Boxoffice Pro March/April 2022

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SUPER
SONIC
Director Jeff Fowler Brings an Iconic
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The Official Magazine of the National Association of Theatre Owners

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March/April 2022
CONTENTS
44
Exhibitors Have Thier Say
Executives from Some of the Country’s
Leading Circuits Share Their Favorite
Moviegoing Moments of 2021
18
Digital Pioneer
Dave Stonehill on Bringing
Showtimes into the 21st
Century
26
Giants of Exhibition
The Top 50 Domestic Circuits
of 2021. This Year’s Rankings
Reflect an Industry in Transition
56
Super Sonic
Director Jeff Fowler Brings an
Iconic Speedster Back to the
Big Screen
64
There Will Be Blood
Morbius Director Daniel
Espinosa on Green Screen
and Gratitude

CONTENTS
INDUSTRY THEATER ON SCREEN
12
14
16
18
NATO
More Movies Are the Solution to
Pandemic Box Office Worries
NATO
Grassroots Advocacy Is Key to the
Success of the Cinema Industry
Charity Spotlight
A Recap of Industry-Wide Charity
Initiatives
Industry Insiders
Dave Stonehill on Bringing
Showtimes into the 21st Century
26
44
Giants of Exhibition
The Top 50 Domestic Circuits of
2021. This Year’s Rankings Reflect an
Industry in Transition
Exhibitors Have Their Say
Executives from Some of the Country’s
Leading Circuits Share Their Favorite
Moviegoing Moments of 2021
56
64
70
73
Super Sonic
Director Jeff Fowler Brings an Iconic
Speedster Back to the Big Screen
There Will Be Blood
Morbius Director Daniel Espinosa on
Green Screen and Gratitude
Event Cinema Calendar
A Sampling of Event Cinema
Programming Hitting the Big
Screen in 2022
Booking Guide
20
Indie Focus
Interview with Gary Goldman
(President) and Julianne Reisenfeld
(V.P. of Operations) of the Esquire
Theatre
“2021 was a transition year
for theatrical exhibition as
it embarked on a global
recovery effort from the
disruption of the Covid-19
pandemic.“
26
GIANTS OF
EXHIBITION
“Nothing compares to the escape
of the big screen and collective
experience that can only happen in
our theaters.”
A D M I T O N E
“2021 was a transition year
for theatrical exhibition as
it embarked on a global
recovery effort from the
disruption of the Covid-19
pandemic. “
O F E X HIBI T ION
06 March/April 2022

BOXOFFICE MEDIA
CEO
Julien Marcel
SVP Content Strategy
Daniel Loría
Creative Direction
Chris Vickers & Craig Scott
at She Was Only
EVP Chief Administrative Officer
Susan Rich
VP Advertising
Susan Uhrlass
BOXOFFICE PRO
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
Daniel Loría
DEPUTY EDITOR
Rebecca Pahle
MANAGING EDITOR
Laura Silver
CHIEF ANALYST
Shawn Robbins
ANALYSTS
Chris Eggertsen
Jesse Rifkin
DATABASE
Diogo Hausen
CONTRIBUTORS
Patrick Corcoran
Todd Halstead
ADVERTISING
Susan Uhrlass
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(Jan–Dec 2021) 2,566 / Print - 2,101 / Digital - 465
08 March/April 2022

