 61 countries, and is projected

to reach a total of 600 auditoriums by the end of the year.

JongRyul Kim, CEO of CJ 4DPLEX, said, “We continue to expand our

innovative theater formats to give audiences worldwide experiences that are unlike

anything available in theaters today.”


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TRADE TALK

MARC WALTON JOINS MAYA

CINEMAS AS CFO

>> Maya Cinemas has named Marc

Walton its new chief financial officer.

Previous to Maya, Walton worked

for Millennia Housing Management

Ltd. as their chief accounting officer

and for GK Management Co. Inc. as

their chief financial officer. Walton’s

cinema exhibition experience includes

10 years at Reading International

Inc., which currently owns

and operates 56 cinemas. A company

statement describes Walton’s financial

expertise as being grounded in rapidly

changing organizations, making

him well suited for Maya. Maya

Cinemas recently launched a luxury

cinema in Delano, California, and

is planning a 14-screen multiplex in

North Las Vegas.

In addition to his financial

background, Walton also served in

the U.S. Army Reserve for 24 years

as a military intelligence officer

and is a retired lieutenant colonel.

Moctesuma Esparza, Maya’s CEO,

added, “I’m thrilled to bring Marc

and his wealth of experience to the

team at such an exciting time in

Maya’s development.”

IMAX BACKS OUT OF

VR BUSINESS

>> In an SEC filing dated Thursday,

December 13, IMAX announced that

it will be shuttering its in-theater VR

centers. The decision to close VR locations

and “write-off certain VR content

investments,” per the filing, is “in connection

with [IMAX’s] previously-announced

strategic review of its virtual

reality pilot initiative.”

In 2016, IMAX partnered with a

handful of investors for a $50 million VR

fund with the aim of creating “eventstyle

productions” to complement IMAX

releases. IMAX’s VR centers, initially

placed in theater lobbies, were meant

to augment the traditional moviegoing

experience by providing “a unique

combination of premium technology and

world-class content that lets users see,

feel, move, and play in new worlds in a

powerfully immersive and realistic way.”

Said IMAX Corp. CEO Richard L. Gelfond

at the time, “We will be leveraging

our collective relationships with worldclass

filmmakers and content creators

to fund VR experiences that excite and

attract a larger user base to capitalize on

opportunities across all VR platforms

including IMAX VR.”

The (now-closed) IMAX VR center at

Regal’s E-Walk Times Square location was

designed for interactive films ranging between

8 and 15 minutes in length. AMC

formerly had a New York City IMAX VR

presence in its Kips Bay location, though

that particular VR center closed in

October. IMAX VR locations are—as of

now— located in Los Angeles, Bangkok,

and Toronto. They are expected to close

in the first quarter of 2019.

CINEMARK REACHES 500,000

ACTIVE SUBSCRIBER MARK

>> Cinemark Movie Club subscription

service has reached the 500,000-active-user

mark after approximately one

year in existence.

Launched last December, CineMark

Movie Club was the first subscription

program to be launched directly by an exhibitor.

For a monthly fee of $8.99, it lets

subscribers see one 2-D movie a month,

with unused tickets rolling over and never

expiring as long as the membership stays

active. In addition, subscribers get 20

percent off concessions and a waiving of

online fees, plus the option to upgrade to

premium format (3-D, IMAX, D-BOX,

and XD) tickets. Subscribers also have the

ability to purchase additional tickets for

themselves and companions at a discounted

price.

That 500,000-subscriber milestone

more than doubles Cinemark’s projections

for the program’s first year.

Cinemark has found that subscribers

visit their theaters more often than the

average moviegoer, with tickets purchased

through Movie Club representing

8 percent of the chain’s third-quarter

domestic box office revenue. So far,

Movie Club members have purchased 10

million tickets.

Said Mark Zoradi, CEO of Cinemark,

“The popularity of Movie Club continues

to grow as more of our moviegoers recognize

the value that our program provides.”

GDC’S IMMERSIVE SOUND

SOLUTION SURPASSES 1,000

SCREENS

>> GDC Technology Limited, a provider

of digital cinema products, announced

at CineAsia 2018 that its SX-4000

immersive sound media server with a

built-in DTS:X decoder, and the XSP-

1000 cinema processor (GDC Immersive

Sound Solution) reached a milestone of

1,000 screens worldwide. The company

reports a rapid pace of adoption thanks to

social media promotion by major cinema

chains and Hollywood studios. In December,

the opening of the world’s-largest

3-D LED cinema in Beijing was installed

with DTS:X sound system and premiered

Warner Bros.’ Aquaman with DTS:X

immersive sound track. More than 180

theatrical titles have been released and

exhibited with a DTS:X soundtrack,

and more than 70 mixing stages in 17


TRADE TALK

countries have installed DTS:X production

tools.

“When it comes to providing solutions

for exhibitors, GDC always strives to

exceed their expectation. Along with the

expansion of screens by current customers,

it’s exciting to see exhibitors in new

territories installing our integrated media

server with built-in DTS:X decoder,” said

Man-Nang Chong, founder, chairman,

and CEO of GDC Technology Limited.

FATHOM BRINGS CONTENT

TO CHURCHES

>> Fathom Events is expanding its

distribution beyond the cinema with its

new Fathom Affinity Network (FAN).

The company is partnering with Faith

Content Network LLC to reach nearly

800 churches nationwide, located in

additional markets outside its current exhibition-partner

locations. This partnership

will provide theatrical-quality faith

and inspirational content to underserved

audiences across the country.

The first title distributed via this

network will be in early 2019, with more

events planned for the remainder of the

year. Each church will be able to select

as few or as many events as their communities

have interest in hosting. FCN

will work closely with Fathom and its

content partners to help build awareness

in communities of faith, providing the

new ability to drive attendance to both

theaters and churches nationwide.

Faith Content Network will manage

church network bookings, distribution,

operations, local marketing activations,

and ticket sales. Fathom Events will provide

content licensing, a creative marketing

tool kit, and oversee content delivery.

“This new network will allow us to

deliver top faith and inspirational content

to an underserved audience who may not

otherwise get to experience these special

events theatrically,” said Fathom Events

CEO Ray Nutt. “It also opens the door

for us to acquire additional content,

creating new opportunities for faith-based

content producers and their audiences.

We are the only distributor in the industry

to expand our offerings in this way,

revolutionizing how people experience

event cinema content.”

WANDA TO INSTALL 100 REALD

ULTIMATE SCREENS IN CHINA

>> In 2016, Wanda and RealD signed

an agreement that would have 4,000

RealD 3-D systems installed in Wanda’s

theaters over four years. Now, an

additional deal has been inked under

which Wanda will install 100 RealD

Ultimate Screens throughout their Chinese

locations over the next two years.

The Wanda Cinema Beijing Tongzhou,

Beijing CBD, Beijing Tiantongyuan,

and Wanda Nantong locations will

all be outfitted with RealD Ultimate

Screens by the end of March 2019, with

additional locations to follow.

“Wanda has always placed the audience’s

viewing value and viewing experience

at the core of our business,” said

Xiaobin Liu, vice president of Wanda

Film Group and executive president of

Wanda Cinema Line Corporation. “With

RealD’s superior technology and Wanda’s

commitment to premium offerings, we

are very confident with the prospects of

our premium screens and our other RealD

Ultimate Screen–equipped theaters.”

Currently, RealD Ultimate Screen

is installed in 108 locations across 41

cities worldwide.

CJ 4DPLEX ANNOUNCES DEAL

WITH SONY

>> CJ 4DPLEX and Sony Pictures

Entertainment have announced a

multi-picture deal adding 11 films to the

4DX format’s slate for 2019. Beginning

with Escape Room in January, 4DX will

offer a lineup of films from Sony Pictures

Entertainment that will play in 4DX au-

ROD ARCHER JOINS QSC

>> QSC, LLC, a global manufacturer of

audio products, has announced that Rod

Archer has joined the QSC Cinema team

as product manager. In his new role, Archer

will primarily be responsible for product

strategy and execution for Q-SYS for

cinema, cinema media server, control, and

accessibility product categories.

Archer brings a career of product-development

experience, with over 30 years of

executive product-development roles.

“I am thrilled to have Rod Archer join the cinema team,”

said Barry Ferrell, senior vice president, cinema. “With his

extensive engineering and product-development experience,

Rod brings a wealth of product-development expertise, with

a demonstrated history of success. He will

be instrumental in enhancing the cinema

product category, as our technology offering

becomes more complex.”

Archer spent the last few years as an

expert consultant in the cinema equipment

and services sector. Prior to that, he was VP

of cinema products at RealD, VP of engineering

and operations at Phoenix Technologies,

and senior director of engineering at

Award Software International. Archer holds

a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering from the

University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, and a master of science

in mechanical engineering from Stanford University.

Archer will report to Ferrell and will be based in QSC’s

Boulder, Colorado, office.


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TRADE TALK

ditoriums across the country and around

the world throughout 2019.

The 2019 slate is anticipated to

include the following live-action and

animated releases in 4DX:

Escape Room, January 4; Miss Bala,

February 1; Greyhound, March 22; The

Intruder, April 26; BrightBurn, May 24;

Men in Black International, June 14;

Grudge, June 21; Spider-Man: Far from

Home, July 5; The Angry Birds Movie 2,

August 16; Zombieland 2, October 11;

Charlie’s Angels, November 1; Jumanji:

Welcome to the Jungle sequel December

13; and Masters of the Universe,

December 18.

“Experiencing films in the 4DX

format brings a whole new experiential

level to get movie fans out of the home

and into the theater,” said Scott Sherr,

EVP, worldwide theatrical distribution,

Sony Pictures Entertainment. “We have

an exciting lineup of films in 2019 that

lend themselves to the 4DX immersive

experience.”

Since the launch of CJ 4DPLEX in

2009, the technology has averaged 100

screen openings a year with a yearly

growth rate of 70 percent. To date, 4DX

is installed in 574 auditoriums, reaching

59 countries.

CIELO AND GOLDENDUCK

PARTNER IN SE ASIA

>> Cielo is joining forces with Goldenduck

Group, the largest digital cinema

systems integrator in Southeast Asia, to

expand Cielo’s suite of digital products

across the region.

The Goldenduck Group, headquartered

in Bangkok, services over 1,000

screens in Southeast Asia, operates multiple

integrated companies, and employs

over 200 employees across Thailand,

Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines,

and Vietnam.

As part of the new partnership,

Goldenduck will offer Cielo’s enterprise

monitoring solution that provides digital

management, analytics, and support of

theater operations.

“It is a truly amazing time for us here

at Cielo, with over 12,000 screens and

20,000 devices connected to our platform,

as we continue our worldwide expansion

day after day,” said Lance Gil, VP

of global sales for Cielo Cinema. “Our

partnership with Goldenduck is a perfect

example of our ever-growing market

presence and the alliances we are building

with leading international partners. Goldenduck,

with its unparalleled expertise

in Southeast Asia, is now deploying the

Cielo platform at many of their exhibitor

sites across the region.”

Sittiporn Srisanguansakul, president

of the Goldenduck Group, said, “We

are very excited to be offering the Cielo

platform to our exhibitors. Cielo puts the

power of remote monitoring and automation

in your hands. There is no added

hardware required, it’s easily deployable

and requires no maintenance, which was

something that really attracted us to the

Cielo platform.”

CINEPLEXX OPENS MX4D

THEATERS IN SERBIA

>> Cineplexx International GmbH has

opened a second and third MX4D theater

in under two months, this time in Serbia.

ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE

RALEIGH IS QSC CERTIFIED

>> QSC has announced the first

“QSC Certified” multiplex, Alamo

Drafthouse Raleigh. QSC Certified

Theatres are equipped with complete

sound systems from QSC, and

meet a set of technical guidelines for

equipment, projection, acoustics,

and room design.

The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Raleigh, North Carolina,

is an 11-screen complex, with rooms ranging in size from

47 seats to 107 seats. All rooms feature complete QSC cinema

sound systems. The multiplex was built in a refurbished

supermarket, making attention to acoustic design critical to the

overall listening experience.

The QSC Certified Theatre program is based on a set

of guidelines intended to promote best practices in cinema

design and overall presentation quality. QSC Certified

Theatres are equipped with complete sound systems from

QSC. In addition to properly equipping the room with the

optimal sound system, the program

also evaluates acoustics, sight

lines, and image quality.

“Providing the best possible

movie experience requires paying

attention to many details, beyond

just installing the right sound

and projection equipment,” said

Mark Mayfield, director of global

marketing for QSC Cinema. “In fact, that’s usually the final

consideration. It really begins with a properly designed room,

with interior finishes and furnishings that don’t negatively

impact the visual and aural experience. The QSC Certified

Theatre program requires that all of these factors are considered

in evaluating the total experience.”

Many theater operators will pursue certification for a

limited number of rooms within a multiplex. Often, these are

the premium large-format (or PLF) rooms or those with special

formats such as Dolby Atmos or 3-D projection. Alamo

Drafthouse Cinemas is the first cinema operator to achieve

QSC Certification for every room in a multiplex.


TRADE TALK

Located in the country’s capital of Belgrade,

Cineplexx’s second MX4D theater

has 100 seats configured into 25 benches.

“Working with Cineplexx on additional

theaters only solidifies the great relationship

we’ve formed,” said Jeremy Devine,

VP of marketing for MMI.

The third MX4D theater, featuring 15

four-seat benches, is located in Novi Sad.

“After the great interest generated by our

Graz MX4D location, we are proud to

have partnered with MediaMation on our

two additional theaters. As an innovation

leader, Cineplexx feels responsible for

offering the best film experience to our

visitors, providing ideal destination for

unforgettable fun and technological

experience,” said Cineplexx CEO

Christian Langhammer.

The seats for both theaters feature a

full range of motion and effects. They utilize

MMI’s newly patented EFX armrest,

which allows for every customer to have a

better uniform experience across an entire

theater. Additional atmospheric effects

include wind, fog, and strobes.

Upcoming releases in MX4D, at

select theaters, include: Universal

and Peter Jackson’s Mortal Engines,

Sony’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-

Verse, Disney’s Mary Poppins Returns,

Paramount’s Bumblebee, and Warner

Bros.’ Aquaman. In addition to these

Hollywood blockbusters, MX4D

programs select regional and national

releases in native languages.

MARCUS ENROLLS 3M IN

MAGICAL MOVIE REWARDS

>> The Marcus Theatres Magical Movie

Rewards (MMR) program has reached

a new milestone. To commemorate the

achievement and show appreciation

for its loyal members, Marcus Theatres

awarded 10 bonus points to every

member who saw a movie from Friday,

December 7, through Sunday, December

9. During this “3 Million Member Weekend”

Marcus was prepared to distribute

up to 3 million bonus points throughout

the company’s 68 theaters in eight states.

Marcus Theatres began MMR in April

2014. Upon enrollment, members receive

points for every dollar they spend, and

that translates into rewards that can be

redeemed at the box office, concessions

stand, or any food and beverage outlet at

the theater. Additional benefits include

free complimentary-size popcorn during

$5 Movie Tuesdays; free online ticketing;

exclusive screening opportunities; unique

concessions offers, and more.

LOTTE CULTUREWORKS

PURCHASES CHRISTIE

PROJECTORS FOR CINEMAS IN

SOUTH KOREA, VIETNAM, AND

INDONESIA

>> Christie recently announced that

Lotte Cultureworks, a newly established

subsidiary of Lotte Group that oversees

the operations of Lotte Cinema, has

purchased 120 Christie cinema projectors

for deployment in its new multiplexes in

South Korea, Vietnam, and Indonesia.

This acquisition, the largest by the

South Korean multinational conglomerate

to date, comprises the Christie

CP2220 and CP2230 DLP lamp-based

cinema projectors.

Lin Yu, Christie’s vice president, cinemas

sales for Asia, said, “Christie is delighted

that Lotte Cultureworks has chosen

our trusted range of cinema solutions

for its new theaters under Lotte Cinema

in South Korea, Vietnam, and Indonesia.

The CP2220 and CP2230 are among our

most widely deployed cinema projectors

globally, offering customers a lower cost

of ownership and greater reliability than

THAILAND’S MAJOR CINEPLEX GROUP

LAUNCHES ICON CINECONIC

>> Major Cineplex Group has launched its futuristic-style

flagship, Icon Cineconic, occupying three floors of Bangkok’s

Iconsiam shopping mall. According to Major Cineplex

Group’s director, Visarut Poolvaraluk, Icon Cineconic is

intended to provide its customers with the best possible

cinema experience.

Among those who contributed to the new theater is Diego

Gronda, whose design studio has worked on LA’s Kodak

Theatre as well as luxury cinemas Paragon Cineplex, Quartier

Cineplex, and MEGA Cineplex.

The Icon Cineconic consists of 13 screens, including one

VIP screen (sponsored by Thai Airways), one IMAX screen

(sponsored by the Government Savings Bank) supporting

high-frame-rate projection, one 4X screen (sponsored by

Chaopraya Mahankorn), one “Kids Cinema,” and one “Living

Room Theater,” which guests can rent for private parties.

All traditional screens come equipped with Laserplex laser

projection, which boasts a high degree of image sharpness.

The target audience for the Icon Cineconic is a 70 percent

Thai audience and 30 percent international, with an emphasis

on drawing in students, local workers, and tourists.


FOX IN-THEATRE MARKETING

SUSAN COTLIAR

Senior Vice President

Susan.Cotliar@Fox.com

310-FOX-0373

PABLO RICO

Vice President

Pablo.Rico@Fox.com

310-FOX-4582

AKIRA EGAWA

Executive Director

Akira.Egawa@Fox.com

310-FOX-0885

DARLENE ELSON

Director, Canada

Darlene.Elson@Fox.com

416-515-3359

JACOB BERNSTEIN

Associate Director

Jacob.Bernstein@Fox.com

310-FOX-0893

SUSANA MENDOZA

Associate Director

Susana.Mendoza@Fox.com

310-FOX-0884

JACQUELINE PEHA

Associate Director

Jacqueline.Peha@Fox.com

310-FOX-1677

SARAH RESNIKOFF

Associate Director

Sarah.Resnikoff@Fox.com

310-FOX-4164

ISABELLA TRANGELO

Associate Manager

Isabella.Trangelo@Fox.com

310-FOX-4337

CARLOS CHAN

Executive Assistant

Carlos.Chan@Fox.com

310-FOX-1696

TM & © 2018 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved.

TRADE TALK

the competition. With successful implementations

of more than 60,000 projector

installations around the world and

over 10 million screenings, Christie

has accumulated a unique wealth of

knowledge and capability to deliver

the most memorable cinematic

experiences to audiences.”

The Christie CP2220 and CP2230

cinema projectors are among the first

digital projectors based on Texas Instruments’

Series 2 DLP Cinema technology

and compliant with the Digital Cinema

Initiatives (DCI) specification.

SPOTLIGHT SIGNS LONG-TERM

DEAL WITH LANDMARK

>> Spotlight Cinema Networks has

signed a new long-term cinema advertising

agreement with Landmark Theatres.

Under the terms of the new agreement,

Spotlight Cinema Networks will continue

to have the exclusive right to market and

exhibit advertising at Landmark Theatres,

including their flagship location, The

Landmark in Los Angeles, and new luxury

venues such as The Landmark at 57

West in New York City, Atlantic Plumbing

Cinema in Washington DC, and The

Landmark at Merrick Park in Miami.

Landmark Theatres is the nation’s largest

art house exhibitor with 52 theaters and

252 screens.

“It’s exciting to continue our successful

relationship with a nationally recognized

leader and innovator in independent film

exhibition,” said Jerry Rakfeldt, CEO,

Spotlight Cinema Networks. “Landmark’s

presence in our network amplifies our

reach and gives marketers access to cultured

audiences in the nation’s most desirable

markets. We look forward to further

delivering a quality pre-show experience

for Landmark’s art house audience.”

As part of its services, Spotlight

Cinema Networks will continue to

provide Landmark Theatres with a digital

pre-show program, as well as movie-trailer

delivery services through Spotlight

Cinema Networks’ Storming Images

business unit. n

DISNEY HITS $7 BILLION IN GLOBAL

BOX OFFICE

The Walt Disney Studios surpassed $7 billion in

global box office for the calendar year on December

9. This is only the second time in history a

studio has surpassed the $7 billion mark, after

Disney’s own industry-record 2016 global

gross of $7.6 billion.

As of this writing, the studio’s estimated

international box office gross through

December 9 was $4.069 billion, marking its

second-biggest year and the third-biggest in

industry history. The studio’s estimate for

domestic box office through December

9 was $2.948 billion, which would approach

the $3 billion industry record

set by Disney in 2016.

To date, four of the top eight

worldwide releases of the year are from

The Walt Disney Studios, including the top two global and top

three domestic releases. Here are more statistics:

Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Infinity War: $2B ($678.8M domestic, $1.37B international)

• No. 1 film of the year globally and internationally, no. 2 domestically

• No. 4 film of all time domestically and globally

• $257.7M domestic debut (no. 1 all time)

Marvel Studios’ Black Panther: $1.347B ($700M domestic, $647.1M international)

• No. 1 film of the year domestically, no. 2 globally

• No. 3 film of all time domestically, no. 9 globally

• $242M domestic debut (4-day)

Pixar’s Incredibles 2: $1.241B ($608.6M domestic, $632.9M international)

• No. 3 film of the year domestically, no. 4 film globally

• No. 1 animated film of all time domestically, no. 2 animated film globally

• $182.7M domestic debut (no. 1 animated debut all time)

Marvel Studios’ Ant-Man and the Wasp: $622.6M ($216.6M domestic,

$406M international)

• No. 8 film of the year domestically and globally

Lucasfilm’s Solo: A Star Wars Story: $393.2M ($213.8M domestic,

$179.4M international)

• No. 9 film of the year domestically

Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Ralph Breaks the Internet: $258.9M through Dec. 9

($141M domestic, $117.9M international, still in release)

Disney’s Christopher Robin: $197.4M ($99.2M domestic, $98.2M international)

In addition, Star Wars: The Last Jedi earned $292.9M of its $1.33B global gross during

2018, while Coco earned $269.2M of its $807M global gross during 2018.


NEW PRODUCTS

QSC

SR-800, SR-1000

SURROUND

LOUDSPEAKERS

QSC closed out 2018 with an announcement

of their new SR-800 and SR-1000 surround

loudspeakers, designed to deliver quality

sound to small-to-medium-sized theaters at

a reasonable price point.

The SR-800 and SR-1000 feature 8-inch

and 10-inch low-frequency transducers,

respectively. Both boast a black enclosure and

black grille designed to blend unobtrusively into

any theater. Four threaded insert mounting points

are compatible with most third-party bracket

manufacturers.

Says Barry Ferrell, QSC’s senior vice president, cinema,

“QSC is proud to offer a high-performance option

for the budget-minded theater operator. The SR-800

and SR-1000 models enable QSC to deliver high-quality

sound to a much broader range of customers.”

CHRISTIE

CP2315-RGB, CP2320-RGB

PROJECTORS

The most recent edition of CineAsia saw the launch

of Christie’s CP2315-RGB and CP2320-RGB pure laser

cinema projectors. 2K counterparts to the Christie

CP4325-RGB 4K launched in 2018, both new projectors

feature CineLife electronics and RealLaser illumination,

providing high image quality (with a contrast ratio of

3,000:1) at a cost of ownership comparable to that of

xenon-lamp projectors.

No external chillers or special pedestals are needed, cutting

down on the physical footprint of the projectors and

contributing to ease of installation. Christie also boasts of

a long lifespan for both projectors.

Says Christie’s Allan Fernandes, senior project manager for

cinema, “In Christie RealLaser, we’ve pushed hard to bring

the benefits of RBG pure laser, largely enjoyed by premium

large-format cinema, to a much larger audience. The

introduction of the CP4325-RGB earlier this year was the

start of that journey. The launch of our first 2K models

gives all exhibitors the opportunity to secure superior

color, contrast, and cost-saving that RGB pure laser offers,

without the premium price.”


NEW PRODUCTS

GDC

SR-1000 STANDALONE IMBTM

GDC launches their sixth-generation digital cinema media server with the SR-1000

Standalone IMBTM, an integrated media block designed to require “near-zero maintenances

and minimal total cost of ownership.”

The SR-1000 Standalone comes with built-in CineCache memory and supports an

ultra-storage feature that, combined with GDC’s Cinema Automation 2.0, allows the playback

of over a thousand movies. In addition, playback does not require local HDD storage.

HARKNESS

DIGITAL SCREEN MODELER,

CALCULATOR TOOLS UPDATES

Harkness Screens has announced updates to their digital screen modeler and calculator

apps, which since 2013 have enabled users to optimize their digital cinema setups. Upto-date

data on Harkness’s Perlux HiWhite screens has been added, as well as information

on a variety of projection equipment from Barco, Christie, NEC, and Sony. The apps are

available on Apple iOS and Android devices as well as via a web version.

Per GDC, the SR-1000 Standalone’s user interface was designed to be “user-friendly and

intuitive,” making it simple to integrate the IMB with series one, two, and three projectors

from Barco, Christie, NEC, and more.


