Film Journal May 2018

FILM JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL 

Film Journal International CINEMACON VOL. NO. MAY CinemaCon Vol. 121, No. 5 / May 2018 

INTERNATIONAL 

A Film Expo Group Publication May 2018 

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From the Editor’s Desk 

In Focus 

QSC—50 Years and Forward 

How many companies make it to 50 years and find 

themselves stronger and more vibrant after their first 

half-century? Not many, but QSC, which started as 

“Quilter Sound Things,” has done just that. They’re 

firmly entrenched today as one of the most prolific and 

important sound companies in the world, with an array of 

award-winning products. 

QSC has over 500 employees in several states in the 

U.S. as well as other sites around the globe. The company 

prides itself on collaboration and open communication. 

QSC also gives back to the industry. By being focused on 

other businesses and not entirely on cinema, the company 

is able to share technologies, products and resources. 

QSC has been an avid supporter of the International 

Cinema Technology Association, with several of its key 

employees serving on the ICTA board of directors. 

The Film Expo Group is proud to single out QSC for 

50 years of innovation and quality audio for the movies. 

Congratulations! 

The Year of the Woman 

Congratulations to the Top 50 Women in Global 

Cinema. This is the third year that this list has been 

compiled by Celluloid Junkie, and Film Journal International 

has agreed to publish their selections as well as have Dana 

Moutis of the Film Expo operations group volunteer to 

help organize the process, especially this time around as 

we are so aware of the #Me Too, Time’s Up and 50-50 by 

2020 campaigns. 

It is a truly global listing and ultimately doesn’t just 

celebrate the women on it but every amazing woman who 

works in the cinema industry and makes a difference. In 

upcoming issues of Film Journal International, we plan to 

publish in-depth profiles of a number of these honorees. 

So look for them and feel free to reach out to Dana with 

any suggestions you might have for next year’s Top 50! 

The Rise of eSports 

Contributing writer Rob Rinderman explores the topic 

of eSports in this issue, via interviews with several of the 

major cinema-related participants and the beneficiaries 

of eSports’ trajectory. To say this is a growing trend and 

business is an understatement. 

Just look at some of the statistics: Rinderman reports 

that estimated 2017 worldwide revenues for eSports 

were $655 million, a fivefold increase compared to 2012 

eSports levels. Statista, the source for this figure, projects 

the eSports industry to reach $1.5 billion in annual 

revenue by 2020. 

To really put this in perspective, Rinderman notes that 

an estimated 360 million viewers watched the “League of 

Nations” mid-seasonal invitational. That compares to the 

111 million that tuned into Super Bowl LI in 2017 and 30 

million viewers watching last year’s NBA finals. 

The numbers are outrageous. eSports is attracting all 

levels of players, from amateur level to paying audience 

members when the pros play in major competitions for 

large purses. How this all connects to traditional movie 

theatres will be something to watch for in the future. We 

are certain you will find this article of great interest and 

relevance. 

Excitement at CinemaCon 

The 2018 edition of CinemaCon, the annual 

convention of the National Association of Theatre 

Owners, will offer a number of exciting firsts. The yearly 

“State of the Industry” session will feature the debut 

address by the new chairman and CEO of the Motion 

Picture Association of America, Charles Rivkin. (See 

page 142 of this issue for a very insightful interview with 

this former Jim Henson Company executive and veteran 

of the State Department.) Cinépolis CEO Alejandro 

Ramírez Magaña, the first non-American recipient of the 

prestigious NATO Marquee Award, will outline his plans 

for the brand-new Global Cinema Federation that he 

helped create. And a must-attend session will focus on 

Saudi Arabia’s historic decision to open the Kingdom to 

cinemas after a 35-year ban. Finally, a record-breaking 

eleven studios will be revealing their movie slates for 

2018 and beyond. Get ready for a busy, rewarding and 

newsworthy week at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. 

Remembering Stew Harnell 

Last month, the industry lost one of the good guys 

when Stew Harnell passed away at the age of 79. Harnell 

was a very charitable individual who supported numerous 

nonprofits including the Will Rogers Motion Picture 

Foundation, where he served as a board member. He 

was a board member and active participant in Variety 

The Children’s Charity of Georgia. Other organizations 

that received his support were the Cinema Advertising 

Council, the American Film Institute and the National 

Association of Concessionaires. 

In 1977, Stew founded Cinema Concepts, an industry 

leader in the creation and distribution of movie trailers 

and theatre advertising. He began his career at National 

Screen Service and eventually rose to executive VP and 

worldwide sales manager. We will miss you, Stew! 

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MAY 2018 / VOL. 121, NO. 5 PUBLISHING SINCE 1934 

FJI’S 

SIZZLING 

SUMMER PREVIEW, 

Pgs. 60-74. 

TOP 50 WOMEN 

IN GLOBAL CINEMA, 

Pgs. 76-97. 

PGS. 98-115 

Cruise Control. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 

An all-star cast joins Tom Cruise for the 

sixth installment in the M:I franchise. 

Marvelous .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 

Twenty-two superheroes in one actionpacked 

extravaganza, Avengers: Infinity War. 

Chameleon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 

Celebrated performance-capture artist 

Andy Serkis sees greater possibilities for tech. 

Dare Not Speak.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 

Forbidden love clashes with faith in an Orthodox 

Jewish community in Disobedience. 

Game On! .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 

eSports is the new game in town, and worldwide 

revenues are soaring. Plus, an in-depth 

look at National CineMedia and TimePlay. 

A Good Ol’ (New) Time.. . . . . . . . 116 

Study shows the drive-in is going strong. 

Declaration of Independence .. . . . 120 

Exhibitor Alliance aims to preserve 

the cinema experience. 

Changing with the Times.. . . . . . . 122 

Alan Roe and JACRO continue 

to serve cinemas’ needs. 

The Price of Success. . . . . . . . . . . 126 

New models are shaking up 

the movie theatre business. 

How Long Will Your 

Projector Last? .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128 

Ensuring your technology is reliable 

and up-to-date. 

A Significant Event.. . . . . . . . . . . 130 

ECA founder Melissa Cogavin 

looks back on six years of growth. 

ratinG rotten toMatoes . . . . . . . 132 

Is the review aggregate site 

getting a fair appraisal? 

Toward a More Balanced Industry.. 134 

Celluloid Junkie’s Top 50 Women list 

salutes groundbreaking executives. 

FJI’s coverage of the 2018 convention 

includes interviews with NATO’s 

John Fithian, MPAA’s Charles Rivkin, 

profiles of honorees Alejandro Ramírez, 

Kurt Rieder and Robert Carrady, plus 

reports on the business and technology 

trends changing the exhibition industry, 

pgs. 136-183. 

DEPARTMENTS 

In Focus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 

Reel News in Review .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 

Trade Talk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 

Film Company News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 

Concessions: Trends .. . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 

Concessions: People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 

Ask the Audience.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 

Buying and Booking Guide .. . . . . . 184 

Calendar of Feature Releases.. . . . . 194 

European Update.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198 

Russia in Review.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199 

Asia/Pacific Roundabout. . . . . . . . . 200 

Advertisers’ Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .202 


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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 

Visit www.filmjournal.com 

for breaking industry news, 

FJI’s Screener blog and reviews 

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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. 

REEL 

NEWS 

IN REVIEW 

CEO Gary Barber 

Leaves MGM 

In an unexpected executive shake-up, 

Gary Barber has left his post as MGM’s 

CEO. Barber joined the company in 2010, 

after MGM emerged from bankruptcy. 

Over the subsequent eight years, MGM 

racked up several hits, notably James 

Bond outings Spectre and Skyfall. More 

recently, videogame adaptation Tomb 

Raider bowed to middling numbers. Barber’s 

departure is particularly abrupt 

given the fact that he renewed his contract 

in October of last year and was 

expected to remain at MGM through the 

end of 2022. 

Weinstein Co. Files 

for Bankruptcy Protection 

In the wake of the falling apart of a 

potential purchase by an investor group 

led by Maria Contreras-Sweet and Ron 

Burkle—detailed in last month’s Reel 

News in Review—The Weinstein Company 

has filed for bankruptcy protection. 

Lantern Asset Management has been 

lined up as a “stalking horse” bidder, 

essentially meaning it is in a position 

to acquire the bulk of The Weinstein 

Company’s assets after it officially files 

for Chapter 11. In other TWC news, a 

spokesperson has said that the company 

will release victims of Harvey Weinstein 

from their NDAs, freeing them to speak 

out about alleged sexual harassment. 

AMC to Open 

First Saudi Cinema 

If all goes according to plan, by the 

time you read this Saudi Arabia will have 

opened its first movie theatre, courtesy 

of AMC. The country lifted a 35-year ban 

on public cinemas last year, a move that 

prompted AMC and several international 

chains to announce their intentions to 

leap into the new market. The first the- 

atre will open on April 18 in Riyadh’s 

King Abdullah Financial District; AMC 

has said that they plan to open 40 cinemas 

in 15 cities within five years. 

China Box Office 

Surpasses North America 

China’s box office for the first 

quarter of 2018 surpassed America’s 

over the same period of time, to the 

tune of RMB20.2 billion (approximately 

$3.17 billion) compared to $2.89 billion 

in the U.S. and Canada. The RMB20.2 

billion figure marks a 39% jump from the 

same period last year, though the growth 

period for 2018 as a whole will likely end 

up much lower. North America’s firstquarter 

box office, on the other hand, 

dropped by nearly 4% from what it was 

in 2017. 

MoviePass Lowers 

Price Once Again 

Another month, another lowered 

price point for exhibition disruptor MoviePass. 

The company, a movie theatre 

subscription service that lets users buy 

a film ticket a day for a flat monthly fee, 

has chopped its price to $6.95 a month 

for new subscribers. Said MoviePass 

CEO Mitch Lowe, “Our vision has always 

been to make the moviegoing experience 

easy and affordable for anyone, 

anywhere. With the current growth and 

support we’ve seen within the last several 

months, our studio and exhibitor revenues 

and other marketing partnerships 

have motivated us to lower the price 

once again.” The card currently works at 

over 91% of American theatres. 

A24 Loses 

Founding Partner 

John Hodges, a founding partner 

of A24, has announced his intention to 

leave the indie distributor. No news has 

been offered as to why Hodges is leaving 

or where he is going; A24 did note, 

however, that his departure will not 

necessitate any changes in management 

structure. Said Hodges in a statement, 

“Over the past six years I have been 

fortunate to work with a diverse group 

of talented storytellers across film and 

TV and I look forward to continuing 

those collaborations in my future 

endeavors.” 

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TRADE TALK 

SCREENVISION TO EMPLOY 

V3 GLASSES-FREE 3D 

Vision III Imaging Inc. entered into 

a sales-promotion agreement with 

leading cinema-advertising company 

Screenvision Media. Together they will 

make v3 glasses-free three-dimensional 

imaging technologies available for 

advertisers targeting moviegoers 

nationwide. 

Vision III has pioneered the concept 

of “parallax over time” to create spatially 

enhanced viewer perceptions on standard 

displays like theatrical screens and 

in-lobby monitors. The Vision III technologies 

are marketed under the v3® 

and Real Shot brand names. Real Shot 

is a patented technology that creates a 

dramatic three-dimensional appearance 

with picture elements “popping” off the 

screen. 

Screenvision Media plans to make 

the v3 technologies available in-lobby to 

advertisers across the company’s more 

than 2,300-theatre network starting in 

the second quarter of 2018. 

MOVIEPASS PACTS 

WITH LANDMARK CIRCUIT 

Movie theatre subscription service 

MoviePass announced an agreement 

with Landmark Theatres, the nation’s 

largest theatre circuit dedicated to exhibiting 

and marketing independent film. 

MoviePass will be integrated into Landmark 

Theatres’ ticketing system. MoviePass 

members who use the service at 

Landmark theatres will be able to take 

advantage of added benefits and features 

including e-ticketing, advanced screening 

reservations and in-app seat selection. 

MID-ATLANTIC NATO 

SETS 2018 CONFERENCE 

Mid-Atlantic NATO (National Association 

of Theatre Owners) of Maryland, 

Virginia, and the District of Columbia 

will be holding their regional conference 

on Wednesday, May 23, 2018 in 

Springfield, VA. Dubbed “Cinema Show 

& Tell”, the annual event draws a few 

hundred theatre owners and managers 

from throughout the East Coast to 

meet with industry suppliers and service 

providers as well as exhibitor-relations 

representatives. Film Journal International 

is a Gold Sponsor. For information on 

how you can participate, visit midatlanticnato.com. 

DCDC ANNOUNCES 

RECORD GROWTH 

Digital Cinema Distribution 

Coalition (DCDC) announced new 

record levels of exhibitors, content 

providers, feature releases and events 

amid double-digit growth in 2017. 

The North American theatrical 

content distribution company, founded 

by AMC Theatres, Cinemark Theatres, 

Regal Entertainment Group, Universal 

Pictures and Warner Bros. Entertainment, 

has seen its customer base expand 

to more than 250 independent, 

small- and medium-sized exhibitors and 

50 content providers, including all of the 

top theatre circuits and major studios. 

DCDC has delivered over 1,000 

features (including 163 versions) and 

more than 150 events and special 

content to theatres totaling over one 

million deliveries since its launch in 2013 

through 2017. 

ARTS ALLIANCE MEDIA 

NAMES FOLEY CEO 

Arts Alliance Media (AAM) 

announced the appointment of Patrick 

Foley as their new CEO, following the 

planned departure of John Aalbers. 

Foley joined AAM as chief financial 

officer and two years ago took the 

position of chief operating officer. He 

was instrumental in the development of 

AAM’s VPF solution and helped drive 

the recent investment efforts that led to 

AAM being acquired by Luxin-Rio. 

4DX CELEBRATES 

500TH SCREEN 

CJ 4DPLEX has reached the 500- 

screen milestone for its 4DX concept with 

the launch of its newest location at Pathé 

Belle Épine Cinema in Thiais, France. 

4DX, which features motion seats 

and environmental effects, is the 

fastest premium format to reach 500 

screens, having launched in 2009. With 

this opening, more than 61,000 4DX 

seats have been installed in theatre 

auditoriums across 58 countries. 

The accelerated growth of 4DX has 

been driven by Europe, which added 35 

screens in 14 European countries since 

its 400th site September 2017. In the 

past seven months, the volume of 4DX 

theatres has grown by 64% (from 54 

sites to 89 sites). To date, more than 

11,000 4DX seats have been installed at 

89 screens in 21 European countries. 

MK2 MARKETS 

VIRTUAL-REALITY PODS 

mk2, the leading virtual-reality 

experience provider in Europe, unveiled 

the first VR plug-and-play solution for 

professionals: the mk2 VR Pod. The 

announcement comes one year after the 

opening of mk2 VR, the first and biggest 

VR space in Europe. 

With this large VR offering, mk2 

will become the first VR distribution 

network worldwide with an end-to-end 

premium and white-labeled product line. 

mk2 VR offers twelve virtual reality pod 

offerings featuring three technologies 

(HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and PlayStation 

VR) and two full-body immersive 

simulators: the Holodia rowing 

machine and Birdly®. By including all 

the necessary technology within an 

aluminum-ballasted structure, the VR 

Pod can be installed anywhere within a 

few hours. 

SONY ELECTRONICS 

TAPS BOB RAPOSO 

Bob Raposo has joined Sony 

Electronics’ Professional Solutions 

Americas group as head of its theatre 

business. The exhibition industry 

veteran will focus on expanding Sony’s 

relationships with exhibitors and 

advancing Sony’s Crystal LED directview 

technology and its HDR-Ready 4K 

laser projector. Raposo was previously 


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TRADE TALK 

continued 

VP, sales, for the Americas and EMEA, at 

D-BOX Technologies and VP of theatre 

and sales at IMAX Corporation. 

MALCO PARTNERS 

WITH SURVEYME 

Malco Theatres announced its 

partnership with the mobile feedback app 

SurveyMe. Malco will use SurveyMe’s app 

to get input from its moviegoers and to 

reward them with items like popcorn 

and candy instantly. This initiative has 

been launched in all of Malco’s 34 movie 

theatres across six states. 

SurveyMe is working with 

many other movie theatre companies 

to help them drive sales to concession 

stands, while also improving the overall 

customer experience. Moviegoers are 

given the chance to download the free 

mobile app and answer a few short 

questions to earn a reward. 

MOVIO LAUNCHES 

INSIGHTS TOOL 

Movio’s Audience Insights tool 

launched globally, aiming to change how 

cinemas engage with their customers 

by predicting the most likely audience 

for each film. A world-first, cinemacentric 

tool, it draws on past audience 

behavioral data, helping cinema 

marketers connect moviegoers with 

the films most suited to them. They can 

then work out how best to incentivize 

attendance. 

Using Movio’s proprietary Propensity 

Algorithm TM , the product allows film 

marketers to determine the likelihood 

a moviegoer will see a particular movie, 

on average predicting the 10-15% from 

that audience who will most likely 

attend. Marketers can then focus efforts 

on creating personalized, relevant 

communications. 

PACKAGING CONCEPTS 

PROMOTES BARTONI 

Beau Bartoni was promoted to VP 

of sales at Packaging Concepts Inc. A 

20-year veteran of the company, he 

is an active member of the National 

Association of Concessionaires and 

serves as the Mountain West Regional 

VP and chairman of the education 

committee. 

KRISTINA WARNER 

FORMS CONSULTING FIRM 

Kristina Warner, former senior VP 

of marketing at RealD and former New 

Line Cinema VP, recently launched her 

own consulting firm. The seasoned 

entertainment marketing exec is 

currently working with Govino, the first 

and only shatterproof drinkware that’s 

accepted by leading sommeliers. 

‘TITAN OF TRAILERS’ 

DIES AT AGE 79 

Veteran cinema industry member 

Stewart Harnell passed away at the age 

of 79 on March 15 in Atlanta, GA. 

Dubbed “the Titan of Trailers,” the 

CEO of Cinema Concepts began his 

career as a trailer scriptwriter and then 

booker/salesman for National Screen 

Service. He moved to production 

and distribution, founding Harnell 

Independent Productions in the 

1970s, but later returned to National 

Screen Service as its executive VP and 

worldwide sales manager. In 1977, he 

founded Cinema Concepts, an industry 

leader in the creation and distribution of 

movie trailers and theatre advertising. 

Harnell supported numerous 

nonprofit organizations, including the 

Will Rogers Motion Picture Foundation, 

where he served as a board member. 

He was a board member and lifelong 

supporter of Variety Tent 21, the 

Children’s Charity of Georgia. 

MARCUS SALUTES 

VENDOR PARTNERS 

Marcus Theatres, a division of 

The Marcus Corporation, saluted its 

2017 “Vendor Partners of Excellence” 

at its Spring Leadership Conference 

in Cancun, Mexico on March 15. Six 

organizations were honored, including 

Cloud Industries, J&J Snack Foods 

Corporation, The ICEE Company, 

Fearing’s, C. Cretors & Company and 

Lionsgate Films. 

“Our Vendor Partners of Excellence 

are selected based on the impact 

they’ve made on Marcus Theatres’ 

business throughout 2017,” said Rolando 

Rodriguez, chairman, president and 

CEO of Marcus Theatres. “With their 

support, we are able to deliver an 

extraordinary guest experience. We are 

incredibly appreciative of their efforts 

and are excited to recognize them with 

these awards.” 

ATOM TICKETS NAMES 

CHECCHI AS COO 

Atom Tickets, the social movieticketing 

platform, announced that 

Allison Checchi has been promoted 

to chief operating officer. Checchi 

spent nearly a dozen years at Bain & 

Company. Recently, she served as chief 

marketing officer at YP, a leader in local 

digital marketing solutions for small 

businesses. 

ATHENS’ SPHERA 

USES MARTIN LEDS 

CinemaNext recently deployed a 

complete Martin by Harman LED wall 

lighting system in its first Sphera theatre 

installation at Village Cinemas in Athens, 

Greece. 

Owned by Ymagis Group, 

CinemaNext is Europe’s leading cinema 

exhibition services provider, offering 

theatre technologies like ÉclairColor 

HDR projection. CinemaNext recently 

debuted its new premium-format Sphera 

theatre concept at Village Cinemas in 

the Mall of Athens. The theatre includes 

an 82-foot-wide wall-to-wall screen, 

669 luxury seats, 4K digital video 

projectors and a Dolby Atmos surround 

sound system. CinemaNext decided 

to incorporate Martin VDO Sceptron 

LED video fixtures to create a dynamic 

lighting system that complements the 

visuals on the screen. 


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FILM CO. NEWS 

A24 

Moonlight’s Ashton Sanders 

is in negotiations to star in 

Native Son, the feature directing 

debut of artist Rashid Johnson. 

Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright 

Suzan-Lori Parks adapts Richard 

Wright’s classic 1940 novel, 

about a young African-American 

man living in poverty in Chicago. 

Parks’ script will place the action 

in the present day. The supporting 

cast includes Margaret 

Qualley (“The Leftovers”), Nick 

Robinson (Love, Simon), KiKi 

Layne (Barry Jenkins’ upcoming 

If Beale Street Could Talk) and Bill 

Camp (“The Night Of”). A24 has 

acquired worldwide rights. 

DISNEY 

The Lego Ninjago Movie codirector 

Charlie Bean is moving 

over to Disney for their Lady and 

the Tramp remake. Brigham Taylor, 

co-director of Jon Favreau’s 

The Jungle Book, will co-produce 

this new Disney reboot, which 

Hemsworth, Thompson Eye 

Men in Black Reboot 

If all the requisite deals go through, Thor: Ragnarok costars 

Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson will reunite 

for Sony’s Men in Black reboot. F. Gary Gray (Straight Outta 

Compton, Fate of the Furious) will direct the film, which will be 

set in the same world as the original Men in Black trilogy but 

centered around new characters, not Will Smith and Tommy 

Lee Jones’ alien-hunting federal agents. A release date has 

been set for June 14, 2019. 

Ava DuVernay to Summon New Gods 

Fresh off of A Wrinkle in Time, director Ava DuVernay has 

been tapped by Warner Bros. to helm comic-book saga The 

New Gods. Created by late comics legend Jack Kirby, the “New 

Gods” are a race of superpowered beings who live on a pair 

of warring planets, one an idyll, the other a hellscape. The 

war extends to Earth when the leader of the dystopian planet 

discovers that humankind holds the key to controlling all life. 

It is unknown how, or even if, The New Gods will play into 

Warner Bros.’ existing DC universe. 

Production Begins on Creed II 

Production is underway on Creed II, a follow-up to Ryan 

Coogler’s 2015 boxing blockbuster about the son (Michael 

B. Jordan) of Rocky antagonist Apollo Creed. Jordan returns 

this time around, as do Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, 

Phylicia Rashad, Wood Harris and Andre Ward, though 

Coogler is back only as an executive producer. Directing this 

time around is Steven Caple, Jr., who directed 2016’s The 

Land and several episodes of “Class” and “Black-ish” spinoff 

“Grown-ish.” Joining on the cast side are Dolph Lundgren, 

reprising the role of Ivan Drago from Rocky IV, and Romanian 

boxer Florian “Big Nasty” Munteanu as Drago’s son. Stallone 

wrote the screenplay with “Luke Cage” showrunner Cheo 

Hodari Coker; Warner Bros.-MGM has set a Nov. 21, 2018 

release date. 

will combine live action and CG 

elements. The film is reportedly 

being made for the new digital 

streaming project that Disney 

plans to launch in 2019; additional 

plans for a theatrical release are 

yet unknown. Andrew Bujalski 

(Results) penned the script. 

FILMRISE 

FilmRise has acquired North 

American rights to The Miseducation 

of Cameron Post, the 

U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize 

winner at this year’s Sundance. 

Chloë Grace Moretz stars as 

eponymous Cameron, a teen 

who’s sent to a gay conversiontherapy 

camp run by a strict 

doctor (Jennifer Ehle) and her 

“cured” reverend brother (John 

Gallagher, Jr.). Forrest Goodluck 

and American Honey lead 

Sasha Lane co-star as two fellow 

conversion-therapy victims with 

whom Cameron bonds. Desiree 

Akhavan (Appropriate Behavior) 

directed and co-adapted Emily 

M. Danforth’s novel with Cecilia 

Frugiuele. 

GKIDS 

GKids acquired North 

American distribution rights to 

Fireworks, the latest from anime 

directors Nobuyuki Takeuchi and 

Akiyuki Shinbo. Co-produced 

by Genki Kawamura, one of the 

producers behind 2016 worldwide 

hit Your Name, Fireworks 

puts a sci-fi twist on the tale of a 

teenage love triangle. 

NETFLIX 

After several years of cast 

and director shake-ups, the 

crime drama Triple Frontier— 

named for the border zone 

between Paraguay, Argentina 

and Brazil, which is a hotbed of 

organized crime—is finally out of 

development and into pre-production. 

Ben Affleck and Oscar 

Isaac star as friends determined 

to take down a South American 

drug lord; they’re joined in supporting 

roles by Charlie Hunnam, 

Garrett Hedlund, Pedro Pascal 

and Adia Arjona. J.C. Chandor 

(All Is Lost, A Most Violent Year) 

directs in addition to rewriting 

a script from regular Kathryn 

Bigelow collaborator Mark Boal 

(The Hurt Locker). 

NEW LINE 

Elisabeth Moss has joined 

Tiffany Haddish and Melissa 

McCarthy in New Line’s The 

Kitchen, based on the DC/Vertigo 

comic series by Ollie Masters 

and Ming Doyle. The “Kitchen” 

in question is New York City’s 

Hell’s Kitchen, specifically Hell’s 

Kitchen as it existed in the 

’70s, when it was run by gangs. 

Andrea Berloff, co-writer of 

Straight Outta Compton, makes 

her directorial debut telling the 

story of a group of Irish mob 

wives who take over the family 

business after their husbands are 

thrown in jail. The Kitchen will 

be released in theatres on Sept. 

20, 2019. 

Director Bill Condon reunites 

with Gods and Monsters 

and Mr. Holmes star Ian McKellen 

for New Line and Bron Creative’s 

The Good Liar. Helen Mirren 

co-stars in the crime thriller, 

about an experienced con artist 

(McKellen) who begins to feel 

genuine emotion for his latest 

mark (Mirren), a rich widow he 

meets online. Jeffrey Hatcher 

(Mr. Holmes) adapts Nicholas 

Searle’s novel. 

SONY 

It’s still far from confirmed, 

but rumor has it that Spike Lee 

may direct comic-book movie 

Nightwatch for Sony Pictures. 

When not cavorting around in a 

futuristic metal suit, Nightwatch 

goes by the name Dr. Kevin 

Trench. One day, he discovers 

his own corpse wearing said suit 

(time-travel problems), and heroics—often 

involving a partnership 

with Spider-Man—ensue. Sources 

say that “Luke Cage” showrunner 

Cheo Hodari Coker is writing the 

script. Other superhero movies 

on the docket for Sony include 


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11/14/14 6:30 PM

FILM CO. NEWS 

continued 

Venom, starring Tom Hardy as 

the eponymous anti-hero; Gina 

Prince-Bythewood’s Silver & Black, 

about superheroines Black Cat 

and Silver Sable; and a sequel to 

last year’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, 

with Tom Holland reprising 

the central role. 

OSCILLOSCOPE 

Julien Faraut directs the 

documentary John McEnroe: In 

the Realm of Perfection, which was 

picked up for U.S. distribution by 

Oscilloscope Laboratories following 

its world premiere at the 

Berlin International Film Festival. 

Narrated by Mathieu Amalric, 

the film uses archival 16mm 

footage of McEnroe, then the 

world’s top-ranked tennis player, 

at the 1984 French Open to paint 

a portrait of the sport of tennis 

and its most famously volatile 

player. A theatrical release is set 

for August 2018. 

Oscilloscope gets its hands 

on another doc about a famous 

figure with Hal, director Amy 

Scott’s tribute to director Hal 

Ashby, the man behind a string of 

’70s classics—Harold and Maude, 

Shampoo and Being There among 

them. Scott utilizes archival 

materials, audio recordings, letters 

and interviews with a string 

of Hollywood notables, including 

Jane Fonda, Jeff and Beau Bridges, 

Louis Gossett, Jr. and Dustin 

Hoffman. 

20TH CENTURY FOX 

Kumail Nanjiani (The Big 

Sick, “Silicon Valley”) and Dave 

Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy) 

join forces for the action comedy 

Stuber, to be directed by Goon 

helmer Michael Dowse for 21st 

Century Fox. Nanjiani will play 

an Uber driver who picks up an 

unlikely fare: a no-nonsense cop 

(Bautista) on the hunt for a killer. 

Tripper Clancy penned the script. 

The writing duo of Jonathan 

Goldstein and John Francis Daley 

(Horrible Bosses, Spider-Man: 

Homecoming) produce. 

Joe Wright, fresh of the 

success of his Oscar-winning The 

Darkest Hour, has been tapped to 

direct The Woman in the Window 

for Fox 2000. Actor/Pulitzer 

Prize-winning playwright Tracy 

Letts adapts A.J. Finn’s bestselling 

novel, a Rear Windowtinged 

thriller about a reclusive 

doctor who routinely spies on 

her neighbors and—surprise, 

surprise—one day sees something 

she shouldn’t. The cast of 

The Woman in the Window has 

yet to come together. Wright 

is also attached to Blumhouse 

Productions’ Stoner, based on 

John Williams’ 1965 novel about 

a poor farmer-turned-academic 

(Casey Affleck). 

Scarlett Johansson is in talks 

to co-star in Fox Searchlight’s 

Jojo Rabbit, a World War II-set 

film from What We Do in the 

Shadows and Thor: Ragnarok director 

Taika Waititi. Waititi also 

scripted the film, about a young 

German boy who discovers that 

his mother (Johansson) is hiding 

a Jewish woman in their home. 

The boy has yet to be cast. 

UNIVERSAL 

Steven Spielberg has confirmed 

that Colin Trevorrow 

(The Book of Henry, Safety Not 

Guaranteed) will write and direct 

the third Jurassic World movie, 

with Spielberg (as expected) 

executive producing. Trevorrow 

directed the first Jurassic 

World, which was the second 

highest-grossing movie of 2015. 

J.A. Bayona (The Impossible, A 

Monster Calls) took over director’s 

duties for Jurassic World: 

Fallen Kingdom, out this summer. 

The third Jurassic World film will 

debut on June 11, 2021. 

Wet Hot American Summer 

and The Big Sick director 

Michael Showalter will join 

forces with Jessica Chastain and 

Octavia Spencer for an untitled 

Universal comedy. Crazy Rich 

Asians’ Peter Chiarelli is scripting 

the film, about two women 

braving the elements in an attempt 

to make it home in time 

for Christmas. 

WARNER BROS. 

The cast of Wonder Woman 

2 is shaping up. Director Patty 

Jenkins is returning for a second 

crack at comic book history’s 

most popular superheroine, 

to be played once again by Gal 

Gadot. Chris Pine, who costarred 

in Wonder Woman, is 

rumored to return in some capacity. 

(His character died in the 

first film, so…flashback, maybe?) 

New to the cast will be Kristen 

Wiig as Cheetah, one of Wonder 

Woman’s key comics adversaries, 

and—the latest announcement—Pedro 

Pascal (“Game of 

Thrones”) in an unspecified role. 

Wonder Woman 2 will reportedly 

be set in the ’80s against a Cold 

War backdrop. 

INDEPENDENT 

Following the enormous success 

of It, another Stephen King 

classic is set for a feature film 

adaptation. This time around, it’s 

King’s 1987 book The Tommyknockers, 

about a town infected by 

an invisible extraterrestrial gas 

that gives its inhabitants both a 

genius intellectual capacity and an 

increased tendency towards violence. 

Director/producer James 

Wan (Saw, The Conjuring, Insidious) 

and producer Roy Lee (It) are 

producing through their respective 

banners, along with producer 

Larry Sanitsky (1993’s “The Tommyknockers” 

miniseries). Other 

upcoming Stephen King adaptations 

include Paramount’s Pet 

Sematary and New Line-Warner 

Bros.’ It: Chapter 2. 

Hugh Jackman has some 

time on his hands now that he’s 

hung up the adamantium claws 

associated with his most famous 

character, X-Men’s Wolverine. 

Reportedly now on the A-lister’s 

upcoming slate is Bad Education, 

to be directed by Thoroughbreds’ 

Cory Finley. Little is known 

about the film, save that it is 

based on an event from the highschool 

days of screenwriter Mike 

Makowsky, of the upcoming sci-fi 

drama I Think We’re Alone Now. La 

La Land’s Fred Berger and Brian 

Kavanaugh-Jones are two of Bad 

Education’s producers. 

Kevin Bacon is set to 

reteam with low-budget horror 

powerhouse Blumhouse 

Productions, which produced the 

Bacon-starring The Darkness, for 

You Should Have Left. Bacon will 

star in and co-produce the film, 

which is based on a 2017 novel 

about a screenwriter who begins 

to go a bit squirrely while holed 

up with his young daughter in a 

house in the German Alps. David 

Koepp, who directed Bacon in 

1999’s Stir of Echoes, will adapt 

the book for the screen as well 

as direct. 

Michael B. Jordan puts on his 

producer hat for The Liberators, 

to be co-produced by the burgeoning 

superstar actor through 

his Outlier Society Productions 

shingle. The film is based on a 

spec script from Madison Turner 

(6 Below: Miracle on the Mountain) 

about the 761st Tank Battalion, 

an African-American combat unit 

that fought during World War II. 

Jordan is either producer or executive 

producer on two upcoming 

projects in which he is set to 

star, Destin Daniel Cretton’s Just 

Mercy and Ramin Bahrani’s “Fahrenheit 

451” miniseries; it has not 

been confirmed whether he will 

star here. 

Manchester by the Sea’s Lucas 

Hedges will play actor Shia 

LaBeouf—and Shia LaBeouf will 

play his own father—in Honey 

Boy. The film, co-written by 

LaBeouf under a pseudonym, 

tells the story of the actor’s 

troubled relationship with his 

alcohol-abusing father; it will 

take place in the early 2000s, 

when LaBeouf was still a child 

actor on the brink of stardom. 

Alma Har’el (Bombay Beach) will 

direct. 


002-026.indd 20 

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4/3/18 2:11 PM

CONCESSIONS 

TRENDS 

MIXING IT UP 

Promotion in Motion Unveils 

New Gummi Fun Mix Line 

by Larry Etter, Concessions Editor 

Promotion in Motion plans to punch its way into the 

summer exhibition season with a powerful new mix 

of confections. Nearly everyone knows that the 

over the past few years the trend in sweets has turned 

away from always-reliable chocolates to sours and gummies. 

The offerings in these sweet categories are quite 

competitive and there is a plethora of pickings to choose 

from. Promotion in Motion has decided to make it easy 

for everyone by offering a Fun Mix, which combines a 

variety of textures and tastes in a single bag. 

Theatre operators are constantly challenged by the 

countless candy options and limited space for display 

and storage. A number of exhibitors have created 

more counter space and extend the brands by placing 

racks in front of the concession line for a “grab and 

go” selection that broadens the number of brands 

displayed. As a result, candy sales have accelerated, yet 

it’s still a complicated decision on what can be offered 

and many times what cannot. While self-serve candy 

zones have allowed for a delightful display, they require 

a considerable amount of volume and maintenance to be 

successful financially. 

The summer of 2018 will offer another opportunity to 

meet the demands of the cinema guest while preserving 

the operational efficiencies needed to be profitable. The 

first entry in this new class of candy will be the Original 

Gummi Fun Mix, presented through Promotion in 

Motion. This entertaining blend will include an exciting 

line of delicious gummies, sour gummies and other great 

sugary treats in a variety of shapes, sizes, flavors and 

colors. Consider it a rainbow of soft delicacies with an 

array of taste. It will be a stroll through the self-serve 

candy line without the hassle or overindulgence. 

According to Jeff Scudillo, VP, special markets, 

for Promotion in Motion, “Our new Gummi Fun Mix 

products feature up to 18 delicious varieties in a single 

bag, tapping into the experimental purchasing patterns 

of Millennials who demand multiple benefits from their 

purchases and flat out bringing the fun of eating candy to 

totally new heights. Every bag of Original Gummi Fun Mix 

is a party in a bag.” 

There will be six assortments of titled combinations. 

Gummi Party is an exciting mix of Gummi favorites 

with as many as 18 variations in each bag, including 

worms, bears, sharks, cherries, swirly drops and more. 

Sour Party is a gathering of sour gummies, including 

sour rainbow belts, sour bears, sour filled licorice 

straws, sour mini worms and sour swirly drops. It will 

also include crème-filled licorice straws, sour rainbow 

belts and other confections in addition to the gummies. 

If this is not enough, Gummi Soda Pops will offer 

bottle shapes with six favorite soft drink flavors, including 

classic cola, lemon-lime, grape and orange soda. Then 

there are Fruit Rings, featuring a yummy assortment 

of gummi rings in fan favorites: peach, apple, lemon, 

strawberry, blue raspberry and watermelon. 

Adding to the excitement, Mixed Berries will 

introduce a larger and more complete line of berries, 

expanding the current two flavors of strawberry and 

blackberry by adding blueberry, raspberry and black 

raspberry. 

The last of the six packaging innovations will be 

Seriously Sour. There are approximately 17 tempting 

flavors: Sour twin cherries, sour fruity rings, sour mini 

worms, sour strawberry soda bottles and sour soothers 

all join the merrymaking in this assorted bag. 

These varieties will all release in early May, just in 

time for the summer season. Once again, this proves 

that the exhibition channel continues to be a great 

source for launching products for the retail markets to 

gain traction. Scudillo notes, “Promotion in Motion has 

always looked to exhibition as the greatest entry point to 

launch its leading line of confectionery and snack brands 

to the consumer market. Once again, our company 

is launching and releasing Original Gummi Fun Mix to 

theatre concessions and moviegoers first! Eventually the 

brand will be sold in all channels of trade. Moviegoers will 

get first dibs and proper bragging rights at having tried 

them first at the movies. It’s been a winning strategy at 

our company for almost 40 years. No need fixing what 

works.” 