EXECUTIVE LETTER
CHRONICLING
THE MOVIEGOING
EXPERIENCE
Last year’s Giants of
Exhibition coverage
celebrated the resiliency
and perseverance of
the domestic market’s
top circuits in facing the
challenges of the pandemic.
It has been two years since cinemas
around the world suspended
operations, not knowing when—or if—
they would be able to open their doors.
The final two weeks of March 2020 remain
a surreal memory for us at Boxoffice
pro, as we scrambled to make sense of the
cascade of closures stemming from the
onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. None of
us imagined that the lingering effects of
this crisis would still be with us today.
Last year’s Giants of Exhibition
coverage celebrated the resiliency and
perseverance of the domestic market’s
top circuits in facing the challenges of the
pandemic. This year’s coverage reflects
the ongoing recovery—with circuit
sizes fluctuating as new builds open to
the public, underperforming locations
shutter, and M&A action intensifies
across the sector. In researching this
year’s edition, we’ve been able to identify
the earliest trends to emerge from the
pandemic era.
Private cinema rentals—a lifeline in
the early days of reopening in 2020 and
through much of 2021—have receded
as box office revenue bounced back in
2022. Exhibitors’ own vod platforms,
including virtual cinema releases, have
been similarly deemphasized during
the market’s recovery. Other pandemicera
initiatives, however, such as digital
ticketing and concession ordering, have
continued to grow. While this trend toward
e-commerce predates the pandemic, the
disruption of 2020 has helped accelerate
the next phase of exhibition’s digital
revolution.
The most disruptive pandemic
trend after cinemas reopened was—and
continues to be—the studios’ shifting
stances on theatrical exclusivity. While
most of the day-and-date experimentation
we saw in 2020 and 2021 has finally
subsided, theater owners are still
grappling with the newly reconfigured
rules of the game. Shorter theatrical
windows have placed more emphasis
on opening-weekend grosses—lifting
premium large-format (plf) auditoriums
to greater prominence across the industry.
And a decreased output of theatrically
exclusive studio titles has jump-started
concepts like dine-in venues and cinema
entertainment centers. These concepts
have allowed theater owners to boost
consumer spending without having to rely
on the release schedule as their principal
draw for patrons.
Chronicling the continuing evolution
of the moviegoing experience will keep
us busy for the foreseeable future. Like
everyone else in this business, our staff
at Boxoffice Pro is looking forward to
CinemaCon in April for more clues to the
changes that surely await us.
Daniel Loria
SVP Content Strategy & Editorial Director,
Boxoffice Pro
March/April 2022
09

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NATO 12 | Charity Spotlight 16 | Industry Insiders 18 | Indie Focus 20
INDUSTRY
“The Esquire is the go-to cinema to put local films on the big
screen, something we are proud and excited to do.”
Indie Focus, p. 20
March/April 2022
11

Industry NATO
GIVE THE
AUDIENCE
SOMETHING TO
COME OUT FOR
More Movies Are the Solution
to Pandemic Box Office Worries
BY PATRICK CORCORAN
Domestic box office surged 114
percent in 2021 from the Covidravaged
$2.1 billion in 2020. 2021’s $4.5
billion gross was nonetheless off 61
percent from 2019’s $11.4 billion.
But that negative 61 percent obscures a
lot of progress over the course of the year.
Q1 was essentially a continuation of
2020, off 89 percent from 2019 levels. It
is unsurprising why that would be so.
Vaccines were not yet widely available
and the pandemic was raging, reaching
a peak average of 247,000 cases a day on
January 10, with the average daily death
toll peaking at 3,342 on January 27. Many
movie theaters remained closed, and
those that were open operated under
heavy restrictions.
Amid this depressing reality,
Hollywood releases plummeted. In Q1
2019, there were 24 major studio releases,
not to mention strong December carryover
titles. In Q1 2021, there were eight major
studio releases and, needless to say, no
holiday carryovers.
Q2 brightened considerably, with 21
major studio releases compared to 28 in
2019. Unfortunately, many of the titles
released were simultaneously available
in the home, dampening box office and
encouraging digital piracy. Vaccines were
made available for all adults in April.
Two major titles with exclusive release
windows opened—A Quiet Place Part II
in May and Fast 9 in June—grossing $160
million and $173 million respectively
in the domestic market. Despite their
success, the box office for the first half of
2021 was off by 80 percent from 2019.
The second half of the year began with
some anticipation of better times and the
release of Black Widow on July 9. With an
Domestic Box Office
$12B
$10B
$8B
$6B
$4B
$2B
2018 2019 2020 2021
$80 million opening weekend—the best
to date of the pandemic—Black Widow at
first seemed to confirm those hopes, but
the simultaneous release of the movie on
Disney Plus for $29.95 also brought in $60
million worldwide on that platform. The
rapid falloff of the movie during its opening
weekend, its immediate availability in
pristine digital copies on pirate sites, and
an enormous drop on its second weekend
confirmed every exhibitor’s concern about
the dangers of simultaneous release. NATO
issued a press release raising those concerns
and called for an end to the practice as a
“pandemic-era artifact that should be left to
history with the pandemic itself.”
Q3 saw 25 major studio releases
compared to the 21 in 2019, as some titles
that might otherwise avoid the usual
summer clash of blockbusters found space
on the calendar. But late summer saw the
resurgence of Covid in the form of the
Delta variant, which peaked the first week
of September, just slightly lower than the
winter surge.
What also peaked that week was interest
in a little movie called Shang-Chi and
the Legend of the Ten Rings. Opening over
the long Labor Day weekend, the Disney
title—released with an exclusive theatrical
window—vindicated every point that
NATO had asserted in its Black Widow press
release. A lesser-known Marvel property,
its opening came close to Black Widow, it
held better in its first and second weekends,
and it was absent from the piracy charts. It
grossed $224.5 million domestically—22
percent more than Black Widow.
The success of Shang-Chi underscored
two important points: first, that theatrical
exclusivity is an essential element of a
movie’s success, and second, that vaccines
coupled with compelling content mean
people will return to movie theaters even
in the face of a surge in Covid cases.
The fourth quarter of the year was
even more vindication for those two
propositions. Venom: Let There Be Carnage,
No Time to Die, Encanto, and Sing 2—all
theatrical exclusives—performed well,
setting the stage for the spectacular success
in December of Spider-Man: No Way Home.
As I write, Spidey has taken in $706 million
domestically, including more than $28
million in the third week of January. All
this as the Omicron variant peaks at higher
case numbers (at times reaching 1 million
a day) than the Delta variant and the early
2021 peak of infections.
12 March/April 2022