GLOBAL AFFAIRS

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS

THE GLOBAL CINEMA FEDERATION

IS FOR ALL EXHIBITORS

ERIN VON HOETZENDORFF

ACCESSIBILITY

by Erin Von Hoetzendorff

Global Affairs and Administrative Assistant, NATO

>> What happens when the people in charge

of some of the biggest exhibition

companies in the world walk into

a room? Despite what you may be

thinking, no, this is not my poor

attempt at a bad joke. This is an

actual question that we at NATO

feel needs to be answered—because

of a different question posed at

NATO’s General Membership

meeting back in October. At that

meeting, we asked those who

had not yet joined the Global

Cinema Federation, “Why

not?” Thirty percent of respondents

said they hadn’t heard of the GCF, and

25 percent said they didn’t see the benefit

of membership for their company. These

responses were concerning, so I’m here to

address them.

First, if you haven’t heard of the Global

Cinema Federation (GCF for short), now

you have! The GCF was founded in June

2017 at CineEurope. It is

a worldwide grouping

intended to represent cinema exhibition’s

global interests through

information, education, and advocacy.

The Executive Committee of

the GCF includes AMC, Cinemark,

Cineplex, Cinépolis, Cineworld,

Event Cinemas, Les Cinèmas

Gaumont Pathè, PVR Cinemas,

Toho Cinemas, United Cinema

Chain (Cinema Park and Formula

Kino), Vue International, Wanda

Cinemas, NATO, and UNIC.

Now, you might be thinking, “I’m with a small

or midsize circuit—there’s no way these giant companies

are worried about the same things I’m worried

about.” However, I beg to differ. Returning to

my opening question, when the heads of some of

THEATRICAL EXCLUSIVITY

INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND INVESTMENT

the biggest exhibition companies in the world walk

into a room, (or get on a conference call at 5 a.m.

in Los Angeles, 8 a.m. in D.C., 2 p.m. in Belgium,

10 p.m. in Tokyo, and 12 a.m. in Australia), they

discuss issues that impact theater owners at every

level. In fact, early on the GCF leaders identified

the following seven key priorities for the group:

(1) Movie theft, (2) theatrical exclusivity, (3)

music-rights payments, (4) accessibility and related

regulations, (5) relationships with major studios

and the wider creative community, (6)

technology and standards, and (7)

international trade and investment.

After determining these

priorities the GCF immediately

began to create an actionable list of

plans and strategies.

For instance, since its official inception,

the GCF has been on a bit

of a world tour. From Hong Kong

to Barcelona to São Paulo to Miami

to Las Vegas to Los Angeles, GCF

representatives have been recruiting

members and tackling issues. For example,

when Brazil passed legislation requiring sign

language to be provided with any feature released

in Brazilian theaters, members of the GCF lobbied

studio partners to consider technological challenges

before selecting a delivery format. In addition,

the GCF worked with local exhibitors in Brazil to

lobby the government to delay implementation in

order to give exhibitors and distributors time to

determine a solution that could work

for all stakeholders. These efforts led

to a yearlong delay in the enforcement

date. In addition, in April of

2018, members of the GCF Executive

Committee met in Los Angeles

for an important round of meetings

with the distribution teams of several

major studios. They also met with

significant members of the Director’s

Guild of America (DGA) and

its leadership, including Christopher

Nolan and Steven Spielberg.

In these meetings, they introduced

the GCF and its mission, discussed technology

issues such as standards for HDR and direct view

displays, explored distributor/exhibitor partnerships

aimed at reducing movie theft, and introduced the

topic of music-rights collection schemes.


MOVIE THEFT

MUSIC RIGHTS

To further their efforts, teams from within the

Executive Committee drafted five position papers.

Published in June of 2018, the GCF position papers

include “Theatrical Exclusivity,” “International

Trade and Investment,” “Movie Theft,” “Music

Rights,” and “Accessibility.” These papers are

based on guiding principles that theater owners

both large and small agree on, and they explain

the official positions of the GCF on those topics.

The papers can be found in English, French,

Mandarin, Russian, Spanish, and Danish on

the GCF website, www.globalcinemafederation.org,

which was also launched in June 2018.

In addition to the position papers, the GCF

has been collecting surveys from its members

on those same topics. These valuable survey

responses from exhibitors across the world about

issues like music rights and movie theft will allow

the sharing of knowledge among GCF members,

which will be crucial as the GCF continues to

promote its causes and search for solutions to

its multiple concerns. For example, the Executive

Committee used survey data on movie theft

attitudes and strategies across the globe to demonstrate

to studio partners an initial opportunity

for collaboration. A perk of GCF membership?

You get to contribute your own evidence via the

surveys and you get to see the full summary of the

survey responses.

The GCF is important because it recognizes

that cinema operators around the world face

similar challenges, and by banding together they

can better address these issues. There is strength

in numbers. Input from owners of a small theater

about ways they combat movie theft is just as

relevant as input from the biggest cinema chains

in the world. That’s why we want you to join. As a

reminder, GCF Advisory Board and Affiliate membership

is currently free. Advisory Board membership

is open to exhibitors with 250 or more screens

and trade associations that represent exhibitors.

Affiliate membership is open to all exhibitors, no

matter how big or small, and you get the same

information as any other member. Joining is easy.

Go to www.globalcinemafederation.org, visit

the “Members” page, fill out the downloadable

membership form, and send it in. We hope to

hear from you soon! n


CHARITY SPOTLIGHT

To add events in an upcoming issue, please send announcements to numbers@boxoffice.com

MARCUS THEATRES’ THIRD ANNUAL

HOLLYWOOD MOVIE NIGHT

CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL OF WISCONSIN

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 14

MAJESTIC CINEMA OF BROOKFIELD

Marcus Theatres’ Third Annual Hollywood Movie Night, which took

place on November 14, 2018, raised more than $110,000 for the

Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. A screening of Fantastic Beasts: The

Crimes of Grindelwald was preceded by a red-carpet-style event that

included a reception, a silent auction, a movie-themed photo booth, and

a tasting station with Harry Potter–themed beverages like Butterbeer

and Polyjuice Potion. Four hundred moviegoers were in attendance,

and sponsors included BMO Harris Bank, Gehl Foods, Northwestern

Mutual, Pepsi, Physicians Realty Trust, Reinhart, and Royal

Corporation. Over the past three years, Marcus Theatres’ Hollywood

Movie Night charity events have raised more than $300,000.

VARIETY –

THE CHILDREN’S

CHARITY OF ST. LOUIS

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13

SHELDON CONCERT HALL

The Variety Children’s Chorus, an inclusive choir composed of St. Louis–

area kids and teens, brought a little holiday spirit to the Sheldon Concert

Hall with their “Sleigh Bells Ring, Voices Sing” concert. The Junior

League Larks and the Gateway Ringers also performed. Event partners included

the Bank of America Charitable Foundation and Neiman Marcus.

JOHN LUNDIN (L) AND WILL ROGERS MOTION PICTURE PIONEERS FOUNDATION

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TODD VRADENBURG

GREG GLEASON, GABRIELLA VERSACE, MASTER MAGICIAN LANCE BURTON,

GINGER LAND-VAN BUUREN, FIELDING WEST, REBECCA MORRIS, TOMMY LAING

VARIETY – THE CHILDREN’S CHARITY OF

SOUTHERN NEVADA

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13 / VARIETY SCHOOL, LAS VEGAS

Las Vegas’s Variety School played host to Variety – the Children’s

Charity of Southern Nevada’s annual Variety Christmas Bash. Students

of the Variety School, the John F. Miller School, and Child Haven were

entertained by Master Magician Lance Burton. They were also treated to

presents, gift cards, and backpacks.

MOTION PICTURE CLUB


RUTH’S CHRIS STEAKHOUSE

The Motion Picture Club, a longtime supporter of the Will Rogers

Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation, held their annual Holiday Lunch

on Thursday, December 13. A new board was inducted and donations

were given to a several charities, including the Ronald McDonald

House, Rising Ground, and the Lollipop Theater Network. Dennis

Meagher, vice president of theatrical distribution at Aviron Pictures, was

awarded the 2018 Nat Stern Outstanding Service Award.


EDWIN & FELICIA SHOW

MITCH NEUHAUSER (CENTER) RECEIVED THE VARIETY HEART OF SHOW BUSINESS

AWARD FROM HIS LONGTIME FRIENDS (L TO R) SUSIE COTLIAR, KELLY O’CONNOR,

PATRICIA GONZALEZ, AND ANN-ELIZABETH CROTTY.


DETROIT: BIKES FOR KIDS

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5

SOUTHFIELD PAVILION PARKS & RECREATION BUILDING

Variety – the Children’s Charity of Detroit, working with partner organizations,

gifted bicycles and locks to 150 deserving children at their December

5 event. In addition to receiving the bikes, the children and their families

were treated to an evening of music, games, face painting, and more.


SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA


SKIRBALL CULTURAL CENTER, LOS ANGELES

Variety – the Children’s Charity of Southern California handed out

its 16th annual Heart of Show Business award to Mitch Neuhauser,

managing director of CinemaCon. The award is given annually to an

individual in the entertainment industry who honors the causes served

by Variety – the Children’s Charity. Said Neuhauser when accepting

the honor, “To continue serving the industry, acting as a conduit

between NATO, exhibition, and distribution to help promote, grow,

and celebrate the moviegoing experience has been the most rewarding

experience of my professional career. And whenever the chance arises to

help support our industry charities, I like to think I’m always there to

answer the call.”


ILLINOIS GRAND PRIZE RAFFLE WINNER ED

DOUGHERTY (OF CLASSIC CINEMAS) AND

HIS GUEST, CHERIE, ATTEND THE WORLD

PREMIERE OF UNIVERSAL’S THE GRINCH IN

NEW YORK CITY.

CONTRIBUTORS TO VARIETY

– THE CHILDREN’S CHARITY

OF DETROIT’S ADOPT-A-CHILD

PROGRAM PREPARED GIFTS AT

PRO RUG WAREHOUSE.

COMING SOON!

VARIETY – THE CHILDREN’S CHARITY OF ST. LOUIS’S

TRIVIA NIGHT

FEBRUARY 2, 2019

ST. LOUIS UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL

Variety – the Children’s Charity of St. Louis’s annual Variety Trivia Night makes its

return on February 2, 2019. The event is hosted by Young Variety, with proceeds

going to Variety Kids. The Trivia Night consists of 10 rounds of trivia, complimentary

drinks, a balloon-pop game, a raffle, and more. Standard and VIP tables are available.


EVENT CINEMA:THE YEAR IN REVIEW 28

INDIE INFLUENCER: ALISON KOZBERG, ART HOUSE CONVERGENCE 30

COHEN MEDIA GROUP ADDS LANDMARK THEATRES 33

SPOTLIGHT LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS 34

ART HOUSE CONVERGENCE AWARD: TAYLOUR CHANG 37

ROB DEL MORO LEADS CINEMA BUYING GROUP 40

FRENCH ART HOUSE : M2K 42


EVENT CINEMA

HALLOWEEN (1978)

THE YEAR

IN REVIEW

EVENT CINEMA PROVIDERS

LOOK BACK AT 2018

by Rebecca Pahle

>> In 2018, going to the movies wasn’t

just about your normal slate of Hollywood

blockbusters, indie standouts,

and the odd repertory

screening. More than

ever before, last year

saw event cinema solidify

its standing in the

exhibition landscape,

with two new companies—in-theater

advertising

stalwart Spotlight

Cinema Networks and

myCinema—getting

into the game alongside

pre-existing providers

Fathom Events and

Screenvision Media.

Event cinema is a

dynamic corner of the

exhibition industry

that rewards innovation,

as companies play around with new

ways to get butts in seats during off-peak

hours. Simply put, it’s always changing.

So Boxoffice reached out to executives

from the aforementioned event cinema

operations to ask how the last year

panned out for them.

The undisputed leader in the event

cinema space is Fathom Events, which in

2017 ranked as the 12th-largest distributor

in the United States. Final 2018

figures weren’t available as of press time—

Fathom still had a few

December boxing bouts

up its sleeve—but CEO

Ray Nutt characterized

the year as one of

“breakthroughs.”

One of those

breakthroughs, he

explains, was March’s

Survival Sunday, where

more than 750 theaters

nationwide screened

the season eight finale

of “The Walking Dead”

and the season four

premiere of its spinoff,

“Fear the Walking

Dead.” In the past,

various union and

guild issues have prevented collaboration

between network television and event

cinema from being as robust as Nutt

believes it can be. This year, that started

to change. “We found ways to work

with everybody, so everybody benefits

from this type of content in theaters,” he

explains. “This is going to be a vertical of

growth for us.”

Both Nutt and Screenvision Media’s

Executive Vice President, Operations and

Exhibitor Relations, Darryl Schaffer cite

the performing arts as another strong

category with room for growth going forward.

The Metropolitan Opera, as always,

proved a standby for Fathom throughout

2018: eleven of Fathom’s 12 Met releases

grossed over $1 million, while Tosca was

the year’s highest earner with over $2

million. Screenvision looked across the

pond for the musical Everybody’s Talking

about Jamie, a hit in London’s West End.

But it’s not particularly well-known in

the United States, which is why Screenvision

partnered with outside groups—like

LGBT film festival NewFest and the charities

Stomp Out Bullying and Broadway

Cares—to get the word out.

Screenvision’s 2018 event programming

slate, explains Schaffer, illustrates

the need for marketing partnerships as a

key component of event cinema success.

They partnered with Lincoln Center for

a ballet version of Romeo and Juliet and

with the Tribeca Film Festival for a 35th

anniversary re-release of Scarface. Three of

Screenvision’s eight event cinema releases

were anime titles, released in partnership

with Crunchyroll; the genre is an obvious

fit for event cinema, explains Schaffer,


due to its “robust fan base … [Crunchyroll]

is able to promote it to their fan base

really easily and get the word out, and we

don’t have to do much except advertise in

the pre-show.” Anime also continues to

serve well for Fathom, with Mary and the

Witch’s Flower, Princess Mononoke, and My

Neighbor Totoro all earning well north of

$1 million domestically.

For both Screenvision and Spotlight

Cinema Networks, in-theater advertising

is their primary business, with event

cinema serving as an additional method

of supporting the theaters within their

networks and beyond. Spotlight Cinema

Networks, which launched their event

cinema division CineLife Entertainment

at the end of 2017, began 2018 with a

robust program of 15 releases across a

variety of categories. Their first event

cinema release, the anime-based stage

play Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: The

Musical, was “targeted to a wide range

of cinemas, from art houses to big box

venues,” says Ronnie Ycong, senior

vice president of exhibitor relations,

Spotlight Cinema Networks. All in all,

he calls Spotlight’s approach to event

programming “flexible,” explaining that

“consumer demand varies from country

and country and even market to market.

Within the U.S., anime, musical theater,

classic films, and unique film events

like shorts and family films have been

performing very well across our segment

of the exhibition industry.”

Nutt and Ycong each emphasize the

importance of international distribution

to their 2018 success. Spotlight,

explains Ycong, initially intended to

distribute only in the United States, but

then “included international delivery on

certain projects. This move far exceeded

our expectations.” One event that went

outside U.S. borders—to 1,700 screens in

27 countries, to be exact—was CineLife

Entertainment’s 40th anniversary

re-release of John Carpenter’s Halloween,

timed to debut right before the release of

Universal’s sequel.

Fathom, meanwhile, had significant

EVERYBODY’S TALKING

ABOUT JAMIE

THE MET’S TOSCA

international success with their re-release

of Elvis Presley’s 1968 comeback special,

which grossed over $2 million across 34

countries (and five languages). Germany

and the UK, as it happens, love them

some Elvis. Mexico, Nutt explains, likes

Fathom’s boxing matches. “We’re all

learning as we go along what works better

in various territories. But you don’t have

a seat at the table these days in event cinema

unless you’re talking international,”

Nutt argues. “That’s a very high priority

for us moving forward.”

International distribution is in the

cards—though not yet a reality—for the

NAGRA Kudelski Group’s myCinema.

The newest entry into the event cinema

space, myCinema launched at last year’s

CinemaCon as a way to “[empower]

cinema owners and operators to leverage

multiple types of content to help build

and grow their audience and attendance,”

says vice president of exhibitor relations

Tim Warner Jr. Since myCinema’s

launch, they’ve released a wide variety of

content, including opera (Don Giovanni),

family-friendly films (The Moomins and

the Winter Wonderland), and foreign-language

content (La Voz de un Sueño).

“Our most successful bookings have

been documentaries like A Long Road to

Freedom: The Advocate, which sold out at

the Arena CineLounge and the Laemmle

North Hollywood location. It ran for

two weeks successfully at the Camelot in

Palm Springs and continues to be shown

nationwide,” says Warner. “In 2018, the

documentaries and Spanish-language

movie special events performed very well

for our exhibition partners.” n


INDIE INFLUENCER

b r o u g h t t o y o u b y

SPOTLIGHT ON ART HOUSE

CONVERGENCE 2019

INTERVIEW WITH ALISON KOZBERG

MANAGING DIRECTOR, ART HOUSE CONVERGENCE

ALISON KOZBERG

What are some of

the changes we can

expect from this

year’s convention?

This year’s conference

has more programming

and sessions

than ever before, all of

which are organized to

encourage innovation,

critical thinking, and

collaboration. We will

be providing tools and strategies essential to opening

your community’s first art house and dedicated

opportunities for long-established theaters to become

even more accessible, inclusive, and creative.

In addition to a wide range of art house cinema

specialists, we will also be hosting speakers from

other disciplines, including scholars and professionals

from the public sector who will share

valuable insight about how theaters can develop

financially sustainable strategies for growth and

stability while advancing their missions.

This year, the planning team—which includes

exhibitors from around the United States, leadership

from the Film Festival Alliance, and members

of the Alliance for Action—has committed to

achieving gender parity among conference presenters.

The Art House Convergence recognizes that

the vitality of our field depends upon collaboration

among all its participants, and that we must actively

dismantle exclusionary systems and patterns.

During the conference we will be hosting a

series of workshops programmed by Alliance for

Action, a working group that strives to reduce and

eliminate all forms of inequity in cinema. These

workshops will facilitate important conversations

about accessibility, community outreach, and the

prevention of sexual harassment.

This year we have also taken deliberate steps

to ensure that our annual conference is more

accessible than ever by expanding our scholarship

offerings, offering more volunteer positions, increasing

outreach about volunteer opportunities,

and debuting the Emerging Leadership Initiative,

a program designed to encourage conference attendance

among independent cinema’s visionaries

of tomorrow.

Can you share some of the highlights from this

year’s program?

The breadth of programmatic offerings this year

is tremendous. We are hosting panels, workshops,

roundtables, screenings, and keynotes, so that

everyone who attends will have the opportunity

to enjoy formal presentations and benefit from

collaborative, hands-on learning.

Overall the 2019 conference advances three key

goals for the field: 1) innovation, 2) sustainability,

and 3) inclusivity. Sessions will encourage participants

to try new things, offer tools in service of

operational and financial stability, and encourage

essential conversations about how theaters can

truly create conditions for equitable participation,

programming, and employment.

A small selection of presentations from our fantastic

lineup includes a presentation by Jax Deluca

from the National Endowment for the Arts about

succeeding in the public sector, a workshop about

how to develop more inclusive and thoughtful

outreach and marketing campaigns, a session about

effective fund-raising strategies for organizations

with tiny staffs, a panel about decolonizing art

house programming featuring Miriam Bale of In-


INDIE FOCUS

OVERALL

ART HOUSE

CONVERGENCE

ADVANCES

THREE KEY

GOALS

FOR THE FIELD

INNOVATION

SUSTAINABILITY

INCLUSIVITY

die Memphis, Curtis John of the Luminal Theater,

and Tracy Rector of Longhouse Media. We will

also be hosting a panel on ADA accessibility and

a conversation about effectively collaborating with

film distributors.

On the one hand, the conference is organized

thematically, but it is also structured to meet the

needs of art house enthusiasts with various levels

of experience. We have programs designed for professionals

just getting their start as well as sessions

intended to encourage seasoned professionals to

continue to think outside the box.

Who will be some of the keynote speakers and

award recipients at the event?

I am excited to announce that our opening-night

keynote speaker is Butheina Kazim,

the co-founder of Cinema Akil, an art house and

mobile cinema program in Dubai. Cinema Akil

was the first art house in the Gulf and exemplifies

the innovation and risk taking the conference is

proud to support. Kazim was a Fulbright scholar

of media, culture, and communication at NYU

and worked as a project manager in television and

radio before piloting this inspiring project. We are

delighted to celebrate a woman who is thinking

creatively about alternative and art house cinema

exhibition. Art House Convergence is based in

North America but the resonance of art house

cinemas is appreciated globally, and we are thrilled

to work closely with partners around the world.

Honoring Kazim is a tribute to her work and an

important opportunity for exhibitors to deepen

their knowledge about the curatorial strategies and

economic models being used abroad.

We will be announcing our closing-night keynote

soon, so stay tuned!

As for the award recipients, we are proud to

announce, in partnership with Spotlight Cinema

Networks, that this year’s Spotlight Lifetime

Achievement Award goes to Amy Heller and

Dennis Doros, the co-founders of Milestone

Films. Since its founding by Heller and Doros

in 1990, Milestone Films has gained an international

reputation for releasing classic cinema

masterpieces, groundbreaking documentaries, and

American independent features. Driven by a commitment

to “mess with the canon,” Heller and

Doros’s contributions to film preservation and

distribution have consistently created opportunities

for mission-driven cinemas to innovate and

expand their programming. Their clarity of ethical

purpose, passion, and tireless commitment to

rare cinematic gems have meaningfully impacted

the art house community’s vision of film history.

It’s an incredible honor to spotlight the important

role that preservation, restoration, and distribution

play in the art house community.

The recipient of the 2019 Founder’s Award is

Taylour Chang, the director of the Doris Duke

Theatre at the Honolulu Museum of Art. Chang

is the co-founder of the Alliance for Action and is

currently co-chair of the Art House Convergence

Annual Conference. Taylour has demonstrated

a consistent commitment to making her cinema,

and the conference, more accessible and has

stewarded the organization through a period of

growth and change. She is an exceptional curator

and leader who exemplifies a true commitment to

community service. We are so pleased to celebrate

Taylour’s accomplishments.

How much has your perspective of AHC changed

now that you’re on the organizing side?

As an exhibitor I had an incredible appreciation

for the networking and educational opportunities

that Art House Convergence offers. It’s amazing to

switch gears and actively sustain a viable national

and international community of art house exhibitors.

I truly believe that we are stronger together

and benefit from collaboration and conversation.

What role do you believe theatrical exhibition

plays in the art house community?

Theatrical exhibition and public access to

cinema are central to our work and mission. As

media viewing becomes increasingly solitary and

fragmented, art houses provide opportunities for

shared experiences and meaningful exchanges

among people of diverse backgrounds and perspectives.

We present thoughtful film programs dedicated

to increasing access to international, independent,

and alternative cinemas from around the

world while also providing educational opportunities

in the service of media literacy, critical viewing

practices, and art appreciation. We recognize that

cinephiles watch media on a variety of platforms,

but we also know that art houses have been an

essential part of the North American cultural fabric

for nearly a century and have a vital role to play

in the future of cinema—as spaces for creativity,

collaboration, and community engagement. n


MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS

COHEN MEDIA GROUP

ACQUIRES LANDMARK THEATRES

TED MUNDORFF

CHARLES COHEN

>> A bit of a surprise for the exhibition

industry: Landmark Theatres has been

purchased by the Cohen Media Group

from Todd Wagner and Mark Cuban’s

Wagner/Cuban Companies. Based in Los

Angeles, Landmark Theatres boasts 252

screens in 27 markets across the United

States. Founded in 1974, it has over the

decades grown into a premier destination

for independent and foreign cinema, with

flagship destinations including New York

City’s 57 West theater.

Landmark has also proven itself as an

innovator over the years, acting as an early

adopter of nontraditional seating, like

love seats and sofas, and the use of DCP

digital projectors.

Cohen Media Group, founded in

2008 by Chairman Charles S. Cohen,

comes to the independent film marketplace

from the production and distribution

side. The company’s recent theatrical

releases include Claude Lanzmann’s

Shoah: Four Sisters and Gauguin: Voyage

to Tahiti. They also handle theatrical runs

for restorations of classic films.

Says Cohen in a statement, “As the

country’s largest and most prestigious

independent circuit, Landmark Theatres

is the crown jewel of the art house exhibition

industry, and this acquisition will be

one of the pillars of our business. As we

have continued to grow, we have targeted

assets that complement our focus [on]

distributing, producing, and restoring

the world’s best contemporary and classic

cinema. Landmark fits in perfectly with

that strategy and with one pivotal deal,

positions the Cohen Media Group team

to become one of the most important

players in the world of independent film.”

Landmark’s president and CEO Ted

Mundorff echoes Cohen’s optimism,

noting that the purchase makes the Cohen

Media Group a vertically integrated

enterprise. “This was also the case when

Cuban/Wagner owned Landmark,” he

explains, as “they produced and distributed

film, owned cable channels, and

have theaters.” On Landmark’s side,

the chain screens—and will continue

to screen—“first-run films from many

sources,” including but not limited to

the Cohen Media Group. One of those

sources is Netflix, a deal that Mundorff

asserts will not be affected by the change

in ownership.