Let’s get the party started! 

Larry Etter is senior vice president at Malco Theatres 

and director of education at the National Association 

of Concessionaires. 


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4/5/18 11:14 AM

CONCESSIONS 

PEOPLE 

FOURTH GENERATION 

B&B’s Brock Bagby Carries 

on a Family Tradition 

This month, Film Journal International shines its spotlight 

on Brock Bagby, executive VP at B&B Theatres. 

Brock represents the fourth generation of the 

eighth-largest cinema circuit in the U.S., representing 391 

screens. He has strong roots in the Midwest, adopting 

traits from both of his grandfathers, Elmer Bills and Sterling 

Bagby, while following in the footsteps of his father, Robert 

Bagby, who leads the way at the family-operated enterprise. 

Like so many legends of privately held family exhibition 

companies, Brock earned his stripes by starting at an early 

age cleaning auditoriums and eventually working his way up 

to the concession stand. He is now regarded by his peers 

as one of the luminaries in the exhibition industry, named 

to Box Office magazine’s “Top 40 Under 40.” He is frequently 

mentioned in periodicals such as Variety, Deadline, 

St. Louis Post and Kansas City Star and serves on NATO’s 

Government Relations Committee, Young NATO Board, 

Technology Committee and Vision/Mission Task Force. His 

presence and opinions are constantly sought at conventions 

and conferences around the U.S. 

Brock Bagby was born in Columbia, Missouri, and spent 

his early years in Salisbury, Missouri. He attended Missouri 

State University and in 2012 earned a degree in General 

Business. He cites his grandfathers as genial influences in 

his life. “Elmer Bills was a bit more conservative and offered 

a dry sense of humor, while Sterling Bagby had a 

great attitude toward life and wanted to grow the company 

quickly.” 

Brock says he gained knowledge from them equally. 

However, he compliments his father as being the buffer, 

somewhere in the middle, that steadied the ship. “My father 

had the greatest influence on me growing up. All three had 

strong personalities and amazing traits,” he proudly attests. 

Bagby’s decision to stay in the family business was an 

easy one. “What’s more fun than the movie business? Ours 

is the only business that changes product every week and 

creates an escape for our guests all year long.” He adds, 

“My family never pushed me to work in the business, but 

at an early age I grew fond of the business and the glamour 

of Hollywood. Now I am in love with the numbers, grosses, 

demographics, theatre designs and programming.” He appreciates 

the fact that he and his sisters work as one to 

present the highest-quality entertainment package in their 

sector. 

Bagby believes the biggest challenge for B&B Theatres is 

keeping pace with all the innovations in the cinema world 

and managing the costs that accompany those advances. 

“We aren’t publicly traded, so it can be difficult to quickly 

expand without the available capital.” He is proud to men- 

tion that under his direction 50% of the circuit will be outfitted 

with recliners by June 1, 2018. 

Brock sees himself more as a sculptor and developer 

rather than an administrator—probably because his duties 

require him to oversee development and construction of 

the theatres. “I feel like I am a member of a well-oiled machine. 

I am working with industry professionals who know 

what they are doing.” While he does have administrative 

responsibilities as a senior executive at B&B, everyone 

knows he loves the development side. “Sculpting the theatre 

from beginning to end is very exciting. We are very 

hands-on and we are always trying to improve plans to 

create both the best moviegoing experience for guests and 

the best operational experience for our team.” In addition 

to his duties in construction and operations, Brock directs 

the booking department and supervises the placement of 

film in each cinema. 

Bagby has excelled in this competitive channel by testing 

the limits: “I have been pushing my family to innovate 

and create bigger screens.” He has engineered and initiated 

substantial changes in the design of B&B theatres. “We 

used to design the screens around the box that was given 

to us. We now design the boxes around the screens,” he 

testifies. “Every room is custom-designed to fit the biggest 

screen possible. I have tried to push the limits on new 

theatre designs, from our PLF Grand Screens to MX4D, 

Marquee Suites [deluxe 21-and-older rooms], screenPLAY 

[theatres for families with small children] and other concepts.” 

He makes every effort to be at the forefront of 

technology and innovation without compromising the ROI. 

On the personal side, Brock Bagby loves basketball. At 

six feet tall, he confides he was never tall enough to play 

in the big leagues, yet even today he still can be found on 

the courts Sunday afternoons in adult leagues. Most people 

do not know he is an accomplished singer and entertains 

Kansas City audiences regularly in local live performances. 

He and his family even have choral groups that croon for 

Sunday services. 

True to his exhibition foundation, he does have a favorite 

movie: The Dark Knight. “That movie had it all, it was 

nearly a real-life believable villain.” His favorite actor: Tom 

Hanks. His favorite book: Shoe Dog, the story of Phil Knight 

and his creation of Nike (in line with his love of basketball). 

When visiting his theatres for a movie, he enjoys funnel 

cake fries, popcorn and a B&B breaded chicken sandwich. 

Brock and his wife of four years, Jennifer, are expecting 

a new baby boy on May 8, 2018. 

—Larry Etter 


002-026.indd 24 

4/5/18 11:14 AM

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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. 

People head to the movies to sit 

So it’s not a big leap for audience 

back, relax, and BATTLE AGAINST 

members to imagine being able to play 

FRIENDS FOR VICTORY. 

games as part of their movie theatre 

experience. When it comes to movie 

Well, not quite yet, but it could be 

pre-shows, 70% say they prefer interactivity, 

heading that way. NCM has explored and 78% would play a mobile game that 

the topic of in-theatre gaming extensively allows them to interact with what’s on 

over the past year in preparation for 

screen. 51% of the respondents would 

the launch of Noovie ARcade, the 

arrive early specifically to play games, 

pioneering companion app to NCM’s including 56% of our Gen X panelists and 

Noovie pre-show that uses the big screen 57% of Millennials. An immersive pre-show 

to unlock larger-than-life, interactive 

experience allows you to deliver on your 

augmented reality mobile gaming for patrons’ desire for interactive content 

movie audiences. Now, Ask the Audience while also encouraging them to get to 

is giving you an inside look at what 

the theatre early, all without incurring 

moviegoers want when it comes to 

additional costs for your business. 

in-theatre gaming and how you can 

capitalize on the experience. 

The most popular game with our panelists 

was trivia, such as Name That Movie 

Movie audiences are used to playing featured in the Noovie pre-show, with 

games on the go in their everyday life. 82% overall expressing interest in more 

82% play games on their phone, with interactive trivia options, including 

40% playing a mobile game daily. 

88% of adults aged 18 to 54. 60% also 

wanted to try augmented reality gaming 

while at the theatre (enter: Noovie ARcade). 

When it comes to additional incentives, 

material goods unsurprisingly made up 

the top 3 on the most-wanted list, with 

88% ranking free movie tickets as the top 

motivation, 87% interested in cash prizes, 

and 86% hoping for free concessions. 

Plus, 66% of Millennials were interested in 

gaming tournaments at their local movie 

theatre. So, you might want to think about 

creating a “game night” on an evening 

that is typically slower that allows your 

customers to compete for small prizes 

as an effective way to increase traffic and 

customer spending. 

The movie theatre experience is constantly 

evolving, and with the Behind the Screens 

panel’s consistent message that they value 

interactivity, more advanced in-theatre 

gaming is the next step in enhancing 

that experience. At NCM, the answer to 

that call was the development of Noovie 

ARcade. The next generation of in-theatre 

gaming is here. The question is — 

are you ready to play? 

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. 

PREFERRED 

LEADERBOARD 

RANKINGS 

60% 

are more likely 

to play the game 

if they are in a 

group of friends. 

BEST MOVIE BASED 

ON A VIDEO GAME 

1. Tomb Raider 

(2001) 

1. Others in auditorium 

2. Friends 

3. Theatre’s high scores 

4. Their own previous scores 

5. Regional 

6. National 

43% 

of Gen X’ers 

would share 

their scores on 

social media. 

SHARE 

2. Super Mario Bros. 

(1993) 

3. Resident Evil 

(2002) 

4. Mortal Kombat 

(1995) 


002-026.indd 26 

4/5/18 11:14 AM

CRUISE 

Christopher 

McQuarrie 

Movie franchises aren’t supposed to last as long 

as Mission: Impossible. An offshoot of a 1960s 

TV series, the first entry, starring Tom Cruise, 

appeared in 1996. Since then, Cruise has appeared in four 

sequels, all of them worldwide hits. The fifth, 

Mission: Impossible—Fallout will be released 

by Paramount on July 27. In it, 

Ethan Hunt (the Cruise role) is a 

target of enemy and government 

agents in an international conspiracy. 

Writer-director Christopher McQuarrie, who also wrote and 

directed the fifth entry, Rogue Nation, took time out from a 

busy postproduction schedule to answer questions by e-mail. 

Film Journal International: The last time we spoke, for Rogue Nation, you 

talked about the IMF (Impossible Mission Force) as a kind of substitute family 

for agent Ethan Hunt, who otherwise had sacrificed the idea of domestic life. But 

with the return of Hunt’s wife Julia (played by Michelle Monaghan), can we 

expect more about his personal life in Fallout? 

Christopher McQuarrie: I asked Tom at the very start of this project: 

What’s the one thing you want to do with the character? Tom said a 

great many people still ask him about Julia and he wants to bring them 

resolution. I had assumed the end of Ghost Protocol [the fourth entry] had 

done that, but I’ve since realized it left too much to the imagination. Tom 

wanted to make it clear. 

28 FILMJOURNAL.COM / MAY 2018 Photos © 2018 Paramount Pictures. All rights reserved. / McQuarrie by Christian Black 

028-056.indd 28 

4/4/18 2:20 PM

CONTROL 

An all-star cast 

joins Tom Cruise 

for the sixth 

installment 

in the fabled 

Mission: 

Impossible 

franchise 

by Daniel Eagan 


028-056.indd 29 

4/4/18 2:20 PM

I was only too happy to do that, but I insisted it could not be 

a detour from the central narrative, since experience has taught 

me we’d just end up cutting it. If the story of Ethan and Julia 

was to have any place in this movie, the main story would have 

to collide with it. 

This necessitated a reintroduction of Julia. As much as this 

film is connected directly to previous installments, Tom and I 

insist that it has to stand alone. I’m not expecting you to see the 

other films in the franchise or hold onto their emotional details. 

The question then became how to introduce Julia in a way that 

tells us something personal about Ethan. The answer led to a 

deeper emotional connection with the character. I knew then 

that we were onto something different for the franchise. You’ll 

feel that difference in the opening frame. 

FJI: You’ve also talked about how the IMF is by its very structure 

in conflict with the government, which forces Ethan on the run. 

How can you keep that theme fresh? 

CM: In Mission, it’s not whether or not Ethan and the team 

will end up at odds with their own side, it’s how. Remove that 

element and you remove conflict. You remove drama. I leaned 

into that conflict. It started at the end of Rogue Nation when the 

team more or less recruited CIA Director Alan Hunley [Alec 

Baldwin] to become the new Secretary. By introducing Erika 

Sloan [Angela Bassett] as the new head of the CIA and Walker 

[Henry Cavill] as her number-one man in the field, I created a 

yin to Hunley and Ethan’s yang. The conflict is overt and present 

from the very start. But it is a conflict between the IMF and 

the CIA—rooted in their very different approaches to solving 

problems. Ethan is a scalpel, Walker is a hammer and they are 

forced to work together, leading to yet more conflict. 

FJI: For Rogue Nation, you described an organic style of screenwriting 

in which you discover the story as you’re shooting. Did that 

occur during this production? 

CM: I’ve always said, Mission has a mind of its own. It goes 

where it wants to. I struggled with that on Rogue Nation. This time 

I just rode the lightning. The movie is so much the better for it. 

FJI: Can you give an example of how the story changed from 

what you originally expected? 

CM: Only in one respect and not without spoiling the 

movie. For the most part I just went where the story (and the 

demands of having to justify the many locations and action 

sequences in the film) took me. There is one idea that was a 

major touchstone for me—the scene that made me want to do 

the movie. I held onto it for as long as I could—too long, in 

fact—trying to bend the narrative to go there. When I let it go, 

the second half of the film came together. It turns out Mission 

had other plans. 

FJI: You shot a sequence at an iconic Norwegian mountain called 

Preikestolen. Can you talk about what that involved? 

CM: That sequence required the danger of falling. I was 

scouting New Zealand, which is a magnificent place to shoot, by 

the way. But everywhere I went, I could not find the fall I wanted. 

There are many impressive mountains there, but they slope. I 

needed a sheer precipice. I told my location coordinator: “Don’t 

bring me a place I can fall down. Bring me a place I can fall off. 

When he showed me a picture of Pulpit Rock [Preikestolen], I 

knew immediately that was the place. 

Everything had to be brought in by helicopter, including 

the helipads to land the helicopters (the only other way to the 

summit is a two-hour hike). Cranes, stunt rigs, crew facilities, 

catering—it was all brought in over a period of two days. A 

massive undertaking. I had three days to shoot what I needed. 

Experience taught me I’d likely lose half my time up there to 

bad weather, so I planned accordingly and, sure enough, we lost 

a day and a half. Twenty minutes after the last shot, it started 

raining. Our helicopter made it out minutes before the weather 

would have grounded us. Moments later it was snowing and the 

rock stayed buried for the rest of the winter. We were that close 

to not finishing. As we like to say, and we say it often, it ain’t 

Mission: Difficult. 

It’s important to note that I am not a lover of extreme 

environments. I like my couch and my dogs and a cup of hot tea. 

Yet somehow the requirements of story take me to these places 

and I go with them. My producer, the incomparable Jake Myers, 

also worked on The Revenant—which is legendary for its remote, 

bitterly cold locations. While making that movie, he ran into a 

couple of crew who had worked on Jack Reacher with us. They 

said: “This is bad, but it doesn’t come close to the quarry in Jack 

Reacher. That was hell.” 

I don’t say this as a point of pride. I say this so you can 

appreciate the work our crew put into the movie. These people 

were incredible. They moved mountains, sometimes literally. 

FJI: The M:I series has raised the bar for chases. You even developed 

proprietary equipment for a Rogue Nation sequence. Can you 

talk about Cruise on a motorcycle in Paris in this movie? 

CM: Tom and I both love Paris and wanted a chase that 

would celebrate the city. I showed him a short film called 

Rendezvous which, if you haven’t seen it, you should check out 

on YouTube. It’s a single, uninterrupted eight-minute POV 

speeding though the streets of pre-dawn Paris past all the major 

landmarks. It became a touchstone for us. I designed a sequence 

to show as much of the city as I could—in, over, under. Cars, 

boats, trucks, motorcycles, helicopters. The city was incredibly 

accommodating. I still can’t believe they let us do it. 

Tom and I learned a lot from the motorcycle chase in Rogue 

Nation and wanted to take that to the next level. But narrow 

city streets were much more challenging than a wide-open 

Moroccan highway. We devised rigs that would allow Tom to 

navigate the city more safely without a helmet, but those rigs 

failed. I looked at Tom on the first day and asked: “What do we 

do now?” 

Tom sighed and said: “We gotta shoot, man.” 

He mounted up and took off. 

The next night I went to watch dailies at a theatre the production 

had rented. I came to find out it was owned by the director 

of Rendezvous. 

If I never make another film, I’ll always have Paris. 

FJI: Some cast members in Fallout return from previous entries, 

including Monaghan, Baldwin and Ving Rhames. And Rebecca 

Ferguson, who was a standout in the previous movie, is back as Ilsa 

Faust. Why do you think she is such a good foil for Ethan Hunt? 

CM: Rebecca has the remarkable capacity to convey inner 

strength and vulnerability at the same time. She is tough, focused, 

dedicated, driven—while at the same time conveying and 

inspiring sympathy simultaneously. And she does it all without 

ever losing her sense of humor. All of this comes together to 

form Ilsa’s real power: When she leaves, you can’t wait for her to 

come back. This allows her to move in and out of the story with 

ease and keeps her from ever becoming a mere accessory. 

Most importantly, Ilsa has her own story, her own problems 

to deal with independent of Ethan’s. In Rogue Nation those 

problems were aligned. In this movie they are in conflict. 

Ultimately, Ilsa is great with Ethan precisely because she’s 

not a foil. She’s her own person. 


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MARVELOUS 

22 Superheroes in one action-packed extravaganza 

by Daniel Eagan 

One of the most anticipated movies 

of 2018 has a built-in problem—The 

Avengers: Infinity War is only 

the first half of a story whose outcome 

won’t be fully revealed until 2019. No 

matter what happens in Infinity War 

(a Disney release opening on April 

27), fans won’t get all the answers they 

want for another year. 

So directors Anthony and Joe 

Russo are understandably protective 

about plot details. Speaking by phone 

from their office, they will admit that 

their two Avengers movies continue a 

storyline that started with their 2014 

hit Captain America: The Winter Soldier. 

“If you look at the Marvel Universe 

over the last ten years, these are the 

final chapters,” Joe says. “My brother 

and I told a very personal story over the 

course of our four Marvel films. They’re 

related, they tie together characters and 

themes. It’s a quartet of movies I think 

you can view as a single narrative.” 

Joe confesses that he still has a box 

filled with comic books about these 

characters, and that the emotional 

bonds the brothers formed for these 

superheroes when they were youngsters 

remain strong. 

“It’s cathartic to be able to correlate 

those feelings to the thematic 

issues that involve the Marvel community 

today,” he says. “I can’t go into it 

because it will spoil the next two movies, 

but we were able to tie together 

our themes, starting with questioning 

the surveillance state in Winter Soldier, 

on the grandest scale we’ve ever used.” 

Fans are notoriously defensive 

about the Marvel Universe, quick to 

object to perceived slights and inac- 

From left: War Machine (Don Cheadle), Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), Black Widow(Scarlett Johansson), 

Captain America (Chris Evans), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Okoye (Danai Gurira), Falcon (Anthony Mackie) 

and Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman); at top, Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and Thanos ( Josh Brolin); 

and directors Anthony and Joe Russo. 

Film Frame © Marvel Studios 2018 

028-056.indd 32 

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1287_CMS_5000FilmJounal_AD_v.4.indd 1 

3/28/18 8:09 AM

curacies. Infinity War compounds the issue 

by including crossover characters from 

Guardians of the Galaxy and Doctor Strange. 

Thanos, the movies’ chief villain (played 

here by Josh Brolin), has been collecting 

“infinity stones,” a strategy that pulls the 

Avengers and other superheroes together to 

defeat him. 

The brothers laugh when asked how 

they keep track of the storylines and characters. 

“There’s not like a Marvel ‘fact checker,’” 

Joe says. “Mac and Chris [screenwriters 

Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus] 

have written six films for Marvel, so they 

know as much as anybody. It’s really the 

four of us collectively telling the story that 

we want to tell. You just find the mythology 

as you tell the story, the timelines, things 

that you want to have correlations to. But 

storytelling is paramount, that’s the thing 

that we focus first and foremost on.” 

“Joe and I love ensemble storytelling, 

it’s in a lot of our work, like our first film, 

Welcome to Collinwood, and through a lot of 

our television work,” Anthony adds. “We 

like multiple points of view in a narrative. 

Your access points are these characters. 

Everybody finds different favorite characters, 

and they become your access points to 

the narrative. 

“Inevitably, like in Civil War for instance, 

some characters are going to have 

more prominent storylines and some less 

prominent. But even for those characters, 

it’s our job as storytellers to find a satisfying 

arc for the smallest moments they may have. 

I think that’s one thing that we feel particularly 

happy about in terms of what we were 

able to do in Civil War—we were able to 

find good story moments based on character 

for even someone like Ant Man, something 

that enabled them to intersect with these 

other characters in our overarching narrative. 

That’s basically the same process we’re 

going through on these films, only with 

even more characters.” 

Infinity War’s cast includes prominent 

stars like Robert Downey, Jr., Josh Brolin, 

Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, 

Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, 

Chris Pratt, Bradley Cooper, Chadwick 

Boseman, Zoe Saldana and Paul Rudd. 

Some directors might be daunted wrangling 

so many egos into line. 

“Here’s the thing, Joe and I love actors,” 

Anthony says. “These are hard movies to 

make, acting is a hard job, things can get 

complicated. But Joe started as an actor. 

We’re very focused on actors, very respectful 

of what they do. And I think they’re happy—they 

love the roles, they love the films, 

they love the process. Some of the actors are 

used to have entire films built around their 

characters. They know they’re in a situation 

now where they’re only a piece of the puzzle, 

and they behave accordingly. They know 

they need to help, they know that what’s 

happening isn’t all about them.” 

The brothers keep tabs to a certain 

extent on the other films in the Marvel 

Universe, but feel that each title stands apart 

from the others. “One of the things we love 

about Marvel is their philosophy that every 

movie wants to be its own film,” Joe says. 

“They want filmmakers to have the freedom 

to tell a story that is the most original, the 

most surprising. Marvel never gets happier 

than when you surprise them.” 

“Taika Waititi’s interpretation of Thor 

is very different than our interpretation 

of Thor and Joss Whedon’s interpretation,” 

Anthony says. “Our interpretation of 

Black Panther is very different than Ryan 

Coogler’s. It’s just like in the comics, where 

different artists and writers would work 

with characters. It’s the core mythology that 

people respond to.” 

The Russos shot the two Avengers 

movies (the second remained untitled at 

the time of writing) back-to-back. Production 

began in January 2017 and wrapped 

in January 2018. They had two weeks off in 

July in between movies. Locations for the 

first film included everything from Atlanta 

to Scotland and Queens, New York. 

Over such a long shoot, factors like 

weather can disrupt shooting schedules. 

And the size of the productions makes 

quick shifts in planning difficult. 

“Joe and I spent many years producing 

television as well as directing television,” 

Anthony points out. “We have producer 

brains. We are very adaptable, and we understand 

that sometimes you’re going to 

spend more than you initially intended, 

sometimes less. At the end of the day the 

movie balances out, but it’s our job as filmmakers 

to try to make sure that it does. 

“We were lucky in Scotland,” he adds, 

“but there’s still a lot of planning that goes 

into how you dance with weather variability. 

We make sure certain scenes are adaptable. 

Like this scene could happen in any weather 

condition and we’re okay. Or we can shoot 

this section of this scene if the weather’s not 

perfect. Or we have ‘cover sets,’ scenes we 

can substitute in case the weather’s too bad.” 

“We’ve learned how to accommodate 

for weather that will change over the twenty 

days it may take to shoot an action scene,” 

Joe says. “We have giant cranes with mattes 

that create a shaded base that we can execute 

in to account for the sun moving in 

and out of the clouds, for example. Rain is 

a different story. You can work in very light 

rain, because some lenses won’t pick up rain 

in the distance. Heavier rain you don’t want 

the crew out there anyway.” 

Because of the size and expense of the 

production, pre-planning was crucial. The 

brothers relied on storyboards and pre-viz 

before the shoot began. 

“We have pre-vized every sequence,” 

Anthony says. “We pre-animated for 

months with a team of animators and 

creative collaborators, going through every 

shot, talking stylistically about where we 

want the camera placed, how we want it lit, 

the story that we’re trying to tell. We can 

experiment in a digital realm with executing 

the movie, and then go to the set and we 

execute the plan based on what we came up 

with.” 

The brothers sound jealous describing 

their visit to the set of Jon Favreau’s liveaction 

Lion King. “He has virtually created 

all of his sets,” Anthony says admiringly. 

“He and his crew can wear VR headsets 

and scout locations. They can scout the 

actual digital locations, Jon can pick shots, 

he can pick cameras, he can pick lenses. All 

in virtual space. And then he can execute 

with cameras by looking at monitors and 

seeing the virtual location through the 

camera eyepiece.” 

But the Russos believe the key to technologies 

like pre-viz and VR is being able 

to adjust to the moment. “You can go to 

set as a director with a very specific vision 

of how you want to shoot a scene and 

sometimes you can execute it to the detail 

you imagined,” Anthony says. “But very 

often you can’t because there are variables 

in the equation that you couldn’t account 

for in your mind. The most significant of 

which is the actor. You don’t want an actor 

to simply be a parrot of what you had in 

your mind, you want to find what’s organic 

to that actor, and figure out how you draw 

that into the scene. So that changes how 

you execute it.” 

“Organic performance is paramount 

for us, so we won’t force an actor into a 

situation where it doesn’t feel organic,” Joe 

explains. “So on the day if we find that 

there’s better storytelling being told through 

a performance, we’ll adjust. We have our 

entire VFX team there with us, our crew is 

dialed in, everybody understands. It happens 

all the time on our shoots.” 

Joe compares the process to working 

with a storyboard: “You create the plan 

and then throw the plan away. Pre-viz is 

just a more complex, three-dimensional 

storyboard. That doesn’t mean the location 

will work with the way the actor wants to 


028-056.indd 34 

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ehave. But at least you’ve started with a 

core plan, you can see if that’s appropriate 

to the day.” 

The Russos give the airport action sequence 

at the end of Civil War as an example. 

About half the sequence was based on 

pre-viz, but the other half was improvised 

on the spot. 

“We were rehearsing a fight with Iron 

Man, Captain America and the Winter 

Soldier, and we felt like it was missing a 

critical moment where Cap and Bucky 

teamed up together against Tony,” Joe says. 

“So we choreographed it in twenty minutes 

and shot it. That’s the amazing thing of 

having a crew that you work with over and 

over again. You have a shorthand with them, 

a Vulcan mind-meld.” 

Action in the brothers’ movies may have 

a spontaneous, improvised feel, but it is also 

unusually focused and easy for viewers to 

follow. It’s not just random shots cut together, 

there’s a narrative to it. 

“The reason we do action like that is because 

we have such an extensive background 

in comedy,” Anthony explains. “There’s an 

incredible amount of improvisation in the 

comedy work we’ve done over the years. 

Also, we started in independent filmmaking, 

and we’ve learned that some of the best 

work, the best ideas that you come up with 

are in the moment. If you’re prepared for 

the moment, then you can throw everything 

away and be inspired by what’s happening 

in front of you.” 

The Russos and their team were still 

completing effects shots at the time of this 

interview. Their live-action material has 

been cut together and test-screened. But 

computer-generated effects often introduce 

new complexities to the movie. 

“When you’re shooting live action, 

the image you will edit to, you can see the 

movement right there. But when you’re 

shooting digital, you’re dealing with animated 

scenes. When the finished product 

comes in, sometimes the movement is a 

little different. Maybe in a good way, compared 

to what the animated version was. 

That will change how you edit. The movement’s 

a little fast, the movement’s a little 

slow, something was a little higher in the 

frame or a little lower in the frame. We need 

to be a little tighter or wider. As we get 

these shots in, the changes necessitate a sort 

of series of recalibrations of the edit, how 

we work the rhythms through the scene.” 

“Effects work is all about the details,” 

Joe adds. “That’s the phase we’re in right 

now, as we start to get these finished shots 

in, we’re working very hard with our editor 

Jeff Ford to make sure they are rhythmically 

correct. And if they’re not, how do we get 

them there? Because we’re getting late in 

the process, maybe it’s how do we massage 

what’s around it to make it work ideally. So 

it’s a really active process for us.” 

The Russos will have worked some five 

years almost nonstop on Marvel projects 

by the time the next Avengers movie is 

released. But their credits include a wide 

range of material, notably influential television 

comedies like “Arrested Development” 

and “Community.” Do they think about 

returning to more intimate, less effectsdriven 

work? 

“We definitely do, there’s a whole range 

of films that Joe and I have been working 

on together through the years that we 

look forward to getting to at some point,” 

Anthony answers. “But to be honest with 

you, we’ve been consumed by both of these 

films for a few years now. It’s been hard to 

make two movies back-to-back, and we still 

have the entire second movie to work on for 

another year. So in terms of speaking about 

what we’re going to do next, I don’t think 

we have the brain space to focus on that. 

Hopefully sometime in the next year that 

space will open up.” 

A R C H I T E C T S 

TK 

 

ARCHITECTURE 

CONCEPTUAL DESIGN 

INTERIOR DESIGN 

ENGINEERING 

GRAPHIC DESIGN 

VISIT US AT 

BOOTH 325F 

CINEMACON: 

4/24/18-4/26/18 

DESIGNING ENTERTAINMENT WORLDWIDE 

www.tkarch.com 816.842.7552 


028-056.indd 36 

4/4/18 2:20 PM

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New Line Cinema 

TM & © 2017 20th Century Fox Film Corp. 

© 2018 Marvel Studios 

Chameleon 

Celebrated Performance-Capture Artist 

Andy Serkis Sees Greater Possibilities 

for Groundbreaking Technology 

by John Hiscock 

Until fairly recently, few people 

outside the film industry knew 

who Andy Serkis was, despite his 

having portrayed some of the best-known 

characters in cinema history. But now, 

thanks to an appearance at the Oscars and 

on award-show red carpets, this diminutive 

actor from a London suburb is finally 

being recognized as the leading pioneer in 

performance-capture technology. 

He is the man who created, among others, 

Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy; 

King Kong in Peter Jackson’s 2005 remake; 

Supreme Leader Snoke in three Star Wars 

films, and Caesar, the dignified leader of the 

apes in the Planet of the Apes trilogy. 

Performance-capture technology 

entails an actor wearing a skintight suit 

with markers that allow his movements 

and expressions to be electronically tracked 

and translated into computer-generated 

imagery to bring a film character to life. 

It has helped 54-year-old Serkis rise from 

being a dependable though obscure British 

actor to one with a specific talent that has 

earned him industry-wide 

recognition and a dedicated 

fan following. 

“When you think about 

it, an actor, regardless of 

their age, their height, 

their sex, the color of their 

skin, can now play any 

character as long they can 

imagine themselves to be 

that character,” he says. “And so to play a 

chimpanzee like Caesar in the trilogy of 

the Apes movies is only an extension of the 

human connection to anthropomorphizing 

these animal creatures and characters. 

“And it’s all about the actors; it’s 

about acting those roles. So I find it to be 

thrilling and will continue to act and direct 

movies using that technology to enable 

films to be made like that.” 

But the rapidly evolving performancecapture 

technique that he helped define has 

landed Serkis at the center of an ongoing 

debate among industry pundits who are divided 

over whether an actor who specializes 

in performance capture should be eligible 

for awards recognition due to the amount of 

CGI used to render his expressions. 

© Imaginarium 

Andy Serkis as Gollum 

(Lord of the Rings: 

Return of the King), 

Caesar (War for the Planet 

of the Apes) and Ulysses 

Klaue (Black Panther). 

Serkis has no doubt. “It’s 

all to do with performance,” he 

tells me during our interview at 

a London hotel. “Caesar and all the other 

computer-generated characters I have ever 

played are driven by one thing and that 

is acting. Audiences want to be moved by 

acting, not by a visual effect. 

“The reason the audience feels what 

it does towards these characters is purely, 

I believe, because of performance. As far 

as awards are concerned, a performance 

is a performance and if it’s engaging and 

moving and transforming and captures 

your imagination, it should be judged in 

exactly the same way as any live acting 

performance, because the process is no 

different and I can’t stress that enough.” 

His outspoken views in the past have 

angered digital artists, who claim he 

minimizes the role of the animators who 


028-056.indd 38 

4/4/18 2:20 PM

make his performances possible, something 

Serkis vehemently denies. 

“I’ve been badly misquoted as saying 

horrendous things like ‘Andy Serkis does 

everything and the animators do nothing,’ 

which I would never say in a million years,” 

he insists. “I have an extraordinary relationship 

with animators and visual-effects artists. 

Two things have to be understood: The 

authorship of a performance happens on 

set with a director and other actors in a very 

conventional live-action sense. The animation 

process is what happens afterwards, 

and the skill and artistry and the brilliant 

work the animators do in interpolating that 

performance and manifesting it onscreen is 

an art form which is unparalleled.” 

Then, almost defiantly, he adds: “Acting 

is acting and visual effects are visual effects 

and it’s a marriage, but the authorship 

of performance—everything you watch 

onscreen that you feel and think about a 

character—comes from the actor.” 

Although the issue of whether performance-capture 

artists should be entitled to 

acting awards remains a contentious topic, 

Serkis himself has removed himself from 

the debate by branching out into producing, 

directing and taking performance-capture 

techniques into live stage productions. 

One of the busiest people in the film 

industry, he has his own performancecapture 

and production company, 

Imaginarium. Last year it produced a 

horror film, The Ritual, and he made his 

live-action directing debut with Breathe, set 

in the 1950s and starring Andrew Garfield 

and Claire Foy. He also directed Mowgli, 

a new version of The Jungle Book due for 

release from Warner Bros. later this year. 

Starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Cate 

Blanchett, it is said to be “more savage” than 

the Disney version. In it, Serkis once again 

dons a performance-capture suit to portray 

Baloo the bear. 

Imaginarium has been working for 

six years on a version of George Orwell’s 

Animal Farm, but it was put on the back 

burner because of the demand for Serkis’ 

performance-capture talents in the Star 

Wars sagas and as villain Ulysses Klaue in 

the Avengers and Black Panther movies. 

Now he is also looking to bring the 

technique to the stage and other outlets 

with ideas and plans he believes will revolutionize 

the entertainment industry. “We’re 

working on virtual reality and augmented 

reality, so there are lots and lots of different 

areas where performance capture is now 

becoming a common tool for storytelling 

for the next generation,” he observes. 

“There is a decline in cinema-going, 

except for tentpole movies, so there’s a need 

to find new ways that are part theatre and 

part film. Performance capture sits in the 

middle of this new technology.” 

The ebullient Serkis, the son of an 

Iraqi father and English mother, is cheery, 

outgoing and laughs a lot but is very serious 

when talking about his work and his career. 

He enthusiastically expounds on his vision 

for the future of entertainment. 

“I reckon in about 10 or 15 years’ time 

we won’t be watching things on big flat 

screens but we’ll be watching events that 

we will be part of, with augmented-reality 

glasses, where part of it is real, part of it is 

performance capture, part of it is cinematic 

and part of it is like a theatre piece. 

“These are the sort of things that we’re 

involved in and trying to understand. What 

is storytelling? What is the next generation? 

What is this common experience that we 

want to have? It seems that we want a more 

visceral experience, and so it’s how we might 

bring those things together.” 

He and his Imaginarium company 

worked for a year on making Ariel the sprite 

come to life in a tech-infused performance 

for the Royal Shakespeare Company’s 

The Tempest for the 400th anniversary 

of Shakespeare’s birth, integrating the 

technology into the performance in a way 

that enhanced the live theatre and didn’t 

overwhelm it. “Using performance capture, 

we made Ariel shape-shift and change into 

all these apparitions,” he says. 

Although Serkis has made his name— 

and most of his money—by imitating the 

movements of creatures while wearing 

a performance-capture suit, he began 

his career as a stage actor in touring 

companies. His roles included the MC 

in Cabaret, the Fool in King Lear and 

parts in The Threepenny Opera and Steven 

Berkoff ’s Decadence. 

“I did 60 plays before I started doing 

film and television and before Lord of the 

Rings happened in 1999. But all the time in 

the back of my mind, I had started to write 

stories and make short films,” he recalls. 

He realized he was becoming known as 

a personality in his own right when people 

started approaching him, usually when 

he was on a bus or in the subway. “People 

would come up to me and try and be 

secretive and say, ‘Can you do the Gollum 

voice for me?’” he says. “And I’m like, ‘Are 

you kidding? It’s 8:30 in the morning on 

the Victoria Line.’” 

He did, however, do voicemail 

messages for friends in the croaking 

gurgle he adopted for the voice of Gollum, 

the piteous and treacherous creature he 

portrayed in Peter Jackson’s Rings trilogy. 

“I absolutely loved Gollum and he was 

a huge part of my life and transformed it in 

many, many ways. He opened me up to a 

fantastic array of interesting, wild, out-there 

characters.” 

It was through collaborating with 

Jackson that he learned the craft of 

directing the hard way. “After working 

with him on King Kong, he asked me to 

direct second unit on The Hobbit, which 

was a big challenge because it wasn’t the 

sort of stage where a first-time director is 

making a small auteur movie with maybe 

four or five weeks to shoot and a very small 

story with maybe two or three actors in 

a room and very personal,” he recalls. “I 

went straight onto the Hobbit trilogy with 

a crew of 150 people shooting 48 frames a 

second and a huge cast of actors, shooting 

all over New Zealand for 200 days. That 

was my first experience of directing and it 

was monumental, and I can’t thank Peter 

Jackson enough for the film education that 

I got from doing that, because it was an 

extraordinary experience. 

“I shot everything, from all of the aerials 

to the performance with every single cast 

member to pick-up shots and entire scenes. 

It was a huge, huge step for me, so when it 

came to helming Mowgli, the Jungle Book 

movie, I had a lot of confidence and I felt 

very comfortable. And then when it came 

to Breathe, again I felt like I had been on a 

long enough journey to be able to really tell 

the story in the way that I wanted to.” 

What tends to be forgotten now is 

that during his almost 30-year career 

Serkis has portrayed several real people 

in movies, including infamous English 

Moors murderer Ian Brady; Lord 

Longford in “Longford,” which earned 

him a Golden Globe nomination; the 

grave-robber William Hare in Burke and 

Hare; Manchester record producer Martin 

Hannett in 24 Hour Party People, Albert 

Einstein in the BBC movie Einstein and 

Eddington and the polio-afflicted rock 

singer Ian Dury in Sex & Drugs & Rock 

& Roll. Serkis’ performance-capture 

gallery also includes the drink-sodden 

Captain Haddock in Steven Spielberg’s The 

Adventures of Tintin. 

