Film Journal March 2018

Film Journal International Exhibition Guide Vol. 121, No. 3 / March 2018
A Film Expo Group Publication
This Issue:
An FJI Special Report
on Ticketing and POS
pgs. 36-47
NICK PARK GOES PALEO, pg. 16
INTERNATIONAL
March 2018
EXHIBITION GUIDE
PGS. 48-57
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From the Editor’s Desk
In Focus
Learning About Young Moviegoers
Ticketing Evolution
Recently, the International Cinema Technology
Association held a business session in Los Angeles as part
of their annual program, the L.A. Seminar Series, at the
Universal Hilton Hotel. The program usually attracts 200
to 250 attendees and is geared primarily to the technology
community of the motion picture industry. However, in the
past five years the programming has broadened its focus and
is now attracting film studios and theatrical exhibition.
One program that attracted attention and was favorably
received was a panel of students including a high-school
senior, film students and a 16-year-old student from Europe.
Most of the panel members were between 16 and 23 and
their comments were intriguing. Bear in mind that some of
the findings below are skewed, because each panelist enjoys
going to the movies and has little income and few spare
dollars for entertainment.
▶ Social media is most important in picking out a movie
to attend. Trailers are second, followed by YouTube and peer
recommendations.
▶ The quality of the cinema is important, depending on
the ticket cost. One individual said she would rather see a $5
movie in a plastic chair than a $15 movie in a luxury recliner.
▶ Food service is not important, but the theatre does
serve as a meeting place to network with friends.
▶ Tickets must be affordable for them to consider going
to the movies.
▶ Surprisingly, this group was not in favor of reserved
seating. They indicated that finding a seat is part of the film
experience.
▶ Most were not big fans of the pre-show and definitely
liked seeing trailers better.
▶ The panelists like going to the movies with friends
and are not fans of going alone.
▶ Price is most important for tickets and concessions.
▶ As a group, they thought MoviePass is the best deal
ever.
▶ 3D doesn’t make a difference, but all loved the 3D
in Avatar.
▶ This group was not interested in theatre service. They
just want to see the movie.
▶ All but one watches pirated movies but said they
would not do so if movies were cheaper.
▶ Several subscribe to Netflix but indicated that if they
could not find the movie, they would pirate it.
The session was eye-opening. But it would have been
even more productive if a few different age groups had been
represented, along with at least one person who does not go
the movies.
The traditional movie theatre box office hasn’t gone away,
but in recent years the industry has seen more and more alternatives
to longstanding face-to-face ticket sales. The ubiquity
of smartphones, the lure of the web, and the public’s comfort
with online transactions have all been factors in the growth of
Internet and mobile movie-ticket purchases. Still, online ticketing
accounts for only 25 percent of overall movie-ticket buys in
North America, compared to a massive 80 percent in China.
But the percentage is growing each year, spurred most
of all by the rise of luxury recliner seating in cinemas and the
public’s urge to reserve those extra-comfy and roomy chairs.
As Joel Davis, VP and chief operating officer at Premiere Cinema
Corp., explains in our FJI exhibitor survey in this issue,
“Patrons are quickly accepting the reserved model due to the
wide acceptance of recliners. It’s the law of supply versus demand,
due to the loss in chair inventory. It created a greater
occupancy and a higher revenue stream for advance tickets
that did not exist before.” Davis reports that since Premiere
converted to recliner seating, his advanced reserved-seating
sales have at least doubled.
No doubt about it, the movie-ticket landscape is changing.
Fandango recently acquired MovieTickets.com, expanding its
reach to all 40,000 screens across the U.S. Today’s Fandango
is much more than just a ticketing platform; it’s also a source
for information and trailers to encourage “movie discovery,”
in the company’s words. Fandango has also integrated its
ticketing into Apple’s Messages and Facebook’s Messenger
platforms, making group outings easier to coordinate. That
kind of social-media planning is also the raison d’être of Atom
Tickets, a growing app that streamlines the process of planning
a night out at the movies with friends.
Dynamic pricing is another hot trend. In this issue, Andreas
Fuchs talks with Claas Eimer, commercial director of German
circuit UCI Kinowelt, which recently announced it is deploying
Smart Pricer’s airfare-style pricing software in all 23 of its locations
(totaling 203 screens). Leading U.S. circuit Regal Entertainment
Group is also exploring the concept. And just before press
time, Missouri-based circuit B&B Theatres announced a new arrangement
with Dealflicks under which a varied amount of ticket
and concession deals will be available for movies on certain days.
Availability and prices will differ depending on time of day, day of
week, seat availability and other factors.
And let’s not forget the boldest experiment of all: Movie-
Pass, which just lowered its monthly fee from $9.95 to $7.95, if
paid as a yearly subscription bundled with the Fandor streaming
service. Some theatre circuits are embracing the scheme,
which gives the public unlimited access to movies, and others
like AMC Theatres are fighting it. Whatever the ultimate outcome,
this is no longer your parents’ ticketing world.
MARCH 2018 / FILMJOURNAL.COM 3
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MARCH 2018 / VOL. 121, NO.3
PUBLISHING SINCE 1934
A Film Expo Group Publication
Olivia Cooke and Anya Taylor-Joy
in Thoroughbreds; Eddie Redmayne
(voice of Dug) and Maisie Williams
(voice of Goona) on the set of
Early Man, with director Nick Park;
and Nick Robinson in Love, Simon.
Photos: Claire Folger © 2018 Focus Features / Chris Johnson © 2017 Studiocanal
S.A.S and The British Film Institute / Ben Rothstein © Twentieth Century Fox
FEATURES
Simon Says, Come on Out.. . . . . . . . . 16
Simon is in love, but it’s complicated…
a coming-of-age and coming-out rom-com.
From Russia, with Laughs .. . . . . . . . 18
Satirist Armando Iannucci assembles
stellar ensemble for new political spoof.
Young Bloods.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Teenage girls have murder on their minds
in indie thriller Thoroughbreds.
Cavemation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Nick Park goes paleo with new
animated comedy, Early Man.
A New Vision.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Bud Mayo maintains oversight
of rising theatre circuit.
Kodak Moments .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Eastman Museum’s Dryden Theatre
is about more than just showing movies.
DEPARTMENTS
In Focus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Reel News in Review .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Trade Talk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Film Company News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Concessions: Trends .. . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Concessions: People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Ask the Audience.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
European Update.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Russia in Review.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Asia/Pacific Roundabout. . . . . . . . . . 72
fji examines trends and innovations in ticketing and POS, pgs. 36-47
Dermot Crowley as Kaganovich, Paul Whitehouse as Mikoyan, Steve Buscemi as Khrushchev,
Jeffrey Tambor as Malenkov, and Paul Chahidi as Bulganin in The Death of Stalin.
Exhibition Guide, pgs. 48-57
Nicola Dove / Courtesy of IFC Films. An IFC Films release.
REVIEWS
Annihilation.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Black Panther. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
The Death of Stalin.. . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Early Man.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
The 15:17 to Paris.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Fifty Shades Freed. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Ismael’s Ghosts.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Nostalgia.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
The Party. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Peter Rabbit .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Submission.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
The Young Karl Marx.. . . . . . . . . . . 64
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REEL
NEWS
IN REVIEW
Lawsuit Filed Against
Weinstein Company
The office of New York State Attorney
General Eric Schneiderman has filed a lawsuit
against The Weinstein Co., alleging that
company leadership enabled a “years-long
gender-based hostile work environment, a
pattern of quid-pro-quo sexual harassment,
and routine misuse of corporate resources
for unlawful ends.” In particular, wrote
Schneiderman in a statement, the company
failed to protect employees from “pervasive
sexual harassment, intimidation and
discrimination” at the hands of co-chairman
Harvey Weinstein. The lawsuit calls for penalties
of between $500 and $250,000 to be
paid per violation to the state of New York,
plus damages paid to victims and a voiding
of any NDAs that would prohibit women
from speaking out. TWC’s planned sale to
an investor group is now on hold.
Comcast May Bid
for 20th Century Fox
Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox,
reported on in FJI’s January issue, isn’t a sure
thing yet. According to the rumor mill, Comcast
may make a new offer of their own. The
conglomerate made a bid for Fox last year,
only to be turned down in favor of Disney
due to anti-trust concerns. Reports now
indicate that Comcast may wait to see how
the AT&T-Time Warner antitrust trial shakes
out—it’s slated to begin on March 19—before
potentially making another offer.
Screen Gems
Chief Steps Down
Twenty-eight-year Sony executive Clint
Culpepper has stepped down as the head
of genre-oriented division Screen Gems.
Since being kicked into gear by Culpepper in
1998, Screen Gems has enjoyed successes
with The Exorcism of Emily Rose and the
Underworld and Resident Evil franchises. In
the last several years, however, the label’s
success rate has been shaky; Proud Mary, for
one, failed to crack the $10 million mark
earlier this year. Culpepper was replaced
by Steve Bersch, head of Sony Pictures
Worldwide Acquisitions.
MoviePass Lowers
Prices Again
Last year, MoviePass made news
when it lowered its price to $10 a
month, offering subscribers the chance
to see one movie a day for what in
some markets is less than the price of
one movie ticket. Now they’ve dropped
their monthly price again, this time to
$7.95 with a one-year subscription, with
free access to streaming service Fandor
sweetening the deal. According to Movie-
Pass’ figures, the company is responsible
for five percent of all movie tickets sold
in the United States; though moviegoers
pay MoviePass a flat monthly fee, in most
cases MoviePass pays the entire price of
the ticket to theatres.
Vue Intl. to Expand
Into Saudi Arabia
Two months after Saudi Arabia announced
that it would end its decadeslong
ban on movie theatres, Vue International
has leapt into the new market
with plans for 30 cinemas there. Said Vue
founder Tim Richards, “This is a huge
moment in the history of global cinema
development for the exhibition industry
and we are honored to be partnering
with such a well-regarded and prestigious
operator [real estate group Abdulmohsin
Al Hokair Holding]. We are delighted
to have been chosen to lead in the development
of world-class cinemas and the
big-screen experience in Saudi Arabia.”
Mark Gordon Joins
Entertainment One
Longtime producer Mark Gordon
has joined Entertainment One as their
president and chief content officer for
film, television and digital. Entertainment
One acquired 51 percent of The Mark
Gordon Company in 2015; since then,
the companies have partnered on Murder
on the Orient Express, Molly’s Game and
the upcoming The Nutcracker and the Four
Realms, among other projects. Gordon
will serve alongside Steve Bertram, appointed
president, film, television, and
digital.
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825 Eighth Ave., 29th Floor
New York, NY 10019
Tele: (212) 493-4097
Publisher/Editor
Robert Sunshine
President, Film Expo Group
Andrew Sunshine
Executive Editor
Kevin Lally
Associate Editor
Rebecca Pahle
Art Director
Rex Roberts
Senior Account Executive,
Advertising & Sponsorships
Robin Klamfoth
Exhibition/Business Editor
Andreas Fuchs
Concessions Editor
Larry Etter
Far East Bureau
Thomas Schmid
CEO, Film Expo Group
Theo Kingma
FJI ONLINE
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for breaking industry news,
FJI’s Screener blog and reviews
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for updates on our latest content
Film Journal International © 2018 by Film
Expo Group, LLC. No part of this publication
may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval
system, or transmitted, in any form or by any
means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise, without prior written
permission of the publisher.
6 FILMJOURNAL.COM / MARCH 2018
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TRADE TALK
CINÉPOLIS’ RAMÍREZ
EARNS MARQUEE AWARD
The National Association
of Theatre Owners (NATO)
will honor Alejandro Ramírez
Magaña, chief executive officer
of Cinépolis, with the
2018 NATO Marquee Award
on April 24 during CinemaCon
at Caesars Palace in
Las Vegas. Ramírez is being
singled out by NATO for his
dedication and service to
the motion picture theatre
industry.
“As our industry becomes
increasingly global, it
is appropriate that our most
significant award goes to a
truly global exhibitor,” noted
John Fithian, president and
CEO of NATO. “With operations
across four different
continents, Cinépolis brings
moviegoing magic to millions
of guests. On a personal
level, with his commitment as
chairman of the Global Cinema
Federation, Alejandro has
become the leader of a united
global industry.”
Cinépolis is one of the
largest film exhibition companies
in the world, with
operations in Mexico, Brazil,
Spain, India, the United States,
Colombia, Chile, Argentina,
Peru, Guatemala, Honduras,
El Salvador, Costa Rica and
Panamá. The circuit operates
more than 647 theatres (5,313
screens) globally, employing
more than 37,000 people.
BRIAN BIEHN CHOSEN
FOR BERT NATHAN AWARD
The National Association
of Concessionaires (NAC)
announced that Brian Biehn,
executive VP at FUNacho/
Pretzel Haus Bakery, has
been selected as the 2018
Bert Nathan Memorial Award
Honoree.
The Bert Nathan Memorial
Award is given by NAC
each year to an individual
to recognize leadership and
significant accomplishment
in the theatre concessions
industry. The award honors
the late Bert Nathan, a past
president of the Association.
Biehn will be presented the
award during CinemaCon at
the NAC Bert Nathan Reception
scheduled for April 23 at
3:30 p.m. at Caesars Palace in
the Salerno Room.
Biehn became a regional
VP of the North Central
Region in 2005 and served in
that capacity until 2015. He
was named chair of the RVP
Committee in 2011. From
there, Biehn moved to the
NAC Education Committee
and eventually became chair
of that group in 2016. He was
named an at-large member of
the NAC Board of Directors
in 2014 and serves to this day.
Biehn began his
professional career with
General Foods as a sales
representative. He moved to
cinema foodservice in 1994
at ConAgra Brands, selling
Vogel Popcorn and managing
the introduction of Orville
Redenbacher. In 2004, he
joined the team at FUNacho.
BARCO IS CINEEUROPE
TECHNOLOGY PARTNER
Barco, a global leader
in cinema technology, has
partnered with the Film Expo
Group to become the Official
Projection Technology
Partner at CineEurope.
All projection equipment
in the CCIB Auditorium
in Barcelona, Spain will be
supplied by Barco, including
the laser projectors for all
studio product presentations
and screenings during the
June event.
“Having the opportunity
to partner with a technology
giant like Barco at CineEurope
is very exciting for us.
We are confident this continued
partnership will help
the development of cinematic
technologies expand throughout
the region,” said Andrew
Sunshine, president of The
Film Expo Group.
Barco has outfitted more
than 100 all-laser multiplexes
globally and recently created
a strategic partnership with
leading global cinema innovators
to transform cinema.
DANA MOUTIS CHAIRS
WOMEN IN CINEMA PANEL
Celluloid Junkie, leading
online resource dedicated
to the global film and cinema
business, named Dana Moutis
the chair of the selection
and awards committee of
its 2018 “Top Women in
Global Cinema.” The list of
the 50 most influential female
leaders in the global cinema
industry will be published
by Celluloid Junkie on
International Women’s Day
on March 8.
Joining Moutis are Joelle
Soliman and Jan Runge, as
well as CJ’s editorial staff,
with the list to be published
in partnership with Film
Journal International in mid-
April with more in-depth
coverage.
The annual list was
launched two years ago
to highlight the major role
played by female leaders
in large and small cinema
operations around the world
in an industry that still suffers
from significant gender
imbalance in senior roles.
Moutis is the
communications and
operations manager of
Film Expo Group, which
produces three important
global cinema trade shows,
CineEurope, ShowEast
and CineAsia. Soliman
is the programming and
operations manager for
Film Expo Group. Runge
is an independent advisor
to companies in the
cinema industry as well as
European representative of
the International Cinema
Technology Association.
“I am excited to help
shine a light on the work
of inspiring female industry
leaders who are working to
transform the cinema business,”
said Moutis. “Statistics
show that the cinema industry
is a female-driven business
from a consumer perspective
and it is important that the
highest levels of the industry
represent that data. As we
celebrate the top women
in the industry, it is also imperative
that gender equality
becomes normalized at every
level within the industry.”
Nominations for women
to be included can be sent
to women@celluloidjunkie.
com stating the person’s
name, title, company and a
motivation for her inclusion.
VISTA GROUP NAMES
KIMBAL RILEY CEO
Vista Group International
announced that Kimbal Riley
will take over as Group CEO
from Murray Holdaway.
Holdaway will take up the
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position of chief product
officer for Vista Group, and
will continue in his role as
an executive director on
the Vista Group board. The
change is part of a succession
planning process.
Riley joined Vista Group
four years ago, with the past
two years as CEO of Vista
Entertainment Solutions
(VES), which is responsible
for the largest proportion
of the Group’s revenue.
Under his leadership, VES
has grown its global footprint
by an additional 20 markets,
extending its reach to more
than 80 countries.
CINEMACON TO SALUTE
FOX’S KURT RIEDER
Kurt Rieder, executive
VP, Asia-Pacific, at Twentieth
Century Fox International,
will receive this year’s
CinemaCon “Passepartout
Award,” presented annually
to an industry executive who
demonstrates dedication
and commitment to the
international marketplace.
Rieder will be presented with
the honor at CinemaCon’s
International Day Luncheon
on April 23 in Las Vegas.
Based in Singapore,
Rieder joined Fox last June.
He most recently served
as CEO of Mars Cinema
Group, the leading exhibitor
in Turkey. Supported
by a 1,600-person team
controlling over 750 screens
in 32 provinces, he helped his
investors sell Mars to CGV
in 2016.
In 2003, Rieder joined
United International Pictures
as a VP, rising to senior VP.
In 2009, he was named
managing director of Artisan
Gateway, Asia’s leading filmconsulting
firm. He served
as CEO of leading cinema
circuit Golden Village starting
in 2011 before joining Mars
in 2013.
LOREN NIELSEN
JOINS XPERI CORP.
H. Loren Nielsen joined
Xperi Corporation as VP,
content relations and strategy.
Nielsen will serve as
the studio liaison for DTS:X
object-based immersive sound
technology from DTS, a wholly
owned subsidiary of Xperi.
Nielsen will lead the effort,
in collaboration with
content owners, to identify
movie titles that would benefit
from a release in DTS:X
format. She will also engage
with content creators to
develop a comprehensive approach
to their workflow and
distribution needs utilizing
DTS technologies and tools.
Nielsen was cofounder
and president of
Entertainment Technology
Consultants (ETC).
ECA CELEBRATES
BOX-OFFICE EARNERS
The Event Cinema
Association’s fifth-annual
conference was held in
London on Feb. 7 at the Vue
West End in Leicester Square,
capped by the ECA Box
Office Awards.
“The criteria are
simple,” said Melissa Cogavin,
managing director of the
ECA. “Box Office Awards
are open to ECA distributor
members. 100,000 admissions
wins a bronze medal, 250,000
admissions is a silver award
and 500,000 admissions is a
gold award.”
The winners this year
demonstrate the true
international nature of the
event cinema industry, with
medals going to distributors
Exhibition on Screen and
the Royal Opera House in
the U.K., Nexo from Italy,
Pathé Live from France,
Piece of Magic Entertainment
from the Netherlands, and
a multitude of awards to
Fathom Events in the USA,
including the gold award for
Pokémon The Movie—I Choose
You! U.K. newcomer Trafalgar
Releasing earned a silver
award for “Dave Gilmour
Live in Pompeii,” a music
concert attended by nearly
400,000 fans in cinemas
worldwide. A silver award
also went to Piece of Magic
Entertainment’s “Andre Rieu
Maastricht Concert 2017.”
SCREENVISION SELECTS
HEGARTY ACE JURORS
Screenvision Media
announced the seven
jurors for the Hegarty ACE
(Advertising in Cinema
Excellence) Awards. The
awards celebrate the most
creative campaigns running
in cinema, and will consider
advertisements or content
that launched through
Screenvision Media’s “Front +
Center” cinema program.
The panel of jurors will
be led by Sir John Hegarty,
creative chair in residence
at Screenvision Media,
and will consist of Colleen
DeCourcy, chief creative
officer at Wieden+Kennedy;
Corinna Falusi, CCO and
partner at Mother; David
Droga, creative chairman and
founder at Droga5; David
Lubars, chairman and chief
creative officer at BBDO; and
Scott Donaton, chief content
officer at Digitas.
The grand winner will be
awarded the Hegarty ACE
Award, along with $1 million
in media consideration in
Screenvision Media’s “Front +
Center” cinema program, for
any pro-bono or charitable
causes for June 2018 to June
2019. The winner will be
announced in Cannes in June
2018.
ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE
NAMES COHEN CHAIR
Charles S. Cohen,
president and chief executive
of the Cohen Brothers
Realty Corporation, Cohen
Media Group and Cohen Film
Collection, has been named
the new chairman of the
board of New York’s French
Institute Alliance Française
(FIAF). Cohen’s appointment
follows the unexpected death
in December of Robert G.
Wilmers, chairman of FIAF’s
board since 2011.
A prominent real estate
developer and owner, Cohen,
through Cohen Media Group,
has bought and restored
several historic cinemas,
including the Quad Cinema
in Greenwich Village and
the Larchmont Playhouse in
Westchester County. Most
recently, he acquired and will
restore the famed La Pagode
cinema located in the seventh
arrondissement in Paris.
Cohen is the largest
distributor of French films
in North America, and has
produced several acclaimed
French films, including the
Oscar-nominated documentary
Faces Places by Agnès
Varda and the artist J.R.
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FILM CO. NEWS
ANNAPURNA
Call Me By Your Name’s
Armie Hammer signed on to
star in an untitled thriller from
Under the Shadow director
Babak Anvari. Annapurna
Pictures is co-producing and
will release the film, about
a bartender whose life goes
haywire in a potentially
supernatural way after he
picks up a phone left at a bar.
Annapurna has set a release
date of March 29, 2019.
IFC FILMS
In advance of its premiere
at this year’s SXSW, IFC
Midnight acquired U.S. and
Canadian theatrical rights to
horror film Wildling. First-timer
Fritz Böhm directed the film,
which co-stars Liv Tyler as a
small-town sheriff who rescues
a woman (The Diary of a Teenage
Girl’s Bel Powley) forced by
the man who raised her (Brad
Dourif) to spend her entire
life in an attic so as to avoid a
child-eating monster known
as the “Wildling.” Upon her
rescue, the woman’s visions
of her childhood boogeyman
return. IFC will release Wildling
theatrically and on VOD on
April 13.
LIONSGATE
It’s been a good five years
since Sam Raimi has directed
a feature film: Oz the Great
and Powerful, which was, er,
less than well-received. It’s
now looking like the Evil Dead
and Spider-Man director will
make his grand return to the
big screen with Lionsgate’s
The Kingkiller Chronicles, based
on the first book in Patrick
Rothfuss’ classic fantasy series.
Lionsgate plans to create a
whole media universe around
the franchise—movies, TV,
possible stage productions—
with Hamilton creator/star
Lin-Manuel Miranda serving as
creative producer.
PARAMOUNT
Eighteen years after Helen
Hunt, Mel Gibson and director
Nancy Meyers told us What
Women Want, director Adam
Shankman and Paramount are
teaming for the rom-com’s
male counterpart. Taraji P.
Henson will star in What Men
Want, about a sports agent
(Henson) who uses her sudden
ability to hear men’s thoughts
to try to land an important
NBA contract. Shankman
previously directed A Walk to
Remember, Hairspray and Rock
of Ages; additional upcoming
projects include Enchanted
sequel Disenchanted, with Amy
Adams returning. Paramount
will release What Men Want in
theatres on Jan. 11, 2019.
SONY
It’s been years now that
Sony has been trying to work
out some sort of revival for the
Men in Black franchise. Finally,
things are coming to fruition:
F. Gary Gray (Straight Outta
Compton, The Fate of the Furious)
is in negotiations with the studio
to helm an untitled MiB spinoff,
on the calendar for May 17,
2019. Written by Iron Man’s Matt
Holloway and Art Marcum, the
film will reportedly focus on
new characters, not Agents J
(Will Smith) and K (Tommy Lee
Jones).
STX ENTERTAINMENT
Production/distribution
outfit STX Entertainment,
which has had success in the
mid-budget movie market with
such films as Bad Moms, Bad
Moms Christmas, Molly’s Game
and The Bye Bye Man, is teaming
up with China’s Alibaba Pictures
for Steel Soldiers. Robert
Zemeckis is producing the film,
about a Special Forces officer
tasked with training an army
of robot soldiers for a mission
involving the rescue of their
human creator. No director
has yet been confirmed, though
Zemeckis may very well take
the job. STX will release the film
in the U.S. and internationally,
barring China, which falls under
Alibaba’s umbrella.
20TH CENTURY FOX
The Deadpool team—
producer/star Ryan Reynolds
and writers/executive
producers Rhett Reese and Paul
Wernick—signed a three-year
first-look deal that will see the
trio continue to partner with
Deadpool studio 20th Century
Fox. First up under the deal is a
movie based on the board game
Clue, previously adapted into a
1985 cult classic comedy starring
Tim Curry and the late Madeline
Kahn. Rhett and Wernick
will write, with Reynolds coproducing
through his Maximum
Effort shingle.
UNIVERSAL
Selena Gomez has joined
the star-studded cast of Stephen
Gaghan’s (Traffic) Voyage of
Doctor Dolittle, based on Hugh
Lofting’s 1920s book series
about a doctor who can talk
to animals. Robert Downey,
Jr., taking a break from the
superhero beat, will star as
Dolittle, while Gomez, Tom
Holland, Emma Thompson and
Ralph Fiennes will voice various
members of his menagerie.
Michael Sheen and Antonio
Banderas have live-action roles.
Universal has set a release date
of April 12, 2019.
Michelle MacLaren, Emmynominated
for her directing
work on “Breaking Bad,” has
been tapped by Universal to
helm Cowboy Ninja Viking, out
in theatres on June 28, 2019.
In development at the studio
since 2014, the action comedy
is based on a graphic novel
about a government supersoldier
(Chris Pratt) with
three personalities: cowboy,
ninja and…well, you know.
Craig Mazin (Identity Thief, The
Hangover II and III) wrote the
most recent draft of the script.
WARNER BROS.
Warner Animation Group
inked a deal with Dr. Seuss
Enterprises that will see the
animation outfit produce a
series of adaptations of the
works of Dr. Seuss. First in line
is an adaptation of The Cat in
the Hat, previously adapted in a
live-action version by Universal,
with Mike Myers playing the
eponymous feline troublemaker.
Universal currently has an
animated version of Seuss’ The
Grinch Who Stole Christmas in the
works.
INDEPENDENT
Octavia Spencer is going
the horror route with her The
Help director Tate Taylor. The
pair will collaborate—Taylor
directing, Spencer starring—on
Ma for Blumhouse Productions,
which recently scored a bevy
of Oscar nominations for
Get Out. Specifics of the film
and Spencer’s role are being
kept under wraps, though we
do know it’s a horror film/
psychological thriller co-starring
Juliette Lewis and Luke Evans
and will shoot in Mississippi.
SUNDANCE
ACQUISITIONS
Bleecker Street acquired
North American rights to
Leave No Trace, director Debra
Granik’s first narrative feature
since she ushered Jennifer
Lawrence to superstardom
(and an Oscar nomination) with
2010’s Winter’s Bone. Ben Foster
stars in the Sundance-premiering
film, playing a father whose
desire to live “off the grid” with
his young daughter sends them
both on a journey through the
American wilderness.
In addition to Leave No
Trace, Bleecker Street (together
with 30WEST) got their hands
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on Colette, a period drama
starring Keira Knightley. Wash
Westmoreland directed the
film, which tells the true story
of the French novelist who
battled with her husband
(Dominic West) over credit
for her work. Westmoreland,
Rebecca Lenkiewicz (Ida) and
Richard Glatzer (who co-wrote
and-directed Still Alice with
Westmoreland) penned the
script.
New distributor Neon,
which has had success on this
year’s awards season circuit
with I, Tonya, got their hands
on a trio of films out of this
year’s Sundance. The first
of those is writer-director
Reinaldo Marcus Green’s
Monsters and Men, which tells
the story of the police shooting
of an unarmed black man from
three different perspectives.
Anthony Ramos and Jasmine
Cephas Jones (both of Broadway
sensation Hamilton), John
David Washington (“Ballers”),
Kelvin Harrison, Jr. (It Comes
at Night), newcomer Chanté
Adams, Nicole Beharie
(“Sleepy Hollow”), Cara Buono
(“Stranger Things”) and Rob
Morgan (Mudbound) co-star.
Next up for Neon is
writer-director Sam Levinson’s
Assassination Nation, acquired
for $10 million by Neon
and new production outfit
AGBO, founded by filmmaker
brothers Joe and Anthony
Russo. Odessa Young, Suki
Waterhouse, Hari Nef and Abra
star as teenage best friends
in Salem, Massachusetts who
arm themselves and take to
the streets after their sexual
pictures and texts are leaked
online. Joel McHale, Bill
Skarsgård, Anika Noni Rose and
Bella Thorne co-star.
Finally, Neon landed North
American rights to Three
Identical Strangers, Tim Wardle’s
documentary about three
strangers who made headlines in
1980 when they discovered that
they were identical triplets who
had been separated at birth.
Following its debut at
Sundance, Lionsgate and
Roadside Attractions
acquired U.S. rights to the
romantic comedy Juliet,
Naked, directed by “Girls” and
“Divorce” helmer Jesse Peretz.
Rose Byrne stars as a woman
whose long-term boyfriend
(Chris O’Dowd) is obsessed
with an obscure rock musician
(Ethan Hawke). Writers Tamara
Jenkins, Evgenia Peretz, Phil
Alden Robinson and Jim Taylor
adapted Nick Hornby’s novel for
the screen. A summer theatrical
bow is planned.
Daveed Diggs (Broadway’s
Hamilton, Wonder) and Rafael
Casal wrote and star in Carlos
López Estrada’s Blindspotting,
about a pair of friends navigating
the streets of their gentrifying
Oakland neighborhood,
attempting to stay crime-free
for three days until Diggs’
character’s parole is up. Carlos
López Estrada directed the
buddy comedy, which had its
worldwide rights picked by
Lionsgate.
Magnolia Pictures and
Participant Media picked
up worldwide rights to RBG, a
documentary about Supreme
Court Justice Ruth Bader
Ginsburg that had its premiere
at Sundance. Directed by Julie
Cohen and Betsy West, the
film will be released theatrically
and on VOD by Participant and
Magnolia, with RBG producer
CNN Films handling U.S.
broadcast rights. Participant has
another Ginsburg film due this
year: On the Basis of Sex, starring
Felicity Jones as a young lawyer
version of the legal pioneer.
MoviePass—an appbased
service that allows
moviegoers to buy one movie
ticket per day for a flat monthly
fee—announced at Sundance
their intention to get into the
Weiss and Benioff Join Star Wars
Winter is coming to the Star Wars franchise. D.B.
Weiss and David Benioff, creators of HBO’s “Game
of Thrones,” have been tapped by Disney to write and
produce a new series of Star Wars films. This is separate
from the trilogy to be spearheaded by Rian Johnson,
who wrote and directed last year’s The Last Jedi.
Fast and Furious Eyes David Leitch
The Fast and Furious franchise keeps on racing. David
Leitch, director of John Wick (with Chad Stahelski),
Atomic Blonde and the upcoming Deadpool 2, is reportedly
in the running to direct an untitled Fast and Furious
spinoff. Universal has set a July 26, 2019 release
date for the movie, which will be a team-up film for
the established franchise characters played by Dwayne
Johnson and Jason Statham. Chris Morgan, who’s written
every Fast and Furious film since 2006’s Tokyo Drift,
is on scripting duties.
Tom Hanks Invites the Neighbors
Film’s nicest man will play TV’s nicest man in You Are My
Friend for Sony division TriStar. Tom Hanks has signed on to
don the cardigan of Mr. Rogers for the biopic, to be directed
by Diary of a Teenage Girl helmer Marielle Heller. Micah
Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster penned the script,
which centers on the friendship between Rogers and Tom
Junod, a cynical journalist who experienced a shift in his
worldview after being asked to write a feature on Rogers.
distribution business. Along with
The Orchard, the company has
acquired North American rights
to American Animals, a truecrime
heist thriller from The
Impostor director Bart Layton.
Evan Peters, Barry Keoghan,
Blake Jenner, Jared Abrahamson,
Ann Dowd and Udo Kier star.
Chloë Sevigny and Kristen
Stewart star in the period drama
Lizzie, based on the true story
of Lizzie Borden. Sevigny plays
Borden, who famously took
an axe to her parents, while
Stewart plays the Borden family
maid who—as Bryce Kass’ script
has it—was Borden’s lover.
Saban Films acquired North
American rights to the film,
which was directed by Craig
William Macneill.
It’s not Sundance without
Sony Pictures Classics.
Sony’s art-house division
picked up worldwide rights
to director Marc Turtletaub’s
Puzzle, starring Kelly Macdonald
as a suburban housewife who
develops an obsession with
jigsaw puzzles. Turtletaub,
whose credits as a producer
include Little Miss Sunshine
and Safety Not Guaranteed,
previously directed 2013’s Gods
Behaving Badly.
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CONCESSIONS
TRENDS
COOKIE CONVERGENCE
Mrs. Fields Enters
the Cinema Channel
by Larry Etter, Concessions Editor
Film Journal International always
tries to acquaint its readers
with the latest trends in the
industry. This month, we would like
to introduce Mrs. Fields, the queen of
cookies. This notable brand has been
in the retail sector for quite some
time. Now, through the efforts of Taste
of Nature, this delicious concoction of
morsels of chocolate chips and sugary batter
will now be available in mass distribution to
concessionaires across the United States.