The terms of the Cohen Media Group

acquisition have not been disclosed; per

the joint announcement from Mundorff,

Cohen, Todd Wagner, and Cuban, Landmark’s

current senior management team

will be retained. n


ART HOUSE CONVERGENCE 2019

SPOTLIGHT LIFETIME

ACHIEVEMENT

AWARD

DENNIS DOROS & AMY HELLER,

MILESTONE FILMS

Interview by Daniel Loria

>> The Spotlight Lifetime Achievement Award,

created three years ago by Spotlight Cinema

Networks in partnership with the Art House

Convergence, recognizes an individual whose

commitment to the theatrical experience

and successful track record has made a major

contribution to the history of art house cinema.

Along with a glass-made award, Spotlight

Cinema Networks gifts the opportunity to

donate $2,500 to a charitable independent film

organization of the recipient’s choice. This year’s

recipients, Milestones Films’ co-founders, Dennis

Doros and Amy Heller, are an example of the vitality

and diversity that the sector brings to the

industry at large. Founded in 1990, Milestone is

dedicated to releasing cutting-edge films that

have been overlooked throughout the years.

From auteurist lost treasures to groundbreaking

documentaries and restored classics, Doros and

Heller have expanded the diversity of offerings

at the cinema for nearly 30 years.

Their involvement in the industry, however,

dates back further. As alumni of some of the

most renowned specialty distributor labels in

American cinema—First Run Features, Kino

International, New Yorker Films, and Zeitgeist

Films to name a few—Doros and Heller’s influence

has been felt by several generations of

U.S. moviegoers.

Doros and Heller have been awarded the

National Society of Film Critics’ first-ever Special

Archival Award and its Film Heritage Award

(five times), the International Film Seminars’ Leo

Award, the NY Film Critics Circle’s Special Award

(twice), the LA Film Critics’ first ever Legacy of

Cinema Award, and the Film Preservation Honor

from Anthology Film Archive. This year, they add

the Art House Convergence Spotlight Lifetime

Achievement Award to their list of honors.

How did you come to work in the specialty

distribution business?

Dennis Doros: We don’t really see ourselves

as repertory distributors. Most films we release

have never screened theatrically before, or haven’t

for decades. We’ve always seen ourselves as first

run. So posters, trailers, publicity—it all comes

from that line of thinking, and I think that’s

been part of our success: thinking of these titles

as first-run movies worthy of playing next door

to Batman 14.

Amy Heller: I sort of fell into working in

film. I left graduate school and didn’t quite know

what to do. A friend suggested I go work at First

Run Features, so I did. I just found a community

that I thought was amazing—both on the

distribution and exhibition side. I had worked

in publishing, gone to graduate school, done

different things—but I had never been part of

a community like this. I was working on small

independent films and then later at New Yorker

Films on classic film, documentary, and revival.

I guess I’ve always been interested in how one

builds an audience for great films of all sorts. My

first mentor in film was Nancy Gerstman, one

of the co-founders of Zeitgeist Films. I wouldn’t

be here without her. When I was at New Yorker

Films, Dan Talbot and Jose Lopez were tremendous

influences on me.

DD: In my case, back in 1979 the head of

the Athens Film Society in Ohio showed a trailer

for Emmanuelle 4 in front of a family film.

They lasted one more day on the job, and the

film department was notified they weren’t

allowed to choose the next head. Henry Lin,

the dean of the art department, asked all the

other heads of the art departments to pick a

replacement ... and I came out of dance history.

The head of the dance department chose me to

be the head of the film society.

Screening, exhibiting, marketing—I had a

blast in Ohio. I stayed there for five years. When

I got out of the college, I didn’t know what to

do and I sent out 180 letters. I got back 179

rejections—but a year later Don Krim at Kino

International asked me to come in. That was also

by accident; he had to fire the previous person

for, how should I put it? Chicanery. Don Krim

was an amazing mentor—as was Bill Sloan, from

the Museum of Modern Art, who taught me a

lot about how to make a film part of the nation-


DENNIS DOROS AND AMY HELLER



al discourse. Don put me in charge of

the theatrical department, let me do

acquisitions in my first or second year

on the job. He acquired two incomplete

films from the Gloria Swanson estate, so

I suggested doing something about it. I

knew how to splice 16-millimeter film,

and that’s how I ended up becoming

an archivist. When VHS came into the

picture, I got bored with it and started

restoring films on my own. That’s when

I met Amy.

How did you two begin working

together?

AH: We had these films that Dennis

had been acquiring before we met, and

we had to figure out what to do with

them and who would distribute them.

They were these films shot on location

in exotic locales from the late-silent to

early-sound era from great filmmakers

like F.W. Murnau and the makers of

King Kong. These were silent, esoteric

films, and when I left New Yorker Films

I just started working on them.

Was it hard finding screens for these

titles?

AH: The landscape of theatrical distribution

has changed a great deal since

we started in 1990. Dennis and I both

came out of the world of non-theatrical

film distribution, so we never really had

a strong differentiation between the two

in our minds. In some cities we’d play at

a for-profit theater, at others at nonprofits,

and there have always been museums

that have played our films—there

were all options that we were open to.

It was always a mix of venues, and that

really allowed us to continue to work on

challenging films.

DD: Programmers really welcomed

us. We should have been shocked, but

back then there were a lot of people

that didn’t care about making a lot of

money on these films. They just wanted

them shown.

AH: It was a very different landscape

in every possible way; theater owners

could count on the one Sony Pictures

Classics or Miramax release that would

make them most of their money for the

year. Titles like Room with a View or

Pelle the Conqueror that could function

as tentpoles for the rest of their programming;

they could afford to take

risks with more diverse programming.

Having experience in both theatrical

and home entertainment, what do

you believe is the role that art house

theaters play in our society?

AH: One of the things that the internet

has done to the world, not just to

cinema, is that it has fractured us apart

from one another. For me, the role of

the art house is very much about building

community and cinema culture.

People who go to the Amherst Cinema,

they recognize each other. It’s the same

at Film Forum, at the Film Society of

Lincoln Center, or at Film Streams in

Omaha. You’ll find that atmosphere

among the regulars of a local Landmark

or Alamo Drafthouse location; they seek

that experience of being in a place with

other human beings. That’s how community

is really built. I don’t think you

can build community on Facebook; it’s

built by human beings interacting with

one another in the real world. That’s the

most precious thing we do.

DD: In a world where there are dozens

of releases every week on streaming,

on home video—all these platforms—it

is very difficult to achieve a career as a

filmmaker with such an abundance of

material. A lot of these art houses and

specialty distributors help build the

filmmakers of tomorrow. Chris Nolan

was a Zeitgeist filmmaker before he hit

it big. Barry Jenkins, Ava Duvernay,

they were art house filmmakers first.

Your work is closely tied to both film

preservation and restoration. How has

that influenced your engagement with

the industry?

AH: The studios have dedicated

quite a lot of resources and terrific

talent and finances to preserving their

holdings—and kudos to them—but

studio films are not and have never

been the full breadth of cinema. Fortunately

there have been other strands

in film history, and those strands

represent other parts of the world and

other kinds of voices and other kinds

of experiences. That’s what we want to

be part of, making sure that films by

black filmmakers, women filmmakers,

LGBTQ filmmakers, and filmmakers

from other parts of the world are preserved

and made accessible.

DD: As the president of the Association

of Moving Image Archivists, I’m

equally concerned that it’s not just film

that is being preserved. I am extraordinarily

concerned about the films of today

that are shot digitally. I can see in the

coming years a digital tsunami of films

that are lost due to the lack of awareness

around digital obsolescence. The silent

film recovery rate is at 25 percent; we

might lose more than 75 percent of our

digitally born films that are currently

being made. That’s why AMIA is also involved

with educating young filmmakers

and the public about preservation. We’re

straddling the past and the future. That’s

always been what Milestone has been interested

in, and most of our films focused

on different ways to see films, different

ways to make films.

Congratulations again on the award.

AH: We’d just like to thank the

community of programmers and distributors

who have really supported us and

sustained us through some very hard

times. And finally, we absolutely need to

thank Charlie Tabesh at Turner Classic

Movies who has been in our corner for

many years. There were moments where

without Charlie it would have been

hard to keep going.

DD: And the art houses, 28 years

they’ve been with us! Every time I think

we have gone too far with a film that

is too obscure for this world, they’ve

followed us. n


PHOTO: SHUZO UEMOTO

FOUNDER’S AWARD

TAYLOUR CHANG, DIRECTOR, DORIS DUKE THEATRE

Interview by Daniel Loria

>> Taylour Chang, this year’s recipient of the Art House Convergence

Founder’s Award, can easily be celebrated for her role as an art house

exhibitor and curator of the Doris Duke Theatre at the Honolulu Museum

of Art. That role, however, isn’t her only contribution to promoting the

advancement of specialty and independent cinema. As a co-founder of

the Alliance for Action, Chang has taken a leadership role in expanding

diversity initiatives among members of the Art House Convergence.

Diversity and inclusion are not only priorities for the films on the screen,

but for every institution that is part of this industry. Boxoffice spoke with

Chang ahead of the event to discuss the specific challenges facing art

house exhibitors today—and how a more diverse industry will benefit the

film business moving forward.

(continued on next page)



PHOTO: SHUZO UEMOTO

What makes the Doris Duke Theatre

unique in your community? What are

the specific challenges of running an art

house at a museum?

The Doris Duke Theatre is Honolulu’s

singular mission-driven, community-based

nonprofit art house theater,

focused on independent and foreign cinema,

with annual film festivals (Bollywood

Film Festival, Honolulu African-American

Film Festival, Filipino Film Festival,

Honolulu Jewish Film Festival, Honolulu

Rainbow Film Festival, Honolulu Surf

Film Festival, Cultural Animation Film

Festival, French Film Festival, Oiwi/Native

Hawaiian Film Festival, Korean Film

Festival, and others), repertory programming,

themed series, specialty events, a

year-long concert lineup, and a music

education program that works with youth

from underserved communities. We’re

a single-screen 280-seat theater located

in Honolulu, Hawaii. The theater has

developed a reputation in the community

for its bold programming relevant to the

social and political climate of the times.

The theater works closely with over 150

community partners throughout the year,

which includes film festival committees

representing different sectors of Hawaii’s

diverse community.

The Doris Duke Theatre is part of the

Honolulu Museum of Art. The theater is

a revenue-generating arm of the museum

while also being part of the museum’s

curatorial team, so we face a lot more

financial pressure to engage audiences

than other museum curators. At the same

time, we know our audience very well,

and the lessons the theater has learned

from building our audience inform the

ways the museum expands its audience

base overall. A lot of times the theater

becomes people’s entry point into the

museum, so it allows us to build museum

membership through the theater programming.

We are often faced with how

to connect the dots—curatorially, financially,

logistically—between the theater

program and everything else the museum

has to offer, which can create challenges

but a lot of exciting opportunities. When

there are a few major gallery exhibitions

per year, the theater exhibits different

content almost every day, with film

festivals about once a month and concerts

and/or special programming at least once

a week, so the pace and nature of our

work is unique within the museum. The

theater has a lean but amazing team of

three full-time and three part-time staff,

and we work closely with community

members, engaging different sectors of

our community from week to week.

Maintaining that concentrated community

focus on a weekly basis while also

balancing how the theater fits within the

larger museum context is a challenge, but

being part of a museum helps us bridge

deeper connections between our local cinema

and the wider arts and culture scene.

Our team understands how film brings

people together in a way that benefits not

just our local arts and culture but also the

larger social ecosystem.

2018 will be a record-breaking box

office year domestically. How would you

rate the year in the context of the art

house community?

Regardless of domestic trends at the


ox office, art houses always find innovative

and meaningful ways to thrive and

serve their community. Each art house is

so unique in its mission and its community

base, and measurements of success

can vary from art house to art house.

Those measurements go beyond making

record-breaking sales and are informed by

each art house’s mission and the community

it serves. Art houses are, at the end

of the day, mission-driven, community-based

spaces. If we feel like we’ve served

our community and served our mission

in 2018 and are continuing to strive to

do our work better in 2019 (and that is

always the spirit the art house community

brings to the Art House Convergence),

then 2018 was amazing.

Moviegoing data shows that cinema

audiences in the U.S. are quite diverse.

One of the challenges of the art house

community is finding and engaging

that same diverse audience. On an

operational level—and this can be said

about arts organizations in general—

there seems to be an equal lack of

diversity in leadership positions. How

can the art house community address

these challenges moving forward?

Working to build and maintain more

diverse audiences isn’t some straightforward

formula that you can put on repeat

or put on auto-mode. For instance, we

can’t just program a film and assume

a new audience will come. But this

happens all the time. A big challenge

for us is to re-think how we build trust

with audiences who, oftentimes, don’t

feel like our spaces are for them. If you

don’t have a ton of money to throw into

marketing on a large scale, which often

is the case with art houses, that means

you have to build your audience in

deeper ways. This requires re-thinking

how we engage with people and how we

welcome people in our spaces. It takes a

lot of time and invested effort—rreaching

out to people you wouldn’t normally

reach out to, having meaningful, often

uncomfortable, conversations with

community members, listening to their

needs, and being sincere about it. This

type of work often is above and beyond

what we consider to be the standard

way of exhibiting film, but it’s required

if we want to sincerely address the lack

of diversity in our art house spaces. It’s

not an easy thing to outsource because

when you’re talking about people feeling

welcome in your space, you’re talking

about organizational culture change.

Everyone in an organization needs to be

on the same wavelength when it comes

to knowing who you’re serving. Lack

of diversity in leadership positions is of

course a huge challenge that directly factors

into this. As much of a challenge as

it may be for us art houses who work so

hard to bring great cinema to our communities,

often with minimal resources,

to address lack of diversity, the on-theground

community understanding that

art houses have best positions us to

re-envision the ways film exhibition can

bring people together. I do believe art

houses are independent-minded enough,

innovative enough, and fearless enough

to meet those challenges.

In 2017, we started the working

group called Alliance for Action at the

Art House Convergence with the goal to

actively dismantle oppression and inequity

in our art house communities. As a collective

of exhibitors, distributors, and festival

organizers, we take risks, collaborate, and

support each other as we work toward

equity. Creating safe space for heathy

discussion and action to equip people to

create stronger, safer and more inclusive

organizations is an important step in

addressing these challenges. Every organization

is individually grappling with really

tough questions and realities related to all

forms of social inequities, including race,

gender, and class, so having a working

collective of people to support each other

and be sounding boards for each other

in the ongoing process is important. The

group checks in once a month via video

chat. If art houses can effectively support

each other and shift culture within their

organizations on local levels, then the

potential for the art house community to

make significant culture change on larger

levels is great.

Over the last decade, Art House

Convergence has grown to be more

than an event and come into its own as a

community. Why is the event so valuable

for an exhibitor like yourself?

Working in an art house in Hawaii

can feel isolating, since we’re geographically

disconnected, and we often don’t

have the budget to travel, so attending

the Art House Convergence once a year

and being in community with other art

house exhibitors means the world. It

has helped me with my personal growth

as an art house professional, and it

has helped me make friendships that I

would not have been able to otherwise.

The Convergence gives art houses from

small towns and geographically isolated

areas rare opportunities to connect with

colleagues from all across the country.

It’s amazing to see very large, reputable

institutions and much smaller organizations,

nonprofit and for-profit theaters

alike, and so many different perspectives

come together in one place. The shared

experience of being mission driven,

community based, and passionate about

cinema creates an inspiring amount of

mutual respect within the community

that allows art house professionals from

smaller, lesser-known organizations

to shine and be celebrated. There is a

down-to-earth, independent spirit to the

community that makes the Art House

Convergence really special. For me

personally, attending the Convergence

made me realize that I wasn’t alone, that

the work that we do in Hawaii is not

done in a silo, and that every single art

house has something to contribute to

the larger cinematic landscape. I’m not

alone in my gratitude to the Art House

Convergence. We are often so focused

on the work we do locally, but the Convergence

reminds us that we are part of

something bigger. n


CINEMA BUYING ALLIANCE

ROB DEL MORO POSES WITH A CARBON ARC PROJECTOR FOUND AND RESTORED

DURING RENOVATION OF THE HISTORIC TENNESSEE THEATRE IN KNOXVILLE,

WHICH THE REGAL MANAGEMENT TEAM SUPPORTED. THE PROJECTOR IS NOW ON

DISPLAY AT REGAL’S NEARBY RIVIERA CINEMA.

COLLECTIVE CLOUT

INDUSTRY VETERAN

ROB DEL MORO TAKES

HELM OF CINEMA

BUYING ALLIANCE

by Kevin Lally

>> In April of this year, a group of independent movie exhibitors formed

the Independent Cinema Alliance (ICA), a nonprofit corporation aiming

to serve as an advocate for those who run independent cinemas. At the

same time, the group revealed plans to take over the responsibilities of

NATO’s Cinema Buying Group and rename it the Cinema Buying Alliance

(CBA). Currently, the ICA has over 234 member companies representing

nearly 4,500 screens.

On November 20, the ICA announced it had come to an agreement with

40-year industry veteran Rob Del Moro to head up the new entity. Del Moro

is the former chief technical and theater operations officer for giant circuit Regal

Entertainment Group (acquired earlier this year by Cineworld). The CBA

continues the Cinema Buying Group’s mission to provide a stronger buying

structure for smaller cinema owners by combining their purchasing power.

“We’re so incredibly fortunate to have Rob’s experience and expertise applied to

helping our members improve their bottom line,” says Bill Campbell, president

and CEO of the Orpheum Theatre Inc. and an ICA founding board member.

“While serving with NATO, he worked closely with independents, so he can

relate to the industry challenges our members face and advocate for strengthening

their businesses.”

Del Moro notes, “The Independent Cinema Alliance is another voice,

not the only voice of independents. Independents are also active members of

NATO, but they formed this organization to specifically address issues that

are very relevant to them. So it made sense that the Cinema Buying Group


would move on over to the ICA, with NATO’s

support and NATO’s endorsement, since the

Cinema Buying Group predominantly serviced

independents.” He continues, “The Cinema

Buying Group did a terrific job over the years. My

goal now is to take it to the next level, and use all

of the years of experience I have in the industry

with buying and my relationships with all the

vendors. We’re very excited to bring more value to

the organization.”

NATO’s Cinema Buying Group arose out of a

need for smaller theaters to join the virtual print

fee (VPF) programs enabling them to acquire

digital projection equipment, and Del Moro says

the CBA will continue to assist with equipment

needs. But there’s a lot more to running a theater

beyond expensive sound and projection

equipment. “Currently within the

CBG offerings,” Del Moro

notes, “there’s a xenon-bulb

buying program, a uniform

program, a carpet-mill

program, a cleaning-supply

program. But there

are so many areas that

need to be addressed

that haven’t been in the

past. There are so many

other consumables that

independents use on a

daily basis that we’re going to

start getting involved with.”

Del Moro understands that

independent exhibitors face a host of

challenges. “One that I’m most concerned about is

their ability to offset rising costs of commodities,

of equipment. They’re combating many things

that everyone in business is combating: higher

payroll rates, regulation, things that affect all small

businesses. You’re not going to get a break on your

rising labor costs. You’re not going to get a break

on your rising rents. So how do you continue

to draw a bottom-line profit for your business?

Maybe you start collectively working together on

reducing costs as a cooperative.

“A guy who’s got three buildings with six

screens each, if now he can participate in a group

of 4,000 screens, we can hope that we achieve better

pricing. It’s good for the manufacturers as well,

because now they can know how to go to market

and stock or produce a certain quantity, a certain

volume. In the current environment, they go out

and they hope that this independent picks up their

product, whether it’s an amplifier or raw popcorn

seed. But now if they know that 4,000 screens are

going in collectively … just like an agricultural

co-op, they’re going to all bind together and that

makes it a lot easier also for the manufacturer.

And it can help them plan sales goals for following

years as well.”

“One of my initiatives moving into the new

year,” Del Moro says, “is to interface with the

smaller independents at the small regional shows.

At these types of shows it’s a more relaxed atmosphere

in which I can spend better quality time

with the independents.”

Del Moro has high praise for his colleagues

at the Independent Cinema Alliance:

“There’s a terrific leadership group

that’s involved: Bill Campbell,

One

Byron Berkley, Gina DiSanto,

Randy Hester, Jeff

of my initiatives

Benson—all prominent

independent owners

from various parts of

the country … They’re

long-term industry

people and very, very

smart. And with my

involvement with NATO

representing Regal, I had

the ability to interface with

these same people from the

NATO standpoint.”

Along with his new duties at the

CBA, Del Moro is the founder of Strategies Plus

Solutions LLC, a business consulting company

that specializes in procurement, food and beverage,

marketing, and theater operations.

“After Regal was acquired, I decided to move

on to the next chapter of my career and launched

my firm. I’m excited that we are able to work with

the ICA on this exciting new opportunity.”

Del Moro says he is happy to bring his expertise

to the smaller players in the cinema business. “The

independents are a vital part of the industry. Everybody’s

important in the industry—the big players

are very important, but also the independents

that bring cinema to the small towns where the

large exhibitors would never even consider opening

a cinema. That’s part of the American culture

that needs to survive and needs to continue.” n

moving into the new year is

to interface with the smaller independents

at the small regional shows.

At these types of shows it’s a more

relaxed atmosphere in which I can

spend better quality time with

the independents.


EXIBITOR INTERVIEW

First of all, why

did you want to

make changes to

the lobby store at

your Bibliothèque

location?

Elisha Karmitz:

We’ve always had a

store in this cinema’s

lobby, which is now

15 years old. We

started by selling

DVDs, and we were

being treated as if

we were crazy on

the pretext that the

people who bought

them would not

go to the movies

anymore. But we

are in a dynamic

neighborhood and

mk2 Bibliothèque

became one of the

most important

cinemas in Paris—

and France. This

neighborhood has

always embraced

innovation and the

transformation of

its spaces. With the

new concept store

in our cinema, the

whole customer

experience changes.

It’s a way for

this cinema to stay

avant-garde and

continue to win

over audiences. On

a general level, we

want the store to

enrich the moviegoing experience before

and after each screening.

How has the experience inside the

auditorium changed since first opening

this location 15 years ago?

EK: Having access to the best sound

and projection technologies isn’t just a

FRENCH ART HOUSE

Interview with mk2 Heads Nathanaël and Elisha Karmitz

by the Editorial Team at Boxoffice France

>> French art house circuit mk2 continues to innovate in its home

country with the launch of a new concept store at their mk2 Bibliothèque

location in Paris. Marking the occasion, Nathanaël and Elisha Karmitz, who

helm the specialty circuit, spoke with Boxoffice France about their lofty

ambitions for the cinema chain: further growth in France and an impending

international expansion.

PHOTO: YANN VIDAL

marketing slogan to stand out against our

competitors; it’s at the heart of our work

as exhibitors. Today, we offer technology

like laser projection and Dolby Surround

7.1 across the board here. If you go to our

cinema, that’s a part of the experience.

For us, premium seating is at the heart of

the experience, and the mk2 Bibliothèque

has distinguished

itself with its love

seats by Martin

Székely, which

have been widely

copied since. As

for other premium

experiences [like

immersive seating or

panoramic screens]

we haven’t installed

them because we

don’t think our

public is expecting

these technologies

in our cinemas in

the coming months.

We are always on

the lookout for the

cinema technologies

of tomorrow, but for

us the immersive experiences

are better

suited outside the

auditorium—with

virtual reality (VR).

What’s the status of

your VR projects?

EK: We are planning

on installing

more VR centers in

our cinemas over the

first half of 2019,

staying a step ahead

of the future with

this technology.

We don’t want to

duplicate our model;

we want to find

disruptive concepts.

In 2018 we helped

bring VR to customers

around the world: Nordisk Films

in Oslo and Copenhagen and Arvore in

Brazil, which opened a room in São Paulo

and has plans to add another six with our

equipment. We also have partnerships

with operators in Singapore and Serbia.

In France, our clients are mainly cultural

institutions, no exhibitors for the mo-


ment, though we would be delighted to

work with any that are interested.

We have competitors in France, such

as Ymagis. Even though we have hundreds

of VR units around the world,

spread over almost 10 countries—having

more companies in the space helps spread

the concept and drive demand. Competition

makes us better.

Any updates on your Paris locations?

EK: Almost all our auditoriums have

been renovated and improved over the

last three years. We’ve seen the impact

in our admissions, with gains in market

share over the last five years. Our mk2

Gambetta location—which has also seen

a rise in admissions—is the only one

in the city that has not been renovated.

We have many ideas and projects in

mind, but nothing decided beyond the

reopening of the mk2 Nation in 2019.

We’re planning four to six screens there,

with a 37-room hotel that we’ll operate

ourselves, and a rooftop terrace equipped

with an open-air cinema.

Among those Paris projects you have

the mk2 Champs-Elysées at the site of

the former UGC George V.

Nathanael Karmitz: The building

permits have already been issued, so it’s

definitely in our plans, but the inauguration

won’t be before 2023.

EK: We’ll have something there that

can live up to the location. We’re working

with the mayor of Paris to reclaim the

cultural life of the Champs-Elysées. We’re

not planning on opening a traditional

cinema or catering exclusively to Parisian

audiences—that wouldn’t make it a

success. We need to innovate; if we don’t

develop ideas for the cinema of tomorrow,

nobody else will invent it for us.

Do you have other ambitions in France

outside Paris?