There is talk of two more Tintin movies 

and a possible fourth Planet of the Apes 

tale, and although Serkis will be a willing 

participant, his sights are now elsewhere. 

“I love acting, but I haven’t been 

onstage for nearly 20 years and I would 

quite like to do a play,” he says. “But apart 

from that, directing is very much where 

I’m heading.” 


028-056.indd 40 

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Photo and copyright Agatha A. Nitecka 

DARE NOT SPEAK 

Forbidden love clashes with 

traditional faith in a London Orthodox 

Jewish community in Disobedience, 

the English-language debut of 

Chilean director Sebastián Lelio 

by Harry Haun 

Between Glorias—his breakout Chilean film of 2013 and 

his forthcoming American remake of 2018—44-year-old 

writer-director Sebastián Lelio has struck a mother lode 

of cinematic gold and glory with the two films he premiered last 

fall at the Toronto International Film Festival. His IMDB tally: 

“29 wins & 25 nominations.” 

The first—A Fantastic Woman, about a transgender woman 

fighting for the right to mourn her older, married, bisexual 

boyfriend—waltzed off with the Golden Guy as Best Foreign- 

Language Film at the 2018 Academy Awards. The other, his 

English-language debut—Disobedience, about a free-spirited 

female who returns to her Orthodox Jewish roots in North 

London and her lesbian lover from childhood—is coasting into 

general release from Bleecker Street April 27 on a wave of raves 

from its Toronto launch. 

There hasn’t been a one-two arrival punch like that since— 

well, since the previous fall when fellow Chilean director Pablo 

Larraín (who, incidentally, produced the first Gloria and A 

Fantastic Woman) hit Toronto with his pair of award contenders: 

Neruda, an “anti-biopic” on the exiled Chilean poet which represented 

Chile for the 2016 Foreign-Language Film Oscar, and 

Jackie, his take on the newly widowed Jacqueline Kennedy that 

put Natalie Portman in the Oscar running for Best Actress. 

So it’s small wonder Lelio found himself being saluted last 

fall by festival scribes as “one of the brightest lights of Chile’s 

golden generation of filmmakers”—a distinction he modestly 

dirt-kicks aside as marvelous timing rather than calculated 

planning. 


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Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams star in Disobedience, directed by Sebastián Lelio, at left. 

Film still courtesy Bleecker Street 

“I knew what they meant by saying that, but I don’t operate 

that way,” he admitted recently in a phone interview. “My 

cause is cinema. I just like to make films. That’s all I care about. 

I know Chile is going through a very special moment right now, 

and I’m proud of that—proud of the entire generation behind 

this film movement.” 

He was also taken aback a bit when the press started congratulating 

him on completing his “trilogy.” It seems, goes their 

argument, the trans Fantastic Woman and the Orthodox Jewish 

lesbians of Disobedience are cinematic sisters to the Glorias who 

bookend both of those films: a middle-aged divorcée looking 

for love in dance halls (Paulina Garcia in ’13, Julianne Moore in 

’18). Although their struggles and objectives are different, these 

are all strong women who cross societal boundaries. 

This penchant for female-led film explorations, Lelio insists, 

is not “some part of a strategy or agenda. I just believe in following 

my intuition, whatever intrigues me. These are not women 

we are used to being exposed to. They should be secondary characters, 

really, existing on the fringes of society, but I’ve put them 

in the absolute center and made their portraits an examination 

as well as an exaltation. I like to see them fall, then stand up and 

find the tools to overcome what they’re going through.” 

The screen rights to Disobedience, Naomi Alderman’s 2006 

novel, were acquired by a native of North London, Oscar winner 

Rachel Weisz, who saw the Spanish-speaking Gloria and 

decided Lelio was perfect to adapt and direct the film version—despite 

the language barrier. Happily, that deficiency was 

an asset: “The alien perspective let me concentrate on what was 

going on, on a human level among the characters. I accepted the 

assignment because the story was beautiful and it was really an 

amazing challenge to have to learn about a world that you didn’t 

know much about.” 

Here, Lelio functions as designated tour guide for all strangers 

in a strange land, learning on the job, tentatively inching 

into the secretive ways of life and traditions and customs of 

North London Orthodox Jews. “I felt I had a strange familiarity 

to this world and story, even though I am not British or Jewish, 

but there was something about the dynamics of those characters, 

trying to be themselves, operating against an oppressive background 

with a very concrete, fixed set of ideas.” 

Weisz plays a photographer in New York who returns home 

for the funeral of her rabbi father. His congregation greets her 

with disdain as the black sheep who bolted from the Orthodox 

Jewish life to form her own identity on another continent, but 

the visit does rekindle romantic affairs with the rabbi who’s her 

father’s heir apparent (Alessandro Nivola) and, troublingly, his 

wife (Rachel McAdams). These overlapping triangles grind to a 

life-changing conclusion in an already complicated world. 

The two Rachels originally met in 2012 on a one-day shoot 

for a scene that was subsequently cut from Terrence Malick’s 

To the Wonder, but Lelio was present when they met again—for 

Disobedience. “I had strong, strong feelings this combination was 

going to be electric and strange and beautiful,” he recalls, “and, 

when I saw them walking in and sitting down in front of me, I 

was over the moon, because it was so clear to me that there was 

real chemistry between them. I could actually see it.” 

Nivola, as the odd man out in this triangle, also draws praise 

from Lelio. “He really, really gave everything he had—that was 

my impression,” the director relays. “He became an Orthodox 

Jew, and the process of his transformation was quite a thing to 


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C 

M 

Y 

CM 

MY 

CY 

CMY 

K 

FE17_172x145_bleeds.pdf 1 1/15/18 2:14 PM 

Rachel Weisz, Rachel 

McAdams and Alessandro 

Nivola in Disobedience. 

Courtesy Bleecker Street 

witness. He started to work on the role 

by getting close to Orthodox Jews in 

New York where he lives, and when he 

got to London—because he’s so good 

with accents—the Orthodox Jews we 

worked with thought he was one of 

them. He really went for it and managed 

to create this very layered performance 

that represents—simultaneously with 

great authority and grace—a type of 

masculinity that is rare.” 

Lelio, who co-authored the screenplay 

with Ida scripter Rebecca Lenkiewicz, 

has said that he writes characters as 

a device to get to the persons interpreting 

the roles. 

“I’m interested in people, and I love 

characters—up to a point, then the actors 

take charge, and it’s all about the artistic 

battle the actors give in front of the 

camera. I promise to protect them in the 

editing and urge them to take chances 

and risk.” 

To his credit, Lelio did not lay the 

film’s primary source of conflict at the 

doorstep of the community. Rather, he 

placed it squarely on the shoulders of 

the conflicted trio in the center ring. 

“The easy thing to do would have been 

to make the community really bad and 

super-strict—like a villain—but the real 

antagonism was inside these three people. 

Two of them belonged to the community, 

so the precise set of rules and understanding 

of the world was very important, but 

Rachel Weisz’s character had run away 

from those rules and managed to shape a 

new persona in a new world. 

“What connects them is the fact that 

the main obstacles are within the characters 

themselves. I think films are really 

beautiful when they capture the light and 

the shadow of a person. In this case, I 

really tried to embrace this complexity in 

the portraying of the characters as well 

as the community as honestly as I could.” 

For a Chilean who now film-makes in 

English, Lelio is based—bizarrely!—in 

Berlin, of all places. “Six years ago, they 

gave me a grant and invited me there for 

a year,” he explains. “I fell in love with 

the city, and I stayed and stayed and 

stayed until it became officially my home. 

The paradox is that I haven’t been to Berlin 

for longer than two-week spurts in 

two years because I’ve made three films 

back-to-back.” 

He can’t say what language he’ll be 

writing and directing in next, but, being 

a wide-eyed newcomer to the international 

spotlight, it’s safe to say he’ll see 

little of home. 


028-056.indd 44 

4/4/18 2:20 PM

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Fans fill an arena for a CS:GO 

(Counter-Strike: Global 

Offensive) tournament. 

An FJI exclusive report 

by Rob Rinderman 

GAME 

According to Wikipedia, at its most basic level eSports is defined as 

a form of videogame competition. Most commonly, eSports take the 

form of organized, multiplayer competitions, particularly between 

professional players. The most popular videogame genres associated with 

eSports are real-time strategy, fighting, first-person shooter (FPS) and multiplayer 

online battle arena (MOBA). 

There’s no denying it…no matter whether you choose to spell it with a 

lowercase or an uppercase “e,” eSports is hot and getting hotter. Estimated 

2017 worldwide revenues were $655 million, a five-fold increase compared 


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eSports is the new game 

in town, and worldwide 

revenues are soaring 

ON! 

to 2012 eSports levels (source: Statista). This 

same organization currently projects eSports to 

reach approximately $1.5 billion of annual revenue by 

2020, more than double the present run rate. 

To put some additional perspective around its growing global popularity, 

an estimated 360 million viewers watched the “League of Legends” Mid- 

Season Invitational. This compares to the 111 million that tuned in for Super 

Bowl LI in 2017 and 30 million viewers watching last season’s NBA Finals. 

Film Journal International recently spoke to a wide array of cinema- 


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elated participants and beneficiaries of the hockeystick-like 

eSports growth trajectory. We checked in with 

a Wall Street analyst and an industry consultant (a former 

eSports founder) who closely follow the sector. We also 

received in-the-trenches feedback from a young gamer 

who frequents MediaMation’s new L.A.-based eSports 

venue with his friends. 

In connecting eSports to traditional movie theatres, 

many of the individuals we spoke with are primarily 

focusing on attracting grassroots, amateur-level players 

via hosted local events and leagues. But many of these 

avid gamers are also more likely to be paying audience 

members when the pros play in major competitions for 

large prize money. These professional events, many of which 

are held in large arenas around the world, are increasingly 

being broadcast via live streams onto cinema screens. 

Cineplex (Wim Stocks, General Manager/CEO 

at WorldGaming & Collegiate Starleague, divisions 

of Cineplex) 

One of the most forward-thinking theatrical exhibitors is 

undoubtedly Cineplex, our neighbor to the north. They have been 

proactively pushing the envelope to become a diversified entertainment 

company, not content to merely rest on their laurels as 

Canada’s leading cinema chain. It should therefore come as no 

surprise that their organization was on the leading edge of bringing 

the eSports revolution to the cinema, and beyond. 

Back in 2015, Cineplex acquired a majority 80% interest in 

WorldGaming for $15 million and then invested a further $5 million 

to create an eSports league to operate out of its theatres. They 

have also been opening The Rec Room-branded locations across 

the country, which are ideal hubs where gamers congregate to meet 

and compete with family, friends and fans that turn out in droves 

to watch and cheer them on. 

In addition to eSports and traditional physical games like ping 

pong and pool, Rec Rooms feature a wide array of food and beverage 

service as well as live entertainment, including comedians and 

concerts. They even show movies on occasion, but that’s far from 

their main attraction. 

“WorldGaming provides us with the unique opportunity to engage 

a new customer base as well as expand the concept in markets 

outside of Canada,” points out Stocks. “We have created a community 

that connects live online gaming with unique in-theatre tournament 

experiences held in Cineplex theatres across the country. 

We see huge opportunities for growth both in Canada and in the 

United States for WorldGaming.” 

According to Stocks, Cineplex and WorldGaming are not 

focusing much on pro eSports leagues and competitions. Instead, 

they are taking a more developmental approach by targeting grassroots 

gamers. They host tips and tricks sessions and clinics, which 

help develop more skilled eSports players and raise overall interest. 

A recent example is WorldGaming’s “Call of Duty: WW II” 

tournament that began with over 500 teams of four players each. 

Online competition winnowed the competition down to eight 

quarterfinalists, who were invited to compete for total prize money 

of $60K in a live event held at Cineplex’s Scotiabank Theatre in 

Toronto. In addition to the cash, the winning foursome earned a 

slot to vie for the World Championship title later in 2018. 

Cineplex’s Collegiate Starleague (CSL) is addressing the 

university-age gamer market. CSL is the largest organized North 

American college gaming organization, with 1500+ schools presently 

participating. Based on this success to date, they are also expanding 

CSL across the pond into the U.K. 

Cinemeccanica (Andrea Riva, Account Manager 

of eSports) 

The Cinemeccanica organization, founded in Milan, Italy, dates 

all the way back to 1920. It was originally launched as a motion 

picture projector manufacturer. Although the company is still very 

involved in the projection and cinema equipment manufacturing 

business, including Lux-branded laser systems, we were interested 

in exploring their expanding role in the global eSports ecosystem. 

Cineplex WorldGaming 

Tournament 

Cinemeccanica 

ESPARENA 

competition 

According to Riva, the organization organizes gaming competitions 

inside theatres in Italy as well as in other parts of the world. 

Their ESPARENA platform facilitates the transformation of a 

standard movie theatre auditorium into an arena for gaming competitions. 

ESPARENA includes the requisite hardware and software necessary 

to play games in-theatre, providing promotion services and 

technical support. It also organizes the competitions and manages 

the contacts between the gamers and their respective communities. 

It is available worldwide with different and customizable technical 

and marketing solutions, so it can properly be adapted to each 

country where the platform resides. 

“We would like to increase the number of events and find 


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4/2/18 4:46 PM

ands willing to sponsor these initiatives that can be an excellent 

opportunity for visibility for companies interested in being 

involved,” states Riva. 

Cinemeccanica is also launching a home version of its gaming 

station, which was presented in cinemas last year. “Our goal is to 

link the videogame world more and more closely to the cinema, as 

it is an excellent opportunity to diversify the offer of cinema and 

attract new audiences. We are working on the implementation of 

tournaments that will directly involve the cinemas as a meeting 

point for gamers.” 

MediaMation Tournament 

MediaMation (Dan Jamele, Chief Innovation 

and Technology Officer) 

MediaMation is one of the leading suppliers of full 4D (motion 

and effects) theatres to the cinema market, with installs in almost 

300 theatres worldwide. ESports has seemingly been a perfect fit 

for its MX4D® Motion EFX Theaters, as well as the company’s 

exhibitor partners and their cinema-going customers. 

The company has developed a “tournament style” in-cinema 

experience utilizing its patent-pending Gaming Stations, adding 

and adapting technology to create an enticing experience for both 

players and spectators. 

“As we push into the growing eSports marketplace, we are 

looking to leverage our worldwide footprint and years of experience 

in the attraction and cinema markets to create a network of immersive 

live eSports event venues around the world,” says Jamele. “This 

concept really melds our passion in both markets to create something 

that taps into the expanding eSports market as well as bringing 

new customers to the cinemas, especially on the ‘off days’ of 

Monday to Thursday.” 

Each of MediaMation’s “hybrid” theatres convert from movie 

to eSports mode in about an hour, providing a full broadcast setup 

for streaming including cameras, lights, equipment and announcer 

desks, making them the most convenient eSport venue available, 

according to Jamele. 

MediaMation opened its pilot MX4D® eSports EFX Theatre 

at the world-famous TCL Chinese Theatre last November and this 

site has already hosted a steady flow of eSports tournaments since 

its debut. Importantly, the auditorium offers the dual use and revenue 

streams of movies and eSports. 

“We believe adding competitive gaming [eSports] tournaments 

in the MX4D room is a fantastic way to utilize the screen during 

slow and off-peak times,” Jamele asserts. “We created Hollywood 

Esports, which is a combination of MediaMation, the TCL Chinese 

Theatre and high-end entertainment management partners, 

in order to be able to offer not only the technology but the content 

and organization needed to run eSports within each theatre we 

install.” 

Running eSports activities within a cinema is clearly a different 

marketing model than simply selling movie tickets. “This is an 

active and engaged community that is growing, especially amongst 

Millennials,” Jamele observes. Serving those interests and retaining 

those customers is something that the exhibitor will have to work 

on and adapt to. 

MediaMation is working closely with game publishers and 

organizers to make its rollout as smooth as possible, but that cannot 

happen without support from the cinema chains as well. “The 

upside is, of course, increased revenue and profits,” according to 

Jamele, “but those that are more forward-looking will be the ones 

that benefit the most as this takes off. There is little doubt that 

eSports is huge and growing and requires compelling venues such 

as our MX4D® Esports EFX Theatres, as well as a steady flow of 

content, to draw in the players and competitors.” 

Super League Gaming (Ann Hand, Chairman & CEO) 

Super League Gaming works with theatrical exhibitors to 

transform their auditoriums, on given nights, into gaming arenas to 

create amateur eSports experiences. The company has established 

16 gaming clubs and local leagues across the U.S. 

Clubs are based in New York, Dallas, Denver, San Francisco 

and 12 other U.S. cities where players can compete in several 

games, including “Minecraft,” for younger audiences, and “League 

of Legends,” which attracts older players. There are also variations 

in skill level. Super League’s corporate partners include Riot 

Games and Microsoft. 

“Super League is a local community connector for amateur 

gamers—we are all about creating ways for players to unite around 

the games they love,” says Hand. “Think of us as a local match. 

com for gamers and an alternative content provider to exhibitors.” 

“We have been at this for a few years and have run thousands 

of experiences,” she says. “Our theatre partners love to see their 

auditoriums full of players engaging with their locations in new 

and different ways. They [theatres] are our most important channel, 

so we are committed to bringing new audiences and more gaming 

experiences to them.” 

Hoyts (Scott Russell, General Manager, 

Corporate Solutions, NSW & Regional) 

Hoyts is the leading cinema exhibitor in Australia and New 

Zealand. Founded in 1909, the company has a combined 430 

screens and 65,000 seats across its regional footprint. 

Earlier this year, Hoyts announced a major partnership with 

Gfinity Esports Australia (a provider of both online and offline 

tournaments since 2012), with long-term plans to create a chain of 

dedicated eSports arenas across Australia, all within current Hoyts 

cinema locations. “This was a natural progression from the success 

of previous eSports viewing party screenings at Hoyts where sessions 

were completely sold out,” explains Russell. 

The first dedicated arena is located at Hoyts Entertainment 

Quarter in Sydney’s Moore Park, but events taking place there will 

also be live-streamed to other Hoyts cinemas nationwide for fans 

in many other cities to enjoy. “Like any sport, fans do enjoy coming 

together in person to have the shared experience only live venues 

can deliver,” Russell says, “and Hoyts want to establish themselves 

as the cinema associated with eSports.” 

How’s it going so far? “Hoyts were thrilled with the success of 

holding viewing parties and this really opened the door for us to 


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get across eSports in more detail. The arena at Hoyts Entertainment 

Quarter boasts state-of-the-art gaming equipment alongside 

a full broadcast and production suite, all designed to attract the 

growing number of professional events that will be coming to Australia. 

This will also be the standout destination for eSports fans to 

enjoy top-class action all year round,” adds Russell. 

The eSports genre continues to grow within the Australian 

market and Hoyts wants its guests to experience these events the 

best way possible, on the big screen and in an electrifying atmosphere. 

“The dedicated eSports arena will be unlike anything else 

in Australia and it’s exciting for Hoyts to bring the cinema of the 

future to our guests,” says Russell. 

With more than a century of creating out-of-home entertainment 

experiences on their side, Russell and his colleagues believe 

eSports is a natural fit for the cinema environment, as it brings an 

entertainment experience that traditionally has been isolated to 

the home computer and Internet cafes to an environment that is in 

its essence truly social on a much larger scale. “We want to create 

an eSports community that provides the best experience for both 

viewers and gamers alike,” he concludes. 

A player competing in a CS:GO ) Counter-Strike: 

Global Offensive) major competition. 

DCDC (Randy Blotky, CEO) 

Digital Cinema Distribution Coalition (DCDC) was originally 

formed by AMC, Cinemark and Regal, the three largest domestic 

theatrical exhibitors, in partnership with two of Hollywood’s top 

movie studios, Universal Pictures and Warner Bros. 

The mission is to provide the industry with theatrical digital 

delivery services across North America through a specially created 

network comprised of next-generation satellite and terrestrial 

distribution technologies. This network is capable of supporting 

feature, promotional, pre-show and live content distribution into 

theatres. 

DCDC was designed to ensure audiences have the highestquality 

entertainment experience, while exhibitors and content 

providers achieve a strategic, secure and cost-effective distribution 

model. As digital distribution has overwhelmingly replaced traditional 

physical media for content distribution in recent years, users 

of DCDC’s network are enjoying access to a whole host of delivery 

options and resources. 

Blotky considers himself to be a major proponent of eSports 

as an important mainstay of the cinemas of the future. Over the 

past three years, DCDC has transmitted, live to U.S.-based theatres, 

gaming championships involving “League of Legends” and 

“SMITE.” 

“On the DCDC end of things, I am very pleased with what we 

have accomplished so far,” Blotky states. “However, improvements 

are necessary in marketing eSports spectator events, and in understanding 

with greater specificity where the audiences reside that 

will readily attend such events.” 

He is hoping to see more active involvement from the cinema 

chains themselves in promoting, producing and developing eSports 

competitions that can be a regular feature of their ongoing programming 

mix. 

“As the DCDC Network evolves into the hybrid delivery 

mechanism of the future, there will be technologies that will allow 

much faster multi-way communications and exchanges of data 

among all users of the network. This will allow for the close-toreal-time 

Twitch times [referring to the popular live-streaming 

site] that will be required for game competitions between and 

among geographically dispersed venues. 

“To the extent that we can be helpful to the exhibitors and the 

content providers—both game companies and studios—wanting 

to be part of this growing phenomenon, we are happy to do so. It 

is a logical step for DCDC to take in its continuing role as a true 

industry initiative,” Blotky concludes. 

Cloud9 eSports/Eldridge Industries (Dan Fiden, 

President of Cloud9, and Mark Genender, Managing 

Director of Eldridge) 

According to Dan Fiden, Cloud9 owns and operates the largest 

multi-team eSports ownership structure in the Western world (and 

perhaps globally). Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Santa 

Monica, CA, Cloud9 boasts unmatched viewership hours and 

provides extensive benefits packages for its players and staff. 

The company lists a wide range of corporate partners on its 

website, including Twitch, the world’s leading social video platform 

and community for gamers, videogame culture and the creative 

arts. On a typical day, close to 10 million visitors gather to watch 

and talk about videogames with more than two million streamers. 

Other industry alliances listed include HTC, iBUYPOWER, 

HyperX, Crunchyroll, MSI, NEEDForSEAT USA and LoLwiz. 

Cloud9 currently fields and owns a dozen professional teams 

that participate in nine leading eSports games including “League 

of Legends,” “Counter-Strike: Global Offensive” and “Overwatch.” 

According to the October 2017 Nielsen Report, Cloud9 is the 

most followed eSports organization across top Western markets. 

One of its players, Shroud, boasts 3.8 million combined socialmedia 

followers. 

“Our franchised teams participate in viewing parties at movie 

theatres as well as in-person competitions. We believe multiplexes 

have all the ingredients in place for hosting and promoting eSports. 

Cloud9 is emphasizing youth and grassroots investments, including 

eSports amateur leagues, and is also focusing on the developmental 

side of games as well. 

(Disclosure: Eldridge Industries is the parent company of Film Expo 

Group, publisher of Film Journal International and also an investor in 

Cloud9.) 

Morris Strategic (Brett Morris, President) 

In addition to managing his own eSports and consumer-related 

consulting practice that focuses on go-to market strategies for 

companies, Morris also previously served as president and COO 

of Super League Gaming and founded the country’s inaugural, 

city-based eSports league. 

Morris has a very firm opinion on the interrelationship between 

theatrical exhibition and eSports, and the urgency to solidify this 

bond ASAP. “I hope it’s not a missed opportunity for cinema,” he 

says. “Some of them need to be more serious about hosting eSports, 


028-056.indd 52 

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ecause the growth of new arenas geared especially for eSports is 

super-hot now. The strategy is to create spaces where people, primarily 

between ages 16 and 34, can play, socialize and learn together. 

I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the eSports-specific stadiums 

decide to compete with theatres and start showing movies too.” 

The Benchmark Company (Mike Hickey, 

Senior Research Analyst) 

Benchmark is a New York City-based, full-service investmentbanking 

firm with a 30+ year legacy. Hickey has been with the firm 

more than four and a half years, covering cinema, eSports, entertainment 

software and several other sectors. 

Says Hickey, “Theatre companies are in an opportunistic position 

as it relates to the astonishing growth from Esports, as they 

can leverage core competencies over an event platform for competitions, 

effectively offsetting presumed secular attendance pressure 

over the exhibitor medium and creating an ancillary long-term 

growth opportunity.” 

We conclude our update on the growing symbiosis between 

theatrical exhibition and eSports with thoughts from an avid gamer: 

Carsen Warner, a 16-year-old male from Los Angeles. 

What appeals to you about playing and watching others play videogames 

in a movie theatre environment? 

I like watching people play videogames for the same reason 

other people like to watch football, which is for the competitiveness. 

It’s epic to play in the theatre, but really it’s a stadium the way 

the TCL Chinese Theatre has it set up. The MX4D audience seats 

add to the experience. They move with the battles. I feel like I’m a 

part of it. 

Do you have a favorite game? 

“Arma 3,” “Kerbal Space Program,” “Minecraft,” “Overwatch,” 

and “Legend of Zelda.” I have so many favorites and different 

consoles, it’s hard to pick just a few. 

Any suggestions to make the in-theatre experience even better? 

It would be awesome with VR for the audience. 

Do you attend movies too, or just eSports? 

I love movies too, just lately I’ve been going to eSports events. 

They are completely different things, even though it’s in a theatre. 

Other thoughts related to the above? 

eSports is going to be bigger than soccer internationally. 

#PCMasterRace 

FYI: The #PCMasterRace hashtag indicates that one prefers 

PC over console. The serious gamers use PC, according to Warner, 

and the TCL Theatre is outfitted with PCs that are stored 

in the floor, but they can also hold mobile videogame tournaments 

there too. 

Waiting for the Movie? 

Shall We Play a Game? 


NCM’s Noovie pre-show 

T 

here are many reasons to get to the theatre 

early, but with the relatively new amenity 

of advance reserved seating, some cinemagoers 

are opting to arrive closer to the scheduled 

showtime of the main feature film, skipping the 

pre-show advertising reel as well as studio trailers 

for upcoming titles. 

Companies like National CineMedia and 

TimePlay are focusing on designing multiple ways 

to get you into your seat as early as possible, and 

one of these incentives for doing so is being able 

to participate in their pre-show gaming events. 

National CineMedia 

National CineMedia (NCM) is “America’s Movie Network.” 

As the number-one Millennial weekend network in the U.S., 

NCM connects brands with movie audiences. Over 750 million 

moviegoers attend theatres currently under contract to present 

NCM’s “Noovie” pre-show, which plays on the cinema screens of 

49 leading national and regional theatre circuits including the three 

largest domestic-based 

ones: AMC, Cinemark 

and Regal. 

NCM’s cinemaadvertising 

network 

offers broad reach and 

audience engagement 

with a footprint of over 

20,600 screens (more 

than half of all U.S.- 

based auditoriums) in 

1,700 theatres across 

187 Designated Market 

Areas (DMAs). NCM Digital goes beyond the big screen, 

extending in-theatre campaigns into online and mobile marketing 

programs to reach entertainment audiences. 

Company president Cliff Marks states, “When we set out to 

reimagine the pre-show with the launch of Noovie this past fall, we 

designed it to stretch beyond the theatre to be an integrated Noovie 

digital ecosystem delivering entertaining content, purposeful 


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CinemaCon_FilmJournalAd-AR-031918-r2.indd 2 

3/19/18 9:48 AM

commerce, and interactive gaming 

opportunities for movie audiences. 

“Last year’s acquisition 

of Fantasy Movie League, the boxoffice 

predictions game co-created 

by ESPN’s senior fantasy analyst 

Matthew Berry that combines the 

fierce competition of fantasy sports 

with the insanely popular world of 

entertainment and movies, was the 

first step in our gaming strategy.” 

Subsequent to that purchase, 

NCM introduced its “Name That 

Movie” trivia game onscreen and on its Noovie social 

channels. During CinemaCon week, the company is also 

officially launching its first Noovie companion app, Noovie 

ARcade. 

“Noovie leads people to what’s next in entertainment, 

and for today’s Millennial and Gen-Z moviegoers, that is 

Augmented Reality,” says Marks. “People love gaming, and 

our ability to integrate mobile gaming with movie-centric 

content is sure to be a hit with audiences.” 

Noovie ARcade is the first to allow audiences to play 

interactive augmented-reality games on the big screen 

and beyond using their cellphone as the game controller, 

with games like “Cinevaders,” “Emoji Escape” and “Munchie 

Mania.” 

NCM also plans to build out a variety of driving, throwing, 

tossing and shooting games, which can be easily skinned to 

incorporate brand or studio partner IP into the action. These 

games are just the first step in the future of cinema advertising, 

according to the company. 

As more and more people download the Noovie ARcade app, 

driving meaningful audience engagement, NCM thinks AR 

can play an important role in creating audience satisfaction as 

well as giving moviegoers a key reason to arrive earlier at the 

theatre—which is obviously good for advertisers and exhibitors 

alike. 

From a cinema-advertising perspective, Noovie digital 

products are designed to be complementary to NCM’s core 

onscreen and lobby elements in order to create new integrated 

marketing capabilities, digital inventory and first-party data 

that the organization believes will be key to future ad revenue 

growth for its exhibitor partners. 

“Entertaining content is also a core element of Noovie,” 

Marks says, “and we’d like to present more great content like 

our ‘Noovie Backlot’ segments, which have featured exclusive 

behind-the-scenes looks at upcoming films including Avengers: 

Infinity War, Solo: A Star Wars Story and The Incredibles 2, to 

also encourage audiences to get to the theatre early and see 

things they can’t find anywhere else.” 

Looking ahead, NCM plans to continue remaining on the 

cutting edge of the pre-show experience. Gaming is apparently 

just the beginning of that inititative. Says Marks, “We’re using 

the pre-show as the trailer for the digital experience, driving 

audiences from our Noovie pre-show to our Noovie digital 

properties and back again to engage audiences at every step in 

their movie journey.” 

The company’s vision is to clearly be the connector between 

brands and movie audiences—creating great experiences for 

theatre patrons and fans, and therefore great opportunities for 

advertisers looking to reach them. 

TimePlay’s free-to-install app 

TimePlay 

TimePlay is deployed 

nationally across Canada at 

Cineplex theatres and in the 

U.S. at Emagine Entertainment 

and Frank Theatres locations. 

TimePlay runs in the preshow 

before the movie starts. 

According to Cineplex’s 

Sarah Van Lange, the 

company’s communications 

and public relations strategist, 

“TimePlay enables our guests to use their phones to interact with 

content on the big screen before a movie begins. They can play games 

and participate in other onscreen challenges for the opportunity to 

win prizes, including concession items and SCENE points. 

“From a Cineplex Media perspective, TimePlay is a proven asset 

to marketers and advertisers that provides them the opportunity to 

sponsor a game or develop a custom interactive experience to reach 

and engage with their target audience. It’s available on 729 screens in 

56 Cineplex theatres in markets across Canada. 

“From a guest experience perspective, at Cineplex we are always 

on the lookout for new and innovative ways to entertain our guests 

and that includes options for our guests before their movie begins. 

TimePlay allows guests to interact with one another, our brand 

and other brands, which ultimately delivers a more immersive and 

engaging experience at our theatres.” 

The free-to-install TimePlay app connects user mobile devices 

to a server that broadcasts player inputs on a second screen in real 

time and provides immediate individual feedback. The server records 

player performance and sends prizes directly to the mobile device’s 

Mystuff folder within the app. 

The introduction of interactive cinema pulls patrons in to 

participate and drives earlier and more frequent visits. As Van 

Lange acknowledges, TimePlay’s platform provides real two-way 

engagement with the entire audience. 

In addition, users can receive information, rewards or offers sent 

directly to their devices based on demographics, movie title or how 

they interacted with the content. TimePlay also provides exhibitors 

with valuable analytics and data about consumer behavior while they 

are inside the auditorium. 

“We have also worked with a multitude of brands to create 

interactive ads, which deliver significantly higher engagement than 

linear ads,” says Aaron Silverberg, TimePlay’s VP of marketing. 

The company recently launched event-based gaming through 

a tournament program at Emagine and Cineplex, consisting of 

a four-minute casual gaming experience where participants can 

compete to go to a final event and ultimately win cash prizes. “This 

capitalizes on the growth trend of gaming and eSports, but with 

TimePlay everyone in the theatre can participate and compete,” 

Silverberg observes. 

“The feedback we’ve received from our tournament program is 

that there is a big opportunity for event-based gaming at the cinema, 

and we will broaden our offering in that area,” he promises. 

“We have built a cult following in the markets where we are 

running. We are delivering significant value to consumers, brands 

and exhibitors,” Silverberg notes. “The world has gone interactive 

and we believe we’ve only just begun to scratch the surface of the 

overall cinema opportunity.” 

The company plans to continue increasing its pre-show footprint, 

collaborating with studios and brands to deliver lots of additional 

memorable and immersive content for moviegoers. 


028-056.indd 56 

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Beat the Heat: 

Summer 2018 

gives moviegoers 

a wealth 

of options 

The heat of summer 

bears down on us—and 

with it comes a crop of 

Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Rihanna, Mindy 

Kaling, Awkwafina, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne 

Hathaway and Sarah Paulson in Ocean’s 8. 

new movies that hope to 

inspire and entertain. 

From superhero movies 

to Star Wars to indie 

foreign gems, the 

next few months have 

something for everyone. 

by Rebecca Pahle 

May Highlights 

Chris Pratt in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. 

Josh Brolin, Jeffrey Donovan and Benicio Del Toro 

60 in Sicario: WWW.FILMJOURNAL.COM Day of the Soldado. 

/ MAY 2018 

Bob Fisher and Rob Greenberg direct a 

gender-swapped remake 1987’s Overboard, 

originally starring Goldie Hawn and Kurt 

Russell. This time around, a working-class 

woman (Anna Faris) tricks a rich man 

stricken by amnesia into thinking he’s her 

husband. (Lionsgate-Pantelion; May 4) 

Directors Julie Cohen and Betsy West 

examine the life and legacy of Supreme 

Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg in RBG. 

(Magnolia Pictures; May 4) 

Saoirse Ronan, Elisabeth Moss, Annette 

Bening and Corey Stoll star in director Michael 

Mayer’s The Seagull, based on Anton 

Chekhov’s famed play of romantic entanglement. 

(Sony Pictures Classics; May 4) 

Charlize Theron reunites with her Young 

Adult director Jason Reitman for Tully, 

about an overworked mom (Theron) who 

forms a relationship with her night nanny 

(Mackenzie Davis). (Focus Features; May 4) 

“Jackass” alum Johnny Knoxville cowrote 

and stars in Action Point, playing one 

of a group of friends who design a wild, 

unsafe and completely unpredictable amusement 

park. (Paramount; May 11) 

Gabrielle Union finds herself in a 

reverse-Panic Room situation in Breaking In, 

playing a mother who must break into the 

Photos courtesy studios. Release dates subject to change. 

060-074.indd 60 

4/4/18 3:35 PM

From left: 

Ryan Reynolds 

returns for 

Deadpool 2; 

Craig T. Nelson 

voices Bob Parr 

in Incredibles 2; 

and Lily James 

swings Mamma Mia: 

Here We Go Again. 

Below: Evangeline 

Lilly and Paul Rudd in 

Ant-Man and the Wasp; 

Alden Ehrenreich stars 

in Solo: A Star Wars Story; 

Vanessa Kirby and Tom Cruise 

in Mission: Impossible—Fallout. 

PREVIEW 

060-074.indd 61 

4/4/18 3:35 PM

OVERBOARD 

Pictured: Anna Faris, Eugenio Derbez 

Directors: Bob Fisher, Rob Greenberg 

FOCUS FEATURES 

LIFE OF THE PARTY 

Pictured: Melissa McCarthy 

Director: Ben Falcone 

WARNER BROS. 

highly defended home where her children are 

being held captive. (Universal; May 11) 

Melissa McCarthy and director/husband 

Ben Falcone unite for the third time with 

Life of the Party, about a housewife who goes 

back to college, ending up with her daughter 

as a classmate. (Warner Bros.; May 11) 

Jane Fonda, Mary Steenburgen, Candice 

Bergen and Diane Keaton play lifelong 

friends whose attitudes towards sex are 

changed after reading Fifty Shades of Grey 

in Book Club. (Paramount; May 18) 

The merc with a mouth (Ryan Reynolds) 

is back in Deadpool 2, director David Leitch’s 

sequel to 2016’s record-breaking R-rated superhero 

flick. (20th Century Fox; May 18) 

The child-killing creature known as 

Slender Man—a late 20th-century urban 

legend whose origin story was sketched out 

in Internet message boards and comment 

threads—takes center stage in a horror story 

of his very own, courtesy of director Sylvain 

White. (Screen Gems; May 18) 

Scruffy-looking nerf herder Han Solo 

gets an origin story in Ron Howard’s Solo: 

A Star Wars Story, which introduces moviegoers 

to Han (Hail Caesar’s Alden Ehrenreich) 

and Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover) 

years before joining the Rebellion. Woody 

Harrelson and “Game of Thrones”’ Emilia 

Clarke co-star. (Disney; May 25) 

Also in May 

A teenage girl (Qi Wen) who’s the only 

witness to a sexual assault opts not to go to 

the police in Vivian Qu’s Angels Wear White. 