I’ll eat one cookie, not a whole box of cookies. But
I still eat the one cookie…sometimes two, or even three. But
not the whole box.—Kate Winslet
Everyone loves cookies! While theatres have the
core segments of soda, popcorn and candy, cookies
are a universal delight when it comes to snacks while
watching movies. Not only do cookies carry a sweet
taste to the mouth, they offer the aroma of freshness and
are warm to the touch. The secret is how to create that
consistency in every cookie baked. Mrs. Fields Cookies
have made that practice a part of their success story.
As theatres grapple with ways to reinvent the
theatre experience, cookies warm and rich in flavor
could become a delectable alternative to the common
selections offered. Mrs. Fields offers those attributes.
Regarded as shelf-stable, individually wrapped for
guaranteed freshness, these can be prepared either at
room temperature or warmed to 110 degrees for that
“down home” impression.
PR Newswire first announced the partnership
between Famous Brand International, the parent
company of Mrs. Fields Cookies, and Taste of Nature,
Inc., a cinema confection broker, in a press release
dated August 28, 2017. Effective January 2018, Mrs.
Fields Cookies are now available through Taste of
Nature.
Taste of Nature takes on the responsibility for
the manufacturing, sales and distribution of Mrs.
Fields Cookies. The cookies are pre-packaged and
are available in Everyday Chocolate Chip and seasonal
varieties to all cinema circuits across the domestic
markets. Through its partnership with Taste of Nature,
Mrs. Fields is positioned to extend is growth in sales
with the addition of the exhibition channel.
Dustin Lyman, chief executive officer of Famous
Brands, states, “We are delighted to partner with
Taste of Nature in this exciting phase in our company’s
growth. We are confident this collaboration with Taste
of Nature, Inc. will help Mrs. Fields reach an expanded
retailer customer base and we look forward to working
with a proven industry leader with a 25-year track
record of success.”
So what does this mean for Taste of Nature? Scott
Samet, co-president of Taste of Nature, states that Mrs.
Fields extends the Taste of Nature
portfolio with “true diversification.”
While Taste of Nature is known for
its Cookie Dough Bites brand,
Mrs. Fields Cookies enhances the
collection within the company.
Samet adds, “This is absolutely a
terrific fit with Cookie Dough Bites.
This brand allows us to extend the
items we sell within the cinema
channel and creates more space
for us in the retail outlets. Cookie
Dough Bites lovers have been enjoying
our products for over 20 years! Creating
a baked cookie that helps tie the two together seems
like a natural fit and next step for the company.” And
combining Cookie Dough Bites and Mrs. Fields Cookies
brings more visibility to the cookie concept at the
counter point of sale.
Patrick Micalizzi, assistant VP, food and beverage, at
National Amusements/Showcase Cinemas, offers his view
on this new supplement to concession options. “The
addition of Mrs. Fields Cookies to our 1-2-3 Go Box
kids’ pack provides another great snacking option for
our young guests. We are thrilled to partner with Taste
of Nature as their first cinema concessions operator to
offer this delicious treat as part of our everyday lineup.”
Samet notes that the rollout will continue through
the year and expand to the international market as well,
since Mrs. Fields already has multiple stores abroad.
“Our initial intent is to market the cookies internally—
within the theatre lobby spaces with digital content and
P.O.S. materials,” reports Samet. “We will focus on
lobby exposure first.”
Another means of extending the marketing of the
product is through kids’ packs. Samet says that the 1-oz.
size package will be offered to complement kids’ packs
in theatres. “Hopefully, this prominence will precipitate
adult awareness that Mrs. Fields are available in the
larger sizes as well,” Samet observes.
Congratulations to Taste of Nature on bringing the
best of the best in the cookie line to cinemas.
Larry Etter is senior vice president at Malco Theatres
and director of education at the National Association
of Concessionaires.
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This month, Film Journal International recognizes Luis
Ginestra, a true foodservice professional from
Silverspot Cinemas. Luis is food and beverage director
for the growing 57-screen exhibition circuit based
in Central Florida. Currently residing in Florida, he spent
over nine years managing the food and concession operations
for Cines Unidos based in Caracas, Venezuela.
Ginestra has multiple disciplines, but he found his
passion for food and beverage while attending University
of Nueva Esparta Hotel Management School. His career
is founded on the mastery of the restaurant business.
Luis earned his Certified Concession Manager (CCM)
credentials from NAC in 1999 and was the first graduate
of NAC’s Executive Concession Manager (ECM) program.
He has orchestrated multiple CCM certification
classes in Venezuela for the Cine Unidos managers. His
management style is a result of his appreciation of the
hospitality industry. Luis Ginestra represents the next
generation of superstars in cinema foodservice.
Luis was born in Caracas and attended a French established
school at an early age. He decided to continue
his education at a college in Venezuela, where he studied
computer engineering. He soon learned that was not his
forte and developed a fervor for the hospitality industry.
“My first job at age 16 was in the first McDonald’s
opened in Venezuela. I really like the interaction I had
with the customers. I learned I could influence the experience.
I carry that attitude with me still today.” Ginestra
later received his graduate degree from University of
California, San Diego.
Luis will tell you his grandpa was a great influence on
him while growing up. But his professional life was furthered
by his mentor, Jean Paul Coupal. “Jean Paul taught
me to look at things the way the guest sees them first,
before you do anything else. Check out the lightbulbs,
the cleanliness, the table décor, floors and seats. Jean
Paul taught me the rough side of the restaurant business.”
That approach continues in his role at Silverspot:
He sees thing through the eyes of the patron first.
Luis’ first “real job” was a fortunate turn. He was
working as a tour guide to earn extra money when he
received a call from the owners of Food Arts magazine.
They were coming to Venezuela to interview and visit
Jean Paul Coupal and the Samui, an upscale Thai restaurant.
“I would take them to the beaches, the various
cities, the countryside and got to know them pretty well.
After interviewing Jean Paul, they told him about me and
introduced me to him. He hired me right then as the
PEOPLE
IN THE SILVERSPOT LIGHT
Luis Ginestra Brings Passion
for Foodservice to Growing Circuit
general manager. I had to open this new restaurant in less
than two weeks,” he chuckles. His experiences at Samui
allowed him to travel to Thailand, where he learned firsthand
the fare and the culture.
He spent the late ’90s working at the Hyatt Regency
San Francisco, where he again expanded his prowess in
food and beverage management and thrived doing what
his range of creativity allowed. His roots were fully in
hospitality. He never thought he would work in the movie
theatre business, but happenstance occurred again.
“I remember I was working for Schlotzky’s deli and
our friends from Coke mentioned to me that Cine Unidos
was looking for experienced F&B managers for their
concessions department at the corporate level. I did not
know what to expect, but I was captivated by the industry
and almost 20 years later my passion hasn’t waned.”
As for his current responsibilities at Silverspot, he
is invigorated by the opportunities to build and develop
a boutique-style cinema experience: “Not so expensive
that everyone cannot enjoy it, but an elevated experience
that will make people want to come back.” His goal is to
“keep the overall presentation of food and beverages in
line with the cool and hip images that represent Silverspot
Cinemas.” He expects to be making big changes in the
menu in 2018. The greatest opportunity lies in trying to
accommodate the culture of “Create Your Own” that appeals
to the younger generations. He intends to offer more
personalized services by incorporating techniques learned
in the hospitality industry. He explains that in-theatre dining
is similar to room service in a hotel; online ticketing is
similar to reserving a hotel room online. Now that alcohol,
craft beers and specialty drinks are available in theatres, it
mirrors lobby bars in hotels as well.
Asked about his favorite movies, Luis says, “There are
just too many great movies to choose just one.” But if he
had to, it would be the entire Star Wars series. He was
influenced tremendously by Verne Harnish’s book Mastering
the Rockefeller Habits, and he invites all his managers
to follow its three key principles: Align with corporate
values, be focused on the task, and know your numbers.
Since Luis has worked or taught in nearly every
South American country, he would like to visit Europe
and explore the French countryside where his ancestry
began. His favorite movie snack is popcorn accompanied
by a glass of wine, while watching a Tom Hanks film. His
enjoys soccer and golf. Luis and his wife Karen have three
children: Isabella, 12, Federico, 10, and Felipe, six.
—Larry Etter
CONCESSIONS
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ASK THE AUDIENCE
- A COLLABORATION BETWEEN -
Ask the Audience is a monthly feature from Film Journal International and National
CineMedia (NCM) that allows you to ask an audience of 5,000 frequent moviegoers,
known as NCM’s Behind the Screens panel, the pressing questions of our industry.
When it comes to finding showtimes
and purchasing tickets, movie audiences
have an almost overwhelming number
of options. From in-person at the box office
to clicking through the latest app, there
are countless ways for an audience member
to begin their movie experience. So which
method is most popular, and how much
competition are you facing from outside
companies? Let’s ask the audience.
First, we’ve got some good news —
47% use their local theatre’s website or
app to find showtimes and other movie
information, such as rating or run time.
That’s encouraging, and a sign that you
should continue to make your digital
presence a priority as you develop your
business, since many people will use it as a
resource if it’s available. Third-party websites
were the second most popular option for
finding showtimes and other information,
with 34% saying they rely on outside
companies. Of those sites, Fandango was
the most commonly used, followed by
IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes. Interestingly,
Millennials were 89% more likely to list
Atom Tickets or MoviePass than their
older counterparts. Finally, 12% used
a search engine such as Google to find
the information they were looking for.
When it came time to purchase their tickets,
our panelists revealed they’re still somewhat
traditional and often head to the theatre
in person. 42% purchased them at the
ticket window, and another 12% used the
self-service kiosks in the lobby. Somewhat
unsurprisingly, Millennials were more likely
than older generations to use the kiosks
(got to love that fear of human interaction!).
When asked why they would opt to purchase
in person rather than digitally, 47% of the
respondents said it was because they
wanted to avoid the online convenience
fee. 28% of the community purchased their
tickets online, and another 17% used an app.
As you’d expect, adults 44 and younger
were significantly more likely to use an
app than people older than 55. Among
those who bought the ticket digitally,
we again have good news — 57% used
their theatre’s website, and 55% of those
loyalists say it’s because it allows them to
add to or use loyalty rewards. Of those that
used a third-party site or app, Fandango was
again the most popular platform.
With so many options for researching and
purchasing, it can be difficult to stand out.
But it seems that investing in your digital
presence or partnering with a trusted vendor
who can help to grow your reach would be
worth the return, because many of the
Behind the Screens panelists opt for their
theatre’s website or app when it’s available.
Being able to participate in the audiences’
moviegoing experience all the way from
showtime look-up to rolling credits? That’s
the dream... the very achievable dream.
To submit a question, email
AskTheAudience@ncm.com with your
name, company, contact information,
and what you would like to ask the
Behind the Screens panel.
HOW CUSTOMERS
FIND SHOWTIMES
47%
THEATRE’S
WEBSITE
OR APP
1%
NEWSPAPER
2%
OTHER
34%
THIRD-PARTY
WEBSITE
OR APP
12%
4%
SEARCH
ENGINE
GOING TO
THEATRE
HOW CUSTOMERS
BUY TICKETS
IN PERSON
BOX OFFICE TICKET WINDOW
MOBILE APP
THEATRE’S/THIRD-PARTY
17%
ONLINE WEBSITE
VIA SMARTPHONE/TABLET
14%
ONLINE WEBSITE
VIA COMPUTER
14%
IN PERSON
BOX OFFICE KIOSK
12%
42%
#
1
#
2
#
3
#
4
#
5
BEST PURCHASING
EXPERIENCE
MOBILE APP
VIA THEATRE’S/THIRD-PARTY
ONLINE WEBSITE
VIA SMARTPHONE/TABLET
ONLINE WEBSITE
VIA COMPUTER
IN PERSON
BOX OFFICE
IN PERSON
BOX OFFICE KIOSK
PURCHASED AN ADVANCE TICKET TO STAR WARS:
67% THE LAST JEDI THROUGH THEIR LOCAL THEATRE
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scn-film-journal-ER-170927-final.indd 1
9/27/17 1:47 PM

Simon Says
Come on Out
Ben Rothstein © Twentieth Century Fox
Nick Robinson, Talitha Bateman,
Jennifer Garner and Josh Duhamel
star in Love, Simon.
Simon is in love, but it’ s complicated ... he doesn’t
know his anonymous object of affection, and his
classmates don’t know he’s gay by Rebecca Pahle
It may be hard to believe, but in the century-long history of film
there has never once been a teen rom-com with a gay lead released
by a major studio. All that changes on March 16, when
Love, Simon makes its way into theatres from 20th Century Fox.
Adapted by Elizabeth Berger and Isaac Aptaker from Becky
Albertalli’s best-selling young-adult novel Simon vs. the Homo
Sapiens Agenda, Love, Simon found its director in Greg Berlanti.
It’s the director’s third film, following The Broken Hearts Club:
A Romantic Comedy (2000) and Life As We Know It (2010).
Between films, Berlanti’s kept busy—though that’s perhaps too
mild a word—as a prolific producer who helped usher in a new
era of superhero TV with “Arrow” and “The Flash.” “Supergirl,”
“Black Lightning,” “Legends of Tomorrow,” “Blindspot” and
“Riverdale” have all borne the Berlanti stamp—and those are just
the shows that are still running.
Suffice it to say, Berlanti wasn’t exactly sitting at home, twiddling
his thumbs, waiting for an offer of work to come in. “For
directing, I only do it when I really know I can stand before anyone—studio
heads, press people, actors, any person—and say, ‘I’m
the person to tell this story… I have to be a part of this,’” he explains.
“I don’t know why that alarm goes off in me when it does on
certain things… For me, it’s so profound to know that this [story]
is going to be the number-one thing I think about, workwise, for
every minute from now until the second it’s on movie screens
around the country, and maybe even beyond.”
The core subject matter of Love, Simon, placed up against such
high-school rom-com classics as The Breakfast Club and Pretty in
Pink, is fairly standard: A teenage lead struggles to achieve selfacceptance
against a backdrop of potential romantic partners and
the ever-shifting sands of high-school friendships. Simon (Nick
Robinson) is obsessed with music, has a family he loves but doesn’t
always connect with, and fits into the Molly Ringwald mold of
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“cool because they don’t know they’re cool.” Love, Simon’s script,
and the book it’s based on, blends comedy, drama and romance in a
way that appealed to Berlanti, who came of age during the august
John Hughes era of teen filmmaking. “There were a lot of movies
like that growing up,” Berlanti notes. “There are fewer now.”
But there’s one major difference between Love, Simon and its
’80s predecessors: Simon just happens to be gay. He strikes up an
anonymous online correspondence with a gay classmate, nicknamed
“Blue.” Problem: Even as their friendship blossoms into
romance, Blue is too scared to tell Simon who he really is. Their relationship
makes Simon question his own decision to hide his true
self from family and friends. Or, as Berlanti puts it, “Who are you
to the world, who are you inside and how do you get those things
to align? You can’t really be happy until
you can be on the outside all the things
you are on the inside.”
For Berlanti, then, himself a gay man,
part of the appeal of Love, Simon was that
“I would have loved to have seen this film
when I was 16 years old. And I would
love to be a part of putting something
there that should be there, but for whatever
reason wasn’t.”
When Berlanti and I spoke, Love, Simon
had already checked off a handful of
screenings, garnering a generally positive
reception from audience members across
the sexuality spectrum. And, not for
nothing, the geographic spectrum as well:
A screening in California was followed
by another in “a very, very, very red state,”
where it tested “just as well, if not a little
better. People there were just as desirous
of something that was emotional and told
from the right place.”
“My own personal belief is that people
are essentially the same and just want to
watch good stories and great acting,” Berlanti argues. “[There have
been] a lot of straight people saying that [Love, Simon] still represents
their high-school experience, even though the lead happens to
be a gay character… [Simon’s narrative] is really specific to the gay
experience, but also universal in that sense of ‘What if I’m not ready
to tell the world who I am, because I don’t know who I am yet?’”
To play Simon, Berlanti had just one choice: Nick Robinson,
who “broke [his] heart in Kings of Summer,” the young actor’s 2013
breakout. A role in Jurassic World followed. “I tried to get him on
TV stuff, but I couldn’t,” Berlanti recalls. “For me, whenever I’m
trying to cast something, I usually find one person that I’m linked
up with, and I feel like, ‘Oh my gosh, this person really captures
and expresses the heart and soul of the character, and now I can’t
imagine anybody else in the part, and I’m screwed if they don’t let
me cast who I want to cast.’”
Happily, both the studio and Robinson concurred with Berlanti’s
casting decision. It was the beginning of setting the tone of
Love, Simon, a particular mix of comedy and poignancy Berlanti
argues only Robinson could have achieved. “The movie could only
be as funny as him,” the director says. “It would only be funny in
the way he’s funny, really. And it could only make you feel as much
as he could. All the colors of the film really start with the lead
actor… [Robinson’s] sense of humor never feels shticky. It always
feels believable. There’s a comfort and a warmth around him that
you see through his eyes, and yet there’s something about him
Director Greg Berlanti
that’s unknowable and a mystery. That’s what people around Simon
are feeling. He had all those things Simon had.”
In years past, one would hear stories about actors shying away
from playing gay characters lest it have a negative impact on their
career. In contrast, Simon’s sexuality was never an issue for Robinson.
“I think it says a lot about him and a lot about where we are
[as a society] that he came in and never talked about the sexuality
of the character,” says Berlanti. “Most of his questions were about
the tone of the piece. ‘Can you make this funny in the way that I
thought the script was funny and emotional in the way I thought
the script was emotional? Can it be both those things but never
feel too broad? Is it going to be human and real and still filmic?’
A lot of ‘How are you going to do this? How are you going to do
that?’… We discussed the heart and soul of
Simon and what his relationships were like
and what it means to be afraid of yourself at
that age. It was so refreshing to me! I kept
thinking, ‘I’ll go there if he wants to go there
and discuss this if he wants to.’ I’ve always
been so impressed with him as a person. He
approaches his job like a real artist.”
With Simon locked in, Berlanti did “a lot
of screen tests” for the other actors, followed
by two weeks of rehearsals, all with the goal of
making sure the cast had the right chemistry.
“We really wanted as much diversity in the film
as possible, too, in the casting of it in addition
to the subject matter it dealt with,” Berlanti
says. “Our country’s more diverse than I think
people realize. Audiences, from my experience,
crave stuff that feels fresh and new.”
On the adult side, there’s Jennifer Garner
and Josh Duhamel as Simon’s parents
and Tony Hale as a well-intentioned—if
more than little awkward—vice principal.
For Simon’s friends, there’s Katherine Langford
(“13 Reasons Why”), Alexandra Shipp
(X-Men: Apocalypse, Tragedy Girls), Jorge Lendeborg, Jr. (Brigsby
Bear), Logan Miller (“The Walking Dead”) and Keiynan Lonsdale
(“The Flash”). Notes Berlanti, “I really did feel like I was working
with a generation of kids who will all do really great and wonderful
things, and 20 years from now we’ll be talking about them the
way we we’re talking about some of the cast of The Broken Hearts
Club”—Berlanti’s first film, a funny, heartfelt rom-com about a
group of gay friends that boasts Timothy Olyphant, Justin Theroux,
Billy Porter and Zach Braff among its cast—“today. They’re all very
special in their own way, independently, and then collectively they
were just terrific.”
The film’s in the can, and one question remains: Will audiences
respond to a teen film with a same-sex romance at its core? If the
film’s quality is an indication, it will. Berlanti himself is optimistic,
citing the aforementioned screening responses and rapturous
reactions from people who have taken to social media to gush
about “what it feels like to even experience the trailer in theatres.”
If all goes well, Love, Simon may be the first major same-sex teen
romance, but it won’t even be close to the last. “There’s been a lot
of great, wonderful LGBTQ content on television” in the last few
years, Berlanti remarks. “But there’s been less in mainstream film.
Hopefully, this will be just the first of a lot of films that include a
lot of stories about people from all walks of life. There will be far
more that people can reflect on, and we don’t have to be the burden
of being the only one out there.”
Ariell Brown
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Russia
from
with laughs
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MASTER SATIRIST
Armando iannucci
assembles
stellar ensemble
for his latest
political spoof
by kevin lally
Nicola Dove. Courtesy of IFC Films. An IFC Films release.
An acclaimed veteran of U.K. television,
Armando Iannucci has advanced his
reputation in recent years with scathing
satires of the political establishment—first with
the BBC series “The Thick of It,” a cheeky look
at Britain’s corridors of power; then its Oscarnominated
2009 feature spinoff In the Loop,
about the fraught relationship between London
and Washington; and finally with HBO’s wildly
successful sendup of D.C., “Veep,” about to
commence its seventh and final season.
But none of these previous efforts has been
quite as savage as The Death of Stalin, Iannucci’s
second feature film, which IFC Films debuts
stateside on March 9. Adapted by Iannucci, David
Schneider and Ian Martin from the graphic novels
by Fabien Nury and Thierry Robin, the film is an
uncompromising portrait of the totalitarian fear,
toadying and madness surrounding the reign of
Russian dictator Joseph Stalin and the vicious
jockeying for power that followed his sudden and
ultimately fatal stroke in 1953. With a mixture of
elements that recalls Ernst Lubitsch’s 1942 comic
masterpiece set against the Nazi invasion of Poland,
To Be or Not to Be, it also delivers breathtaking
laughter amidst the terror.
Iannucci agrees that he walked a creative
tightrope in directing and co-writing this blackest
of comedies. “The thing about tightropes is, if you
get to the other side, people are impressed, but
if you make one mistake, you need to call for an
ambulance,” he laughs. “I was aware of that, but I
thought: Well, we’ll just have to work very hard to
make sure we get it right.”
The constant anxiety and paranoia of his onscreen
characters has a connection to the nature of
comedy, he argues. “It’s all about trying to create
anxiety in the audience as well. Comedy does make
you feel slightly anxious, because it’s building up to
something. It’s all about setups and the punch line.
Comedy already trades with anticipation, but it
also takes in: And someone might get shot!”
Some of the wildest moments in The Death of
Stalin that may seem to be inspired comic inventions
are actually based on the historical record. They
include the droll opening scene, in which a radio
producer played by Paddy Considine must frantically
reassemble the orchestra (and find a new conduc-
Steve Buscemi as Khrushchev, Adrian McLoughlin
as Stalin, Jeffrey Tambor as Malenkov, Dermot
Crowley as Kaganovich, and Simon Russell
Beale as Beria in Armando Iannucci’s
The Death of Stalin.
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tor) when Stalin demands a non-existent
recording of the Mozart concerto they’ve
just performed live on-air. Other fun facts:
Stalin really did insist that his subordinates
watch American westerns with him till the
wee hours of the morning. Stalin’s alcoholic
son Vasily really did conceal from his father
the death of the national ice hockey team in
a plane crash, secretly replacing the players.
And Stalin really did lie in a puddle of his
own urine for an entire day following his
stroke because everyone was too afraid to
disturb him.
“It’s that level of absurdity,” Iannucci
notes, “that people are frozen in fear, or
else carrying out the things people want
without even having to bother saying it.
Of course, the irony is that Stalin is killed
by his own terror—he so terrified the
guards about interrupting him that they
didn’t, he so terrified everyone about the
doctors poisoning him that they didn’t
call a doctor, and so on and so on. In the
end he was killed by his own terror, which
has a satisfying comic shape to it as well.”
One of the most striking creative
decisions Iannucci made was to cast an
ensemble of British, Welsh, Scottish,
Irish and American actors and encouraging
them to retain their native accents.
(Ukrainian Olga Kuryenko as a defiant
pianist is the closest to the real thing.)
“It’s a European-funded film for the
English-speaking market. I didn’t want
people putting on accents for the sake
of an accent,” Glasgow-born Iannucci
explains. “When I showed it to the Russian
press, they all said: ‘Thank you for
not using fake Russian accents—actually
we hate that, it just drives us crazy.’ The
thinking is, once you decide it’s going to
be in English, the Kremlin itself was full
of different accents and dialects: Stalin
was from Georgia, Khrushchev was from
the Ukraine. So the way to replicate that
I thought was to have a variety of English
accents in the film: London English,
Northern English, Irish, Scottish and
American. That gave it a sense of people
from different backgrounds, different
strata of society, different classes and
cultures all coming together.”
The sensational ensemble includes
Steve Buscemi as then-minister of
agriculture Nikita Khrushchev, Jeffrey
Tambor as deputy general secretary
Georgy Malenkov, Simon Russell Beale
as minister of home affairs and head of
security forces Lavrentiy Beria, Michael
Palin as foreign secretary Vyacheslav
Molotov, Jason Isaacs as Field Marshal
Georgy Zhukov, Rupert Friend as Vasily
Armando Iannucci
Stalin, and Andrea Riseborough as
Stalin’s daughter, Svetlana.
“The first person I wanted was Simon
Russell Beale for Beria,” Iannucci recalls.
“Simon is very well known in the U.K. as
a stage actor but not really as a film or TV
actor. He’s a great actor as well. I liked
the idea that because we don’t really have
a conception of who or what Beria is, the
audience is seeing an actor about whom
they don’t have a preconceived notion.
Beria is very self-contained and still and
careful with his words and speaks in short
sentences—everything is bottled.”
Beria’s aloof persona is what led the
director to cast Steve Buscemi as Khrushchev.
“You want a contrast to that, you
want someone who’s flamboyant and loud
and talkative and speaks with his hands
and is demonstrative. But also someone
who starts off the film as a clown in pajamas
and becomes the next dictator. Steve
can do all that—he can turn from being
funny to being frightening. It’a great that
we got Steve onboard.”
Beale, a highly regarded Shakespearean
actor, is riveting as Beria, a ruthless,
abusive man who becomes a poignant
figure of sympathy as the film reaches its
climax. “Beria was actually regarded as
a very good employer—everyone in the
security forces said he was very generous
to them, he would always remember their
birthdays and their wives’ birthdays,” Iannucci
observes. “And yet he was not just
the chief torturer but a sadist who would
pick up young girls off the street. It’s a
strange mix. And then politically he goes
from Stalin’s henchman to trying to make
himself a great liberator and reformer.
I kind of like it when not everything is
black and white, and you don’t start the
film going this is the good guy and this
is the bad guy and that’s how it will stay
for the rest of the film. I rather like: OK,
here’s the bad guy, but by the end of the
film you will know more about him and
have slightly more complicated feelings
about him. Similarly with Khrushchev,
as the film progresses you see other aspects
of his life and his personality. In the
end they’re all human beings, they’re all
flawed individuals, and they’ve all been
through terrible things together.”
Iannucci is a big believer in providing
enough rehearsal time to allow his actors
to truly embody their characters. “We
rehearsed chronologically, so everyone got
to know everyone else’s story from beginning
to end. So when they turned up for a
scene, everyone instantly knew where everyone
else was in the story. It reached the
point where when it came to the rather
brutal scene towards the end, I just didn’t
rehearse it. I knew they’d learned the
lines and I said: Just go in there and get
it done in two minutes—the cameras will
be there. And that’s what they did, and it
became this gripping and dramatic moment.
And that was because they had all
grown into each other’s company. That’s
not something you can shoot at the beginning
of the process. It’s a wonderful feeling
when you’re directing that, because
you know that everyone is now absolutely
in the character, and that’s when you can
get them to move off the page and start
trying things out as an ensemble.”
The Death of Stalin recently made
headlines when Russia withdrew its exhibition
license and police halted a screening
at a cinema that dared to show the
film. “I had half expected Russia to be
dubious about the film, so I was pleased
when I heard it got a distributor and was
granted a license,” Iannucci recalls. “I
thought: Well, there we go. The culture
minister said, ‘We don’t have censorship
here, of course we’re going to show it.’
And then just two days before the start of
the release, they took the license away. So
there’s some kind of internal politicking
going on. I don’t quite know where we
are, but I’m hopeful that it will get shown.
What’s been interesting is the support
we’ve had: The Moscow Times published
a huge backing for the film. About the
claim that it insults the Russian people,
they reported that people who went to
see it said, ‘No, it’s terribly respectful to
what actually happened, it’s very honest.
The jokes aren’t about what happened to
the Russian people, the jokes are all on
the politicians.’ So I just hope that maybe
continued on page 26
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Teenage girls have murder on their
minds in indie thriller Thoroughbreds
YOUNG BLOODS
Above and at right:
Olivia Cooke and Anya Taylor-Joy
by Rebecca Pahle
Rich teens are a strange and scary breed in writerdirector
Cory Finley’s debut feature Thoroughbreds,
out March 9 from Focus Features. Garnering
critical acclaim upon its bow at last year’s Sundance,
Thoroughbreds stars Anya Taylor-Joy, breakout star of
Robert Eggers’ The Witch, and Me and Earl and the Dying
Girl’s Olivia Cooke as Lily and Amanda, two onetime best
friends from a wealthy Connecticut suburb. Their friendship
recently rekindled after a scandalous act of violence sent Amanda
to the realm of social pariahs, the girls bond in their discussions
of Lily’s hated stepfather, Mark (Paul Sparks).
Specifically…they should really hire someone to kill him,
right?
A razor-sharp thriller with a deep vein of dark comedy,
Thoroughbreds was partially inspired by Finley’s own conflicted
feelings towards the rich. “I grew up comfortably, but certainly
not in the kind of wealth that the characters have,” he says.
“I always had a handful of friends in high school and middle
school that had these huge, palatial homes, and I definitely have
formative memories of going over and playing their amazing
videogames, and swimming in their pools and just loving the
luxury of that world.” The ease and comfort of wealth appealed
to Finley—as it does—but as he matured he came to “understand
the power dynamics in wealth, and the hidden costs.” You
“never see money change hands” between the super-rich, which
means “you’re unaware of the violence that underpins wealth in
a fundamental way. And I thought it was a rich world to set this
story in—a story all about the lack of empathy and morality.”
The role of dressing Lily, Amanda and their various high-class
confrères went to Alex Bovaird, who between Thoroughbreds and
Andrea Arnold’s American Honey has emerged as one of the most
exciting up-and-coming costume designers working today. Lily’s
wardrobe, in particular, is striking, transitioning as it does from
prim and proper prep couture to something darker and slouchier in
a way that mirrors her psychological journey.
“The progression of costumes through the movie was
something we spent a lot of time on in pre-production, probably
as much time as we did going through the script,” notes Finley.
“Alex came in with an amazing array of choices. She approaches
costuming from a very sociological point of view.” Instagram was
utilized for inspiration regarding the clothing habits of well-todo
teens; beyond that, Finley and Bovaird narrowed down their
options to outfits that “had stylization to them and captured a
little bit of that film noir silhouette.”
Finley’s neo-noir stylings go beyond clothes. For
Thoroughbreds’ director of cinematography, Finley went with Lyle
Vincent, whose work on black-and-white neo-noir A Girl Walks
Home Alone at Night had impressed the director. The pair’s visual
22 FILMJOURNAL.COM / MARCH 2018
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eference points included such classic noirs
as Strangers on a Train, Double Indemnity
and The Postman Always Rings Twice—“the
great amoral murder-plot movies of the
’40s and ’50s. We talked about the light
and shadow in those. We’re both big fans
of the Coen Brothers and the way Roger
Deakins shoots a lot of their great movies.
And we talked a lot about this great
photographer named Gregory Crewdson,
who does very stylized, suburban noir-ish
images that use a lot of really vivid blues
and yellows and have a very particular
lighting scheme to them.”
Finley’s other points of influence
include David Lynch, for his use of sound
design—an element that “people still
don’t make enough use of” in movies,
Finley argues, and one that Thoroughbreds’
supervising sound editor Gene Park handles particularly well—
and The Shining, for Kubrick’s roving Steadicam shots through the
Overlook Hotel.
Thoroughbreds’ version of the Overlook—one infested not by
the supernatural but the entitled rich—was a McMansion located
south of Boston. “When we were initially doing location scouting,
all the houses that we were looking at were too classy,” Finley
recalls. “We needed something more over the top. And that was
Director Cory Finley
what we found in this house.” The inviting personal touches of the
family that lived there were cleared out, replaced by ostentatious
accouterments that make Thoroughbreds’ primary location feel less
like a home than the world’s gaudiest museum.
Remarkably, the house where Lily, her mother and her
stepfather live manages to feel both cluttered and empty, side
tables adorned with expensive-looking statues placed just-so
simultaneously bearing down on Lily and sucking any feelings
of warmth out of the air. As with the sound design and the
costumes, Thoroughbreds’ set design is quite heightened; in one of
the film’s showcase scenes, Lily and Amanda chat life and death
in a yard dominated by a giant concrete chess set. The goal was for
the house to feel “oppressive,” Finley explains, getting across the
idea that “Lily is both a beneficiary of the privilege that she was
born to and a prisoner of it.”
The pitch-perfect design work put into Thoroughbreds by
Finley and his team results in a film that feels ever so slightly
out of time, which is the sort of film Finley
himself is drawn to: “I love when movies
can feel very of the times they’re made in,
but also have a weird, drifting sense of what
is contemporary.” That sensibility is echoed
by the movies Lily and Amanda are shown
watching: “old, forgotten classic movies on
some extended cable network in the middle of
the night, rather than ‘Desperate Housewives’
or something I would watch.”
The cucumber-cool aesthetic makes
Thoroughbreds’ mordant humor really pop.
Tim, played by the late Anton Yelchin in
one of his final roles, is a twenty-something
wannabe drug kingpin desperate to prove his
wrong-side-of-the-tracks bona fides to Lily
and Amanda. His dramatic pronouncement
that “you don’t know where I come from” is
met by a deadpan Amanda, not missing a beat:
“Westchester.”
Much of Thoroughbreds’ comedy and its drama—not to
mention its more chilling moments—come from its characters’
dogged attempts to present themselves a certain way. Within the
first 15 minutes, Amanda makes the announcement that “I don’t
have feelings—ever,” a proclamation that’s challenged in small
ways over the course of the film. Lily’s situation is the reverse:
There’s a layer of darkness lingering under her aggressively spitshined
surface. “No one is fully what they’re saying they are,”
Finley notes. “It’s this great trope of teenage movies, like The
Breakfast Club: People trying to figure out what box they fit into.”