The movie’s demographic draw was
remarkably similar in its first week to
Avengers: Endgame. For Spider-Man,
the under-25 audience accounted for 61
percent; 25-plus drew 39 percent. For
Endgame, under 25 were 58 percent; 25-
plus, 42 percent. For the 45 and over crowd,
the movies drew an identical 7 percent.
These numbers typically even out the
longer a movie plays.
Compared with the first-half deficit
of 80 percent, the second half of 2021
lagged 2019 by 40 percent. Yet even that
improved number hides improvement
throughout the second half. After Labor
Day, that deficit shrinks to 35 percent,
for Q4 it falls to 26.7 percent, and for
December, 13.8 percent.
There remains concern as we begin 2022
that adult audiences and families have
been lagging in their attendance. Surveys
from National Research Group (NRG)
show that older adults are less comfortable
returning to movie theaters than younger
moviegoers. But this is a generic problem
more than a movie-theater-specific
problem. Indeed, demographics across age
ranges rate movie theaters as safer than
other indoor venues, like restaurants, bars,
gyms, and even religious gatherings. And
A strong, balanced,
exclusive, and consistent
slate of movies, catering to
a wide range of tastes, is the
key to attracting audiences
and to signaling that things
are normal.
it isn’t surprising why. Every single one
of those other indoor spaces has been the
locus of Covid-19 outbreaks, while not a
single outbreak has been traced to movie
theaters worldwide at any time during the
pandemic.
But something has been holding older
moviegoers and families back. A Quiet
Place Part II, F9, Shang-Chi, Venom, No
Time to Die, Encanto, Sing 2, and Spider-
Man show the way. As comfortable
as our recliners are, as tasty as our
concessions, and as safe as our movie
theaters, audiences come to our theaters
for movies. A strong, balanced, exclusive,
and consistent slate of movies, catering
to a wide range of tastes, is the key to
attracting audiences and to signaling that
things are normal. The constant twostep
between studios holding back and
rescheduling releases because they worry
about audience comfort, and audiences
not showing up because of the repeatedly
interrupted release schedule, signals that
the studios aren’t comfortable releasing
films. But Spider-Man proves it: Give the
audience something to come out for, and
they will come out.
Patrick Corcoran is Vice President & Chief
Communications Officer at NATO
March/April 2022
13