(KimStim; May 4) 

John Carroll Lynch and Matt Bomer 

star in Anything, based on director Timothy 

McNeil’s play about a widower (Lynch) who 

strikes up an intense friendship with a trans sex 

worker (Bomer). (Great Point Media; May 4) 

A pair of burglars break into a house, only 

to discover that a woman is being held captive 

there in Bad Samaritan. (Electric Entertainment; 

May 4) 

A live-in maid (Paulina García) who gets 

let go by the family that has employed her 

for years has her perspective on life changed 

when she’s stranded in a small desert town in 

The Desert Bride. (Strand Releasing; May 4) 

A mother (Nathalie Baye) and daughter 

(Laura Smet) must maintain their farm 

while the men of their family are off at war 

in Xavier Beauvois’ World War I drama 

The Guardians. (Music Box Films; May 4) 

Mackenzie Davis stars in Christian 

Papierniak’s Izzy Gets the F*ck Across Town 

as a hot mess of a woman who has a matter 

BOOK CLUB 

Pictured: Candice Bergen, Diane Keaton 

Director: Bill Holderman 

PARAMOUNT 


060-074.indd 62 

4/4/18 3:35 PM

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ON CHESIL BEACH 

Pictured: Saoirse Ronan 

Director:Dominic Cooke 

BLEECKER STREET 

SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY 

Pictured: Alden Ehrenreich 

Director: Ron Howard 

DISNEY 

of hours to book it across Los Angeles to 

break up her ex-boyfriend’s engagement party. 

(Shout! Factory; May 4) 

Jim Loach directs Measure of a Man, 

about a bullied teen (Blake Cooper) who 

learns to stands up for himself. Donald 

Sutherland, Judy Greer and Luke Wilson costar. 

(Great Point Media; May 4) 

A man tries to break the record for oldest 

person in the world in 102 Not Out. (Columbia 

Pictures; May 4) 

The struggles of those who walk the Camino 

de Santiago—a network of paths that serves 

as one of Europe’s most popular pilgrimages— 

are examined in Tristan Cook’s Strangers on the 

Earth. (First Run Features; May 4) 

A young woman (Jessie Buckley) living in 

an isolated community falls for a charismatic 

stranger who may or may not be responsible 

for a handful of local murders in Michael 

Pearce’s Beast. (Roadside Attractions; May 11) 

Sara Driver directs Boom for Real: The 

Late Teenage Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat, 

a documentary about the early years of the 

famed New York artist. (Magnolia Pictures; 


Eric Stoltz directs high-school comedy 

Class Rank, about an overachiever (Olivia 

Holt) and a nerd (Skyler Gisondo) who join 

forces to take over the local school board. 

Bruce Dern and Kristin Chenoweth co-star. 

(Cinedigm; May 11) 

The wife of a cheating, self-absorbed book 

publisher accuses the wrong person of being 

her husband’s mistress in Korean auteur 

Hong Sang-soo’s The Day After. (Cinema 

Guild; May 11) 

Tony Zierra directs the documentary 

Filmworker, about an actor (Leon Vitali of 

Barry Lyndon) who abandoned his acting 

career in order to work as Stanley Kubrick’s 

longtime assistant. (Kino Lorber; May 11) 

A man becomes the subject of a dangerous 

scientific experiment in order to save 

his family in the sci-fi thriller Higher Power 

(Magnet Releasing; May 11) 

The humdrum existence of a small seaside 

town is thrown into chaos by the arrival of 

ADRIFT 

Pictured: Sam Claflin, Shailene Woodley 

Director: Baltasar Kormákur 

STX ENTERTAINMENT 


060-074.indd 64 

4/4/18 3:35 PM

a music-loving mermaid in Masaaki Yuasa’s 

animated kids’ movie Lu Over the Wall. 

(Gkids; May 11) 

A wealthy man takes his mistress (Matilda 

Lutz) and two friends to a remote getaway 

with bloody results in writer-director Coralie 

Fargeat’s Revenge. (Neon; May 11) 

Sundance Selects releases a restored version 

of the long-thought-lost That Summer, 

commissioned by artist Peter Beard and 

Lee Radziwill, sister of Jackie Onassis, as a 

portrait of Big and Little Edie Beale of Grey 

Gardens. (Sundance Selects; May 11) 

A pastor (Ethan Hawke) has a crisis of 

faith that culminates in an act of violence in 

Paul Schrader’s First Reformed. (A24; May 18) 

Willem Dafoe narrates Jennifer Peedom’s 

Mountain, a documentary about the experiences 

of those who risk their lives to climb 

the world’s highest peaks. (May 18) 

Saoirse Ronan and Billy Howle play a 

young couple whose relationship is challenged 

by their different socioeconomic backgrounds 

and attitudes towards sex in Dominic Cooke’s 

On Chesil Beach. (Bleecker Street; May 18) 

Wim Wenders gained nearly unprecedented 

access to the Pope for his documentary 

Pope Francis—A Man of His Word, in 

which Roman Catholicism’s highest authority 

film_journal_2018-cinemacon_Layout 1 23/03/2018 14:44 Page 1 

addresses such issues as poverty, the refugee 

crisis, atheism and homosexuality. (Focus Features; 


The early days of film get new life in Saving 

Brinton, about the discovery of a cache of 

century-old movie reels in the heartland of 

Iowa. (Barn Owl Pictures; May 18) 

Alan Cumming, Stanley Tucci, Gabriel 

Iglesias, Shaquille O’Neal and Ludacris get 

in touch with their canine sides by lending 

their voices to Show Dogs, in which a police 

dog and his human companion (Will Arnett) 

must infiltrate a prestigious dog show in order 

to stop an animal smuggling ring. (Open 

Road Films; May 18) 

A young man (McCaul Lombardi) tries 

to reintegrate back into society after completing 

his prison sentence in writer-director 

Matthew Porterfield’s Sollers Point. (Oscilloscope; 


Former Vogue editor-at-large and fashion 

maven André Leon Talley gets his movie 

close-up in Kate Novack’s The Gospel According 

to André. (Magnolia Pictures; May 25) 

Six-year-old Frida (Laia Artigas) is sent to 

the country to live with relatives following the 

death of her mother in Spanish director Carla 

Simón’s Summer 1993. (Oscilloscope; May 25) 

Documentarian Matthew Miele provides 

a history lesson on a New York institution 

in Always at the Carlyle, about the famed 

Carlyle Hotel. A cavalcade of celebrities, 

among them Jon Hamm, Vera Wang, George 

Clooney, Elaine Stritch and Naomi Campbell, 

share their remembrances. (Good Deed 

Entertainment; May) 

June Highlights 

The death of their matriarch results in 

uncovered secrets for the Graham family in 

A24 horror outing Hereditary. Toni Collette, 

Gabriel Byrne, Alex Wolff, Milly Shapiro and 

Ann Dowd star. (A24; June 8) 

A group of women concoct an elaborate 

Met Gala heist in Ocean’s Eleven spin-off 

Ocean’s 8. Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, 

Sandra Bullock, Mindy Kaling, Helena Bonham 

Carter, Sarah Paulson, Awkwafina and 

Rihanna co-star. (Warner Bros.; June 8) 

Documentarian Morgan Neville (Twenty 

Feet from Stardom) directs Won’t You Be My 

Neighbor?, an examination of the life and 

legacy of children’s-TV icon Mister Rogers. 

(Focus Features; June 8) 

Mr. Incredible, Elastigirl and their superhero 

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4/4/18 3:35 PM

INCREDIBLES 2 

Pictured: Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter 

Director: Brad Bird 

DISNEY/PIXAR 

SICARIO: DAY OF THE SOLDADO 

Pictured: Isabela Moner, 

Benicio Del Toro 

Director: Stefano Sollima 

COLUMBIA PICTURES 

Brad Bird returns, as do voice actors Craig T. 

Nelson, Holly Hunter and Samuel L. Jackson. 

(Disney/Pixar; June 15) 

Jason Mitchell stars in music-video helmer 

Director X’s remake of the 1972 blaxploitation 

classic SuperFly, about a drug dealer who 

needs to make one last deal so he can quit the 

business. (Columbia Pictures; June 15) 

Jon Hamm, Leslie Bibb, Jeremy Renner, 

Rashida Jones, Isla Fisher, Jake Johnson and 

more star in first-time feature director Jeff 

Tomsic’s ensemble comedy Tag, based on 

a Wall Street Journal story about a group of 

friends who have played an elaborate game 

of tag over the course of decades. (Warner 

Bros.; June 15) 

Former dino theme-park workers Owen 

(Chris Pratt) and Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) 

must save their killer former charges 

when a long-dormant volcano unexpectedly 

becomes active in J.A. Bayona’s Jurassic World: 

Fallen Kingdom. (Universal; June 22) 

Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro return 

for Sicario: Day of the Soldado, which sees 

the conflict between U.S. forces and Mexican 

drug cartels escalate. Catherine Keener costars. 

(Columbia Pictures; June 29) 

Boots Riley made a splash at Sundance 

and SXSW with his directing debut Sorry to 

Bother You, an offbeat satire starring Lakeith 

Stanfield, Tessa Thompson and Armie Hammer. 

(Annapurna Pictures; June 29) 

Vera Farmiga and Christopher Plummer 

star in Country Strong director Shana Feste’s 

Boundaries, in which a mother goes on a 

road-trip with her son and her estranged, potdealing 

father. (Sony Pictures Classics; June) 

Writer-director David Robert Mitchell 

follows up his indie horror hit It Follows 

with Under the Silver Lake, starring Andrew 

Garfield as a man trying to uncover a 1%-er 

conspiracy. (A24; June) 

Also in June 

Shailene Woodley and Sam Claflin play 

a couple stranded in the sea by a deadly hurricane 

in Baltasar Kormákur’s (Everest) factbased 

Adrift. (STX Entertainment; June 1) 

Four university students—played by Barry 

Keoghan, Evan Peters, Jared Abrahamson and 

Blake Jenner—use their limited knowledge 

of heist movies to try to plan a heist of their 

very own in the documentary-narrative hybrid 

American Animals. (The Orchard; June 1) 

Jim Parsons and Claire Danes play a 

Brooklyn couple tempted to leverage their 

four-year-old child’s possible transgender 

identity to secure entry to an exclusive private 

school in A Kid Like Jake. (IFC Films; June 1) 

A technophobe (Logan Marshall-Green) 

gets an experimental tech implant in horror 

writer/producer Leigh Whannell’s sci-fi 

thriller Upgrade. (BH Tilt; June 1) 

Director Jim McKay provides a 

glimpse into the lives of undocumented 

Mexican immigrants in Brooklyn’s Sunset 

Park neighborhood in En el Séptimo Día. 

(Cinema Guild; June 8) 

Nick Offerman and Kiersey Clemons 

play a father-daughter songwriting duo in 

Hearts Beat Loud, from I’ll See You in My 

Dreams and The Hero director Brett Haley. 

(GunPowder & Sky; June 8) 

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anda Otto star in the post-apocalyptic thriller 

The Silence, in which a family must survive 

the world’s invasion of a species of monsters 

characterized by their extraordinarily strong 

hearing. (Open Road Films; June 8) 

A dispute between two neighboring families 

over an inconveniently placed tree turns 

LEAVE NO TRACE 

Pictured: Thomasin McKenzie, Ben Foster 

Director: Debra Granik 

BLEECKER STREET 

violent in Icelandic director Hafsteinn Gunnar 

Sigurðsson’s Under the Tree. (Magnolia 

Pictures; June 8) 

Natalie Portman narrates Eating Animals, 

director/producer Christopher Quinn’s documentary 

about the cruelties of factory farming. 

(IFC Films; June 15) 

Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem star in 

Fernando León de Aranoa’s Loving Pablo, 

based on the real-life story of a journalist 

who falls in love with notorious drug kingpin 

Pablo Escobar. ( June 15) 

Tye Sheridan, Jack Huston, Alden Ehrenreich, 

Jennifer Aniston and Toni Collette star 

in Alexandre Moors’ war drama The Yellow 

Birds, about the experiences of two young 

soldiers (Ehrenreich and Sheridan) and their 

troubled mentor (Huston) during the Iraq 

War. (Saban Films; June 15) 

A recently released convict embarks on a 

quest for revenge against the onetime friends 

he believes let him take the fall for the crime 

they committed as a group in director John 

Pogue’s Blood Brother. (Lionsgate; June 22) 

A father (Ben Foster) and his teenage 

daughter (Thomasin McKenzie) live off the 

land in an expansive Portland park in Leave 

No Trace, director Debra Granik’s follow-up 

to 2010’s critically acclaimed Winter’s Bone. 

(Bleecker Street; June 29) 

A once-great basketball player (Kylie 

Irving) gets the old gang—“old” like wheelchairs, 

blindness and grey-hair old—back 

together to play in a street basketball tournament 

in sports comedy Uncle Drew. Get 

Out’s LilRel Howery co-stars. (Lionsgate- 

Summit; June 29) 


060-074.indd 68 

4/4/18 3:35 PM

ANT-MAN AND THE WASP 

Pictured: Paul Rudd 

Director: Peyton Reed 

DISNEY/MARVEL 

A divorcing couple fights for custody 

of their two children in the French drama 

Custody, co-starring Léa Drucker and Denis 

Ménochet. (Kino Lorber; June) 

Writer-director Antonio Méndez Esparza 

used nonprofessional actors for Life & Nothing 

More, about a poor African-American 

family struggling to get by in Florida. ( June) 

Actress Lea Thompson directs daughters 

Madelyn and Zoey Deutch in The Year of 

Spectacular Men, about the romantic exploits 

of a post-college young woman. (MarVista 

Entertainment; June) 

July Highlights 

The Purge franchise—in which there’s one 

night a year in which no laws apply—goes for 

a prequel in The First Purge, which chronicles…well, 

you get it. Burning Sands helmer 

Gerard McMurray directs, with Marisa Tomei 

and Melonie Diaz starring. (Universal; 

July 4) 

Petty criminal-turned-superhero Ant- 

Man (Paul Rudd) teams up with the Wasp— 

Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly), who got 

a superhero upgrade since the first movie—in 

Peyton Reed’s Ant-Man and the Wasp, the 

summer movie season’s second Marvel Cinematic 

Universe entry (after April’s Infinity 

War). (Disney; July 6) 

Joaquin Phoenix stars in Gus Van Sant’s 

He Won’t Get Far on Foot as John Callahan, 

a real-life cartoonist who struggles with 

alcoholism in the aftermath of a car accident 

that leaves him paralyzed. (Amazon Studios; 

July 13) 

Dracula (Adam Sandler) and his family 

go on one monster (ha ha) of a cruise, only 

to discover the cruise ship captain is the de- 

HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 3: SUMMER VACATION 

Pictured: Mel Brooks, Fran Drescher, Adam Sandler, 

David Spade, Kevin James, Keegan-Michael Key, Selena Gomez 

Director: Genndy Tartakovsky 

COLUMBIA PICTURES 


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MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE—FALLOUT 

Pictured: Tom Cruise 

Director: Christopher McQuarrie 

PARAMOUNT 

MAMMA MIA! HERE WE GO AGAIN 

Pictured: Amanda Seyfried, Meryl Streep 

Director: Ol Parker 

UNIVERSAL 

CHRISTOPHER ROBIN 

Pictured: Ewan McGregor 

DISNEY 

scendent of the legendary vampire hunter Van 

Helsing, in Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer 

Vacation. (Columbia Pictures; July 13) 

Conjuring spinoff The Nun stars Demián 

Bichir as a priest sent by the Vatican to investigate 

the mysterious suicide of a nun. Taissa 

Farmiga co-stars. (Warner Bros.; July 13) 

Dwayne Johnson re-teams with his Central 

Intelligence director Rawson Marshall 

Thurber (Dodgeball, We’re the Millers) for the 

action thriller Skyscraper. Johnson plays a 

former FBI agent/current skyscraper security 

expert who must rescue his family from a 

painful death when the tallest building in the 

world is set on fire. (Universal; July 13) 

Director Antoine Fuqua and star Denzel 

Washington re-team for The Equalizer 2, 

with Washington gearing back up to play 

CIA agent-turned-vigilante for hire Robert 

McCall. Pedro Pascal, Bill Pullman and Melissa 

Leo co-star. (Columbia Pictures; July 20) 

Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), now pregnant, 

learns more about the life and loves of her late 

mother—Meryl Streep, played by Lily James 

in flashbacks—in Ol Parker’s Mamma Mia! 

Here We Go Again. Oh, and there are ABBA 

songs. Christine Baranski, Colin Firth, Pierce 

Brosnan, Julie Walters, Stellan Skarsgård and 

Dominic Cooper reprise their roles, joined by 

series newcomers Andy Garcia, Jeremy Irvine 

and Cher. Take a chance on it. (Universal; 

July 20) 

Mark Wahlberg reunites with frequent 

collaborator Peter Berg (Lone Survivor, Patriots 

Day, Deepwater Horizon) for Mile 22, 

about an American intelligence officer who 

must smuggle a police officer who possesses 

top-secret intel out of the country. (STX Entertainment; 

July 20) 

Tom Cruise does a few more deathdefying 

stunts as IMF operative Ethan Hunt 

in Mission: Impossible—Fallout. Mission: 

Impossible—Rogue Nation director Christopher 

McQuarrie returns for the sixth movie 

in the M:I franchise, which sees Hunt and 

his team deal with the aftermath of a mission 

gone wrong. Rebecca Ferguson, Simon Pegg, 

Henry Cavill, Angela Bassett and Michelle 

Monaghan co-star. (Paramount; July 27) 

A popular animated children’s show gets a 

movie adaptation with Teen Titans Go! To the 

Movies. It’s your average group of superheroes—except 

they’re all teens. Nicolas Cage, 

Kristen Bell, James Corden and more lend 

their voices. (Warner Bros.; July 27) 

Also in July 

Kevin Macdonald directs the documentary 

Whitney, about the life of the late musical 

icon Whitney Houston. (Miramax; July 6) 

Comedian Bo Burnham directs Eighth 


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Grade, about a teenage girl (Elsie Fisher) 

trying to make it through her last week of 

middle school (A24; July 13) 

Ian Bonhôte directs McQueen, which 

pulls from interviews with friends and family, 

archives and visuals to paint a portrait of the life 

and career of legendary fashion designer Alexander 

McQueen. (Bleecker Street; July 13) 

A suburban mother (Kelly Macdonald) 

discovers a love of jigsaw puzzles in Marc 

Turtletaub’s Puzzle. (Sony Pictures Classics; 

July 13) 

Vincent Cassel plays post-Impressionist 

painter Paul Gauguin in Gauguin, Edouard 

Deluc’s biopic about the artist’s affair with 

a younger woman during his time in Tahiti. 

(Cohen Media Group; July 20) 

Documentarian Lauren Greenfield follows 

up 2012’s The Queen of Versailles—about 

a fabulously wealthy duo forced to economize 

after the 2008 financial crash—with fellow 

money-themed doc Generation Wealth, 

this time focusing on the current state of 

American culture and capitalism. (Magnolia 

Pictures; July 20) 

Daveed Diggs (Broadway’s Hamilton) and 

Rafael Casal play lifelong friends navigating 

the gentrifying landscape of Oakland, Calif., 

in Carlos López Estrada’s Blindspotting. (Lionsgate; 

July 27) 

August Highlights 

A group of teen resistance fighters raise 

hell in a dystopian future in Jennifer Yuh 

Nelson’s The Darkest Minds. Amandla Stenberg, 

Harris Dickinson, Mandy Moore and 

Gwendoline Christie co-star. (20th Century 

Fox; August 3) 

Best friends Audrey (Mila Kunis) and 

Morgan (Kate McKinnon) get entangled in a 

world of espionage after one of them discovers 

their ex is a spy in The Spy Who Dumped 

Me. “Outlander” lead Sam Heughan co-stars. 

(Lionsgate; August 3) 

An all-grown-up Christopher Robin 

(Ewan McGregor), a family man beaten down 

by the business world, reconnects with his 

childhood pal Winnie the Pooh in Marc Forster’s 

Christopher Robin. (Disney; August 8) 

Director Jon M. Chu adapts Kevin 

Kwan’s best-selling novel Crazy Rich Asians, 

about a Chinese-American woman (Constance 

Wu) thrust into the world of—well, 

crazy rich Asians—when she discovers her 

boyfriend is the heir of one of China’s wealthiest 

families. (Warner Bros.; August 10) 

Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson co-star 

in Chris Addison’s The Hustle, a remake of 

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. As before, two conmen—conwomen, 

this time around—compete 

to seduce and swindle a rich target. Tim Blake 

Nelson co-stars. (MGM; August 10) 

Jason Statham takes on a giant prehistoric 

shark in The Meg, directed by National Treasure’s 

Jon Turteltaub. Rainn Wilson and Ruby 

Rose co-star. (Warner Bros.; August 10) 

Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ Rupert Wyatt 

returns to the world of sci-fi for Captive 

State, set in a futuristic Chicago that ten years 

prior was taken over by an extraterrestrial 

force. John Goodman, Vera Farmiga and 

Madeline Brewer co-star. (Focus Features; 

August 17) 

Rose Byrne plays a woman whose current 

boyfriend (Chris O’Dowd) is obsessed with 

her singer-songwriter ex (Ethan Hawke) in 

the comedy-drama Juliet, Naked. (Roadside 

Attractions; August 17) 

Matthew McConaughey plays the title 

character in White Boy Rick, about a man 

recruited to be an FBI informant in his teens 

who was later sentenced to life in prison for 

drug trafficking. (Sony; August 17) 

James Franco and Jack Reynor star in the 

sci-fi thriller Kin, about an ex-convict and his 

APRIL 2017 / FILMJOURNAL.COM 73 

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other forced to go on the run from a vengeful 

criminal (Franco). Zoë Kravitz and Dennis 

Quaid co-star. (Lionsgate; August 31) 

Domhnall Gleeson reunites with his Frank 

director Lenny Abrahamson for The Little 

Stranger, based on Sarah Waters’ 1940s-set 

novel about a doctor (Gleeson) who bonds 

with the residents of a country manor seemingly 

infested by some supernatural force. 

Charlotte Rampling, Ruth Wilson and Will 

Poulter co-star. (Focus Features; August 31) 

THE MEG 

Pictured: Jason Statham 

Director: Jon Turteltaub 

WARNER BROS. 

Also in August 

Trine Dyrholm plays late Velvet Underground 

singer Nico in Susanna Nicchiarelli’s 

Nico, 1988, a drama about the last year in the 

artist’s life before she died at the age of 49. 

(Magnolia Pictures; August 1) 

Guillaume Canet plays a man determined 

to rescue his missing son in the Christian 

Carion-directed French thriller My Son. 

(Cohen Media Group; August 3) 

John Cho plays a man looking for his 

missing daughter in Searching, a thriller that 

takes place entirely on computer screens. 

(Screen Gems; August 3) 

A group of Los Angelenos are brought 

together by their love of dogs in Ken Marino’s 

Dog Days. Nina Dobrev, Vanessa Hudgens and 

Finn Wolfhard co-star. (August 10) 

Charlie Hunnam, Tommy Flanagan and 

Rami Malek star in a remake of Papillon, in 

which a wrongly convicted prisoner concocts 

an elaborate scheme to bust out of an island 

prison. (Bleecker Street; August 14) 

Joel Kinnaman stars in director Andrea 

Di Stefano’s Three Seconds, about a prisonerturned-special 

ops soldier who gets himself 

incarcerated in a maximum-security prison so 

he can infiltrate the mob for his FBI handlers. 

Clive Owen, Rosamund Pike and Common 

star. (Aviron Pictures; August 17) 

A scientist (Keanu Reeves) clones his 

dead family members in Jeffrey Nachmanoff ’s 

Replicas. Alice Eve and Thomas Middleditch 

co-star. (Entertainment Studios; August 24) 

The Measure of a Man’s Vincent Lindon 

stars in Jacques Doillon’s Rodin, a biopic of 

the famed sculptor, with specific attention 

paid to his relationships with with his wife 

(Séverine Caneele) and mistress (Izia Higelin). 

(Cohen Media Group; August 24) 

Summer 

A group of women from the small, peaceful 

town of Salem, Mass., embark on a quest 

for vengeance when a cache of salacious personal 

data is released in Assassination Nation. 

(Neon; Summer) 

Mélanie Thierry star as the young Marguerite 

Duras in director Emmanuel Finkiel’s 

A Memoir of War, about a French Resistance 

fighter who enters into a relationship with a 

Nazi collaborator (Benoît Magimel) whom she 

hopes can help her find and save her missing 

husband. (Music Box Films; Summer) 

A satellite-turned-girl, young man-turnedcow 

and wizard-turned-roll of toilet paper 

(really) join forces to defeat an evil monster in 

Chang Hyung-yun’s animated adventure Satellite 

Girl and Milk Cow. (GKids; Summer) 

Adolescent romance is beset by supernatural 

complications in anime romance Fireworks, 

from directors Akiyuki Shinbô and Nobuyuki 

Takeuchi. (GKids; Summer) 

CRAZY RICH ASIANS 

Pictured: Constance Wu, 

Sonoya Mizuno 

WARNER BROS. 

CAPTIVE STATE 

Pictured: John Goodman 

Director: Rupert Wyatt 

FOCUS FEATURES 


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CHEERS! 

to our friend and colleague, 

ELIZABETH FRANK at 

AMC Theatres 

and the other amazing 

TOP 50 

WOMEN IN 

GLOBAL CINEMA 

Share a 

at the movies 

with... 

© 2018 The Coca-Cola Company.

Celluloid Junkie presents 

u 

Top 50 Women 

in Global Cinema 

Film Journal International is pleased to publish Celluloid Junkie’s 2018 

list of the top women in global cinema, timely as ever in this era of women 

speaking out and the “50-50 by 2020” campaign. 

Yu Xin, Dadi Cinemas (China) 

China’s second-largest exhibitor, Dadi Cinemas continued its steady growth guided by General 

Manager Yu Xin (Donna Yu). Dadi is present in over 180 cities across China, and following strategic 

investments from Alibaba Pictures and Huayi Bros, it is also vertically integrated with the most significant 

media companies in China. In 2017, Dadi launched live events as part of the Movie+ strategy of 

expanding the offerings of cinemas, with over 100 events planned for this year. Meanwhile, 2018 will 

be the year that Dadi completes the transition to laser projection for all of its cinemas. 

Elizabeth Frank, AMC Theatres (USA) 

Led by Elizabeth Frank, AMC has expanded with the acquisition of Odeon & UCI Cinemas and 

Nordic Cinema Group in Europe, not to mention Carmike in the U.S. As Executive Vice President 

of Worldwide Programming and Chief Content Officer, Frank works from AMC’s corporate 

headquarters in Kansas City to oversee film-buying groups in Los Angeles, London and Stockholm. 

Frank is AMC’s primary representative to movie studios and distributors and has worked diligently to 

expand the company’s programming promotion capabilities and create flexible pricing at AMC. 

v 

w 

Martine Odillard, Les Cinémas Gaumont Pathé (France) 

President Martine Odillard led Les Cinémas Gaumont Pathé to an exceptional year in 2017. The 

largest exhibitor in Europe’s largest cinema territory signed an agreement with Dolby to roll out 10 

Dolby Cinemas in France and the Netherlands and also pacted with IMAX to launch six of the largeformat 

screens across the same territories. In addition, Gaumont Pathé and EclairGame Cinemas 

launched CinéSessions in late 2017 and announced in December that they would roll out 4DX to 40 

European locations by 2020. 

Debbie Stanford-Kristiansen, Novo Cinemas (U.A.E.) 

Under CEO Debbie Stanford-Kristiansen’s leadership, Novo Cinemas has opened a 12-screen cinema at 

IMG Worlds of Adventure, including one IMAX and three seven-star VIP screens. “There is a focus on technology 

and luxury,” says Stanford-Kristiansen, "and audiences have become critics in their own right.” Novo 

has reached “peak cinema innovation”—its latest offerings include frozen popcorn and “the world’s largest 

human maze” record attempt, to tie in with the launch of the last Maze Runner film. Stanford-Kristiansen’s 

biggest test: whether Novo can overcome geopolitical issues to enter the newly opened Saudi Arabian market. 

x 


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GREATNESS 

ON A GLOBAL SCALE 

Congratulations to AMC Theatres Executive Vice President 

of Worldwide Programming and Chief Content Offcer 

Elizabeth Frank for being named to Celluloid Junkie’s 2018 

Top 50 Women in Global Cinema. 

Innovative, creative, smart and a passionate leader – 

Elizabeth, you are truly AMC Amazing. 

YOU ARE

y 

Laura Houlgatte, UNIC (Belgium) 

the T op 50 W omen in G lobal C inema 

Mariam El Bacha, Cinepax (Pakistan) 

Mariam El Bacha went from being Director of Operations at Malaysia’s MBO Cinemas to CEO of 

Cinepax in Pakistan. Cinepax currently has 11 cinemas across eight cities, but with an ambitious expansion 

plan of 150 screens by 2020, as Pakistan tries to reinvigorate its domestic film industry that 

has wilted in the shadow of its giant neighbor, India. The company is also launching innovations such 

as Platinum, Gold, Silver, 4DX, Dolby Atmos and CMAXX formats. Bacha is a frequent and inspiring 

speaker at international events, including CineAsia and Norway’s Film&Kino in the past year. 

Corinne Thibaut & Lourdes “Lou” Grill, 

The Coca-Cola Company (Belgium & USA) 

As International Director, Cinema & Leisure, Corinne Thibaut has been a tireless 

champion of improved retail and customer experience, not least in her work 

with UNIC and CineEurope. Lourdes Grill has led the development of Coke’s global 

cinema channel strategy and value approach and is currently responsible for global 

cinema channel business development, as well as the Cinemark account. 

{ 

Veronica Lindholm, Odeon Cinemas Group (Finland & Baltics) 

As head of the northernmost corner of the global Wanda/AMC empire, Veronica Lindholm 

helped transition the Finnkino and Forum family of cinemas into the Odeon Group in the past year. 

Finland had a stellar cinema year in 2017, which smoothed over a ticket price increase to help pay for 

Finnkino’s investments in new service and movie theatre concepts, including the refurbishment and 

reopening of Finland’s oldest movie theatre, Maxim, in February. Lindholm is also on the board of 

Palta, the representative association for service sector businesses and organizations in Finland. 

z 

| 

Laura Houlgatte’s appointment as CEO of European cinema trade body UNIC to replace Jan 

Runge was by all accounts a unanimous UNIC board decision. As UNIC’s EU Affairs Executive, she 

had proved herself adept at navigating the intricate politics of the European Commission in Brussels. 

Houlgatte has hit the ground running since taking over UNIC, juggling responsibilities such as the 

Women’s Cinema Leadership Scheme, CineEurope, the Global Cinema Federation, the UNIC 

Brussels conference and the UNIC Retail Group. 

} 

Anna Marsh, StudioCanal (France) 

StudioCanal is arguably Europe’s leading studio to match Hollywood and distributes more 

than 50 films per year, with hits such as Paddington 2 and classics such as The Graduate and Terminator 

2: Judgment Day. Responsible for international distribution, Anna Marsh stepped into the 

large shoes of Rodolphe Buet a year ago, but has quickly made the role her own. She joined the 

International Sales department of Tele Images International in 2002 before becoming International 

Sales Manager at TF1 International. She was hired by StudioCanal in 2008 and has been 

rising rapidly ever since. 

Bernadette McCabe, MoviePass (USA) 

Bernadette McCabe took up the role of Senior VP of Exhibitor Relations and Business Strategy 

at MoviePass, which made headlines when it lowered its movie theatre subscription price to $9.99 

per month and added subscribers at a staggering rate. McCabe is in charge of working directly with 

cinema operators throughout the U.S. in an effort to help MoviePass scale in size and find new 

revenue opportunities. She first entered the cinema industry in 2005 when she joined Screenvision 

Media, where she was responsible for overseeing Screenvision’s 170 exhibition partners. 

~ 


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11 

Dertje Meijer, Pathe 

Dertje Meijer has been quick to make 

her mark, as Pathé had one of its best-ever 

cinema years, with admissions up 7%. Meijer 

has been pushing the refurbishment of older 

multiplexes, with reopened ones like De 

Kuip in Rotterdam posting record numbers. 

16 

Sau Fong (Fiona) Chow, 

Orange Sky Golden Harvest 

Led by CEO Sau Fong Chow, Orange 

Sky Golden Harvest bought Village Roadshow 

from its Singapore Golden Village 

joint venture and now focuses on Singapore, 

Hong Kong SAR and Taiwan. 

12 

Carol Welch, Odeon 

17 

Olga Zinyakova, KARO 

Carol Welch has overseen the refurbishment 

of seven Odeon Luxe cinemas 

and the launch of Oscar’s Bar, outpacing 

even AMC in their spending uptick. Welch 

is also heading Costa’s coffee chain to 

improve Odeon’s retail offering. 

The dynamic and growing Russian 

cinema KARO has pioneered the “new 

generation cinema” concept. President 

Olga Zinyakova and her team will receive 

the “International Exhibitor of the Year 

Award” at CineEurope in June. 

13 

Mei Lee Koh, Golden Screen 

Golden Screen Cinemas is Malaysia’s 

favorite brand of cinemas. Mei Lee Koh cut 

the ribbon for the 10-screen multiplex in 

Melawati Mall in August and Johor’s biggest 

multiplex this past January, with GSC Paradigm 

JB boasting a total of 16 screens. 

18 

Michelle Walsh, 

Majid Al Futtaim Cinema 

Michelle Walsh has worked with Vox 

for over eight years and has a broad range 

of responsibilities as COO. Vox will be 

one of the first operators to open cinemas 

in Saudi Arabia. 

14 

Jill Jones, Mister Smith Ent. 

19 

Helen Moss, Paramount 

Led by Jill Jones, Mister Smith 

Entertainment has been responsible for 

films such as The Girl on the Train and 

Spielberg’s B.F.G. Previously, Jones was 

EVP, International Marketing and Publicity, 

at Lionsgate/Summit Entertainment. 

Helen Moss joined Paramount Pictures 

in 2008. In 2012 the international head office 

was relocated to L.A. and Moss played 

a key role in the successful transition. She 

assumed her current role as Senior VP of 

International Distribution in 2014. 

15 

20 

Jane Hastings, Event 

Hospitality and Entertainment 

Jane Hastings, new CEO of Event Cinemas’ 

parent company, Event Hospitality 

and Entertainment, declared at the outset 

that “everything [is] under review” and 

new opportunities are key to growth. 

Adrianna Trautman, Laura Abele, Susan Cotliar, 

20th Century Fox 

With six major Oscar wins for The Shape of Water and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, 20th Century Fox’s marketing 

team deserves major recognition. The trio of Adriana Trautman (VP of Marketing, Latin America), Susan Cotliar (VP of In-Theatre 

Marketing) and Laura Abele (Executive Director of International Marketing) are living proof that original films can be nurtured to 

become hits that even surprise the industry. Adriana Trautman has overseen the releases of many films that have overindexed in the 

region, including Boss Baby and Ice Age: Collision Course. Laura Abele oversees trade marketing for the International Theatrical team. 

Susan Cotliar spearheads the focus on how to leverage technology and social media to create meaningful experiences for moviegoers. 


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TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX 

PROUDLY CONGRATULATES 

OUR FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES 

LAURA ABELE, SUSAN COTLIAR 

AND 

ADRIANA TRAUTMAN 

TOP 50 WOMEN IN GLOBAL CINEMA HONOREES 

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21 23 

Julie Borchard-Young 

BY Experience 

Co-founded by Julie and Robert 

Bochard-Young in 2003, BY Experience 

is a global force in the distribution of 

live events and alternative content to 

cinemas. 

22 24 

Katy Loria and Darryl Schaffer, 

Screenvision Media 

Screenvision Media Chief Revenue 

Officer Katy Loria and EVP of Operations 

& Exhibitor Relations Darryl Schaffer 

work with 150 cinema chains (including 

AMC, Marcus, Harkins and Malco) on 

their premium video strategy. Loria 

has oversight of strategy and revenue 

generation for national and local 

advertising sales and is a strong advocate 

of the role of the moviegoing audience in 

a landscape of declining TV viewership. 

Schaffer is responsible for overseeing 

Screenvision’s network of exhibitor 

partners as well as network operations, 

including content distribution. 

25 

Dr. Edna Epelbaum, Cinevital 

As well as being third-generation CEO 

of her family’s cinema business, Cinevital, 

across five cities, Edna Epelbaum is also 

head of the Swiss French Film Festival, 

President of the Swiss Cinema Federation 

and a board member of UNIC. 

Amy Wood, Lionsgate 

During Amy Wood’s tenure as Lionsgate’s 

EVP of International Distribution, 

the studio has earned over $10 billion at 

the global box office for franchises such as 

The Hunger Games, The Twilight Saga, John 

Wick and Now You See Me. 

Kymberli Frueh, Fathom Events 

For the past 13 years. Kymberli Frueh, 

VP of Programming, has worked for Fathom 

Events in content programming in one 

form or another, helping the company 

grow from a couple million dollars in revenue 

to one that earns $75 million per year. 


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Novo Cinemas would like to offer congratulations to our 

CEO, Debbie Stanford-Kristiansen, 

on her achievement of having 

Ranked Fourth On The Top 50 Women In Global Cinema. 

Your commitment and passion for your work has been key in achieving 

such industry recognition and is an inspiration to the entire Novo team. 

Our hard work and dedication is a testament to your leadership. 

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26 

27 

29 

Valerie Shortall, Cinemark 

This September, Cinemark VP of 

International Marketing Valerie Shortall 

will celebrate her 20th anniversary with 

the circuit. Shortall increased the visibility 

of Cinemark through promotions, events 

and partnerships. 

Jannicke Haugen, Nordisk Film 

Nordisk Film CEO Jannicke Haugen 

helped lead the reopening of the legendary 

888-seat Colosseum cinema in Oslo after 

extensive refurbishment. She is currently 

overseeing expansions in Denmark and 

Sweden. 

Ann Stadler, Marcus Theatres 

Ann Stadler joined Marcus Theatres in 

2014 in the newly created role of VP and 

Chief Marketing Officer. She oversaw the 

launch of Marcus’ loyalty program and the 

integration of the Wehrenberg cinema 

circuit. 