Of course, that film’s Bender never considered hiring someone
to murder his father—so in terms of content, at least, you can
more accurately label Thoroughbreds a modern-day Heathers.
American Psycho comes to mind, as well, its characters sharing
with Thoroughbreds’ a love of the presentational. (A further
American Psycho connection: Finley says Amanda’s character
first came into focus when he imagined her as “a kind of junior
capitalist [with] this Ayn Rand element to her,” a sort of teenage
Patrick Bateman sans the obsession with skincare. In one of
the film’s more amusing running jokes, she repeatedly invokes
the memory of her idol, Steve Jobs. “I’ve found that there’s a
particular kind of person that really idolizes Steve Jobs,” Finley
explains. “And I was interested in that voice coming through in a
character who’s talking about murder plots.”)
That interplay between the fronts Lily and Amanda present
to the outside world and who they really are inside—something
that Finley wisely avoids going into in too much cut-and-dried
detail, opting to keep things open to interpretation—makes the
film’s central duo quite the psychologically complex pair. Much
of that can be credited to the performances of Taylor-Joy and
Cooke, who per Finley “were both very good with the technical
work of thinking about how these characters carry themselves and
how they dress and their physicality—their vocal timbre, all that
kind of stuff.” Initially written as a stage play, Thoroughbreds was
always “wordy, by design,” but Taylor-Joy and Cooke’s nuanced
performances—not to mention Finley’s ability to utilize closeups—enabled
the director to chop away at the screenplay. “It’s a
credit to both of their performances that in so many spots I was
able to eliminate lines or whole sections of lines. Because with
something they were doing with silence or a subtext they were
bringing into an earlier line, they made a later line not necessary.
That’s how you know you have good actors.”
© 2017 Maarten de Boer
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Nick Park goes
paleo with new
animated comedy,
‘early man’ by trevor hogg
cavemation
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Nick Park poses with Eddie
Redmayne (voice of Dug)
and Maisie Williams (voice
of Goona) on the set
of Early Man.
Below, Park and crew
work before a green screen.
Photos Chris Johnson © 2017 Studiocanal S.A.S and The British Film Institute
Little did a stop-frame animation student at the
National Film and Television School in England
know that his graduation project called
A Grand Day Out would launch him into international
stardom, and make a hapless, cheese-loving
inventor and his genius dog cultural icons. “I do
have to pinch myself when I see Wallace and Gromit
on TV every holiday in the U.K.,” admits Nick
Park, who has won four Academy Awards, become
a creative cornerstone at Aardman Animations, and
received a CBE (Commander of the British Empire).
“I remember 20 or 30 years ago with the rise
of CGI, and fantastic films from Pixar and Dream-
Works, we wondered, ‘How long do we have to be
using this old technique?’ Now, it helps us to stand
out against the other films.”
Stop-frame techniques have not changed over
the years for the principal animation.
“With Chicken Run and Curse of the Were-
Rabbit, we shot them on good old stop-frame film
cameras, but now we shoot digitally. It offers a big
safety net. If something goes wrong in the middle
of a three-day shot it doesn’t all get trashed.” Stopframe
and CGI work well together. “We have for a
long time been using digital effects, like any movie
does, whether it’s things that you can’t do with clay,
such as lava, smoke and fire.”
CGI was useful in expanding the prehistoric
landscapes featured in Park’s new Early Man,
where a community of cave dwellers challenge
Bronze Age villagers to a soccer match in an effort
to win back their homeland. “We shot as much as
we could in the studio but didn’t have the space, so
we would often shoot against green screen and put
in the backgrounds afterwards.”
Early Man involved 40 camera crews each
utilizing a Canon EOS-1D X simultaneously to
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shoot 35 to 40 sets with a team of 35 animators
in order to produce five seconds to
a minute worth of footage a week. “This
is when good organization comes in. Clay
animation and stop-frame is a cottage
industry. We had to industrialize but keep
it feeling crafted in a loving way.”
A practical issue is how much of the
character can be made of clay, as it adds
to the animation time. “Even though the
heads of the characters are made of clay,
we have a system where you can unplug
every mouth. Every character has a set of
20 mouths made of clay, so the animator
can still manipulate them.” The technique
helped to keep the style consistent for the
characters and film. “It also makes the
animation quicker to do, because nothing
takes longer than the lip sync.”
For the first time, Park decided to be
the sole director on a feature film project.
“We took our model from DreamWorks
and Disney, which had the two-handed
technique because of the amount of work.
I learned a lot working with Peter Lord on
Chicken Run and Steve Box on Curse of the
Were-Rabbit. But I just wanted to be on the
helm this time and see what that was like.”
During a pitch session, the concept was
described as Gladiator meets Dodgeball. “Or
it’s Braveheart with balls,” laughs Park when
reminded of the cinematic comparison.
“Like a lot of these ideas they start with a
simple sketch or a doodle. I was doodling
the typical caveman with a club hitting a
rock. It made me think of a sport, like baseball.
Then I wondered, ‘What if Stone Age
people invented soccer? What if you have a
bunch of idiotic but loveable cavemen who
are clumsy have to learn a different game
and not fight?’ The whole thing that we call
football [in the U.K.] is so tribal.”
The prologue that depicts an asteroid
wiping out the dinosaurs provided an opportunity
to honor a childhood hero. “I’m
a big fan of Ray Harryhausen and when
I was 11 years old One Million Years B.C.
was my favorite film. I had never seen a
prehistoric underdog sports movie before,
so I got excited about making one. We
have a couple of dinosaurs in the opening
scene called Ray and Harry.”
Character design is an area where Park
likes to keep a hands-on approach. “Even
when we’re writing, I’ll be drawing and
doodling the characters. I will sometimes
mock up a character roughly in clay but
have a whole team of people who make the
stuff properly. I’ll maybe tweak the nose or
something about them.” Lord Nooth (Tom
Hiddleston) was the most difficult to create.
“The cavemen and cavewomen came
around fairly naturally,” Park notes.
Casting was kept in mind during
the design process. “Eddie Redmayne,
Timothy Spall, Maisie Williams and Tom
Hiddleston did a test and we’d animated
the clay model to see if the voice fits.
We would take their voice and, with the
animator, video-record us miming to what
they did and I would be able to point out
what I wanted.”
Park continues, “We spent a lot of time
in the edit suite, but before that I sat for
months with [co-writers] Mark Burton
and John O’Farrell in a room sticking cards
up on a wall. Even after doing the animatic
[storyboards with a rough soundtrack], you
find that there are still problems and go
back to cards to work some things out. It’s
an organic process.”
Sound design is a whole world in itself.
“I’ve worked with Adrian Rhodes since
college to get the right amount of realistic
and cartoon audio. It’s a rich soundtrack.
For example, we have a scene in the stadium
where Dug [Redmayne] creeps in to get
some balls and falls down. It was always
funny visually, but after a few months Adrian
put these sounds of each chair springing
back which made it incredibly real.”
The score was the responsibility of
composers Harry Gregson-Williams and
Tom Howe. “It seems that the music tells
half of the story. You can telegraph things
to the audience in all sorts of ways. It happened
fairly late in the process.
“I was excited to get into a world that
was totally outside the normal world of
Wallace and Gromit or Shaun the Sheep,”
says Park. He saw soccer as an avenue to
incorporate Aardman Animations’ signature
quirky humor into the storytelling.
“One of the biggest challenges was how to
stage a game but make it cinematic. I had
the film Gladiator in my mind a lot of the
time. There’s the big rush and roar of the
crowd, and exciting camera moves.”
A number of underdog sports movies
were watched by the British filmmaker,
with major inspiration drawn from Miracle,
which centers around the U.S. hockey team
defeating the Soviet Union at the Lake
Placid Winter Olympics in 1980. “When
you see soccer on TV, it’s shot from above,
so you can tell which side is which and
who’s where. However, I wanted to get
down, be cinematic and tell story all of the
time. It’s not just back and forth like you’re
watching a tennis match. It was all about
how to execute that game and make it the
most compelling and exciting, but with
gags. I wanted the audience to be rooting
for our guys.”
From Russia… continued from page 20
after the election next month in Russia,
they will come up with a way of releasing
it. The thing is, now everyone in Russia
knows about the film.”
The day before our interview, Variety
announced FilmNation’s financing of Iannucci’s
next feature, The Personal History
of David Copperfield, a new version of the
classic Charles Dickens novel slated to begin
filming in the U.K. in June. Iannucci
and Simon Blackwell wrote the screenplay.
“It will be set in the 1840s, 1850s,
but the language of the book and the psychology
and emotions are so relevant and
contemporary that I want to go in with
that attitude as a director. I want the story
to feel directly relevant and contemporary,
even though the setting will be of that
time. It shouldn’t feel historic—we should
be present at that time, it should feel new.
London at that time was in the industrial
revolution and the capital city of the biggest
empire the world had ever seen, so
it should feel exciting and modern… It
should feel absolutely contemporary rather
than looking through an old filter. Similarly,
the way people speak should feel
natural rather than heightened, not as if
there are quotation marks around everything
they say.”
No doubt, Iannucci’s profile has been
heightened by the Emmy-winning success
of “Veep,” which he left after season four.
“It surprised me,” he says of its reception,
“partly because I thought: Oh, here are
Brits coming into America making fun
of their politics—we’ll be chased home
after the pilot. I didn’t realize that, despite
the rhetoric of Donald Trump and
his supporters, America is actually a very
welcoming country. It welcomes ideas and
ability. A lot of people said you needed
people from outside the two-party divide
to stand back and look at the whole thing
and go, ‘This is chaotic!’ Also, hundreds of
people make so many pilots for American
television and 99 percent of them don’t get
any further. And hundreds of people make
hundreds of TV shows in America and 80
percent of them are taken off air halfway
through. But for us: ‘Oh, we’ve been given
another season!’ In my wildest dreams, I
never thought we’d get to season seven. I
thought we’d be happy if we got this small
niche audience, but to realize it would get
this big audience and get the Emmy several
times, it’s been great and HBO has been
fantastic to work with. And it helps the
next project, because you suddenly realize
actors you really want to work with have
watched ‘Veep’ and are aware of it.”
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2/6/18 11:19 AM

A New Vision
Bud Mayo Maintains Oversight
of Rising Theatre Circuit
‘It was very exciting to do
by Andreas Fuchs a restart with a bunch
of assets that are all over
the place.” Bud Mayo, chairman of New Vision Theatres (www.
newvisiontheatres.com), is talking about 194 screens at 17 locations
that he and his team of industry veterans and investor partners assembled
in the wake of AMC Entertainment’s March 2016 merger
with Carmike Cinemas. “Some are remodeled and wonderful,
beautiful theatres, and other ones we need to attend to and remodel.
And that’s always fun to do as well, because you get to look at
the audience and at the budget, deciding how to reasonably invest
where the best results will come from, in any one particular place.”
For the 2018 edition of our annual Exhibition Guide, Film
Journal International can count on the ultimate exhibition expert and
consummate elder statesman sharing some enlightening business
insights. Bud Mayo not only facilitated our industry’s transition to
digital cinema by designing the virtual-print-fee model, but also
headed a variety of innovative cinema ventures along the way. In fact,
he pursued his theatrical ambitions with a decidedly “clear view”
of what he wanted moviegoing to be like—creating a DigiPlex of
digital cinema “destinations” being just one of them.
Geographically, New Vision Theatres are different from the early
Clearview Cinemas in the metro New York area. Mayo draws the
comparison to about 25 years ago: “Obviously, we always tried to
take the best assets in the areas that we are operating in.” With New
Vision Theatres located across nine of the United States, “we address
each location as if it were our only theatre. That is a philosophy we
already tried to apply to Clearview, and we have learned from that.
“We bring neighbors to the movies,” he says, quoting the latter
circuit’s onetime tagline. “We are really trying to do the same
thing at New Vision Theatres by nurturing local audiences and by
becoming part of the fabric of the community itself. This allows us
to choose content that fits the audience and to anticipate what we
can do around that program offering.”
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He continues, “Our plan this year is to do reserved seating and
to upgrade seats. We know all about recliners, but the other part of
that is that we intend to obtain liquor licenses—at least wine and
beer—in every location where we can. With that, we also intend
to offer a menu of ‘good’ food. Not in-theatre dining, not gourmet
foods in most cases, but food and beverage choices that complement
a one-stop shop at a reasonable cost for families.”
Costs were certainly reasonable back in 1994, and options on
snack and content much more limited, Mayo recalls. “We did not
have to be as much of a curator of content as we are today. Our
business was to take whatever came down the pike, put it up on
the screen, making moviegoing a family-friendly atmosphere.”
In addition to Clearview Cinemas’ signature fireplaces, “we had a
phone on the concession stand that allowed people to call home,
because there were no cellphones in those days. You could call
your babysitter and call a cab, whatever you needed to do... Our
business has since evolved, and it is much more exciting today than
it was then. Thankfully, we have a great team behind it all, many
of whom were with me at Clearview, Cinedigm and at DigiPlex
Destinations,” Mayo notes, mentioning his other ventures. “They
are allowing me to be a true chairman of the board now, as opposed
to somebody keeping the weeds [away].”
With “many, many years of experience in dealing with a combination
of audiences and demographic data, which is far more available
to us today than it certainly was in the Clearview days,” New
Vision Theatres aims for the best results in each location, Mayo
says. “So, the challenge is different. In some ways it is greater and
in other ways made easier by the availability of information and
content choices that simply were not there before. DigiPlex Destinations
was an evolution, and certainly a major step forward. After
that, all we did was to take some 26 DigiPlex sites and folded them
into Carmike Cinemas. We had a much bigger platform to work
with content, reaching 150 Carmike locations.”
Mayo’s time at Carmike opened another opportunity for him
when AMC Entertainment became interested in those very locations.
“As a member of the senior team at Carmike, I was very
much aware of all the discussions, and really understood that at the
end of that year it was time for me to retire,” he contends. “I was
very happy to be able to do that, to go on a few boards, and at least
keep my finger in the pie of business and try to bring my experience
to the table. And to play a little more golf, which I am terrible
at,” he chuckles. Tennis, sailing and spending time with nine
grandchildren also beckoned Mayo. “There’s a classic ‘Yeah, this is
what I want to do’ phase. But, little by little, conversations started
to come to me about the divestiture of certain theatres. ‘You could
easily assemble a team,’ I was told, ‘and financing would be, for you,
a very easy thing to do.’ All of which was true,” he says. After trying
to resist initially, Mayo admits to changing his mind. “Maybe we’ll
buy a few theatres just to keep some good people employed, and
let’s see where it goes from there.”
The rest is (exhibition) history, as they say. “I was heavily
recruited to put a bid in for the entire package… I was
encouraged actively by AMC and Carmike, and by the
Department of Justice, because of my history and reputation in
the business. All those things told me, ‘Okay, if I can get my
team to sign up for this, and become chairman and not a CEO
of the venture, then why not?’ I will put a package together, get
the right financial backing, and then let’s see if we can pave this
and build from there. It turned out a bit of a rollercoaster, to
be honest. We were on again, off again as a bidder, ultimately
getting back after we thought we had lost the bid.”
Mayo recalls receiving a call in the parking lot after grocery
shopping with his wife. “If we are the only group you talk to from
now on, of course, we will get back in the saddle,” he told the
people on the other end of the call. “We did just that and closed
in April last year. Only to find that we entered four or five of the
worst months the industry had seen in a long time. What a great
way to start! That told us a lot about our financial partners—that
they were big boys, and that they understood what we were going
through in transition to a platform that we had to create from
scratch. After all, we did not have a business in place.”
“We had a bunch of theatres, and we had to scramble,” Mayo
says of the good-news/bad-news scenario that followed. “Putting
a platform together from scratch means you can cherry-pick the
vendors and the choices of software and hardware to do something
that gives you the maximum amount of flexibility in the 21st
century.” Doing just that, “we really started running this business
in September, for the first time as New Vision Theatres.” Some
locations do go back, way back with Bud Mayo, however, such as
the Rialto in Westfield, New Jersey, where corporate headquarters
are located. In a further nod to continuity, New Vision’s accounting
department is based in Columbus, Georgia, near the former
Carmike offices. “Well, all our theatres are my favorites, as they
represent opportunity. Some are performing better. As every circuit,
we have our battleships. Three or four of those, and we expect to
have five or six more theatres that really anybody in the country
would want to own.”
Mayo was able to weigh in on which theatres to acquire during
the bidding process. “We did not take the entire package as it
was presented.” In some cases that may have been a disadvantage,
especially not knowing some of the AMC locations, of which six
ended up with New Vision. “Let’s take each building,” he says of
the process, “and strip it down to exactly what it is. What kind of
product has been successful there? What can we do that would be
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incremental to those theatres? Because some of them did not do
alternative programming at all. Those are the opportunities, and
it means you need to do the work. That is really the secret to any
business, as far as I am concerned: You do the work. You get into
the market, you get to know the audiences—not just for five or
seven miles, but fifteen or twenty miles around each theatre. Who
lives there? What kind of content would they be interested in? And
how do we reach them?”
On the reach of his circuit, Mayo adds. “I know the industry
has evolved to the point where, in many cases and certainly the
big guys, companies are looking at the world and at their circuits
as a global business. New Vision Theatres is very much a regional
business. We look at each one of our regions as a territory that
we address. We have no aspirations about going abroad, but we
certainly see opportunities for further consolidation in the United
States.” On his way to a board meeting in New York City with
his financial partners when we spoke for this article, Mayo had
prepared “a full presentation of not only our results, but also our
plans for the coming year, which are very aggressive.”
Speaking of those partners at The Beekman Group, Mayo
gives credit to managing partner John G. Troiano. “This boutique
private-equity firm is run by the gentleman who started it, who
had some success with the old Sony Loews circuit when he was
working for a larger private-equity firm. John has a pretty good
handle on what this business was all about and has been looking
for an opportunity for years.” Indeed, when the investment in
New Vision Theatres was announced, Troiano commented,
“The Beekman team identified the exhibitor industry as a
stable, attractive segment for reasonably priced out-of-home
entertainment and has evaluated numerous platform opportunities
over the past few years. New Vision represents a compelling
platform given its size, geographic breadth, and the ability to
partner with such a complement of talented operators led by Bud
Mayo and Chuck Goldwater.”
“We certainly kissed a lot of frogs as we interviewed potential
partners,” Mayo says, returning the compliment. “And we found
a prince. John is a good guy. Very, very smart. And the most important
part is that I can get his attention when we need it for our
team. We enjoy being in constant contact with the partners.”
All the team members “are perfect for the job” as well, Mayo
assures. “They are very excited about trying to build this business,
and the opportunities that we can all bring to the table.” As for
his part in the process, Mayo is “looking at the business from 500
feet up, and toward where we are headed, with a focus on strategy
and on tactics, specifically. I am more interested in where the
business can go, what verticals are available to us. How do we make
each show every week better than the week before? What can we
introduce that will make the business even better?”
Speaking like a chairman—and the industry statesman that we
have all come to know—Bud Mayo’s outlook remains optimistic.
“I have great confidence in the team we have in place. They have
been doing this for a long time and they know exactly how to
implement the decisions that they come up with and stay on course
with building a unique circuit that is also capable of growth. We
can access the capital markets very effectively through our partners
at Beekman. I am very excited about what the next three or four,
five years could look like in this business, and how far we can reach
into becoming a very important circuit in this business.”
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Kodak Moments
by Bob Gibbons
On the third floor of his mansion in
Rochester, NY, George Eastman,
founder of Kodak and inventor of motion
picture film, had a screen that pulled down
from the ceiling. He used it to show movies
to friends.
Eastman never had a family of his
own, so when he died in 1932, most of his
wealth went to the University of Rochester,
but he did leave some to “his favorite
niece,” Ellen Dryden. Four years after the
George Eastman Museum was founded in
1947 on the site of his estate, she funded
construction of the Dryden Theatre, a 535-
seat auditorium attached to the museum.
The Dryden Theatre opened to the
public on Wednesday, March 14, 1951,
with a screening of the Jean Renoir silent
classic Nana. Today, the Dryden is the
George Eastman Museum’s main exhibition
space for showcasing its motion
picture collection, prints from the world’s
finest archives, and premieres of select
releases. To date, more than 13,000 titles
have been screened; the theatre attracts
more than 40,000 visitors annually.
Dr. Bruce Barnes, director of the
George Eastman Museum, picks up its
story: “When we were founded,” he says,
“we had only the second department of
film in a museum in the United States. At
that time, there was very little ‘after-market’
for movies; studios would release a film
and it would play in first- and second-run
theatres and then it had no value to them.”
Until 1951, all those old prints were on
nitrate stock.
“The studios had this problem,” Barnes
emphasizes. “The old film was highly flammable
and was difficult and expensive to
take care of; they started disposing of that
nitrate film in a variety of ways. So, there’s
a huge amount of lost film from, particularly,
the early Hollywood years.”
Studios—and even theatres, where
Below, from left: The Dryden’s projection room (housing two Century projectors); the film vault (28,000 titles, 6,000
of which are nitrate prints); and the auditorium, which features a 27-foot-wide screen. “We’re committed to showing
film in its original format,” says assistant collections manager Patrick Tiernan, “ so we have lenses and gates for silent,
classic Hollywood, flat, scope, and we can even play 1:1.8, which was a short-lived ratio between sound and silent movies.”
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A nitrate film strip: “The studios had this problem,” says Dryden director Bruce
Barnes. “The old film was highly flammable and was difficult and expensive to take
care of; they started disposing of that nitrate film in a variety of ways. So, there’s
a huge amount of lost film from, particularly, the early Hollywood years.”
Eastman
Museum’s
Dryden
Theatre
Is About
More
Than Just
Showing
Movies
sometimes prints were stranded—began
sending their unwanted negatives and
prints to the George Eastman Museum.
“Today,” adds Jared Case, head of collection
information, research and access,
Moving Image Department, “we have
28,000 titles; about 6,000 of those are
nitrate prints. We have the original nitrate
negatives for Gone with the Wind and The
Wizard of Oz, among many others. But the
ultimate goal of having a motion picture
collection is showing it. It’s about conservation
with a purpose.”
The Dryden shows about 400 different
titles a year—including shorts and features.
Every week, the theatre holds a Monday
matinee for seniors. On Tuesday through
Saturday, they program at 7:30 in the evening.
During the academic year, they tend
to show silent films on Tuesday evening.
The theatre also hosts special events and
several film festivals. All screenings are free
to those 17 years old and younger to encourage
moviegoing among the young.
“When we’re curating,” offers Jurij
Meden, curator of film exhibitions, “we try
to represent the breadth of perspectives
in film history. So, you’ll see silent films,
acknowledged classics, some documentaries
and foreign films. We try to make
our programs interesting and relevant, but
we’re shaping audience’s tastes—not just
catering to their expectations.”
When the Dryden was renovated in
2013, the number of seats was reduced to
500—250 in the balcony, 250 down below—all
padded, with no cupholders. No
food or drink is allowed; the theatre is considered
an exhibition space, free from the
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Bruce Barnes Jurij Meden Jared Case
distraction of crunching popcorn.
The Dryden has another strict policy:
If the movie was made and released on
film—and is available on film—they will
only show it on film. And, Barnes observes:
“Every foot of every film we show is inspected
before it’s projected.”
“We have only one screening per day,”
Meden adds, “but an hour before, we begin
a procedure where we test both projectors
we’ll be using to set the focus and the
sound levels and the framing—so it’s a
process.”
The screen is 27 feet wide. Because
they show so many formats, masking is
fully moveable left and right, up and down.
“We have changeover projectors,” explains
Patrick Tiernan, assistant collections manager.
“We’ll put up the first two reels, align
the projectors, move the masking. We’re
committed to showing film in its original
format, so we have lenses and gates for silent,
classic Hollywood, flat, scope, and we
can even play 1:1.8, which was a short-lived
ratio between sound and silent movies.”
The Dryden has two pairs of film projectors
in the booth. “The Century projectors
we use are the same projectors that
were installed when the theatre opened in
1951,” Tiernan explains. “We believe that
if we take care of them, they’ll last another
50 or 100 years. They’re wonderful old
elegant machines; they do what you tell
them to do.”
The second set is Kinotons, German
projectors from the ’90s. They’re needed
to show 16mm prints. Speed converters
attached to all projectors enable them to
show silent prints. The digital projector is
a Barco 2K.
“Every time we screen a film at the
Dryden, we try to put it into context,”
Meden points out. “Every film is introduced—the
director and title and background—but
we always talk about the
particular film print the audience is seeing:
Where did it come from? What is its
condition? Is it polyester or nitrate? Is it
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scratched? Also, we always remind people
about who our projectionist will be and
which machines we’ll be using.”
“We believe that film is a performing
art,” Barnes reiterates, “and everyone and everything
that’s involved in that performance
is very important. We consider all of that
part of the experience of seeing a film.”
“The audience gets that little bit of
extra knowledge,” adds Spencer Christiano,
chief projectionist. “That might not mean
anything to them the first time they hear
it, but over time they get a course in film
history.”
“We show film in the Dryden Theatre
both from our own collection—and
we borrow from other archives,” Barnes
acknowledges. “Less than half of what we
show is from our own collection.”
The Dryden is one of only five theatres
in the United States legally allowed
to show nitrate film. They screen nitrate
prints occasionally throughout the year.
“One of the most exciting things we do
is ‘The Nitrate Picture Show,’ a three-day
film festival we hold the first weekend in
May,” says Barnes. “It’s the only festival of
its kind in the United States and we show
only films on nitrate stock. We show about
nine films in the festival and this year—
May 4 through 6—will be our fourth year.”
“At first, it was nerve-racking projecting
nitrate film,” admits Christiano. “You
hear all of these tales about projectors
bursting into flames and projectionists
running out of the booth on fire. But once
you’ve actually done it for a while, it’s
just like any other projection. I mean, we
treat every print as if it’s the last surviving
print—because in some cases, it is.”
“We use special fire magazines for
showing nitrate,” Tiernan explains.
“They’re closed cabinets on the feed arm
and take-up reel; between them and the
projector are ‘fire rollers’ which cut off oxygen
to the closed magazines. So, when the
projector is operating, everything is pretty
sealed up to minimize the danger.”
“When we project nitrate, we have
three projectionists in the booth at all
times,” Meden notes. “We have one at each
projector to keep an eye on how the print
is tracking; the third projectionist is there
to pay attention to focus because some of
those old prints are warped.”
“For decades, it’s been believed that
nitrate film is something that you keep in
a vault,” Case laments. “These are old films,
but they’ve been taken care of; why not have
them be shown? If we want to know how
people saw and made films in the 1940s, we
should be watching the nitrate films.”
Barnes is proud of the festival. “People
come from around the world because when
you’re watching a nitrate film, there is no
question of its visual superiority. There’s
much more silver in the film, so the blacks
are much blacker, there’s more subtlety in
the color, it’s just a much richer experience.
I’ve seen Casablanca several times, but on
a nitrate print it was absolutely magical; it
was luminescent in ways you just cannot
imagine.”
“The really special thing about nitrate,”
says Meden, “is that a film print seventy or
eighty years old can still be shown—and
look great. That’s something that will never
be true about any of the carriers of digital
images or any of the digital formats.”
With film roots in the past, the Dryden
Theatre looks ahead. “We want to be the
place, the community, that invites people to
see cinema the way it was meant to be seen
and where we can teach people about cinema
to make sure that legacy doesn’t die,”
says Case. “It’s important to us not just to
preserve the film, but also to preserve the
experience.”
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TICKETING POS
A Film Journal Int’l overview of innovations and trends
in ticketing and point of sale
Expanded Reach by Rob Rinderman
Fandango Merges with MovieTickets
and Plans More Consumer Innovations
In mid-October 2017, Fandango announced
an agreement to acquire its
longtime rival in the cinema ticketing
space, MovieTickets.com. The transaction
officially closed during the tail end of 2017,
further expanding Fandango’s reach to all
40,000 screens across the entire United
States.
Several significant new exhibitors were
added, including National Amusements and
Cineplex, plus a variety of independently
owned and operated North American
locations. MovieTickets screens also expanded
the organization’s Latin American
reach and into the U.K. for the first time.
Merging with MovieTickets
“What most attracted us to the
acquisition was our organizational goal of
ubiquity,” says Fandango’s president, Paul
Yanover. “The strategy has been to have
complete and comprehensive coverage and
the ability to provide every possible ticket
to anyone that wants to attend a movie
anywhere in the country.
“MovieTickets created and built a
great brand and they covered parts of
the country that we did not due to some
of their exclusive exhibitor relationships.
It all ties to a belief system and our goal
that Fandango has of driving attendance
and creating win-win situations for the
entire industry, including moviegoers
and our exhibition partners.” Fandango’s
majority owner is NBCUniversal, and
Warner Bros. Entertainment holds a
minority stake
According to Yanover, prior to the
MovieTickets merger Fandango successfully
capitalized on the opportunity to grow
faster through corporate investments in
technology and enhanced user experience,
including innovation around mobile,
social-media platforms, voice applications
and related areas. The merger seems to be
working well so far, with all hands on deck
ensuring that full technological and partner
integrations are running smoothly.
Fandango
President
Paul Yanover
Complementary Brands
Fandango brands include Rotten Tomatoes,
Flixster, Movieclips, Fandango Rewards,
FanShop and several other cinema-related
assets. “In aggregate, these brands are all
centered around ‘movie discovery.’ In order
to have a positive impact and sell more tickets,
we need to be focused on that process,”
Yanover emphasizes.
“There is a consumer journey that one
goes through toward building interest in seeing
a particular movie. You may have an interest
in a franchise, a genre, a style, an actor or
director, or even a book you read. We believe
the best way to help the entire industry is to
be there at that moment of consumer interest,
driving a set of capabilities into discovery,
planning and purchase. The goal is really to
take an intention to see a film and turn it
into the action of ticket-buying.”
At the time of Fandango’s Flixster
acquisition, it was more intertwined with
the Rotten Tomatoes brand. Management
has been adamant that the two should be
separated and run as very important but
independent supporting properties of the
corporate entity. Rotten Tomatoes is a
core brand for the organization, centered
around discovery. It also happens to be very
popular in the U.K., an international market
Fandango recently added courtesy of
MovieTickets. Flixster, on the other hand,
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is being operated with more of a
focus on ticketing.
Fandango has learned that
the number-one way people plan
movie outings today is through
some type of negotiation via
group text messages. That can
be through actual texting or take
place on some type of organized
social-networking platform. As a
result, the company has put a lot
of thought and effort into how to
successfully and seamlessly embed
Fandango into mobile movie planning
environments.
“We have been very tactical
about our implementations that
accomplish this,” states Yanover.
“For example, our ticketing is
integrated into Apple’s Messages
and Facebook’s Messenger platforms. By
design, when people are in a group planning
a movie outing, they can access Fandango
without leaving their text-messaging
conversation. Users can access our app
via Facebook or iMessage with only a few
clicks, where they find movie trailers, posters
and a PayPal option for purchase and
reimbursement.”
Fandango has also been joining forces
with other payment platforms including
Apple Pay, Google Pay and others. “We are
100-percent aligned with all of our trade
partners,” Yanover emphasizes proudly.
TICKETING POS
International Expansion
Particularly in Latin America, the
company has been growing proactively via
acquisition in recent years. It purchased
Brazil-based Ingresso in late 2015 and
approximately a year later added Peruvian
ticketing company Cinepapaya to the family.
“In many ways, Ingresso reminds us of
ourselves and the early days of Fandango,”
says Yanover.
The marketplace isn’t as developed in
Brazil yet, but Ingresso is market leader
and Fandango has capitalized by bringing
its technological knowhow, talented team
and a recognizable brand to the region.
The company is presently utilizing Peru as
home base and headquarters for further
overseas expansion, which to date includes
approximately a dozen countries across
Latin America, including Colombia, Bolivia,
Paraguay and Mexico.
Positive trends that bode well for
Fandango in Latin America include longterm
economic growth, expansion of the
middle class and active mobile-phone
usage. There is a large population that
enjoys attending movies and the company
is capitalizing on its wealth of technology
partnerships to further facilitate ongoing
overseas momentum.
Truth and Myth
Historically, the perception was that
during opening weekend and the early
days of a theatrical release, Fandango
ticket purchasers were driven by a sense
of urgency to buy advance admissions
for popular tentpole titles in major cities
when demand runs high and showings
often sell out ahead of time.
According to Yanover, “Although there
is some truth to that, I think that the products
and services we have created, along
with current consumer behavior, have really
habituated people to the desire to use us
for their everyday movie ticket purchases.
As an example, our share of non-opening
weekend tickets is more than 50 percent
of our total tickets sold. This is spreading
across more and more markets and we see
it happening all over the country.”
Fandango’s Future
Fandango is a big believer in the future
of voice-driven AI technology, both on
Group Outings by Rob Rinderman
Atom Tickets Adds New Promotions
to Its Social Movie-Ticketing Service
Atom Tickets is a social movie-ticketing
app that’s been around since
2014. Filmgoers can purchase admissions
for approximately 19,000 North American
cinema screens via the app. National
Amusements’ Showcase Cinemas recently
added its locations to the growing mix,
which already included AMC Theatres and
Regal Cinemas, two of the early investors
in Atom.
It’s free to download via the Apple
App Store, Google Play Store and on the
company’s website, www.atomtickets.
com. In addition to facilitating ticket purchases
via QR codes on Atom-branded
tablets and at in-lobby kiosks, consumers
utilize the app for searching prospective
movie titles.