Industry NATO
ADVOCACY
IS YOUR
BUSINESS
Grassroots Advocacy Is
Key to the Success of the
Cinema Industry
BY TODD HALSTEAD
Today, the pandemic still
looms large over the motion
picture industry, and more
work is to be done to
help cinemas write their
comeback stories during the
great recovery.
Representing more than 35,000
screens, NATO is the nation’s
leading trade association dedicated to
advancing the moviegoing experience.
NATO achieves its mission through
member-driven strategic initiatives
that range from industry advocacy and
promotion to development of tools and
resources that help exhibitors succeed
as cultural and economic hubs in their
communities. A keystone of NATO’s
strategic foundation is advocating on
federal legislative and regulatory policies
to create a pro-exhibition business
environment. These advocacy efforts not
only benefit exhibitors—large and small,
chains and independents—but they are
also critical to the nation’s economy and
to the success of the local communities
that NATO members serve.
In addition to the more than $16 billion
that U.S. cinemas generate in nonpandemic
years, a recent Ernst & Young
study commissioned by NATO found that
moviegoers drive billions of dollars in
national spending to nearby businesses.
This study confirmed what we already
knew: cinemas are business anchors and
economic multipliers from Main Street
to the nation’s urban centers. That’s why
NATO and its affiliated Regional Associations
have spent decades shaping local,
state, and federal legislative and regulatory
policies. Through these nonpartisan
efforts, we champion public policies that
create an environment where cinemas can
invigorate and revitalize neighborhoods,
drive foot traffic to local businesses, foster
cultural vibrancy, and create employment
opportunities in communities where jobs
can be few and far between.
It is clear that helping cinemas
survive the pandemic will help many
other businesses rebound as well. And
because of the efforts of NATO and
its members over the past two years,
members of Congress learned how
important it was to take action to help
struggling exhibitors. NATO and its
coalition allies successfully advocated
for bipartisan Covid relief measures
that served as critical lifelines to help
movie theaters bridge the pandemic—
from changes to net operating losses
rules and Economic Injury Disaster
Loans that provided infusions of cash to
establishment of the Paycheck Protection
Program and the Shuttered Venue
Operators Grant program. Additionally,
NATO has continued to focus efforts on
nonpandemic-related issues important to
exhibitors, including its successful work
preventing changes to music licensing
rules that would have cost domestic
exhibitors more than $200 million per
year. Throughout the pandemic, NATO
has also worked closely with our Regional
Association partners as they face new
legislative challenges at the state and
local levels of government. Regional
Associations successfully lobbied state
policymakers to reopen our industry
and to enact tens of millions of dollars in
grant assistance to the industry’s largest
and smallest companies.
Today, the pandemic still looms large
over the motion picture industry, and
more work is to be done to help cinemas
write their comeback stories during the
great recovery. As Covid-19 transitions to
an endemic disease, we are already seeing
a return to the legislative and regulatory
challenges our industry faced before
the pandemic. That’s why it is critical
that exhibitors keep up their grassroots
advocacy efforts. While NATO and the
Regional Associations advocate for the
movie theater industry year-round in the
halls of Congress, state capitols, and local
councils, the most effective strategy in
our kit bag is grassroots advocacy driven
by exhibitors. When NATO members
mobilize and engage in critical advocacy
efforts, the industry projects its collective
voice to educate elected officials and
shape policies at all levels of government.
14 March/April 2022