28 

Kathy Conroy, Jackie 

Brenneman, and Esther Baruh, 

NATO 

The women at NATO help ensure 

that it is a trade body that punches 

way above its weight. VP and chief 

operating officer Kathy Conroy handles 

everything from finance to ops and 

coordinates the work of NATO’s 

boards, committees and task forces. 

And she participates in the recruiting, 

hiring, supervision and evaluation of 

NATO staff. Director of Government 

Relations Esther Baruh deals with 

public policy strategy and promotes 

participation in the advocacy process. 

Director of Industry Relations Jackie 

Brenneman’s responsibilities include 

movie theft, technology, the ratings 

appeals board, social media and 

education. The National Association 

of Theatre Owners is the largest 

exhibition trade organization in the 

world, representing over 33,000 movie 

screens in all 50 states, and additional 

cinemas in 91 countries worldwide. 


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KATHY CONROY 

ESTHER BARUH 

JACKIE BRENNEMAN 

It is these and other women 

at the organization that help ensure 

NATO is a trade body that punches 

way above its weight. 

Kathy Conroy, Esther Baruh, 

and Jackie Brenneman named to 

Celluloid Junkie’s Top 50 

Women in Global Cinema. 

Our secret is out. 

Movies and movie theatres. They were made for each other. 

National Association 

of Theatre Owners 

Advancing the Moviegoing Experience 

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30 

Christine Fenby, Vista Group 

33 

Sherry Yard, iPic Entertainment 

Vista Group Marketing Director 

Christine Fenby is the public face of 

Vista, Veezi, Movio, MovieTeam, Numero, 

Macca, Cinema Intelligence, Powster and 

Flicks across seven HQs and nine regional 

partners in 80+ countries. 

Upon joining iPic in 2014 to oversee 

the circuit’s culinary program, Sherry Yard 

immediately made waves with menu items 

designed to eat in the dark. Yard was then 

promoted to COO, responsible for all 

theatre and restaurant operations. 

31 

Vilma Benitez, Bardan Intl. 

34 

Stephanie Mills, Hoyts 

Bardan International continues as 

one of the world’s leading cinema service 

providers under Vilma Benitez. As CEO 

for the past 11 years, she helped Bardan 

grow its market share throughout Latin 

America and the Caribbean 

As Hoyts' GM of Marketing and Studio 

Relations, Stephanie Mills has been a force 

in redefining Australia’s second-largest circuit’s 

relationship with Hollywood studios. 

In addition, she launched an industry-first 

loyalty partnership with Quantas. 

32 

Nora Dashwood, ArcLight 

35 

Bobbie Bagby Ford, B&B 

Nora Dashwood has spent the last 18 

as the COO of not one, but two circuits; 

ArcLight Cinemas and Pacific Theatres. 

She has helped 110-theatre ArcLight 

maintain brand awareness as a premium 

cinema venue. 

Bobbie Bagby was born into B&B 

Theatres, the Kansas City-based cinema 

chain founded by her great-grandfather 

founded in 1924. Now EVP, she oversees 

the team that handles marketing for the 

U.S.’ seventh-largest theatre chain. 

Top 50 Women in Global Cinema 


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36 39 

Fatima Djoumer, Europa 

Fatima Djoumer is now in her third 

decade at the European art-house chain 

Europa Cinemas, which represents over 

2,800 screens in 43 territories. She oversees 

international relations and events 

such as the Europa Cinema Awards. 

37 40 

Sandie Caffelle, Jack Roe 

As Sales and Marketing Manager at 

Jack Roe, Sandie Caffelle has transitioned 

from supplying 35mm film products to the 

core elements of the company’s business: 

ticketing and point of sale, digital signage, 

mobile apps and data analytics. 

38 41 

Ingrid Jahra, CinemaOne 

Ingrid Jahra has been CEO of Cinema- 

One for just over a year, but has an extensive 

background in the industry. She was 

CEO of Giant Screen Entertainment Ltd. 

and was instrumental in bringing one of 

the first IMAX screens to the Caribbean. 

Karina Agadzhanova, 

Cinema Star 

Karina Agadzhanova recently 

celebrated her fifth year as CEO of 

Cinema Star, an exhibitor that has 

pioneered innovations such as its “Play 

Lab” entertainment zones for kids. 

Clara Cheo, Golden Village 

As CEO of Golden Village, Clara Cheo 

has focused on delivering quality experiences 

for her customers. Golden Village 

became the first exhibitor in Singapore to 

open an all-digital multiplex (using Barco 

smart lasers) in Paya Lebar last year. 

Sarah Lewthwaite, 

EMEA, Movio 

As Movio’s MD and SVP for EMEA, 

Sarah Lewthwaite is a ubiquitous presence 

at trade shows and conferences, detailing 

how big data can help drive marketing 

efforts and thus increase revenue. 

Congratulations 

To the 

Top 50 Women 


of 2018 

“It is an honor and a privilege to 

work with many of the talented 

women on this list”. 

From the team at 

Lighting Technologies 

International 


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Congratulations, Ann! 

YOUR TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP 

AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS INSPIRE US ALL! 

Ann Stadler - VP and Chief Marketing Officer 

Named to Celluloid Junkie’s “2018 Top 50 Women in Global Cinema” 

FROM YOUR TEAM AT


42 

Karen Stacey, DCM 

The CEO of DCM (U.K. and Ireland), 

Karen Stacey has driven the re-invigoration 

of cinema as a premium-advertising proposition. 

In the past year, DCM has launched a 

production department studio, podcast and 

fantasy film league. 

44 

Suvanee Chinchiewchan 

SF Group 

As CMO of Thailand’s second-largest 

cinema chain, Suvanee Chinchiewchan and 

her team work with distributors to build 

audiences for all kinds of films in a country 

known for quality of cinema experiences. 

43 

Grace Wong, June Wong, 

Multiplex Cinema Ltd. 

Intercontinental Group Holding’s MCL 

continues to improve the city’s movie experience, 

led by General Managers Grace and 

June Wong. 2017 saw the reopening of the 

Grand Kornhill Cinema and MCL Telford 

Cinema, both of which were extensively 

refurbished and now offer the House FX 

Theatre and MX4D Motion Theatre. Grace 

Wong has over 30 years of experience in 

the industry and was involved in the setting 

up of over 10 cinema projects in both Hong 

Kong and the PRC. Over the past decade, 

June Wong has expanded the MCL circuit 

from five to eight cinemas, making MCL one 

of the largest cinema circuits in Hong Kong. 

45 

46 

Dee Vassili, Vue Intl. 

As Executive Director of Group HR, 

Dee Vassili has overseen the massive 

growth of Vue International. Vassili is 

currently focused on standardizing operattions 

across territories like the U.K., 

Poland and Italy. 

Heather Blair, MediaMation 

Heather Blair was one of the first to 

explore interest in converting existing 

auditoriums into MX4D theatres offering 

motion seats and environmental effects. 

Today, she is the Head of Cinema Sales, 

in charge of securing new exhibitors. 


076-097.indd 94 

4/4/18 2:29 PM


47 

48 

Claire Beswick, 

The Living Room Cinema 

Claire Beswick began as a staffer in a 

multiplex before working in bookings for 

Odeon and Curzon Cinemas. Her new venture 

is Living Room Cinema, “a chain that 

revolutionizes the cinema-going experience.” 

Suzanna (Renhuldt) Holmqvist, 

Svenska Bio 

CMO Suzanne Holmqvist represents 

the fourth generation in family-owned 

Svenska Bio. Having helped expand into 

Nordic countries, she was instrumental in 

the chain going cashless. 

50 

Beth Cretors and 

Shelly Oleson, 

C. Cretors & Co. 

Popcorn pioneer C. Cretors & Co 

has not rested since its founding in 

1885 and that legacy is being enhanced 

today by the latest generation, 

including Marketing Communications 

exec Beth Cretors and VP of Sales 

& Marketing Shelly Olesen, who 

dispenses popcorn and advice about it 

at tradeshows across the country and 

globe. Offering much more than just 

popcorn solutions, C. Cretors & Co 

is the company that makes the cinema 

experience complete. 

49 

Tatiana Tolstaya, Cinamon 

Despite only joining the cinema industry 

in 2013, Tatiana Tolstaya has made her 

mark on the business as CEO of Cinamon. 

The circuit now has five cinemas across 

the three Baltic States, with three more in 

the pipeline. 

In-depth profiles of select 

honorees will appear in the 

July, November and 

December editions of FJI. 

and 

Congratulate 

the Top 50 Women 



076-097.indd 96 

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CONGRATULATIONS TO DEE VASSILI 

from everyone at Vue International 

Named one of the 

Top 50 Women in Global Cinema 2018 

Untitled-2 1 

3/21/18 10:20 AM

QSC CEO Joe Pham 


098-113.indd 98 

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Barry Andrews 

Pat Quilter 

John Andrews 

brought sounds of change. 

1968 The Yardbirds, Cream, The 

Mamas & The Papas and Lovin’ Spoonful 

all disbanded. At the Grammys, the 

“Record of the Year”—Simon and 

Garfunkel’s “Mrs. Robinson”—came 

from a movie soundtrack. The tribal 

love-rock musical Hair brought fourletter 

words to the theatre stage. 

Richard Harris’ “MacArthur Park”—at 

seven minutes and 20 seconds—broke 

the AM radio taboo against long singles. 

And in a small industrial building in 

Costa Mesa, Calif., QSC—then called 

Quilter Sound Things—was born. 

Fifty years later, Pat Quilter, founder 

and chairman of the board of QSC, is 

standing in front of his open garage, 

strumming a ukulele—and talking about 

the importance of minimalism, the 

elements of “tone” and his ability to build 

stuff that solved problems. “I was a geeky 

kid,” he knew, “one of those guys who 

had a personal soundtrack running in the 

back of my mind; there was always some 

sort of music going on. Music became the 

thing I wanted to build stuff for.” 

Pat believed that “my high school 

physics course taught me everything 

I needed to know to get started in 

electronics” and so, over the summer 

of 1967, he built an amp that was “loud, 

powerful and reliable” for the bass 

player in his brother Matt’s garage band, 

The Blown Mind. The amp was crude 

“but finally played pretty well.” And 

then Pat heard a musician who, for him, 

changed everything. 

QSC 

Sounds 

Like 

the Future 

by Bob 

Gibbons 


098-113.indd 99 

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“I saw this picture on an album 

cover, this guy looking at the camera 

with attitude,” Pat remembers, “and my 

brother said, ‘That’s Jimi Hendrix. Listen 

to him.’ He was cranking the amp up to 

10; it was over-driving like crazy, but 

Hendrix was riding this wild horse—and 

that’s what really got me inspired to 

realize: This is a new wave of electric 

music and none of the amps out there 

are very good at handling that. And I 

thought: I could do something with this. It’s 

just an engineering problem; how hard can 

it be?” 

Pat’s vision “was to take over the 

world for high-powered, giant guitar 

amps.” By the early 1970s, he had a 

partner in Barry Andrews, whose 

skill was building cabinets for Pat’s 

technology. A few years later, Barry’s 

younger brother John joined them, 

running the front office part-time while 

he was still in college at the University 

of Southern California. When John 

graduated and joined QSC full-time, 

their father was furious—at Barry. “We 

never thought you’d amount to much,” 

he yelled, “but we had expectations for 

John.” 

Those first years didn’t meet 

anyone’s expectations. The three 

partners had made some progress in 

demonstrating the reliability of their 

solid-state electronics over still-popular 

tube amps, but competition was 

formidable—they were losing money, 

but not enthusiasm. 

John Andrews, founder and board 

member, remembers failure as an asset. 

Pat Quilter with an early 

amp and, at right, in the 

QSC office in 1979. 

“Not having early success,” he believes, 

“was one of the keys to our ultimate 

success, because we had to learn how 

to run the business. We realized we 

had to become excellent operationally, 

excellent in our product development, 

and in our sales and marketing efforts— 

and become excellent manufacturers. 

And this was at a time when we weren’t 

very good at any of those things.” 

They decided to drop their dreams 

for guitar amplifiers and refocus their 

limited resources on power amplifiers. 

They renamed Quilter Sound Things as 

QSC Audio Products and began providing 

power amps for live performances 

and installations in permanent venues. 

Slowly, their fortunes began to change. 

Barry Andrews, founder and board 

member, joins the conversation: “It’s 

never been a story of skyrocketing 

success,” he offers. “It’s consistently a 

story of determination over failure. Part 

of our hallmark is to have a vision and 

keep investing in the future.” 

By 1978, they had their first patent; 

a year later, QSC sales exceeded $1 

million. 

Back in those days—the late ’70s 

and early ’80s—audio companies were 

largely specialists. Some made power 

amplifiers; others made loudspeakers; 

some made mixers; others made 

equalizers or other signal-processing 

components. QSC’s power amplifiers 

brought them to the attention of the 

cinema business about the time Dolby 

was marketing the early Dolby stereo 

processors. The success of Star Wars 

in Dolby stereo led George Lucas to 

▲ QSC's first big contribution: 

the Digital Crossover Monitor, or 

DCM, "the first time that anyone 

made digital signal processing easy 

to implement in the cinema." 

form THX, a quality-control program 

that defined performance standards 

for loudspeakers and amplifiers and 

processors, cinema acoustics and the 

theatre’s sound configuration. 

QSC helped provide the foundation 

for cinemas meeting those THX specifications. 

Its Series One amplifiers introduced 

in 1983 were the first amplifiers 

to make active bi-amp systems affordable 

and easy with QSC’s “octal” crossover 

accessories. They became the standard 

amplifier for cinemas; Dolby purchased 

them in quantity and QSC private-labeled 

them for Dolby sound racks. 

Two years later, QSC put their 

own brand on cinema products. United 

QSC markets Quilter its Sound first products Things starts outside in small the 

QSC receives QSC markets its first patent its first for products outside the 

QSC receives its first patent QSC breaks for $1 million in annual sales 

local area industrial by attending building the in NAMM Costa Show Mesa, CA 

AC-coupled local circuit area by technology attending the NAMM Show 

AC-coupled circuit technology 

1977 1968 1978 1977 1978 1979 


098-113.indd 100 

4/4/18 2:34 PM

Artists—then a major chain with a 

respected technical department— 

selected a QSC amplifier for all of their 

screens, and by the late 1980s QSC had 

become widely known as the amplifierof-choice 

in the cinema business all over 

the world. 

Still, with a very limited product line, 

cinema still wasn’t high on QSC’s radar. 

And then, in 1990, Barry Ferrell joined 

the company. 

Ferrell brought a background in cinema 

and he believed that market could 

be more important to QSC’s business. 

“I knew the customers and we started 

addressing them,” he says, “and the first 

big contribution that QSC provided 

was the Digital Crossover Monitor. The 

DCM replaced a separate booth monitor 

and crossover with one self-contained 

unit that also brought the QSC 

DataPort wiring concept to the cinema. 

That concept allowed fast and easy rack 

wiring and has been so successful it’s 

now the standard of the industry.” 

Today, Ferrell is senior VP and chief 

Barry Ferrell 

strategy officer at QSC, and with his 

widespread knowledge of the business, 

he’ll drive this story forward into QSC’s 

future. 

“DCMs were the first time that 

anyone made DSP—digital signal 

processing—easy to implement in the 

cinema,” Ferrell remembers. “The 

combination of our DCM and DCAseries 

amplifiers—which we developed 

in the late ’90s and have been the 

industry standard ever since—gave us a 

really high-performing package. But at 

that point, that’s as far as we went.” 

Meanwhile, the company continued 

to innovate with new product 

introductions for its other markets: 

1992 saw the debut of QSControl, the 

company’s first software platform for 

network audio; two years later, the 

introduction of DataPort provided 

control and telemetry to QSC 

amplifiers; and in 1995, they brought 

the PowerLight series of lightweight 

amplifier technology to market. 

Equally notably, the 1990s were 

also a time when the company 

turned its attention to dramatically 

increasing its capacity and capability for 

manufacturing—and for growth. 

In 1993, QSC opened its new 

headquarters in Costa Mesa in a 

55,000-square-foot building that 

now includes its corporate offices, 

engineering, sales, marketing, technical 

support and service. Five years later, 

on an adjacent strawberry field, QSC 

broke ground for an 81,000-squarefoot 

manufacturing facility designed 

with build-to-order capability, giving 

▲ The DPA Series represents 

a revolutionary advancement 

in amplifier technology 

and innovation. Each model 

provides efficient, robust and 

extraordinarily high fidelity 

power to drive multiple channels 

and configurations of loudspeakers 

while simultaneously deploying 

sophisticated digital processing – 

all with optimal energy and rack 

space efficiency. 

the company ability to respond rapidly 

to customer needs while keeping both 

parts and finished goods inventory at 

efficient levels. 

With its unique barcoding system— 

and when lines are running at capacity— 

this factory can produce a mix of 

products at over 500 units per eighthour 

shift. Partners in Asia also handle 

some of the manufacturing. QSC has a 

sales, distribution and support network 

in over 100 countries and offices on 

three continents. They all work towards 

common goals. 

“Our focus is on maintaining clarity 

of vision,” says Joe Pham, QSC president 

and CEO. “We work hard to ensure 

the future destination of the company 

with plans and efforts that are balanced 

and sensible, aspirational yet achievable, 

QSC breaks $1 million in annual sales OEM manufacturer of amplifiers for Dolby ® 

Labs heralds QSC entry into Cinema 

1979 1981 1983 

Series One introduced, representing 

the company’s first true value-oriented 

amplifier series for professional use 


098-113.indd 101 

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and supported by a consensus-based 

approach where leadership listens and 

invests for the long term.” 

As QSC passed its 30th anniversary, 

the company decided to enter the 

market for loudspeakers—a product line 

that could have long-term application 

in all its markets. “We struggled with 

that,” Barry Andrews admits, “until we 

developed the first K series and we went 

from nowhere to the number-one brand 

almost overnight.” 

That took eight years. “There were 

numerous times we could have given up 

because of the daunting road ahead,” 

remembers his brother John. “But we 

never lost confidence in our ability to 

be successful. Our company has a long 

history of learning from failures and 

successes—and becoming stronger as a 

result.” 

“Our powered K Family loudspeaker 

units just exceeded one million 

units shipped,” Ferrell says proudly 

in 2018. “Speakers were a natural 

progression,” he adds, “but it was 

really the advent of digital cinema that 

brought uncompressed digital audio to 

the theatre and brought it all together 

for us. It standardized the soundtrack 

for movies and enabled us to enter the 

innovative market with our DCP series. solutions We put for professionals 

innovative solutions for professionals innovativ 

the cinema processor, booth monitor 

Every and innovation crossover we’ve all introduced into one over box—and the prior decades has pushed the state-of-the-art Every innovation forward. we’ve The introduced ultimate goal over is the always prior to decades empower has our pushed customers’ the state-of-the-art forward. The Every ultimate innovation goal is always we’ve int to 

added our DataPort wiring concept, 

ability to deliver impactful experiences for their audiences, employees, guests and ability patrons. to deliver Whether impactful powering experiences a live musical for their performance, audiences, employees, a crucial remote guests and patrons. Whether powering ability to a deliver musical impactful perfoe 

so it would easily plug into the DCA 

conference amplifiers.” call, or the latest immersive cinema sound experience, we innovate conference the system platforms call, the and latest solutions immersive that cinema make the sound entire experience, communication we innovate the system platforms and conference solutions call, that or make the late the 

The DCP, coupled with “our DCS 

experience more intuitive and 

Digital Cinema Speakers, inspiring. 

enabled us 

to provide a complete solution for 

audio—from processor to loudspeaker,” 

Ferrell adds. “It gives QSC an unmatched 

ability to optimize the performance of 

own 

the night 

solutions for unforgettable experiences 

experience more intuitive and inspiring. 

the entire system by having the entire 

audio chain under a single brand. No 

solution of multiple brands can have 

this level of integration. No field-based 

measurement can match the accuracy of 

what we measure in our acoustics lab. So 

we turned our attention to making the 

system better than the sum of its parts.” 

Some changes were small, but 

common-sense-based and extremely 

helpful. “In most theatres, the big 

subwoofer is put against the wall,” 

Ferrell notes. “Our competitors attach 

the wires at the back, where they’re 

▲ To meet customer demand, the 

company's build-to-order factory, 

located at its global headquarters 

in Costa Mesa, can output up to 500 

units per hour. 

tough to get to; we attach them on 

the side, where they’re accessible. On 

the surround speakers, we tape a little 

plastic bag on top with the mounting 

screws for the speakers. When the 

installers are up on the ladder, the 

experience more intuitive a 

QSC provides first QSC-branded products 

to the Cinema market 

Release of EX Series Amplifiers, QSC provides the first QSC-branded products Debut of QSControl, the Release company’s of EX first Series Amplifiers, the 

introduction of “open architecture” 

to the Cinema market 

software platform for network introduction audio of “open architecture” 

amp design 

amp design 

QSC provides Debut first of QSC 

to the Cinema software market plat 

1985 1991 1985 1992 1991 1985 199 


098-113.indd 102 

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mounting screws are already with them.” 

Other changes were significant and 

far-reaching. “We felt we could do a 

better job on the three-way speakers,” 

Ferrell explains. “We wanted a midrange 

that had a broader frequency than 

the conventional systems out there. And 

we did that. The next thing we looked 

at was high-frequency performance. 

We wanted a compression driver that 

would get through the screen better 

and reduce distortion and have a flatter 

frequency response all the way up. And 

we came up with a coax solution where 

one compression driver is really split 

into two transducers—one optimized 

for the very highest frequencies and the 

other optimized for the lower half of 

those frequencies.” 

The result: QSC created a very highperformance 

four-way cinema screenchannel 

system that’s widely used for 

PLF—premium large format—cinema 

screens. “To be able to contribute 

to—and help advance—the immersive 

experience of cinema is extremely 

rewarding,” founder Barry Andrews says. 

It’s always been innovation that 

makes sense to the customer. “Our 

dedication to reliability, to incremental 

product improvements that protect 

prior investments, and our ability to 

design advanced systems for a welldefined 

space make us appealing to 

live live sound. QSC QSC 

too expensive to buy, too difficult to 

install or too hard to use. We have 

manufacturing and service members 

on the same team with acoustics, 

hardware and software engineers— 

all working together to optimize the 

performance of the system in products 

that are buildable, installable and easily 

serviceable. Broad cross-functional 

effort results in better products.” 

In today’s digital world, Ferrell 

describes cinema as the closest thing 

in professional audio to a standardized 

recording and playback system. When 

dubbing-stage standards are transferred 

into theatre acoustics and playback, 

“cinemas have the best opportunity of 

recreating the desired experience of 

those who create the movies. You can 

get a clear, bright, crisp picture at home; 

but you are going to be hard-pressed to 

duplicate the audio experience you can 

get in the cinema—without disturbing 

your neighbors,” he says with a smile. 

And, in a time of increasing audio 

formats, “QSC is format-agnostic,” 

insists Mark Mayfield, director of global 

cinema marketing. “We’re trying to 

make it as cost-effective as possible for 

live live sound. sound. systems. systems. cinema. cinema. 

theatres to invest in immersive sound— 

and to make every format sound great, 

be easy to use and affordable.” 

At the same time, QSC is stepping 

out from behind the curtain, bringing its 

brand—and the importance of superior 

cinema sound—to the attention of 

moviegoers. “Audio formats get the 

publicity,” Ferrell adds, “but when it 

comes to the actual quantity of audio 

equipment in the theatre, there is a 

whole lot more QSC than anything else. 

It’s really our system that moviegoers 

are listening to.” 

QSC has developed a teaser-trailer 

to make moviegoers aware of the QSC 

brand. They offer a certified cinema 

program to help their partners design, 

create and install better cinemas. 

They’ve listed certified cinemas on their 

website and they provide lobby posters 

and plaques to help theatres promote 

their efforts at delivering superior 

sound. “Many times,” Ferrell notes, 

“audiences don’t complain about bad 

sound; they just don’t come back.” 

QSC’s goal is to encourage audiences 

to return to the cinema; it’s important to 

them to help their customers succeed. 

Live Sound products Live Sound inspire products great inspire performances. great performances. They set up They quickly, set sound up quickly, great, sound look and great, feel look and feel 

professional, professional, are easy to use are easy and are to use road-proven—confidently and are road-proven—confidently reliable year reliable after year. year Our after products year. Our and products systems and are systems also designed are also to designed be flexible to and be interchangeable 

flexible and interchangeable 

in a myriad of in configurations, a myriad cinema of owners,” configurations, allowing adds you allowing to Quilter, flex, grow you the to and flex, one above grow all, and deliver above high-quality, all, deliver high-quality, unforgettable unforgettable experiences experiences for your audiences. for your audiences. 

who started it all. 

But, Ferrell acknowledges, “the 

greatest product won’t sell if it is 

▶ QSC has over 500 employees at 

offices in several U.S. states and 

around the globe. 

Company’s Company’s new 55,000 new square 55,000 foot square foot 

headquarters headquarters provides quality provides quality 

manufacturing manufacturing of over 500 units of over per 500 day units per day 

QSC Develops QSC DataPort Develops , providing DataPort TM control , providing control PowerLight TM 

PowerLight Series amplifiers TM 

Series usher amplifiers in a new usher in a new 

and telemetry and to telemetry QSC amplifiers to QSC amplifiers 

era of lightweight era of amplifier lightweight technology amplifier technology 

1993 1993 1994 1994 1995 1995 


098-113.indd 104 

4/4/18 2:34 PM

[ ] 

celebrates 

systems. QSC QSC 

is a globally is recognized a globally recognized manufacturer manufacturer of audio, video of audio, and control video and solutions control for solutions huddle rooms for huddle to stadiums— rooms to stadiums— 

and everything and everything between. in Our between. systems Our make systems it easy make for your it easy team for to your design team and to design integrate and flexible, integrate scalable flexible, solutions scalable and solutions deliver and the native deliver IT the integration native IT integration 

“The cinema business is part of the controls and monitors the health of many network channels and greatly 

and standards-based heart of standards-based QSC,” technology Pham acknowledges. 

technology your customers your expect. customers connected expect. amplifiers and loudspeakers. expanded DSP capability. “Cinemas will 

“The cinema experience is well aligned 

with our core competencies, capabilities 

and technology platforms. We 

listen to our customers, using what we 

learn to grow our portfolio and expand 

our business. Our relationships—combined 

with our relentless pursuit of 

quality—have resulted in QSC introducing 

groundbreaking products in our 

50-year history.” 

Q-SYS provides proof that legacy 

continues. Q-SYS is an integrated audio, 

video and control platform that runs 

on Intel processors; in the cinema, 

it interconnects all the devices over 

standard gigabit networks. Not only 

does Q-SYS transmit audio, it also 

Via iPhone, iPad or other iOS device 

on the cinema’s Wi-Fi network, theatre 

staff using Q-SYS have access to a full 

control panel for every auditorium in 

the complex. 

As theatres experiment with new 

designs—including those minimizing 

or even eliminating projection 

booths—Q-SYS enables equipment 

to be spread out in multiple locations, 

rather than together in a sound rack. 

All that’s needed is a place to plug in 

the components—and a network jack. 

Massive bundles of speaker cables can 

be a thing of the past. 

The Q-SYS Core processor is on 

its second generation—with twice as 

benefit from using Q-SYS to process, 

control and transport audio and picture 

content,” Ferrell points out. “2018 is 

just the start of us launching it into the 

mainstream cinema multiplex. Our new 

DCIO—digital cinema I/O—brings 

Q-SYS to the entire complex at an 

affordable price.” 

Today, Q-SYS leads an extensive 

QSC cinema product line that includes 

digital cinema processors with monitors 

and crossovers; multi-channel power 

QSC becomes QSC the becomes world’s first the world’s first 

licensee of CobraNet licensee of ® CobraNet ® 

Ground is broken Ground for is a broken new 81,000 for a new square 81,000 square 

foot state-of-the-art foot state-of-the-art facility, adjacent facility, to adjacent to 

existing headquarters. 

existing headquarters. 

Debut of RMX Debut Series of RMX Amplifiers, Series first Amplifiers, joint first joint 

venture into venture contract into manufacturing 

contract manufacturing 

1996 1996 1998 1998 2000 2000 


098-113.indd 105 

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amplifiers; a full range of speakers; 

cinema media servers; and accessibility 

solutions—including closed-caption and 

assistive-listening products that bring 

the movies to an even wider audience. 

QSC’s closed-captioning devices 

were developed by Ultra Stereo 

Laboratories, which QSC purchased last 

year. “USL is the first acquisition in our 

company’s history,” Pham says. “They’re 

a leader in cinema technologies; they 

support our business today as well as 

QSC’s vision for the future of cinema 

entertainment technology.” 

“Our ability to provide innovative 

and reliable products backed by exceptional 

customer service are qualities 

valued by our cinema clients,” John 

Andrews explains. “We’ve invested in 

a team of cinema professionals who 

have come from the industry and are 

passionate about helping our clients 

succeed.” 

Part of that passion is directed 

at supporting the industry—through 

involvement in ICTA technical seminars 

and leadership; through audio support 

for CinemaCon presentations; through 

a training program for theatre managers 

and a certified program for dealers; and 

through a variety of other causes and 

activities that are important to their 

customers. 

“It’s about bringing something back 

to the industry,” Ferrell emphasizes. 

“It’s not just about the success we’ve 

had. We have a small but dedicated 

team; many of us started out as ushers, 

managers and projectionists in theatres. 

We love this business. We strive to 

meet customer needs and have a good 

time while doing it.” 

“Word Hard/Have Fun” is one of 

the company values QSC posts on its 

website: “Joy and hard work go hand in 

hand,” the company writes. “Nothing of 

lasting merit can be achieved without 

hard work, but hard work cannot be 

sustained without enjoying the work. 

Our goals and standards make hard 

work essential. At the same time, make 

sure to have fun all along the way.” 

Their employees have consistently 

voted QSC a “Best Place to Work.” 

“The culture at QSC is one of our 

most important assets and a key reason 

for the success of the company,” John 

Andrews believes. “It’s centered on 

respect for employees, customers 

and suppliers—as well as passion, 

personal responsibility and constant 

improvement.” 

Today, the company has over 500 

employees at QSC offices in several 

states in the U.S. and other sites 

around the globe. And what’s the key 

to managing a worldwide workforce? 

“Communication,” answers Ferrell. “You 

can’t have too much.” 

▼ Q-SYS is an integrated audio, 

video and control platform that 

interconnects all devices over 

standard gigabit networks. 

“The essence of our company,” Pham 

agrees, “centers around collaboration 

and open communication. Everyone 

has a voice; we’ve always cultivated 

a highly collaborative, positive work 

environment where people genuinely 

care about each other and about the 

success of their team contributing to 

QSC’s success.” 

Add to that a unique combination 

of honesty and humility, drive and 

determination, and a passionate focus on 

providing a superior experience to the 

customers in these times of change. 

“Industry consolidation and 

technological changes have created 

both challenges and opportunities in 

our cinema business,” John Andrews 

acknowledges. 

“You never know what technology 

is going to deliver, expect or make 

possible,” Ferrell admits. “At the same 

time, as cinema chains consolidate and 

outsource many of the people with the 

capabilities they used to provide, there 

could be a need for more services to 

be sold by QSC, maybe us getting more 

involved at the cinema design stage— 

or having more resources available 

for installation and integration and 

certification of sites. 

They’d be serving customers they 

know, and who trust them. “As always,” 

Ferrell recognizes, “this is a business 

about relationships. We deal with 

people, with companies. QSC needs to 

Debut of ACE Series loudspeakers 

QSC introduces DCS loudspeakers, 

entering Cinema loudspeaker market 

2001 2003 2003 

QSC releases ModularDesign TM 

Series loudspeakers for installed sound 


098-113.indd 106 

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stay in touch with all of our key partners 

and customers, to understand their 

needs, then meet and exceed them.” 

“Change at QSC is a given,” John 

Andrews emphasizes, “and those who 

embrace it do best here.” 

Whatever form change takes, 

Ferrell believes the cinema team at 

QSC is equipped to confront it. “We 

have a small team of dedicated cinema 

employees backed by a big team of 

experts in all aspect of technology and 

running a business,” he says. “Having 

only a cinema focus wouldn’t afford us 

the resources QSC can provide. Not 

having a dedicated cinema team would 

result in a big company that wouldn’t 

understand the market and the needs 

of the customers. We have the best of 

both worlds.” 

Today, QSC’s worldwide business 

divides into three units, distinct in terms 

of customers, but overlapping in terms 

of resources and product applications. 

The Systems Business Unit— 

which concentrates on permanent 

fixed installations—has the broadest 

number of applications. They range from 

corporate AV in boardrooms, lobbies 

and other locations—to business music 

in restaurants, shopping malls and other 

communal places with foreground or 

background sound. Large venues—such 

as stadiums, arenas and convention 

centers—are served by this unit. Q-SYS, 

for example, is in the vast majority 

of NFL football stadiums. And QSC’s 

products are widely used on cruise ships 

for entertainment and for the ship’s 

emergency and life-saving systems. 

A second business unit is the 

Professional or Live Sound Division. 

It includes a variety of products ranging 

from powered speakers for musicians 

and DJs to the TouchMix, QSC’s 

resources from the other business units. 

“No company that was focused purely 

on cinema could afford to do the things 

we do,” Ferrell acknowledges. “The 

amount of technology in Q-SYS, for 

example, would never be affordable if 

the only application was in the cinema. 

We’re able to share technologies, share 

products, share resources, even share 

purchasing power. And our customers 

benefit.” 

QSC is widely known and highly 

respected. “We do business with 

virtually every theatre circuit in the 

world,” Mayfield explains. “Most circuits 

buy some part of our product line. Up 

to 70 percent of the theatres in the 

world are already using our amplifiers; 

we think that 30 to 40 percent are 

using our loudspeakers. Now that 

we’ve acquired Ultra Stereo Labs, we’re 

probably the largest supplier of cinema 

processors as well.” 

line of small-format digital mixers—all “When we look at the level of 

the way up to racks and line arrays performance of the products we’re 

used by tour sound companies to 

building today—and the quantities 

moving moving forward forward to the 

rig 

to the future 

arenas and stadiums for major 

we’re shipping—this business is bigger 

future 

concert performances. This unit also today than we ever dreamed it would 

As a growth As company, a growth company, QSC is committed QSC is committed to expanding to expanding as both a as technology sells both products a technology platform to rental leader platform companies and leader a customer and for a customer experience be experience ten leader years in the leader ago,” markets in Ferrell the we markets admits. serve. we “If serve. 

ballroom events. 

I look at the state of cinema sound 

Across the Across organization, the organization, we’re committed we’re to investments to Cinema investments to fuel global is to the fuel growth smallest global in growth areas business such areas as technology, such in as the technology, infrastructure, ’80s versus infrastructure, today, marketing, great marketing, and sound our and our 

in terms of revenue, but “our market has never been so affordable and 

most important most important asset – our asset people. – our And people. we’re And continuing we’re continuing to innovate 

position to new innovate standards 

is new something standards for delivering 

we for worked delivering sophisticated 

very sophisticated digital 

widely 

audio, digital available. 

video audio, and video control 

I’ve always and solutions control had 

that solutions high that 

hard to secure and it is a significant expectations, but over the past years, 

elevate customer elevate customer experiences, experiences, add more add value more for our value partners for our and partners create and new create opportunities new opportunities for our employees. for our employees. In this world, In this everybody world, everybody wins. wins. 

part of our overall business,” John 

Andrews emphasizes “Things we’ve 

learned while working in the cinema 

space have helped us in our other 

business segments. The needs of the 

cinema market align very well with the 

strengths of our organization.” 

The advantages go both ways; 

Cinema also is able to leverage 

especially, we’ve greatly exceeded 

those—and a lot of that really came 

◀ QSC’s decision to enter the 

loudspeaker market 20 years ago 

has been a smash success. 

Peak Audio’s Peak R&D Audio’s team R&D joins team QSC, joins setting QSC, setting QSC launches QSC Q-SYS launches integrated Q-SYS TM 

integrated audio, audio, QSC introduces QSC introduces K Series powered K Series loudspeakers, 

powered loudspeakers, 

the concept the of concept Q-SYS of in Q-SYS motion in motion 

video & control video platform & control platform 

establishing establishing the “New Standard” the “New Standard” for the industry for the industry 

2006 2006 2009 2009 2009 2009 


098-113.indd 108 

4/4/18 2:34 PM

service, service, transparency and and collaboration 

Technologies Technologies will change, will but change, our enduring but our commitment enduring commitment to be a trusted to be provider a trusted of provider platforms, of platforms, solutions and solutions systems and that systems set new that industry set new standards industry standards remains remains 

a constant a passion. constant As passion. we work As closely we work with closely the thousands with the thousands of QSC service of QSC professionals, service professionals, dealers and dealers affiliates and in affiliates 100+ countries in 100+ countries around the around globe, the we globe, will we will 

continue to continue invest in to infrastructure invest infrastructure and expertise and expertise 

to serve customers serve customers where they where live and they work. live and work. 

about through international growth.” 

Today, QSC’s cinema business 

split is about 60/40—international to 

domestic sales—which is the flip of 

the other divisions of the company. 

In the U.S. and worldwide, they sell 

direct to large circuits, but they 

also have a strong and loyal dealer 

base. For three years in a row, U.S. 

dealers have awarded QSC the ICTA’s 

“Manufacturer of the Year” Award— 

proof of the respect they have for the 

way QSC supports their efforts. It’s 

one more thing the company tries to 

do right. 

After five decades, QSC has become 

a globally recognized and trusted 

leader in the design and manufacture 

of professional audio/video system 

solutions. With so many resources 

and capabilities under one brand, QSC 

continues to leverage its technologies 

to deliver products and systems 

that outperform the sum of their 

parts—and set the audio standards 

for customers worldwide. But they’re 

restless achievers. 