Cinemagoers can easily invite friends or
family to join them at the theatre via Facebook
or their contact list. Users also have
the option to skip the concessions counter
your phone and in the home. The company
is already integrated with Amazon Alexa
and the Echo Dot device. Consumers can
ask Alexa about buying movie tickets and
purchase them by voice command.
The company is also exploring how
moviegoers can pick their actual seats by
voice and have Alexa remember where
you sat the last time you visited a particular
theatre, among other features. The
end game is to make available information
more useful.
“I think we are still in the early to
middle days of mobile,” Vanover observes,
“and there are some really exciting technologies
that will find themselves into the
total journey on the way to the theatre
and there is a lot more to unlock. We are
very interested in augmented reality, for
instance, and other experiences of moviegoing
related to AR on one’s phone.
“If we do our job well, we make it a
better experience for the consumer by
removing all of the friction from the ticket-buying
process, ultimately driving more
people to take their interest and turn it
into a purchase to attend a movie and create
incremental attendance.”
line by pre-ordering favorite snacks on their
mobile device. One in three customers currently
utilizes the app for this purpose, with
popcorn being the most common purchase.
High Profile Investors
In addition to AMC and Regal, financial
backers include three of the leading
Hollywood studios. According to Atom
Tickets co-founder/chairman Matthew
Bakal, “Working with Lionsgate, Disney
and Twentieth Century Fox Film has
been instrumental in understanding the
needs of the studios (including marketing,
technology and data) so that we can
better deliver meaningful results to them.
We’re helping them to understand movie
consumers and their purchasing behavior.
Our investors are very engaged with us
and often share thoughts on our services
and functionality of our product. They are
also helping drive awareness of Atom.”
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Influential Marketing Partners
The company has been adept at forging
an impressive array of promotions with
high-profile corporate allies. For example,
Atom recently teamed with the Chase Pay
banking app in conjunction with the celebration
of National Popcorn Day on Jan.
19. Movie fans that paid for their tickets
via Chase were treated to a free popcorn
of any size at participating theatre locations.
Regal also got into the action, utilizing
the promotion to herald their circuit’s
recent Cheetos flavor launch.
A noteworthy partnership connected
Atom to “Un-carrier” T-Mobile and
Twentieth Century Fox Film, one of the
company’s aforementioned studio investors.
Pursuant to this promotion, T-Mobile
customers are now eligible to purchase
discounted $4 Tuesday night tickets to five
2018 theatrical tentpole releases.
“T-Mobile Tuesdays” officially kicked
off Jan. 23 with Maze Runner: The Death
Cure, which will be followed later this year
by Red Sparrow, Deadpool 2, Alita: Battle
Angel and Dark Phoenix. Tickets are available
for purchase via the T-Mobile Tuesdays
app and can be redeemed with the Atom
app. As a bonus, customers of the mobile
network can enter to win trips to attend
movie premieres and other
unique experiences, in addition
to receiving access
to movie streaming sneak
peeks courtesy of T-Mobile.
Amazon and Sony also
recently forged an alliance
with Atom, enabling early
ticketing for a special Jumanji:
Welcome to the Jungle
screening offered exclusively
for Amazon’s Prime
members a week before
the movie was widely released.
“Creating this special ticketed movie
moment had never been done before
and Prime members loved the VIP treatment,”
reports Bakal.
Analytics and Technology
“We believe analytics and measurement
are core to what makes us a successful
ticketing provider for customers,
an advertising partner for studios and a
technology provider for exhibitors,” Bakal
declares. “We approach every problem
from a data perspective—problems that
range from testing the performance of
different features to the messages and
creative in our marketing campaigns.
“Lastly, from a technology
perspective, we constantly
monitor and measure
the performance, latency
and availability of the services
that power our app
and website, and our partner
websites.”
Looking Ahead…
Bakal expects to see a
Atom co-founder faster pace of innovation.
Matthew Bakal Atom is in the process of
exploring technological ticket
innovations. It is working with Regal Cinemas
to pilot dynamic pricing, looking for
the right way to approach ticket prices in
the future.
Exhibitors are in the process of consolidating
and the larger ones are on a
path to become worldwide businesses.
Studios are also consolidating and are
very focused on direct-to-consumer
moviegoer relationships.
“Look for Atom to deepen relationships
with these partners and to grow
additional partnerships so that we can
provide the best consumer experience to
help grow traffic and revenue in the theatrical
window,” Bakal concludes.
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TICKETING POS
Purchasing Power
Exhibitors Hail a New Age
of Movie Ticketing and POS
In this Film Journal International
survey, five top
exhibitors reflect on the ways
technology has impacted how
their customers purchase
movie tickets and enhanced
the business operations of
cinemas. Moviegoers are more
engaged than ever and seem
to have no reservations about
reserved seating.
Sarah Van Lange
Director, Communications,
Cineplex
Ticketing/POS Technology:
Vista Entertainment Solutions
How have the
advances in ticketing
and POS technology
impacted your operations?
Advances in
ticketing technology
really have
revolutionized the
moviegoing experience
for many of
our guests, particularly
those that
are more comfortable
using technology through our ATKs
[automated ticketing kiosks] in-theatre,
the Cineplex Mobile App and through
Cineplex.com. Mobile ticketing is particularly
popular, as our app is a convenient
one-stop destination for guests to buy
tickets, browse showtimes and theatre
listings, as well as catch up on the latest
movie and entertainment news. Users
can also view trailers and exclusive content,
view box-office results and check
their SCENE loyalty points balance.
From an operations perspective, the
deployment of these technologies—
ATKs in-theatre and the Cineplex Mobile
App—has enabled us to better service
our guests in many ways. For example,
they provide insight into attendance
Sarah Van Lange
numbers at the theatre level in advance,
which means we’re able to bring in
additional staff if required on a particular
evening. Another example would be that
we’re able to reallocate staff from behind
a box office and put them in front of it,
engaging and interacting one-on-one with
our guests. Many of our guests love the
experience of purchasing their ticket at
the theatre and we will continue to offer
it, but advances in ticketing and POS
technology provide others with a choice.
What percentage of your customers
reserve tickets in advance?
Reserved seating is very connected to
film product, so it’s hard to pull a specific
stat around that. What I can tell you that I
think makes a similar point is that the Cineplex
Mobile App was downloaded 17.3
million times and has recorded 918
million app sessions since its launch.
Have you seen a change in
customer engagement thanks to the
web’s role in ticketing and providing
information about the movies you
show?
Absolutely. Year over year,
we’re certainly seeing higher engagement
on the Cineplex Mobile
App and higher visitation to Cineplex.com.
On the guest services
side, we’re seeing movie lovers
across Canada reaching out to us
more and more through the chat functionality
on our website as opposed to
picking up the phone and calling our call
centre. More and more movie lovers are
online—we’re listening and we’re engaging
with them there.
Joel Davis
VP & Chief
Operating
Officer,
Premiere
Cinema Corp.
Ticketing/POS
Technology: RTS
(Ready Theatre
Systems)
Joel Davis
How have the advances in ticketing
and POS technology impacted your
operations?
Advance ticketing has definitely
improved the experience for the guest,
from just looking up showtimes to
reserving their favorite seat. Patrons
have access through their cellphones
to movie times through a variety of
sources that tie directly into our POS
to reserve tickets instantly. Proprietary
apps are available for showtimes at
your local theatre company or patrons
can use popular apps for showtimes
like Flixster, Fandango, Movie Tickets
and others. Patrons enjoy the convenience
factor of bypassing the box
office versus the traditional method of
standing in line at the box office.
POS systems have evolved to keep
up with the ever-changing demand of
the cinema business from just being a
register. Online ticketing is just one
of the aspects of its main function.
The POS links to several functions in
a theatre. Just to name a few: time
management, DLP, inventory, analytical
reporting, automated hotline, Rentrak,
digital signage, HVAC comfort settings
for temperature, and smart building
controls. We have gone from the old
days of doing everything manually to
a more automated world that is more
efficient.
What percentage of your customers
reserve tickets in advance?
Before reserved seating, it was less
than 12 percent on average for highdemand
features; since we converted
to recliner seating, this has created
more of demand for advance tickets.
I would say advance reserved-seating
sales have at least doubled. The old
model is changing and this reserved
ticketing model is quickly becoming
the norm in large to middle markets.
Patrons are quickly accepting the
reserved model due to the wide
acceptance of recliners. It’s the
law of supply versus demand due
to the loss in chair inventory.
It created a greater occupancy
and a higher revenue stream for
advance tickets that did not exist
before.
Have you seen a change in
customer engagement thanks to the
outreach efforts of companies like
Fandango and Atom Tickets?
Companies are now
starting to see the payoff in
infrastructure they invested in
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TICKETING POS
due to the recent changes in
the large to middle markets to
the recliner reserved-seating
model. On the flip side, smaller
markets have not seen that
much increase.
What’s your current stance on
the Movie Pass scheme?
There’s not enough
information at this time to make
a prediction. I do, however,
believe that anything that puts
patrons in seats and does
not compromise the pricing
structure is a great thing.
Brian Schultz
Founder/CEO
& Tearlach Hutcheson
Senior Director of Programming,
Studio Movie Grill
Ticketing & POS Technology:
Vista Entertainment Solutions
How have the advances in ticketing
and POS technology impacted your
operations?
In the last 15
years I haven’t seen
anything in POS
technology that has
advanced the way we
do business. There
were big advances 15
to 20 years ago, but
advances since then
have been minor.—
Hutcheson
What percentage
of your customers
reserve tickets in
advance?
Fifty percent.
Have you seen a change in customer
engagement thanks to the outreach efforts
of companies like Fandango and Atom
Tickets?
Fandango, yes. Atom’s market
share isn’t large enough yet to make a
difference.—Hutcheson
What’s your current stance on the
MoviePass scheme?
If you love movies as much as we
do at SMG, we should all embrace any
outlet that allows for ease of use for
our guests. If MoviePass subscriptions
enable more frequent moviegoing and
exploration of movie content, then
we’re all for it! Our partnerships are
about creating the ability to see more
films more often at the theatre, sitting
in a comfortable seat with immersive
sound on a giant screen, enjoying
quality food, and in the communal
experience only movie theatres can
provide.
MoviePass has enhanced our ability
to open hearts and minds by providing
a no-risk vehicle for moviegoers to
sample movies they might not otherwise
see. SMG was amazed to learn that in
some cases, as with Lady Bird, MoviePass
generated a double-digit percentage of
total attendance. We are in the business
of creating the habit of moviegoing and
we are excited to be an early adopter of
MoviePass.—Schultz
Brock Bagby
Executive VP,
B&B Theatres
Ticketing/POS Technology:
Vista Entertainment Systems
How have the advances in ticketing
and POS technology impacted your
operations?
Brian Schultz Brock Bagby Chris Johnson
Advance ticket sales and POS
technology have drastically changed
how we do business. An impressive
40 percent of our screens now offer
guests luxury-recliner reserved seating.
This enables a significantly higher
volume of online sales, so we are seeing
many guests arrive with their seats
already reserved. This is helping boxoffice
lines and wait times shorten at
the theatre.
What percentage of your customers
reserve tickets in advance?
In our reserved-seating recliner
towns, we are seeing 30 percent of
customers reserve early. On massive
blockbuster weekends such as Star
Wars, we often see that shoot up into
the 60 percent range.
Have you seen a change in customer
engagement thanks to the web’s role in ticketing
and providing information about the
movies you show?
Yes, customers are now wanting
showtimes more quickly so that they
can reserve their seat. If showtimes
aren’t posted quickly, customers are
frustrated, as they want to have the
option of buying their seat earlier
and earlier.
Chris Johnson, CEO,
Classic Cinemas
Ticketing/POS Technology:
Titan Technologies
How have the advances in ticketing
and POS technology impacted your
operations?
They give us the ability to offer
our ticketing inventory through digital
platforms in real time. The dial-up
showtime phone line is dead. Switching
the majority of sales to credit cards
reduces cash handling and fraud. Printat-home
and send-tomobile
help predict
sales. The ability to
do reserved seats and
have a quality loyalty
program are also
advantages.
What percentage of
your customers reserve
tickets in advance?
It completely
depends on the movie
and the location. Once
a theatre switches to
recliners, the percentage
increases; then it goes up higher with
reserved seats. Essentially, the frequency
of sellouts or getting a good seat at
showtime is the biggest factor. So for
theatres with general seating that rarely
sell out, it’s maybe two to five percent,
Recliners without reserved seating 10 to
25 percent, and recliners with reserved
seating 30-plus percent.
Have you seen a change in customer
engagement thanks to the web’s role in
ticketing and providing information about
the movies you show?
Yes, the guests can watch trailers,
see reviews, audience scores, ticket
availability, and really be more informed
of what is playing and whether they
want to see it.
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Customer Convenience
Ticketing and POS Companies
Showcase Their Latest Innovations
Atom Tickets
Atom Tickets is changing
the way people go to the
movies by creating a more
convenient and more social
moviegoing experience. The
Atom Tickets app has revolutionized
the digital movie
ticketing process for consumers
to seamlessly include
inviting friends (via contact
lists or Facebook) and preordering
concessions.
In an effort to create special theatrical
experiences that drive box-office attendance,
Atom partners closely with studios.
The company recently teamed up with
Amazon and Sony to enable early ticketing
for a special Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
screening exclusively for Prime members
a week before the movie was released.
Creating this special ticketed movie moment
had never been done before and
Prime members loved the VIP treatment.
Atom Tickets is also focused on
driving moviegoing innovation. One way
Atom is doing this is by partnering with
Regal Cinemas to pilot dynamic pricing,
looking for the right way to approach
ticket prices. (atomtickets.com)
Compeso
Compeso is at the cutting edge of
technology, applying big data to the cinema
exhibition business. With products such
as the exceptional ticketing solution Win-
TICKET, exhibitors now have the opportunity
to use their data to increase their revenue.
They are already reaping the benefits
of our fully equipped WinTICKET, which
offers: box office, retail POS, in-theatre
service, cross-center sales, online sales,
mobile admittance, kiosk purchases, loyalty
schemes, marketing tools, film booking and
reporting, TMS interface, smart pricing and
data analysis.
Make your data count! That’s what
we say at Compeso. (compeso.com)
Dealflicks
B&B Theatres, the seventh-largest
movie theatre chain in the U.S., and
Dealflicks have launched a mix of fullpriced
tickets and deals across B&B’s 391
screens and 49 theatres. While online
ticketing for all films and showtimes will
be available, a varied amount of ticket
and concession deals will be available for
movies on certain days. Availability and
prices will differ depending on time of
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day, day of week, seat availability
and other factors.
All B&B sales will run through
movieXchange, Vista Group’s
newest ticketing API, ensuring
guaranteed seating and a
seamless in-theatre redemption
experience for the customer.
By compiling the sales and API
inventory data, Dealflicks’ pricing
and inventory can get “smarter”
as time goes on.
Launched in 2012, Dealflicks
has grown to over 500 locations
and raised over $4.2 million in
capital. While Dealflicks’ product
has traditionally been deals,
this new partnership with B&B
Theatres marks the beginning of
Dealflicks’ next phase—dynamic
pricing for all movie tickets.
“Dealflicks has been the number-one
leader in the movie-ticketing deal
space for the past few years,” says Sean
Wycliffe, the CEO and founder of Dealflicks.
“But now, we can be the first and
last stop for moviegoers when they are
looking to see a film.” (dealflicks.com)
TICKETING POS
Fandango
Fandango’s mobile
and social ticketing innovations
serve moviegoers
and exhibitors
with best-in-class
movie information,
trailers and original
content for movie discovery,
and ticketing
to more than 33,000
screens worldwide.
Fandango works closely with technology
partners like Apple, Facebook,
Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Snapchat
and others in building new mobile, social,
AI bot, and voice-recognition tools that
enable moviegoers to discover movies
and buy tickets—or ask Alexa which
movies are playing in nearby theatres.
Fandango ticketing is integrated into
Apple’s Messages platform and Facebook
Messenger, so that when fans are
planning a group movie outing, they can
access Fandango without leaving their
messaging conversation. Fandango has
also incorporated new digital payment
platforms, including Apple Pay, Google
Pay, PayPal, Visa Checkout and Masterpass,
enabling ticket purchases via
debit and credit cards, speeding through
ticketing checkout with just one tap.
Fandango also offers Split Pay, making it
easier to share the bill for tickets with
multiple friends.
Recently, the company added Movie-
Tickets.com to its growing suite of ticketing
properties, joining Fandango and
Flixster, as well as Ingresso in Brazil and
Fandango Latin America, enabling the company
to now serve hundreds of millions of
moviegoers worldwide. (fandango.com)
Jack Roe
There was once a ticket system that
was very, very simple.
Paper tickets were easy, but their
reporting rather dismal.
And so arrived the 386 with its RAM
and memory,
Consigning chunking ticket machines
to distant history.
And since then the ticketing companies
have made life even better.
With time clocks and EMV they’ve
changed our lives forever.
And then came internetticketing.com
with its graphs and pretty curves
So gone are the days of shared desktops
getting on your nerves.
With film booking and loyalty systems,
websites and mobile apps
They’ve everything you could possibly
need and if not only ask.
Their software products are a candy
store as far as you can see
Where you pick the suites that fill
your seats down in good old Tennessee.
—Alan Roe, CEO, Jack Roe (jackroe.com)
Omniterm
In today’s ever-changing cinema POS
environment, theatres are demanding
more from their POS suppliers. Omniterm,
as your true partner, is introducing
the new, compact yet powerful 1.8 Intel
Celeron Quad
Core processor
POS terminal,
the OMNI 7650.
The OMNI 7650
is a fan-less POS
terminal with a
scratch-proof,
projected capacitive
touch screen. Housed in a beautiful
body, the kiosk has the system performance
and reliability Omniterm customers
have come to expect. The OMNI
7650, combined with the Integra Ticketing
Retrieval software, will help speed the
line of customers waiting to see a movie.
(omniterm.com)
POSitive Cinema
Increase revenues,
enable data
mining and improve
customer satisfaction
by giving customers
the power to control
their cinema-going experience. Introducing
POSitive Cinema’s enhanced mobile
app. Features for your customers include:
▶ Ticketing: Booking and pre-booking
▶ Concessions: Pre-purchase concessions
and in-seat dining
▶ Dine-In: Use their own device to
place and see status of orders
▶ Marketing: Receive app-exclusive
campaigns
▶ Customer Service: On-demand
customer interaction and support for
in-hall issues
▶ Loyalty: Earn, redeem and view status
of points
▶ Skip the Queue: No need to wait on
line when ordering in advance
▶ Profile: Manage their own customer
profiles
Benefits to your cinema include:
▶ New Revenue Generation:
Through cross-selling and up-selling of
movies and concessions. Fully integrated
with POSitive Cinema’s Campaign Management
Module
▶ Savings: Reduce headcount as wait
staff is no longer needed, only runners
▶ Reduce CapEx: Allowing customers
to BYOD
▶ Increased Customer Satisfaction:
Complete control of the cinema-going
experience from before they select the
movie, through to seeing the movie, and
following up on their experience
▶ Data Mining: Track customer activity
before and during the cinema experience
(lsisoftware.pl)
Retriever Solutions
Retriever Software, a leader in
theatre point-of-sale technology, is
expanding our product offerings to
include network and IT services for
theatre exhibitors. Retriever can
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now help with “all-things computer”
in your operation. We maintain LAN
and WAN networks, phone and
surveillance systems, and we can even
support your office desktop computer
hardware. Of course, we continue to
supply ticketing software, digital signage,
websites, mobile apps, film-rental
management and more, making us the
comprehensive solution for technology
in your operation. Hence, we have
updated our name to Retriever Solutions.
Take a sneak peek at our new logo and
look for more exciting updates from us
throughout the year. Contact us for the
solution. (RetrieverSolutionsInc.com)
RTS (Ready Theatre Systems)
Take your theatre to the next level
with Full Service Restaurant Mode, Easy
Bar Tabs, and Graphical Layouts (above
center) with Seat Selection. These features,
and many more, are now available
using the RTS system. (rts-solutions.com)
ticket. International
ticket. International offers inventory
management systems for the leisure
industry and especially for the cinema
industry. All products are fully integrated
and summarized in the product line Dolphin.
550+ successful installations speak
for themselves.
ticket. International’s
offering
encompass box
office, POS systems,
hospitality/restaurant POS, responsive
design and state-of-the-art developing techniques,
digital ticket, Orderman, kiosk systems,
guided tour management and event
management, access control and complex
management systems. Mobile solutions like
Mobile Manager, Mobile Reports, Mobile Entry
Control and Mobile Stock Taking round
out the product portfolio.
The Dolphin product line is a highly
integrated system for ticketing and concession
sales, gastronomy, access control,
online and mobile ticketing. In addition to
the sales modules are extensive management
and reporting modules. Dolphin
offers a central server solution with
three-tier architecture, a central database
(Oracle 12, SAP Sybase SQL), application
server (C++) and web systems (php).
The central server is either located
in the headquarters or in a data center.
For smaller customers, we provide a
safe and cost-effective hosting contract
at our high-security Deutsche Telekom
data center. The integrated software
deployment dramatically reduces the time
required for updates. Dolphin technology
also requires very little bandwidth and
minimal administrative effort.
Finally, the new ticket.@WEB online
solution uses responsive design and state-ofthe-art
developing techniques to unite previously
separate sales channels into a modern,
high-performance and flexible online sales
channel. (ticket-international.com)
IN THEATRES NOW
PRODUCED BY JACK ROE
SALES AND PERFORMANCE DATA ANALYTICS
AVAILABLE THROUGH INTERNETTICKETING.COM
For sales and product information email: sales@jackroe.com
www.jackroe.com
internet
ticketing
.com
by jack roe
MARCH 2018 / FILMJOURNAL.COM 45
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TICKETING POS
Get Smart! About Ticketing by Andreas Fuchs
UCI Kinowelt Counts
on Dynamic Pricing
he cinema market in Ger-
is very open to the ‘Tmany
subject of pricing,” says Claas
Eimer, commercial director of UCI
Kinowelt, a leading circuit in the
country and subsidiary of AMC
Entertainment’s United Kingdombased
Odeon Cinemas Group
(www.odeon cinemasgroup.com).
“And, as an innovative exhibitor,
we are equally open to new ideas
and opportunities.”
As our industry is expanding on everso-new
and differentiating options, ticket
pricing has become the latest frontier,
and possibly one of the greatest points
of debate going forward. With food and
beverage, upgraded seating and a variety of
premium offerings all moving along nicely,
and ticket surcharges growing, attention
is once again focused on how much it all
costs for the consumer. MoviePass and
Dealflicks are making waves, as is every
official announcement of average ticket
prices across North America when issued
by NATO. We also keep hearing doomsday
declarations on declining—or at least
plateauing—attendance numbers.
Addressing Regal Entertainment
Group’s numbers during their third-quarter
earnings call in November, chief executive
officer Amy Miles also broached the subject
of pricing. “With the help of our partner
Atom Tickets, we expect to conduct a
ticket-pricing test in several markets in
early 2018. If an alternative pricing model is
going to be successful, we believe that, one,
it must provide a clear economic benefit
to both exhibitors and our studio partners,
and two, it should provide a compelling value
proposition for our consumers. This test
could be the first step towards a pricing
model that drives incremental revenue in
peak periods and incremental attendance in
non-peak periods. Changes to the historical
pricing structure have often been discussed
but rarely tested in our industry and we
are excited to learn even more about how
pricing changes impact customer behavior.”
The cinema business is entering the
age of dynamic pricing, based on actual
and varying demand, as we know it from
Claas Eimer
UCI Kinowelt Commercial Director
the airline and hospitality industries, to
name but two of the pioneers. As with
all changes and new ideas, exhibitors are
mulling over a variety of options, many of
which are not that new at all in different
countries: pricing according to a film’s
length, popularity and/or budget; based
where you sit inside the auditorium, in
a preferred place or up front, and how
comfortably—all the while allocating
ticket discounts during off-hours and
extending bargain matinee/basement
options. There is even talk about “surge
pricing for movies,” based on the policies
used by ride-sharing services.
For this month’s exclusive roundup
of ticketing technology and services, Film
Journal International had the opportunity
Jens Heinze
UCI Managing Director
to speak with a very early adopter of and
now leader in applying dynamic pricing,
even though UCI Kinowelt’s Claas
Eimer prefers the term smart pricing.
More to that later. UCI Kinowelt is the
first chain to establish a model of ticket
prices changing according to demand and
constantly updated in real time.
Eimer explains how UCI Kinowelt
first connected with Berlin, Germanybased
Smart Pricer, a company that has
enjoyed much success in dynamically
pricing airline and event tickets. “We
were brainstorming about how to come
up with a new and more dynamic pricing
model for cinemas in general, and for
UCI Kinowelt in particular. Already in
2015, we embarked on a pilot phase
46 FILMJOURNAL.COM / MARCH 2018
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at our Kinowelt Potsdam, in close
collaboration with Smart Pricer. The
results were positive and we added
two more locations in the fall of 2016.
Currently, we offer dynamic pricing in
ten locations and continue to roll out this
offer over the next five months.”
Just this January, the partners confirmed
that Smart Pricer’s airfare-style
pricing software will, in fact, be deployed
to all 23 multiplexes and 203 screens
across the circuit (www.uci-kinowelt.
de). “After observing overproportional
revenue uplifts and good customer acceptance
at our test sites,” Eimer noted
on the occasion, “there is no doubt that
our choice to partner with Smart Pricer
and [POS provider] Compeso [www.
compeso.com] has been the right decision.”
Added Jens Heinze, UCI’s managing
director, “It is a ‘plug and play’ solution
that allows us to set the pricing rules in
the web interface, while the system optimizes
the ‘price mix’ of all shows automatically
based on our settings.”
As Heinze describes the essential mechanics
of price optimization, Smart Pricer’s
“mission is to help cinemas get pricing right,”
the company promises (www.smart-pricer.
com). Before applying its “revolutionary pricing
software” to the cinema space, company
founders and executives Christian Kluge and
Franz Blechschmidt worked in the areas of
airline ticketing and events. Their biggest client
in the latter realm is German Bundesliga
team Hertha BSC. (Whether Smart Pricer
had anything to do with the Berlin soccer
club extending an offer of a lifetime ticket
tattoo could not be established by press
time. Whether that is a smart decision by
the wearer remains to be seen.)
Smart Pricer first uses algorithms to
understand patterns of demand and to
segment customers. External elements
that affect forecasting such as weather
and overall interest are in a beta trial.
The software then adjusts the size and
extent of seating categories to optimize
the “price mix” in real time.
“Guests have the option, both online
and at the cinema, to choose between
different categories of seating and
prices,” Eimer says of the system, which
applies only to assigned seats. The term
“reserved seating’ is not used here, as
many exhibitors in Germany and other
countries still offer a way of securing
seats—making reservations—without
payment in advance. Because seats have
not been purchased in this case, to faciliate
selling all available inventory, unclaimed
reservations and corresponding
seats are released a certain amount of
time before the show begins.
“Auditorium segmentation into
regular and loge seats, as well as VIP
seating at some of our locations, has been
in place before,” Eimer continues. “In
the dynamic model, these catgeories are
differentiated further so that moviegoers
can chose between four or five prices,
including VIP. Dynamic adjusting does
not happen to the ticket prices, but
the number of available tickets in each
category is adjusted automatically.”
This is the reason why Eimer and UCI
prefer to use the term smart pricing.
“In the classic model of dynamic pricing,
as we know it from booking airfare,
the difference is much more dramatic.
With smart pricing, there are always
seats that are cheaper than before. In
the up direction, the top admission price
remains in place, essentially. Thanks
to smart pricing functionality, there
are simply more categories whose
availabilties adjust based on supply and
demand.” In other words, he says, “it is
not more expensive overall but ‘smarter,’
and offers more choices to guests where
they want to sit and at what price.”
How does UCI Kinowelt effectively
communicate both the many already
established and the decidely advanced
newer choices? “We explain all the
options to our guests at the time of their
ticket purchase,” Eimer replies. “All the
different categories are displayed online
along with the corresponding ticket
prices. We installed an additional display
at almost every one of our ticket-selling
stations. They show the auditorium
layout, prices and seating chart with
categories changing in real time. This way,
moviegoers can easily see where they can
sit and at what price.” This has all been
working well, “and we did not launch any
special marketing campaign for smart
pricing,” Eimer assures.
Another possible misconception about
smart pricing is that early buying and
booking yields a discount. Although that
option makes sense as well, by rewarding
fans and frequent moviegoers, it does
take away from the upside with film hits
and those high-demand titles. Discount
days and extending rebates for attending
off-peak showtimes are other instances of
incentivized pricing that the cinema business
has been and still is offering. Not so
with smart pricing, Eimer contends. “There
are no rebates and reductions with smart
pricing. It is more like you can sit better
and cheaper when you book early. After all,
ticket prices remain fixed for each category
of seats. With that, any given special film
does not get more expensive. The number
of seats associated with each category
changes, but not the overall pricing structure.”
So, with smart picing, there is no
need for surge pricing and/or the decidely
negative perception that comes with it—
one of “jacking up tickets” for films that “I,
the moviegoer actually want to see.”
As always, proof is in the numbers, and
Smart Pricer confirms that “cinemas using
our dynamic pricing software experience a
significant revenue increase.” White papers
and other documents issued by Smart
Pricer speak of expected increases in
ticketing revenue, ranging anywhere from
five to ten percent as “moviegoers accept
the price model.”
continued on page 74
MARCH 2018 / FILMJOURNAL.COM 47
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2018 EXHIBITION GUIDE
INTERNATIONAL
2018 EXHIBITION GUIDE
The Exhibition Guide
is FJI’s annual listing
of leading
motion-picture
theatre circuits,
both domestic
and international,
including
executive rosters
and screen counts.
NORTH AMERICA
ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE
CINEMAS
612 E 6th St.
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 219-7800
drafthouse.com
Founded: 1997
Theatres: 29
Screens: 216
States: TX, NY, CA, VA, CO, MO,
MI, NE, AZ
Founder & CEO: Tim League
CCO: Mike Sherrill
CMO: Christian Parkes
Sr. Dir. of Programming &
Promotions: Sarah Pitre
Sr. Dir. of Mktg.: Chaya Rosenthal
Dir. of First Run Strategy: Kayla Pugh
VP of Partnerships & Events:
Henri Mazza
ALLEN THEATRES INC.
1401 Don Roser Dr., Bldg. C
Las Cruces, NM 88011
(575) 524-7933
allentheatresinc.com
Founded: 1912
Theatres: 18
Screens: 121
States: CO, NM, AZ
Pres. & Co-Owner: Russell Allen
VP & Co-Owner, Concession &
Mktg.: Heather Gandy
VP & Co-Owner, Film Buying:
Asa Allen
VP & Co-Owner, Finance:
Nathan Allen
AMC ENTERTAINMENT INC.
One AMC Way
11500 Ash St.
Leawood, KS 66211
(913) 213-2000
amctheatres.com
Founded: 1920
Theatres (Global): 1,000+
Theatres (US): 600+
Screens (Global): 11,000+
Screens (US): 8,100+
States: AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT,
DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS,
KY, LA, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, MT,
NC, ND, NE, NH, NM, NJ, NV, NY,
OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX,
UT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
CEO & Pres.: Adam M. Aron
EVP & CFO: Craig R. Ramsey
EVP, Operations: John D. McDonald
EVP, Global Development:
Mark A. McDonald
EVP & CMO: Stephen Colanero
EVP Worldwide Programming &
Chief Content Officer:
Elizabeth Frank
SVP, Gen. Counsel & Secretary:
Kevin M. Connor
SVP, HR: Carla Sanders
SVP & Chief Accounting Officer:
Chris A. Cox
B&B THEATRES
P.O. Box 129
Liberty, MO 64069
(816) 407-7469
bbtheatres.com
Founded: 1924
Theatres: 49
Screens: 391
States: FL, IA, KS, MO, MS,OK, TX
Pres. & CEO/Owner:
Robert E. Bagby
Chairman/Owner: Elmer Bills
EVPs: Brock Bagby, Bobbie Bagby,
Brittanie Bagby
VP Finance: Michael Hagan
Exec. Dir. of Operations:
Dan VanOrden
Exec. Dir. of Development &
Construction: Dennis McIntire
Dir. of Design: Jesse Baker
Circuit Operations Mgr.: Tyler Rice
Film Buyers: Brad Bills, Ed Carl
BOW TIE CINEMAS
641 Danbury Rd.
Ridgefield, CT 06877
(203) 659-2600
Fax: (203) 659-2601
bowtiecinemas.com
Founded: 1900
Theatres: 40
Screens: 257
States: CT, MD, VA, CO, NY, NJ
Owners: Charley Moss, Ben Moss
COO: Joseph Masher
CFO: Ron Statile
VP, Operations: Ike Rivera
VP, Food & Beverage & Mktg.:
Jared Milgram
VP, HR: Jenifer Pellegrino
VP, Controller: Robert Schmiedel
VP, IT: John Connelly
VP, Gen. Counsel: Nesa Hassanein
Dir., Construction & Facilities:
Steve Ventor
Dir., Accounts Payable: Patricia Soltis
Sales & Special Events Mgr.:
Joann Horwath
Film Buyer: Frank Martinez
Dir. of Safety & Security:
Jerry Cieremans
Dir. of Audit: Robert Cohen
BRENDEN THEATRE CORP.