EK: If there are good opportunities,

if our implementation makes sense, if we

can do things that are out of the ordinary—then,

yes. We look at everything

on a project-by-project basis, but we

don’t have defined objectives for opening

cinemas in the region over a given period.

We’re not looking to stack cinemas on

top of one another.

NK: We’ve never had a national strategy

because we think each circuit does

their job very well in each region. Marseille

was the other city we considered,

after Paris, because it deserves to be better

equipped for today’s moviegoers.

What are your international ambitions?

EK: We want to grow in Europe,

especially in Spain. We are also interested

in Portugal and Germany; our expansion

in Alsace is part of this strategy to reach

German audiences.

NK: We see Strasbourg as the capital

of Europe, so that’s part of our European

strategy as well.

EK: The European backbone used

to extend from London to Milan; that’s

where the European economic axis was

situated. Today, with Brexit, things have

changed. There is a stronger economic

logic from east to west. We have a presence

in the west—from Madrid to Seville.

With our upcoming location in Schiltigheim,

we’ll have a presence in the east.

It is a modern concept of flows across

Europe, and we want to be aligned within

this dynamic.

NK: We have a role to play with the

spread of globalization and the need for

cinema to transform itself. By developing

our cinemas at the European and

international level, we’ll be able to create

an economic ecosystem for the kind of

cinema we love and want to promote.

EK: We’ll see if there are any opportunities

to grow. We don’t have a goal to

buy a specific circuit, but if we have the

opportunity to renovate or build new

sites—we do it.

What has been your experience in Spain,

where you have 14 screens via Cine/Sur?

EK: It’s been positive; it’s a market

that has regained its momentum. We

implemented core aspects of our brand:

original-language soundtracks, premieres,

specialty programming, and special

screenings. Two of our auditoriums are

now among the top 5 in Spain in terms

of attendance.

And in Canada?

EK: Quebec is an important territory

for us. They have 400,000 French inhabitants;

it seems like an interesting place

to expand. Unfortunately, our 17-screen

project at the Montreal Quartier Latin

did not succeed. We had signed a lease

agreement [with another circuit], but the

court quashed it ... but we’re looking to

revisit those discussions soon.

What are your thoughts on the theatrical

window in France?

EK: I do not feel that the whole

sector is satisfied by the latest reform.

The vitality of French cinema lies in its

strong production, which makes it one

of the world’s leading industries while

other European cinemas have almost

disappeared from the map. We must

defend it. It’s a political issue—soft

power, influence. It is necessary to have

a reflection in the medium term, at

the European level, and to obtain the

guarantee of the respect of each business

model while also being aware of the new

players coming onto the scene. There are

too many voices that have overplayed

tensions; that ends up serving Netflix’s

discourse by polarizing the matter as a

conflict with the cinemas.

Is Netflix an opportunity or a threat to

the industry?

EK: We don’t feel threatened by Netflix.

It’s a threat for television because it

produces TV movies. We had an attendance

record in 2017 even though Okja

was not shown in French cinemas. We

naturally want to have the best movies in

our cinemas, and I think every director

makes their film intended for the big

screen. Netflix is now a player in our

world; they have the chance to bring

added value to the industry. n


THE THEATRICAL EXPERIENCE

VICE DIRECTOR/WRITER/PRODUCER

ADAM MCKAY ON THE IMPORTANCE OF

THEATRICAL EXHIBITION

by Phil Contrino

>> After establishing his voice as a writer on “Saturday Night Live” in the late 1990s–

early 2000s, Adam McKay has created a body of film work that defies easy definition.

He struck gold with tongue-in-cheek comedy hits such as Talladega Nights: The Ballad

of Ricky Bobby and Step Brothers before eventually tackling The Big Short, a film about

the 2008 financial collapse that manages to be both sobering and hysterical. The Big

Short won McKay an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay and became a $133 million

hit at the global box office. Now with Vice—a genre-hopping look at Dick Cheney’s life

and career—McKay continues to tackle big topics without losing his sense of humor.

SAM ROCKWELL, ADAM MCKAY,

AND CHRISTIAN BALE IN THE OVAL

OFFICE SET OF VICE

I caught up with McKay in early December when Vice was just starting to screen for the

press. He spoke about going to the movies growing up—he even worked at cinemas in

college—and how the theatrical experience has had a major impact on his work.

When I talk to directors, I always like to

hear about their first memory of going

to the movies. It usually turns out to be

somewhat significant.

I don’t know if it was my very first

time, but my first memory must’ve

been in pre-school, so you’re probably

talking like ’72. I remember the

movie—Lassie Come Home—and it was

with my mom and dad and I was small

enough that they were carrying me.

The theater was just packed to the gills

and we walked around looking for seats

and we couldn’t sit together. It was so

packed I had to sit with my dad and my

mom had to sit a couple seats away. I

just remember Lassie running down the

runway of an airport barking and big

vistas of the countryside. It was the first

time in my life I’d ever experienced 400

grown-ups all staring at the same thing.

It was a very powerful and impactful

moment for a little kid, and I’ve never

forgotten that.

Do you worry that if you revisited that

movie it would disappoint you? I know

that happens a lot.

The thing is I remember the experience

of going to the movie theater more

than I do the movie. I only remember a

couple of images, so no, I’ve actually never

gone back to look at it. But then there

are movies which I remember much more

clearly, like Bedknobs and Broomsticks or

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and those movies

I have watched again and they actually

hold up.

So is it true one of your first jobs

growing up was at a movie theater?

In high school I washed dishes at restaurants

and at a hospital to afford my car. But

my second job was at the Eric Twin Frazer

in Pennsylvania off of Route 30, and I got

a couple of my friends to get jobs there. It

was the summer after my freshman year

in college, and we had the best time. It’s a

summer I’ve never forgotten.

I assume you got to watch a ton of

movies. Does one stick out?

Well, there was one movie that turned

out to be very influential, which was the

movie Tin Men by Barry Levinson. All of

my friends loved Tin Men and we would

go in and watch scenes from that all the

time. To this day I could almost say every

line of dialogue from that movie.

Did it have any kind of influence on your

own work?

Oh, without a doubt. I’ve actually

spoken to Barry Levinson about it …

his first two movies—Diner and Tin

Men—are tremendously impactful.

What I loved about both of them was

the attention to detail, the little snippets

of dialogue, the little things in the deep

background. He was casting for characters

that ordinarily would be lacking,

like the 11th lead that you wouldn’t really

think about. I loved how those movies

had such a distinct sense of time and


place. Diner I’ve seen probably like 15,

20 times, and Tin Men countless times

because I worked at the theater.

Are there any other movies you can

think back on as you were developing

your own voice, movies you watched

and thought, “This is what I want to do

with my life” or “I gotta make something

like that”?

So I had the job after my freshman

year of college, and then I transferred to

Temple University in Philadelphia, and

I got a job as an usher with the Ritz 5,

which was the art house theater. For me

that was like a cathedral because I lived

outside Philadelphia, and for people

going into Philly the art house theater

to go to was the Ritz 5. It’s actually still

there to this day. I got to see a lot of

movies, and because it was the art house

theater they were all interesting. But one

I never forgot from that time was a war

movie called Hope and Glory. I remember



watching that one a lot. And then there

was a Stephen Frears movie—Sammy and

Rosie Get Laid—and I watched

that one like 25 times.

So yeah, these movies

embed themselves into

your psyche because

you’re watching

them over and over

again in the live

movie experience.

That was a such a

big part of my time

in Philadelphia. So even

though I was working

at the Ritz 5, I would go to

other art house theaters and watch old

Kurosawa movies. At that time, Spike

Lee was one of the really hot directors.

Anytime he had a movie coming out we

would be there opening night, and my

circle of friends loved movies. So much

of our lives revolved around going to the

movie theater.

C H R I S T

I A N B A L E

Looking at some of your biggest hits

from Step Brothers to The Big Short, do

you think they would have had the same

kind of cultural impact if they hadn’t

been shown in a theater?

I don’t know if there’s anything better

than watching a comedy in a giant movie

theater. I remember going to that same

theater off of Route 30 when I

was a little kid. I remember

seeing the movie

Airplane! eight, nine

times, and just crying

with laughter … the

whole audience was

roaring. So when it

comes to the movies

I’ve done, especially

with the comedies that

Will [Ferrell] and I did

early on, those are really

built around audience reactions.

In fact I remember a really cool thing: I

went to meet my sister—who lives down

around San Diego—for dinner one

night and it was after Step Brothers had

L I S A G A Y H A M I L T O N

come out. We had dinner and then we

decided to go see another movie, and we

were leaving the movie and Step

Brothers was playing at that

movie theater—it had

been out for like four

or five weeks and

usually by then the

crowd starts to thin

a little bit—and I

was like, “Oh, let’s

just peek in.” We

opened [the door] and

the theater was packed

and they were roaring with

laughter, and my sister and

I ended up standing there

in the hallway right by

that entrance for about

a half an hour, just

watching it and

enjoying it. It’s a

moment I’ve never

forgotten. We left

and got in the car

and said, “That’s how

you’re supposed to

watch a movie.” It was

really, really cool.

A S D I C K

C H E N E Y

What is it like to show your movies to

audiences for the first time? With a

complex movie like The Big Short, can it

be a little nerve-wracking?

Yeah, I always test my

movies. Obviously with

the big comedies you

want to see them in

front of a crowd, but

even with The Big

Short and the most

recent one, Vice,

they’re made to play

for audiences. They’re

not made to be little obscure

things that only a couple

of people see. So I love to test

screen. I love to get crowds in the movie

theater. I love to feel that energy in the

room. I mean even with The Big Short,

it’s a little more dramatic, but there’s still

A S C O N D O L E E Z Z A R I C E

A M Y A D A M S A S

some really funny stuff in it, and even if

you’re not tracking laughs from a crowd,

you can just feel when an audience is engaged.

You can feel when they’re moved,

you can feel when they’re bored, you can

feel all of that, and it’s incredibly helpful.

And you know, this most recent movie,

which is a big, big epic film, it was

invaluable to sit in crowds of 300 to 400

people and feel them watch this movie.

What did you learn from that? Is there

something that surprised you in terms of

crowd reaction? Obviously, you can’t get

into spoilers—or are there spoilers with

a political biopic? But what is your

big takeaway now that you’re

showing it to people?

Well actually there

are some pretty sizable

spoilers in Vice.

We have a couple

of moves in there

that we’ve had to

ask the press not to

talk about, and you’ll

see about three or four

shocking moves.

What you learn is that usually

your instincts are right. You can

feel when it’s dialed in and you can feel

when it’s not, and there’s just something

different that happens when you get a

large crowd of people together. There’s a

different energy going on. I mean, I’ve

even noticed it when I watch a comedy by

myself in a hotel room or on an airplane.

I remember seeing Wedding Crashers in a

packed theater at the Hollywood Arclight

and the whole place was rocking and roaring

with laughter. Once you know you

can play for an audience, you can kind

of do anything at that point. Then your

movie is fine on television, a DVD, or

airplanes … but first and foremost it’s got

to be able to play for an audience. That’s

the experience you want to nail.

L Y N N E

C H E N E Y

Let’s talk about getting Vice to the

public. The marketing campaign,

especially the trailer, is really great.


Did you have any input on how the

marketing materials came together, or

was that out of your hands?

We were lucky. We had a really talented

marketing group over at Annapurna.

Mike Pavlic was the lead on it and he did

some great stuff. So yeah, I was definitely

going back and forth with him. We made

this movie not to be some sort of dusty

political movie. We wanted to show how

lively the stuff is, how it affects our lives,

how it can be tragic, but it can also be

really funny. That trailer encapsulates it

pretty well. There are parts of the movie

that are aesthetically funny, and then there

were other parts that are dramatic and surprising.

I really wanted to have all those

different layers going on.

The trailer is surprising. You

expect a Dick Cheney

biopic, and then you

watch it and say, “OK,

I’m intrigued now.”

Well, also

Christian Bale’s

transformation—

it is truly is an

incredible thing. You

see the sense of humor;

you see the playfulness.

S T E V E C A R E L L

He’s a great actor. He has a

chameleon-like nature where he is

different every time on-screen.

That’s the reason I wanted him to

play Dick Cheney. There was no one out

there I’d rather see interpret this mysterious,

shadowy figure than Christian Bale.

He was the guy to do it, and I knew he

wouldn’t rest until he got to the center of

who this guy was. It’s almost like the physical

transformation is a byproduct of all the

psychological work. I use the word artist

because you really have to call him that.

He’s also entertaining as hell. Not only is he

this great artist and great actor, but he’s fun

as hell to watch. It’s a great combination.

I’ll close with a question about the

business side of the industry. You’re

somebody who creates content for

multiple platforms. Do you think

it’s unfair that streaming

and theatrical seem to

be pitted against each

other? It seems like

you and plenty of

other creators have

no problem working

across platforms

without bashing one

or the other.

We have a company

with Will Ferrell—Gary

Sanchez Productions—and

we’ve done every type of release you

can do. We’ve done a lot of theatrical,

we’ve done streaming, we’ve done television,

we’ve done network, we’ve done

cable. And what’s great about

it is each one has its place.

We did a little movie

that was for streaming

that came out last

year that probably

wouldn’t have

gotten a theatrical

release because it

was a pretty small

movie, so in that case

we were happy with

streaming. But then at the

same time we do movies like

Vice or Daddy’s Home 2 that are perfect

for theatrical release. What I can

say is from our point of view,

it’s all about the events.

It’s all about what is

the right event for

the thing that you’ve

made. To me there’s

nothing better than

a big theatrical

release … that is the

most exciting thing.

But what we’re seeing

more and more is that

you can create events with

the premiere of a big TV show. We

have a show—“Succession”—on HBO,

and that certainly felt like an event, and

A S D O N A L D

R U M S F E L D

S A M R O C K W E L L A S G E O R G E

at the same time we had that movie

Ibiza that was released on streaming,

and that had kind of its

own event quality to it.

So as long as it lives in

the realm of events,

I think everything’s

fine. The idea of

pitting [platforms]

against each other is

kind of ridiculous.

It’s really like saying

that musicians have to

hate novelists … there’s

room for everyone. None of

us are buying any of that.

Theaters aren’t going anywhere. I’ve

been hearing for decades that they’re

going to go away and they don’t. People

like to go to theaters. That’s not changing.

At the same time, it’s also nice to

have other ways to watch things and I

think that’s the way we look at it.

W

. B U S H

T Y L E R P E R R Y A S C O L I N P O W E L L

I’ve heard it said that movie theaters

are really competing with the other outof-home

options. At the end of the day,

people want to get out.

It’s true in a basic way. Sports, theaters,

and restaurants—those are the big

three. And you can include live theater

and live concerts, but those things have

been around for what, 8,000 years?

They’re going nowhere. There’s always going

to be a bunch of people kicking

a ball around or dribbling a

ball around. There’s always

going to be a bunch

of people watching

storytelling and theater.

There’s always

going to be a bunch

of people getting

together and eating

some kind of food.

And even the competition

between sports and

theater and restaurants—I’m

not even sure that really exists. I

think people like to mix it up. They like

to do it all. n



BEHIND

GLASS

WRITER/DIRECTOR/PRODUCER

M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN ON

WHY MOVIE THEATERS

CONNECT US

by Phil Contrino

>> Since breaking through with The Sixth Sense

nearly 20 years ago, M. Night Shyamalan has delivered

some of the most memorable theatrical

experiences to moviegoers around the world.

His ability to combine thrills, laughs, and deep

meaning has helped him hold an important

place in our culture.

With Glass, Shyamalan continues the story

he started back in 2000 with Unbreakable—a

film that Quentin Tarantino labeled the best

superhero film of modern times—by bringing

together three of his most memorable

characters: the villainous Elijah Price (Samuel L.

Jackson), the heroic David Dunn (Bruce Willis),

and Kevin Wendell Crumb (James McAvoy), a

guy with multiple-personality disorder who has

been turned into a villain against his will.

I spoke with Shyamalan about the importance

of the theatrical experience to his life and

his work.

What is your earliest moviegoing memory?

Star Wars. If there was one before Star

Wars, then Star Wars erased it from my longterm

memory. Star Wars was significant for

my family. My parents, my older sister [and

I] got in the station wagon going home, and

I sat in the front seat. My sister was talking

and I told her to not talk because I had had

such a profound experience and I didn’t

want anybody to talk and she’s like, “You are

so weird,” because she’s a teenage girl. There

was this real sense of feeling religion for the

BRUCE WILLIS AND WRITER/DIRECTOR M. NIGHT

SHYAMALAN CONFER ON THE SET OF GLASS




first time, and this experience of being taken away with a group. I remember

the crowd cheering when Luke dropped that proton bomb into the Death Star

and blew it up. I remember cheering when Han Solo came in, and the group

excitement of it is still in my mind. I can still remember that moment.

Was there a specific moviegoing experience that helped you decide to

become a filmmaker?

I think it was probably Raiders of the Lost Ark. I was 12, and I had to sit

alone because it was sold out. My friend forced me to go … I didn’t

even know what it was about. I was terrified. I was just a skinny little

Indian kid, and the people I sat next to were kind enough to get

me popcorn and a soda. I remember the [Paramount] mountain

logo turned into a real mountain, and I was just transported with

the balance of adventure and comedy. I saw that in a really

big, wonderful theater—Narberth Theater [in Pennsylvania]—when

it was very huge and historic and looked like

an opera house. I can’t even imagine how many people

were in there, probably 600, 700, 800, whatever it

was. It was an amazing experience with everybody

waiting in line and buzzing with excitement, and

the joy of it all was so great. Then I went home

and started pretending stuff and I grabbed my

dad’s camera.

SAMUEL L. JACKSON RETURNS TO THE UNBREAKABLE UNIVERSE AS

ELIJAH PRICE, A MAN WITH OSTEOGENESIS IMPERFECTA, HENCE HIS

SUPER VILLAIN MONIKER—MR. GLASS.

Are there any specific movies that you count

as really strong influences on Unbreakable,

Split, and Glass—this trilogy that you’ve

created? Are the seeds of those movies

in some of the movies you watched as a

teenager or young adult?

As I got braver in my moviegoing and I

started to watch foreign movies, independent

movies—I was going through the spectrum

at the multiplex but I was also going to art

house theaters. I decided to be a filmmaker

really young. When I was 14, going to the

movies was always an educational experience as

well as a visceral, fun experience. I can almost

remember any movie that I’ve ever seen and

where I saw it.

I remember in high school seeing Fatal

Attraction. The theater was so packed that

they actually had people sitting on the stairs

in the middle of aisles—which is obviously

illegal but they did it—and so many people

from my high school were there. There was

a girl that I liked and she was there, and the

movie came on and the audience is just roaring

and screaming at the end and applauding.

It finishes and the lights come up and that girl

leans over from a few seats away—and she knew I


BRUCE WILLIS PLAYS DAVID DUNN, WHO

EXHIBITED SUPERHUMAN STRENGTH

AND EXTRASENSORY ABILITIES IN 2000’S

UNBREAKABLE.

wanted to make movies—and she said “You better make movies like that,” and

I was nodding and saying “I will, I will.”

Flash forward to The Sixth Sense, a movie that obviously played to massive

audiences. Did you ever say to yourself, “I made it; I made good on this

promise that I made to this person growing up”?

Watching my own movies is such a scary thing. In those days I could just

go and sit anywhere in the theater and hear the audience. I remember watching

once and there was a guy with a girl sitting next to me and he was being snarky

at the beginning of the movie … commenting on this or that and just trying

to be a smart aleck, and I’m sitting next to him—of course nobody knew me

then—and he slowly gets quieter and quieter, and then silent. I could tell by

his body language and everything that he was completely enraptured by what

he was watching. I could feel the whole audience become one. Where at the

beginning he was an individual, the room became one entity and he became

a part of it, and by the end when it finished he said, “That was incredible” to

his girlfriend and he had awe in his voice. It was really incredible to watch

that happen—an individual become part of a larger entity in the experience of

watching a movie, which is exactly what the movie theaters are meant to do.

When you’re getting ready to release a movie there are a lot of secrets to

protect. Do you still have a traditional screening process or do you make

it more selective in order to get the feedback you need when you’re still

editing and finalizing a movie?

There was a period when the internet started taking off where it was very

dangerous to do that, and I think we’ve passed that era to some extent because

now we have all kinds of precautions. They have people with infrared goggles

watching to make sure they are not recording anything on their phones, and

they all sign NDAs. We know everything about them … we collect emails and

take photos. We go to great precautions for the preview screenings, because I

do need to screen it in a movie theater with an audience. It’s been pretty great

in terms of keeping secrets and maintaining the integrity of these pieces as

they’re being made. (continued on page 52)

If you take the best episode out of

something on TV it won’t work in

that manner when you put it in

a movie theater and people have

left their home and they’ve paid

the money to go and sit down.

That level of commitment in the

movie theater is the highest level of

commitment. You can’t be on your

phone, you can’t talk to anybody,

you’ve totally given up your

evening, there is no way to turn

it off and you don’t get to choose

when it starts.



JAMES MCAVOY PORTRAYS

KEVIN WENDELL CRUMB, AN

EX-ZOO EMPLOYEE WITH 23

PERSONALITIES. ANYA TAYLOR-

JOY PLAYS CASEY COOKE, WHO

ESCAPED FROM MCAVOY’S “THE

BEAST” IN 2016’S SPLIT.

It seems that audiences at festivals seem to have

this unwritten code of respect. You showed Split

at Fantastic Fest in Austin, and I didn’t hear one

peep about the big reveal at the end. I think

that’s pretty amazing.

That was amazing. We showed it on multiple

screens at Fantastic Fest. It was four months before

the movie was coming out and they could have

ended it all right there, and we had no precautions

on that screening. The festival goers were incredibly

generous and incredibly protective. They wanted to

preserve the experience they had for everyone else,

and so they didn’t tell anybody. And then we did it

again at the AFI festival two months later and they

protected it, so really I’ve had nothing but the greatest

experiences in movie theaters with the audience.

Let’s talk about the business side of the industry.

You are about to open Glass, this big blockbuster,

and then you’ve got a series that you are working

on for Apple. Do you think it’s unfair that theatrical

and streaming are now lumped together as

competitors when really they’re providing

completely different experiences for people?

I am a big advocate of what you just said.

They are just two completely different art forms.

They are not the same

thing. If you take the

best episode out of

something on TV it

won’t work in that

manner when you put

it in a movie theater

and people have left

their home and they’ve

paid the money to go

and sit down. That

level of commitment

in the movie theater

is the highest level of

commitment. You can’t

be on your phone, you

can’t talk to anybody,

you’ve totally given up

your evening, there is

no way to turn it off

and you don’t get to

choose when it starts.

All of that stuff you’ve

committed to, and the

relationship between

the audience and the storytelling going on is more

demanding and intimate. For me, with streaming

it’s a wonderful form—it’s just not the movie

theater. Creating for the movie theater is the main

form of art that I do. They are just not the same.

You are someone who gets very involved in

the business of your movies, especially your

last few which you’ve owned outright. Do you

find that having the prestige of a big theatrical

release helps you downstream when you sell it

to streaming platforms or when it’s available on

DVD and Blu-ray?

One hundred percent. Let’s think about how

many streaming titles have reached the zeitgeist.

Let’s start with their movies … that’s zero. We’re

at zero for zeitgeist movies from streaming, but on

the television shows we can name them … there

aren’t a ton—“House of Cards” and “Stranger

Things”—but for every one of them there are a

hundred or more that we’ve never even heard of.

Getting to the zeitgeist happens exclusively at the

movie theater. I feel they own that because the

commitment is so deep between the audience

member and the storyteller. It requires a lot, and

[audiences] come wanting to see the very best


entertainment in the

world, and so you

think of your life in

terms of When Harry

Met Sally or whatever,

The Exorcist or Jaws,

whatever the movie

is that defined that

time period of your

life. Any of the movies

that have changed

us—recently, too—it

becomes a part of the

culture. That is the experience

that we have

in the movie theater.

The number one

difference between

the streaming experience

and the theater

experience is that one

is essentially solitary

and the other is with

a group of strangers.

That group of strangers

is critical. Because if it’s just you, or you and your

wife, you come from almost the same worldview

when you’re watching it, so your relationship to the

material is locked … it’s not pliable, it’s not changing.

Whereas if you watch it with 400 strangers,

there’s a cute girl in the corner, there’s an older guy

over there, there’s somebody Hispanic over here,

and they’re bringing different colors and you start to

take on that perception. The most important reason

that I watch movies with an audience is so I can feel

differently. I need to feel it as a group, and that’s a

different relationship than me watching something

solitary. I can only bring my biases to the table,

but when I watch it with a group I become the

group. That’s not a little thing at all. That’s how we

connect. There are a million studies about connection

and having group experiences and how good it

is for you. That’s what we do. The more solitary our

world gets with our phones and watching things by

ourselves, the more lonely our world gets and the

less we experience things through the eyes of others.

I’m glad you brought up the importance of a

diverse audience. You look at how much the

global box office has grown since Unbreakable

came out in 2000, and it’s substantial. What has

it been like to watch the global audience for your

films expand at such an insane pace?