“AV today has so much more 

potential to the end customer, to the 

consumer, to the audiences, and to the 

channel partners than what it’s actually 

delivering,” Pham asserts. “We are going 

to be a technology platform leader and 

we’re going to be a customer experience 

leader. It’s not about products anymore. 

It’s really about the technology system, 

the technology solution, the platform 

and the experience.” 

What could that mean to customers 

of tomorrow? What would the founders 

and current management of QSC see if 

they could step another 50 years into 

s, 

y 

QSC opens QSC its first opens subsidiary: its first subsidiary: 

QSC wins QSC the first wins of the seven first “Top of seven Work “Top Work QSC enters QSC digital enters mixer digital market mixer with market the with the 

QSC Asia, QSC in Hong Asia, Kong in Hong Kong 

Places” in Places” Orange in County Orange awards County awards 

introduction introduction of the TouchMix of the TouchMix Series Series 

2010 2010 2010 2010 2014 2014 


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4/4/18 2:34 PM

the future and look back at what their 

company has yet to deliver—and is yet 

to become? 

Pat Quilter: “Anything past 20 years 

from now is inherently hard to guess, 

but I would hope that we will look 

back on this current moment in our 

history—taking our first steps outside 

of ‘pro audio’ and mass entertainment 

into the world of fostering interpersonal 

multimedia communication and data 

transfer for professional purposes—as 

a turning point in redefining the level of 

service that QSC products can provide.” 

Barry Andrews: “I would hope to find 

a company that still treats its people 

and customers with genuine care. I 

would hope to see a thriving business 

still pioneering useful technology that 

helps people connect emotionally, artistically 

and functionally through sound 

and sight. I would hope the company 

was still a breeding ground for passion 

and the pursuit of excellence. And then 

2015 

I’d hope I could check out and begin the 

big sleep.” 

John Andrews: “If QSC is around 

in 100 years, it will be because we 

continued to embrace change and 

improvement and we continued to 

understand the importance of having 

very passionate and capable people 

driving the company forward. If that is 

the state of QSC in 100 years, it will 

make me very proud.” 

Joe Pham: “The QSC founders built 

voted best place to work by our employees 

From the beginning, QSC has always been an organization where engaging our employees has been at the heart of creating a positive work environment. 

Our unique culture is centered upon open communication and collaboration in a relaxed, yet highly-focused and determined atmosphere. With dedication to 

our core values of quality, integrity, 

service, commitment, teamwork and work hard/play hard, it’s no surprise we’ve been consistently voted a 

Best Place to Work by our employees. Our company thrives and grows by making sure our people grow along with the business and opportunities for 

a very personal special company and professional and culture. development I abound. 

would be most proud to see our unique 

QSC culture flourishing across a global 

team and company, where employees 

are growing and thriving, still delighting 

customers and partners by creating, 

delivering and supporting groundbreaking 

products and services that have 

continued to redefine product categories 

and markets—and have enabled the 

creation of superior entertainment and 

collaboration experiences for people 

around the world.” 

As QSC enters its next halfcentury, 

Barry Ferrell concludes 

with the goal that has driven the 

The Colosseum at Caesars 

Palace, with audio equipment 

behind the screen. 

company since that first guitar amp 

50 years ago. “QSC has always 

believed in bringing out the magic in 

cinema sound,” he says. “We’ve built 

a reputation for unmatched quality, 

performance and reliability as the 

only major manufacturer of complete 

cinema solutions. Now is the time to 

prove it.” 

QSC launches Q-SYS TM 

Conference Room 

Solution, including Core 110f processor 

QSC establishes office in Bangalore, India 

2015 2015 

2016 

QSC opens new manufacturing facility in 

Tecate, Mexico 


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The Sound of the Colosseum 

Converting the Colosseum at Caesars Palace (pictured at 

left) into “the world’s largest movie theatre” has always 

been a big job; this year, according to Mark Mayfield, 

director of global cinema marketing at QSC, the job was even 

more “colossal.” 

Why? “Because this year,” Mayfield elaborates, “for the 

first time, we’re delivering Dolby Atmos sound to the entire 

Colosseum, including the second mezzanine—which adds about 

800 seats. We are taking the Atmos overhead speakers and 

moving them up another 50 feet so they will trim at about 90 

feet to keep them out of the second mezzanine sightline. In order 

to maintain the proper Atmos specifications, the new design 

incorporates QSC WideLine 10 loudspeakers.” 

Working with Boston Light & Sound, Dolby and installers 

from Caesars, QSC’s Jon Graves and his team are using more 

speakers than they’ve ever put up before—and a type of loudspeaker 

that’s not normally used in movie theatres. To maintain 

Atmos specifications, QSC had to add new amps and speakers, 

and re-engineer the entire network. 

Altogether, the system uses 39 WideLine-10 line-array 

speakers and nine double 18 subwoofers for the screen channels. 

Twenty-four WideLine-8’s and eight WideLine double 12 subwoofers 

make up the rear surrounds. The Atmos overhead speakers 

use 32 WideLine-10 loudspeaker arrays with custom-made yokes 

from Adaptive Technologies. The Atmos experience in the first 

balcony is handled by an additional 32 

SR 1030 surround speakers. 

The result is the biggest Dolby 

Atmos sound rig ever installed. “Every 

loudspeaker has its own amplifier 

channel and could conceivably get separate sound, so we have routing 

of up to 64 different channels—this system is using 44,” Mayfield 

adds. “And the only way to accomplish what needs to be done in 

the Colosseum this year is through our Q-SYS platform.” 

Q-SYS is basically a very powerful computer on an Intel 

platform; it can handle complex routing, do all the DSP audio 

signal processing, and monitor the status of every loudspeaker in 

the system. “This year, we’re using 48 amplifiers—so in the unlikely 

event that any channel goes down, Q-SYS will tell us which 

amp and which channel—and we can go in and fix the problem.” 

As an added challenge, “multiple studios are showing their 

product,” Mayfield says, “and each has its own sound and image 

expert—who may want to adjust the audio for their particular 

reel. Fortunately, Q-SYS has a virtually unlimited number of presets, 

so we can tweak each movie to the way they want to hear 

it. And then, for each show, it’s basically just a button-push to 

get to their preferred configuration.” 

Total amplifier power for the entire system exceeds one 

million watts. “That,” concludes Mayfield, “is the biggest ever.” 

—Bob Gibbons 

Adaptive Congratulates 

Adaptive Technologies Group congratulates QSC on their 

50th anniversary and recognizes them as a true leader in 

the Pro-AV industry. Thank you for the amazing products 

and your dedication to the Audio & Cinema community. 

AV Mounting 

Systems 

QSC ADS-S12 & ADS-S112-SW 

Mounted with Adaptives MultiMount ® MM-120 

and custom developed Dual Mount U-Bracket 

Direct View LED Mounting Systems 

• Surround Mounts & Hardware 

• Digital Signage 

• Direct View LED Mounts 

• Projector Lifts & Mounts 

www.adapttechgroup.com 

cinema@adapttechgroup.com 

562-424-1100 


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In Praise of QSC 

I didn’t know a decibel from a cowbell. But thanks to the 

incredible support of Barry Ferrell, Danny Pickett and the 

incomparable Jon Graves, the mission was accomplished to 

perfection. When you have studio chiefs, talent, directors and 

producers walking out of The Colosseum with huge smiles 

on their faces talking about the great presentation, need I say 

more? Congratulations, QSC, on your 50th anniversary. You 

are part of the lifeblood and true success of CinemaCon.” 

—Mitch Neuhauser, 

Managing Director, CinemaCon 

“Over the past 50 years, QSC has cemented their place 

as leaders on the forefront of innovation. In the 20+ years 

we’ve been in business with QSC, we’ve seen them reshape 

the industry with their inventive solutions to problems, both 

through technological breakthroughs and novel product 

introductions. They have given us the tools we need to exceed 

customer expectations, elevating the cinema experience for 

audiences across the country. QSC isn’t just ‘on the cutting 

edge’—they are sharpening the edge.” 

—Patty Boucher, 

President/CEO, American Cinema Equipment 

ring reliable, scalable 

“Around 1984, I was seeking a source for power amplifiers, 

as Dolby Labs was introducing a line of complete sound 

systems. qsc I scheduled at visits a with glance 

two manufacturers of power 

amplifiers. The first visit and meeting at a prominent firm feedback from my customers, all of which allows my team to 

was rather Uniquely difficult. leveraging Unfortunately a broad range for them, of technologies my next under visit one roof, QSC focus products on selling and systems and not outperform being bogged the sum down of their with parts customer by delivering reliable, scalable 

was to QSC. 

and flexible solutions for professional installed, portable, production, 

complaints 

corporate and 

and 

cinema 

equipment 

customers 

returns. I still go back to my field 

worldwide. 

I was quite struck with QSC’s facility and location—basically 

a couple of Quonset huts on a busy street, close to the 

beach. The employees and the vibe of the place immediately 

• Over 500 employees at QSC offices around the globe 

• 1000s of channel partners and service affiliates worldwide 

• Comprehensive sales, distribution and support partner network in over 100 countries 

• QSC offices in North America, Europe and Asia 

• Worldwide multi-language training and customer support 

impressed me. Industrious yet somehow laid-back. 

QSC’s reputation for quality, reliability and friendly customer 

service was already established. Ultimately, I chose 

QSC. Others in the industry saw Dolby’s choice as a product 

endorsement and followed suit. Congrats, QSC, you’re a class 

act and have earned your incredible success.” 

—Sam Chavez, 

Bay Area Cinema Products 

“Words cannot do justice to how I feel about the team at 

QSC. Back in 2010 when CinemaCon plans first started for 

converting The Colosseum in Caesars Palace into a state-ofthe-art 

theatre, the task was daunting and overwhelming— 

conferencing 

simplified 

AV solutions for reliable meetings 

“QSC has always had the best amplifiers in the cinema 

market, I learned that by listening to the many field technicians 

that I’ve worked with in my career. After opening Integrity 

Entertainment Systems in 2003, I learned this firsthand, not 

only from my field team, but also with the support I receive 

directly from QSC, the reliability of their products, the 

team to see how these new products have been received and 

the answer is always the same: ‘It saves us time, it doesn’t 

break down, it’s easier to service.’ I rely on QSC for their 

reliable products and their incredible support.” 

—Gary Engvold, President, 

Integrity Entertainment Systems, LLC 

“In the mid to late 1980s in our MTS days, our fairly 

longtime amp supplier decided to raise prices significantly. 

This set us on a mission to get sample amps from around 15 

vendors, which we proceeded to test vigorously. Our testing 

led to the failure of all but the QSC Series One amps. That led 

us to a very long and satisfying relationship with the Andrews 

brothers and their team. Hats off to the gang at QSC!” 

—Mel Hopland, 

President, Bright Star Systems 

th year 

QSC purchases USL (UltraStereo Labs), 

the company’s first acquisition 

QSC deploys Q-SYS TM 

real-time operating 

system on standard server hardware and 

expands presence in EMEA 

QSC celebrates its 50th year 

2017 2017 2018 


098-113.indd 112 

4/4/18 2:34 PM

We congratulate QSC on 

50 years of innovation. 

calable 

CONGRATULATES 

conferencing 

simplified 

AV solutions for reliable meetings 

Robert and Andrew Sunshine 

The Film Expo Group 


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a Good 

ol'(new) 

Time 

Study Shows That the Drive-in 

Is Still Going Strong 

by Rebecca Pahle 

There are a couple of misconceptions 

about drive-in theatres that Lee Evans, 

and Donna and Rod Saunders 

would like to dispel. 

One: They’re a sordid make-out spot 

where teens go to park and party. Not 

true, says Donna Saunders, co-owner 

with husband Rod of Ohio’s two-location 

Field of Dreams Drive-in. “It’s not like 

that anymore. I joke that the teenagers 

don’t know what we used to do back then!” 

Donna chuckles. “It’s very much familyoriented 

now. You do get groups of teenagers 

that come in, but they camp outside 

their vehicles. They have their lawn chairs, 

and everybody sits outside and enjoys the 

movie together.” 

Two: The drive-in movie theatre is 

dead. There are a few still hanging around, 

sure, but the bulk of them shuttered their 

gates when audiences turned en masse to 

the multiplex. The ones still in existence 

are tumbleweed-infested dinosaurs, their 

business model no longer relevant to the 

wider world of exhibition. 

Wrong, wrong and wrong again. 

And you don’t have to rely on anecdotal 

evidence to know it: Cold, hard data from 

SurveyMe’s 2018 study on drive-in movie 

theatres, presented at the 18th annual 

UDITOA (United Drive-in Theatre 

Owners Association) Convention, paints 

a picture of a corner of the exhibition 

world that’s far from dead. In fact, argues 

SurveyMe CEO and founder Lee Evans, 

moviegoers want more of the drive-in 

experience. “They want more drive-ins 

and more drive-ins open year-round. 

Obviously, in states like Pennsylvania and 

Ohio, where drive-ins are the strongest, 

that’s not possible, because of the weather. 

But I think there’s room for more drive-ins 

to be opened.” 

SurveyMe’s drive-in survey polled 

nearly 4,000 moviegoers representing 116 

drive-in theatres across 36 states, a number 

that represents a third of the country’s 

total. 71% of the respondents were female, 

and 57% were of a “‘family unit’ age”—aka 

a person between the ages of 31 and 50, 

the most likely demographic to bring 

children to the drive-in. Indeed, 25% of 

drive-in attendees cite “family experience” 

as the number-one factor behind their 

visits to the drive-in. 

Those in the 31-50 range are also 

willing to travel the longest distance to get 

to a drive-in theatre: 39.1 miles, more than 

twice the distance your average moviegoer 

is willing to traverse to visit an indoor, or 

“hardtop,” theatre. “On a regular basis,” 

says Donna, Field of Dreams attendees 

116-134.indd 116 

4/4/18 4:02 PM

Survey Says… 

SurveyMe asked 3,783 moviegoers, representing 

116 U.S. drive-in movie theatres across 36 states 

11 questions about their drive-in movie theatre 

experience. This survey was conducted between 

December 2017 and January 2018, and then analyzed 

by age and gender. 

This survey’s results may not be completely accurate 

for each drive-in, as they all have their own individual 

needs, but the methodology used for collecting the data 

is statistically sound and verifiable. 

Of the 3,783 respondents, 96% have visited a drivein 

and 84% visited within the last 12 months. 71% of 

respondents were female (31% between the ages of 31 

and 40) and their responses suggest they are the gender 

most likely to influence their friends and families’ 

decision to go to the drive-in. 

Overall, the largest group of respondents at 30% 

were between the ages of 31 and 40, 27% of respondents 

were in the 41-50 age bracket and 23% of respondents 

can be defined as Millennials (18- to 30-year-olds). 

Overall, the average age for drive-in moviegoers 

tends to be older than hardtop movie theatres, but 

Millennials comprise a more significant age demographic 

at drive-ins than the Baby Boomer generation. 

While generational influence is crucial to drive-ins, 

social media and word of mouth are popular amongst 

Millennials. SurveyMe discovered that there are two 

demographics significant to the future of drive-in movie 

theatres: “Rockstar Memory-Makers” and “Millennial 

Memory-Makers.” 

A drive-in Rockstar Memory-Maker is a female 

between 35 and 45 and the strongest advocate for the 

future of drive-ins. The number-one reason Rockstar 

Memory-Makers state for going to the drive-in is “a 

family experience” and they are typically the decisionmakers 

determining whether their family will attend the 

drive-in. 

Still, Rockstar Memory-Makers want more value and 

flexibility within their family experience and they don’t 

hesitate to vocalize the changes they want made. 56% 

of suggestions regarding children’s play areas came 

from Rockstar Memory-Makers, 37% of all comments to 

ban smoking or smoke-free areas came from Rockstar 

Memory-Makers, and only 0.5% of Rockstar Memory- 

Makers suggested alcohol should be sold at drive-ins. 

Millennial Memory-Makers were the second most 

engaged feedback group and 41% made positive 

suggestions about how to improve their experience. This 

group is one of the most active on social media, and it’s 

no surprise that 58% purchase movie tickets online or 

via an app ahead of the movie showing. They also don’t 

mind spending money to get food items that interest 

them, spending 27% more at the concession area per 

visit (on average) than other age groups. 

Despite this, 10% of Millennials admit 

to wanting to bring their own food into 

the drive-in, although 14% of Millennials 

also want some form of car delivery at 

the drive-in. In other words, variety and 

personalization are important factors in their 

decision-making process. 

Qualitative evidence (seen through 

open-ended comment questions) implies 

drive-ins are a low-cost social experience for younger 

generations. To encourage this experience, drive-in 

owners should consider creating a safe social space for 

Millennials. Today’s Millennials will be the family drivein 

Memory-Makers within ten years. 

Here are some other key findings from the 11 

questions asked on the survey: 

The older you are, the more likely you are to 

have visited a drive-in and the more likely you are to 

recommend that experience to your social network; 99% 

of respondents over 51 have been to a drive-in, making 

them the influencers of future drive-in Memory-Makers. 

Overall, guests are 25.2 times more positive (scoring 

6-10) than negative (scoring 0-4) about visiting a 

drive-in—in fact, 72% of respondents said they were 

“extremely likely” (score of 10) to recommend visiting 

to a friend. This means both genders are equally 

evangelical about the drive-in experience within their 

social network. 

The data also shows that the average distance a 

drive-in moviegoer will travel is just over twice as far as 

the average travel distance to a hardtop (18.1 miles on 

average). 

Interestingly, Millennials will also travel more than 

twice as far for a drive-in experience (38.5 mile average) 

than to a hardtop theatre (16.3 mile average). 

This study found that the top five reasons to visit 

included: Family Experience, Nostalgia, Personal Space, 

Atmosphere, and Multiple Movie Viewings. 

Quite simply, the older you are the less pre-show 

advertising you want to see. As each demographic 

increases, the tolerance to pre-show advertising 

decreases by at least 30 seconds. 

The top five genres are: 

▶ Comedy (81%)—most popular with women (83%) 

▶ Action (76%)—most popular with men (86%) 

▶ Adventure (70%) 

▶ Family (68%) 

▶ Animation (62%) 

Fountain soda (84%) is the most popular beverage 

across genders and age demographics and bottled 

water (53-62%) is the second most popular choice, but 

iced tea (41%) is consistently purchased across all age 

demographics. 

Though 11% of male and 12% of female guests are 

happy with their current experience, over 2,500 ideas for 

improvement were presented (25% coming from the 31-40 

age demographic). 

Lee Evans 


116-134.indd 117 

4/4/18 4:02 PM

“usually come from 50 miles away. And 

specifically in our Liberty Center location, 

it’s not unusual to have international 

folks”—visitors from Australia, Denmark 

and “all over the place” who want a taste of 

good, old-fashioned Americana. 

Your average moviegoer, per the 

MPAA, visits a hardtop theatre 3.4 times 

a year. SurveyMe found that that number 

among drive-in attendees jumps to five 

annual visits. Narrow the field to the key 

18-23 demographic, and it’s six. If you 

think those figures are impressive, know 

that they actually undersell the level of 

loyalty drive-in movie theatres typically see 

from their customers, since—as pointed 

out by the survey—many drive-ins are only 

open six months out of every 12. 

Through statistics, the reality of the 

modern drive-in landscape emerges. The 

drive-in is populated by loyal, passionate 

customers. It’s centered around community. 

The drive-in experience is not sitting down, 

shutting up and watching a picture. “It’s 

more of a group experience instead of an 

individual car experience now,” Rod says. 

“The chairs and the camping equipment 

that’s available now at very low prices 

have changed the drive-in. People get to 

our drive-in, they set up their little camp 

area for the night, and they’re ready to be 

entertained. Part of that entertainment 

is: Who are you going to meet, and who 

are you going to make friends with? 

Everybody’s there for the same reason and 

the same goal. If you’re a young family 

and you have little kids and they’re noisy, 

nobody’s upset about that. If you take them 

to an indoor [theatre], people get upset. At 

the drive-in, nobody cares.” 

“You’ll see people talk amongst their 

vehicles,” adds Donna. “They didn’t know 

each other before they got there. But 

by the end of the night, they’re got new 

friends, people who just happened to park 

next to them.” 

“It’s inexpensive, but not cheap,” says 

Rod; at the Field of Dreams theatres, it’s 

$25 per carload of people, plus an additional 

$5 if you want to bring your own food. 

(Individual prices are available as well.) “For 

$30, a family of five or six can come in and 

have a great time, from seven at night to 

two in the morning. There aren’t too many 

places that you can do that.” 

And it’s not just families with young 

kids that love the drive-in. Millennials, 

too, are among drive-in theatres’ most 

loyal customers; per SurveyMe’s findings, 

“qualitative evidence suggests that the 

drive-in is a popular low-cost social 

experience for younger generations.” 

Contrary to conventional opinion, the 

survey indicates that “Millennials comprise 

a more significant age demographic at 

drive-ins than Baby Boomers.” 

Millennials “are coming because the 

online social capital that they’re so busy 

building is driven by the excitement and 

the entertainment and the experiential 

value they get” from drive-in theatres’ more 

social-oriented atmosphere, Evans explains. 

“You’ve got a group of Millennials who are 

passionate about these experiences. They 

absolutely love it. It’s unique.” 

Though many erroneously associate 

drive-ins with the past, much of what 

moviegoers love about them is reflective 

of the issues that the exhibition industry 

as a whole is dealing with today. The 

communal atmosphere of the drive-in 

echoes that which the ever-more-popular 

realm of event cinema strives to achieve. 

As indoor movie theatres struggle with if/ 

how to allow to phones and social media, 

drive-ins take advantage of the fact that 

younger generations find the drive-in 

experience inherently more #hashtaggable 

and #FOMO-inducing (that’s “Fear Of 

Missing Out” in Insta-slang) than its 

hardtop counterpart. 

And the owners of drive-in cinemas, 

Evans explains, are a nimble bunch who 

“listen and take action” based on the desires 

of customers. At the Field of Dreams, that 

translates to their own version of reserved 

seating (you can pay $10 to claim a spot 

in advance, enabling you to roll up in your 

packed minivan at the last moment) and 

the seat-side (well, car-side) delivery of 

pizza. When summer rolls around, ice 

cream is getting added to the menu. 

That results in high customer 

commitment, shown in the average drivein 

Net Promoter Score—reflecting how 

likely a customer is to recommend a 

business to others—of 9.3 out of ten. “The 

only company I’ve ever seen with that high 

of a Net Promoter Score is Apple at its 

height. It’s because [owners] listen to their 

guests that the guests are so committed 

and engaged and return more frequently 

than they do to a hardtop.” Donna 

estimates, based on Field of Dreams’ 

loyalty program, that around 20 percent 

of their visitors are regular customers who 

“come back on a monthly basis. A much 

smaller percentage are even more regular 

than that, coming two or three times a 

month.” 

People still love drive-in theatres. 

They always have, despite their decreasing 

numbers over the years. Evans argues 

that the closing of drive-ins has less to do 

with audience apathy than “the financial 

angle,” specifically regarding tax money—a 

big-box store is going to bring in more 

taxes than a drive-in theatre on the same 

plot of land. The drive-in that Donna and 

Rod Saunders went to when then were 

growing up, Rod recalls, closed because, as 

the nearby town grew, “it was harder and 

harder [for] them to operate with all the 

lights and noise pollution.” Nowadays, the 

drive-in world has gotten more niche— 

but, conversely, more accessible in some 

ways, given the increased availability of 

affordable sound and digital projection 

equipment. “Drive-ins are known for not 

having the best equipment, but still putting 

up a good picture,” Rod says. “As the price 

comes down on equipment, I think you’ll 

start seeing [more] drive-ins pop up.” 

Rod and Donna’s experience—and the 

information laid out by SurveyMe—reveal 

a beloved bit of American culture that 

belongs to the present and the future, not 

just the past. “The drive-in industry is not 

dying. It doesn’t have as big of a footprint 

as it did in its heyday, but they’re alive and 

doing well,” Rod asserts. “If you get out to 

one, you’re going to have a great time. It’s 

awful hard not to have a good time at a 

drive-in. You gotta be one miserable type 

of person not to have fun. That’s the point 

that really needs to be made.” 


116-134.indd 118 

4/4/18 4:02 PM

DECLARATION 

OF INDEPENDENCE 

Exhibitor Alliance Aims to Preserve the Cinema Experience 

by Andreas Fuchs 

As the exhibition industry becomes 

ever more global—as evidenced 

in this month’s CinemaCon 2018 

coverage—we must not forget that all business 

is local. And that there is probably no 

other segment of this industry that knows 

their respective moviegoing markets better 

than the independent theatre owner and 

operator. 

Randy Hester, president and chief executive 

officer of Hometown Cinemas (www. 

hometowncinemas.com), is one of those 

exhibitors, and he’s joined the Independent 

Cinema Alliance, a new advocacy group 

(ICA, www.cinemaalliance.org). “We give 

independents a voice they otherwise lack on 

industry issues,” Hester says of the mission, 

also naming “developments that threaten 

the survival of independents and the overall 

health of the motion picture industry,” 

such as PVOD and otherwise shrinking 

windows. “We are all about representing the 

independent and small-town theatre owner. 

All of us have our unique points of view and 

we never had a voice. Hundreds of companies 

on their own are much less likely to get 

the attention of studios and other industry 

stakeholders. The ICA gives a voice to independents 

they otherwise would not have. 

And it is a much more efficient way for 

them to get their concerns actually heard.” 

Film Journal International is pleased to 

present this exclusive conversation during 

the early days and weeks of the Independent 

Cinema Alliance, ahead of meetings 

and further announcements scheduled at 

CinemaCon. The organization is still refining 

its goals and structure. “We are in the 

process of forming our board, going through 

the actual corporate formation,” Hester explains, 

pointing out a unique opportunity to 

help shape a new organization. The Alliance 

is currently managed by a task force of likeminded 

exhibitors including Bill Campbell 

(Orpheum Theatre, Sheldon, Wyoming), 

Byron Berkley (www.foothillsentertainment.com), 

Jeff Benson (www. 

cinergy.com), Gina DiSanto 

(www.pearltheatres.com) and Joe 

Paletta (www.spotlighttheatres. 

com), all of whom volunteer their 

time and expertise. In addition, the 

ICA also counts on the support of 

a steering committee, Hester says, 

comprised of ten independent exhibitors 

“who provide the task force with direction 

and guidance on issues of concern.” 

“Independent theatre owners know one 

another very well,” Hester notes, giving 

credit to Bill Campbell as their leader. “He 

has a lot of experience in general industry 

issues and helping to get things done. Bill 

realized that there was a need for this kind 

of group. Small theatre owners like myself 

looked at this and agreed, ‘You’re absolutely 

right, we need a voice, and this is a terrific 

way to have one.’” 

How is this approach different from 

committees that are already part of our 

industry organization, such as NATO? 

“Those are important and effective voices,” 

Hester acknowledges. “NATO does great, 

great work, and we do exist alongside their 

advocacy on behalf of our industry. ICA is 

not part of NATO. Our purpose is a little 

bit different, and we only represent a small 

segment of the industry, whereas NATO’s 

combined membership represents over 90 

percent of box-office market share,” he estimates. 

“So, they cast a vastly wider net than 

we do in terms of membership. We are more 

of a niche, and we can focus on just the issues 

that our members feel to be important. The 

issues that independents face can sometimes 

be different from the bigger companies. Like 

availability of prints, for example. Because of 

our size, smaller theatres can get overlooked. 

So, we needed a voice that could talk about 

those kinds of specific issues. In addition, 

unlike NATO, the ICA will not conduct any 

lobbying efforts.” 

At press time, ICA had about 110 

companies onboard, operating some 1,200 

screens—from single auditoriums in small 

Randy Hester 

towns to multiplexes in larger 

cities, with some members operating 

just one theatre and others 

managing multiple locations. 

They are located across 35 of the 

United States and in two Canadian 

provinces and represent a domestic 

box-office market share of roughly 

20 percent. “The point of ICA is to show 

that combined, this is a significant part of 

the industry,” Hester adds. “We need to 

speak with one voice rather than be fragmented 

among hundreds of companies that 

represent thousands of screens. This is a 

much more efficient way to communicate 

going in both directions.” 

Heading into Las Vegas, “We are going 

to have a presence at CinemaCon to 

answer questions and listen to what our 

members want,” Hester assures. “We want 

to hear from them about what is important 

to them. Owning theatres is their livelihood, 

and it takes on a much higher level 

of importance. Sometimes they do not have 

access to the studios, or they feel uncomfortable 

calling them on their own with 

questions or suggestions or complaints. That 

is why the Independent Cinema Alliance is 

here. If we do not hear from our members, 

then we are not of much good.” 

With an anticipated not-for-profit 

status and a membership that is free at this 

time, the Independent Cinema Alliance 

will be doing much good, for sure. “We are 

asking for and have received financial contributions 

to help offset costs. We are really 

pleased with the response,” Hester gratefully 

acknowledges, “and with the progress 

that the Alliance has made so far.” Hester 

encourages everyone to sign up and become 

a member, bringing their indie best to the 

exhibition-distribution table. “Nobody 

knows their market better than the local 

theatre owner. I absolutely believe we can 

bring forward good ideas, because all of us 

are on the front line with the customers. At 

the end of the day, our customers matter 

the most.” 


116-134.indd 120 

4/4/18 4:02 PM

changing 

with thetimes 

Alan Roe and JACRO 

Continue to Serve Cinemas’ Needs 


JACRO (aka Jack Roe Companies) bills 

itself as a global cinema IT company 

with a primary focus on managing five 

sub-sectors: PoS (Point of Sale), digital 

signage, mobile apps, phone systems and 

websites. 

According to CEO Alan Roe, the “PoS” 

label is misleading, as it’s too narrow a 

definition for an overall area that is the key 

driver of the company’s multigenerational 

success. “It’s what the systems started out as, 

not what they are today,” he notes. 

“All the ‘PoS companies’ have written 

so much more than a point-of-sale 

system. Time clock, inventory, gift cards, 

loyalty system, purchase ordering, payroll…the 

list goes on. 

“Now our Analytics services are becoming 

so extensive that we’re wondering if it’s 

worth offering those also as a bolt-on product. 

I had no particular appetite to get into 

the market, but if we get attacked, then we 

have to react.” 

Comprehensive 

PoS solutions 

For JACRO, its cinema PoS system is 

the main source of the data that facilitates 

interoperability and cross-functionality. It is 

best and most powerful when customers deploy 

PoS alongside the IT provider’s other 

products. This is for a couple of reasons. 

According to Roe, “The first is convenience. 

Customers can quickly move between 

scheduling their performances, then push out 

a notification to their mobile app users, and 

finally reschedule the trailers in their lobbies. 

“Cinema managers are so busy that we 

feel it’s little time savings like this that help 

our customers to leave their desks clean 

and on time—a few minutes saved in not 

needing to re-enter data and a minute or 

two saved by not needing to switch between 

programs adds up, and that’s a huge part of 

our proposition. 

“The second reason is data 

accessibility. If we’ve written 

something for ticketing, then the 

data is immediately available for the 

other features. It’s live too. So there’s no 

API, no integration costs, no integration 

delay, no one-hour lag, and no confusion of 

what fields/data mean.” 

JACRO also has customers who utilize 

its bolt-on modules as standalone products, 

often using them in tandem with one or 

more products of a competitor, but Roe is 

fine with that scenario. “I feel that we’re 

competitive, but we’re not aggressive. If 

a cinema is happy with their product, we 

don’t phone them every week trying to 

catch them on a bad day. 

“I’m pleased that they’re happy, even 

if it’s with a competitor’s product. We see 

it as a big pie that everyone can enjoy. Just 

last week I recommended a competitor’s 

product because of the way that the conversation 

was going. We’re a good fit for 

cinemas that ‘get’ the complete package 

that we’re able to provide.” 

Overseas coverage 

JACRO has an international footprint, 

with its two strongest markets where they 

have established offices, in the U.S. (Nashville, 

TN) and Europe (Ross-on-Wye, 

U.K.). In some cases, they service just a 

single location in a country, but that can 

sometimes be more trouble than it’s worth. 

“One country that we recently moved 

into has a special tax printer that is controlled 

by the government,” he says. “Although at 

first it sounded like a small change, it took 

weeks of development to fulfill all of the 

government requirements. But now that the 

work is done, we’re the natural choice for any 

new cinemas in that country.” 

Sometimes accessibility to customers can 

also be a challenge, even in countries where 

its offices are based. In the U.S., they have 

one customer that it takes three flights to 

Alan Roe, great-grandson 

of JACRO's founder, 

and an early company ad. 

reach, and in the U.K. the slow 

roads around some parts of the 

country can mean that it’s quicker 

to fly to a customer located abroad 

than to drive to one in the same country. 

But, with modern communications and 

cutting-edge technology, updates and troubleshooting 

a customer on the other side of 

the planet can often be done remotely and 

considerably faster than in-person. 

Evolving family business 

Alan Roe, great-grandson of the company’s 

founder, is at the helm today of this 

multigenerational organization. “It’s not been 

without its challenges,” he admits. “When 

my parents, Brian and Juliet, became involved 

in the family business, they were several years 

older than I was when I came on full-time. 

They brought with them much more experience. 

It was actually my mum’s background 

in computers that led us to starting a computer 

division, originally unrelated to cinema, 

in 1982. We still have most of those customers, 

35 years later. For me, the timing didn’t 

work like that—the opportunity came much 

sooner, and it wasn’t something that could 

be postponed. So, it’s been a lot of mistakes, 

a lot of late nights and that’s taken its toll on 

my personal life too.” 

There is a constant need to reinvent 

the company and its products and that can 

prove tiring, Roe confides. “One point of 

encouragement for me has been to look 

back at the change that has happened in the 

past,” he says. The company has reinvented 

itself over the decades, and he believes that 

despite all the changes, things aren’t all that 

different now from how they always have 

been for the organization. 

“For years, reselling carbons was our 

primary source of income. In the late 1940s/ 

early 1950s we focused on reconditioning 

spools and other equipment because of 

metal shortages,” Roe recounts. “I’m told 

that my grandfather, Ron, was able to take 


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spools and carefully restore them back into 

pristine condition, using skills similar to a 

panel beater on a car.” 

The company eventually commenced 

manufacturing splicing tape and this took 

over as its primary source of income for 

over a decade. Since Roe does not have any 

children or heirs to potentially turn the 

family business over to down the road, he is 

considering buying subscriptions to various 

business journals to get his nephews started 

at any early age. “They’re only two and four, 

though, so maybe there’s an audio version.” 

Digital transition 

and transformation 

“Beyond a doubt, the biggest change 

that I have seen so far is from 35mm to 

digital,” Roe says. “At one time, 35mm supplies 

were not just the bread but the bloodline 

of our company. There’s some left, but 

it’s just as a peripheral business now.” 

During the industry’s digital metamorphosis, 

first the console manufacturers 

were affected, as things became more 

competitive because of a slump in projector 

sales; then the projector manufacturers, 

as complete machines were stripped for 

parts, and finally the supplies business was 

impacted. Cinemas needed supplies right 

up until their final 35mm show, which kept 

JACRO in the game. 

As Roe came onboard in 2005, it was 

the start of a chain of analog/35mm market 

destruction at the core of the exhibition 

business, and fortunately it was the tail end 

of that downward trend. 

“I guess it was classic good news, bad 

news,” he recalls. “The death warrant was 

being signed for our core business, but we 

were put to the bottom of the pile. We 

could see it happening from the sidelines, 

but more like in slow motion. It was a huge 

amount of work transitioning into purely an 

IT business, but we had plenty of notice and 

a strong IT product and PoS installation 

base to begin with.” 

CinemaCon preview 

“We are always debuting something 

new at CinemaCon,” Roe declares. 

“Sometimes it’s a harebrained scheme that 

amounts to nothing. I remember once (under 

my misdirection) we spent considerable 

investment on projectorparts.com, a central 

repository of parts information from where 

cinema dealers could easily upload lists of 

wonderful and weird projector parts.” 

Aside from a few really strange inquiries 

where the team dug parts from 

the corners of remote warehouses around 

the U.S. and sent them off to Asia, it all 

amounted to nothing for the company. 

“Just a total waste of time and money,” according 

to Roe. “But that’s part of the fun 

of it. In the same way that a cinema looks 

at the release schedule, wondering where 

the box-office gold is hidden in the year 

ahead, for us it is products and features.” 

At CinemaCon last year, JACRO 

launched internetticketing.com, the online 

portal for its ticketing system, TaPoS. Says 

Roe, “I’ve never launched a product with 

such a positive response before. It was overwhelming, 

and that was very encouraging. 

It’s been under rapid development ever 

since, now incorporating our digital signage, 

mobile app integration, etc.” 

Imitation is often a form of flattery, and 

JACRO has witnessed major competitors 

launching their own equivalents, but Roe 

remains focused on remaining ahead of the 

pack. At this year’s Caesars Palace tradeshow, 

they will be launching some major 

new features for internetticketing.com. 

In his view, “lots of cinema websites 

aren’t very good, and they take too long to 

maintain. That can hurt a cinema’s business.” 

JACRO aims to save them time and 

money, while also helping increase the flow 

of customers. “But then I know that my 

competitors are reading this, so is that really 

the horse that our money is on, or is it the 

one that we put in the race as a distraction? 

Again, that’s where the fun is. This isn’t 

business really, it’s poker,” he adds coyly. 

Looking forward, 

ahead of the curve… 

There’s only one guarantee, and that’s 

that it will change. “For this I will refer to 

my grandfather [ Jack’s son], or more specifically 

a radio interview that he did in the 

1970s,” says Roe, “about a decade before the 

first real multiplex.” 