4321 West Flamingo Rd.
Las Vegas, NV 89103
(702) 507-1520
Fax: (702) 507-1530
brendentheatres.com
Founded: 1990
Theatres: 7
States: CA, NV, AZ, CO
Chairman of the Board:
Johnny Brenden
Pres./CEO: Bruce Coleman
SVP/CFO: Lee Craner
VP, Operations: Walter Eichinger
Special Events & Mktg. Mgr.:
Brian Epling
CELEBRATION! CINEMA
2121 Celebration Dr. NE
Grand Rapids, MI 49525
(616) 447-4200
Fax: (616) 447-4201
celebrationcinema.com
Founded: 1944
Theatres: 12 / Screens: 156
Owner & CEO: John D. Loeks
Pres. & COO: J.D. Loeks
CFO: Nancy Hagan
VP, Operations: Steve Forsythe
Director, Food & Beverage:
Kristin Kent
VP, Facilities & Presentation:
Michelle Felker
VP, Construction: Roger Lubs
Chief Creative Officer: Eric Kuiper
VP, Programming: Ron Van Timmeren
VP, Mktg. & PR: Steve VanWagoner
VP & CTO: Kenneth Baas
CHAKERES THEATRES
PO Box 1200
Springfield, OH 45501
(937) 323-6447
info@chakerestheatres.com
chakerestheatres.com
Founded: 1908
Theatres: 3
Screens: 17
CEO/Pres.: Phillip H. Chakeres
Board Chair: Pauline Chakeres
EVP: Valerie Chakeres-Baker
VP: Harry N. Chakeres
Film Buyer: Fred Schweitzer
Gen. Mgr.: Mark. W. Booth
CINELUX THEATRES
P.O. Box 54100
San Jose, CA 95154
(800) 954-7720
Fax: (408) 580-5000
48 FILMJOURNAL.COM / MARCH 2018
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info@CineLuxmovies.com
cineluxtheatres.com
Founded: 1966
Theatres: 7
Screens: 47
Pres. & CEO: Paul Gunsky
facebook.com/CineLuxTheatres
Twitter, Instagram: @
CineLuxTheatres
CINEMA CAFE
1220 Fordham Dr.
Virginia Beach, VA 23464
(757) 523-SHOW
Fax: (757) 578-3437
admin@cinemacafe.com
cinemacafe.com
Founded: 1986
Theatres: 5
Screens: 32
CEO: John Walker
Dir. of Operations: Mike Ogden
Mktg. & Events Dir.: Caitlin Walker
facebook.com/cinemacafeva
Twitter, Instagram: @cinemacafeva
CINEMA ENTERTAINMENT
CORP (CEC THEATRES)
1621 West Division St.
Waite Park, MN 56387
(320) 251-9131
Fax: (320) 251-1003
cectheatres.com
Founded: 1961
Theatres: 20
Screens: 160
States: IA, MN, NE, WI
Pres.: Robert Ross
VP: Tony Tillemans
Dir., Film Buying: Dwight Gunderson
Corp. Operations Mgr.: Greg Carter
Concessions & Equipment Buyer:
Andrew Bergstrom
Head Booth Technician:
Craig Seidenkranz
CINEMA WEST
P.O. Box 750595
Petaluma, CA 94975
(707) 762-0990
info@cinemawest.com
cinemawest.com
Founded: 1985
Theatres: 15
Screens: 145
States: CA, ID
CEO: David Corkill
Operations Mgr.: Sheri Meehan
Film Buying/Advertising:
Nancy Andrews
CINEMARK HOLDINGS
3900 Dallas Pkwy., Ste. 500
Plano, TX 75093
(972) 665-1000
Fax: (972) 665-1004
cinemark.com
Founded: 1984
Theatres: 507
Screens: 5,746
States: TX, CA, OH, UT, NV, IL, AZ,
CO, KY, OK, OR, LA, IN, PA, IA,
NC, NM, VA, MI, MS, AR, FL, GA,
NY, SC, AK, DE, KS, MA, MD, MO,
MN, MT, NJ, SD, TN, WE, WI, WV
Countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile,
Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El
Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras,
Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru,
Taiwan
Pres. & CEO: Mark Zoradi
CFO: Sean Gamble
Pres., Cinemark Int’l:
Valmir Fernandes
EVP, Gen. Counsel & Secretary:
Michael Cavalier
EVP, Real Estate: Tom Owens
EVP, Innovation: Robert Carmony
EVP, Purchasing: Walter Hebert
EVP, Global Theatrical Operations:
Steve Zuehlke
SVP, Mktg. & Communications:
James Meredith
SVP, Global Content Planning:
Justin McDaniel
CINÉMAS GUZZO
1055 Ch. du Côteau
Terrebonne, QC J6W 5Y8, Canada
(450) 961-2945
Fax: (450) 961-9349
cinemasguzzo.com
Founded: 1974
Theatres: 10
Screens: 142
Chairman & Owner:
Angelo Guzzo
EVP, COO & Owner:
Vincenzo Guzzo
Sec. & VP, Community Affairs:
Maria Guzzo
VP, Film: Vito Franco
Treasurer: Jose Bruzzese
Dir., Construction:
Mario Quattrociocche
Dir., Operations & Managing:
James Dambreville
CINEPLEX
1303 Yonge St.
Toronto, ON M4T 2Y9, Canada
(416) 323-6600
Fax: (416) 323-6633
cineplex.com
Founded: 2003
Theatres: 163
Screens: 1676
Drive-ins: 1
Pres. & CEO: Ellis Jacob
COO: Dan McGrath
CFO: Gord Nelson
CTO: Jeffrey Kent
EVP, Filmed Entertainment:
Michael Kennedy
Pres., Cineplex Media: Salah Bachir
SVP, HR: Heather Briant
CLO and Exec. VP, Real Estate:
Anne Fitzgerald
SVP, Customer Strategies:
Susan Mandryk
SVP, Exec. VP, Amusement &
Leisure: Paul Nonis
SVP, Corporate Development &
Strategy: George Sautter
Exec. VP & Gen. Mgr., Cineplex
Digital Media: Fabrizio Stanghieri
SVP, Sales, Cineplex Media:
Lori Legault
VP, Design & Construction: Bill Tishler
VP, Event Cinema: Brad LaDouceur
VP, Finance: Susan Campbell
Sr. VP, Exhibition: Kevin Watts
VP, Lease Admin. Richard Wood
VP, Purchasing & Supply Mgmt.:
Ian Shaw
VP, Cineplex Media: Robert Brown
VP, Operations, Eastern Canada &
Gen. Mgr., Quebec: Daniel Seguin
VP, Software Solutions: Decio Silva
VP, IT Infrastructure & POS:
Scott Hughes
VP, Risk Mgmt.: Scott Behnke
VP, Professional Services, Cineplex
Digital Media: Steve Harris
VP, Legal: Thomas Santram
VP, Mktg.: Darren Solomon
VP, Sales, Cineplex Media: John Tsirlis
VP, Communications & Investor
Relations: Pat Marshall
SVP, Digital Commerce:
Christopher Allen
VP, VIP Cinemas: Biagio Di Carlo
VP, Operations, Western Canada:
Jason De Courcy
VP, Talent Development, Total
Compensation: Dessalen Wood
VP, Media Production, Cineplex
Media: Sheila Gregory
VP, Food Service, Merchandising:
Shelley Felice
VP & Gen. Mgr., Player One
Amusement Group: Joe McCullagh
VP, Real Estate: Chris Doulos
VP, US Operations, Player One
Amusement Group: John Kolliniatis
VP & Gen. Mgr., The Rec Room:
David Terry
VP, User Experience & Design:
Deepika Malik
VP, Innovation & Product
Development: Frank Abreu
CEO & Gen. Mgr., WorldGaming:
Wim Stocks
CLASSIC CINEMAS
603 Rogers St.
Downers Grove, IL 60515
(630) 968-1600
yourinput@classiccinemas.com
classiccinemas.com
Founded: 1978
Theatres: 14
Screens: 111
Pres.: Willis Johnson
CEO: Chris Johnson
Corporate Secretary:
Shirley Johnson
Mktg.: Mark Mazrimas
COMING ATTRACTIONS
THEATRES
2200 Ashland St.
Ashland, OR 97520
(541) 488-1021
catheatres.com
Founded: 1985
Theatres: 18
Screens: 149
States: AK, CA, OR, WA
Exec. Chairman & CEO:
John C. Schweiger
Pres. & COO: Al Lane
VP, Film: Lee Fuchsmann
VP & Controller: Desaree Hall
Dir., Operations: James Sandberg
Dir., Sales, Promotion & Mktg.
Admin.: Kim Neufeld
Dir., HR: Sarah Heiken
Dir., Maintenance: Mark Edwards
Dir., Mktg. & Concessions:
Sean Darrell
DANBARRY CINEMAS
8050 Hosbrook Rd., Ste. 203
Cincinnati, OH, 45236
(513) 784-1521
Fax: (513) 784-1554
danbarry.com
Founded: 1989
Theatres: 5
States: OH, KY
Owners: Daniel J. Hellbrunn,
Barry A. Kohn
Gen. Mgr.: Aaron Bates
Operations Mgr.: Thomas Sanders
DESTINTA THEATRES
611 River Dr., Ste. 103
Elmwood Park, NJ 07407
(845) 569-8181
Fax: (201) 796-2225
Showtime: (845) 569-0300
destinta.com
Founded: 2012
Theatres: 1 / Screens: 12
Theatre address: 215 Quassaick Ave.,
Rte. 94, New Windsor, NY
CEO/COO/CFO:
Martin S. Kenwood
Mktg. Dir.: Pamela Kenwood
EMAGINE ENTERTAINMENT
3221 W Big Beaver Rd., Ste. 301
Troy, MI 48084
2018 EXHIBITION GUIDE
MARCH 2018 / FILMJOURNAL.COM 49
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2018 EXHIBITION GUIDE
operations@emagineentertainment.com
emagine-entertainment.com
Founded: 1997
Theatres: 19
Screens: 222
States: MI, MN, IL
Chairman: Paul Glantz
Partner/Owner: Jon Goldstein
CEO: Anthony LaVerde
CIO: Dave Zylstra
CMO: Melissa Boudreau
COO: Trip Adams
CFO (MI/IL): Dirk Kjolhede
CFO (MN): Christopher Becker
Dir. of HR: Shelby Langenstein
facebook.com/emaginetheatres
Twitter, Instagram:
@EmagineTheatres
youtube.com/user/EmagineTheatres
flickr.com/photos/emagineentertainment
ENTERTAINMENT CINEMAS
7 Central St.
South Easton, MA 02375
(508) 230-7600
Fax: (505) 238-1408
entertainmentcinemas.com
Founded: 1986
Theatres: 7
States: MA, NH, RI, CT
Pres. & CFO: Bill Hanney
Dir. of Motion Picture/Corporate
Relations: Jo-Ann Overstreet
Admin. Asst.: Sue Anagnoston
Booker: Marty Zides
Accountant: CA Associates
FP CINEMAS, LLC d/b/a
(FLAGSHIP CINEMAS)
55 Cambridge Pkwy., Ste. 200
Cambridge, MA 02142
(617) 844-1751
Fax: (617) 679-0800
flagshipcinemas.com
Founded: 1996
Theatres: 16
Screens: 124
States: FL, MA, MD, ME, PA, VA, VT
CEO: John J. Crowley Jr.
Pres.: Paul Wenger
VP of Operations: Andrew Poore
Asst. VP of Operations:
Janet Oprendek
Asst. VP of Admin.: Pauline Mickle
Dir. of Mktg. & Social Media:
Susan Silhan
Dir. of Concessions:
Desmond Asberry
Dir. of Cinema Technology:
Dennis Benjamin
Dir. of Engineering: Mike Dyson
FRANK THEATRES
1003 W Indiantown Rd., Ste. 210
Jupiter, FL 33458
(561) 776-4747
Fax: (561) 776-2340
mktg.@frankcompanies.com
franktheatres.com
Founded: 1921
Theatres: 19
States: FL, GA, NJ, NC, PA, SC,
VA, WV
Emeritus: Al Frank
Pres. & CEO: Bruce Frank
CFO: Robert Reynolds
COO: Bill Herman
SVPs: Joyce Frank, Deborah Frank
EVP: Chris Dugger
FRIDLEY THEATRES
1321 Walnut St.
Des Moines, IA 50309
(515) 282-9287
Fax: (515) 282-8310
fridleytheatres.com
Founded: 1974
Theatres: 20
Screens: 85
States: IA, NE
Pres. & Treasurer: R.L. Fridley
VP: Brian R. Fridley
GALAXY THEATRES
15060 Ventura Blvd., Ste. 350
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
(808) 986-9000
galaxytheatres.com
Founded: 1998
Theatres: 11
Screens: 115
States: CA, WA, NV, TX
Pres. & COO: Rafe Cohen
Chairman & CEO: Frank Rimkus
VP Operations: A.J. Witherspoon
VP Film Buyer: Alex Purcell
GEORGIA THEATRE CO.
50 Cinema Ln.
St. Simons Island, GA 31522
(912) 634-5192
georgiatheatrecompany.com
Founded: 1991
Theatres: 24
Screens: 254
States: GA, FL, SC, VA
Chairman & CEO:
William J. Stembler
Pres.: Bo Chambliss
CFO: Mike Warren
COO: Jeff Mobley
VP, Film: C.F. “Kip” Smiley Jr.
GOLDEN STAR THEATERS
2080 W State St., Ste.14
New Castle, PA 16101
(724) 658-7761
Fax: (724) 658-9037
jrethage@goldenstartheaters.com
goldenstartheaters.com
Founded: 2005
Theatres: 5
Screens: 47
States: PA, MD
Pres.: Frank Moses
VP: George Moses
facebook.com/GoldenStarTheaters
Twitter: @gstheaters
Instagram: @goldenstartheaters
GOODRICH QUALITY
THEATERS
4417 Broadmoor Ave. SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49512
(616) 698-7733
Fax: (616) 698-7220
goodrichqualitytheaters.com
Founded: 1930
Theatres: 31
Screens: 288
States: MI, IN, IL, MO, FL
Pres./Secretary: Robert (Bob)
Goodrich
Treasurer/CFO: Ross Pettinga
COO: Martin Betz
Film Buyer: Jill Ashton
Dir. of Food & Beverage:
Brian Nuffer
Mktg./Creative Director: Kelly Nash
Group Sales Mgr.: Dan Lavengood
CIO: Darren Pitcher
Regional (Support) Mgr.:
Dan Lavengood
Regional (East) Mgr.: Reed Simon
Regional (Central) Mgr.:
Brian Eichstaedt
Regional (West) Mgr.: Heath Thomas
Regional Mgr.: Jeremy Curtis
HARKINS THEATRES
7511 E McDonald Dr.
Scottsdale, AZ 85250
(480) 627-7777
Fax: (480) 443-0950
harkinstheatres.com
Founded: 1933
Theatres: 33
Screens: 501
States: AZ, OK, CO, CA, TX
CEO & Owner: Dan Harkins
Pres. & COO: Mike Bowers
CFO: Greta Newell
SVP: Racheal Wilson
VP: Tyler Cooper
Dir., Construction: Troy Straub
Dir., Engineering: Kirk Griffin
Dir., Facilities: Fred DiNapoli
Dir., Food & Beverage:
Matthew Janiec
Head Film Buyer: Barry Bruno
Dir., HR: Gina Thompson
Dir., IT: Aron Barr
Legal Council: Richard Lustigar
Dir., Mktg.: Whitney Murrey
Dir., Theatre Operations: Dave Meza
Mgr. of Sales: Danielle Betterman
IPIC THEATERS
433 Plaza Real, Ste. 335
Boca Raton, FL 33432
(561) 886-3232
Fax: (561) 886-3258
ipic.com
Founded: 2006
Theatres: 16
States: FL, NY, MD, NJ, IL, TX, AZ,
CA, WI, WA
Pres. & CEO: Hamid Hashemi
COO, iPic Theaters: Alex Reid
COO, Tuck Hospitality Group:
Sherry Yard
VP Film: Clark Woods
CFO: Mark Salter
CTO: Tom Holmes
SVP & Gen. Counsel: Paul Safran
VP HR: Donna DeChant
VP Real Estate: Patrick Quinn
VP Technology Group:
Darryl Leversuch
VP Mktg./Advertising: Jim Lee
facebook.com/iPicTheaters
Twitter, Instagram: @ipictheaters
KERASOTES SHOWPLACE
THEATRES
641 W Lake St., Ste. 305
Chicago, IL 60661
(312) 775-3160
Fax: (312) 258-9943
showplaceicon.com
Founded: 1909
Theatres: 4 / Screens: 64
States: IL, MN, NJ, MA, CA
Chairman & CEO: Tony Kerasotes
Co-Chairman: Dean Kerasotes
COO: Tim Johnson
CFO: Chris Blum
VP of Construction: Mike Policicchio
IT Dir.: Andy Gift
Dir. of Real Estate: Robert Gallivan
Technical Dir.: Fred Walraven
Film Buyer: Jim Weiss
KRIKORIAN PREMIERE
THEATRES
2275 W 190th St., Ste. 201
Torrance, CA 90504
(310) 856-1270
Fax: (310) 856-1299
tc@kptmovies.com
kptmovies.com
Founded: 1984
Theatres: 5
Pres.: George Krikorian
VP of Operations: Todd Cummings
LAEMMLE THEATRES
11523 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 478-1041
Fax: (310) 478-4452
laemmle.com
Founded: 1938
Theatres: 8 / Screens: 38
Owner & Chairman:
Robert Laemmle
Pres. & Film Buyer:
Gregory Laemmle
VP of Operations: Kevin Gallagher
SVP: Jay Reisbaum
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LANDMARK CINEMAS
OF CANADA
14505 Bannister Rd. SE, Ste. 100
Calgary, AB T2X 3J3, Canada
(403) 262-4255
Fax: (403) 266-1529
landmarkcinemas.com
Acquired by Kinepolis Group
Founded: 1965
Theatres: 44
Screens: 310
Provinces: AB, BC, MB, SK, ON, YT
Exec. Chairman: Brian F. McIntosh
Vice Chairman: Neil H. Campbell
CFO: Paul Wigginton
COO: Bill Walker
VP, Film Entertainment:
Kevin Norman
VP, Mktg.: Jack Gardner
VP, Operations: Ryan Dion
VP, Food Services: James Mason
VP, HR: Mary Pitts
Dir., Distributor Relations: Alan Lui
LANDMARK THEATRES
2222 South Barrington Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90064
(310) 312-2300
landmarktheatres.com
Founded: 1974
Theatres: 53
Screens: 255
Markets: 27
States: DC, WA, MO, NY, GA, MA,
IL, TX, CO, MI, IN, CA, MN, WI,
PA, MD, AZ, FL
CEO & Pres.: Ted Mundorff
CFO: Schuyler Hansen
CAO: Jason Sachs
VP Film: Mabel Tam
SVP, Real Estate & Development:
Michael Fant
VP, Theatre Operations:
Chuck Delagrange
Dir., IT: Jeff Agnone
Dir., Creative & Mktg.: Marilyn Joslyn
Dir., Advertising: Laura Louden
LARRY H. MILLER MEGAPLEX
THEATRES
9295 South State St.
Sandy, UT 84070
(801) 304-4505
Fax: (801) 304-4515
megaplextheatres.com
Founded: 1999
Theatres: 16
Screens: 182
States: UT, NV
Pres.: Blake Andersen
CEO: Clark Whitworth
MALCO THEATRES
5851 Ridgeway Ctr. Pkwy.
Memphis, TN 38120
(901) 761-3480
Fax: (901) 681-2044
malco.com
Founded: 1915
Theatres: 33
Screens: 354
States: TN, AR, MS, MO, KY, LA
Chairman, Pres. & CEO:
Stephen Lightman
EVPs: Robert Levy, James Tashie
SVP Operations & Construction:
David Tashie
SVP CFO: Robert Harrington
SVP Food Services: Larry Etter
SVP Film & Film Mktg.: Jeff Kaufman
VP: James Lloyd
VP Digital Operations: Wes Lunsford
VP Operations Admin.: Donald Terry
VP Corporate Communications
& HR: Alan Denton
VP & Dir. of Mktg.: Karen Melton
Film Dept. Assts.: Jeff Martin,
Endy Carter
District Mgr., Southern Region:
Andy Brunetz
District Mgr., Western Region:
Michael Huggins
District Mgr., Eastern Region:
Phillip Smith
Dir. of IT: Kiran Hanumaiah
Dir. of Digital Operations:
Jimmy Beckford
Regional Dir. of Digital Operations:
Scott Barden
Website Admin.: John Tashie
facebook.com/malcotheatres
Twitter: @malcotheatres
Instagram: @malcotheatres1915
MANN THEATRES, INC.
900 E 80th St.
Bloomington, MN 55420
(952) 767-0102
Fax: (952) 767-0103
penny@manntheatresmn.com
manntheatres.com
Founded: 1935
Theatres: 9
Screens: 73
Pres.: Stephen Mann
CFO: Penny Mann Cody
MARCUS THEATRES
100 E Wisconsin Ave.
Milwaukee, WI 53202
(414) 905-1000
Fax: (414) 905-2189
marcustheatres.com
Founded: 1935
Theatres: 68
Screens: 885
States: IL, OH, MN, WI, ND, IA,
NE, MO
Chairman, The Marcus Corporation:
Steve H. Marcus
Pres. & CEO: Gregory S. Marcus
CFO: Doug Neis
Chairman, Pres. & CEO:
Rolando B. Rodriguez
EVPs: Mark Gramz, Jeff Tomachek,
Bill Menke
SVP, Film: Samuel “Sonny” Gourley
VP, Concessions and F&B:
Robert Novak
Chief IT Officer: Kim Lueck
CMO: Ann Stadler
VP, Sales: Clint Wisialowski
VP, Operations: Matt Lee
VP, HR: Barb Gromacki
VP, Real Estate: Katie Falvey
MARQUEE CINEMAS
552 Ragland Rd.
Beckley, WV 25801
(304) 255-4036
Fax: (304) 252-0526
marqueecinemas.com
Founded: 1979
Theatres: 17
Screens: 161
States: CT, FL, KY, NC, NJ, NY, TN,
VA, WV
COO: James M. Cox
CFO: Cindy Ramsden
Dir., Operations: Harry L. Newman
Dir., Mktg.: Robin P. Shumate
Operations: Rob Thompson
METROPOLITAN THEATRES
CORPORATION
8727 W 3rd St.
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(310) 858-2800
Fax: (310) 858-2860
metrotheatres.com
Founded: 1923
Theatres: 15
Screens: 77
States: CA, CO, ID, UT
Chairman & CEO: Bruce Corwin
Pres.: David Corwin
CFO: Phillip Hermann
SVP, Planning & Development:
Dale Davison
VP, Film & Mktg.: Alan Stokes
VP, Finance & HR: Victoria Uy
Food & Beverage Dir.:
Thanasi Papoulias
Mktg. & Comm. Dir.:
Natalie Eig
Operations Dir.: Kim Tucker
MITCHELL THEATRES
PO Box 427
Elkhart, KS 67950
(620) 697-4802
mitfarms@elkhart.com
mitchelltheatres.com
Founded: 2005
Theatres: 15
Screens: 107
States: AZ, CO, KS, MO, NM, OK, TX
Owners: Kenny Mitchell,
Linda Mitchell, Brian Mitchell,
Rosa Mitchell, Brent Mitchell,
Debra Mitchell, Cory Ramsey,
Kendra Ramsey
MJR THEATRES
41000 Woodward Ave., Ste. 135 E
Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304
(248) 548-8282
Fax: (248) 548-4706
mtheatres@aol.com
mjrtheatres.com
Founded: 1980
Theatres: 11
Screens: 169
CEO & Founder: Michael R. Mihalich
VP, Film Buying: Candice Mihalich
VP, Operations: Dennis Redmer
Regional Supervisor: Joel Kincaid
Dir. of Mktg.: Robin B. Hansen
Facilities Manager: Tony Penchoff
MULLER FAMILY THEATRES
20653 Keokuk Ave.
Lakeville, MN 55044
(952) 469-2883
Fax: (952) 985-5643
comments@mullerfamilytheatres.com
mullerfamilytheatres.com
Founded: 1978
Theatres: 8
Screens: 104
NATIONAL AMUSEMENTS
846 University Ave.
Norwood, MA 02062
(781) 461-1600
showcasecinemas.com
Founded: 1936
Theatres: 79 (29 U.S.)
Screens: 925 (392 U.S.)
Chairman of the Board:
Sumner M. Redstone
Pres.: Shari E. Redstone
EVP: Thaddeus Jankowski
SVP, Operations: Duncan Short
SVP, Film & Event Cinema:
Mark Walukevich
VP, Film: Steve Cooper
SVP, Information Tech. & CIO:
Joseph Mollo
VP, Finance & Admin. & CFO:
Kevin Cardullo
SVP, Food & Beverage: Bill LeClair
VP, Mktg.: Mark Malinowski
VP, Real Estate and US & Int’l
Business & Legal Affairs:
Shawn Sullivan
VP & Gen. Counsel: Paula J. Keough
VP, Compensation & Benefits:
Brenda Monacelli
VP, Construction: Kevin Barry
Asst. VP, Mktg.: Rebecca Stein
Asst. VP, Food & Beverage:
Patrick Micalizzi
Asst. VP, Operations:
Paul Valerio
Asst. VP, Risk Mgmt.:
Roy Murphy
Asst. VP, Information Technology:
Anna Marie Landers
Asst. VP, Film US: Jack Monahan
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2018 EXHIBITION GUIDE
NEIGHBORHOOD CINEMA
GROUP (NCG)
314 Comstock
Owosso, MI 48867
(989) 723-0319
Fax: (989) 723-0359
ncgmovies.com
Founded: 1985
Theatres: 23
Screens: 221
States: MI, IN, IL, TN, GA, NC,
SC, FL
Pres.: Jeff Geiger
COO: Mark Henning
CFO/Film Buyer: Shelly Davis
Exec. Officer: Gary Geiger
NEW VISION THEATRES
250 E Broad St.
Westfield, NJ 07090
(908) 396-1360
jgrayson@newvisiontheatres.com
newvisiontheatres.com
Founded: 2016
Theatres: 17
Screens: 194
States: NJ, PA, GA, FL, AL, OK, IL,
WI, MN
Chairman: Bud Mayo
Pres.: Chuck Goldwater
SVP, Development: Brett Marks
VP, Finance & Accounting: Jeff Cole
VP, CTO: Jeff Butkovsky
VP, Theatre Operations: Dean Gentile
Controller: Megan Copner
Dir., Theatre Operations:
Tim Keefner
Dir., Cinema Events & Technical
Operations: Gary Green
Mktg.: Colette Weintraub,
Caryn Drake
facebook.com/NewVisionTheatres
Twitter: @NVTheatres
PACIFIC THEATRES/
ARCLIGHT CINEMAS
120 N Robertson Blvd., 3rd. Fl.
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(310) 657-8420
pacifictheatres.com
Founded: 1946
Theatres: 16
States: CA, IL
CEO & Pres.:
Christopher Forman
COO, ArcLight Cinemas:
Nora Dashwood
PARAGON THEATERS
1191 East Newport Center Dr.,
PH-H
Deerfield Beach, FL 33442
(954) 320-7112 ext.2560
niki.wilson@paragontheaters.com
paragontheaters.com
Founded: 2010
Theatres: 4
Screens: 40
States: VA, FL
CEO: Mike Whalen
Pres.: Mike Wilson
COO: James Herd
VP of Mktg. & Publicity:
Niki Wilson
PHOENIX THEATRES
ENTERTAINMENT, LLC
9111 Cross Park Dr., Ste. E-275
Knoxville, TN 37923
(865) 692-4061
Fax: (865) 692-4065
phoenixtheatres.com
Founded: 2001
Theatres: 13
Screens: 119
States: AL, VA, FL, TN, NV, NC,
MD, PA
Pres. & CEO: Phil Zacheretti
SVP, Operations: Chris Gehring
VP, Accounting: Cindy Collin
VP, Purchasing: Moya Myers
VP, Operations & Food
& Beverage: Vince Emmons
Dir., HR & Compliance:
Darlene Hunter
Dir., IT: Andrew Cummings
Dir., Film: Nick Zacheretti
Mktg. & Advertising: Alison Station
Special Projects Coordinator:
Teresa Williams
PREMIERE CINEMAS
109 W Fourth St.
Big Spring, TX 79720
(432) 267-6450
Fax: (432) 267-9609
info@pccmovies.com
pccmovies.com
Founded: 1985
Theatres: 29
Screens: 312
States: AL, FL, MS, NM, TX, SC
Pres./CEO: Gary Moore
VP/COO: Joel Davis
VP/CFO: Debra Calobreves
Special Ops: Martin Watson
Technical Officer: Larry Delaney
F&B Dir.: Jim Levinson
Admin.: Kathleen Epley
Accounting: Amanda Olson
Film: Tim Patton, Rick Slaughter
R/C THEATRES MGNT. CORP.
231 Cherry Hill Ct.
P.O. Box 1056
Reisterstown, MD 21136
(410) 526-4774
rctheatres@rctheatres.com
rctheatres.com
Founded: 1932
Theatres: 10
Screens: 85
States: MD, NC, PA, VA
CEO & Pres.: Scott R. Cohen
CFO/COO/VP: David Phillips
READING INT’L. USA
5995 Sepulveda, Ste. 300
Los Angeles, CA 90230
(213) 235-2240
Fax: (213) 235-2229
readingrdi.com
Founded: 2002
Theatres: 20
Screens: 203
States: CA, HI, NJ, NY, TX, VA, DC
Chairperson, Pres. & CEO:
Ellen Cotter
Pres., Domestic Cinema:
Robert F. Smerling
REGAL ENTERTAINMENT
GROUP
101 E Blount Ave.
Knoxville, TN 37920
(865) 922-1123
Fax: (865) 922-3188
REGmovies.com
Founded: 1989
Theatres: 561
Screens: 7,315
States: AK, AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO,
CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, ID, IL, IN,
KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN,
MO, MS, MT, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NM,
NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, TN,
TX, UT, VA, WA, WV, WY
Additional locations: Guam,
Saipan, Northern Marina Islands,
American Samoa
CEO: Amy E. Miles
Pres. & COO: Gregory W. Dunn
EVP, CFO & Treasurer:
David H. Ownby
EVP, Secretary & Gen. Counsel:
Peter B. Brandow
SVP, Chief Admin. Officer &
Counsel: Randy Smith
SVP, CIO: Dave Doyle
SVP, CMO: Ken Thewes
SVP, Chief Technical & Theatre
Operations Officer: Rob Del Moro
SVP, Construction: Ronald Kooch
SVP, CCO: Steve Bunnell
SVP, Film Finance: Bob Engel
SVP, Finance: Corey Coggin
SVP, Food Service &
Cinebarre: John Curry
SVP, Real Estate: Todd Boruff
REGENCY THEATRES
26901 Agoura Rd., Ste. 150
Calabasas, CA 91301
(818) 224-3825
Fax: (818) 224-2173
regencymovies.com
Founded: 1996
Theatres: 27
Screens: 163
States: CA, NV, AZ
Pres.: Lyndon Golin
VP: Andrew Golin
CFO: Monica Golin
Controller: Jim Ferguson
Box Office & Purchasing Mgr.:
Sally Panteleon
In-Theatre Mktg. Manager:
Angie Haziza
Dir. of Operations: Veronica Moreno
Mktg. & Operations Admin. Mgr.:
Crystal Whittaker
Operations: Dwight Morgan,
Andrew Gualtieri, Tony Tsuruda,
Raymund Cornelio
SANTA ROSA
ENTERTAINMENT GROUP
816 Fourth St.
Santa Rosa, CA 95404
(707) 523-1586
npearlmutter@theatreservices.com
sregmovies.com
Founded: 1972
Theatres: 11
Screens: 102
Pres. & CEO: Dan Tocchini
SANTIKOS
4630 N Loop 1604 W, Ste. 501
San Antonio, TX 78249
(210) 496-1300
santikos.com
Founded: 1911
Theatres: 8
Screens: 102
CEO: David Holmes
facebook.com/mysantikos
Twitter: @mysantikos
SHOWBIZ CINEMAS
Churchill Tower, 12400 Coit Rd.,
Ste. 860
Dallas, TX 75251
(214) 751-8180
showbizcinemas.com
Theatres: 7
Screens: 73
Theatres Opening in 2018: 2
Pres. & CEO: Kevin Mitchell
CFO: Greg Ellis
COO: Rob Warnes
VP of Programming: AJ Roquevert
VP of Construction & Purchasing:
Chris Cline
SILVERSPOT CINEMA
150 SE 2nd Ave.
Miami, FL 33131
(609) 703-7903
admin@silverspot.net
silverspot.net
Founded: 2009
Theatres: 5
Screens: 63
CEO: Francisco Schlotterbeck
Managing Dir.: Gonzalo Ulivi
Chairman: Ilio Uvili
facebook.com/
SilverspotCinemaNaples
Twitter: @SilverspotFilms
Instagram: @silverspotcinema
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SOUTHERN THEATRES/
MOVIE TAVERN
935 Gravier St., Ste. 1200
New Orleans, LA 70112
(504) 297-1133
Fax: (504) 297-1138
thegrandtheatre.com
Founded: 2002
Theatres: 44 / Screens: 499
States: AL, CO, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS,
NC, OH, PA, SC, TX, VA
Southern Theatres includes the
brands Movie Tavern, Amstar
Cinemas, The Grand Theatres and
The Theatres at Canal Place
CEO: John Caparella
Pres. & COO: Ronald Krueger II
Chairman: George Solomon
CFO: Jim Wood
COO, Movie Tavern: Don Watson
VP of Film: Doug Whitford
VP of Mktg.: Danny DiGiacomo
STUDIO MOVIE GRILL (SMG)
12404 Park Central Dr., Ste. 400N
Dallas, TX 75251
(972) 388-7888
Fax: (214) 295-9746
lmcquaker@studiomoviegrill.com
studiomoviegrill.com
Founded: 1998
Theatres: 24 / Screens: 245
States: TX, GA, AZ, IL, IN, NC, FL, CA, PA
CEO/Owner & Founder:
Brian Schultz
CFO: Ted Croft
VP/Gen. Counsel: Jim Gdula
Exec. Chef: Thad Kelley
Senior Dir. of Film:
Tearlach Hutcheson
Senior Dir. of PR & Outreach:
Lynne McQuaker
VP of Finance/Controller:
Karen House
Sr. Dir. of Brand & Creative: Ted Low
Sr. Dir. of Mktg.: Brandon Jones
Dir. of Purchasing: Janet Michels
THE LOT/BOFFO
7611 Fay Ave.
La Jolla, CA 92037
(858) 777-0069
xochitl@thelotent.com
thelotent.com
Founded: 2015
Theatres: 7 / Screens: 13
ULTRASTAR CINEMAS
1531 Grand Ave., Ste. B
San Marcos, CA 92078
(760) 798-4093
Fax: (760) 798-4209
ultrastarmovies.com
Founded: 1999
Theatres: 2
Screens: 19
States: CA, AZ
CEO: Alan Grossberg
Pres. & COO: Adam Saks
VP, Theatrical Mktg.: Julie Bravo
Dir., Finance: Alex Tovar
Dir., HR: Frances Tabor
UNITED ENTERTAINMENT
CORP. (UEC THEATRES)
3601 18th St S., Ste. 104
St. Cloud, MN 56301
(320) 203-1003
Fax: (320) 203-1229
uecmovies.com
Founded: 1993
Theatres: 19 / Screens: 165
States: AR, CA, IN, MI, MS, NC, NV,
OH, PA, TN, UT
Pres. & CEO: Mike Ross
COO: John Shorba
VP of Theatre Operations: Steve Ross
Development Mgr.: Mike Daniels
Film Buyer: John Zenner
Controller: Carol Bowman
XSCAPE THEATRES
825 Northgate Blvd.
New Albany, IN 47150
(812) 945-4006
Fax: (812) 945-4076
xscapetheatres.com
Founded: 1997
Theatres: 5 / Screens: 70
States: MD, OH, KY, NJ, & FL
Owned by Patoka Capitol
CEO: Chance Ragains
VP, Operations: Scott Bagwell
YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
THEATRE
55 Cambridge Pkwy., Ste. 200
Cambridge, MA 02142
(617) 499-2700
theatreinfo@
yourneighborhoodtheatre.com
Founded: 1985
Theatres: 13 / Screens: 93
States: CT, ME, MA, NH, NY, RI
Pres.: Mark Benvenuto
Regional Dir.: Brad Brown
ZURICH CINEMAS
5181 Brockway Ln.
Fayetteville, NY 13066
zurichcinemas.com
Theatres: 11
States: CT, NY
ZYACORP
ENTERTAINMENT’S
CINEMAGIC STADIUM
THEATRES
80 Palomino Ln., Ste. 204
Bedford, NH 03110
(603) 622-8879
Fax: (603) 625-5875
customer_service@zyacorp.com
cinemagicmovies.com
Theatres: 8
States: MA, ME, NH
INTERNATIONAL
CIRCUITS
ARGENTINA
HOYTS CINEMAS
Dardo Rocha 3194
Buenos Aires 1640, Argentina
hoyts.com.ar
Theatres: 13
AUSTRALIA
EVENT CINEMAS
478 George St.
Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
(612) 93 73 66 00
Fax: (612) 9373 6534
contactus@eventcinemas.com.au
eventcinemas.com.au
Founded: 1913
Theatres: 140
Screens: 1,102
Countries: Australia, Germany,
New Zealand
Event Hospitality & Entertainment
Ltd. CEO: Jane Hastings
Gen. Mgr., Entertainment Australia:
Luke Mackey
Gen. Mgr., Entertainment NZ:
Carmen Switzer
HOYTS CINEMAS PTY LTD.