I love it. I’m an immigrant, so the idea of the

movie theater experience growing in each country

is a big win for me, a big win for us as filmmakers,

and a big win for the culture. Because when we

experience things together we are bonded. We

were all in the movie theater together when we

saw that funny thing or that scary thing or that

incredible thing. We were all in that midnight

screening of Jurassic Park when it opened. It’s a big

deal. As you can tell, the idea of being a storyteller

who tells stories for the movie theater is everything

to me, and I take it very seriously. When we

promote the movies, I’m always saying, “If they go

to the water cooler on Monday morning and say ‘I

don’t like that type of movie,’ then I have failed.” I

need them to not be able to say that. For me, original

movies are always going to have a place in the

movie theaters because of what I just said. If I can

make a movie that doesn’t look like or smell like

any other movie and you have to go to the movie

theater to get that experience, it’s just different.

When I watch my own movies in my theater when

I’m making them, and then I go watch as a group,

they are two different experiences. n

SARAH PAULSON PLAYS DR.

ELLIE STAPLE, A PSYCHIATRIST

WHO TREATS PATIENTS

WHO BELIEVETHEY ARE

SUPERHUMAN.


CONVENTION RECAP

EMERGING MARKETS

THE FIRST ANNUAL EMERGING CINEMA MARKETS CONFERENCE KICKS OFF IN ISTANBUL

by Ayşegül Algan, Boxoffice France

PHOTOS: AYŞEGÜL ALGAN

>> Around 230 attendees from the Middle East,

Africa, Central Asia, and the Balkans met in

Istanbul this past November for the first annual

Emerging Cinema Markets conference. The convention

not only offered an opportunity to share

experiences and best practices, but also provided a

glimpse into the future development of the global

cinema industry.

Unlike mature markets that have reached a

saturation point, emerging markets are those which

have shown dynamic growth rates in recent years.

Success stories like China and Russia are well

documented, but we shouldn’t overlook the African

market, for example, which grew by 106 percent

from 2012 to 2017. The rapid growth in screen

counts has made cinema accessible to a wider segment

of the global audience, creating new frontiers

fraught with specific challenges: currency devaluation,

inflation, political and religious instability,

and (of course) piracy. The tone struck by conference

organizer DCS Events in Istanbul, however,

was one of boundless energy and enthusiasm for a

bright future.

TURKEY: THE IDEAL MODEL

In under 10 years, Turkey—the host country

of ECM’s inaugural conference—has gone from a

little over 20 million annual admissions in 2009 to

more than 70 million today, making it one of the

event’s standout success stories. The number of cinemas

in the country experienced a decline to 150

in the mid-1990s. Today, the country boasts 450

cinemas and 2,650 screens—with 330 releases per

year, including 120 local productions that represent

an astounding 56.7 percent of its market share.

Between 2016 and 2017, attendance figures in

Turkey rose by 22.1 percent. The growth continued

in 2018 with a more modest increase of 5 percent

in admissions and 2 percent in box office (measured

in domestic currency). The soft bump in box office

was the result of a sharp devaluation of the local

currency—a decline of 23 percent when measured

against U.S. dollars or euros—leading to an equally

devalued average ticket price of 2.62 U.S. dollars.

Turkey boasts 32 screens per million inhabitants—against

an average of 56 screens per million

across all UNIC territories—with a large section

of those prospective viewers aged 17 to 24 among

the country’s total population of 81 million. Turkey

therefore offers solid prospects for further development

in the exhibition sector, benefiting from the

strength of local productions—which contribute

over 100 million annual admissions to the industry.

As in many emerging markets, all of Turkey’s new

cinemas are developed as part of shopping centers

and retail complexes.

CGV MARS CINEMA GROUP

Turkey’s leading cinema chain, created in 2001,

has been part of South Korea’s CJ CGV global

circuit since 2016. Since its acquisition, Mars has

incorporated CJ CGV’s culture-plex concept: developing

entertainment destinations rather than cookie-cutter

multiplexes. That means a commitment

to innovation, including the company’s immersive

seating format 4DX and panoramic screen format

ScreenX. CGV Mars claims a dominant part of the

Turkish market: 35 percent of screens and 21.5 of

the country’s total locations.

AFRICA: THE PROMISED LAND

Despite its population of 1.3 billion, 205

million of whom are between 15 and 24 years old

(with 231 million projected for 2030), the African

continent currently accounts for less than 1 percent

of global box office. Does it have the potential, in

the long term, to match China, which, with its 1.2

billion inhabitants, now accounts for 20 percent of

global box office revenue?

The continent currently has only 1,361 screens,

roughly one screen per 955 inhabitants. Huge

sections of the population do not have access to a

cinema, despite the fact that there is a clear demand

from the public. A prime example is the success of

Black Panther, which reported sold-out screenings

in its first five weeks in Nigeria’s Filmhouse Cinemas.

Obstacles abound in the region, from political

and social unrest to pragmatic problems like the

scarcity of resources to manage and train staff and

ensure that equipment is maintained properly.


Initiatives furthering cinema culture can be seen

throughout the region. In Nigeria, Kene Mkparu of

KomWorld plans to create a low-cost circuit accessible

to a wider social demographic. In Mozambique

and Angola, NOS Lusomundo Cinemas regularly

invite students free of charge to their locations to

experience the allure of the big screen firsthand and

create a moviegoing habit at an early age.

THE PROMISE OF SAUDI ARABIA

Conference attendees viewed the lifting of

Saudi Arabia’s ban on cinemas in December

2017 as the most important news of the year,

with 300 cinemas and 2,000 screens projected by

2030 and a potential annual box office revenue

of $950 million. The kingdom’s “Vision 2030”

plan, intended to wean the economy from its

dependence on oil, is expected to play a vital role

in the country’s future. But can the new market

live up to its potential?

The kingdom has already granted four cinema

licenses (to AMC, Cinépolis, Empire, and Vox),

ensuring the construction of the first thousand

screens. The real challenge will come with the

development of the next thousand. Analysts have

questioned the sustainability of strong attendance

figures without the emergence of an equally strong

infrastructure for local productions—such as the

ones in India, Turkey, and Nigeria. “We have a

small group of talents, but I do not think that the

Saudis, who appreciate Hollywood, Bollywood,

Arab and Turkish content, need local production,”

observed Majed Bahaffi, director of development of

the Saudi group AlHokair.

Questions also linger regarding Saudi cinemas’

impact on neighboring industries—particularly in

the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, where Saudi

moviegoers support cinemas in large numbers. On

the studio side, industry representatives continue to

call for improved response times from authorities

in finalizing local versions of their films—a bid to

respect local sensitivities in specific markets instead

of having to deal with imposed censorship. n

This article originally appeared in Boxoffice France.


CONVENTION PREVIEW


UDITOA 2019

INTERVIEW WITH JOHN VINCENT

PRESIDENT, UNITED DRIVE-IN THEATRE OWNERS ASSOCIATION

by Daniel Loria

We’re coming off a record 2018 at the domestic box office. How did drive-ins fare last year?

We did very well, but I have to admit that the weather was a negative factor. It seemed

to rain on nearly every weekend over the summer, and drive-ins are particularly sensitive to

the 8- to 12-week window in the summer—that’s a tight time frame where weather issues

can really throw us off. That’s one of our biggest challenges: a short season and the negative

effects of rain. Apart from the weather, we had some very good performers that were able to

make it a good year.

What were some of the best performing titles at drive-ins in 2018?

Black Panther was good for the drives-in that opened in March; the late-February titles

carried over into that month. Avengers: Infinity War was another big one. Superhero movies

do well in drive-ins. Conversely, Solo underperformed, although we usually perform very well

with Disney titles. Jurassic World was a big one, of course, and we also had Ant-Man and the

Wasp and Deadpool 2. Some titles play better than others, like the Mission: Impossible movies.

It all depends on the demographics. I’m in a historic area in Cape Cod, and I have a lot of

vacationing families, so I do extraordinarily well with family-oriented movies like the Hotel

Transylvania series. Some drive-ins do really well with horror movies; some drive-ins do really

well with superhero movies. We’re looking forward to another great summer next year, with

titles like Lion King and many others.

How has social media and the experience economy impacted the drive-in business?

Social media has been a very powerful platform for us. In rural areas, it helps put us on

the map—you don’t have to rely on a sign or a marquee as much anymore. Some drive-ins

have Facebook pages that have over 50,000 likes, and that has been a boon to the part of

the industry. It’s great to have marketing platforms where people can help us get the word

out that our theaters are a great place to go watch a movie. Sponsored posts help, and they’re

really cheap compared to what we used to pay for newspaper ads.

What can registrants look forward to at UDITOA 2018?

I’m very excited about our trade show; we have some incredible vendors lined up. We’re

also pleased to count on the support of the National Association of Concessionaires. Both

Dan Borschke and Larry Etter will be attending to present a session on increasing concessions

sales. We’ll also have studio representatives from all the major studios, and we’re going

to be presenting the Will Rogers Motion Pictures Pioneers Fund with a check from a campaign

we ran for them. n


CONVENTION RECAP

WEBEDIA MOVIES PRO

CEO JULIEN MARCEL

EASTERN PROMISE

A LOOK BACK AT CINEASIA 2018

by Julien Marcel

>> Once again theatrical exhibition professionals from all over Asia flocked to Hong

Kong for CineAsia. The 2018 edition took place December 10–13.

Paramount, 20th Century Fox, Universal, Walt Disney, and Warner Bros. all offered

presentations of their upcoming product, and the Fox event was especially emotional, as it

was the studio’s final industry showcase before it merges with Disney. Two highly regarded

Fox professionals presided: Kurt Rieder, executive VP of Fox International, and Andrew

Cripps, president of International Distribution.

There were also regional presentations from Bona Films (China), Huayi Brothers (China),

Lotte Entertainment (Korea), Wanda Pictures (China), and a joint presentation (as

occurred last year) from UniFrance and Creative Europe MEDIA.

The trade show floor was very busy, and delegates were given an early look at the latest

technological innovations for the cinema business. Laser projection dominated many

discussions, as a turning point is nearing with the end of digital virtual print fees. Leading

technology companies such as GDC, Dolby, Christie, and Cinionic (consisting of Barco


and its Chinese partners) had a

massive presence, and the consolidated

Arts Alliance Media (which

now includes MX4D) was also

highly visible.

Premium experiences were

at the heart of all discussions as

well, in a continent where leading

country China offers premium

presentations on 98 percent of its

screens. Mariam El Bacha, CEO

of major Pakistan theater circuit

CinePax, announced an agreement

with 4DX to bring their immersive

cinema experience to locations in Lahore

and Karachi.

The seminars were well attended. Sessions

focused on growth in China and the

fast-rising market of Indonesia, and other

topics of discussion included innovations

in online ticketing (by Korea’s Lotte circuit),

the importance of local productions,

and premium experiences. In an innovative

roundtable, I invited the audience to

interact via Twitter during a seminar that

covered such topics as the role of mobile

phones in the cinema experience. On the

final day, Dolby Laboratories presented a

great panel on esports, with participation

by Activision Blizzard. The audience’s

attention was galvanized by the news that

Odeon UCI recently sold-out 140 screens

across Europe for a 7 a.m. Saturday

“League of Legends” tournament.

The closing ceremony saw

Disney recognized for the outstanding

performance of Avengers:

Infinity War in the region, along

with honors for Ambassador

Theatres’ Joe Chang and producers

Bill Kong and Masakazu

Kubo. But the moment that will

probably be best remembered is

the corporate video presentation

from Huaxia Film Distribution,

one of China’s main distributors

and CineAsia 2018 “Distributor

of the Year,” which repeatedly

mentioned the company’s objective to

participate in the promotion of “socialist

core values,” as images of China’s

President Xi Jinping illustrated the

state-owned company’s spin.

These are just some of the highlights

of another very successful convention

in a region that has evolved into one of

the main growth engines for the global

theatrical industry. n


TIMECODE

by Kenneth James Bacon

COUNTDOWN TO

CELEBRATION

AS BOXOFFICE ENTERS ITS 99TH YEAR, WE LOOK BACK AT

WHO AND WHAT GOT US HERE

The piercing heart cry of a million

women who love—and fear! …

ringing through a screen drama

notable for the fine portrayals of

its distinguished cast … its sheer

excellence of production quality

… and its amazing success in

combining class atmosphere with

sure-fire emotional appeal!

Advertising copy accompanying ad for 1936’s

The Lady Consents with Ann Harding. From the

Feb. 1936 edition of Boxoffice

“Gentlemen—I am prepared to publish a trade paper to serve your needs.

May I have your support?” So queried an 18-year-old Kansas City kid to a

gathering of the Kansas City Film Board of Trade in late 1919. He unfurled

a map of the United States and waved his hand over it. “Some day,

I hope there will be a Reel Journal* for each film exchange area in the

country.” In January of the following year, Ben Shlyen published his first

issue, a four-page tabloid, and distributed it to over 1,000 members of

the exhibition trade. He continued to do so for 50 years. Almost a century

later, Boxoffice has remained a key industry participant and exhibition

partner. As we count down to our 100th anniversary, we will be bringing

you stories from the archives and profile some of the fascinating men

and women who have graced its pages. First up: Ivan I. Spear, western editor

for over 25 years, a man so colorful he was once portrayed in a movie

about the most famous kids in North America. Read on …

*The Reel Journal was one of this magazine’s earlier names before being retitled Boxoffice in 1933


Betty Grable, Dan Dailey, Jack Oakie, and June Havoc starred in 20th

Century Fox’s 1948 musical When My Baby Smiles at Me. This image

appeared as part of a multipage advertising spread in the October 23,

1948, issue of Boxoffice. Dailey was nominated for Best Actor for his role

as Skid Johnson and the film was Fox’s highest-grossing film of the year.


TIMECODE

MILLION

DOLLAR BABIES

When Nadya Suleman gave birth to

eight tiny babies in 2009 she was

instantly dubbed Octomom by the

breathless press. Hold my beer.

by Kenneth James Bacon

Review of Reunion,

starring the Dionne Quintuplets

from the Nov. 21, 1936 issue of Boxoffice

This picture is so faded with comedy, drama, and kindliness

that it cannot miss. The five most famous babies

in the world, the Dionne Quintuplets, steal the show in

two brief appearances, and the ingratiating little story

of the human, understanding and sympathetic country

doctor will satisfy every family audience. It will do

landslide business on the drawing power of the quints

alone—and any exhibitor who gets behind it and sells

it will have to push the theater walls back to accommodate

the crowds. Jean Hersholt repeats his fine performance

as Doctor Luke, for whom a reunion celebration

is held by the 3,000 people whom he has brought into

the world, and the rest of the well-chosen cast delivers

well. Norman Taurog’s direction is smooth and skillfull.

>> Twenty miles or so south of where I sit hammering

out this breathlessly awaited edition of

Timecode stands Seattle’s iconic Space Needle. The

Needle was completed in 1962 for the Century

21 Exposition—The Seattle World’s Fair—and the

locals still talk about it like it was erected yesterday.

If you’ve never traveled to the Emerald City—a

name chosen in a 1982 contest to replace our

earlier nickname, the Queen City*—you’ve seen

the Needle in a billion episodes of “Frasier” and

“Grey’s Anatomy.” If you’re an Elvis fan—and you

are—you’ve seen the King singing and dancing in

the 1963 hit It Happened at the World’s Fair.

At the time of the 1962 World’s Fair, I lived in

Corvallis, Oregon, and didn’t visit the fair. When

Vancouver, B.C., held its world exposition in 1986,

I was living in Seattle and didn’t visit that fair. I

imagine when the next World’s Fair is held on Russia’s

Big Diomede Island, I’ll be living in Wasilla,

Alaska, where I will, no doubt, not visit that fair

(though I’ll be able to see it from my house).

The director of It Happened at the World’s Fair

was Oscar winner Norman Taurog (Skippy) who

knew how to do two things: direct Martin and

Lewis movies (six) and Elvis movies (nine). When

Damien Chazelle became the youngest director

to win an Oscar (for La La Land) it was Taurog’s

record that he beat. But before all that, Taurog shot

a popular 1936 feature starring the most famous

siblings ever to grace the screen. Nope—not the

Baldwin Boys. The Dionne Quintuplets. They were

just two years old and already movie veterans.

Olivia and Elzire Dionne’s brood was delivered

on May 28, 1934, by Dr. Allan Roy Dafoe and two

midwives in Callander, Ontario. When the local

newspaper’s editors got wind of it and put the story

on the wires, the quints became a worldwide sensation.

Within minutes, the curious and querulous

came calling. Within hours, marketers, shutterbugs,

and looky-loos were encamped in the sleepy

hamlet. Within a week, a sharp promoter from

*And before that, Jet City


the Chicago Century of Progress Exposition—the

Space Needle-less Chicago World’s Fair—arrived

with money, a contract, and a pen. The “Man from

Chicago” was Ivan I. Spear, who had the rather

charming carny notion of putting the babies on

display in the Land of Lincoln.

The Dionnes, with five other mouths to feed

in the Depression-hit wilds of southern Ontario,

signed the contract. Their signing bonus: $100.

The Rev. Daniel Routhier wrangled 7 percent of

the net receipts as their “manager,” while Mr. Dionne

was to receive 23 percent. Spear and the boys

in Chicago would keep 70 percent.

The provincial government got wind of the

contract and, concluding that the Dionnes were

not acting in the best interests of their children,

granted guardianship to Dr. Dafoe and three others,

with the province promising to foot the bill for

the infants’ care.

To ensure that the girls—Annette, Cécile,

Émilie, Marie, and Yvonne—would be raised in a

healthy and nurturing environment, the guardians,

of course, built a compound across the street from

the Dionne family home, named it Quintland, and

set up viewing stands for visitors and vacationers

who could watch the girls play—some would say

perform—several times a day.

Spear took Mr. Dionne and the guardians

to court in 1937 and sued them for breach of

contract, demanding $1 million in damages. The

federal judge in the case, John P. Barnes, was later

a thorn in the side of many Chicago mobsters,

including Tommy Maloy, who got his start in 1920

when he took over a motion picture projectionists’

union. It appears Judge Barnes was also a thorn

in Spear’s side. The contract was voided and Spear

headed out to California to become western editor

and manager of the very magazine you now hold in

your hands. How’s that for burying the lede!

For the Dionne girls, life in Callander became

something of a freak show. For Olivia and Elzire, it

became a story of heartbreak as they had to watch

half of their 10 children grow up so close, yet so

far away—from behind fencing and gates and

windows. From 1934 through 1943, when they

were finally returned to their parents, the Dionne

Quintuplets, along with Dr. Dafoe himself,

became vaudeville performers and movie stars. It is

estimated that more than three million vacationers

visited Quintland, and Boxoffice covered the

Quints’ every move and movie.

In May 1940, 20th Century Fox decided not to

renew its exclusive contract with the Quints’ guardians.

Though stage and screen veterans and spokestots

(along with Dafoe) of Colgate, Palmolive, and

Lysol products—and just six years old—the young

girls had gone about as far as they could go with

their singing and dancing, as they had one glaring

deficit in the view of the American ticket-buying

public: The Dionnes didn’t speak English.

The girls were reunited with their parents and

siblings, virtually as strangers, in 1943, and in

1998 the surviving girls accepted a $4 million

settlement with the Canadian government for what

can only be described as nine years of involuntary

servitude. Dr. Dafoe passed away in 1943. Annette

and Cécile, at age 84, still don’t speak English.

Smart move. n

IVAN I. SPEAR

FIVE OF A KIND

This full-page ad—for a

19-minute documentary

short—appeared in the

Feb. 26, 1938, issue of

Boxoffice. Note the

incorrect spelling of the

Quints’ compound, which

was Quintland.


TIMECODE

For several decades, Spear wrote a column that was part Hedda

Hopper and part Walter Winchell. His snappy, hard-bitten gossipy

prose is so inside baseball that many of the names he drops are a

mystery to a modern reader. He particularly liked to skewer studio

P.R. mavens. Here are a few examples to highlight his style.

SPEARHEADS

01/13/40

New high in unwise public

relations: “Gary Cooper in his

overdrive Lincoln Zephyr and Fred

MacMurray in his La Salle race home

nightly, with the first one tagged

by a copper paying the tickets for both.” The

foregoing—and probably entirely untrue—from

a local gossip column is sure to enhance the stars’

popularity with Mr. John Public driving his 1934

jalopy and trying to observe traffic laws, and

whose admission quarters, incidentally, furnish

the wherewithal for La Salles and Lincolns.

SPEARHEADS

03/22/52

By the time these puerile

paragraphs are treated

to printers’ ink,

another Academy

awards event will

have passed into

Cinemania’s history,

climaxing (or should

one say anticlimaxing?)

a season that

reached an all-time

high in the bestowing

of Kudos to Hollywoodians

for their creative

or thespian contributions

to 1951’s array of celluloid

entertainment.

SPEARHEADS

02/26/38

Suggestion to Stan

Laurel: Best get yourself

a competent public

relations counsel before

the ill-advised publicity

being printed incident to

your marital affairs makes

the public laugh at you

outside of the theaters

rather than in them.

[Laurel and his new wife,

Vera Shuvalova, had a

notoriously tumultuous

relationship. A few

months after this notice

appeared, Shuvalova

spent time in the

slammer and accused

Laurel of wanting to

bury her alive. Laurel

married his fourth wife,

Ida Raphael, in 1941. Ida

is played by Nina Arianda

in the new film Stan &

Ollie with Steve Coogan

as Stan Laurel and John

C. Reilly as Oliver Hardy.]]

Million Dollar

Babies

Canada / 1994

This television film

(the Canadian Frenchlanguage

DVD is

pictured) was broadcast

both by the CBC and

CBS to nice notices and

solid ratings. The film,

starring Beau Bridges as

Dr. Dafoe, can be found

on YouTube and features

two scenes with Greg

Ellwand as Boxoffice’s

very own, and very

smarmy, Ivan I. Spear.

Entertainment Weekly

gave the film a B+.

IVAN SPEAR, WESTERN EDITOR, DEAD AT 67

HOLLYWOOD—Ivan Spear, western editor and manager of

Boxoffice since 1935, whose evaluation of motion pictures over

the last quarter century earned the respect of both exhibitors

and the film-producing colony, died of a heart attack in his

apartment Monday (6). He was 67 years old. He had been in ill

health for about eight years, but had continued to represent the

publication in Hollywood, though on a more limited scale the

last three years.

He was born March 8, 1894 in Neenah, Wis. He attended

Purdue University, from which he graduated with a bachelor of

science degree. After serving in the U.S. field artillery in World

War I, he turned to journalism and was on the staff of both the

Milwaukee Sentinel and the Detroit Times over an 11-year period

starting in1919.

In 1933 and 1934, he was with the exploitation staff of the

Chicago Century of Progress fair. When the famous Dionne

quintuplets were born, he could not resist an exploiter’s

dream of exhibiting the five girls at the fair, and made a

hurried trip to the Dionne home in Ontario where he actually

obtained a contract to bring the famous babies to Chicago.

However, the Dominion government shortly thereafter

stepped in and made the Dionnes wards of the state and the

contract was invalidated.

Spear provided Boxoffice with representation in a wide

variety of film colony matters. His comments on motion

pictures were especially valued by exhibitors and producers

alike because of his ability to evaluate a picture both as to its

boxoffice potentials and its artistic merits. His final review, of

Flower Drum Song, appears in this issue.

He is survived by his wife, Frances, two daughters and three

grandchildren. Funeral services were held Wednesday in his

apartment for the immediate family. He willed his body to the

Medical Research Center of the University of California at Los

Angeles. (from Nov. 13, 1961, issue of Boxoffice)


SPEARHEADS 08/8/38

In definitely Anti-Nazi Hollywood

the general opinion that M-G-M

is pretty far out of line when

it imports German directors

while scores of competent

megaphonists who have

grown up with the industry in

Hollywood are unemployed was

not lessened any when Herr

Direktor [!] Reinhold Schunzel’s

initial effort for Leo, Rich Man,

Poor Girl, was unfolded for

preview audiences last week.

BRIEF AND

TO THE POINT

Thousands of reviews

appeared

in the pages

of Boxoffice,

usually six on

a single page,

140 words each,

no more. The

reverse side offered

‘exploitips,’

ideas on how to

promote the film

in the exhibitor’s

local market.

The 2-page ad

featured here

appeared in the

March 22, 1952,

issue of

Boxoffice.

THE AFRICAN QUEEN REVIEW

Hair-raising adventure and a strange, yet poignant, ro mance

dominate the footage of what should prove to be a generally

popular and highly profitable feature. Its pair of topliners are

the only humans on the screen for most of the picture’s length,

which confronted them with an unusually difficult thespian

assignment, one which they accomplished with distinction and

conviction. But for all the excellence of their individual and collective

delineations, the stars have to share spectators’ attention

and approval with the African backgrounds—the film having

been made there in its en tirety—the flora and fauna of the Dark

Continent, and the Technicolor photographic recording thereof.

Based on the novel of the same name by C. S. Forester, a solid,

believable script afforded Director-Writer John Huston a benchmade

opportunity to assert his flair for action, suspense and

real ism. Ably produced by S. P. Eagle.