He said, “In the next ten years there will 

be small video cinemas, instead of projected 

film, the big screen will be operated by video, 

a fairly big screen in a small cinema. I envisage 

a rather small plush cinema with perhaps 

not the normal cinema seats in rows, displays 

about a hundred feet, displays here there and 

everywhere and perhaps a small bar at the 

back where they can have a drink. 

“Even television in years to come, the 

actors will actually be on your carpet. You’ll 

either walk around them or walk through 

them. The trouble at the moment is the 

product. We haven’t got the product at the 

moment. When films like Grease and Saturday 

Night Fever came out, I noticed a big 

uptake in business.” 

“That’s a nice summary of the current 

trends and cyclical nature of the cinema 

industry, recorded over 40 years ago,” says 

Roe. “It’s a reminder also that it’s the story 

and production that sells the event. Everyone 

knows that the computer-game industry is 

huge. What have they developed even more 

than their graphics capabilities over the past 

decades? The stories behind the games. The 

plots. I’d much rather see a classic movie in a 

fleapit than a bad one with great tech. We’re 

seeing much more diversity in cinemas too— 

small VIP screens and also megalithic PLF 

screens. Gaming arcades attached to movie 

theatres and now of course VR. I think that 

increasingly ‘cinema’ will become a broader 

term that encompasses lots more variation.” 

For a tech company like Jack Roe, this 

can only mean more opportunities. They 

will need to remain alert to both their ideas 

and those of the industry, and to help facilitate 

operations for cinema owners. “For 

example, we have already developed and 

deployed a complete module for play areas 

and VR so that users can buy blocks of time 

in a shared experience. (Maybe that’s really 

the horse our money’s on at CinemaCon.)” 

20/20 hindsight 

We asked Roe if there is anything he 

would do differently if he had the chance, 

knowing all he does now and with the benefit 

of years of cinema industry experience 

under his belt. 

“Yes. Trying to run a business without 

any experience or formal training might be 

bold, but not very smart. It turns out that 

a physics degree has very little relevance to 

running a business. 

“I looked at starting an MBA around 

2008 but decided that I was too busy at 

the time. Finally, I started it in 2016 and 

can only say that it should have been ten 

years sooner. I learned things the long, hard 

and expensive way—from experience, and 

I wouldn’t do that again or recommend it. 

There’s no sense trying to reinvent 21stcentury 

business management from scratch. 

“It’s much better to combine knowledge 

and experience with that of others, from 

books, teachers and others in the industry, 

and I was very slow to learn that. I’m less 

the enthusiastic overachiever now who 

drinks coffee all night trying to do everything 

(sometimes not very well…sleep is 

actually quite useful) and more the guy who 

takes time out for kombucha and yoga and 

tries to identify what we shouldn’t be doing 

so that we can do what we do very well. 

“Above all, I reach out to others for help 

more. I have some great colleagues who are 

as much a part of this company as I am. Certainly, 

we achieve things together that I could 

never come close to achieving by myself.” 


116-134.indd 124 

4/4/18 4:02 PM

We’ve 

Got It 

Covered! 

theprice 

of success 

New Models Are Shaking Up 

the Movie Theatre Business 

by Sonny Waheed, 

Chief Marketing Officer, Arts Alliance Media 

FJI ONLINE 

Visit www.filmjournal.com 

for breaking industry news, 

FJI’s Screener blog and reviews 

Like us on Facebook 

www.facebook.com/ 

filmjournalinternational 

Follow us on Twitter 

@film_journal 

for updates on our latest content 

Businesses the world over carve out 

their own niches by playing around 

with the four P’s of Marketing. They 

differentiate themselves from their competition 

by tweaking any of: their core Product, 

their distribution/availability (Place), how 

they Promote their brand and messaging 

and, of course, their Pricing strategy. 

Pricing has typically not been used 

as much of a differentiator amongst exhibitors. 

Most cinema operators within 

a market price themselves comparably to 

their competitors and only offer variance 

through loyalty schemes, special offers or 

seating/3D/PLF upgrades. Even then, the 

same off-peak offers can usually be found at 

cinemas across an area. The main ways audiences 

have chosen between cinemas in the 

past has been a result of their Place (location 

and film times) and Product (Is there a 

bar or just popcorn? Are there comfortable 

recliners or worn seats? Are they hosting an 

indie with a Q&A session, or are they playing 

the latest blockbuster?). 

However, this is now changing. Exhibitors 

have started to play around with their 

commercial models to drive increased loyalty, 

visits and revenue. Dynamic pricing encourages 

lucrative behavior like pre-booking 

tickets, “all-you-can-watch” memberships 

cater to a thrifty generation of cord-cutters 

who are used to paying regular entertainment 

subscriptions, and affordable family-friendly 

screenings are helping to fill otherwise empty 

auditoriums during the day. 

Pricing is becoming a key weapon in 

securing customers, and may yet prove to 

be the best way to harvest and make use of 

customer data. 

And as we’re seeing more and more in 

the news, data is all-powerful. Whoever 

“owns” the customer owns their data, and 

that can be hugely profitable as an internal 

resource as well as a resalable asset. Cinemas 

with loyalty or subscription services will 

find that the power of the data they capture 

is essential for their long-term success. 

But as exhibitors start proving the viability 

of new pricing models and implementing 

new services to keep customers coming 

back, they find themselves under threat from 

businesses whose primary focus is on the 

data, and not the customer. Entrants from 

completely outside the industry are inciting 

a value war on them and, for now at least, 

can use pricing more effectively to attract 

audiences and entice studios with the lure of 

better demographic and behavior data. 

In China, third-party online ticket 

providers regularly sell tickets significantly 

cheaper than cinemas do, and they now have 

the majority of the market share. In the U.S., 

MoviePass is happy to lose money day after 

day, because cinemagoers are now their customers, 

and not exhibitors’. And this month, 

the same model is trying to establish itself in 

the U.K. with the launch of C-Pass. 

With third-party companies muscling 

in on the sale of tickets, the perceived value 

of tickets could also be slowly eroded. Today, 

most cinemagoers think that a trip to the 

cinema is worth, say, $10. But in the new 

models, $10 is a whole month’s worth of cinema 

visits. The longer this model is available, 

the harder it will be to persuade customers to 

spend $10 to see a single film again. 

Whether these newcomers to cinema 

ticketing and their pricing models are sustainable 

in the long term is another matter 

altogether. But what is certain is that pricing 

is now a significant strategic tactic, and 

exhibitors are no longer simply competing 

amongst themselves. 

So take heed: You are no longer profiting 

fully from your customers if the only 

thing you obtain from transactions is their 

money. Their data could be just as valuable, 

if not more so. 


116-134.indd 126 

4/4/18 4:02 PM

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how long will your 

projector 

last? 

Ensuring Your Technology 

Is Reliable and Up-to-Date 

by Jeff Kaplan 

Keeping projectors and other cinema 

equipment up and running is a primary 

concern for exhibitors. If you 

own a Series 1 or an early Series 2 projector, 

you may already be facing worrisome 

cost-of-ownership issues, including more 

frequent breakdowns, longer downtime 

and rising maintenance costs. Even worse, 

manufacturers may no longer support your 

equipment—or may soon stop supporting 

it—making replacement parts expensive or 

even unavailable. 

No matter what type of projection 

equipment you own, it’s wise to periodically 

evaluate whether your current technology 

is approaching the end of its useful 

life. Here are some suggestions on how to 

approach this essential assessment. 

What are the risks? 

All exhibitors seek to keep theatres 

full to maximize ticket sales, concession 

profits and other revenue streams. The risk 

of a projector system breakdown becomes 

greater as the equipment ages. Any time 

that a computer board or some other part 

goes bad, it presents a problem for exhibitors, 

but a failure may happen at a particularly 

inopportune time, such as during the 

run of a summer or holiday blockbuster. 

A dark screen will quickly eat into your 

profits. 

The temptations 

It’s a common—and natural—impulse 

for a business to postpone or sidestep a 

large capital expenditure. For exhibitors, 

it’s tempting to delay the purchase of a 

new projector. Your current projectors are 

still working, and you’ve been able to still 

keep them running so far. Or perhaps 

you’re hoping the price of new projectors 

will drop if you wait just a little longer, or 

maybe it seems sensible to wait for 6P and 

Direct LED technologies that are now 

on the horizon. The drawback with these 

temptations is that you’ll still need to carry 

on your business with aging equipment 

until the “right” time comes along. 

Along the same lines, it may be appealing 

to buy used equipment. Similar to buying 

a used car or computer, this temptation 

also has a downside. A used projector may 

work fine in the short run, but you’re buying 

older technology and placing yourself 

farther along the maintenance cost curve. 

You’ll soon face the same high repair costs 

and breakdown risks that you’re dealing 

with now. 

When counting on these types of shortterm 

solutions, the key factor to consider is 

your level of confidence that your current 

projector will reliably bridge the gap until 

you’re ready to buy a new projector. Some 

exhibitors fall into the trap of delaying until 

a projector breaks down for good. 

What’s the secret formula? 

Unfortunately, there’s really no secret 

formula. Each exhibitor’s circumstances are 

unique. You’ll have to make a basic assessment 

of your current equipment and take a 

close look at the suitability of new technology 

at the time you make your assessment. 

The basic calculus is: If you have a Series 1 

or an early Series 2 projector and it’s been 

in use for 30,000 hours or more, consider 

whether the maintenance costs and risks of 

lost revenue due to downtime exceed the 

cost of a new projector. 

An example 

Let’s say your average concession 

revenue per patron is $4.75. During the 

week, if you average ten tickets sold per 

show, five shows per day in an eight-screen 

theatre, your daily concession revenue is 

$1,900. Subtracting payroll, concession 

inventory and other costs, so far you may 

be in the red for the week. But the new release 

for Friday night promises to fill your 

auditoriums with 200-plus patrons each. 

The expected weekend revenues could put 

you comfortably back in the black. 

Then an older projector breaks down. 

No ticket sales that weekend in that auditorium 

could cost you thousands of dollars 

in lost revenues that you’ll never recoup. 

And you still have to pay your employees, 

mortgage or rent, and other expenses. Remember, 

regardless of how wonderful your 

concession design and food variety are as 

enticements, your customers don’t come 

to your theatre to eat the popcorn. If the 

movie isn’t playing, they won’t be there to 

buy the popcorn. 

The bottom line 

At the end of the day, your projectors 

are an essential part of your business. 

Without them, you can’t drive ticket sales 

and other revenue. You’ll have to replace a 

projector at some point, and that day may 

come sooner than you hope. But you can’t 

be afraid of making a decision. 

When replacing your aging cinema 

projector, the best approach is to be in 

control. Addressing the replacement issue 

early will give you the time you need to research 

the best solution for your theatre, to 

ensure that the model you want is in stock 

and to negotiate the best price possible. 

The alternative—when your projector stops 

working and you need to get back onscreen 

immediately—is to find whatever model is 

available at whatever price. 

Jeff Kaplan, National Account Manager, 

Digital Cinema, at NEC Display Solutions 

has more than 15 years of experience in the 

digital cinema field, beginning at Texas Instruments 

in the DLP marketing division 

and currently with NEC Display Solutions 

selling digital cinema projectors and display 

technology. 


116-134.indd 128 

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Trade Show - Seminars 

Scholarship Awards Luncheon 

May 23, 2018 

Springfield, Virginia 

Information at www.midatlanticnato.com 

or call Doug Murdoch at 443-895-1446 

Mid-Atlantic NATO Proudly Supports 

of the National Capital Region 

www.varietydc.org 

Fourth Annual 

Golf Tournament 

May 22, 2018 

Untitled-2 1 

3/20/18 4:58 PM

a 

significant 

event 

ECA Founder Melissa Cogavin 

Looks Back on Six Years of Growth 

Melissa Cogavin is stepping 

down as managing director 

of the London-based Event 

Cinema Association, an 

organization for alternativecontent 

presenters and 

providers she founded 

in 2012. In this exclusive 

interview, she looks back 

on six years of remarkable 

growth of special attractions 

in the cinema space. 

Film Journal International: What was 

it that motivated you to set up the ECA in 

2012? 

Melissa Cogavin: I was consulting for 

a variety of clients all in the event cinema 

space—then called alternative content— 

and we were all working so hard to 

promote the events in cinemas, get tickets 

sold, etc. I saw that a central information 

resource was necessary to provide that 

industry credibility, cohesion amongst 

providers, a community space for people 

to gather, and crucially the branding 

essential to allow audiences to ask for 

event cinema by name, which at that point 

was completely lacking. 

FJI: What was the industry reception 

to your idea at the time and how did you 

convince people to join? 

MC: I knew I had made the 

right decision in doing this by the 

overwhelmingly warm reception I had 

amongst people I approached to be 

founder board members. Some only 

wanted to join the Association if they 

could be on the board, so I could see I was 

onto something. Selling membership after 

that was a challenge in some respects, 

as the industry was very young and the 

ECA had no track record, but the need 

for what I was offering was so obvious 

that people took a leap of faith and we 

grew fast. My experience consulting for 

distributors had given me clear insight 

into the information and activities that 

were needed to help grow the sector. 

FJI: What are you most proud of and 

what would you do differently if you had your 

time again? 

MC: I am very proud of how quickly 

we established ourselves and became the 

go-to resource for the sector given our 

nil capital injection at the start, and the 

industry support we received. I am proud 

of the events we hosted all over the world, 

including the ECA Conference and 

Awards, which were always met with such 

enthusiasm from members—time and 

time again we were told the networking 

opportunities we offered made the membership 

completely worthwhile. I am very 

proud of the Technical Delivery Handbook 

and the industry reports, which gave 

credibility to an industry that at that point 

had few tangible statistics and official 

best-practice recommendations to back up 

the passion of its creators. I’m also proud 

of the network I believe the ECA has 

done much to help grow internationally. 

I have been told that the ECA has been 

widely credited with raising the profile of 

event cinema and I am very proud of that. 

FJI: What have you learned in the last 

six years? 

MC: Running your own business 

means you have to be good at so many 

things and be able to do a lot of varied 

roles at the same time. I was chairing 

board meetings and committees, writing 

articles, talking to the press, handling 

the marketing and the website, tweeting, 

organizing events, selling membership, 

raising sponsorship, maintaining 

membership, managing staff and 

overseeing the accounts—all in a day’s 

work. 

FJI: What have you enjoyed the most 

about running the ECA? 

MC: I love the industry. I love the 

people. It’s a very approachable industry 

populated by small companies and startups, 

so it’s a very warm space. I have made 

a lot of friends in the last six years. 

FJI: What are you looking forward to 

most in your new consulting role post-ECA? 

MC: I have so many new skills now—I 

feel much more rounded as a professional. 

So I am looking forward to applying what 

I know and who I know to benefit my 

clients on a more one-to-one basis. 


116-134.indd 130 

4/4/18 4:02 PM

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D-BOX_fille_add_Film Journal.indd 1 18-03-05 16:02 

Magazine Film journal_avril 2018 8″½ X 10 7/8

Rating 

Is the Review Aggregate Site 

Getting a Fair Appraisal? 

by Kevin Hong 

As consumers, we rely on ratings 

and reviews to discern whether 

the purchase of a product or 

service is worth our hard-earned dollars. 

I cannot imagine buying a book on 

Amazon or going to a restaurant that I 

located on Yelp without inspecting its 

reviews. Movies are no different. Before 

watching a film at the theatre or even on 

Netflix, Rotten Tomatoes has been my 

trusted adviser for years. 

Thus, when numerous articles 

blaming Rotten Tomatoes for poor boxoffice 

numbers surfaced on the web last 

fall after Hollywood’s worst summer in 

20 years, without hesitation I jumped 

on the bandwagon. Last September, The 

New York Times published an article, 

“Attacked by Rotten Tomatoes,” citing 

key Hollywood executives’ hostility 

towards the movie-rating website. 

According to the piece, a CEO at a 

major movie studio made it his personal 

mission to destroy the movie-rating site. 

Not too long after, in October, legendary 

film director Martin Scorsese wrote 

an article for The Hollywood Reporter 

complaining that film-review aggregators 

such as Rotten Tomatoes “rate a 

picture the way you’d rate a horse at the 

racetrack, a restaurant in a Zagat’s guide 

or a household appliance in Consumer 

Reports.” He added, “These firms and 

aggregators have set a tone that is hostile 

to serious filmmakers—even the actual 

name Rotten Tomatoes is insulting.” 

At first, I was convinced by these 

arguments. But wait a second… 

Rotten Tomatoes is owned by 

Fandango Media, which is 70% owned 

by NBCUniversal and 30% owned by 

Time Warner. So the very executives 

who are criticizing the site work for 

companies that own it. Which made 

me wonder: Why would Hollywood 

have a site that would shoot itself in 

the foot? And can Rotten Tomatoes be 

solely blamed for the poor performance 

of movies? How much of this sentiment 

is solely anecdotal? Besides, just as a 

parent would never give up on her child, 

it’s hard to imagine an executive ever 

admitting that her film was bad. Thus, 

Rotten Tomatoes becomes the perfect 

scapegoat for a Hollywood bomb. 

If only we actually had data to see 

if there is any correlation between 

Rotten Tomatoes ratings and box-office 

numbers, wouldn’t that be great? Lucky 

for us, that data exists. A few months 

ago, Yves Bergquist, a data scientist from 

the University of Southern California’s 

Entertainment Technology Center, had a 

chance to look at the numbers. 

For those of you who took statistic 

courses back in school, the method Bergguist 

used was the Pearson Product-Moment 

Correlation Coefficient (PMCC). The 

idea of this methodology is to calculate 

the correlation between two variables, X 

and Y. If the value results in 1, this indicates 

a perfect correlation; if the value is 

-1, this indicates a perfect negative correlation. 

A value closer to 0 means that 

there is less correlation. After examining 

150 titles for 2017, the result was a 

PMCC of just 0.12, or 12%, meaning 

there is basically no correlation. Furthermore, 

according to the research, contrary 

to what might be public opinion, Rotten 

Tomatoes scores have been going up. 

The median score was 51 in the 2000s 

and in the 2010s it was 53. Last year, 

when the article was written, the median 

score was 71. 

This research seems to substantiate 

some of the inconsistencies we have 

seen. According to a recent article 

on Marketwatch, Blade Runner 2049 

had all the ingredients worthy of 

a blockbuster hit, including strong 

Rotten Tomatoes ratings, but it grossly 

underperformed at the box office. If 

Rotten Tomatoes is to blame for poor 

movie performance, why is it that we 

never hear an executive thank Rotten 

Tomatoes for a box-office hit? 

After examining the numbers, 

the attacks on Rotten Tomatoes seem 

baseless. If Hollywood is struggling 

to put more butts in seats, there’s a 

deeper problem at the core. After all, 

reductionism of movie critiques is 

nothing new. When the star rating 

system was introduced in the 1920s and 

the thumbs-up and down metrics were 

introduced in the 1980s, many industry 

experts debated whether these elemental 

judgments were helping the industry. 

Rotten Tomatoes is just a 21st-century 

remix of what happened in the past. 

What’s most fascinating about 

Berqquist’s research is that, according to 

the math, the audience’s scores and the 

critics’ scores are becoming increasingly 

correlated, according to the PMCC 

value. As of September 2017, when the 

article was published, the PMCC score 

was a whopping 0.87, an 87% correlation. 

So when Hollywood complains about 

Rotten Tomatoes scores, they are 

essentially complaining about the 

audience’s tastes. Nowadays, it’s basically 

the same thing. 

Kevin Hong is the former chief sales 

officer of Cinema Intelligence. 


116-134.indd 132 

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towards 

a more balanced 

industry 

Celluloid Junkie’s Top 50 Women List 

Salutes Groundbreaking Executives 

by Laura Houlgatte & Edna Epelbaum 

With the publication of Celluloid 

Junkie’s “Top 50 Women in 

Global Cinema,” we would like 

to take this opportunity to congratulate all 

of the nominated female industry leaders. It 

is an honor for us to be included alongside 

these inspiring women. 

In many UNIC territories, women 

make up over half of the cinema audience, 

yet they are not equally represented in the 

boardroom. Although hardly any data is 

available on the subject, estimates suggest 

that in some territories, less than six percent 

of leadership positions in cinema exhibition 

are occupied by women. 

We strongly believe that a workforce 

that reflects our audience would allow 

our sector to realize its full potential. As a 

start—and on the basis that you can only 

manage what you can measure—together 

with our national associations we are looking 

into the representation of women at all 

levels in the exhibition sector, with the intention 

of broadening our understanding of 

gender diversity in the industry and gaining 

a fuller picture, territory by territory. 

The need to promote more women into 

management positions in cinema is strongly 

rooted in a business rationale as much 

as it is in equality. Numerous studies have 

demonstrated that companies that strive 

for gender-balanced leadership outperform 

others in terms of profitability, turnover 

and shareholder value. 

Last year at CineEurope, UNIC 

launched its Women’s Cinema Leadership 

programme—a groundbreaking mentoring 

scheme for women in cinema exhibition— 

aiming to provide an opportunity for six 

talented women from the sector to receive 

one-on-one career advice, network and 

learn from outstanding women executives 

across the cinema landscape. The 

initiative was warmly welcomed by 

the industry and has proved to be a 

great success. 

It involves outstanding mentors 

such as Veronica Lindholm (CEO, Finnkino), 

Montse Gil (Vice President & General 

Manager, Paramount Spain), Corinne 

Thibaut (International Director, Cinema & 

Leisure, Coca-Cola), Dee Vassili, (Executive 

Director, Group HR, Vue Entertainment), 

Sarah Lewthwaite (Managing 

Director, Senior Vice President, EMEA 

Region, Movio) and the undersigned Edna 

Epelbaum (CEO, Cinevital, and President, 

Swiss Cinema Association). 

Equally inspiring are our mentees— 

“up-and-coming” female leaders representing 

cinema operators and associations from 

across Europe. From their passion, enthusiasm 

and vision for the industry, we can rest 

assured that the future is in good hands. 

It has been fascinating to see how 

rewarding the process has been for both 

mentors and mentees alike. A number of 

mentees have underlined how empowering 

it is to be able freely to discuss their professional 

and personal concerns with a leader 

outside their company. On the other side, 

some mentors have indicated that the experience 

has involved “reverse mentoring” as 

well; sometimes they were the ones receiving 

advice and gaining new perspectives. 

UNIC will launch the second edition of 

the programme at CineEurope in June, involving 

new mentors and mentees. We will 

work together with them to create a community 

of support and action within the 

industry, with the intention that the mentees 

of today become perhaps the mentors 

of tomorrow. Our key long-term objective 

is to broaden and deepen the talent pool for 

leadership in our sector and to further raise 

business awareness around the importance 

of more gender-balanced leadership. 

We also believe that it is equally important 

to bring the industry together 

more frequently to discuss how we can 

stimulate change. Last year at CineEurope, 

we organized a panel debate focused 

on “Women in Cinema—The Business 

Case,” which explored the issue of genderbalanced 

leadership in the industry. This 

year, we will continue the discussion and, 

together with the European Commission, 

will organize a session on the female audience. 

The panel will look into reaching the 

female audience more effectively today, 

when society and social attitudes are being 

reshaped by developments such as the 

#MeToo movement and when films with 

strong female characters, such as Wonder 

Woman, dominate the box office. 

We believe that our industry is becoming 

more committed to achieving genderbalanced 

leadership, although there is still 

much work to be done. Content is key when 

it comes to the perception of women—there 

is a clear need for more representative 

content and powerful portrayals of female 

characters. Female-led and centered films 

are key to the profit-making equation, and 

promoting more diverse leadership is high 

on UNIC’s agenda. Join us on the journey! 

Laura Houlgatte is CEO of the 

International Union of Cinemas (UNIC). 

Edna Epelbaum is CEO of Cinevital, 

President of the Swiss Cinema Association, 

and Vice President of UNIC. 


116-134.indd 134 

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We will do what it takes to help you 

going from standard to different, 

as many of our customers are doing, 

from rocker through recliners. 

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Untitled-2 1 

3/24/18 4:03 PM

Caesars’ 

Eleven 

Record Number of Studios Join NATO Show 

by Kevin Lally 

CinemaCon is setting another 

record this year, 

with an unprecedented 

eleven movie studios highlighting 

their upcoming slates. “The studios 

have a lot they want to showcase,” 

says managing director Mitch 

Neuhauser, and so the eighth annual 

convention of the National 

Association of Theatre Owners 

will eschew feature screenings for 

an array of product presentations. 

The big show runs April 23-26 at 

Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. 

With those product presentations 

comes a dazzling touch of 

showmanship. “My associates and I 

are privy to some of the plans that 

the studios have, and if even half 

of them occur, there will be things 

happening in the Colosseum that 

have never happened before—exhibitors 

will walk away floating on 

air,” Neuhauser promises. 

Disney, Fox, Lionsgate, 

Paramount, Sony, Universal and 

Warner Bros. will all be staging 

events, along with relative 

newcomer STX Entertainment. 

Focus Features will sponsor a 

luncheon following their successful 

15th-anniversary event last year. 

And Amazon Studios returns for a 

third year. “The major difference 

this year,” Neuhauser notes, “is 

that now when they address the 

delegates, they will not just be a 

supplier of product working with 

other distributors, they are now 

handling their own films.” 

The newbie at the show is 

Entertainment Studios Motion 

Richard Foreman, Jr. SMPSP © 2017 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 

© 2014 Subzero Film Ent., Altitude Film Ent., Egolitossell Film 

CinemaCon 2018 honorees include Benicio Del Toro, Dakota Johnson and Samuel L. Jackson. 


136-167.indd 136 

4/4/18 3:45 PM

Pictures, sponsors of the Wednesday morning breakfast, 

where CEO Byron Allen will outline his vision for 

the company. 

“The audience at the Colosseum isn’t there simply 

to have fun,” Neuhauser observes. “Yes, they’re being 

entertained, but they’re looking at things for the very 

first time and doing so from a business standpoint. 

They’re looking at product that they need to book, 

that they need to make forecasts on, because they 

have financial responsibilities to their boards, to their 

companies. In many instances this is the very first time 

that the theatre owners get to see anything visually 

about upcoming product and it gives them the opportunity 

to think about how those films are going to do.” 

One of the most newsworthy events at 

CinemaCon 2018 will be the Monday afternoon 

session on the opening of the Saudi Arabian market 

to movie theatres after a 35-year ban. “John Fithian 

[president of NATO] is going to spearhead the panel 

discussion and we’re delighted to have one of the top 

executives from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Redha 

Al-Haidar, president of the General Commission for 

Audiovisual Media,” Neuhauser says. “This is a huge 

opportunity. We’re honored to have him attend 

CinemaCon with some of his associates. There are 

some reports that the Saudi market could one day by 

over a billion-dollar market.” 

Monday’s International Day programming will also 

feature a one-on-one discussion between Phil Clapp 

of UNIC and Alejandro Ramírez Magaña, chair of 

the new Global Cinema Federation. “This is going 

to be the first public discussion of the initiative and 

its goals,” Neuhauser notes. “Alejandro has been an 

incredible leader and a driving force behind the GCF 

along with the other 12 founding companies.” Ramírez 

Magaña is also the first non-American to receive 

NATO’s prestigious Marquee Award. 

Other highlights include the first address to the 

industry by new MPAA chairman and CEO Charles 

Rivkin; an “Industry Think Tank” featuring insights 

from Fox chairman and CEO Stacey Snider, Cinemark 

CEO Mark Zoradi and Avatar producer Jon Landau; 

and a panel on the success of independent and specialty 

films featuring executives from Fox Searchlight, 

Focus Features and NEON. 

As always, the show culminates with the Cinema- 

Con “Big Screen Achievement Awards” ceremony. At 

press time, this year’s honorees included Samuel L. 

Jackson, Dakota Johnson, Benicio Del Toro, Jonah Hill, 

Kate McKinnon and Girls Trip breakout star Tiffany 

Haddish. 

Highlights 

Monday, April 23 

International Day Awards Luncheon, 

including honors for Caribbean Cinemas’ 

Robert Carrady, 20th Century Fox 

International’s Kurt Rieder and Jurassic 

World: Fallen Kingdom director J.A. 

Bayona, 12 Noon-1:30 pm 

“The New Frontier: Saudi Arabia” Panel 

Discussion, 2:30-3:30 pm 

Sony Pictures Entertainment Gala Opening 

Night Studio Event, with After-Party at 

Omnia, 6:30-10:30 pm 

Tuesday, April 24 

“The State of the Industry” Program, 

including a Presentation from Walt 

Disney Studios, 9:00-11:30 am 

Warner Bros.’ “The Big Picture” Product 

Preview, 4:00-5:45 pm 

“An Evening with STX Films,” 7:30-9:00 pm 

Paramount Pictures Presents “Lights, 

Camera, Action Point,” 9:15-11:00 pm 

Wednesday, April 25 

Breakfast and Presentation from 

Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures, 

7:45-9:30 am 

Universal Pictures Product Presentation, 

10:00-11:30 am 

Luncheon and Focus Features Product 

Presentation, 2:15-2:00 pm 

“Industry Think Tank: Meeting the 

Expectations of the Savvy Moviegoer,” 

2:45-3:45 pm 

Paramount Pictures Product Presentation, 

4:30-6:00 pm 

Will Rogers “Pioneer of the Year” Dinner 

honoring Tom Cruise, 7:15-9:30 pm 

Thursday, April 26 

Independent and Specialty Market Panel, 

8:15-9:30 am 

Twentieth Century Fox Product 

Presentation, 10:00-11:30 am 

Luncheon and Amazon Studios Program, 

12:15-2:00 pm 

Lionsgate Product Presentation, 2:30-4:15 pm 

CinemaCon Big Screen Achievement 

Awards Ceremony, 7:30-9:15 pm 

Big Screen Achievement Awards After- 

Party, 9:30-11:30 pm 


136-167.indd 137 

4/4/18 3:45 PM

Global 

Strength 

NATO’s John Fithian Sees Passion for Cinema Across the Board 


John Fithian 

President, NATO 

‘ 

With everything 

happening in our 

space right now, 

I think the 

most historic is 

welcoming 

a country that 

has not had cinema 

for over 35 years— 

the Kingdom 

of Saudi Arabia. 

’ 

The world welcomes the 

movies. And CinemaCon 

welcomes the world. “One of the 

major new themes this year for 

CinemaCon is the globalization of 

our industry,” notes John Fithian, 

president and chief executive 

officer of the National Association 

of Theatre Owners (NATO). 

“Last June in Barcelona, 12 of the 

largest exhibition companies in the 

world, along with our counterparts 

at European trade body UNIC, 

launched the Global Cinema 

Federation. Many more companies 

are now signing up to join, and 

International Day at CinemaCon 

will provide further opportunity 

for exhibitors from around the 

world to learn from each other. 

Our key issues are now global, such 

as preserving theatrical exclusivity 

and fighting movie theft, as we are 

working with our content providers 

to achieve the best technological 

presentation of their movies in our 

members’ cinemas.” 

At press time, there were 

“almost a thousand delegates for 

our international programming 

alone,” Fithian reports. Attendees 

from more than 90 countries are 

expected at Caesars Palace in Las 

Vegas, Nevada, for the full week. 

As this will certainly result in 

another record-breaking number of 

registrations, just as the productpresenting 

film companies at 

CinemaCon 2018 reach eleven for 

the first time, Fithian points out that 

the tradeshow floor is fully booked 

as well, including new products from 

abroad. “That’s a pretty good sign 

that the market has gone global.” 

Another sign of the global times 

is that “the NATO Marquee Award, 

which is what we consider our most 

significant honor…is going to a non- 

American for the first time ever.” 

Alejandro Ramírez Magaña, chief 

executive officer of global exhibition 

powerhouse Cinépolis and board 

chairman of the Global Cinema 

Federation, is “such a terrific 

guy,” Fithian says, but he feels the 

recognition “also shows that we are 

mindful of the global nature of the 

industry.” 

Equally exciting is the opening 

of an entirely new market to 

moviegoing. Fithian is talking about 

the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 

of course. “With everything 

happening in our space right 

now, I think the most historic is 

welcoming a country that has not 

had cinema for over 35 years.” 

Reminding our readers that he and 

a seven-strong NATO team were 

invited to Riyadh back in December 

and “helped with a training program 

for the government,” Fithian 


136-167.indd 138 

4/4/18 3:45 PM

Paramount Pictures 

Congratulates 

CinemaCon 2018 Award Recipients 

Director J.A. Bayona 

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Kurt Rieder, 

EVP, Theatrical, 

20th Century Fox International 

ÉïïáíÉîñëóñôÉîÜ 

Robert Carrady, 

President, Caribbean Cinemas 

ÉîááîÖäãáòáèáêñêöäãÑãñãëêôÉîÜ 

Alejandro Ramírez Magaña, 

CEO, Cinépolis 

ÉñëÉîìóááôÉîÜ 

CinemaCon Big Sreen Achievement Awards 

Tiffany Haddish 

áèÉéáñÉîëàëèëîîëôôÉîÜ 

Lil Rel Howery 

îáÉçñäîëóâäáîàëîèáî 

ëàäááÉîôÉîÜ 

Gabrielle Union 

îáÉçñäîëóâäîëÜóÖáî 

ëàäááÉîôÉîÜ 

Dakota Johnson 

áèÉéáñÉîëàäááÉîôÉîÜ 

Kate McKinnon 

ëèáÜõñÉîëàäááÉîôÉîÜ 

Samuel L. Jackson 

Ħ0Ŋ└ÖëêôÉîÜ 

© 2018 BY PARAMOUNT PICTURES. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

is pleased to return the courtesy. “We are very 

excited that one of the key officials of the agency 

that will be regulating cinemas is coming to speak 

at CinemaCon”: Redha Al-Haidar, president of the 

General Commission for Audiovisual Media in the 

Kingdom. Having back-to-back panels with such 

high-profile and world-spanning discussions “signifies 

important historical aspects of the globalization of 

our industry.” 

Another top-of-mind topic is the ongoing 

consolidation on both the exhibition and distribution 

sides. From our end, Fithian views circuit mergers 

and screen acquisitions “as a sign of strength of 

the marketplace. Big international operators, who 

know this business well, are investing here in the 

United States. While that is certainly a good sign of 

confidence in our local market, we also view the fact 

that several of these companies are consolidating 

operations around the world—and in some cases on 

multiple continents—as a sign of the strength of this 

business everywhere. As the issues at hand go global, 

and are similar everywhere, it just makes sense that 

our operators go global as well.” 

By way of example, Fithian brings up “the 

biggest, most recent transaction in our business”: 

the acquisition of Regal Cinemas by Cineworld 

that is creating the second-largest exhibitor in the 

world. “That may sound like, ‘Oh, it’s just another 

corporate raider, further consolidation.’ However, 

exactly the opposite is the case. The Greidinger 

family has been in the exhibition business for three 

generations,” going back to one movie theatre 

in Israel, sometime around 1929, then expanding 

and building across Eastern Europe to the United 

Kingdom. “They run great cinemas, and they know 

what they are doing,” he assures. “There is always 

turmoil and changes in an acquisition like that and 

some of the most highly respected executives will 

not be at Regal anymore… I do not worry about the 

people acquiring this company, they are passionate 

about the business.” 

Of equal note, Fithian recalls that “when 

Wanda took a majority ownership share in AMC, 

everybody thought that the Chinese cultural wars 

are invading America. Again, that is not what it 

was. Here is a company engaged with passion in 

the cinema business in China that…wanted to 

learn more from the American perspective.” In 

view of the size of those deals, we should not 

forget that both Regal Entertainment Group and 

AMC Theatres planted their roots in much smaller 

soil. “Out of their passion for this business, Mike 

Campbell and the people around him grew Regal 

from an independent into the biggest company in 

the United States for a time. AMC was founded by 

the Durwood family [in 1920], and Lee Roy Mitchell 

started Cinemark as small discount theatres.” 

Beginning as a family-run business and growing 

into national players by acquisition and/or organic 

expansion “has been in the DNA of the industry 

from the beginning,” Fithian knows. 

“These acquisitions are positive,” he continues, 

“because they are led by people who care about the 

business and who show confidence in the business. 

And at the same time as we are heeding globalization 

and consolidation in exhibition, this industry 

also remains very diverse and broad-based in terms 

of company sizes and makeup. There are mid-sized 

companies, small companies, and we represent some 

400 companies with under ten screens, and all of 

them remain a strong and vital part of the industry. 

While most of our membership is made up by companies 

that are quite small, the top three members 

have over 50% of the business across the country. 

Yes, there is consolidation at the top, but then there 

are hundreds and hundreds of small independent 

companies as well.” 

What all of them have in common is being a strong 

part of their communities, Fithian asserts. “It is about 

something that people love doing. We talk about this 

all the time: At the end of the day, we represent an 

industry whose main task is giving people a good time. 

And that is just a great job to have, and the people 

that are in the industry all feel the same way. They 

are passionate about movies, and they are passionate 

about their local communities. NATO has some 

600 members. Located in every state in the country, 

they operate in major cities and small towns. That is 

the nature of our business and it will continue to be. I 

think that some of the small and mid-sized operators 

will pick up theatres and grow into larger companies 

over time. At the same time, we will also see new 

companies arrive in the marketplace who are starting 

up because they love the business, and they too will 

grow. Others will sell their family businesses to other 

payers who love the movie theatre business as well. 

That is just the history of the industry as it has developed 

from the beginning.” 

The world is waiting, not just at CinemaCon 

2018. 


136-167.indd 140 

4/4/18 3:45 PM

From Muppets 

to MPAA 

New CEO Charles Rivkin Realigns Entertainment and Politics 


Charles Rivkin 

Chairman, CEO, 

MPAA 

‘ 

I have been 

surprised that so 

many people do not 

understand that this 

industry extends 

beyond Los Angeles 

and New York— 

that we are so much 

more than glamour 

and premieres. 