Left:
New York Delegation:
Dan Herrle, National
Amusements; John
Vincent, Wellfleet
Theatres; Rep. Tom
Reed (R-NY); Tami
Treutlein, Spotlight
Theaters; Emelyn and
Roger Stuart, Stuart
Cinema & Café
Right:
Texas Delegation and
friends: Bo Chambliss,
Georgia Theatre
Company; Jamie
Benson, Cinergy
Entertainment Group;
Neil Billingsley-
Michaelsen, Alamo
Drafthouse Cinema
franchisee; Randy
Hester, Hometown
Cinemas; Sen. John
Cornyn (R-TX); Brian
Schultz, Look Cinemas;
Tim Handren, Santikos
Entertainment; Nathan
Hunstable, Cinergy
Entertainment Group;
Joel Davis, Premiere
Cinema Corp.
And if grassroots advocacy is about
finding strength in numbers, NATO
members answered that call to action
during the darkest days of the pandemic.
In the face of an existential crisis,
exhibitors harnessed the strength of
perseverance to influence public opinion
and government action by meeting with
their lawmakers and generating more
than 378,000 advocacy messages since
March 2020. Because of those efforts,
policymakers throughout the country
have recognized the cinema industry’s
economic and cultural importance and
provided industry-saving financial
support that kept cinemas afloat with
programs and funds to cover fixed costs
and pay employees.
If you haven’t joined the growing
number of industry advocates addressing
pressing legislative and regulatory issues,
here are a few ways you can join the cause:
Join the NATO Advocacy Council
The NATO Advocacy Council brings
together exhibitors united by the common
goal of advocating for our nation’s
essential cinema industry. Through
advocacy updates, NATO Advocacy
Council members are kept abreast
of legislative and regulatory policy
issues and other activities affecting the
association community. While grassroots
campaigns create a groundswell that
mobilizes exhibitors to contact their
elected officials about important policy
issues, Advocacy Council members are
dedicated to building networks and strong
relationships with policymakers that bring
an extra level of influence that can make a
critical difference when it matters most.
Participate in NATO’s Hill Day
NATO’s Hill Day is a chance for exhibitors
from across the country to advocate
for their businesses and provide
lawmakers with a better understanding
of the opportunities and challenges their
constituents face. Last November, a
record number of exhibitors representing
cinemas in all 50 states converged on the
U.S. Capitol to ask Congress to support
the industry’s legislative priorities.
The enthusiasm with which members
of Congress and their staffs met with
exhibitors demonstrates that lawmakers
know how essential cinemas are to their
communities and local economies. NATO
encourages its members to actively
participate in this important part of
the political process to develop lasting
relationships, thank lawmakers for their
support, and discuss issues that impact
their businesses.
Invite Lawmakers to Visit Your Cinema
When Congress is not in session,
lawmakers like to return home and visit
with constituents. This presents a great
opportunity to invite lawmakers to visit
your movie theater and show firsthand
how the decisions they make on Capitol
Hill affect your business and the local
community. Members of Congress want
to hear your opinion, and congressional
site visits are an informal yet effective
advocacy strategy that help you establish
strong, long-lasting relationships with
your lawmakers and their staff.
Support NATOPAC
The NATO Political Action Committee
provides a unified voice for movie theater
owners and operators to support proexhibition
legislators and candidates.
With the support of our members,
NATOPAC is a foundational element of the
industry’s efforts to build and maintain
relationships with political leaders who
understand the value of our industry in
the marketplace and its positive impact on
the cultural landscape of America.
As an exhibitor, you have a great
story to tell and the ability to influence
public policies that will help our industry
bring the shared cultural experience
of moviegoing to communities for
generations to come. When NATO or
your Regional Associations issue a call to
action, it is critical that you join the cause
at the ground level. All politics is local,
and you have the home field advantage.
Todd Halstead is Director of Government
Relations & Strategy Development, NATO
March/April 2022
15

Industry CHARITY SPOTLIGHT
CHARITY
SPOTLIGHT
Cineplex
As a show of appreciation and support,
Cineplex employees all over the country
spent January’s National Popcorn Day
making surprise popcorn deliveries to
local clinics, hospitals, animal shelters,
vaccination sites, fire halls, police stations,
community centers, charities, and more.
Kinepolis
Kinepolis Brussels gave a bad situation a
silver lining, donating 1.2 tons of candy
to the firefighters of Brussels after being
forced to close in the middle of the
holiday season due to Covid. The candy
was parceled out by the firefighters and
delivered to 16 organizations that help
children in need, giving them a sweet treat
during the holiday season.
Larry H. Miller Megaplex Theatres
To celebrate the spirit of the holidays, the
leadership at Larry H. Miller Megaplex
Theatres eschewed traditional office giftgiving
in favor of donating 300 blankets
to Catholic Community Services of Utah,
to be used by the hundreds of refugees
coming into Utah from various countries
around the world. In addition, Megaplex
is proud to honor its commitment to
charitable giving by donating muchneeded
funds to the Boys & Girls Clubs
of Utah County, the YCC Family Crisis
Center, and Fit to Recover, a Utah-based
organization that provides assistance to
those in recovery from substance abuse.
16 March/April 2022

