Boxoffice January 2019

$6.95
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
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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.
This is the first issue in which you’ll see
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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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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.”
6 BOXOFFICE ® JANUARY 2019

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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
8 BOXOFFICE ® JANUARY 2019

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.
10 BOXOFFICE ® JANUARY 2019

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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.
12 BOXOFFICE ® JANUARY 2019

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.
14 BOXOFFICE ® JANUARY 2019

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.
16 BOXOFFICE ® JANUARY 2019

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.”
18 BOXOFFICE ® JANUARY 2019

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.
20 BOXOFFICE ® JANUARY 2019

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.
22 BOXOFFICE ® JANUARY 2019

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
JANUARY 2019 BOXOFFICE ® 23

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
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13
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.
24 BOXOFFICE ® JANUARY 2019

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.
VARIETY – THE CHILDREN’S CHARITY OF
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.
VARIETY – THE CHILDREN’S CHARITY OF
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6
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.”
VARIETY – THE CHILDREN’S CHARITY OF
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.
JANUARY 2019 BOXOFFICE ® 25

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
JANUARY 2019 BOXOFFICE ® 27

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,
28 BOXOFFICE ® JANUARY 2019

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
JANUARY 2019 BOXOFFICE ® 29

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-
30 BOXOFFICE ® JANUARY 2019

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
32 BOXOFFICE ® JANUARY 2019

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
JANUARY 2019 BOXOFFICE ® 33

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-
34 BOXOFFICE ® JANUARY 2019

DENNIS DOROS AND AMY HELLER
JANUARY 2019 BOXOFFICE ® 35

ART HOUSE CONVERGENCE 2019
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
36 BOXOFFICE ® JANUARY 2019

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)
JANUARY 2019 BOXOFFICE ® 37

ART HOUSE CONVERGENCE 2019
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
38 BOXOFFICE ® JANUARY 2019

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
JANUARY 2019 BOXOFFICE ® 39

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
40 BOXOFFICE ® JANUARY 2019

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.
JANUARY 2019 BOXOFFICE ® 41

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-
42 BOXOFFICE ® JANUARY 2019

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
JANUARY 2019 BOXOFFICE ® 43

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
44 BOXOFFICE ® JANUARY 2019

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
JANUARY 2019 BOXOFFICE ® 45

THE THEATRICAL EXPERIENCE
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.
46 BOXOFFICE ® JANUARY 2019

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
JANUARY 2019 BOXOFFICE ® 47

THE THEATRICAL EXPERIENCE
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
48 BOXOFFICE ® JANUARY 2019

JANUARY 2019 BOXOFFICE ® 49

THE THEATRICAL EXPERIENCE
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
50 BOXOFFICE ® JANUARY 2019

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.
JANUARY 2019 BOXOFFICE ® 51

THE THEATRICAL EXPERIENCE
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
52 BOXOFFICE ® JANUARY 2019

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.
JANUARY 2019 BOXOFFICE ® 53

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.
54 BOXOFFICE ® JANUARY 2019

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.
JANUARY 2019 BOXOFFICE ® 55

CONVENTION PREVIEW
56 BOXOFFICE ® JANUARY 2019

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
JANUARY 2019 BOXOFFICE ® 57

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
58 BOXOFFICE ® JANUARY 2019

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
JANUARY 2019 BOXOFFICE ® 59

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
60 BOXOFFICE ® JANUARY 2019

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.
JANUARY 2019 BOXOFFICE ® 61

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
62 BOXOFFICE ® JANUARY 2019

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.
JANUARY 2019 BOXOFFICE ® 63

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)
64 BOXOFFICE ® JANUARY 2019

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
JANUARY 2019 BOXOFFICE ® 65

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
66 BOXOFFICE ® JANUARY 2019

’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
JANUARY 2019 BOXOFFICE ® 67

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
68 BOXOFFICE ® JANUARY 2019

$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
JANUARY 2019 BOXOFFICE ® 69

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.
70 BOXOFFICE ® JANUARY 2019

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
JANUARY 2019 BOXOFFICE ® 71

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?
72 BOXOFFICE ® JANUARY 2019

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
JANUARY 2019 BOXOFFICE ® 73

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
74 BOXOFFICE ® JANUARY 2019

PHOTO COURTESY OF YMAGIS/ECLAIR
JANUARY 2019 BOXOFFICE ® 75

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-
76 BOXOFFICE ® JANUARY 2019

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
JANUARY 2019 BOXOFFICE ® 77

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
78 BOXOFFICE ® JANUARY 2019

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
JANUARY 2019 BOXOFFICE ® 79

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
80 BOXOFFICE ® JANUARY 2019

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.
JANUARY 2019 BOXOFFICE ® 81

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.
82 BOXOFFICE ® JANUARY 2019

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.
JANUARY 2019 BOXOFFICE ® 83

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.
84 BOXOFFICE ® JANUARY 2019

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
JANUARY 2019 BOXOFFICE ® 85

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.
86 BOXOFFICE ® JANUARY 2019

JANUARY 2019 BOXOFFICE ® 87

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
88 BOXOFFICE ® JANUARY 2019

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
JANUARY 2019 BOXOFFICE ® 89

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
90 BOXOFFICE ® JANUARY 2019

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
JANUARY 2019 BOXOFFICE ® 91

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
92 BOXOFFICE ® JANUARY 2019

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
JANUARY 2019 BOXOFFICE ® 93

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
94 BOXOFFICE ® JANUARY 2019

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
JANUARY 2019 BOXOFFICE ® 95

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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.
96 BOXOFFICE ® JANUARY 2019