We are going 

to change that,” 

he insists. “We will 

tell the story of the 

American film and 

television industry 

on the global stage 

as compellingly 

’ 

as we can. 

ell, we never leave the 

‘WMuppets, do we? They are 

always in our hearts.” 

The onetime president and 

CEO of The Jim Henson Company, 

Charles Rivkin left the entertainment 

world for Washington, DC 

in the 2000s, though he insists he 

“was never a politician. But I did decide 

that maybe it was time to start 

working with people who weren’t 

either green, fuzzy or pink.” 

Today, Rivkin blends his dual 

backgrounds as head of the Motion 

Picture Association of America. 

“When I had the incredible honor to 

serve my country for seven years— 

as an ambassador and leading the 

State Department’s economic and 

business agenda—I saw a powerful 

connection between creative businesses 

and government. Both can 

be—and must be—forces for good. 

As chairman and CEO of the MPAA, 

I saw an opportunity to combine 

my passions, my perspective and my 

experience to advance the industry’s 

overwhelmingly positive impact on 

the world.” 

He adds, “The MPAA plays a 

critical role in promoting creativity, 

economic prosperity and American 

values on the global stage. And right 

now, the importance of safeguarding 

and enhancing that mission is rising 

steadily as the film and television industry 

continues to transform on an 

almost daily basis.” 

On the job every day, as chief 

executive since September 2017 and 

chairman since December, Rivkin is 

headed to CinemaCon for the first 

time. We had to play catch-up with 

his busy agenda, and we thank him 

and his communications team for letting 

us provide our readers with this 

exclusive interview. 

“I have been active on many 

fronts,” he confirms. “I have spent 

a lot of time in Los Angeles—not 

only meeting with my CEOs and 

board members, but also with 

their physical production teams, 

marketing executives, business 

executives, international executives. 

If I am going to represent the men 

and women of this industry, I need 

to listen to every voice. I need to 

understand fundamentally what 

makes this industry tick.” 

Rivkin has also traveled abroad 

and is “looking forward to many 

opportunities on the international 

calendar”; he enjoyed speaking at the 

Dijon Film Festival in France and during 

the Berlinale in Berlin, Germany, 

back in February. “I have been meeting 

with culture ministers around the 

world…as well as justice ministers, 

to talk about our mutual commitment 

to fighting piracy, and to discuss 

how we can advance creativity 

in the regions.” 

Closer to home base, “on Capitol 

Hill, we are heavily involved in supporting 

public policies and legislation 


136-167.indd 142 

4/4/18 3:45 PM

that enhance the important work we do. Lately, much of 

our effort has centered on tax reform. My studios had 

$20 billon of taxes paid at 35 percent, so we are very 

pleased with the legislation that was passed.” 

What are some of his early learnings on the job? “I 

have been surprised that so many people do not understand 

that this industry extends beyond Los Angeles and 

New York—that we are so much more than glamour 

and premieres. We are going to change that,” he insists. 

“We will tell the story of the American film and television 

industry on the global stage as compellingly as we 

can. We will continue to support millions of jobs and 

Meet Charles H. Rivkin 

f course, popcorn is 

‘Oalways my go-to,” 

Charles Rivkin notes about 

his favorite movie snack. 

“And I drink Diet Coke with 

that. I am always on the 

lookout for a box of Jujubes. 

If I cannot find those, I buy 

Starburst.” While we do not 

know whether his favorite 

movie theatre, the Esquire in 

downtown Chicago, offered 

either one of the treats, we 

do know that Chicago holds 

dear many of his movie 

memories, including one 

of the first. “Looking back, 

I would say it was Chitty 

Chitty Bang Bang. Such a 

wonderful movie. As for my 

favorite theatre memory, in 

high school in Chicago I was 

a repeat visitor to midnight 

showings of The Rocky Horror 

Picture Show. I would go with 

all my friends. It was the 

interactive experience of 

throwing things at the screen, 

not to mention dressing up. 

Something I will never forget. 

I was exhausted by the end!” 

Other favorite movies? 

“That’s a long list. Isn’t it for 

everyone? But some of the 

movies that have always 

stayed with me include Singin’ 

In the Rain, The Graduate, 

Pulp Fiction, Stand By Me, 

the original Charlie and the 

Chocolate Factory and A River 

Runs Through It.” 

Rivkin previously served as 

Assistant Secretary of State for 

Economic and Business Affairs 

from February 2014 to January 

2017. He led the bureau 

at the U.S. State Department 

responsible for managing 

trade negotiations, investment 

treaties, economic sanctions, 

transportation affairs, 

telecommunications policy, 

international finance and 

development-related issues, 

as well as intellectual property 

rights protection. The Bureau 

is also the State Department’s 

primary link to the private 

sector through its Office of 

Commercial and Business Affairs, 

which supports U.S. business 

interests overseas and 

works to create American jobs 

at home by facilitating foreign 

investment. In addition, Rivkin 

provided guidance to the Department’s 

1,600 economic officers 

around the world and to 

the U.S. Mission to the Organization 

for Economic Cooperation 

and Development. 

Prior to his appointment, 

Rivkin served for more than 

four years as the United States 

Ambassador to France and 

Monaco, leading a diplomatic 

mission that contained six 

constituent posts throughout 

France and represents more 

than 50 U.S. government 

agencies. 

Rivkin joined government 

service after working in 

media for over 20 years, 

where he served as president 

and CEO of award-winning 

entertainment companies such 

as The Jim Henson Company 

and Wildbrain. He helped 

engineer the sale of The Jim 

Henson Company in 2000 

for nearly $1 billion and his 

contribution to the television 

landscape has influenced 

generations of viewers. 

(Details above from Rivkin’s 

official MPAA bio.) 


136-167.indd 144 

4/4/18 3:45 PM

hundreds of thousands of small businesses here at 

home. Outside the United States, films and television 

shows drive international economies and are some of 

our country’s greatest ambassadors and exports. They 

serve as a cultural force for good in the world. That 

is the story I want to share broadly—because it is a 

great one to tell.” 

Rivkin says his “immediate priorities” also include 

“promoting a strong creative economy, encouraging 

the production of new movies and television shows 

to drive continued job creation, defending intellectual 

property, reducing piracy and expanding access 

to markets around the world.” Sounds like not that 

much has changed since his time at The Jim Henson 

Company and animation production house Wildbrain. 

“Thanks to innovations in storytelling, advances in 

technology and many other factors, the film and 

television industry is changing rapidly,” he corrects 

our assumption. “Change is a constant part of this 

environment. So, we are supporting and championing 

creative companies that are charting new strategies to 

not only develop the best content but deliver it how 

and when audiences want it.” 

Moving forward, Rivkin believes “we must ensure 

creators can take advantage of these opportunities. 

Global piracy remains a significant threat, especially in 

the form of pre-loaded devices and infringing apps. But 

we are making progress. Through initiatives like the Alliance 

for Creativity and Entertainment [ACE], we are 

working with other content creators to reduce online 

piracy. Using the content protection expertise and resources 

of the MPAA, ACE brings together 30 leading 

content companies, including Netflix and Amazon, who 

are all committed to reducing online piracy and protecting 

the legal marketplace for creative content.” 

Rivkin is equally committed to the theatrical marketplace. 

He says meeting with his counterparts at 

the National Association of Theatre Owners was 

a priority. “I made a point of meeting with John Fithian 

before my first official day at the MPAA. One 

of my first events as CEO was to speak at NATO’s 

board meeting, where I had the opportunity to meet 

many NATO members. John is a tireless advocate for 

NATO members and the theatrical experience. I really 

look forward to working together with him in the 

years ahead. The MPAA and NATO have a longstanding, 

strong relationship” that goes beyond film ratings, 

he concurs. “Every day, filmmakers put their trust in 

theatres to present their art in the way they intended—to 

bring audiences around the world the stories 

they have poured their time, energy and talents into 

bringing to life. As both filmmakers and theatre owners 

continually invest in new technologies, it is clear 

both sides are committed to advancing great storytelling. 

I have no doubt this will continue going forward.” 

And on a global scale, one might add. “Movies and 

television shows are one of America’s greatest and 

most sought-after products,” Rivkin says, noting that 

the industry generates exports of $16.5 billion to more 

than 140 countries. “The global box office hit a record 

high of $40.6 billion in 2017. The number of cinema 

screens around the world also grew last year, jumping 

eight percent—led by double-digit growth across the 

Asia-Pacific region. There are opportunities in all parts 

of the world, because audiences everywhere crave 

imaginative stories and powerful performances.” 

As for opportunities looming large in Las Vegas, 

Rivkin is “thrilled” to attend CinemaCon for the first 

time with the MPAA. “Since day one here, I have heard 

so much about this tradeshow. This is the place where 

you have permission to feel like a kid again—from the 

concessions and candy to virtual-reality experiences 

and the very best movie chairs! You are reminded what 

a great industry this is and how important it is to make 

the moviegoing experience as compelling as possible for 

all ages, but especially for younger generations who are 

among our most enthusiastic supporters. I cannot wait 

to see what the show has in store. And I cannot wait to 

share this experience with people who share my love 

for film and commitment to advancing this industry.” 

As an adult, setting aside the candy and in a more 

official capacity, what is the focus of his CinemaCon 

keynote speech? “Again, I am going to CinemaCon 

to emphasize that we are committed to building on 

the great relationship we have enjoyed with theatre 

owners and exhibitors for decades—and that we will 

continue to work together, hand in glove, far into the 

foreseeable future. I look forward to underscoring 

that great relationship and to emphasizing our appreciation 

for the valuable role [exhibitors] play with 

respect to our shared moviegoing experience. Most 

importantly, I look forward to hearing what is on the 

minds of this important community.” 

Rivkin’s favorite characters on “The Muppet Show” 

may reveal something about his personality and approach 

to business. “I always admired Kermit for keeping 

his cool, mostly, while chaos swirled around him. 

But my favorite was the much-overlooked Janice, who 

was the lead guitar player for Dr. Teeth’s Electric Mayhem. 

She could have been a big hit on “Star Search.’” 


136-167.indd 146 

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Untitled-3 1 

3/28/18 5:31 PM

Leader 

of the Federation 

NATO Puts Alejandro Ramírez Magaña on the Marquee 


Alejandro Ramírez 

CEO Cinépolis 

‘ 

How are we 

making sure 

that our guests 

are having 

a seamless 

and enjoyable 

experience? 

From the moment 

they make 

the decision 

to purchase a ticket 

to the moment they 

walk out 

of the theatre, 

we want 

to ensure that 

their experience 

is as gratifying 

’ 

as possible. 

On International Day during 

CinemaCon 2013, Alejandro 

Ramírez Magaña, chief executive 

officer of Cinépolis, received the 

“Global Achievement in Exhibition” 

Award on behalf of more than 

20,000 employees worldwide. Flash 

forward to the opening ceremony 

of CinemaCon 2018, and Ramírez 

Magaña will find his global exhibition 

powerhouse and more than 40,000 

team members, including himself, 

once again in the spotlight. 

For the first time, the National 

Association of Theatre Owners will 

bestow the NATO Marquee Award 

on someone who is not American. 

“As our industry becomes increasingly 

global, it is appropriate that 

our most significant award goes to 

a truly global exhibitor,” explained 

John Fithian, the trade organization’s 

president and chief executive officer. 

“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. On behalf of theatre owners 

everywhere, congratulations.” 

Ramírez Magaña graciously 

thanks “my friends at NATO, particularly 

John Fithian, for having 

considered me for this important 


136-167.indd 148 

4/4/18 3:45 PM

TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX 

PROUDLY CONGRATULATES 

KURT RIEDER 

EVP, ASIA PACIFIC, TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX INTERNATIONAL 

PASSEPARTOUT AWARD RECIPIENT 

ALEJANDRO RAMÍREZ MAGAÑA 

CEO, CINÉPOLIS 

NATO MARQUEE AWARD RECIPIENT 

AND ALL OF THE 2018 CINEMACON HONOREES 

FJI_0518_Fox_CineCon.indd 1 

3/23/18 3:35 PM

award. It is a great honor to receive this recognition 

from my peers in the global industry in such an 

important moment for global exhibition.” Equal gratitude 

goes to “my extraordinary team at Cinépolis, 

from my senior executives to all the cinema managers 

and personnel. Without the outstanding Cinépolis 

team, we could have never grown as much as we 

have in the past decade. Finally, I would like to thank 

the Cinépolis board of directors, especially my father 

Enrique, who is our chairman, for his inspiration, example 

and guidance all these years.” Asked about his 

proudest achievements in business, he names “having 

Q&A: Chairing the Global Cinema Federation 

You were instrumental in 

the formation of the GCF. 

Describe the goals of the 

organization. 

The Global Cinema Federation 

is an association established 

to represent the global 

cinema exhibition community 

and to make representations 

to global stakeholders on their 

behalf. The Federation seeks to 

increase industry effectiveness 

in providing input to international 

regulatory bodies and to 

contribute more effectively to 

the international dialogue on 

issues of common interest. 

How do you define your role 

as chair? Was it an “easy” decision 

to take on the post? 

I was honored to be selected 

as chair in the Federation’s 

first gathering in 2017. My 

role is mainly to preside over 

meetings, send communications, 

call meetings, etc. It was 

certainly an “easy” decision 

to take on the responsibility to 

serve as chair, given the importance 

of the body and the 

challenges we face as exhibitors 

around the world. 

What are some the reasons 

that led to the GCF’s formation? 

Given expanding consolidation 

in the industry, and 

more importantly the shared 

challenges and opportunities 

that confront exhibitors 

across national and regional 

borders—such as release 

windows, global supply of film 

content, technology developments, 

trade barriers, standards 

and movie theft— 

it seems logical that leading 

exhibitors should work closer 

together on a global basis. 

Along with NATO in the 

United States and UNIC in 

Europe, other regions of the 

world have established trade 

associations at the national or 

regional level, and many of 

those trade associations also 

seek a role in greater global 

coordination. Some other regions 

of the world including 

Africa, and most of Asia, the 

Middle East and Latin America, 

do not have established trade 

associations, and could use 

support from a global group. 

Which are the issues that 

members hope to address? 

There are seven key initiatives 

the GCF is working 

on. Namely, (1) movie theft, 

(2) theatrical exclusivity, (3) 

music rights, (4) accessibility 

and related regulations, 

(5) work with studios and the 

creative community, (6) technology 

and standards and (7) 

international trade and foreign 

investment. 

What can the Federation do 

for the exhibition industry? 

Within the key initiatives 

that we decided to work on, 

the Federation’s activities 

include: 

▶ advocating on behalf of 

exhibitors globally to global 

regulatory groups, standardsetters, 

studios and related 

bodies, among others, in order 

to increase the industry’s 

effectiveness; 

▶ assisting individual 

members in establishing dialogue 

with national regulators, 

when and where invited, and if 

agreed to by all members; 

▶ contributing to a global 

dialogue on issues of common 

interest by formalizing contact, 

cooperation and dialogue 

among global exhibitors, associations 

and stakeholders, 

consistent with all applicable 

laws; 

▶ educating exhibitors 

globally with greater information 

collection and sharing; 

▶ sharing non-commercially 

sensitive information and 

research; and 

▶ providing information 

on positions taken by the Federation. 

150 WWW.FILMJOURNAL.COM / APRIL 2017 

136-167.indd 150 

4/4/18 3:45 PM

een able to expand Cinépolis beyond the Mexican 

borders to 14 countries in four continents and to 

have been able to bring the magic of the movies to 

over 300 million people last year.” 

Taking a global perspective is certainly in order at 

Cinépolis and in the larger industry as well, Ramírez 

Magaña agrees, and not just in his position at the Global 

Cinema Federation. (For more information, please refer 

to our sidebar conversation.) “In our industry you 

always heard the distinction between domestic and international 

markets. It has been several years now since 

the international box office surpassed the domestic box 

office, and thinking of the whole world as one has never 

been more important. In 2017, 72 percent of global box 

office originated in countries outside the United States 

and Canada. This is a substantial change from what it 

represented in 2006, when I became chief executive officer 

of Cinépolis—back then it was 62 percent.” 

Another substantial development is consolidation, 

Ramírez Magaña continues. “We are witnessing a new 

wave of mergers and acquisitions in the exhibition industry. 

Size is an important factor for exhibition companies 

in obtaining economies of scale, so it is a natural step 

forward when there is limited growth in the territories 

where one operates. We are also seeing consolidation 

among distributors, so the landscape in the cinema industry 

points towards fewer players in both sectors.” 

As little as three years ago, he reminds our readers, 

Regal, AMC and Carmike “were very large exhibitors 

with interests only in the United States. Today 

those three circuits are part of a group with theatres 

in several countries.” The pending acquisition of Regal 

by Cineworld is indeed indicative that “borders are 

not so significant anymore in our industry.” 

At Cinépolis as well, the “capitals of cinema” have 

long expanded their borders. When Ramírez Magaña 

was honored for global excellence, Cinépolis operated 

340 theatres and over 3,000 screens in 128 cities and 

11 countries. Today, the company operates some 650 

theatres and 5,334 screens in 236 cities across 14 countries. 

In 2012, Cinépolis had welcomed 161.8 million 

guests; last year, the company reached a total of 338.4 

million guests. How did it all happen? What did it take to 

get there? “Our growth in the past five years has been 

mostly a matter of focus,” he reflects. “We established a 

very specific goal of reaching 400 million guests by 2020. 

We are halfway there, and the number does not look 

that distant anymore. To get to this goal, Cinépolis had 

to venture into mergers and acquisitions, something we 

had not done before. This way we were able to go into 

markets such as Spain, Chile and Argentina.” 

Has his perception changed as Cinépolis added different 

countries to its footprint? “We are definitely 

learning every day about the nuances and particularities 

of every market and culture,” Ramírez Magaña 

contends. “These nuances may go from theatre design 

and the color we use in our lobbies to the tastes in 

movie genres, selection of showtimes and offering 

dubbed or original versions.” 

Cinépolis VIP is one of those learnings that the 

company applied across other markets. “This model 

is a luxurious experience with reclining leather seats 

and at-your-seat service. In Mexico we were able to 

improve this model through several iterations, and in 

other markets where we have opened VIP theatres 

we have had great success. We assume that in certain 

markets there will always be a need for a more sophisticated 

experience.” 

What are some of other elements that assure moviegoing 

is a wonderful experience at Cinépolis? “The number-one 

element is making sure that all our decisions 

revolve around our customers.” Ramírez Magaña and his 

teams “continually ask ourselves, ‘How are we making 

sure that our guests are having a seamless and enjoyable 

experience?’ From the moment they make the decision 

to purchase a ticket to the moment they walk out of 

the theatre, we want to ensure that their experience is 

as gratifying as possible. All the other elements play into 

this equation,” he believes, also naming innovation, quality 

of service and technological improvements. 

This commitment is reflected in the company motto, 

he adds. “Our philosophy is best conveyed in our mission: 

Be the best choice in entertainment. And strengthening 

our leadership in the worldwide film industry by 

offering a fun, innovative and remarkable service.” 

On the way towards 400 million guests by 2020, Cinépolis 

is expanding into additional countries. “This year 

we will be opening our first theatres in the Middle East,” 

Ramírez Magaña says, confirming locations in Oman and 

Bahrain. “In addition to that, we will be opening somewhere 

between 400 and 500 screens worldwide.” 

So, in another five years from now, are we still going 

to the movies? “Of course, we will,” he enthuses. “It is 

likely that the experience will be enhanced in many ways, 

and we are working tirelessly to be at the forefront of 

that innovation. But, honestly, my bet is that the experience 

will continue to be the same: a group of strangers 

gathered in a dark auditorium immersed in a different 

world, enjoying the best projection and sound technology, 

the best food and drink, and the best stories.” 


136-167.indd 152 

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Untitled-1 1 

3/26/18 12:21 PM

Change 

on Many Fronts 

Technology Innovations Are Driving a Consolidating Market 

by David Hancock 

David Hancock, 

IHS Markit 

‘ 

Our industry 

is now set 

on a path 

of structural 

change that will 

affect it profoundly: 

the consolidation 

of cinema circuits. 

The leading 

ten circuits now 

account for 30% 

of all screens, 

up from 26% 

’ 

a year ago. 

The last year has been a fascinating 

one for cinema exhibition, 

with box office exceeding $40 billion 

globally and innovation seen in 

all areas. Every aspect of the cinema 

offer is now open to change, which is 

proving a boon for customers. 

Our industry is also now set on 

a path of structural change that will 

affect it profoundly: the consolidation 

of cinema circuits. The leading 

ten circuits now account for 30% of 

all screens, up from 26% a year ago, 

and that is set to change further if 

the European company Cineworld 

succeeds in acquiring the major U.S. 

circuit Regal Entertainment. That 

would put 15% of the world’s screens 

in the hands of two groups, an unprecedented 

number in a traditionally 

fragmented industry. 

3D is the favored format for 

cinema screens globally, with over 

99,000 in place at the end of 2017 

(equivalent to 58.9% of screens), of 

which half are in China. Despite this, 

the format accounted for only 17% of 

revenues globally in 2016 (the last full 

year of data). In some markets, the 

format has almost been abandoned. 

In Italy, event cinema generated 

more revenues than 3D in 2017. The 

position of 3D, although eminently 

salvageable, is a salutary warning of 

how the industry needs to maintain 

the quality levels of a new technology 

if it wants it to endure. 

Possibly of more interest to 

exhibitors now is 4D and immersive 

motion seating (IMS), although not 

in absolute terms. At 1H 2017, there 

were 1,220 screens equipped with 

either immersive motion seating 

(from D-BOX) or 4D cinema 

(motion seating plus effects) from 

mainly 4DX (CGV) or MX4D 

(MediaMation). Following the steep 

growth of the last two years, the 

combined market is now 2.8 times 

larger than it was in 2014. 

Immersive sound is still growing 

fast, with over 4,400 screens 

equipped with one of the three 

systems being commercialized at the 

end of 2017. The numbers exceed 

the installed base of premiumlarge-format 

screens globally, and 

this underlines how immersive 

sound systems are being installed 

in all sorts of screens, not just the 

flagship auditoriums. The issue of 

standards (or lack of them) has held 

up progress to some extent. 

RGB laser continues to grow its 

installed base of screens, with nearly 

700 in place at the end of 2017. The 

prices for high-end laser are coming 

down and all DLP projector manufacturers 

are offering RGB machines 

(Barco, NEC and Christie). There 

are also over 10,000 laser phosphor 

machines installed in cinemas globally 

now, many in China. 

continued on page 161 


136-167.indd 154 

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Untitled-2 1 

3/30/18 12:02 PM

Asia 

Authority 

Fox’s Kurt Rieder Earns 2018 Passepartout Award 

by Thomas Schmid 

Kurt Rieder 

‘ 

While I think 

that all other 

developing 

markets such as 

Indonesia, Vietnam, 

Pakistan, Myanmar, 

Cambodia and 

Sri Lanka are 

finally being 

adequately 

addressed by 

both exhibition 

and distribution, 

we should direct 

greater focus 

’ 

at Bangladesh. 

Though this year’s CinemaCon 

Passepartout Award laureate 

Kurt Rieder joined 20th Century 

Fox in Singapore less than a year ago, 

his career in Asia spans more than a 

quarter century. 

Hearing his full name—Kurt 

Ernst Rieder—one may be forgiven 

for assuming he’s a German national. 

But then Rieder starts speaking in his 

distinctive West Coast accent and 

it becomes unmistakably clear that 

he’s an American. His explanation 

for the name is straightforward: “My 

paternal grandparents were German 

and emigrated to the U.S. in the 

early 1900s. My father then kept the 

‘German theme’ going when naming 

my brothers and me. Whenever I fly 

Lufthansa, even the cabin staff will 

address me in German until I correct 

them.” 

Early Seeds 

Now in his 50s, Rieder was born 

and raised in sunny California, where 

he also received his education. While 

in college, he spent two years in 

Indonesia as an exchange student— 

in East Kalimantan province from 

1984 to 1985 and in Central Java 

from 1988 until 1989, in the process 

acquiring a rather sound command 

of the local language, Bahasa 

Indonesia. He might not have been 

fully aware of it at that point, but 

those two overseas stints probably 

planted the seeds that led to his later 

professional career in the Far East. 

After returning to the States, 

Rieder graduated from the University 

of California at Berkeley with 

a Bachelor’s Degree of Arts, South 

& Southeast Asian Studies, in 1989. 

Apart from the Orient, another 

subject that had always fueled his 

passion was the motion picture business. 

This prompted him to join the 

Peter Stark Motion Picture Producing 

Program at the University of 

Southern California’s School of Film 

and Television, which he attended 

from 1990 to 1991. 

Grabbing an Opportunity 

While still engaged with the USC 

program, Rieder’s first job in the 

movie industry was an internship 

at Universal Studios’ international 

publicity department. “I was looking 

to convert this internship into a 

full-time job, as our second-year 

courses were shifting to night 

classes,” he recalls. Alas, it turned 

out that Universal didn’t have any 

job openings at the time. A little 

disappointed, Rieder then stumbled 

across an article in Variety on 

how Warner Bros. had recently 

established an office in Indonesia. 

Rieder saw his chance and grabbed 

it. After all, he had already been 

to that country and even spoke its 

language. “I wrote the executive 

quoted in the article, offering my 

services,” he says. 


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Soon invited in for a meeting, he was told that 

while no L.A.-based jobs were available, he could 

be a trainee in Burbank and Singapore and later 

move on to a home office representative position 

in Indonesia’s capital city, Jakarta, where WB’s 

local licensee was based. Rieder accepted the offer. 

Warner Bros. kept their promise, too, eventually 

dispatching him to Singapore, where he would serve 

as general manager for Singapore, Malaysia and 

Indonesia from 1994 until 1998. During that time, he 

also met and married his first wife, an Indonesian, 

with whom he had two children. 

The First Career Milestone of Many 

But his general manager assignment for Warner 

Bros. was only the first major milestone in what 

would turn out to be a long and distinguished career 

spanning decades. Leaving WB in 1998, Rieder 

joined Australian entertainment group Village 

Roadshow (VR), an outfit that has played a crucial 

role in developing the cinema infrastructure of many 

countries across Asia. However, it wasn’t Asia where 

VR deployed him initially. He was—of all places—sent 

to Argentina instead, where he oversaw the local 

VR-operated cinema chain Village Cines as general 

manager. But he was soon to return to the realm 

nevertheless when he was appointed CEO of the 

VR-owned EGV chain in Thailand (which has since 

been bought out by local Major Cineplex Group). He 

eventually returned to Singapore as managing director 

of the country’s largest theatre chain, Golden Village, 

a joint venture between Hong Kong-based Golden 

Harvest Co. and Village Roadshow. 

From Singapore to Turkey 

After his involvement with VR had ended in 

2003, Rieder remained in Singapore, moving on to 

United International Pictures as senior VP for Asia, 

a position he held until 2009. He next applied his by 

now considerable professional experience as managing 

director of Artisan Gateway, Asia’s leading film and 

cinema industry consulting firm. But a couple of 

years further down the road, Golden Village once 

again beckoned, making him the chain’s CEO. In 

2013, Rieder left Singapore for the first time in years. 

He had in the meantime remarried to a Chinese- 

Singaporean and—accompanied by his new wife — 

accepted the CEO position at Turkey’s leading chain, 

Mars Cinema Group. “Well, at least I arguably still was 

in Asia, sort of,” he smirks. 

Asia: Top Five Fox Titles of 2017/18 and Top-Performing Territories 

Rank 

Title 

Regional Total 

Box Office (US$) 

Top 

Territories 

Territory’s 

Box Office (US$) 

1 Kingsman: The Golden Circle $182M 

2 War for the Planet of the Apes $172M 

3 Maze Runner: The Death Cure $106M 

4 The Greatest Showman $94M* 

5 Alien: Covenant $86M 

China 

South Korea 

Japan 

China 

South Korea 

Australia 

China 

South Korea 

Australia 

Japan 

Australia 

China 

China 

South Korea 

Japan 

$72M 

$36M 

$15M 

$112M 

$15M 

$8M 

$49M 

$18M 

$8M 

$37M** 

$24M 

$16M 

$45M 

$9M 

$8M 

*Box office by mid-March **Forecasted ultimate box office 

Note: Even though Australia is not directly supervised by Fox Singapore (it reports directly to L.A.), the territory is nevertheless included in 

the regional financial summaries and thus also reflected in the above regional box-office figures. 

Source: 20th Century Fox International, Singapore 


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West Liberty, Iowa 

Over 100 Years of Entertainment 

You brought St. Jude 

to the silver screen. 

Because of your generosity during the holiday season, 

we were able to help more children and families at 

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital ® in 2017. 

Every year, theater partners like you donate 

pre-show screen time to run the St. Jude 

Thanks and Giving ® campaign trailer. 

Featuring a cast of infl uential celebrities, 

this trailer captures the hearts of 

moviegoers everywhere. Thank you 

for helping us raise awareness and 

support for our lifesaving mission: 

Finding cures. Saving children. ® 

St. Jude patients 

Sarah and Azalea 

For more information, please email chance.weaver@stjude.org or visit stjude.org/theaters 

NEW STRAND Theatre 

©2018 ALSAC/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (33819)

Returning Home 

During the first half of 2017, 20th Century Fox 

International finally put into action a long-planned 

relocation of its regional office from Sydney, Australia, 

to Singapore. Rieder, who had since returned to the 

city state at the southern tip of the Malayan peninsula, 

was invited to take over as executive VP for the APAC 

region from outgoing industry icon Sunder Kimatrai, 

effective as of June 19, 2017. It was a call too enticing 

for him to pass up, considering that Singapore had 

had such a dramatic impact on his life, both on a 

professional and personal level. “I’ve spent 22 years 

in Asia, my wife’s Asian, my kids are half-Asian. 

Singapore’s home for me, so I didn’t regard my new 

role as merely a posting.” 

A Carefully Orchestrated Relocation 

The carefully orchestrated relocation was of 

course entirely based on practical considerations. 

“Traveling anywhere within Asia from Sydney was 

time-consuming and expensive. Moreover, the 

time zone difference, while fine for comfortably 

staying in touch with L.A., was problematic for the 

[Asian] territories, as the Sydney workday ends 

mid-afternoon Asia time,” Rieder explains. Although 

China had in the meantime matured into the world’s 

second-largest film market after the U.S., relocating 

to Beijing, Shanghai or Hong Kong apparently was 

never even contemplated, as Fox’s Chinese alldivision 

office reports directly to L.A. anyway. 

“Besides,” Rieder elaborates, “five out of six MPA 

studio regional offices are [presently] located in 

Singapore.” And for good reason, too, as the city 

state certainly boasts some distinct advantages: 

“Not only is Singapore’s media and digital scene 

robust, but the country is also a better hub for 

visiting the fast-growing markets of South and 

Southeast Asia, where we’re ramping up oversight 

and support of our third-party distributors.” 

Great, But Not Flawless 

Yet Singapore is not a flawless dream location. 

Rieder is too much of a seasoned and experienced 

professional to not also acknowledge that there 

are some disadvantages. “The local theatrical 

market is relatively small [Singapore has barely six 

million people] and has plateaued in terms of annual 

admissions,” he notes. “I would also say that markets 

like China and Korea have the latest in cinema 

technology such as 4DX and ScreenX, while Singapore 

does not yet. But that being said, IMAX does exist 

in Singapore and it is my favorite way to screen new 

films.” And another issue is presently occupying his 

mind as well: “Clearly, all of us at Fox are eager to 

understand the ramifications of the proposed Disney 

merger, but there are so many possible scenarios it’s 

impossible to forecast the outcome.” 

Harnessing the APEC Market 

Still, Rieder feels very confident about the APAC 

market’s potential as a whole. While he has seen 

some mature territories in the region flatline or 

even decline, he’s also noticed rather steady growth 

in China, Indonesia, Vietnam and the—as he calls 

it—“frontier markets” of Cambodia, Myanmar, 

Mongolia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and others. And a territory 

that in his opinion deserves more attention 

from an exhibition standpoint is Bangladesh, which 

has a very high population density but virtually no 

multiplex infrastructure whatsoever. “While I think 

that all other developing markets such as Indonesia, 

Vietnam, Pakistan, Myanmar, Cambodia and 

Sri Lanka are finally being adequately addressed by 

both exhibition and distribution, we should direct 

greater focus at Bangladesh.” It’s yet another challenging 

task, but one that Rieder without doubt is 

going to master almost in his stride. 

What Asians Like to Watch 

So…what sort of films do Asian audiences 

actually enjoy watching during those precious couple 

of hours snuggled up in a comfy reclining seat while 

munching away on an array of yummy snacks and 

beverages? Rieder discloses that, generally speaking, 

action and adventure movies play well throughout 

the region, but particularly in China and Southeast 

Asia. Animation is well liked in all territories, but 

only selectively so in India and Korea. And audiences 

in Japan, Korea and Hong Kong appear to have a 

rather soft spot, as emotional, female-driven films 

dominate at the box office there. On the other 

hand, sci-fi titles have traditionally had a harder time 

to reach Asian audiences. “But [even in this genre] 

we’ve seen improvement in the last few years thanks 

in part to the integration of sci-fi themes in Marvel 

films and the Transformers series, not to mention 

Oscar-caliber films such as Gravity and Interstellar,” 

Rieder points out, quickly slipping in that “Fox has a 

sci-fi film directed by James Gray and starring Brad 

Pitt next year, called Ad Astra.” 


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Hollywood Struggles 

However, Rieder also concedes that there are 

some territories where Hollywood fare has always 

been a bit on the backburner in terms of boxoffice 

receipts because of their own proliferating 

domestic film industries. “For example, in India 

we struggle due to the huge volume of locally produced 

content, both in Hindi and other languages, 

although the situation has improved dramatically in 

the last few years.” Additionally, Japan can be a difficult 

turf for Hollywood films as well, as the country 

likewise shells out a tremendous number of 

local movies each year. “Japan released almost 600 

domestic titles in 2017 alone, and these local offerings 

clearly over-index outside Japan’s key cities.” 

Facets of Demographics 

Regarding audience demographics, there too seem 

to be rather clear distinctions between territories, 

which Rieder attributes to the prevailing cultural 

heritage. “Female viewers are [box-office] drivers 

in Japan and Korea while males over-index in China 

and in South and Southeast Asian territories.” Yet he 

adds that he’s also seeing many territories moving 

towards a more evened-out male-to-female audience 

ratio, a development he primarily attributes to gradual 

changes in social norms as well as the way movies are 

watched. For instance, India has embarked on a strong 

drive to upgrade and expand its multiplex landscape. 

Meanwhile, Pakistan is striving to bring women and 

families back to the cinema. There also are territories 

that are rolling out more sophisticated marketing, 

with, as Rieder remarks, “multiple campaigns designed 

to appeal to distinct target groups.” 

An Award Well Deserved 

Contemplating the sheer amount of 

responsibilities heaped on Kurt Rieder and the 

multitude of challenges he’s facing, it appears that 

he has bitten off quite a mouthful by accepting the 

appointment from Fox. It keeps him extremely 

busy—but gladly so and with unbridled passion. 

For his astounding career over the course of 

more than a quarter century he will this year be 

recognized through the prestigious CinemaCon 

Passepartout Award. “It’s a great honor and a nice 

way to recognize international executives who 

have played multiple roles throughout the world,” 

he modestly deflects from his own outstanding 

achievements. Almost like an Asian. 

Change continued from page 154 

High Dynamic Range as a branded concept in 

cinemas is progressing, with Dolby Cinema and 

the more recent option of EclairColor also gaining 

traction, the latter especially in Europe (mainly 

Germany and France). Dolby Cinema was installed 

in 133 cinemas as of the beginning of 2018, with 

over 350 now signed up, many in the USA and 

China. As for EclairColor, a newer market entrant 

for HDR, the number of screens now exceeds 100 

in Europe and the USA, with 50+ movies mixed in 

the format during 2017. 

A new technology also entered 

the market during 2017: LED, 

which is the only genuine disruptor 

for the business in that it could remove 

‘projection 

’ 

from the auditorium. 

A new technology also entered the market during 

2017: LED, which is the only genuine disruptor 

for the business in that it could remove projection 

from the auditorium. Samsung’s Cinema LED screen 

is now established in five sites worldwide, with the 

prospect of a further U.S. site soon to open. 

The proliferation of technology has now 

had its first major casualty in Escape, and this 

will probably not be the last to falter. The 

pace of innovation is gaining speed and this has 

introduced a level of complexity into distribution 

and exhibition. In consequence, there is an 

industry debate going on as to the need for 

further innovation, while we probably haven’t yet 

got the maximum out of the DCI 1.0 equipment. 

The cinema industry is used to standards and 

feels comfortable having a brake on unfettered 

innovation, but at the same time is fighting a 

battle to regain its position as the highest-quality 

space for film-watching now that streaming 

services and TVs in general can offer 4K UHD as 

standard watching content. Watch this space. 

David Hancock is Research Director, Film and 

Cinema, at IHS Markit and the President of European 

Digital Cinema Forum (EDCF). David will discuss the 

global trends of technology and consolidation during 

CinemaCon’s international seminars, Monday morning, 

April 23. 


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Caribbean 

Strong 

Robert Carrady Brings His Cinemas Back from a Historic Hurricane Season 

by Kevin Lally 

Robert Carrady 

‘ 

There is a strong 

local film industry 

in the Dominican 

Republic, and 20% 

to 25% of our annual 

box office is driven 

by local Dominican 

films there. 

And Dominican films 

cross over well 

to Puerto Rico. 

Recently we had 

a Dominican film 

that we were involved 

in on the production 

side that actually 

did very well 

’ 

in New York. 

CinemaCon will honor Caribbean 

Cinemas president 

Robert Carrady with its 2018 

“Career Achievement in Exhibition 

Award,” and though it’s a career

Film Journal May 2018

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