– Ivan Spear, Jan. 5, 1952


SOCIAL MEDIA

PREVIEW

A LOOK AT THE YEAR’S HOTTEST TITLES ACCORDING

TO SOCIAL MEDIA BUZZ

by Alex Edghill

>> With 2018 heading toward a record-setting

close, it’s a good time to turn

our gaze to 2019: Will the coming year

also exceed expectations? A huge slate of

films is aiming to win moviegoers’ hearts

while emptying their wallets. Let take a

look at the five movies with the greatest

box office potential and see if we can also

draw some inferences for the industry as

a whole.

First, no forecast is complete without a

quick look back to see how we ended up

here. As of this writing, it’s not a matter

of whether 2018 will become the biggest

year ever at the domestic box office, but

how far it will surpass 2016’s record

of $11.38 billion. Just like in 2016, a

large part of the success of 2018 can be

credited to Disney, which accounted for

just over 26 percent market share or over

$3 billion—also a domestic record for

the studio. If you had to point to a single

Disney release, look no further than Black

Panther. That a spinoff from the Marvel

Cinematic Universe (MCU) became

the highest-grossing film in the whole

franchise (with over $700 million) was a

shocker to the entire industry. If it had

performed in line with industry expectations,

in the $200–$300 million range,

this likely would have been an average

year. I truly believe its over-performance

was one of the stunners of the decade.

Looking to 2019, Disney is unleashing

a slew of entries that have the potential

to not only give the studio its fourth

title as highest-grossing studio of the

year, but also have it top the $3 billion

mark for the third time in four years. The

obvious frontrunner for the year’s crown

is Avengers: Endgame. The MCU franchise

seems to go from one superlative

to another and has rewritten the record

books for what is possible in terms of box

office, the sheer number of releases, and

their critical reception. Endgame won’t be

breaking that streak: online enthusiasm

has been phenomenal, as its first trailer

generated over 150,000 tweets for four

consecutive days after its release, while

25,000 more Facebook likes were generated

in the week following its release,

adding to its already impressive total of

just under 15 million.

As if Avengers weren’t enough, Disney’s

one-two punch for 2019 also includes

Star Wars: Episode IX, the latest in a

hugely successful franchise that Disney

acquired in 2012, which has

been burning up the box

office since The Force Awakens

opened in 2015. Details on

the films are still scant as

of this writing, but the last

two core films in the series

currently boast the secondand

third-biggest opening

weekends of all time, and

first and eighth in overall

grosses domestically. The

last film in the franchise

was the Solo spin-off,

which disappointed

many with its lukewarm

results. However, with

ample time for interest

to once again burn red-hot,

there is little doubt in my

mind that a $200 million

opening and $550 million

total domestically are all

but assured.

Now this is where

the rest of the field

gets interesting:

There are many

potential suitors

BRIE LARSON AS

CAPTAIN MARVEL

for the year’s third

spot. Black Panther

proved that spinoffs within the MCU

could still attract the entire fan base, given

the right source material. Captain Marvel

is applying the exact same formula here,

but rather than having a racial minority

and historically oppressed continent at its

center, it sees a woman take the helm of

an MCU entry for the first time in over

20 films. Wonder Woman surprised many

with its stellar $103 million opening and

$400 million+ domestic run for Warner

Bros. and a similar start here for Carol

Danvers aka Captain Marvel, plus a

healthy MCU bump, could see her

soar to the year’s No. 3 position.

Buzz for the film has also been

through the roof, with its first

trailer receiving over 215,000

tweets, and its current

Facebook tally of 370,000

placing it at the same level

as Black Panther (360,000)

at a similar distance from

its release.

Next up are two

Disney animated films:

the CGI remake of

The Lion King, which

debuts in July, and

Frozen 2, which drops

in November like its

predecessor. The original

Lion King was the highest-grossing

animated

movie ever for 10 years

before Shrek 2 dethroned

it. It was also

re-released in 2012

in 3-D and took in

a pretty astounding

$94 million for that

run. Disney had

many huge box

office successes in

the late ’80s and


’90s, but The Lion King is undoubtedly

the cream of the crop. In recent years

Disney has done very well with releasing

live-action remakes of their catalogue,

the largest of which earnings-wise was

Beauty and the Beast, which crossed

$500 million domestically. Given the

fact that The Lion King sits atop the

Disney animated food chain for its era

and that the director is Jon Favreau,

who last guided The Jungle Book to a surprising

tally of $360 million+ in 2016,

$500 million is a very real possibility for

the film.

Frozen was a huge sleeper hit in 2013,

when it grossed $400 million from

an opening of just $67 million,

giving it one of the best legs ever for

a $400 million club member. With

such a pedigree, its sequel has great

promise. It will also likely have a

much bigger start than $67 million,

since many more people are anticipating

its release than the number

for the original. The film has become a

massive part of modern pop culture, from

its product tie-ins, music, and countless

merchandising offerings, and its sequel

will undoubtedly be able to cash in on all

that goodwill.

No, this column is not just about

the Disney forecast for 2019, but the

studio really does look set to secure the

year’s top five positions. Each of the

films discussed above has a strong chance

of crossing $400 million domestically,

which would be the first time in box

office history that five films crossed $400

million domestically in one year, much

TOP 5 PROJECTED FILMS AT THE 2019 BOX OFFICE

OPENING TOTAL

Avengers: Endgame $260M $630M

Star Wars: Episode IX $200M $550M

Captain Marvel $175M $525M

The LIon King $135M $500M

Frozen 2 $110M $425M

less from a single studio. Amazingly,

outside of these five films, Disney also

has at least three other films that could

challenge for the top five and bring huge

returns: Aladdin, Dumbo, and Toy Story 4.

As for the other studios, Sony’s Spider-Man

sequel is a shoo-in for at least the

top 10 with the buzz Tom Holland has

built for the web-slinger and the boost

the MCU has given the franchise. Warner

Bros. has huge potential in Detective

Pikachu and It: Chapter 2, while Universal

has a couple of high-profile animated

sequels in How to Train Your Dragon: The

Hidden World and The Secret Life of Pets

2. One dark horse entry to keep an

eye on is Alita: Battle Angel, which

James Cameron has been developing

for over a decade. It’s hard to

bet against Cameron, even when he

is only producing, and with a $200

million production price tag, this is

one of the most expensive productions

of the year. n


INVESTOR RELATIONS

Rob Rinderman is an avid

follower and fan of the

cinema and exhibition

businesses. He has assisted

many public and privately

held companies with communications

and business

development consulting

services for over two

decades and written as

a freelance journalist

covering these industries

since 2015.

CINEMA ACROSS

THE STREET

by Rob Rinderman

>> As we wait to see how cinemarelated

public companies fared in the

fourth quarter of 2018, which includes

the holiday moviegoing season, this

month’s column reports on some recent

important developments.

GROUPON (GRPN)

NASDAQ-listed Groupon (GRPN)

forged a distribution partnership with

AMC Theatres (AMC), a NYSElisted

public company and the world’s

largest movie exhibitor. Pursuant to the

agreement—which is expected to launch

during the first half of 2019—Groupon

marketplace users will now have greater

access to the movies through AMC’s

domestic theaters and screens across the

United States.

“Partnering with AMC helps us

bolster an already strong category

for Groupon,” said Brian Fields, VP

and general manager of things to do

at Groupon, in a press release. “This

integration furthers our mission of

becoming the daily habit in local

by connecting people with more

entertainment choices in their

community. Going to the movies is the

quintessential local experience.”

Groupon has sold more than

six million units for movie offers

throughout North America since 2016.

IMAX (IMAX)

In a December 7 research note,

B. Riley FBR analyst Eric Wold

recommended that investors take

advantage of a relative valuation

anomaly with shares of IMAX (IMAX)

that had occurred just once previously

in the past decade. With shares trading

at the time of his report at a price of

$18.71, Wold set a price target of $34

for the stock.

The anomaly he was referencing was

the company’s Enterprise Value (market

capitalization plus debt, minority

interest and preferred shares minus total

cash and cash equivalents) to NTM

EBITDA (Next Twelve Months Earnings

before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation,

and Amortization) dropping below the

exhibitor group’s average multiple.

Its ratio multiple at the time of the

December 7, 2018 report was 7.6X, 800

basis points below the group average of

8.4X. Over the past decade, IMAX has

consistently been valued at a premium

to the overall group, often a significant

one. The last time it traded at a discount

to the group multiple, back in Q4 of

2008, the shares increased a whopping

1,200 percent in the subsequent

18-month period.

Wold believes the significant share

decline in IMAX approximately 10 years

ago was motivated by investor concerns

that a weakening economy would

ultimately have an adverse impact on

consumer spending, including money

set aside for moviegoing. As a result,

IMAX’s multiple declined steeply from

12X to 5X, while the overall exhibitor

group contracted from 8X to 6X.

In his view, IMAX is currently the

stock best positioned to benefit from

a strong upcoming film slate and box

office for 2019 and beyond. He also

points out that the company should have

a lower likelihood of domestic economic

weakness than any of the other publicly

traded companies in the exhibitor

group. IMAX currently generates over

60 percent of its box-office receipts from

international markets.

As for IMAX’s previously announced

strategic review of its virtual reality pilot

initiative, the company decided to close

its remaining VR locations and write off

certain VR content investments.

MOVIEPASS (HMNY)

MoviePass, which is majority owned

(92 percent) by publicly held Helios and

Matheson Analytics (HMNY), unveiled

a new tiered pricing plan for 2019.

The company is offering customers

three choices: Select (starting at $9.95/

month), All Access (starting at $14.95/

month), and Red Carpet (starting


$19.95/month) plans. Interestingly,

exact pricing of each option depends on

what geographic zone a consumer resides

in, with $24.95 per month as the top

price that will be paid by subscribers.

“We view the model as the foundation

to reach new members and regain

positive momentum in the marketplace,”

stated Helios CEO Ted Farnsworth.

The company announced recently that

MoviePass executive VP Khalid Itum is

replacing former CEO Mitch Lowe at

the top, with Lowe switching his role to a

focus on overall strategy.

Shareholders of HMNY have

experienced a bloodbath over the past

12 months. On a split-adjusted basis,

the stock dropped from the equivalent

of $3,000 per share to a single penny as

the company scrambled to stay alive and

remain relevant to the moviegoing public.

At one point, MoviePass had 3.2 million

paying monthly subscribers, but critics

continually pointed out that its operating

model was unsustainable. So far, it seems

the naysayers have been correct.

In its most recent quarter (ended

September 30, 2018), HMNY reported

a loss of approximately $130 million

on revenue of $81 million, reflecting

a significant decline in subscriptions

due to a multitude of plan changes that

did not resonate well with existing or

potential patrons.

Acquisitions of the assets of

Moviefone and the company’s entrée

into the movie co-acquisition business

in partnership with movie distributors

earlier this year have done little to help

MoviePass or HMNY reverse course.

The company announced in

November that it was delaying a

stockholder vote on a plan to approve

a second reverse split (1-to-500),

convinced it did not have the requisite

support from shareholders. A previous

1-to-250 reverse split back in July put a

temporary bandage on the bloodletting

but was far from a permanent fix, as the

stock resumed its downward dive. The

shares risk delisting by NASDAQ if the

company continues to trade below $1

per share.

Speaking of cinema subscriptions, Cinemark

(CNK) announced that its Movie

Club program has surpassed 500,000

active members in its first year since

launching in December 2017. According

to the company, this is double their original

forecast. Since the program’s launch

last December, Movie Club members have

purchased 10 million tickets, representing

8 percent of Cinemark’s Q3 domestic box

office receipts.

For $8.99 per month, Movie Club

membership includes one 2-D ticket

for any show time; additional and

companion tickets available all month

long at $8.99 member pricing; rollover

of unused tickets, which never expire for

active members, and 20 percent discounts

on concessions and other benefits. n


BIG DATA

ALL DATA

PROVIDED BY

NCM

THE

PREMIUM

EXPERIENCE

NCM’S ASK THE AUDIENCE REVEALS

DEMAND FOR PREMIUM FORMATS

>> The proliferation of premium formats since the digital

transition has fundamentally changed the moviegoing

experience in the United States. Today’s audiences have an

array of choices available to them: what movie to watch,

where to watch it—and now, how to watch it. Digital

3-D, premium and motion seating, immersive audio, and

large-format screens have all emerged as simultaneously

competing and complementary options for a night out at

the movies. As the industry’s leading cinema technology

providers convene at ICTA at this month, Boxoffice tapped

into data from NCM’s Ask the Audience network of 5,000

frequent moviegoers to discover which premiums cinema

audiences seek out the most.

ENHANCED MOVIE FORMATS EXPERIENCED Which premium movie formats have you experienced at the movies?

89 % 86 % 32 % 21 %

3D

PREMIUM LARGE

FORMAT

IMMERSIVE

SOUND

IMMERSIVE

SEATING

NONE

4 %

ENHANCED MOVIE FORMATS WORTH PAYING FOR Which premium movie formats do you think are worth paying a premium for?

35 % 61 % 19 % 21 %

PREMIUM LARGE IMMERSIVE

3D

FORMAT

SOUND

IMMERSIVE

SEATING

25 %

NONE

17 % 18 %

No, I don’t

like them

Yes, and I see

more movies

because of it

65 %

Yes, but I still see

the same number of

movies

ENHANCED FORMAT IMPACT

Do enhanced movie formats make for a better

moviegoing experience?

OF PANELISTS HAVE EXPERIENCED A PREMIUM MOVIE

FORMAT, INCLUDING 89% FOR 3-D AND 86% FOR A

PREMIUM LARGE FORMAT.


MILLENNIALS were significantly more likely

to have experienced 3-D or a premium large

format than their older counterparts

(8% more for 3-D and 11% for a PLF).

were significantly more likely to have

experienced immersive sound or immersive

seating than women (77% more for immersive

sound and 52% more for immersive seating).

PREMIUM EXPERIENCE RATINGS How would you rate your experiences with the following upgraded formats? (1 to 5, 5 being best)

4

5

N/A *

15 % 4 %

27 %

3D

* HAVEN’T BEEN TO 3D MOVIE

1

10 % 14 %

12

30 %

3

3

2

5

759

RESPONDENTS

N/A *

8 % 3 %

45 %

1 % 13 %

30 %

4

12

3

PREMIUM

LARGE FORMAT

* HAVEN’T BEEN TO PLF MOVIE

N/A *

2 % 3 % 14 % 18 %

51 % * HAVEN’T BEEN TO AN IMMERSIVE SOUND MOVIE

12 %

IMMERSIVE

SOUND

5

4

N/A *

65 %

IMMERSIVE

SEATING

1 2 3

4

4 % 4 % 9 % 8 %

10 %

5

* HAVEN’T BEEN TO AN IMMERSIVE SEATING MOVIE


BIG DATA

MAD MAX FURY ROAD 3 %

TRANSFORMERS 3 %

DEADPOOL 2 %

GODZILLA 1 %

HARRY POTTER

4 %

BATMAN*

5 %

AVATAR

72% of millennials felt

premium large formats

were worth paying extra

for (26% more likely, which

is a statistically significant

difference, vs. older

generations).

18 % THE

GUARDIANS

OF THE GALAXY

6 %

JURASSIC WORLD

6 %

BEST MOVIE IN

ENHANCED FORMAT

WHAT IS THE BEST MOVIE

(OR FRANCHISE) THAT YOU’VE

SEEN IN A PREMIUM FORMAT?

AVENGERS

15 %

NONE

11 %

OTHER

13 %

STAR WARS

13 %

Only about 20% of panelists

felt that immersive sound

or seating is worth the extra

price of admission.

* EX. THE DARK KNIGHT

Men were 60% more

likely to say they see more

movies due to enhanced formats

than women (a statistically

significant difference).

3D PREMIUM LARGE FORMAT IMMERSIVE SOUND IMMERSIVE SEATING NONE

3 % 16 % 27 % 40 % 45 %

UNAVAILABLE FORMATS

ARE THERE ANY MOVIE FORMATS NOT CURRENTLY OFFERED BY YOUR LOCAL THEATER

THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE ADDED?


25% of panelists say

no premium format is

worth paying extra for.

GODZILLA: KING

OF THE MONSTERS

5 %

THE LION KING

5 %

CAPTAIN MARVEL

5 %

AVATAR 2

10 %

OTHER 2 %

DUMBO 2 %

ALADDIN 2 %

SPIDER-MAN:

TOY STORY 4

FAR FROM HOME 1

4 %

%

UPCOMING MOVIE IN

ENHANCED FORMAT

WHAT UPCOMING MOVIE ARE

YOU MOST EXCITED TO SEE IN

A PREMIUM FORMAT?

STAR

WARS:

EPISODE IX

12 %

AVENGERS:

ENDGAME

29 %

NONE

23 %

Premium large format was the

format that received the most

consideration, with 61% saying

it’s worth paying more for.

HOBBS & SHAW 0 %

SHAZAM! 0 %

83% of panelists think

enhanced formats improve the

moviegoing experience but only

18% see more movies due

to them.

45%

OF RESPONDENTS SAID THEY DON’T

WANT ANY PREMIUM FORMATS ADDED,

INCLUDING 58% OF ADULTS 55+

40%

OF RESPONDENTS

EXPRESSED INTEREST IN

IMMERSIVE SEATING

27%

OF RESPONDENTS

EXPRESSED INTEREST IN

IMMERSIVE SOUND


BRIGHT LIGHTS

THE SAMSUNG ONYX LED CINEMA SCREEN

LOOKS TO THE FUTURE

by Daniel Loria

TECHNOLOGY

>> Samsung made a big splash in 2018 with the commercial expansion of its

Onyx LED cinema screen. The disruptive new technology started the year with

an updated sound solution and a marquee installation in the United States, at

the Pacific Theatres Winnetka location in Chatsworth, California. Onyx screens

have now begun to dot exhibition’s global landscape, with locations in Austria,

China, Germany, India, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Mexico, South Korea, Switzerland,

and Thailand.

As with any new cinema technology, the next phase in the global rollout will

need to incorporate a content pipeline—a slate of feature films optimized for

the Onyx screen. Regardless of how impressive the technology might be, these

offerings rarely get to be viable products without the right content partners.

To address this challenge, Samsung partnered with France’s Eclair to install an

Onyx screen in its Paris post-production facility. It is the latest evolution in the

collaboration between Samsung and Eclair, a natural next stop following the

integration of the French company’s EclairColor HDR solution for Onyx screens.

The post-production facility is only the second in the world to be equipped with

Onyx, and the first outside the United States.

“Contributing to the future of technology through content creation and

mastering services with this type of disruptive emissive technology strengthens

our services offer vis-à-vis the European creative community,” stated Anne Feret,

Eclair’s vice president of postproduction and restoration divisions, in a press

release. “We are now able to produce ultra-sharp 4K resolution content—in

scope and flat formats—with peak brightness levels nearly 10 times greater than

the normal cinema standard. Taking full advantage of the Onyx’s capabilities—

EclairColor HDR DCP, deep blacks, unparalleled image uniformity, and absence

of distortion—makes content come alive with unparalleled realism.”

3-D is another content pipeline with great potential for the Onyx screen.

Digital 3-D has seen a dip in box office in recent years; the most prevalent

complaints about it are related to its dark screens. The Onyx could provide a

solution, especially if there’s a major studio title attached. Samsung hasn’t

lost sight of 3-D’s promise for their LED screen—in December the company

announced the installation of the world’s biggest Onyx 3-D screen in Beijing. The

original Onyx screen was launched in July 2017 at a size of 333/5 feet (10 meters).

The new screen is 40 percent bigger, stretching to 46¼ feet (14 meters).

Samsung expects 2019 to be another year of growth for the Onyx screen.

The South Korean company has already enlisted the assistance of several

experienced resellers in the cinema market, including American Cinema

Equipment (ACE), CES Plus Inc. (CES+), Cinetech, Entertainment Supply &

Technologies (ES&T), Integrity Entertainment Systems Inc. (Integrity), and

Moving Image Technologies (MIT). Samsung has also rolled out a new financing

program for interested exhibitors through CSI Leasing, designed to help

movie theaters make the jump to boothless projection. It’s still uncertain

what the future will bring for LED cinema screen technology, but if 2018 is any

indication—there’s still a lot of innovation left in store. n


PHOTO COURTESY OF YMAGIS/ECLAIR


CONVENTION PREVIEW

SHARING THEIR EXPERTISE

ICTA SEMINAR SERIES OFFERS

CINEMA TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION

by Kevin Lally

>> Founded in 1971 as the Theatre Equipment Association, the International

Cinema Technology Association (ICTA) has evolved into an

indispensible alliance of leaders involved with equipment and technologies

for the global motion picture theater market. A key ICTA event

every year is the L.A. Seminar Series, a three-day gathering during

which members share their insights on the latest technology developments.

This year’s event takes place January 14–16 at Hilton Universal

City in Los Angeles.

According to Executive Director Robert Sunshine,

“Most of the things that members of the

ICTA and other groups do is attend conventions,

network, et cetera. But the L.A. Seminar Series is

strictly about education.”

In the past, Sunshine notes, the Seminar Series

was strictly about technology. But “the programming

has changed tremendously over the years …

Now it’s not just technical. We bring in exhibitors

and people

from the

studios and we have roundtables. We talk about

things that are happening in the marketplace,

trends. And we’re more international—for the past

several years, I’ve done interviews one-on-one at

the show with people like Tom Moulter from Warner

Bros., Andrew Cripps from Fox, Jack Ledwith

from Universal. We’re trying to give a perspective

on not just domestic, because 99 percent of the

attendees are from the domestic [region] and want

to know what’s happening also in other pockets of

the world.”

So what’s on the minds of cinema technology

people? Sunshine responds, “I think the biggest

issues right now are very similar to what’s happening

with exhibition: Where are we going? People

say: My God, you just had probably the best year

ever. But the truth of the matter is, a lot of people

are very, very nervous and worried. Why? Number

one, you have six majors going down to five.

You have fewer movies in the marketplace because

Disney says that maybe they’ll release 12 movies

this coming year—when in the past year they did

eight and Fox did 14. So that’s losing nine to 10

movies. You now have companies like Paramount

and A24 making movies for streaming services. Is

it possible that a Netflix or an Amazon is going

to buy Paramount and use that as a source for

creating entertainment and creating content? And

if that happens, all of a sudden you’re down to

four studios. I think if you ask anybody, they’ll

tell you that that’s what they see in the next two

years: four major studios. And meanwhile, you

also have tremendous competition from streaming

services.”

Bringing the subject back to the ICTA, Sunshine

says, “These are also the concerns of

the equipment people. If the theaters don’t

make money or the exhibitor doesn’t get

product, he’s not going to build more. He’s

not going to refurbish. And then the equipment

people get hurt. One of the big things

that I’ve seen over the last four or five

years is that all of these major suppliers are

looking into the foreign markets. There’s

a proliferation of screens in many parts of

the world today. You have more screens, they

say, now in China than you do in the U.S.

So they’re looking into the foreign markets,

they’re looking to emerging markets. There

were just two conventions recently, one in

Istanbul and one in Dubai. These are at-


tracting people that may not come to the Cinema-

Cons and the ShowEasts. So they need to get out

there. Indonesia, a country that has maybe 230

million people, is totally under-screened. That’s

probably going to be one of the biggest emerging

markets. So our guys are out in Indonesia selling.

If you’re not thinking globally at this point, you’ve

got major problems.”

That international focus will extend to Sunshine’s

Q&A on January 15 with Jeff Forman,

senior VP, international distribution, at Walt

Disney Studios. Sunshine says the session won’t

focus on Disney so much as Forman’s views on

worldwide trends. “We’ll ask him what markets

are doing business around the world. What are the

emerging markets? Why are things working now

in Indonesia but not in Cambodia, for instance?

Is China going to continue to grow or is China

over-screened?”

The Seminar Series agenda will include three

excursions to cutting-edge venues. On Tuesday

night, January15, delegates will be given a tour of

the historic American Legion Post 43, which has

just had a complete makeover, including a brandnew

500-seat cinema equipped with an Alcons

Audio ProRibbon–based sound system. David

Rahm, Alcons Audio’s North American sales

manager, hosts the tour, which will be followed by

a screening.

The following morning, ICTA members will

visit the Pacific Winnetka Theatre for a demonstration

of Samsung’s new Onyx direct-view

technology. Nick Conti, business development

senior manager for Samsung Electronics America

Inc., will show contrasting SDR and HDR clips

and explain the venue’s audio configuration.

The final field trip commences Wednesday

afternoon at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre.

ICTA President Mike Archer from Dolby

Laboratories will conduct a session on esports in

the cinema (which the Chinese already offers),

followed by a tour of the theater and its Media-

Mation 4D facility.

The Tuesday agenda includes a panel discussion

focusing on exhibition, moderated by Joe DeMeo,

director of sales at Cinionic. Participants at press

time include Kirk Griffin of Harkins Theatres and

Mark Louis of Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas.

On Wednesday, Beth Figge of Dolby Laboratories

moderates a panel of equipment dealers

discussing their changing business models. “The

role of the dealer has changed tremendously in

15, 20 years,” Sunshine notes. “Twenty years

ago, every piece of equipment was sold through a

dealership. Today, I would venture to guess that

unless the dealer is in the service business, he’s

out of business, because people are selling direct.

But if it’s a good dealer and the dealer is providing

service, they’ll get a piece of it.”