A division of Wanda Cinema Line
Level 50, 680 George St.
Sydney NSW
6100, Australia
(612) 8071-6100
Fax: (612) 8071-6120
hoyts.com.au
Founded: 1908
Theatres: 48
Screens: 405
CEO: Damian Keogh
CFO: Vincent Lloyd
Film Buyer/Programming Mgr.:
Michelle Gater
Operations: Martin Bagley
READING INTERNATIONAL
Level 1, 98 York St.
South Melbourne VIC 3205,
Australia
readingcinemas.com.au
Theatres: 28
Screens: 190
Countries: USA, Australia,
New Zealand
Chairperson, Pres. & CEO:
Ellen Cotter
Managing Dir. at Reading
Entertainment Australia Pty. Ltd.:
Wayne Smith
VILLAGE CINEMAS
500 Chapel St.
South Yarra VIC 3141, Australia
61 3 9281 1000
Fax: 61 3 9653 1993
villagecinemas.com.au
Founded: 1954
Countries: Australia, Singapore, USA
Co-Exec. Chairman & Co-CEO, Exec.
Dirs.: Robert Kirby, Graham Burke
Deputy Chairman: John Kirby
Group Finance Dir.: Julie Raffe
Cinema Exhibition CEO:
Kirk Edwards
Gen. Mgr., Programming:
Gino Munari
BELGIUM
KINEPOLIS GROUP N.V.
Schelde 1, Moutstraat 132-146
Ghent 9000, Belgium
(32) 9 24 1 00 00
Fax: (32) 9 24 1 00 01
corporate.kinepolis.com
Founded: 1997
Theatres: 93 cinema complexes
(50 in Europe & 43 in Canada)
Screens: 814
Seats: >180,000
Countries: Belgium, Netherlands,
France, Spain, Switzerland, Poland,
Luxembourg, Canada
CEOs: Eddy Duquenne, Joost Bert
CFO: Nicolas De Clercq
BRAZIL
CINEFLIX CINEMAS
contato@cineflix.com.br
cineflix.com.br
Founded: 2011
Theatres: 16
Screens: 83
CINEMAIS
Uberlândia Shopping Center, 2 nd Fl.
Av. João Naves de Ávila, 1331
MG 38408-902, Brazil
cinemais.com.br
facebook.com/cinemaisoficial
Twitter: @cinemaisoficial
GNC CINEMAS
745 Rua Sete de Setembro, 6 th Fl.
Porto Alegre-RS 90.010-190, Brazil
55 51 32240877
gnccinemas.com.br
Theatres: 53
KINOPLEX
kinoplex.com.br
Screens: 250+
facebook.com/kinoplex
Twitter: @Kinoplex
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UCI CINEMAS LTDA
Part of National Amusements
Rua da Passagem, 123 – Botafogo,
8 th Fl.
Rio de Janeiro 22290-030, Brazil
ucicinemas.com.br
Founded: 1995
Theatres: 23
Screens: 194
CHILE
HOYTS CINEMAS CHILE S.A.
A Cinépolis company
Avenida Presidente Kennedy 5413
Loc. 250 Las Condes
Santiago, Chile
227560400
cinehoyts.cl
Theatres: 25 /Screens: 148
CHINA
BONA FILM GROUP
bona@tpg-ir.com
bonafilm.cn
Founded: 1999
Chairman & Founder: Yu Dong
facebook.com/BonaFilmGroup
Twitter: @BonaFilmGroup
CHINA FILM CO., LTD.
Building E No. 7, Beizhan N St.
Xicheng District
Beijing 100044, China
chinafilm.com
Chairman: Han Sanping
CHINA FILM STELLA CINEMA
THEATER CHAIN CO., LTD
25 Xin Wai St.
Beijing 100088, China
+86 010 6225 9308
Fax: +86 010 6225 8622
DADI DIGITAL CINEMA CO.
No.1, Disheng West Rd., BDA
Beijing, China
(8610) 8712-9423
Fax: (8610) 8712-9260
Theatres: 942 / Screens: 5,631
2017 Attendees: 150 million
SHANGHAI FILM CO. LTD.
Bldg. C, Shanghai Film Square
Xuhui District Caoxibeilu 595
Shanghai 200030, China
0086 21 33391000
Fax: 0086 21 33391001
sfs-cn.com
Pres.: Ren Zhonglun
WANDA CINEMA CIRCUIT
No. 93 Jianguo Rd.,
Chaoyang District
Beijing 100022, China
+86 10-85588377
wandacinemas.com
Pres., Wanda Cinema Line:
John Zeng
Pres., Wanda Cultural Industry
Group: Zhang Lin
COLOMBIA
CINE COLOMBIA SA
Carrera 13 No. 38-85–Teusaquillo
Bogotá, Colombia
(571) 756-9898
Fax: (57) 1 756 9898
cinecolombia.com
Founded: 1927
Owner: Group Santo Domingo
Pres. & CEO: Munir Falah
Head of Distribution: Pia Barragan
Head of Exhibition: William Torres
CROATIA
BLITZ-CINESTAR
Ulica Vice Vukova 6
10000 Zagreb, Croatia
+385 (0) 1 6396 702
Fax: +385 (0) 1 6396 701
blitz-cinestar.hr
Theatres: 18
CEO: Jadranka Islamovic
DENMARK
NORDISK FILM BIOGRAFER A/S
Mosedalvej 14
Valby 2500, Denmark
70 13 12 11
nordiskfilm@nordiskfilm.com
nfbio.dk
Theatres: 22
CEO: Asger Flygare Bech-Thomsen
SANDREW METRONOME
Boulevarden 6, 2nd Fl.
Aalborg 9000, Denmark
+45 96 303 600
info@sandrewmetronome.com
sandrewmetronome.com
CEO: Verner Bach
Gen. Mgr.: Michael Rosenkilde
ECUADOR
SUPERCINES
Av. 9 de Octubre #719 y Boyacá
Guayaquil, Ecudaor
Part of Corporacion El Rosado
supercines.com
FRANCE
CGR CINEMAS
8 rue Blaise Pascal
Périgny 17180, France
05 46 44 01 76
cgrcinemas.fr
Theatres: 47
Screens: 474
Gen. Dir.: Jocelyn Bouyssy
CINEMAS GAUMONT PATHÉ
FRANCE
2 rue Lamennais
Paris 75008, France
33 1 71 72 30 90
cinemasgaumontpathe.com
Founded: 2000
Chairman: Martine Odillard
UGC FRANCE
24 ave. Charles de Gaulle
Neuilly-sur-Seine 92522, France
0826.880.700
ugc.fr
Theatres: 40
Screens: 422
CEO: Guy Verrecchia
GERMANY
CINECITTA
Gewerbemuseumsplatz 3
90403 Nürnberg, Germany
0911/20 666 - 0
cinecitta.de
Founded: 1995
Owner: Wolfram Weber
CINEMAXX AG
Valentinskamp 18
20354 Hamburg, Germay
cinemaxx.de
Owned by Vue Entertainment
Managing Dir.: Carsten Horn
CINEPLEX DEUTSCHLAND
Hofaue 37
42103 Wuppertal, Germany
0202 - 51 57 01 00
Fax: 0202 - 51 57 01 11
cineplex-deutschland@cineplex.de
cineplex.de
Theatres: 90
Managing Dir.: Kim Ludolf Koch
CINESTAR-GRUPPE
Mühlenbrücke 9
90403 Lübeck, Germany
+49 (0)451/7030-200
Fax: +49 (0)451/7030-299
info@CineStar.de
cinestar.de
Founded: 1948
Theatres: 54
Screens: 414
Managing Dir.: Oliver Fock
KINOPOLIS MGMT.
MULTIPLEX GMBH
Wilhelminenstrasse 9
64283 Darmstadt, Germany
+49 (6151) 2978-0
Fax: +49 (6151) 2978-34
info@kinopolis.de
kinopolis.de
Theatres: 17
Screens: 137
Managing Dirs.: Wolfgang Theile,
Gregory Theile, Paul Krüger
HONDURAS
METROCINEMAS
Centro Corporativo los Proceres
Tegucigalpa, Honduras
+504 2234-7472
metrocinemas.hn
Theatres: 7
HONG KONG
BROADWAY CIRCUIT, HONG
KONG AND CHINA
1212 Tower 2
18 Harcourt Rd.
Hong Kong Island
(852) 2529-3898
Fax: (852) 2529-5277
info@cinema.com.hk
cinema.com.hk
Founded: 1987
Hong Kong: 13 locations, 70 screens
China: 48 locations, 355 screens
CEO: Lau Siu Man Tessa
LARK INTERNATIONAL
MULTIMEDIA LIMITED
UA Cinemas in Hong Kong;
UA and Studio City Cinemas
in China; UA Galaxy Cinemas
in Macau
23rd Fl., Legend Tower
7 Shing Yip St.
Kwun Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
(852) 3104-1789
Fax: (852) 2735 8869
enquiry@uacc.com.hk
uacinemas.com.hk
Founded: 1985
Theatres: 20
Screens: 131
IMAX Screens: 9
Countries: Hong Kong, China, Macau
Managing Dir.: Ivan Wong
Advisor: Bob Vallone
Gen. Mgr., Hong Kong & Macau:
Rosa Lin
Acting Gen. Mgr., Hong Kong &
Macau: William Tam
Gen. Mgr., China: Pamela Peng
MULTIPLEX CINEMA LTD.
200 Tai Lin Pai Rd.
Unit 1, 27th Fl., Wyler Centre,
Phase 2
Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong
(852) 2418 8841
contact_mcl@intercontinental.
com.hk
mclcinema.com
Gen. Mgrs.: June Wong, Grace Wong
COO, Intercontinental Group
Holdings Ltd.: Roberto L. Suarez
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INDIA
CARNIVAL CINEMAS
801/A, Express Zone, Malad (East)
Mumbai 400 097, India
0771 0097 900
support@carnivalcinemas.in
carnivalcinemas.com
Founded: 2015
Theatres: 155 / Screens: 410
Countries: India, Singapore
CINEPOLIS INDIA PRIVATE LTD.
3rd Floor, Plot No. 58
Sector 44, Gurgaon, Haryana
122003, India
+91 (124) 438 8521
cinepolisindia.com
Founded: 2009
Screens: 265
Wholly owned subsidiary
of Cinépolis
Managing Dir., Cinépolis India:
Javier Sotomayor
Dir. Strategic Initiatives, Cinépolis
India: Devang Sampat
facebook.com/CinepolisIndia
Twitter: @indiacinepolis
INOX LEISURE LTD.
Viraj Towers, 5th Fl.,
Western Express Hwy.
Andheri (East),
Mumbai-400 093, India
+91 - 22 4062 69 00
Fax: +91 - 22 4062 69 99
contact@inoxmovies.com
inoxmovies.com
Founded: 1999
Theatres: 122 / Screens: 488
facebook.com/INOXLEISURE
Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat: @
INOXMovies
CEO: Alok Tandon
PVR LIMITED
Block A, 4th Fl., Bldg. No. 9
DLF Cybercity, Phase III
Gurgaon, 122002 Haryana, India
0124 - 4708100
feedback@pvrcinemas.com
pvrcinemas.com
Founded: 1997
Theatres: 132
Screens: 612
Chairman & Managing Dir., PVR Ltd.:
Ajay Bijli
Joint Managing Dir.: Sanjeev Kumar
CEO, PVR Cinemas: Gautam Dutta
CFO, PVR Ltd.: Nitin Sood
COO, PVR Cinemas: Rahul Singh
Chief Business Dev. Officer, PVR
Cinemas: Ashawni Handa
CIO, PVR Ltd.: Rajat Tyagi
CEO Int’l Development, PVR Ltd.:
Renaud Palliere
SPI CINEMAS PRIVATE LTD.
#25, Whites Rd.,
Mamatha Complex, 5th Fl.
Royapettah, Chennai - 600 014, India
bhavesh.S@spicinemas.in
spicinemas.in
Theatres: 7
CEO: Kiran Reddy
Head of Experience: Bhavesh Shah
Dir. of Film Buying & Distribution:
Swaroop Reddy
Business Development Mgr.:
P.V. Ravi Kumar
facebook.com/spicinemasindia
Twitter: @SPIcinemas
INDONESIA
CGV CINEMAS INDONESIA
(formerly BLITZMEGAPLEX)
PT. Graha Layar Prima
AIA Central - 26th Fl.
Jl. Jend. Sudirman Kav. 48
Jakarta Selatan 12930, Indonesia
cgv.id
facebook.com/CGV.ID
Twitter: @CGV_ID
CINEMA XXI
AND CINEMA 21
JL K.H. Wahid Hasyim, No. 96A
Jakarta 10340, Indonesia
62 21 3190 1122
Fax: 62 21 3190 1133
hans@21cineplex.com
21cineplex.com
Founded: 1987
Theatres: 167 / Screens: 956
Chairman: Suryo Suherman
Vice Chairman: Harris Lasmana
Pres. & CEO: Hans Gunadi
VP: Arif Suherman
CINEMAXX
Menara Matahari, 2nd Fl.,
Blvd. Palem Raya #7
Lippo Karawaci
Tangerang 15811, Indonesia
cinemaxxtheater.com
Founded: 2014
CEO: Gerald Dibbayawan
JAPAN
AEON ENTERTAINMENT CO.
2-3-1 Daiba, Minato-ku
Tokyo 135-0091, Japan
aeoncinema.com
Theatres: 91/ Screens: 772
Operates in Japan under
the brand name Aeon Cinema
Pres. & Representative Dir.:
Nao Kataoka
SHOCHIKU COMPANY
4-1-1 Togeki Bldg., Tsukiji, Chuo-ku
Tokyo 13 104-0045, Japan
81359425575
shochiku.com
Theatres: 32
Screens: 305
Pres. & CEO: Jay Sakomoto
TOHO CINEMAS
Yurakucho, Hibiya Chanter 5F
Chiyoda 13 100-8421, Japan
03-5512-1234
tohocinemas.co.jp
Pres.: Kazuhiko Seta
Dir.: Masayuki Toshima
TOKYU RECREATION CO.
2-9 Sakuragaokacho Shibuyaku
Tokyo 13 1500031, Japan
tokyu-rec.co.jp
Pres. & CEO: Shinzo Kanno
T·JOY CO., LTD.
4F Ginzatowa Bldg., 3-10-7
Ginza, Chuo-ku
Tokyo 13 104-0061, Japan
t-joy.net
Founded: 2000
Pres.: Yusuke Okada
UNITED CINEMAS
6F Gate City Osaki East Tower
1-11-2 Osaki
Shinagawa-Ku 141-8609, Japan
81-3-6417-0600
Fax: 81-3-5496-1585
unitedcinemas.jp
Founded: 1999
Theatres: 37
Screens: 347
Pres.: Akihito Watanabe
KOREA
CJ GGV
(Hangangrodong) I’Parkmall 6th
Fl., 55,
Hangang-daero 23-gil, Yongsan-gu,
Korea
+82 2 371 6660
Fax: +82 2 371 6530
cgv.co.kr
Founded: 1996
Theatres: 445
Screens: 3,346
Countries: Korea, Turkey, China,
USA, Vietnam, Indonesia, Myanmar
CEO: Jung Seo
Asst. Managing Dir. & CFO:
Sang Mook Hwang
Vice Chairman, CJ Corp:
Miky Lee
LOTTE CINEMA
4F, Lotte Castle Gold, 269,
Olympic-ro, Songpa-gu
Seoul 11 138-240, Korea
lottecinema.co.kr
Founded: 1999
CEO: Won Chun Cha
MEGABOX CINEMA
215, Tancheon-ro, Bundang-gu
Seongnam 41 463-839, Korea
megabox.co.kr
LUXEMBOURG
UTOPIA SA
Kinepolis Kirchberg: 45 Ave. JF
Kennedy L-1855 Luxembourg
Ciné Utopia: 16 Ave. de la
Faiencerie, L-1510 Luxembourg
Kinepolis Belval: 7 Ave. du
Rock’n’Roll, L-4361 Esch-sur-Alzette
42 95 11 80
utopolis@kinepolis.com
kinepolis.lu
Part of Kinepolis Group
Theatres: 3 / Screens: 22
Ntl. Theatre Mgr., Luxembourg:
Christophe Eyssartier
Country Mgr., Box Office Sales &
Mktg.: Stijn Vanspauwen
facebook.com/KinepolisLuxembourg
Twitter: @KinepolisLU
MALAYSIA
GOLDEN SCREEN CINEMAS
No. 1, Jalan SS 22/19
Damansara Jaya
Petaling Jaya 10 47400, Malaysia
(603) 7806 8888
Fax: (603) 7806 8800
gsc.com.my
Founded: 1987
Theatres: 45
Screens: 390
Countries: Malaysia, Vietnam
Parent Company:
PPB Group Berhad
Letter Box No. 115
12th Fl., UBN Tower
No. 10 Jalan P Ramlee
50250 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
CEO: Koh Mei Lee
Gen. Mgr.: Irving Chee
MBO CINEMAS
Level 16, Uptown 1, 1, Jalan SS21/58
Damansara Uptown
Petaling Jaya 10 47400, Malaysia
603 7880 2808
Fax: 603 7722 3009/2023
customercare@mbocinemas.com
mbocinemas.com
Founded: 2005
Theatres: 27
Screens: 213
CEO: Lim Eng Hee
Dir. of Operations:
Mariam Yazmin El Bacha
TGV CINEMAS
Level 6, Menara MAXIS,
Kuala Lumpur City Centre
Kuala Lumpur 50088, Malaysia
603 2381 3535
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Fax: 603 2381 3139
tgv.com.my
Founded: 1995
Theatres: 34
Screens: 268
CEO: Yeoh Oon Lai
MEXICO
CINEMEX
Javier Barros Sierra 540, PH1,
Santa Fe, Álvaro Obregón
Mexico City, Mexico
relacionespublicas@cinemex.net
cinemex.com
Founded: 1995
CINÉPOLIS
Av. Cumbre de Naciones no. 1200
Morelia MIC 58254, Mexico
+52 443 3226220
Fax: +52 443 3220548
rramirezg@cinepolis.com
cinepolis.com
Founded: 1971
Theatres: 647 /
Screens: 5,313
Countries: Mexico, USA (CA & FL),
Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador,
Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, Colombia,
Chile, Brazil, India, Spain
Chairman of the Board: Enrique
Ramírez Villalón
CEO: Alejandro Ramírez Magaña
Global COO: Miguel Mier
Dir., Film Programming: Miguel Rivera
NETHERLANDS
JT BIOSCOPEN
Postbus 1824
BV Amersfoort 3800, Netherlands
jt.nl
Part of Vue Cinemas
Founded: 1932
PATHÉ THEATRES B.V.
Barbara Strozzilaan 388 1083 HN
Amsterdam, Netherlands
+31 20 575 1751
pathe.nl
Founded: 1995
Theatres: 28 / Screens: 210
Managing Dir.: Dertje Meijer
Dir., Operations: Bram van den Broek
Dir., Theatre Programming:
Daniella Koot
Dir., IT: Barry de Bruin
Dir. Facilities: Nico Vertommen
Dir., Commerce: Doron Kurz
NORWAY
BERGEN KINO
Postboks 6153 Postterminalen
5892 Bergen, Norway
55 56 90 50
bergenkino@bergenkino.no
bergenkino.no
CEO: Elisabeth Halvorsen
Operations: Hans Øksenvåg
Programming: Stein Sørensen
FILM & KINO
Filmens Hus, Dronningens gate 16
Postboks 446 Sentrum
0104 Oslo, Norway
22 47 45 00
post@kino.no
kino.no
Managing Dir.: Guttorm Petterson
Dir.: Jorgen Stensland
PERU
CINEPLANET
Av. Paseo de la Republica Cuadra 1
S/N, 4 th Fl.
Lima, Peru
+5116194400
cineplanet.com.pe
Founded: 1998
PHILIPPINES
AYALA MALLS CINEMAS
4th Level Glorietta 4 Bldg.
Ayala Center
Makati 1224, Philippines
myayalamalls.com/movies
Theatres: 12
SM CINEMA
11/F Mall of Asia Arena Annex Bldg.
Coral Way cor. J.W. Diokno Blvd.,
Mall of Asia Complex
Philippines
customercare@smcinema.com
smcinema.com
POLAND
HELIOS S.A.
+48 42 630 36 01
centrala@helios.pl
helios.pl
Theatres: 44 / Screens: 241
Gen. Dir.: Tomasz Jagiełło
Managing Dir.: Katarzyna Borkowska
Financial Dir.: Grzegorz Komorowski
PORTUGAL
NOS LUSOMUNDO CINEMAS
Rua Ator António Silva, nº 9
1600-404 Lisbon, Portugal
+351 217 914 800
cinemas@nos.pt
cinemas.nos.pt
Theatres: 32
PUERTO RICO
CARIBBEAN CINEMAS
1512 Fernández Juncos Ave.
Santurce, 00909, Puerto Rico
(787) 727-7137
Fax: (787) 728-2274
caribbeancinemas.com
Founded: 1968
Theatres: 59
Screens: 492
Markets: Puerto Rico, Dominican
Republic, St. Maarten, Trinidad, St.
Thomas, St. Lucia, St. Kitts, Antigua,
Aruba, St. Croix, Guyana, Panama,
Guadeloupe
Pres. & CEO: Robert Carrady
SVP, Real Estate:
Lorraine Carrady Quinn
Managing Dir. Dominican Republic:
Gregory Quinn
Dir., IT, Projection & Sound:
Joel Matos
Dir., Mktg.: Mayra Ramírez
Dir., Expansion & Development:
Ross Astrachan
Dir., Head Film Buyer: Mike
Moraskie
Dir., Film Buyer Dominican
Republic: Michael Carrady
Dir., Puerto Rico Theater
Operations & Concessions:
Audie Serrano
Dir., Dominican Republic Theater
Operations: Zumaya Cordero
Dir., Eastern Caribbean Theaters
Operations & Concessions:
George Borges
Dir., HR: José Rosado
Dir., Real Estate Leasing &
Operations: Frances Lozada
Dir., Finance: José Feliciano
Acquisitions: Jason Quinn
RUSSIA
CINEMA PARK
Ul. Vyborg, 16, p. 1
Moscow 125212, Russia
+7 495 933-2841
Fax: +7 495 933-2845
info@cinemapark.ru
cinemapark.ru
FORMULA KINO
Presnenskaya nab.,
d.6, str. 2, 5th Fl.
Moscow 123317, Russia
+7 812 676 7776
+ 7 495 332 37 88
info@formulakino.ru
formulakino.ru
Founded: 2009
Theatres: 35
Screens: 264
KARO FILM
24 ul. Novyy Arbat Moscow
Moscow 121099, Russia
+ 7 (495) 980-88-91
karofilm.ru
CEO: Nick Hluszko
SINGAPORE
CATHAY ORGANISATION
HOLDINGS LTD.
22 Martin Rd., #03-01
Singapore 239058
65 6337 8181
Fax: 65 6732 2506
corporate_services@cathay.com.sg
cathaycineplexes.com.sg
Founded: 1935
Theatres: 8
CEO: Meileen Choo
facebook.com/cathaycineplexes
EW CINEMAS PTE. LTD.
400 Orchard Rd. #16-06
Orchard Towers, Singapore S238875
+65-67340028
Fax: +65-62354897
wecinemas@engwah.com.sg
wecinemas.com.sg
Founded: 1946
Theatres: 1
Screens: 10
Managing Dir.: Goh Min Yen
Exec. Dir.: Bob Goh
facebook.com/wecinemas
Instagram: @wecinemas
GOLDEN VILLAGE
MULTIPLEX
3 Temasek Boulevard #03-373
Suntec City Mall, Singapore 038983
+65 6653 8100
Fax: +65 6836 6706
gv.com.sg
Founded: 1992
Theatres: 12
Screens: 100
CEO: Clara Cheo
SHAW THEATRES
Shaw Centre
No. 1 Scotts Rd., 13th & 14th Fls.
Singapore
+65 6235 2077
shaw.sg
Founded: 1924
Theatres: 7
Screens: 57
Dir.: Mark Shaw
SOUTH AFRICA
STER KINEKOR
THEATRES
PO Box 76461
Wendywood 2144,
South Africa
27114457700
info@sterkinekor.com
sterkinekor.com
Theatres: 63
Screens: 464
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SPAIN
ACEC CINES SA
Plaza Letamendi, 37 3º 3ª
08008 Barcelona, Spain
igarcia@acec.es
cinesacec.es
Theatres: 13
Screens: 147
Commercial Dir.: Isabel García
CINESA
C/Rossello I Porcel, 21, 5ª Pl., Edificio
Meridian
08016 Barcelona, Spain
(34) 93 228 96 00
Fax: (34) 93 425 31 99
cinesa.es
Founded: 1968
Part of the Odeon Cinema Group,
owned by AMC Theatres
Theatres: 45
Screens: 530+
YELMO CINES
Paseo Del Club Deportivo 1, Bloque
11 Bajo Derecha
28223 Pozuelo de Alarcon, Spain
yelmo@yelmocines.es
yelmocines.es
Founded: 1981
A Cinépolis company
Pres./CEO: Ricardo Evole
Country Mgr., Cinépolis Spain,
Yelmo Cines: Fernando Evole
facebook.com/YelmoCines
youtube.com/user/YelmoCines3D
Twitter: @yelmocines
SWITZERLAND
PATHÉ SUISSE
Rue du Petit-Chêne 27
1003 Lausanne, Switzerland
pathe.ch
Theatres: 8
Screens: 72
CEO: Thierry Hatier
TAIWAN
AMBASSADOR THEATRES
4F, No.23, Sec.1
ChangAn E Rd.
Taipei, Taiwan
886 2 2536 8986
ambassador.com.tw
Theatres: 12
Screens: 104
Owner: Joe Chang
SHOWTIME CINEMAS
No. 247, Linsen N Rd.
Zhongshan District, Taipei City,
Taiwan 104
(02) 2537-1889
showtimes.com.tw
Gen. Mgr.: Willy Liao
VENICE CINEMAS
320 Taoyuan City, Zhongli District,
Jiuhe 1st St.
Taiwan
886-3-2805018
Fax: 03-280-5028
venice-cinemas.com.tw
Founded: 2002
VIESHOW CINEMAS CO.
8th Fl., 3 Sung Jen Rd.
Taipei, Taiwan 110
886-2-8780-1166
Fax: 886-2-8780-0627
info@vscinemas.com.tw
vscinemas.com.tw
Founded: 1998
Theatres: 13
Screens: 127
Countries: Taiwan, China
Chairman: Dennis Wu
facebook.com/vieshow
THAILAND
MAJOR CINEPLEX GROUP
PLC
1839, 1839 / 1-6 Phaholyothin Rd.
Ladyao, Jatuchak Bangkok,
10900, Thailand
majorcineplex.com
Founded: 1995
Theatres: 91
Screens: 601
Chairman of the Board &
Independent Dir.: Somchainuk
Engtrakul
Dir. & CEO: Vicha Poolvaraluck
Dir. & Exec. Dirs.: Verawat
Ongvasith, Paradee Poolvaraluck
Dir., Chief Films Officer:
Thanakorn Puriwekin
SF CORP.. PUBLIC CO.
10-12th FL. MBK Tower
444 Phayathai Rd., Phatumwan
Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
+662 611 7111
Fax: +662 611 7138
management@sfcinemacity.com
sfcinemacity.com
Founded: 1999
Theatres: 56
CEO: Suwat Thongrompo
COO: Suvit Thongrompo
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO
MOVIETOWNE
Lot D, MovieTowne Blvd., Audrey
Jeffers Hwy.
Port of Spain, Trinidad
62-STARS (78277)
dacmovie@hotmail.com
movietowne.com
Founded: 2002
Theatres: 3
Screens: 22
Chairman: Derek Chin
facebook.com/movietownetrini
Twitter: @movietowne
TURKEY
MARS ENTERTAINMENT
GROUP
Dereboyu Cad. Ambarlıdere Yolu
No: 4 Kat: 1
Ortaköy—Besiktas, Istanbul, Turkey
0212 978 00 00
Fax: 0212 270 55 58
marscinemagroup.com.tr
Founded: 2001
Theatres: 90
Screens: 791
CEO: Ilchun Kim
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
NOVO CINEMAS
Cayan Business Center—Barsha
Heights, Dubai
United Arab Emirates
(971) 4 368 8995
Fax: (971) 4 368 8797
customerservice@novocinemas.com
novocinemas.com
Theatres: 15
Screens: 158
Countries: United Arab Emirates,
Qatar, Bahrain
CEO: Debbie Kristiansen
Sales & Mktg. Dir.: Melissa Jarvinen
facebook.com/NovoCinemas
Twitter, Instagram: @NovoCinemas
youtube.com/user/NovoCinemas/
videos
REEL CINEMAS
United Arab Emirates, Dubai
+971 (0) 4 449 1902,
Fax: +971 (0) 4 449 1918
reelcinemas.ae
Managed by Emaar Entertainment
Founded: 2009
Theatres: 2
facebook.com/reelcinemasdubai
Twitter: @reelcinemas
Instagram: @ReelCinemas
UNITED KINGDOM
CINEWORLD CINEMAS
Power Road Studios, 114 Power Rd.
Chiswick London W4 5PY
Great Britain
(44) 208 987 5000
Fax: (44) 208 742 2998
cineworld.com
Founded: 1995
Theatres: 226 / Screens: 2,115
CEO: Mooky Greidinger
Chairman of the Board: Anthony
Herbert Bloom
CFO: Nisan Cohen
Deputy CEO: Israel Greidinger
ODEON & UCI CINEMAS
6th Fl., Lee House
90 Great Bridgewater St.
Manchester M1 5JW, Great Britain
odeon.co.uk
A subsidiary of AMC Entertainment
Holdings, Inc.
