Boxoffice Pro - August 2020

EXECUTIVE LETTER
THE RETURN
OF CINEMA
After a brief hiatus from publication,
we’re happy to return in time to
welcome cinemas back to business. As
movie theaters around the world first
began to close their doors in a global effort
to curb the spread of Covid-19, we made
the decision to suspend publication of
BOXOFFICE PRO until most screens in
the United States were back online. The
wait was longer than any of us wanted or
expected, but we kept busy throughout our
respective stay-at-home orders by working
on our digital platforms. From providing
breaking news on our website and social
media channels to launching new initiatives
like The Boxoffice Podcast and our
Boxoffice LIVE Sessions webinar series,
our team adapted to the circumstances
and has provided daily and up-to-the-minute
coverage of every development in this
crisis. Some of that work is highlighted in
the following pages, in particular with our
timeline of how cinemas have coped with
the impact of Covid-19 so far. Finally, after
months of stops and starts, we are happy
to make our way back to your homes and
offices with our magazine—just as cinemas
around the world get ready to host
new Hollywood releases on their screens.
If we’ve learned anything from the past
five months, it’s the value of expecting
the unexpected and the importance
of flexibility. This quality is especially
relevant when it comes to our upcoming
publication schedule: While we will
continue to work around the clock on our
digital platforms, we will not immediately
return to monthly issues of the magazine.
You can expect our next issue, for example,
in December, when we’ll celebrate the
100-year anniversary of this magazine.
We will continue adjusting our frequency
of publication according to the latest
developments in the industry and in
close collaboration with our advertising
partners. To our subscribers, rest assured
that we are working with our circulation
department to ensure that all remaining
issues in your subscription—including
those we skipped due to the pandemic—
are honored through the coming months.
As much as we hoped that this return
issue would mark the end of the Covid-19
crisis, it’s clear to us now that we’ll have to
learn how to deal with this situation—and
its ripple effects across our industry—for
the foreseeable future. It’s too early to
forecast a resolution, let alone a time
frame, but we are firmly committed to documenting
this historic period and helping
cinemas stay unified and informed. Like
everyone else in theatrical exhibition, we
are fully cognizant of the scope of this
crisis—but also of the power that we have
as an industry to work together toward a
recovery from the biggest threat cinemas
have faced in their existence. We’re all in
this together, and we thank you again for
your continued support and resilience.
Julien Marcel
Chief Executive Officer, The Boxoffice Company
Publisher, Boxoffice Pro
August 2020
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