Other seminar highlights include a Dolby

session on “Quality Criteria for Today’s Cinema”;

a panel discussion on cinema network security;

Peter Lude of Mission Rock Digital reporting on

standards for direct-view cinema technology; John

Allen of High Performance Stereo with advice on

maintaining digital sound systems; Jed Harmsen

of Dolby discussing immersive audio standards;

and San Jose State University professor and industry

veteran Harry Mathias examining HDR and

wide color gamut applications for cinema.

One week after the L.A. event, the ICTA will

host a similar Seminar Series in Munich, Germany.

And just before CineEurope in June, the

ICTA stages a Seminar Series in CineEurope’s

host city, Barcelona, Spain. “We’ve expanded tremendously

over the last six, seven years into Europe,”

Sunshine says. “We’ve put together a very

strong organization now. I would venture to guess

that almost 30 to 35 percent of our membership

is from the international side, whereas years ago

we had very, very few. We have Thomas Rüttgers

to thank for being our representative. Thomas is

back in business, so Jan Runge, the former head

of UNIC [the International Union of Cinemas],

now runs it, and they’re getting very active. We

have a very strong international committee made

up of Jan, Thomas, Oliver Pasch from Sony, and

Till Cussmann, who’s now with Vista. So a lot

of things are happening in Europe in terms of

expansion and carrying the same type of message

that we pursue: education.”

Asked about further expansion into Asia or

Latin America, Sunshine responds, “Yeah, it could

happen. But you need a local person to be able to

do that. When I used to run the Barcelona Seminar

Series, the topics weren’t as in-depth about Europe

as they are now, because I wasn’t there [in Europe];

I didn’t know them. That’s why our programming

at CineEurope is so much better now, because

we’ve got UNIC with feet on the ground doing it.

Any place where we can be helpful and educate the

industry, the ICTA will go.” n


EVENT CINEMA CALENDAR

PATRICK SWAYZE AND JENNIFER GREY IN 1987’S

DIRTY DANCING

CINELIFE ENTERTAINMENT CineLifeEntertainment.com 310-309-5774

HUNTER X HUNTER: THE LAST MISSION Wed, 1/30 Anime

BIG SCREEN SHORTS TBD Feb Short Films

SALVADOR DALÍ: IN SEARCH OF IMMORTALITY 1/5 to 3/12 Documentary

FATHOM EVENTS fathomevents.com 855-473-4612

RACHEL HOLLIS: MADE FOR MORE ENCORE Wed, 1/2 and Wed, 1/9 Inspirational

MOB PSYCHO 100: SEASON 2 PREMIERE Sat, 1/5 Anime

MODEST HEROES Thur, 1/10 and Sat, 1/12 Anime

THE MET: LIVE IN HD ADRIANA LECOUVREUR Sat, 1/12/18 and Wed 1/16/18 Arts & Entertainment

THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN AND REIGN OF SUPERMEN DOUBLE FEATURE Sun, 1/13 and Mon, 1/14 Classics

WONDERS OF THE SEA 3D Thurs, 1/17 Documentary

BOLSHOI BALLET: LA BAYADERE Sat, 1/20/18 Arts & Entertainment

CYRANO DE BERGERAC Tue, 1/23/18 Arts & Entertainment

THE FINAL WISH Thurs, 1/24 Premieres

BTS WORLD TOUR LOVE YOURSELF IN SEOUL Fri, 1/26 Concerts

TCM: THE WIZARD OF OZ 80TH ANNIVERSARY Sun, 1/27, Tues, 1/29, and Wed, 1/30 Classics

A SILENT VOICE Mon, 1/28. Thurs, 1/31 Anime

THE MET: LIVE IN HD CARMEN Sat, 2/2/19, Wed, 2/6/18 and Sat 2/9/18 Arts & Entertainment

I WANT TO EAT YOUR PANCREAS Thurs, 2/7 and Sun, 2/10 Anime

DIRTY DANCING Wed, 2/13 Classics

TCM: MY FAIR LADY Sun, 2/17 and Wed, 2/20 Classics


SOPRANO CHRISTINE GOERKE SINGS BRÜNNHILDE

IN WAGNER’S “DIE WALKÜRE.” PHOTO: VINCENT PETERS

THE MET: LA FILLE DU REGIMENT Sat, 3/2 and Wed, 3/6 Arts & Entertainment

BOLSHOI: THE SLEEPING BEAUTY Sat, 3/10 Arts & Entertainment

TCM: TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD Sun, 3/24 and Wed, 3/27 Classics

DIANA ROSS: HER LIFE, LOVE AND LEGACY Tues, 3/26 and Thurs 3/28 Premieres

THE MET: DIE WALKÜRE Fri, 3/30 and Tue, 4/3 Arts & Entertainment

BOLSHOI: THE GOLDEN BALLET Sat, 4/7 Arts & Entertainment

TCM: BEN-HUR 60TH ANNIVERSARY Sun, 4/14 and Wed, 4/17 Classics

THE PILGRAM'S PROMISE Thurs, 4/18 and Sat, 4/20 Kids and Family

TCM: TRUE GRIT Sun, 5/5 and Wed, 5/8 Classics

THE MET: DIALOGUES DES CARMÉLITES Sat, 5/11 and Wed, 5/15 Arts & Entertainment

BOLSHOI: CARMEN SUITE/PETRUSHKA Sat, 5/19 Arts & Entertainment

TCM: STEEL MAGNOLIAS Sun, 5/19, Tues, 5/21 and Wed, 5/22 Classics

ROYAL OPERA HOUSE roh.org.uk/cinemas cinema@roh.org.uk

THE QUEEN OF SPADES Tue, 1/22/19 Opera

LA TRAVIATA Wed, 1/30/19 Opera

DON QUIXOTE Tue, 2/19/19 Ballet

LA FORZA DEL DESTINO Tue, 4/2/19 Opera

FAUST Tue, 4/30/19 Opera

WITHIN THE GOLDEN HOUR / NEW SIDI LARBI CHERKAOUI / FLIGHT PATTERN Thu, 5/16/19 Ballet

ROMEO AND JULIET Tue, 6/11/19 Ballet


ON SCREEN

BY KEVIN LALLY

ESCAPE ROOM

JAN 4 / SONY-COLUMBIA / WIDE

More horror awaits in Escape Room, as six strangers compete for a $1 million

prize if they can survive their time inside a diabolical, super-high-tech chamber.

Insidious: The Last Key director Adam Robitel orchestrates the thrills.

CAST JAY ELLIS (“INSECURE”), DEBORAH ANN WOLL, LOGAN MILLER (LOVE, SIMON),

TAYLOR RUSSELL, TYLER LABINE, NIK DODANI (“MURPHY BROWN”) RATING PG-13

RUNNING TIME TBA

DEBORAH ANN WOLL


THE VANISHING

JAN 4 / LIONSGATE / LIMITED

Gerard Butler heads the cast

of this fact-based thriller

about three lighthouse

keepers on a remote Scottish

island who find a chest

filled with gold in a wrecked

rowboat. Tension grows when

a mysterious boat is seen

headed their way. Kristoffer

Nyholm directs.

CAST GERARD BUTLER, PETER

MULLAN, CONNOR SWINDELLS

RATING R RUNNING TIME 101

MIN.

PERFECT STRANGERS

JAN 11 / PANTELION / LIMITED

The hostess of an intimate dinner proposes

a game: All guests must lay their cellphones

on the table and read aloud all incoming

messages and answer all phone calls in front of

the entire group. Needless to say, incriminating

secrets are revealed. Mexican director Manolo

Caro’s film is a remake of a 2016 Italian comedy

that has also been remade in Spain, France,

Turkey, and Greece. Perfect Strangers is the

first feature production from exhibition giant

Cinépolis.

CAST BRUNO BICHIR, CECILIA SUÁREZ, ANA

CLAUDIA TALANCÓN, MIGUEL RODARTE, MANUEL

GARCIA-RULFO RATING TBA RUNNING TIME TBA

KEANU REEVES AND ALICE EVE

REPLICAS

JAN 11 / ENTERTAINMENT STUDIOS / WIDE

Send in the clones! In Jeffrey Nachmanoff’s Replicas, Keanu Reeves

plays a synthetic biologist who goes to outrageous lengths to bring

back his wife and kids after they are killed in a car accident. Hasn’t

he ever read Mary Shelley?

CAST KEANU REEVES, ALICE EVE, THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH, JOHN ORTIZ.

RATING PG-13 RUNNING TIME 107 MIN.


ON SCREEN

DOG MOVIES

PICK OF THE LITTER

Winter has its dog days too: On January

11, Sony unleashes A Dog’s Way Home,

the sequel to Universal’s tear-jerking

2017 hit A Dog’s Purpose. Man’s best

friend has often been the exhibitor’s

best friend, as this list of notable

canine-centered pictures proves.

The Secret Life of Pets (2016) $368,384,330

BARRY WATSON

101 Dalmatians (1961) $144,880,014*

Marley & Me (2008) $143,153,751

101 Dalmatians (1996) $136,189,294

Bolt (2008) $114,053,579

Beverly Hills Chihuahua (2008) $94,514,402

Lady and the Tramp (1955) $93,602,326**

A DOG’S WAY HOME

JAN 11 / SONY-COLUMBIA / WIDE

2017’s A Dog’s Purpose earned $204 million worldwide, so this sequel comes as no surprise.

Director Charles Martin Smith’s A Dog’s Way Home follows the 400-mile journey of plucky

canine Bella (voiced by Bryce Dallas Howard) after she is separated from her owner, a med

student. Dog lovers, don’t forget your tissues!.

CAST BRYCE DALLAS HOWARD, ASHLEY JUDD, EDWARD JAMES OLMOS, ALEXANDRA SHIPP, WES

STUDI RATING PG RUNNING TIME TBA

Snow Dogs (2002) $81,172,560

Hotel for Dogs (2009) $73,034,460

Turner & Hooch (1989) $71,079,915

A Dog’s Purpose (2017) $64,508,620

Beethoven (1992) $57,114,049

Benji (1974) $39,552,000

Isle of Dogs (2018) $32,105,231

All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989) $27,100,027

Best in Show (2000) $18,715,392

Hall of Fame: Rin Tin Tin, Lassie, Toto, Asta,

Pluto, Snoopy, Scooby-Doo, Uggie, Old Yeller,

The Beast

Honorable Mentions: White Fang,

Marmaduke, Balto, Frankenweenie, The

Shaggy Dog, My Dog Skip, Max, Bingo,

Underdog, Air Bud … and Cujo (Bad dog!)

*$913,243,700 adjusted for inflation

**$509,416,800 adjusted for inflation

ANA IVANOVA AND ANA BRUN

THE HEIRESSES

JAN 16 / DISTRIB FILMS / LIMITED

Winner of two Silver Bear Awards at the 2018 Berlin Film Festival, Marcelo Martinessi’s

drama centers on two upper-class Paraguayan women who’ve fallen on hard times.

When one is imprisoned for fraud, the other takes up a new career as a taxi driver and

forges a new life with a much younger friend.

CAST ANA BRUN (SILVER BEAR WINNER), MARGARITA IRUN, ANA IVANOVA RATING NOT RATED

RUNNING TIME 98 MIN.


KEVIN HART AND BRYAN CRANSTON

NICOLE KIDMAN

BRYAN CRANSTON, NICOLE KIDMAN, AND KEVIN HART

THE UPSIDE

JAN 11 / STX ENTERTAINMENT / WIDE

Kevin Hart, Bryan Cranston, and the

very busy Nicole Kidman co-star in this

American remake of one of France’s

biggest box office hits, The Intouchables.

Hart plays a recently paroled ex-con who’s

hired as an aide to a paraplegic billionaire

(Cranston) in this comedy-drama from

director Neil Burger (Divergent, Limitless,

The Illusionist).

CAST KEVIN HART, BRYAN CRANSTON,

NICOLE KIDMAN, JULIANNA MARGULIES, TATE

DONOVAN, AJA NAOMI KING RATING PG-13

RUNNING TIME 125 MIN.


ON SCREEN

SEQUEL TIMES TWO

>> M. Night Shyamalan became a household name (for those

not daunted by syllables) with his third feature film, the 1999

box office phenomenon The Sixth Sense, nominated for six Oscars

including Best Picture and raking in $293.5 million domestically.

The twist ending startled audiences, and “I see dead people” became

an instant-classic movie quote. The following year brought Unbreakable,

starring Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson, another tale with a twist—this

time anticipating the superhero wave that was about to dominate the new

century’s movies. That film earned $95 million, followed by two more box

office hits, 2002’s Signs ($227.9 million) and 2004’s The Village ($114 million).

Shyamalan’s subsequent films were not as successful, but he made a strong

comeback last year with the Blumhouse production Split, starring James

McAvoy as a kidnapper cursed with 24 different personalities—and

blessed with special powers. Now the worlds of Unbreakable and

Split coalesce in Glass, Universal’s new release that boasts the

formidable trio of Willis, Jackson, and McAvoy. Double

the thrills? We’ll know on January 18.

JAMES MCAVOY

SAMUEL L. JACKSON

GLASS

JAN 18 / UNIVERSAL / WIDE

Writer-director M. Night Shyamalan

makes his bid for a Shyamalaniverse

with this dual sequel to

his 2000 Unbreakable and 2017’s

Split. Here, super-powered David

Dunn is in pursuit of Kevin Wendell

Crumb, whose multiplicity of personalities

includes the fearsome

Beast. And holding crucial secrets

is the mysterious Elijah Price (aka

Mr. Glass).

CAST JAMES MCAVOY, BRUCE WILLIS,

SAMUEL L. JACKSON, SARAH PAUL-

SON, ANYA TAYLOR-JOY, SPENCER

TREAT CLARK, LUKE KIRBY. RATING

PG-13 RUNNING TIME 129 MIN.


THE IMAGE BOOK

JAN 25 / KINO LORBER / LIMITED

Legendary French New

Wave director Jean-

Luc Godard (left) won

the first Special Palme

d’Or ever awarded at the Cannes

Film Festival for this experimental

essay/collage that digitally alters

fragments from some of the

greatest films ever made while

commenting on the legacy of the

20th century.

RATING NOT RATED RUNNING TIME

84 MIN.

THE KID WHO WOULD BE KING

JAN 25 / 20TH CENTURY FOX / WIDE

A young boy stumbles upon the mythical Sword in the Stone, Excalibur,

and must assemble a band of knights to battle a wicked enchantress

in this family adventure. Writer-director Joe Cornish impressed with his

2011 comedy-thriller Attack the Block, which introduced the world to

Star Wars’ John Boyega.

CAST LOUIS ASHBOURNE SERKIS, REBECCA FERGUSON, PATRICK STEWART,

DENISE GOUGH, RHIANNA DORIS, TOM TAYLOR, ANGUS IMRIEM RATING PG

RUNNING TIME TBA

PATRICK STEWART AND LOUIS ASHBOURNE SERKIS


MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY

AND ANNE HATHAWAY

SERENITY

JAN 25 / AVIRON / WIDE

The ex-wife of a fishing-boat captain tries to recruit her ex in a plot to murder

her abusive husband at sea. Writer-director Steven Knight earned an Oscar

nomination for penning Dirty Pretty Things and brought us Tom Hardy’s oneman

tour de force in Locke.

CAST MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY, ANNE HATHAWAY, JASON CLARKE, DIANE LANE,

DJIMON HOUNSOU, JEREMY STRONG. RATING R RUNNING TIME 106 MIN.



ON SCREEN

OMAR SY AND FRANÇOIS CLUZET IN THE INTOUCHABLES

TRANSLATING FOREIGN-LANGUAGE HITS

>> This edition of On Screen includes

no fewer than three new adaptations

of major foreign-language successes.

January 11 brings The Upside, the

Americanization of one of France’s

most lucrative box office hits, The

Intouchables. François Cluzet and

Omar Sy starred in the original, playing,

respectively, a paraplegic billionaire and

the ex-con he hires to be his caretaker.

Bryan Cranston and Kevin Hart take

over those roles in the English-language

version, which STX Entertainment

acquired from the beleaguered Weinstein

Company. Weinstein handled the original

in the U.S., where it earned $10 million.

Outside the States, The Intouchables

generated a whopping $416 million.

Also on January 11, Pantelion Films

releases Perfect Strangers (Perfectos

desconocidos), a Mexican remake of the

2016 Italian comedy of the same name.

Winner of Italy’s David di Donatello Award

for best picture and screenplay, this tale of a

dinner party where uncomfortable secrets

are revealed earned $20 million in Italy

and $31 million worldwide, and spurred

remakes in Spain, France, Greece, and Turkey.

Reportedly, German, Swedish, Russian,

Korean, and Arabic remakes are also in the

works. Talk about a premise that translates!

Mexico has its own bragging rights with

Miss Bala, Sony’s English-language remake

of the acclaimed 2011 thriller of the same

name, which was selected as Mexico’s

official entry in the Academy Awards race.

“Jane the Virgin” lead Gina Rodriguez

makes her bid to be an action star in this

story of a beauty pageant contestant

whose search for her missing friend puts

her in the middle of the drug wars.

Miss Bala opens on February 1, the

same day as another remake: an African

American spin on the 1990 Adrian Lyne

drama Jacob’s Ladder. n


THE INVISIBLES

JAN 25 / GREENWICH ENTERTAINMENT / LIMITED

Claus Räfle’s film focuses on four German Jewish survivors

of the Nazi purge who decide to stay in Berlin and manage

to hide in plain sight, moving between cinemas, cafés, and

safe houses.

CAST MAX MAUFF, ALICE DWYER, RUBY O. FEE RATING NOT

RATED RUNNING TIME 110 MIN.

ALICE DWYER

ARCTIC

FEB 1 / BLEECKER STREET / LIMITED

The thick of winter brings this survival thriller about a man

stranded in the Arctic after a plane crash who must decide

whether to remain in the relative safety of his makeshift

camp or begin a deadly trek through the unknown. São

Paulo native Joe Penna directed.

CAST MADS MIKKELSEN RATING PG-13 RUNNING TIME 97 MIN.

MADS MIKKELSEN

JACOB’S LADDER

FEB 1 / LD ENTERTAINMENT / WIDE

A war veteran tries to maintain his sanity while dealing with

flashbacks and hallucinations in this remake of a 1990 drama

that starred Tim Robbins under the direction of Fatal Attraction’s

Adrian Lyne. David M. Rosenthal (A Single Shot) takes the helm for

this new version.

CAST MICHAEL EALY, JESSE WILLIAMS (“GREY’S ANATOMY”), NICOLE

BEHARIE (“SLEEPY HOLLOW”), KARLA SOUZA (“HOW TO GET AWAY WITH

MURDER”), GUY BURNET RATING R RUNNING TIME TBA

MISS BALA

FEB 1 / SONY-COLUMBIA / WIDE

Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight) helms this remake of the tense 2011

Mexican thriller about a beauty pageant contestant whose search

for her missing friend lands her in the middle of a battle among

drug cartels, the DEA, and the CIA. Quite a gritty change of pace for

“Jane the Virgin” star Gina Rodriguez.

CAST GINA RODRIGUEZ, ANTHONY MACKIE, ISMAEL CRUZ CÓRDOVA,

CRISTINA RODIO, THOMAS DEKKER, MATT LAURIA RATING PG-13

RUNNING TIME TBA


BOOKING GUIDE

STAR WARS: EPISODE IX

Fri, 12/20/19 WIDE

NR · Act/Adv/SF · 3D/IMAX/Dolby Dig

UNTITLED DISNEY LIVE

ACTION

Fri, 2/14/20 WIDE

NR

ONWARD

Fri, 3/6/20 WIDE

C Chris Pratt, Tom Holland

D Dan Scanlon

NR · Ani · 3D

MULAN

Fri, 3/27/20 WIDE

NR · Fan/Act/Adv · 3D/IMAX

JON FAVREAU’S THE LION KING

OPENS WIDE ON JULY 19

UNTITLED MARVEL FILM

Fri, 5/1/20 WIDE

NR · 3D

A24

646 568 6015

OUTLAWS

Fri, 2/1/19 LTD.

C Ryan Corr, Abbey Lee

D Stephen McCallum

R · Dra/Act

CLIMAX

Fri, 3/1/19 LTD.

C Sofia Boutella

D Gaspar Noé

NR · Hor/Dan

GLORIA BELL

Fri, 3/8/19 LTD.

C Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor

D Sebastián Lelio

NR · Dra/Rom/Com

HIGH LIFE

Fri, 4/12/19 LTD.

C Robert Pattinson,

Juliette Binoche

D Claire Denis

NR · SF/Sus

UNDER THE SILVER LAKE

Fri, 4/19/19 LTD.

C Andrew Garfield, Riley Keough

D David Robert Mitchell

R · Thr/Cri

UNTITLED ARI ASTER HORROR

Fri, 8/9/19 WIDE

C Sunny Suljic, Lucas Hedges

D Ari Aster

NR · Hor

ANNAPURNA PICTURES

WHERE’D YOU GO

BERNADETTE?

Fri, 3/22/19 WIDE

C Cate Blanchett, Billy Crudup

D Richard Linklater

PG-13 · Com/Dra

UNTITLED BABAK ANVARI

Fri, 3/29/19 WIDE

C Babak Anvari

NR · Hor

MISSING LINK

Fri, 4/12/19 WIDE

C Zach Galifianakis, Hugh Jackman

D Chris Butler

PG · Ani

DISNEY

818-560-1000 ask for distribution

CAPTAIN MARVEL

Fri, 3/8/19 WIDE

C Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson

D Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck

NR · Act/Adv/SF · 3D/IMAX

DUMBO

Fri, 3/29/19 WIDE

C Colin Farrell, Michael Keaton

D Tim Burton

NR · Fan/Fam · 3D

PENGUINS

Wed, 4/17/19 WIDE

D Alastair Fothergill, Jeff Wilson

G · Doc

AVENGERS: ENDGAME

Fri, 4/26/19 WIDE

C Robert Downey, Jr, Chris Evans

D Anthony Russo, Joe Russo

NR · Act/Adv/Fan/SF

ALADDIN

Fri, 5/24/19 WIDE

C Will Smith, Mena Massoud

D Guy Ritchie

NR · Act/Adv/Com

TOY STORY 4

Fri, 6/21/19 WIDE

C Tom Hanks, Tim Allen

D Josh Cooley

NR · Ani · 3D/IMAX

THE LION KING

Fri, 7/19/19 WIDE

C Donald Glover, Beyoncé

D Jon Favreau

NR · Fan

ARTEMIS FOWL

Fri, 8/9/19 WIDE

C Ferdia Shaw, Josh Gad

D Kenneth Branagh

NR · Fan · 3D

JUNGLE CRUISE

Fri, 10/11/19 WIDE

C Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt

D Jaume Collet-Serra

NR · Act/Adv

FROZEN 2

Wed, 11/22/19 WIDE

NR · Ani · 3D

MALEFICENT 2

Fri, 5/29/20 WIDE

NR · Fan

ENTERTAINMENT STUDIOS

MOTION PICTURES

REPLICAS

Fri, 1/11/19 WIDE

C Keanu Reeves, Alice Eve

D Jeffery Nachmanoff

PG-13 · SF/Act

47 METERS DOWN: UNCAGED

Fri, 6/28/19 WIDE

C John Corbett, Nia Long

D Johannes Roberts

NR · Hor/Thr

ARCTIC DOGS

Fri, 11/1/19 WIDE

C Jeremy Renner, James Franco

D Aaron Woodley

NR · Ani

FOCUS FEATURES

424-214-6360

GRETA

Fri, 3/1/19 LTD

C Chloë Grace Moretz,

Isabelle Huppert

D Neil Jordan

NR · Dra

THE MUSTANG

Fri, 3/15/19 LTD

C Matthias Schoenaerts,

Bruce Dern

D Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre

NR · Dra


CAPTIVE STATE

Wed, 3/29/19 WIDE

C John Goodman, Ashton Sanders

D Rupert Wyatt

PG-13 · SF

DOWNTON ABBEY

Fri, 9/20/19 WIDE

C Hugh Bonneville,

Laura Carmichael

D Michael Engler

NR · Dra

FOX

310-369-1000 212-556-2400

THE KID WHO WOULD BE KING

Fri, 1/25/19 WIDE

C Louis Ashbourne Serkis,

Dean Chaumoo

D Joe Cornish

PG · Fan/Fam/Act/Adv

ROSA SALAZAR AS ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL

VIA PERFORMANCE CAPTURE

ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL

Thu, 2/14/19 WIDE

C Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz

D Robert Rodriguez

NR · Act/Adv/Rom · 3D/IMAX

BREAKTHROUGH

Fri, 4/17/19 WIDE

C Chrissy Metz, Josh Lucas

D Roxann Dawson

NR · Dra/Bio

AD ASTRA

Fri, 5/24/19 WIDE

C Brad Pitt

D James Gray

NR · SF/Thr

X-MEN: DARK PHOENIX

Fri, 6/7/19 WIDE

C Sophie Turner, Jennifer Lawrence

D Simon Kinberg

NR · Act/Adv/SF

UNTITLED JAMES MANGOLD

Fri, 6/28/19 WIDE

C Matt Damon, Christian Bale

D James Mangold

NR · Dra

STUBER

Fri, 7/12/19 WIDE

C Dave Bautista, Kumail Nanjiani

NR · Act/Com

THE NEW MUTANTS

Fri, 8/2/19 WIDE

C Anya Taylor-Joy, Maisie Williams

D Josh Boone

NR · Act/Hor/SF

SPIES IN DISGUISE

Fri, 9/13/19 WIDE

C Will Smith, Tom Holland

D Nick Bruno & Troy Quane

NR · Ani

THE ART OF RACING

IN THE RAIN

Fri, 9/27/19 WIDE

NR

THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW

Fri, 10/4/19 WIDE

C Amy Adams

D Joe Wright

NR · Cri/Dra/Mys

UNTITLED KINGSMAN MOVIE

Fri, 11/15/19 WIDE

D Matthew Vaughn

NR · Act/Adv

THE CALL OF THE WILD

Wed, 12/25/19 WIDE

NR · Dra

NIMONA

Fri, 2/14/20 WIDE

D Patrick Osborne

NR · Ani

GAMBIT

Fri, 3/13/20 WIDE

C Channing Tatum

NR · Act/Adv/SF

FOX SEARCHLIGHT

212-556-2400

THE AFTERMATH

Fri, 3/15/19 WIDE

C Keira Knightley,

Alexander Skarsgård

D James Kent

R · Dra/War

IFC FILMS

bookings@ifcfilms.com

RUST CREEK

Fri, 1/4/19 LTD

C Hermione Corfield, Jay Paulson

D Jen McGowan

R · Hor/Thr

PLEDGE

Fri, 1/11/19 LTD

C Phillip Andre Botell, Zack Weiner

D Daniel Robbins

NR · Hor

AN ACCEPTABLE LOSS

Fri, 1/18/19 LTD

C Tika Sumpter, Jamie Lee Curtis

D Joe Chapelle

NR · Dra/Thr

DONNYBROOK

Fri, 2/15/19 LTD

C Jamie Bell, Frank Gillo

D Tim Sutton

NR · Dra/Thr

THE WEDDING GUEST

Fri, 3/1/19 LTD

C Dev Patel, Radhika Apte

D Michael Winterbottom

NR · Thr

OUT OF BLUE

Fri, 3/15/19 LTD

C Patricia Clarkson, Toby Jones

D Carol Morely

NR · Thr

DIANE

Fri, 3/29/19 LTD

C Mary Kay Place, Jake Lacy

D Kent Jones

NR · Dra

NON-FICTION

Fri, 5/3/19 LTD

C Juliette Binoche,

Guillaume Canet

D Olivier Assayas

NR · Dra/Com

LIONSGATE

310-309-8400

PERFECT STRANGERS

(PERFECTOS DESCONOCIDOS)