Theatres: 244
Screens: 2251
Support Office, London
54 Whitcomb St.
London, WC2H 7DN
United Kingdom
CEO: Mark Way
VUE INTERNATIONAL
10 Chiswick Park
566 Chiswick High Rd.
London W4 5XS, Great Britain
0208 396 0100
vue-international.com
Founded: 2003
Theatres: 210
Screens: 1,858
Countries: UK, Ireland, Taiwan,
Germany, Denmark, Poland,
Latvia, Lithuania, Italy,
Netherlands
CEO: Tim Richards
Deputy CEO: Alan McNair
COO: Steve Knibbs
VENEZUELA
CINES UNIDOS
Núcleo Ejecutivo La Pirámide,
Nivel Planta Alta, Oficina N°1
1080 Caracas, Venezuela
cinesunidos.com
Founded: 1996
CINEX
tucomentario@cinex.com.ve
cinex.com.ve
Founded: 1998
Theatres: 27
Screens: Approx. 155
Dir.: John Parra Plaza
2018 EXHIBITION GUIDE
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VOL. 121, NO.3
ANNIHILATION
PARAMOUNT/Color/2.35/Dolby Digital/115 Mins./
Rated R
Cast: Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez,
Tessa Thompson, Tuva Novotny, Oscar Isaac,
Benedict Wong, David Gyasi.
Directed by Alex Garland.
Screenplay: Alex Garland, based on the novel by Jeff
VanderMeer.
Produced by Scott Rudin, Andrew Macdonald, Allon Reich,
Eli Bush.
Executive producers: Jo Burn, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg,
Don Granger.
Director of photography: Rob Hardy.
Production designer: Mark Digby.
Editor: Barney Pilling.
Visual effects supervisor: Andrew Whitehurst.
Music: Ben Salisbury, Geoff Barrow.
Costume designer: Sammy Sheldon Differ.
Sound designer: Glenn Freemantle.
A Paramount Pictures and Skydance presentation of a
Scott Rudin/DNA Films production.
Kubrickian coolness underscores a journey
by five women into the heart, brain, liver and
spleen of darkness in this harrowing sci-fi horror
film that tangles with the idea of identity.
Novelist-turnedfilmmaker
Alex
Garland, who wrote the
screenplays for 28 Days
Later... (2002), Never
Let Me Go (2010) and
Dredd (2012), and both Natalie Portman
wrote and directed Ex
Machina (2014), emerges as a singular visionary
in this science-fiction horror drama, in which a
constant, low-key suspense can erupt into brutally
phantasmagoric metaphors about the core
of who we are. About, even, what we are.
After a meteorite—or something—
crashes into a lighthouse on the Southern U.S.
coast, the area around the site is engulfed
with what the government response team
logically calls “The Shimmer,” an iridescent
field of electromagnetic radiation that is
gradually growing concentrically. It’s already
overrun an evacuated swampland town, and in
a matter of weeks will claim the Area X facility
set up nearby to study it. Drones, animals
and soldiers all have entered The Shimmer to
explore it. Nothing returned except one person,
Sgt. Kane (Oscar Isaac), with no memory
of what went on—and he almost immediately
goes into total organ failure.
His wife, microbiologist and former sevenyear
Army grunt Lena (Natalie Portman),
gets pulled into a last-ditch expedition. Since
soldiers seemed to have had no luck getting
through the overgrown vegetation and sending
back messages, perhaps scientists will fare
better. Lena joins withdrawn, dumpy physicist
Josie Radeck (Tessa Thompson, miles away
from her confident, commanding Valkyrie in
Thor: Ragnarok), anthropologist Cass Sheppard
(Swedish actress Tuva Novotny), paramedic
Anya Thorensen (Gina Rodriguez, star of TV’s
“Jane the Virgin”) and the team’s leader, psychologist
Dr. Ventress (Jennifer Jason Leigh).
Within The Shimmer, time behaves differently,
plant and animal DNA mix and meld like
the stirring of carnival taffy, and the scream
of a dying brain can live on in the cry of a
mutated, bear-like pig. Glass rises from sand.
Identity emerges from nothingness. All of life
exists in a drop of blood. Thank goodness
video cameras still work or we might never
know what happened. We are made up of
cells, the story reminds us, and at what point
do those cells amount to us…to an “I”? What
demarcates all life—plant life, bacteria—from
conscious life? Do we genuinely have identity,
or are we only a conglomeration of nerves
and synapses creating the illusion of it?
Garland, adapting the novel of the same
name by Jeff VanderMeer, creates a world of
stark logic that remains somehow surreal,
and the team’s journey into the heart, brain,
liver and spleen of darkness is magical while
still being rooted in procedure, chain-ofcommand,
maps and tents and meals-readyto-eat.
Also of note is the eerie score by Ben
Salisbury and Geoff Barrow, evoking that of
György Ligeti for Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A
Space Odyssey.
Her Oscar nomination for Jackie notwithstanding,
a case can be made that this,
instead, may be Natalie Portman’s finest work
since Black Swan. For all her riveting presence
in any role, she is not an actress of infinite
range. Within her parameters, however,
she is unparalleled in depicting intelligence,
seriousness, emotional rigor and existential
exhaustion. That she also looks startlingly
real as an ex-soldier precisely handling a
high-powered automatic rifle is also a little
shocking, and gives her Lena a dangerous edge
that makes the unfolding events credible and
even thrilling.
I worry that the marketing of Annihilation
may make it seem a popcorn sci-fi adventure,
maybe one adapted from a videogame;
Downsizing was marketed as Honey-I-Shrunk-
Matt-Damon fun when in fact it was a soberminded
satire, and audiences expecting one
thing were disappointed in getting something
very different. Annihilation is tough—there are
firefights and gore—but it’s also subtle and
thoughtful. It’d make a good double feature
with 2016’s Arrival.
—Frank Lovece
BLACK PANTHER
WALT DISNEY-MARVEL/Color/2.35/Dolby Atmos,
Auro 11.1 & Datasat/134 Mins./Rated PG-13
Cast: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita
Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Daniel Kaluuya,
Martin Freeman, Andy Serkis, Angela Bassett, Forest
Whitaker, Winston Duke, Sterling K. Brown, John Kani.
Directed by Ryan Coogler
Screenplay: Ryan Coogler, Joe Robert Cole, based on the
comics by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
Produced by Kevin Feige, David J. Grant.
Executive producers: Victoria Alonso, Jeffrey Chernov,
Louis D’Esposito, Stan Lee, Nate Moore.
Director of photography: Rachel Morrison.
Production designer: Hannah Beachler.
Editors: Debbie Berman, Michael P. Shawver.
Music: Ludwig Göransson.
Costume designer: Ruth E. Carter.
Visual effects supervisors: Geoffrey Baumann, Doug
Spilatro.
A Marvel Studios presentation.
Black Panther succeeds where other
superhero movies fail.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe tacks
another movie onto its hot streak with Black
Panther—a triumph for the MCU and for superhero
filmmaking as a whole. Hell, go ahead
and call it a triumph in general. Moviegoers
most likely will; with its combination of action,
comedy, a much-loved cast and a strain
of intelligence often missing from big-budget
blockbusters, this first solo outing from one
of Marvel’s top-tier superheroes is poised to
bring in a boatload of money.
Chadwick Boseman, first introduced in Captain
America: Civil War, returns as Prince T’Challa,
who following the death of his father (John
Kani) assumes two roles: those of the king and
superpowered protector—known as the Black
Panther—of the African nation of Wakanda,
which keeps its riches hidden from the outside
world under the guise of being a Third World
country. Like recent Marvel successes Guardians
of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Thor: Ragnarok, Black
Panther feels somewhat insular; though the
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action does occasionally venture outside of
Wakanda, writer-director Ryan Coogler for the
most part keeps things centered on Wakandan
world-building and the new characters he’s
tasked with introducing: stern Okoye (Danai
Gurira), T’Challa’s lead bodyguard; tech-savvy
Shuri (Letitia Wright, a standout), who needles
T’Challa as only a little sister can; and local
leaders W’Kabi (Daniel Kaluuya) and M’Baku
(Winston Duke) among them. A few references
aside, Coogler keeps intrusions from the rest of
the MCU at a minimum. The result is a movie
that feels like a movie, as opposed to—as the
lesser entries in the MCU sometimes are—a
mere puzzle piece in ongoing #franchise #brand
#synergy.
Not to harsh on the MCU too much—the
odd misstep aside, franchise ringmaster Kevin
Feige has cracked the code for reliably turning
out solid, entertaining blockbusters—but
Black Panther shows up its predecessors
by effortlessly clearing hurdles that others
have stumbled over. To start with: Despite
a run-time of 132 minutes, Black Panther
doesn’t leave you with a nagging sense of this
could’ve been 20 minutes shorter. Or: The love
interest—spy Nakia, played by Oscar-winner
Lupita Nyong’o—actually feels like a fully
fleshed-out character; to even refer to her as
the “love interst” feels specious.
Or, take this example: The MCU has
made a habit of enlisting talented actors to do
nothing much of anything in supporting roles.
(Remember Michael Stuhlbarg and Rachel
McAdams in Doctor Strange? Bobby Cannavale in
Ant-Man? Julie Delpy in Avengers: Age of Ultron?)
The cast list Coogler’s working with is large,
but everyone gets their moment. The film feels
more like an ensemble piece than Black Panther,
And Then a Whole Bunch of Other People. That’s
because Coogler’s script, though certainly
boasting as much action as you’d expect a
superhero movie to (a car chase through the
streets of Busan stands up quite well), focuses
on relationships more than spectacle. By the
time the requisite climactic battle scene hits,
you’ve become invested enough in the characters
that it works, even if the action falls a bit
on the generic side.
Black Panther succeeds at being emotionally
resonant in a way a lot of Marvel movies—a
lot of blockbusters, period—don’t. With Creed
and Fruitvale Station, Coogler has proven adept
at tugging at moviegoers’ heartstrings, and
he doesn’t let up just because he’s in a bigger
playground. Not to do go deep into spoilery
territory, but Michael B. Jordan’s villain—Erik
Killmonger, wannabe usuper to T’Challa’s
throne—is the most complex, most intelligently
written, most relatable, just plain best villain the
MCU has ever had. (Yes, that includes Loki.)
Shot through his storyline, and those of the
other characters, are issues of race, responsibility
and political activism. There’s nothing wrong
with a superhero movie being just entertaining,
but Black Panther is entertaining and smart
in a way that earmarks it as the product of
Coogler’s distinct vision. —Rebecca Pahle
THE DEATH OF STALIN
IFC FILMS/Color/1.85/107 Mins./Rated R
Cast: Steve Buscemi, Simon Russell Beale, Jeffrey Tambor,
Michael Palin, Jason Isaacs, Andrea Riseborough,
Rupert Friend, Olga Kurylenko, Paddy Considine, Paul
Whitehouse, Adrian McLoughlin, Dermot Crowley, Paul
Chahidi, Diana Quick, Karl Johnson, Jonathan Aris.
Directed by Armando Iannucci.
Screenplay: Armando Iannucci, David Schneider, Ian
Martin, Fabien Nury, based on the graphic novels by
Nury, Thierry Robin.
Additional material: Peter Fellows.
Produced by Yann Zenou, Laurent Zeitoun, Nicolas Duval
Adassovsky, Kevin Loader.
Executive producer: Jean-Christophe Colson.
Co-producers: André Logie, Gaetan David.
Director of photography: Zac Nicholson.
Production designer: Cristina Casali.
Editor: Peter Lambert.
Music: Christopher Willis.
Costume designer: Suzie Harman.
A Quad and Main Journey production, in co-production
with Gaumont, France 3 Cinema, La Compagnie
Cinematographique, Panache Prods., AFPI.
“Veep” creator Armando Iannucci makes
dark, delicious comedy out of the chaos and
calculation surrounding the demise of Russian
dictator Joseph Stalin.
Not since Ernst Lubitsch’s To Be or Not to Be
has there been a movie satire as audacious as
Armando Iannucci’s The Death of Stalin. You’ll
recall that Lubitsch’s bold 1942 masterpiece
found hilarity amidst the travails of a Polish
acting troupe during the Nazi occupation of
their country. The Death of Stalin, set in the
1953 Soviet Union, isn’t topically nervy like
that, but it has the same brazen mix of comedy
and terror—the comedy coming out of
the absurdity of the totalitarian mindset.
Iannucci first gained notice as the creator
of the British comedy series “The Thick of It,”
about political spin doctors, which spun off
to the witty feature film In The Loop. Then he
created “Veep,” the acclaimed, Emmy-winning
HBO comedy series about Washington
politics. For his second feature, he’s imagined
the savage political infighting that ensued
with the demise of longtime dictator Joseph
Stalin—and savage is truly the apt description.
Iannucci doesn’t soft-pedal the extreme, arbitrary
cruelty of the era, which may lead some
to wonder what scenes of sudden execution
are doing in an ostensible comedy. It’s a valid
argument, but those moments accentuate the
insanity of the climate in which its vain central
characters plot to undermine one another.
The tone is set in the opening scene,
inspired by real events: a radio broadcast of a
classical-music concert. The radio producer
(Paddy Considine) receives a phone call from
Stalin himself demanding delivery of a recording
of the concert: Trouble is, the concert
wasn’t recorded, and the producer must hastily
reassemble the orchestra and the audience
for an encore performance, and replace the
conductor who has just been knocked unconscious
from a silly accident. When Stalin issues
an order, everyone quakes.
That also applies to the high officials
surrounding him, who are often subjected to
mandatory late-night viewings of American
westerns. When Stalin suffers a debilitating
stroke, he’s found the next morning lying
in a puddle of his urine because no one had
the nerve to enter his office. The dictator
eventually dies, partly because all the reputable
physicians in Moscow have been either
imprisoned or executed. Then the jockeying
for power begins, most notably by Beria,
the calculating and acid-tongued head of the
security forces, played with wicked wit by the
great British stage actor Simon Russell Beale.
Iannucci has playfully assembled an
ensemble of British and American actors
speaking in their native accents; the casting
of Steve Buscemi as Nikita Khrushchev may
seem incongruous at first, but his comically
calibrated exasperation and fury pay big
dividends. The irresistible cast also includes
Jeffrey Tambor as befuddled, self-absorbed
deputy general secretary Malenkov; “Monty
Python” alum Michael Palin as dithering
foreign secretary Molotov; a hilarious Jason
Isaacs as uber-macho Field Marshal Zhukov; a
manic Rupert Friend as Stalin’s paranoid, idiot
son Vasily, and Andrea Riseborough as Stalin’s
assertive but naïve daughter Svetlana.
Adapted from the graphic novels by Fabien
Nury and Thierry Robin, the screenplay by
Iannucci, David Schneider and Ian Martin is filled
with droll one-liners, vicious asides and zany
pieces of business befitting a political environment
gone mad. Iannucci’s trademark creative
profanity never seemed more appropriate.
Laced with fear and dread throughout, this
comedy of scheming vipers goes extremely
dark toward the end. And ultimately, its bleak
but bracing portrait of naked self-interest masquerading
as governance seems oddly timely,
despite the historical context. —Kevin Lally
THE PARTY
ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS/B&W/2.35/71 Mins./
Rated R
Cast: Timothy Spall, Kristin Scott Thomas, Patricia
Clarkson, Bruno Ganz, Cherry Jones, Emily Mortimer,
Cillian Murphy.
Written and directed by Sally Potter.
Produced by Kurban Kassam, Christopher Sheppard.
Executive producers: John Giwa-Amu, Robert Halmi, Jr.,
Jim Reeve.
Director of photography: Aleksei Rodionov.
Production designer: Carlos Conti.
Editors: Emilie Orsini, Anders Refn.
Costume designer: Jane Petrie.
A Roadside Attractions presentation of an Adventure Pictures
production, in association with Oxwich Media.
British art-house legend Sally Potter turns
to black comedy, with a dryly wicked take
on upper-class privilege and middle-aged
adultery.
Sally Potter’s The Party is like an invitation to
a classic Woody Allen comedy. Not the early
funny ones, though. The later, dark ones.
It’s shot in black-and-white and scored to
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old records. It features a small cast populated
with very good actors (all undoubtedly working
for a fraction of their usual quote). It’s full
of self-involved, privileged characters and set
in the sort of home most popcorn munchers
can only dream of. And it’s very bright, and
very bitter.
That part, at least, isn’t surprising to a
real Potter fan. The fabulously idiosyncratic,
fiercely independent British director started
turning out films in 1969, while simultaneously
turning her back on conventional storytelling.
Her career reached a sort of zenith with
1992’s Orlando. A perfect politically forward
storm, it combined avant-garde direction with
a gender-shifting story from Virginia Woolf
and a shimmering, early performance from the
already elusive Tilda Swinton.
Recently, Potter has made more accessible
works, including 2000’s period romance The
Man Who Cried, with Johnny Depp, and 2012’s
Ginger & Rosa, a female-friendship drama
set during the Ban-the-Bomb ’60s. The Party
brings us up to the present day, stripping away
any historical or artistic distractions. There is
one set, and seven characters. The camerawork
is handheld, and the story largely takes
place in real time.
It begins with Janet, a 60-ish politician,
hosting a small get-together at her London
townhouse to celebrate her opposition-party
appointment as Shadow Minister for Health.
Her husband, Bill, seems to be already drunk,
and unaccountably depressed, but soon the
guests arrive—the snarky April and her lifecoach
lover Gottfried, Martha and her wife
Jinny (thrilled with the recent news that IVF
treatments have resulted in potential triplets).
Meanwhile, Tom, an agitated banker, comes
sans wife but with a pocket full of cocaine, and
a secret he’s desperate to spill.
The stage is set for a comedy of ill manners,
as the champagne is popped and old
resentments uncorked, and the cast is almost
uniformly superb. The effortlessly regal Kristin
Scott Thomas shines as the always-in-command
Janet, while Timothy Spall quickly grabs
our concern as her moody husband. Cherry
Jones and Emily Mortimer sparkle as a nicely
mismatched pair, too—Mortimer’s girlish
Jinny bubbling along while Jones’ Martha talks
ponderously about her studies in “Domestic
Labor Gender Differentiation in American
Utopianism.” And although Cillian Murphy
over-emotes a bit as Tom—he acts as if he’s
playing another Christopher Nolan villain—
Bruno Ganz is a sweetly annoying presence as
the blissfully disconnected Gottfried, an aging
New Ager who seems in constant search of a
drumming circle.
Best, though is Patricia Clarkson as April,
a leftier-than-thou radical who sneers at
Martha’s lesbianism, Gottfried’s optimism and
Janet’s idealism. Everything is a pose, to her,
another distraction from the “real” struggle,
and every sincerely stated belief just another
hot-air balloon waiting to be pricked. It’s a
great role and Clarkson clearly loves playing it,
although Potter seems to have fallen a bit too
much in love with April, too—the screenplay
gives her all the best jokes (just as Allen’s old
scripts routinely gave him all the punch lines).
Like Allen’s films, too, Potter’s The Party
can feel a bit exclusionary, a gag we’re not
quite in on. There isn’t a person of color in
the cast, or even anyone under 40, and no one
seems to worry about money; several characters
don’t seem to work at all, and the few
academics on hand are, of course, comfortably
tenured. For some moviegoers, Potter’s latest
will feel nearly as remote as her early experimental
shorts, a slightly chilly exercise more
interested in positions than people.
But it is undeniably fast, and wickedly
witty—and in the midst of the February
doldrums as bracing and perhaps as necessary
as a generous shot of gin. This is one
“Party” worth going to.
—Stephen Whitty
SUBMISSION
GREAT POINT MEDIA/Color/2.35/106 Mins/
Not Rated
Cast: Stanley Tucci, Addison Timlin, Kyra Sedgwick,
Janeane Garofalo, Peter Gallagher, Ritchie Coster,
Jessica Hecht.
Directed by Richard Levine.
Screenplay: Richard Levine, based on the novel Blue
Angel by Francine Prose.
Produced by Jared Ian Goldman, Wren Arthur.
Executive producers: Robert Halmi, Jr., Jim Reeve.
Director of photography: Hillary Spera.
Production designer: Sara K. White.
Editor: Jennifer Lee.
Music: Jeff Russo.
Costume designer: Mirren Gordon-Crozier.
A Mighty Engine, Olive Films and Ospringe Media production.
Wonder Boys meets The Human Stain in this
lightly amusing riff on Blue Angel in which a
frustrated literature professor is energized
by the attentions, literary and otherwise, of a
young student.
The scenery that
greets viewers at
the start of Richard
Levine’s Submission is
that of pretty much
every movie ever set
on a college campus: Stanley Tucci
fall colors, sun-dappled
quad, stately brick buildings, and all the
bourgeois trappings of cosseted small-town
intelligentsia. The narration running over the
montage has more vinegar to it, as Professor
Ted Swenson (Stanley Tucci) grumbles about
being trapped in this “isolated and inbred”
sanctuary of intellectual mediocrity. What follows
is unfortunately more in keeping with the
visuals then the dialogue.
Swenson’s biting commentary sprawls
over into the writing class that he would utterly
despise teaching if not for the presence
of Angela Argo (Addison Timlin). She is in possession
of two characteristics lacked by her
classmates: talent and perception. Angela is a
canteen of cool water slaking the thirst of his
writer’s block. It also helps when she tells him
Phoenix Time, his acclaimed first novel which
he’s been trying to follow up for a decade, “is
like my favorite book in the universe.” When
she asks him ever so meekly to read the first
chapter of her pile of “pages in search of a
novel,” he of course accepts. More chapters
follow, mixing an overwrought analogy about
eggs with heated passages about a young
woman having an affair with an older man.
Then the phone calls begin.
Swenson doesn’t just miss the freight train
that’s about to blast his life into smithereens,
he steers right into it. He blithely ignores every
warning sign, from the background on Angela
provided by unimpressed fellow teacher
Magda Moynahan (Janeane Garofalo, a bright
and too-brief presence) to Angela’s alternately
sycophantic and demanding attitude. Because
that serene overconfidence is packaged by
Tucci, who can deliver easygoing charm with
less effort than almost any other working
actor, Swenson reads as far less insufferable
than he should be. For a time, Swenson’s good
humor with his highly accommodating wife
Sherrie (Kyra Sedgwick) and low-key rebelling
against school politics and lazy students
almost masks the enormity of what he’s about
to demolish.
Levine adapted Submission from Francine
Prose’s 2000 novel Blue Angel. A rollicking satire
of academic pretensions and stultifying political
correctness, Prose’s book took its name
and inspiration from Josef von Sternberg’s
1930 melodrama in which seductress Marlene
Dietrich brings professor Emil Jannings to
utter ruin. Levine’s adaptation works well with
the spine of Prose’s book, the puffed-up fool
dashing toward his doom and the ice-cold
femme fatale coating her web in flattery. But
the story is about more than the snapping
together of a cleverly laid trap. Nearly all of
Prose’s satire on male vanity and the muddy
tangles of sexual-harassment politics is cleaved
away, with only the odd reference to “safe
spaces” trying to keep the movie relevant.
That’s probably for the best. Cleanly
written and brightly acted, Submission is an effectively
delivered comedy on artistic conceit
that probably would have buckled under the
weight of more subtext. But it’s hard not to
wish, especially in the final scenes where
Swenson deals with the fallout of his catastrophically
bad decision, that the consequences
could have had at least a dash of the
pain that great novels are written about and
Swenson thought he was risking everything
for.
—Chris Barsanti
FIFTY SHADES FREED
UNIVERSAL/Color/2.35/Dolby Digital/105 Mins./
Rated R
Cast: Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan, Eric Johnson, Arielle
Kebbel, Marcia Gay Harden, Rita Ora, Tyler Hoechlin,
Luke Grimes.
Directed by James Foley.
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Screenplay: Niall Leonard, based on the novel by E.L. James.
Produced by Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca, Marcus
Viscidi.
Director of photography: John Schwartzman.
Production designer: Nelson Coates.
Editors: David S. Clark, Richard Francis-Bruce.
Music: Danny Elfman.
Costume designer: Shay Cunliffe.
A Universal Pictures presentation of a Michael De
Luca production, in association with Perfect World
Pictures.
A saga of sadomasochistic romance reaches
its end, in a well-produced, poorly acted
and thoroughly unnecessary installment.
Dakota Johnson posing and pouting as Anastasia
Steele, like some naughty sorority sister.
Eric Johnson sneering as the nefarious Jack
Hyde, his eyes as red as a rat’s. Jamie Dornan
as a puppyish Christian Grey, sitting down at
a grand piano and launching into “Maybe I’m
Amazed.”
Quick, quick, what’s my safe word again?
Unfortunately, there’s no escaping the
pain of Fifty Shades Freed, the definitely anticlimactic
finish to an S&M saga that began by
bringing out the whips and chains, and now
ends only by pulling out some pretty photography
and clichés. What once began with
promises to get nasty now ends by threatening
to bore us to death.
The porny publishing phenomenon began
as amateur “Twilight” fan-fiction—what if
Edward and Bella really let their hair down?—
but eventually morphed from an online hobby
into an actual, best-selling novel. The film adaptation
debuted in 2015 and two years later
the movie version of the sequel, Fifty Shades
Darker, followed it to the screen.
The first picture, at least, kept things
simple, concentrating on the sex between
naïve Anastasia and domineering Christian.
The second, though, started amping up the
melodrama, like an abusive woman from Christian’s
past and Anastasia’s nefarious ex-boss,
the evil Hyde. (As you can see, corny character
names are one of this saga’s specialties.)
By this go-round, though, all that’s left
is the soap opera. In fact, the whole thing
feels a little bit like a very special episode of
“The Young and the Restless,” dragged out to
feature-movie length and with the detergent
commercials replaced by soft-focus sex.
Plush production values help distract
from some of the padding. After a brief
wedding sequence, the young marrieds fly
off for a travelogue-worthy honeymoon in
Paris; midway through the film, there’s a trip
to a luxe sky lodge (where Dornan unveils
his Paul McCartney tribute). Private planes,
snazzy cars and designer dresses all make
their appearance, too. There’s also plenty of
not particularly involving plotting, including a
woman from Christian’s past and an adulterous
architect, while Hyde returns for more
improbable villainy.
That this film, like the last sequel, arrives
courtesy of James Foley—the auteur who
once gave us the prickly After Dark, My Sweet,
the teen-noir Fear and the classic, corrosive
Glengarry Glen Ross—remains a little surprising,
but if this is a job for hire, the producers
certainly got their money’s worth. The film
is prettily photographed by John Schwartzman
and the pop that covers the soundtrack,
wall to wall, is sure to provide a few hits. The
whole thing will probably please the franchise’s
hard-core soft-core fans, right down to
the favorite-moment flashbacks that unspool
before the final credits.
But none of the actors makes any impression.
Johnson, whose gaucherie was once
refreshing, has lapsed into sullen immaturity;
Dornan never rises above male-model posing.
(Although that both of them can be so constantly
naked and consistently boring is a sort
of achievement in itself.) Eric Johnson chews
a lot of indigestible scenery as the loathsome
villain and the rest of the large supporting cast
is completely wasted—including Oscar-winner
Marcia Gay Harden, reduced to two quick
scenes as Christian’s mom.
And so, torturously, it all goes on and on,
beating a dead horse. Really, what was that
safe word again?
How about: Enough.
—Stephen Whitty
THE 15:17 TO PARIS
WARNER BROS./Color/2.35/Dolby Digital/94 Mins./
Rated PG-13
Cast: Spencer Stone, Alek Skarlatos, Anthony Sadler, Judy
Greer, Jenna Fischer, William Jennings, Bryce Gheisar,
Paul-Mikél Williams, Thomas Lennon, P.J. Byrne, Tony
Hale, Ray Corasani.
Directed by Clint Eastwood.
Screenplay: Dorothy Blyskal, based on the book by
Anthony Sadler, Alek Skarlatos, Spencer Stone and
Jeffrey E. Stern.
Produced by Clint Eastwood, Tim Moore, Kristina Rivera,
Jessica Meier.
Executive producer: David Berman.
Director of photography: Tom Stern.
Production designer: Kevin Ishioka.
Editor: Blu Murray.
Music: Christian Jacob.
Sound designers: Bryan O. Watkins, Kevin R.W. Murray.
A Warner Bros. Pictures presentation, in association with
Village Roadshow Pictures, of a Malpaso production,
in association with Access Entertainment and Dune
Entertainment.
Three friends help prevent a terrorist
attack on a train. No-frills account from
director Clint Eastwood with the real-life
heroes as stars.
When they stopped
a terrorist attack
onboard a high-speed
train to Paris, Spencer
Stone, Alek Skarlatos
and Anthony Sadler
won acclaim around Spencer Stone
the world. A bestselling
book followed. When Clint Eastwood
decided to turn the incident into a movie, he
took the unusual step of casting the three
friends as themselves.
Like the book, Dorothy Blyskal’s screenplay
opens up the story, going back to the
trio’s childhood in Sacramento, Calif. All three
are troublemakers at school. Spencer underachieves
in college before failing at several Air
Force positions. Alek goes from community
college to the Oregon National Guard, ending
up in Afghanistan.
Working with his longtime cinematographer
Tom Stern, Eastwood shoots these
scenes with customary efficiency, refusing for
the most part to pump up emotions. As a result,
The 15:17 to Paris can seem dry at times,
with long stretches devoted to military training
or to scenes that have no obvious payoff.
Eastwood begins the movie with glimpses
of Ayoub (Ray Corasani), the terrorist
who brought guns and hundreds of rounds
of ammunition aboard the Paris-bound train.
Later the story will occasionally flash forward
from a school scene to an incident on
the train. Sometimes the connections are
obvious, like the history teacher who asks
his students if they would know what to do
in an emergency.
At other times the shifts feel contrived,
an expedient way to remind viewers that the
scenes they are watching will eventually get
somewhere, mean something. Throw in Spencer’s
obsession with guns and strong religious
beliefs, and The 15:17 could easily be passed
off as red meat for right-wingers.
But look again. Who are these heroes?
They are kids who were bullied, who came
from broken homes, poorly educated, not
too smart to begin with. They are the ugly
Americans touring Europe, the ones with
selfie sticks and sweatpants, the ones who
don’t understand the language or the history
of the places they are visiting. They’re loud,
they drink too much, and they pray.
What the movie points out is that if we
want to call them heroes, this is who they are.
If you think what they do and say isn’t exciting
enough, this is still the story they lived, the
story they wanted to tell. Eastwood asks us to
see beyond our prejudices and embrace lives
that seem so different from ours.
The attack itself, shot aboard a moving
train, is a model of taut, focused filmmaking.
Eastwood and editor Blu Murray cut out all
the flab, fashioning a sequence of textbook
intensity.
The 15:17 ends with the heroes receiving
the Legion of Honor from French President
François Hollande (a combination of real and
recreated footage), then enjoying a parade in
Sacramento, Eastwood choosing not to examine
the complications the three subsequently
experienced.
As actors, Stone, Skarlatos and Sadler
look comfortable and believable, although
without the obvious star power to suggest
future film roles. (Their performances aren’t
unprecedented—Congressional Medal of
Honor winner Audie Murphy played himself in
1955’s To Hell and Back.) What Eastwood has
done, with his customary skill, is show us why
we should care about them. —Daniel Eagan
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PETER RABBIT
COLUMBIA PICTURES/Color/2.35/Dolby Atmos &
DTS:X/93 Mins./Rated PG
Cast: James Corden (voice), Rose Byrne, Domhnall
Gleeson, Sam Neill, Daisy Ridley (voice), Elizabeth
Debicki (voice), Margot Robbie (voice), Marianne Jean-
Baptiste, Sia (voice), Colin Moody (voice).
Directed by Will Gluck.
Screenplay: Rob Lieber, Will Gluck, based on characters
created by Beatrix Potter.
Produced by Will Gluck, Zareh Nalbandian.
Executive producers: Doug Belgrad, Jodi Hildebrand,
Catherine Bishop, Susan Bolsover, Emma Topping,
Rob Lieber, Jason Lust, Jonathan Hludzinski.
Director of photography: Peter Menzies.
Production designer: Roger Ford.
Editors: Christian Gazal, Jonathan Tappin.
Music: Dominic Lewis.
Animation director: Rob Coleman.
Visual effects supervisor: Will Reichelt.
Costume designer: Lizzie Gardiner.
A Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation
presentation, in association with 2.0 Entertainment,
of an Animal Logic Entertainment and Olive Bridge
Entertainment production.
The charm of Beatrix Potter’s beloved
bunny is buried in a cacophonous movie.
It is an unequivocally bad sign when, a halfhour
into a movie made for children, a child
can be heard to say, “I don’t like this movie.”
No amount of shushing from his mother could
erase the echo of these words. A grownup
critic feeling particularly curmudgeonly is one
thing—but when the intended audience voices
its displeasure, you know there is a problem.
The titular hero of Peter Rabbit is an
animated bunny based on the popular
children’s-book character from Beatrix
Potter. He is, as the film’s marketing loudly
proclaims, “a rebel.” He likes to dash into
the garden of mean old Mr. McGregor, even
though—or perhaps because—his father
met his end at McGregor’s hands, which then
swiftly gave him over to Mrs. McGregor, who
baked the patriarch into a pie. Peter’s mother
has also passed away, but Peter, his three
sisters and his cousin, Benjamin, have found a
substitute mother figure in the kindly human
Bea (Rose Byrne).
Things are looking particularly sunny
when old Mr. McGregor suffers a heart attack
and is carted away in “an ice-cream truck
with lights,” but soon McGregor’s persnickety
great-nephew Thomas (Domhnall Gleeson,
who, like Byrne, is really too good for this)
arrives. Thomas is not only intent on keeping
the rabbits from his garden, but, even more
galling, on wooing Bea. Fight between rabbit
and redhead ensues.