Fri, 1/11/19 WIDE

C Cecilia Suárez, Bruno Bichir

D Manolo Caro

NR · Com

COLD PURSUIT

Fri, 2/8/19 WIDE

C Liam Neeson, Emmy Rossum

D Hans Petter Moland

NR · Act/Dra

CHAOS WALKING

Fri, 3/1/19 WIDE

C Tom Holland, Daisy Ridley

D Doug Liman

NR · Adv/SF


BOOKING GUIDE

ZOE PANORAMAS

Sun, 2/10/19 LTD

NR · Doc/Mus

YAMSONG: MARCH OF THE

HOLLOWS

Fri, 2/15/19 LTD

NR · Ani/Fan/Adv

REINVENTING ROSALEE

Thu, 2/21/19 LTD

NR · Doc/Mus

K9 WORLD CUP

Thu, 3/21/19 LTD

NR · Ani

WILD FAITH

Sat, 3/23/19 LTD

NR · Wes

KEANU REEVES RETURNS TO THE CONTINENTAL

HOTEL IN JOHN WICK: CHAPTER THREE

TYLER PERRY’S A MADEA

FAMILY FUNERAL

Fri, 3/1/19 WIDE

C Tyler Perry, Cassi Davis

D Tyler Perry

PG-13 · Com

NO MANCHES FRIDA 2

Fri, 3/15/19 WIDE

C Martha Higareda,

Omar Chaparro

D Nacho G. Velilla

NR · Com

FIVE FEET APART

Fri, 3/22/19 WIDE

C Haley Lu Richardson,

Cole Sprouse

D Justin Baldoni

NR · Dra/Rom

HELLBOY

Fri, 4/12/19 WIDE

C David Harbour, Milla Jovovich

D Neil Marshall

NR · Act

JOHN WICK: CHAPTER THREE

Fri, 5/17/19 WIDE

C Keanu Reeves, Halle Berry

D Chad Stahelski

NR · Act

FLARSKY

Fri, 6/7/19 WIDE

C Seth Rogen, Charlize Theron

D Jonathan Levine

NR · Com

SCARY STORIES TO TELL

IN THE DARK

Fri, 8/9/19 WIDE

C Zoe Colletti, Michael Garza

D André Øvredal

NR · Hor/Sus

MY BOYFRIEND’S MEDS (LAS

PASTILLAS DE MI NOVIO)

Fri, 8/30/19 WIDE

C Jaime Camil, Sandra Echeverría

D Diego Kaplan

NR · Com

MIDWAY

Fri, 11/8/19 WIDE

C Woody Harrelson, Patrick Wilson

D Roland Emmerich

NR · Act/Dra/War

KNIVES OUT

Fri, 11/27/19 WIDE

C Daniel Craig, Chris Evans

D Rian Johnson

NR · Dra/Sus

MGM

FIGHTING WITH MY FAMILY

Thu, 2/14/19 NY/LA

C Florence Pugh, Lena Headey

D Stephen Merchant

PG-13 · Dra/Bio

THE HUSTLE

Fri, 5/10/19 LTD.

C Anne Hathaway, Rebel Wilson

D Chris Addison

NR · Com

THE ADDAMS FAMILY

Fri, 10/18/19 WIDE

C Oscar Isaac, Charlize Theron

D Conrad Vernon

NR · Ani

UNTITLED JAMES BOND 25

Fri, 2/14/20 WIDE

C Daniel Craig

D Cary Joji Fukunaga

NR · Act/Thr

LEGALLY BLONDE 3

Fri, 5/8/20 WIDE

C Reese Witherspoon

NR · Com

MYCINEMA

480-430-7017

CAFÉ CON LECHE

Thu, 1/10/19 LTD

NR · Dra/Cri

AXEL: ADVENTURES OF THE

SPACEKIDS

Fri, 1/18/19 LTD

NR · Ani

COWBOY AND INDIANA

Fri, 1/18/19 LTD

NR · Dra/Wes

FLASHOUT

Thu, 1/31/19 LTD

NR · SF/Rom

LEGEND OF THE DEMON CAT

Tue, 2/5/19 LTD

NR · Hor

WILLA, INTERARIO DE UNA

PASIÓN

Fri, 4/19/19 LTD

NR · Bio/His

THE CHRIST SLAYER

NR · Dra/Rel

NEON

hal@neonrated.com

THIS ONE’S FOR THE LADIES

Fri, 2/15/19 LTD.

C New Jersey Nasty Boyz

D Eugene Graham

NR

Doc/Com

LITTLE WOODS

Fri, 3/1/19 LTD.

C Lily James, Tessa Thompson

D Nia DaCosta

NR · Dra

THE BEACH BUM

Fri, 3/22/19 LTD.

C Matthew McConaughey,

Snoop Dogg

D Harmony Korine

NR · Com

THE BIGGEST LITTLE FARM

Fri, 4/5/19 LTD.

C John Chester, Molly Chester

D John Chester

NR · Doc

WILD ROSE

Fri, 5/10/19 LTD.

C Julie Walters, Jessie Buckley

D Tom Harper

NR · Dra/Com/Mus


OSCILLOSCOPE

LABORATORIES

CATVIDEOFEST

SUN, 2/17/19 LTD

NR · Doc

PARAMOUNT

323-956-5000

WHAT MEN WANT

Fri, 2/8/19 WIDE

C Taraji P. Henson, Aldis Hodge

D Adam Shankman

NR · Com

RHYTHM SECTION

Fri, 2/22/19 WIDE

C Blake Lively

D Reed Morano

NR · Thr

WONDER PARK

Fri, 3/15/19 WIDE

C Mila Junis, Jennifer Garner

D Dylan Brown

PG · Ani/Adv/Com

PET SEMATARY

Fri, 4/5/19 WIDE

C Jason Clarke, Amy Seimetz

D Kevin Kölsch & Dennis Widmyer

NR · Hor

ROCKETMAN

Fri, 5/31/19 WIDE

C Taron Egerton, Jamie Bell

D Dexter Fletcher

NR · Bio/Dra

LIMITED PARTNERS

Fri, 6/28/19 WIDE

C Tiffany Haddish, Rose Byrne

NR · Com

DORA THE EXLPORER

Fri, 8/2/19 WIDE

C Isabela Moner, Eugenio Derbez

D James Bobin

NR · Adv

GEMINI MAN

Fri, 10/4/19 WIDE

C Will Smith,

Mary Elizabeth Winstead

D Ang Lee

NR · Act/Thr

ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE

DARK?

Fri, 10/19/19 WIDE

NR · Hor

UNTITLED TERMINATOR

PROJECT

Fri, 11/1/19 WIDE

C Arnold Schwarzenegger,

Linda Hamilton

D Tim Miller

NR · Act/SF

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG

Fri, 11/8/19 WIDE

C James Marsden, Ben Schwartz

D Jeff Fowler

NR · Ani/Adv/Com

LOUD HOUSE

Fri, 2/7/20 WIDE

NR · Ani

GI JOE

Fri, 3/27/20 WIDE

NR · Act/Adv

UNTITLED A QUIET PLACE

SEQUEL

Fri, 5/15/20 WIDE

NR

ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS

323-882-84907

RUN THE RACE

Fri, 2/22/19 WIDE

C Tanner Stine, Evan Hofer

D Chris Dowling

PG · Dra

JUDY

Fri, 9/27/19 WIDE

C Renee Zellweger

D Rupert Goold

NR · Bio

SONY

212-833-8500

ESCAPE ROOM

Fri, 1/4/19 WIDE

C Taylor Russell, Logan Miller

D Adam Robitel

PG-13 · Hor

A DOG’S WAY HOME

Fri, 1/11/19 WIDE

C Ashley Judd,

Edward James Olmos

D Charles Martin Smith

PG-13 · Dra

MISS BALA

Fri, 2/1/19 WIDE

C Gina Rodriguez

D Catherine Hardwicke

NR · Act/Dra/Thr

GREYHOUND

Fri, 3/22/19 WIDE

C Tom Hanks

D Aaron Schneider

NR · Dra/War

THE INTRUDER

Fri, 4/26/19 WIDE

C Dennis Quaid, Meaghan Good

D Deon Taylor

PG-13 · Thr

THE ROSIE PROJECT

Fri, 5/10/19 WIDE

NR · Rom/Com

JAY ELLIS COSTARS IN ESCAPE ROOM, WHERE SIX STRANGERS FIND THEMSELVES IN

CIRCUMSTANCES BEYOND THEIR CONTROL AND MUST USE THEIR WITS TO SURVIVE.

BRIGHTBURN

Fri, 5/24/19 WIDE

C Elizabeth Banks, David Denman

D David Yarovesky

NR · Hor

MEN IN BLACK:

INTERNATIONAL

Fri, 6/14/19 WIDE

C Chris Hemsworth,

Tessa Thompson

D F. Gary Gray

NR · SF/Act/Com

GRUDGE

Fri, 6/21/19 WIDE

C Nicolas Pesce

NR · Hor

SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME

Fri, 7/5/19 WIDE

C Tom Holland, Michael Keaton

NR · Act/Adv/SF/Com

ONCE UPON A TIME IN

HOLLYWOOD

Fri, 7/26/19 WIDE

C Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt

D Quentin Tarantino

NR · Dra

ANGRY BIRDS 2

Fri, 8/16/19 WIDE

NR · Ani

OVERCOMER

Fri, 8/23/19 WIDE

NR · Dra/Rel

ZOMBIELAND 2

Fri, 10/11/19 WIDE

C Emma Stone, Woody Harrelson

D Ruben Fleischer

NR · Act/Hor/Com


BOOKING GUIDE

UNTITLED DANNY BOYLE/

RICHARD CURTIS COMEDY

Fri, 6/28/19 WIDE

C Lily James, Himesh Patel

D Danny Boyle

NR · Com/Mus

UNTITLED FAST & FURIOUS

SPIN-OFF

Fri, 8/2/19 WIDE

NR · Act/Adv

GOOD BOYS

Fri, 8/16/19 WIDE

C Jacob Tremblay

D Lee Eisenberg & Gene Stupnitsky

NR · Com

TREE GELBMAN (JESSICA ROTHE, PICTURED) LEARNS THAT DYING

OVER AND OVER AGAIN WAS SURPRISINGLY EASIER THAN THE

DANGERS THAT LIE AHEAD IN HAPPY DEATH DAY 2U

ABOMINABLE

Fri, 9/27/19 WIDE

D Tim Johnson

NR · Ani

UNTITLED MR.ROGERS / TOM

HANKS PROJECT

Fri, 10/18/19 WIDE

C Tom Hanks

D Marielle Heller

NR · Dra

CHARLIE’S ANGELS

Fri, 11/1/19 WIDE

C Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott

D Elizabeth Banks

NR · Act/Com

JUMANJI: WELCOME TO THE

JUNGLE SEQUEL

Fri, 12/13/19 WIDE

C Dwayne Johnson

NR · Com/Act/Adv

MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE

Fri, 12/18/19 WIDE

NR · Act/Adv/Fan

LITTLE WOMEN

Fri, 12/25/19 WIDE

C Greta Gerwig

NR · Dra

MILLER/LORD PRODUCED SPA

MOVIE

Fri, 1/10/20 WIDE

NR · Ani

BAD BOYS FOR LIFE

Fri, 1/17/20 WIDE

NR · Act

PETER RABBIT 2

Fri, 2/7/20 WIDE

NR · Ani

BLOODSHOT

Fri, 2/21/20 WIDE

NR · Act

UNTITLED SPA ANIMATED

FRANCHISE

Fri, 4/3/20 WIDE

NR · Ani

STX ENTERTAINMENT

310-742-2300

THE UPSIDE

Fri, 1/11/19 WIDE

C Kevin Hart, Bryan Cranston

D Jon Hartmere

PG-13 · Com/Dra

THE BEST OF ENEMIES

Fri, 4/5/19 WIDE

C Taraji P. Henson, Sam Rockwell

D Robin Bissell

NR · Dra

UGLYDOLLS

Fri, 5/3/19 WIDE

D Robert Rodriguez

NR · Ani

17 BRIDGES

Fri, 7/12/19 WIDE

C Chadwick Boseman

D Brian Kirk

NR · Cri/Thr/Act

UNIVERSAL

818-700-1000

GLASS

Fri, 1/18/19 WIDE

C James McAvoy, Bruce Willis

D M. Night Shyamalan

PG-13 · Thr

HAPPY DEATH DAY 2U

Thu, 2/14/19 WIDE

C Jessica Rothe, Israel Broussard

D Christopher Landon

PG-13 · Hor

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR

DRAGON: THE HIDDEN WORLD

Fri, 2/22/19 WIDE

C Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler

D Dean DeBlois

PG-13 · Ani/Com/Fam

US

Fri, 3/15/19 WIDE

D Jordan Peele

NR · Thr

LITTLE

Fri, 4/12/19 WIDE

C Marsai Martin

D Tina Gordon

NR · Com

A DOG’S JOURNEY

Fri, 5/17/19 WIDE

D Gail Mancuso

NR · Fam

UNTITLED BLUMHOUSE

Fri, 5/31/19 WIDE

C Jessica Rothe

D Christopher Landon

NR · Hor

THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS 2

Fri, 6/7/19 WIDE

C Lake Bell, Hannibal Buress

D Chris Renaud

NR · Ani · 3D

THE HUNT

Fri, 9/27/19 WIDE

D Craig Zobel

NR · Act/Thr

UNTITLED BLUMHOUSE

PRODUCTIONS

Fri, 10/18/19 WIDE

NR · Hor

WILL PACKER COMEDY

Fri, 11/8/19 WIDE

NR · Com

LAST CHRISTMAS

Fri, 11/15/19 WIDE

C Emilia Clarke, Henry Golding

D Paul Feig

NR · Rom/Com

QUEEN & SLIM

Fri, 11/27/19 WIDE

NR · Dra/Rom

UNTITLED BLUMHOUSE

PRODUCTIONS

Fri, 12/13/19 WIDE

NR · Hor

CATS

Fri, 12/20/19 WIDE

D Tom Hooper

NR · Mus

UNTITLED BLUMHOUSE

PRODUCTIONS

Fri, 1/3/20 WIDE

NR · Hor


THE VOYAGE OF DOCTOR

DOLITTLE

Fri, 1/17/20 WIDE

C Robert Downy, Jr., Ralph Fiennes

D Stephen Gaghan

NR · Com

UNTITLED BLUMHOUSE

PRODUCTIONS

Fri, 3/13/20 WIDE

NR · Hor

FAST & FURIOUS 9

Fri, 4/10/20 WIDE

NR · Act/Adv

TROLLS WORLD TOUR

Fri, 4/17/20 WIDE

C Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake

D Walt Dohrn

NR · Ani

WILL PACKER COMEDY

Fri, 5/15/20 WIDE

NR · Com

WARNER BROS.

818-977-1850

THE LEGO MOVIE 2: THE

SECOND PART

Fri, 2/8/19 WIDE

C Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks

D Mike Mitchell

NR · Ani

ISN’T IT ROMANTIC

Wed, 2/13/19 WIDE

C Rebel Wilson, Liam Hemsworth

D Todd Strauss-Schulson

PG-13 · Com

SHAZAM!

Fri, 4/5/19 WIDE

C Zachary Levi, Asher Angel

D David F. Sandberg

NR · Act/Adv/Fan · IMAX

THE CURSE OF LA LLORONA

Fri, 4/19/19 WIDE

C Linda Cardellini, Raymond Cruz

D Michael Chaves

R · Hor

POKÉMON DETECTIVE

PIKACHU

Fri, 5/10/19 WIDE

C Ryan Reynolds, Justice Smith

D Rob Letterman

NR · Adv

THE SUN IS ALSO A STAR

Fri, 5/17/19 WIDE

C Yara Shahidi, Charles Melton

D Ry Russo-Young

PG-13

MINECRAFT: THE MOVIE

Fri, 5/24/19 WIDE

NR

GODZILLA: KING OF THE

MONSTERS

Fri, 5/31/19 WIDE

D Michael Dougherty

PG-13 · SF/Act

SHAFT

Fri, 6/14/19 WIDE

NR · Act

UNTITLED CONJURING

UNIVERSE FILM

Fri, 7/3/19 WIDE

NR · Hor

UNTITLED WB EVENT FILM

Fri, 8/2/19 WIDE

NR

IT CHAPTER TWO

Fri, 9/6/19 WIDE

NR · Hor · IMAX

THE KITCHEN

Fri, 9/20/19 WIDE

C Melissa McCarthy,

Tiffany Haddish

D Andrea Berloff

NR · Cri/Thr

JOKER

Fri, 10/4/19 WIDE

C Joaquin Phoenix

D Todd Phillips

NR · Act

THE GOLDFINCH

Fri, 10/11/19 WIDE

R · Dra

MARGIE CLAUS

Fri, 11/15/19 WIDE

NR · Com/Mus

THE GOOD LIAR

Fri, 11/15/19 WIDE

C Ian McKellen, Helen Mirren

D Bill Condon

NR · Dra

SUPERINTELLIGENCE

Fri, 12/25/19 WIDE

C Melissa McCarthy,

Bobby Cannavale

D Ben Falcone

NR · Act/Com

JUST MERCY

Fri, 1/17/19 WIDE

C Brie Larson, Michael B. Jordan

D Destin Daniel Cretton

NR · Dra

DOCTOR SLEEP

Fri, 1/24/19 WIDE

C Ewan McGregor,

Rebecca Ferguson

D Mike Flanagan

NR · Hor

UNTITLED BIRDS OF PREY

PROJECT

Fri, 2/7/20 WIDE

C Margot Robbie,

Mary Elizabeth Winstead

D Cathy Yan

NR · Act/Adv

UNTITLED DC FILM

Fri, 4/3/20 WIDE

NR · Act/Adv/SF

SCOOBY-DOO ANIMATED

FEATURE

Fri, 5/15/20 WIDE

NR · Com

GODZILLA VS KONG

Fri, 5/31/20 WIDE

NR · SF/Act

OUR SPONSORS

20TH CENTURY FOX 15

ARTS ALLIANCE MEDIA

INSIDE FRONT

BARCO/CINIONIC 11

CARDINAL SOUND 96

CHRISTIE 2, 3

DOLPHIN SEATING 26

ENCORE BY PALLISER

BACK COVER

ENPAR AUDIO 65

HARKNESS SCREENS 23

IRWIN SEATING 17

LIGHTSPEED/DEPTHQ 96

MOVING IMAGE TECHNOLOGY 9

MOC INSURANCE SERVICES 5

MYCINEMA 21

QSC 13

READY THEATER SYSTEMS 67

RETRIEVER SYSTEMS 69

SCREENVISION MEDIA 1

SENSIBLE CINEMA 96

SONIC EQUIPMENT 19

SPOTLIGHT CINEMA NETWORK 31

TELESCOPIC SEATING SYSTEMS

INSIDE BACK

VIP CINEMA SEATING 7

WHITE CASTLE 59


MARKETPLACE

Passive Polarization

for 3D Digital Cinema

Fast, Bright, Reliable...

Quality you can Trust.

Over 2,500

locations worldwide.

Patented in the US, EU, CAN & CHINA

www.depthq3d.com

HELP WANTED

SENIOR LEVEL CHANNEL ACCOUNT

MANAGER wanted by NEC Display Solutions

for expanding Digital Cinema group.

Seeking minimum 8 years’ experience within

hi-tech, cinema or Pro A/V industry to

drive strategic growth. Field-based, travel

throughout US & Canada required. Apply:

www.necdisplay.com/careers

FOR SALE

VINTAGE TWO-SCREEN MOVIE THEATER,

484 seats with the iconic marquee characteristic

of old movie theaters with updated

digital technology, 2k and 7.1 sound system.

Excellent opportunity for exhibitors

to invest in Puerto Rico in an iconic classic

movie theater. Serious inquiries only. For a

Powerpoint presentation and equipment

list, email to cecilesola46@gmail.com or

call 787-398-0912.

HISTORIC CENTRAL ILLINOIS, 5-SCREEN

MOVIE THEATER. Many upgrades including

digital projection and new seats. Free

municipal and theater-owned parking.

Serious inquires contact Peter (217) 652-

9700.

USED DIGITAL PROJECTORS AND

SOUND EQUIPMENT. 3 Solaria One Plus

projectors with NAS and projector base. 14

JBL stage speakers, 12 JBL surround speakers.

Processors and monitors. Contact:

boothmw@chakerestheatres.com or call

Mark at (937) 323-6447.

USED DIGITAL PROJECTORS, Five complete

booths including sound equipment.

Three years old. Contact seller at moviescope1000@gmail.com.

BISTRO CHAIRS FOR SALE: (392) Red vinyl

and (328) gray vinyl seven year old Seating

Concepts Palermo style in-theatre bistro

chairs to be available in early Spring 2018.

All chairs equipped with tray tables. Some

of the seats will require covers/repairs.

Please contact mhooker@aztcorporation.

comor 972-428-2943 for more information.

TWO BRAND NEW 3000 watts Christie Xenon

lamps for 35mm projectors. Contact:

Atul Desai 949-291-5700.

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.

18 SETS OF USED 35MM AUTOMATED

PROJECTION SYSTEM (comes with Projector,

Console, Automation Unit and Platter)

comprising of 10 sets of Christie and 8 sets

of Strong 35mm system available on ‘as is

where is’ basis in Singapore. Contact seller

at engthye_lim@cathay.com.sg

APPROXIMATELY 2,000 SEATS FOR SALE.

MOBILIARIO high-back rockers with cup

holders. Located in Connecticut. Contact

(203)758-2148.

6 PLEX EQUIPMENT PACKAGE. Six complete

booths digital projectors/sound, 72

speakers, seats, screens/frames, concession

equipment, computers, led signs/marquees,

safe/misc equipment. Serious inquiries

only. For equipment list email contact@digitalequipmenttechnologies.com

or call 801-548-0108 or fax 801-281-0482.

HELP WANTED

TRI STATE THEATRE SUPPLY in Memphis,

TN has openings for experienced Digital

Cinema Techs nationwide. Please send

your resume to include qualifications, certifications

and salary requirements to fred@

tristatetheatre.com

THEATRE MANAGEMENT POSITIONS

AVAILABLE Pacific Northwest Theatre

Company. Previous management experience

required. Work weekends, evenings

and holidays. Send resume and salary history

to movietheatrejobs@gmail.com

POSITIONS AVAILABLE

The three-screen Stavros Niarchos Foundation

Parkway Film Center in Baltimore

is seeking an OPERATIONS DIRECTOR to

oversee all aspects of running the theater

and concessions. The Film Center, a partnership

among the Maryland Film Festival,

Johns Hopkins University and MICA will

open in spring of 2017 and offer a broad

range of the world’s best art-house, independent,

documentary, and classic cinema.

The full job description and application

instructions are found at mdfilmfest.com/

about-the-festival/jobs.php.


Boxoffice - January 2019

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