It isn’t that Peter Rabbit, from Easy A
director Will Gluck and his co-writer Rob
Lieber (Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible,
No Good, Very Bad Day), is poorly made. It is
sleek and swift and has a partying vibe due in
large part to a soundtrack of ultra-contemporary
pop songs, the majority of which I’m
not sure we will still be listening to a decade
hence. The animation is excellent: You can
see the individual bristles of the rabbits’ fur,
and their running is wonderfully uncanny.
Both the voice work and live-action talent
are top-notch: In addition to Gleeson and
Byrne, we have Gleeson’s Goodbye Christopher
Robin co-star Margot Robbie as the narrator
and the voice of the bunny Flopsy, as well
as Daisy Ridley as the voice of Cotton-Tail,
Elizabeth Debicki as the voice of Mopsy,
“Broadchurch”’s Marianne Jean-Baptiste as
Thomas’ former boss, and James Corden as
the voice of Peter. The story gets going directly
from the opening sequence. No scenes
are wasted; nothing drags the tale down.
The trouble is the tone of the film.
Between the narration (“In a story like
this…”) and the jocular, winking dialogue of
the rabbits (“That’s my character flaw!”),
there are enough meta-asides to border
on cynicism. Peter is very loud and very
brash and all-around exhausting. He, like
the movie, does have a heart, and the film
tries to espouse a moral, showing how both
Peter’s and Thomas’ revenge ploys lead to
unhappiness. But the balance seems to be
off. There is too much wham-bam shtick and
far too much winking to the audience. It is
exceedingly loud, exceedingly fast, so that
the impression of noise is great…of substance,
in comparison, small. We are taken
out of the story too many times to enjoy
it. What worked 17 years ago when Shrek
was released no longer charms, or else the
meta-comedy fails in Peter Rabbit because
the movie takes this approach to such an
extreme. What sincerity there is simply
cannot compete with the cacophony of
wrecking-ball action sequences and fourthwall
destruction that surrounds it.
Which is too bad, because the Beatrix
Potter books are terrific, and you just
know that somewhere in the world there
is an unsolicited screenplay that does her
characters justice. For this Peter Rabbit,
character is regrettably beside the point.
—Anna Storm
ISMAEL’S GHOSTS
MAGNOLIA PICTURES/Color/2.35/114 Mins./Rated R
Cast: Mathieu Amalric, Marion Cotillard, Charlotte
Gainsbourg, Louis Garrel, Alba Rohrwacher, László
Szabó, Hippolyte Girardot.
Directed by Arnaud Desplechin.
Written by Arnaud Desplechin, Léa Mysius, Julie Peyr.
Produced by Pascal Caucheteux.
Executive producers: Oury Milshtein, Frantz Richard.
Director of photography: Irina Lubtchansky.
Production designer: Toma Baqueni.
Editor: Laurence Briaud.
Music: Grégoire Hetzel, Mike Kourtzer.
A Why Not Prods. and France 2 Cinéma production, with
the participation of Canal Plus, Cine Plus and France
Télévisions.
In French with English subtitles.
Arnaud Desplechin’s movies-within-amovie
Gallic star vehicle (Cotillard! Amalric!
Gainsbourg!) shuffles moods nearly as often
as the manic director whose past threatens to
destroy his present.
If a person who had just seen Arnaud Desplechin’s
Ismael’s Ghosts were asked, “Did you
like the movie?” they could be tempted to
respond, “Which one?” There is the romance
between an acting-out director and the woman
who calms him; the seemingly dead person
who comes back to life, the other filmmaker
losing his mind; the spy story being filmed by
the first director; the biographical backstory
to that story; and so on. The movie’s restless
spirit slides and leaps from closely observed
romantic drama to glass-shattering melodrama
to bug-out farce and back again. About the
only thing missing here is a music number.
The polestar in Desplechin’s swirl of story
is Ismael (Mathieu Amalric), a director in the
middle of shooting an espionage thriller. We
start inside Ismael’s movie, a crisply shot
flurry establishing the larger-than-life legend
of charming and polylingual “diplomat” Ivan
Dedalus (Louis Garrel), who everyone assumes
is actually a spy. Disappointingly, we are
wrenched out of that intoxicating fabulist’s
world and thrown into the more mundane
turbulence of Ismael’s life. Haunted by the
memory of his wife Carlotta, who went
missing and was declared dead two decades
before, Ismael has found some solace in the
arms of an astrophysicist, Sylvia (Charlotte
Gainsbourg). (Their meet-cute is handled in
a flashback where the offhand and self-aware
comedy of one of their exchanges—she asks
“You sleep with your actresses?” and he replies
jovially, “Of course!”—can’t help but feel
sour in the post-Harvey Weinstein era.)
But although Sylvia acts as a balm to
Ismael’s restive spirit, demons lurk. In the
middle of the night, Ismael is summoned to
the apartment of Carlotta’s father Henri
(László Szabó). A decorated filmmaker who
has never recovered from his daughter’s
death, Henri now rages about anything and
everything, his nightmare-chased spirit a hint
of the mania that would be waiting for Ismael
down the road were Sylvia not in his arms.
They’re a great match. Amalric is puckish
as ever, his eyes occasionally glinting with a
threat of true madness that serves as a perfect
foil to Gainsbourg’s solid directness.
But then, Desplechin detonates the landmine
buried just under the movie’s surface.
Carlotta, or at least a woman claiming to be
her, returns in the form of Marion Cotillard.
Wandering into a relaxing respite for Sylvia
and Ismael at his beach home—as in most
French movies about the creative class, easy
access to gorgeous real estate is a given—
Carlotta explains away her disappearance
with a frank flatness that recalls an ex-cult
member and asks for a place to crash. This
sends the newly shattered Ismael into another
whiskey-soaked and nightmare-plagued tailspin
that leaves Sylvia to decide whether it’s
worth hanging around to put the pieces back
together again.
Ismael’s Ghosts finds a worthwhile story of
ghostly l’amour fou in this uneven love triangle
where nobody is certain about what they want.
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As the exasperated paragon of normalcy, Sylvia
is left with the least to do while Carlotta and
Ismael rake over the embers of their relationship.
Cotillard’s fascinatingly inscrutable take on
the ephemeral Carlotta is the most engaging of
the three performances. Her blasé nature hints
at great secrets to be divulged, a madness to
match Ismael’s, or both.
Before Desplechin gets even close to that
moment, though, he spins the movie off into
tangential subplots, flashbacks, and further
scenes from Ismael’s Ivan spy movie. These amplify
the tone of a story that had settled into a
quieter place after the initial chaos of Carlotta’s
return. Some of the segments have a worthwhile
energy, especially the further adventures
of Ivan—a worthwhile movie on its own—and
the unexpected slapstick furor of the storyline
where Ismael’s producer Zwy (Hippolyte
Girardot) desperately tries to bring the crazed
filmmaker back to his stalled project. But the
shuffling of mood and style without enough of
a guiding principle saps the movie of its momentum.
It also cheapens the borderline-tragic
material featuring Henri and wastes Szabó’s
furiously committed performance.
As a quasi-comedy about an artist chasing
his own tail, Ismael’s Ghosts eventually falls
prey to many of the same tendencies it initially
appeared to be satirizing. —Chris Barsanti
NOSTALGIA
BLEECKER STREET/Color/2.35/114 Mins./Rated R
Cast: Jon Hamm, Ellen Burstyn, Catherine Keener, Bruce
Dern, Nick Offerman, John Ortiz, James Le Gros, Amber
Tamblyn, Annalise Basso, Mikey Madison, Jennifer
Mudge, Patton Oswalt, Chris Marquette.
Directed by Mark Pellington.
Written by Alex Ross Perry.
Produced by Tom Gorai, Mark Pellington, Josh Baraun.
Executive producers: O’Shea Read, Alex Ross Perry, Jim
Steele.
Co-producer: Bobbi Sue Luther.
Director of photography: Matt Sakatani Roe.
Production designer: Paul L. Jackson.
Editor: Arndt-Wulf Peemöller
Music: Laurent Eyquem.
Costume designer: Laura Precon.
A Bleecker Street presentation of a Pellington/Gorai
production.
This curious and dull think-piece of an
anthology movie strings together stories on
the theme of objects and the memories they
trigger without ever finding the right tone.
When Susan Sontag wrote that
photography “converts the whole world
into a cemetery,” she could have easily
expanded that to include just about any
personal possession. Everything we own,
from a favorite album from adolescence
to a souvenir spoon from that visit to the
Grand Canyon, stands ready as a potential
repository of some memory of us after
we are gone. That prehistoric sense of
possessions being imbued with some kind
of animist spirit is shot all through Mark
Pellington’s dramaturgical flatline of a
curiosity-piece movie about nostalgia, stuff,
and the things (in all sense of the word) that
we leave behind.
Nostalgia begins as the misadventures of
the preternaturally even-keeled Dan (John
Ortiz). An abnormally empathetic insurance
agent who seems to have seen it all, Dan acts
as point person for the company whenever
people make claims about either insuring
their valuables or wondering why they
haven’t gotten paid yet. The first assignment
of his that we see has Dan going to the
house of an old man (Bruce Dern) to assess
whether everything looks kosher before
the appraiser shows up. It’s not the most
auspicious of beginnings, with a tiresome
debate racketing around subjects such as “Is
anything worth anything?” and Ortiz’s serene
unflappability banging up against Dern’s usual
glint of teeth-grinding irritation.
Suggesting nothing so much as the pilot
episode of a new hour-long CBS drama
about a mild-mannered insurance agent,
Dan goes off to his next assignment. Helen
(Ellen Burstyn) is a widow whose house just
burned down. She is first seen wandering in
the ashes, talking to Dan about the horrible
drama of the moment where you have
to “decide what you take from a burning
building.” Grief-stricken, almost as though
she had lost her husband again, Helen lives
in a kind of fog where each piece she finds
triggers another poignant memory. “These
are the remainders of our lives,” she narrates
in one of many such arch pronouncements in
Alex Ross Perry’s script. “What is the value
of anything?” she asks in another all-tooobvious
query.
For the second half of Nostalgia, the task
of symbolic significance is handed off none
too neatly to Will (Jon Hamm), a Las Vegas
dealer in pricey memorabilia, who agrees to
take a look at the key item in Ellen’s limited
stash of fire-surviving objects, an autographed
baseball hit by Ted Williams that had been
among her husband’s family heirlooms. This
leads to more rumination on the nature of
things, especially after Will flies home to
help his sister (Catherine Keener) clean out
their childhood home following their parents’
decision to downsize and move to Florida.
This part of the movie hits with slightly
more force, in part because of a surprise
tragedy that leaves a father trying to
figure out how to find things to display at
the funeral when his dead daughter kept
everything important on her computer.
But Pellington—who has transitioned
unfortunately from a helmer of visually
striking and oddball thrillers like Arlington
Road and The Mothman Prophecies to this
brand of unaffecting drama—shoots
everything with such unremarkable cool blue
detachment that nothing happening onscreen
has much of an impact.
Nostalgia doesn’t turn the world into a
cemetery. But it doesn’t exactly make it into
a lively place, either. —Chris Barsanti
THE YOUNG KARL MARX
THE ORCHARD/Color/2.35/Dolby Digital/118 Mins./
Rated R
Cast: August Diehl, Stefan Konarske, Vicky Krieps,
Olivier Gourmet, Michael Brandner, Alexander Scheer,
Hannah Steele, Ivan Franek, Niels Bruno Schmidt.
Directed by Raoul Peck.
Screenplay: Pascal Bonitzer, Raoul Peck.
Produced by Nicolas Blanc, Rémi Grellety, Robert
Guédiguian, Raoul Peck.
Director of photography: Kolja Brandt.
Production designer: Benoît Barouh.
Editor: Frédérique Broos.
Music: Alexei Aigui
Costume designer: Paule Mangenot.
An AGAT Films and Cie, Velvet Film, Rohfilm GmbH and
Artémis Prods. production.
In French, German and English.
Oscar-nominated director Raoul Peck
delivers an intellectually engaging, if not
terribly exciting, biography of Marx and his
cronies launching a movement.
A compelling portrayal
of the fruitful
meeting of great
minds, the multilingual
biographical drama
The Young Karl Marx
plots a wordy course August Diehl
through the origins
of Marx and co-writer Friedrich Engels’
seminal political pamphlet Manifesto of the
Communist Party.
The outspoken philosopher and
journalist Marx (August Diehl), a German
Jew, resides in 1840s Paris with his wife
Jenny (Vicky Krieps), a loyal believer in her
husband’s theories on labor and society.
Born of an aristocratic family in the couple’s
hometown of Trier, Jenny is happy to forgo
the trappings of wealth, and any relationship
with her kin, to stand by her middle-class
husband’s struggle for the poor and working
class. “Happiness requires rebellion,” she
pronounces.
Deemed arrogant by his colleagues, Marx
generally lives up to his principles and Jenny’s
faith in his vision. He’s more than willing to
spend a few nights in a Prussian jail to stand
against censorship and defend his subversive,
antimonarchist articles and essays. Marx’s
writing gains him some notoriety among
Europe’s great thinkers of the day, and he and
Jenny’s growing family gets by, barely, on his
sporadic writer’s income, supplemented by
the generosity of friends. But no friend can
come to their aid when they’re brusquely
exiled from France, along with several other
rabble-rousers of their political cohort.
Landing in Brussels, Marx crosses paths
with fellow twenty-something iconoclast
Friedrich “Freddie” Engels (Stefan Konarske),
the German son of a factory owner.
Presented on a parallel story track destined
to collide with Marx’s, Engels moonlights
from his desk job at his father’s textile mill
in Manchester, England, to study the union
activism of workers like Mary Burns (Hannah
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Steele), an Irish-born proto-Norma Rae who
raises hell with management at the mill over
the treatment of child labor.
Freddie tracks Mary down in the city’s
Irish slum, where he hopes to find subjects
for his treatise on living conditions of the
working class in Manchester and Leeds. In a
similar fashion, he hunts down Marx, whom
he recalls meeting at a salon hosted by the
famed writer and artist Bettina von Arnim.
The film, directed by Raoul Peck
(I Am Not Your Negro), spends much of
its first hour flagrantly name-dropping
prominent figures within, and opposed to,
Marx and Engel’s fast-evolving movement.
Even a well-informed viewer might need
several addenda of footnotes to tell all
the historical players apart. Ultimately,
whether one is well-versed in the works
of Hegelians, Anarchists or Communists,
or none of the above, the film shuffles
names and faces into fairly uncomplicated
categories of those who agree with Marx
and those who don’t. Those who don’t
usually are summarily put in their place with
some withering polemic delivered by Marx
or his proxies, Engels and Jenny.
Diehl, Krieps and Konarske each find a
credible, dynamic approach to playing the
lead trio’s impenetrable idealism. Diehl’s
Marx is confident but not incapable of
expressing vulnerability. He smokes cheap
cigars, makes love, cuddles with his wife, and
in his own words is no anarchist, even if he’s
determined to upset the world order. Krieps,
building on her recent fine performance in
Paul Thomas Anderson’s Phantom Thread,
essays an enthralling version here, too, of
devotion guided by intelligence, not just
submission.
Pictured as young rhetorical warriors
ready to mount a revolution wielding the
pen or the sword, Marx and Engels, and
to some degree Jenny, gather an aura of
romance and righteousness that can come
off as propagandistic. Engels woos Marx
into philosophical and political partnership
by praising the wild-haired writer as “the
greatest materialist thinker of our time.
You’re a genius.” The movie appears to
support the sentiment.
And any actual romance in the story
inspires mixed results: While Marx and
Jenny are like soul mates, the coupling of
Freddie and Mary feels like a complete
afterthought. Depicting period pleasures is
not this film’s priority, as could be inferred
from the dour palette of browns and
grays and lengthy, complex debates about
capital and Communism. Rather, The Young
Karl Marx endeavors to characterize the
committed visionary behind an era-defining
worldview, and it succeeds by depicting
how the power of his thinking—influenced
by Engels and anarchists like Bakunin
and Proudhon, among others—led to a
manifesto that moved all of civilization.
—André Hereford
EARLY MAN
LIONSGATE/Color/1.85/Dolby Atmos & DTS: X/
85 Mins./Rated PG
Voice Cast: Eddie Redmayne, Tom Hiddleston, Maisie
Williams, Timothy Spall, Miriam Margolyes, Richard
Ayoade, Mark Williams, Rob Brydon, Nick Park.
Directed by Nick Park.
Screenplay: Mark Burton, James Higginson.
Story: Nick Park, John O’Farrell.
Produced by Richard Beek, Peter Lord, Carla Shelley,
David Sproxton, Nick Park.
Executive producers: Alicia Gold, Ron Halpern, Didier
Lupfer, Danny Perkins, Ben Roberts, Natascha
Wharton.
Cinematography: Dave Alex Riddett, Charles Copping, Paul
Smith, Peter Sorg.
Art directors: Richard Edmunds, Matt Perry.
Editor: Sim Evan-Jones.
Music: Harry Gregson-Williams, Tom Howe.
A Summit Entertainment, StudioCanal, BFI and Aardman
Animations presentation.
The very, very B.C. Early Man welcomes
you to a wonderfully ditzy world of sports as
played in the Neo-Pleistocene era by plasticine
figures.
Should you require a
cartoon-feature recap
of this year’s Super
Bowl upset where the
flawed and unexciting
Philadelphia Eagles
sent the puffed-up and Rob Brydon and
mighty New England Tom Hiddleston
Patriots to the showers
without their usual win, you might check out
the football melee in Early Man where the
Brutes go head-to-head with Real Bronzio.
The Brutes are the dirty underdogs
you’re to root for—a mangy little colony of
Stone Age stragglers which civilization ran
off and left to their own meager devices. The
elite, neo-epochal Bronze Age colonizers
who invaded their domain and usurped their
era are represented by the swaggering,
assured Real Bronzio, a team led by a vain,
hair-flowing, lantern-jawed hunk patterned
after you-know-who.
The game is pretty high-stakes as these
Age collisions go: If the Stoners win, the
Bronze invaders will leave and there will be
peace in the valley; if the interlopers win,
the Stoners will become mine minions of the
conquering football champs.
Throwing the match further off-kilter
is the fact that the Brutes missed football
practice in its entirety. All this is written on
the walls in hieroglyphics: A row of cavemen
mooning each other translates as this
happened “many, many moons ago.”
Dug, who captains these underdogs and
is boyishly voiced by Oscar-winner Eddie
Redmayne, refuses to be intimidated by the
warning on the wall. He assembles a ragtag
team from his fellow hunters-and-gatherers
to rise to the challenge. Coached and cheerled
by Goona (Maisie Williams of “Game
of Thrones”), a pot-peddler and athletic
feminist barred from the sport by her gender,
they sally forth in their silly fashion. The
M.V.P. and game-changer, however, turns out
to be the film’s Gromit substitute, Hognob, a
saber-toothed wild-boar sidekick who hangs
with Dug.
As if he didn’t have enough to do in his
solo directing debut, Nick Park grunts and
growls out this porcine beastie as well. In
addition, Aardman Animations’ star writerproducer
conjured this Flintstone-y slice of
prehistory, then passed it on to scripters
Mark Burton and James Higginson to punt
and pun across the finish line.
The Bronze new-agers have some
hilarious heavies, most prominently Lord
Nooth, who ruthlessly misrules the kingdom
of Queen Oofeefa. Miriam Margolyes weighs
in deliciously and imperiously as Her Majesty,
but her thunder (and everybody else’s) is
stolen by Tom Hiddleston’s Nooth, who
speaks in a fractured French rarely heard
outside of a Monty Python flick. He has
trouble making himself understood. Once,
when his guards capture Dug, he orders
them, “Take him away and kill him—slowly.”
The next shot is the guards marching Dug
away in slow-mo. “No no no,” Nooth
amends, “Take him away at a normal pace—
and then kill him!”
Another happy invention is a message
parrot transporting info from queen to
Nooth and back again. He’s mouthed off by
Rob Brydon, who dutifully repeats rude and
inappropriate reactions to the messages,
much to Nooth’s shamed chagrin.
One passing note: What the British
call football will reach American eyes as
soccer. That game was accidentally invented,
according to this film, when a red-hot meteor
fragment landed in a caveman village and they
started kicking it around to one another.
Early Man wears well the many
technological advances that have been made
in claymation and stop-motion photography
during the 28 years that Park and his Bristol
elves have toiled in animation. It makes a real
nice paleontological clambake.
—Harry Haun
For the Latest Reviews
www.filmjournal.com
MARCH 2018 / FILMJOURNAL.COM 65
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Now Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart
C/Atmos-Auro-DTS:X/119 mins/
PG-13
3/28 Paul, Apostle of Christ
Jim Caviezel
6/15 SuperFly
Jason Mitchell
7/13 Hotel Transylvania 3:
Summer Vacation [3D]
Voice of Adam Sandler
8/3 The Equalizer 2
Denzel Washington
8/17 White Boy Rick
Matthew McConaughey
8/24 Slender Man
Joey King
9/14 Alpha
Kodi Smit-McPhee
9/21 Goosebumps: Horrorland
Jack Black, Dir. Rob Letterman
10/5 Venom
Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams
12/14 Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Dirs. Bob Persichetti,
Peter Ramsey
12/21 Holmes & Watson
Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly
5/17/19 Untitled Men in Black Spinoff
6/7/19 Charlie’s Angels
Dir. Elizabeth Banks
8/9/19 Untitled Charles Manson Film
Dir. Quentin Tarantino
11/8/19 James Bond 25
5/8/20 Barbie
Anne Hathaway
11/6/20 Vivo
Dir. Kirk De Micco
TBA Doc Savage
Dwayne Johnson
TBA Uncharted
Tom Holland, Dir. Shawn Levy
TBA The Bringing [ID]
Michael Peña
TBA Mulan
Dir. Alex Graves
TBA 21 Jump Street Spinoff
Scr. Rodney Rothman
TBA Dark Matter [ID]
Dir. Roland Emmerich
TBA Marian [ID]
Margot Robbie
TBA Inner City
Denzel Washington,
TBA Son of Shaolin
Dir. Rick Famuyiwa
TBA Bad Boys for Life
Will Smith
TBA Morbius the Living Vampire
TBA You Are My Friend
Tom Hanks
TBA Burial Rites [Tri-Star]
Jennifer Lawrence
SONY PICTURES CLASSICS
(212) 833-8833
Now Loveless
Dir. Andrey Zvyagintsev
127 mins/R
Now A Fantastic Woman
Dir. Sebastián Lelio
C/104 mins/R
Now Call Me By Your Name
Armie Hammer,
Timothée Chalamet
DD/131 mins/R
Now Film Stars Don’t Die
in Liverpool
Annette Bening, Jamie Bell
C/105 mins/R
3/2 Foxtrot
Dir. Samuel Maoz
113 mins
3/9 The Leisure Seeker
Helen Mirren,
Donald Sutherland
C/111 mins/R
3/23 Final Portrait
Geoffrey Rush, Armie Hammer
90 Mins
4/13 The Rider
Brady Jandreau, Dir. Chloé Zhao
104 mins
May The Seagull
Annette Bening, Saoirse Ronan
PG-13
June Boundaries
Christopher Plummer, Vera Farmiga
TBA The Wife
Glenn Close
TBA Maria Callas: In Her Own Words
Dir. Tom Volf
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Kelly Macdonald
103 mins
STRAND RELEASING (310) 395-5002
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Dir. Jian Liu
77 mins
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Isabelle Huppert
90 mins
3/23 The Workshop
Dir. Laurent Cantet
113 mins
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Now Den of Thieves
Gerard Butler, Pablo Schreiber
C/140 mins/R
Now Molly’s Game
Jessica Chastain,
Dir. Aaron Sorkin
C/140 mins
3/9 Gringo [Amazon Studios]
Joel Edgerton, Charlize Theron
110 mins/R
6/1 Adrift
Baltasar Kormákur
6/29 I Feel Pretty
Amy Schumer, Michelle Williams
1/25 Untitled STX Action/Thriller
5/10/19 Ugly Dolls
Dir. Robert Rodriguez
TBA The Irishman [Netflix]
Robert De Niro, Al Pacino
Dir. Martin Scorsese
TBA Kursk
Colin Firth
TBA Second Act
Jennifer Lopez
TBA Steel Soldiers
Prod. Robert Zemeckis
20TH CENTURY FOX
(213) 277-2211 / (212) 261-2500
Now Maze Runner: The Death Cure
Dir. Wes Ball
C/Atmos-Auro/142 mins/PG-13
Now The Greatest Showman
Hugh Jackman, Rebecca Ferguson
C/DD/105 mins/PG
Now The Post
Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks,
Dir. Steven Spielberg
115 mins/PG-13
Now Ferdinand [3D]
Dir. Carlos Saldanha
C/Atmos-DTS:X/106 mins/PG
3/2 Red Sparrow
Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Edgerton
C/Atmos/139 mins/R
3/16 Love, Simon
Nick Robinson, Jennifer Garner
C/109 mins/PG-13
5/18 Deadpool 2
Ryan Reynolds
7/20 Alita: Battle Angel
Dir. Robert Rodriguez
8/3 Predator
Dir. Shane Black
9/14 The Darkest Minds
Amandla Stenberg
11/2 X-Men: Dark Phoenix
Sophie Turner, Jessica Chastain
12/25/18 Bohemian Rhapsody [ID]
Rami Malek, Dir. Bryan Singer
2/22/19 The New Mutants
Dir. Josh Boone
6/7/19 Gambit
Channing Tatum
7/17/20 Bob’s Burgers
12/18/20 Avatar 2
Dir. James Cameron
3/5/21 Foster [working title]
Animated
12/17/21 Avatar 3 [ID]
Dir. James Cameron
12/20/24 Avatar 4 [ID]
Dir. James Cameron
12/19/25 Avatar 5 [ID]
Dir. James Cameron
TBA Escape from New York [ID]
TBA Anubis [3D] [ID]
Animated
TBA More Soul Food [ID]
Scr. George Tillman Jr.
TBA The Little Mermaid [ID]
Dir. Rebecca Thomas
68 FILMJOURNAL.COM / MARCH 2018
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The Case Against 8 [ID]
Dir. Marielle Heller
Women in Business [ID]
Emma Stone
Madagascar 4 [3D]
Puss in Boots 2: Nine Lives
& 40 Thieves
[DreamWorks] [3D]
Dir. Chris Miller
The Absolutely True Diary
of a Part-Time Indian [ID]
Hugh Jackman
Underwater
Kristen Stewart
The Hate U Give
Amandla Stenberg
Fear Street
Dir. Leigh Janiak
The Wishing Spell
Chris Colfer
Artemis
Dirs. Phil Lord, Chris Miller
X-Force
Ryan Reynolds
Clue
Ryan Reynolds
Goldie Vance [ID]
Dir. Rashida Jones
Turtles All the Way Down [ID]
Death on the Nile
Kenneth Branagh
UNIVERSAL (818) 777-1000 /
(212) 759-7500
Now Fifty Shades Freed
Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan
C/DD/105 mins/R
Now Insidious: The Last Key
Lin Shaye
C/103 mins/PG-13
Now Pitch Perfect 3
Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson
DD/93 mins/PG-13
3/23 Pacific Rim: Uprising [3D]
Dir. Steven S. DeKnight
4/6 Blockers
Leslie Mann, John Cena
5/11 Breaking In
Gabrielle Union
6/22 Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard
Dir. J.A. Bayona
7/4 The First Purge
Dir. Gerard McMurray
7/13 Skyscraper
Dwayne Johnson
7/20 Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
Meryl Streep, Lily James
9/21 The House with a Clock
in Its Walls
Cate Blanchett
9/28 Night School
Kevin Hart, Tiffany Haddish
10/12 First Man
Ryan Gosling, Dir. Damien Chazelle
11/9 The Girl in the Spider’s Web
Dir. Fede Alvarez
11/9 Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch [3D]
Voice of Benedict Cumberbatch
11/21 The Women of Marwen
Steve Carell
1/18 Glass
Dir. M. Night Shyamalan
3/1/19 How to Train Your Dragon 3 [3D]
Dir. Dean DeBlois
3/15/19 Untitled Jordan Peele Project
4/12/19 Voyage of Doctor Dolittle
Robert Downey Jr.
5/10/19 Detective Pikachu
Ryan Reynolds
6/7/19 The Secret Life of Pets 2
Dir. Chris Renaud
6/28/19 Cowboy Ninja Viking
Chris Pratt
7/26/19 Fast and Furious Spinoff
Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham
9/6/19 Untitled Blumhouse
Productions Project
12/20/19 Wicked
Dir. Stephen Daldry
4/10/20 Fast & Furious 9
Vin Diesel
4/17/20 Trolls 2
4/17/20 Untitled Universal Event Film
7/3/20 Minions 2
9/18/20 The Croods 2
12/25/20 Sing 2
4/2/21 Fast & Furious 10
9/17/21 Spooky Jack
TBA Extinction
Michael Peña
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The Invisible Man
Johnny Depp
Red Notice
Dwayne Johnson
Mama 2 [ID]
Dirs. Dennis Widmyer, Kevin Kolsch
Bad Blood [ID]
Jennifer Lawrence, Dir. Adam McKay
Curious George
Dir. Andrew Adamson
Invincible
Dirs. Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg
Untitled Bermuda Triangle Movie
Dir. Sam Esmail
Bride of Frankenstein
Dir. Bill Condon
The Paper Bag Princess [ID]
Dir. Elizabeth Banks
The Temp
Tiffany Haddish [ID]
VERTICAL ENTERTAINMENT
(424) 238-4455
Now Golden Exits
Dir. Alex Ross Perry
94 mins/R
3/9 Sheep & Wolves
Dirs. Andrey Galat, Maxim Volkov
April 10x10
Kelly Reilly, Luke Evans
TBA In Darkness
Natalie Dormer
WALT DISNEY (818) 560-1000
Now Black Panther
Chadwick Boseman,
Dir. Ryan Coogler
D/Atmos-Auro-DTS/134 mins/
PG-13
Now Star Wars: The Last Jedi [3D]
Daisy Ridley, John Boyega,
Dir. Rian Johnson
C/Atmos-DTS:X/152 mins/PG-13
Now Coco [Pixar] [3D]
Dirs. Lee Unkrich, Adrian Molina
C/Atmos/109 mins/PG
Now Thor: Ragnarok [3D]
Chris Hemsworth, Dir. Taika Waititi
C/Atmos/130 mins/PG-13
3/9 A Wrinkle in Time
Oprah Winfrey, Chris Pine
Dir. Ava DuVernay
C/Atmos/Rated PG
4/6 Magic Camp
Adam Devine, Jeffrey Tambor
5/4 Avengers: Infinity War [3D]
Dir. Joe Russo, Anthony Russo
5/25 Solo: A Star Wars Story [3D]
Alden Ehrenreich,
Dir. Ron Howard
6/15 The Incredibles 2 [Pixar]
Dir. Brad Bird
7/6 Ant-Man and the Wasp
Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly
8/3 Christopher Robin
Ewan McGregor
11/2 The Nutcracker
and the Four Realms
Dir. Lasse Hallström
11/21 Ralph Breaks the Internet
Dirs. Phil Johnston, Rich Moore
12/25 Mary Poppins Returns
Emily Blunt, Dir. Rob Marshall
5/3/19 Untitled Avengers Movie [3D]
Dir. Joe Russo, Anthony Russo
3/8/19 Captain Marvel [3D]
Brie Larson, Jude Law
3/29/19 Dumbo
Colin Farrell, Eva Green
Dir. Tim Burton
5/24/19 Aladdin
Dir. Guy Ritchie
6/21/19 Toy Story 4 [Pixar] [3D]
Dir. John Lasseter
8/9/19 Artemis Fowl
Dir. Kenneth Branagh
12/20/19 Star Wars: Episode IX
Dir. J.J. Abrams
7/10/20 Indiana Jones 5
Harrison Ford, Dir. Steven Spielberg
7/19/19 The Lion King
Donald Glover, Beyoncé,
Dir. Jon Favreau
11/8/19 Nicole
11/25/20 Gigantic [Pixar] [3D]
Dirs. Nathan Greno, Meg LeFauve
TBA Mulan
Liu Yifei, Dir. Niki Caro
TBA Captain Nemo [ID]
Dir. James Mangold
TBA Cruella
Emma Stone, Dir. Alex Timbers
TBA The Rocketeers [ID]
Prod. Ron Howard
TBA Splash [ID]
Channing Tatum, Jillian Bell
TBA Jungle Book 2
Dir. Jon Favreau
TBA Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Scr. Erin Cressida Wilson
TBA Oliver Twist [ID]
Dir. Thomas Kail
TBA Dashing through the Snow [ID]
Kevin Hart
TBA Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Dir. James Gunn
TBA Jungle Cruise
Dwayne Johnson
TBA Prince Charming
Scr. Stephen Chbosky
TBA The Merlin Saga
Ridley Scott
WARNER BROS.
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Now The 15:17 to Paris
Dir. Clint Eastwood
C/DD/94 mins/PG-13
Now Paddington 2
Dir. Paul King
C/Atmos/103 mins/PG
Now Detective Chinatown 2
Dir. Chen Sicheng
Now 12 Strong
Chris Hemsworth
C/Atmos/129 mins/R
2/23 Game Night
Rachel McAdams, Jason Bateman
100 mins/R
3/16 Tomb Raider [MGM]
Alicia Vikander, Dominic West
C/Atmos-Auro-DTS/PG-13
3/29 Ready Player One
Dir. Steven Spielberg
C/Atmos-Auro/PG-13
4/20 Rampage
Dwayne Johnson, Naomie Harris
5/11 Life of the Party [New Line]
Melissa McCarthy, Dir. Ben Falcone
6/8 Ocean’s 8
Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett
6/15 Tag
Rashida Jones
7/13 The Nun
Dir. Corin Hardy
7/27 Teen Titans Go!
Voice of Will Arnett