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March/April 2022
17

Industry INDUSTRY INSIDERS
DIGITAL
PIONEER
Dave Stonehill on Bringing
Showtimes into the 21st
Century
BY REBECCA PAHLE
“The idea for us was to
store that data, to make it
flexible enough that we could
basically reproduce any
newspaper’s existing movie
listings pages.”
For Dave Stonehill, a love of tech
came early. “I was one of those guys
who had the Apple II Plus computer, back
in 1980 or something like that. Predating
the IBM P.C.” With his affinity for coding,
which expressed itself in the creation
of his own computer games, it was no
surprise that Stonehill’s career would
dovetail nicely with the burgeoning
emergence of the internet. What teenage
Dave couldn’t predict, as he was busy
putting the final touches on “Space Cows”
(“In space, no one can hear you moo.”) is
that he would one day be instrumental
in revolutionizing the world of digital
ticketing. As Stonehill moves on from his
position as EVP and CTO of The Boxoffice
Company to pursue opportunities in
the realm of data security, Boxoffice
Pro thought it only fitting to look back
on the career of a man who’s had an
outsize impact on the cinema industry.
[Disclaimer: The Boxoffice Company is the
parent company of boxoffice pro.]
Nowadays, particularly with the
coming of Covid and the shift toward
touchless technologies, it’s a no-brainer
for moviegoers to buy their tickets online;
during the pandemic era, the majority of
ticket sales in North America have been
done digitally, whether via a computer
or mobile device. But we’re not too far
removed from the era of analog, when
tickets were overwhelmingly bought
in person by moviegoers who chose a
showtime based on newspaper listings.
The behind-the-scenes process, Stonehill
explains, was less than streamlined: “Most
papers [assembled the list of showtimes]
entirely on their own … the New York Post,
The New York Times, the [N.Y.] Daily News
were all calling or getting faxes from the
same set of theaters [and getting] the exact
same information.”
At the time, in the mid-’90s, Stonehill
was working for the Associated Press,
using his background in the tech
industry—first at IBM, then at the Digital
Equipment Corporation and MCI—to
provide stock price listings for their
network of papers. With his coworker Brett
West, he attended a newspaper technology
trade show where they were asked by a
representative from The New York Times if
the A.P. was interested in providing movie
listings. Each paper was doing its listings
separately, and it was expensive and time
consuming. Why couldn’t the A.P. compile
the listings once and sell them to all the
other papers? As Stonehill remembers it,
“Brett basically said, ‘Absolutely. And if the
A.P. doesn’t want to do it, I’ll do it.’ And I
was standing next to him at the time and
said, ‘I’ll write the software for it!’”
As different as the worlds of stock
trading and theatrical exhibition may be,
from a tech perspective the transition was
natural. Explains Stonehill, “We weren’t
getting into the entertainment industry
in particular—we’re just collecting data.
Listings, just like stock listings and sport
listings. The idea for us was to store
that data, to make it flexible enough
that we could basically reproduce any
newspaper’s existing movie listings
pages,” using whatever data or style each
newspaper liked to use.
First, Stonehill and West had to
pitch the idea to the A.P., who turned
it down, believing the business was too
small and too niche for them. Stonehill
recalls their thinking as, “‘What’s it
going to be, a couple-millions-of-dollars
business?’” So the pair stepped out on
their own, building what would become
CinemaSource, starting in August of 1994.
“We were writing the software, testing
it. Initially, the Daily News and The New
York Times paid us a little bit of money
in advance, just to bootstrap the thing
[and let us] buy computers. By the time
January 1995 rolled around, we published
our first listings in the Daily News.” With
West selling, more papers signed on, first
in New York and then around the country.
CinemaSource was soon approached by
several companies, one of them Microsoft,
about making showtimes more broadly
available through this newfangled thing
called “the internet.”
“We weren’t so prescient that we
envisioned everything the internet would
do,” says Stonehill. “But what we did
realize pretty early on—and we’re lucky
that it didn’t happen early on—was that,
hey, once one internet portal has this
information, what was that going to do to
all of our newspaper clients?” A cultural
shift had begun, whereby moviegoers
were opting more and more for national,
web-based outlets like Google and
Yahoo rather than local sources for their
showtimes. And right at the forefront,
seeing the writing on the wall, were
Stonehill and West.
CinemaSource began to work directly
with exhibitors, providing them with data
and doing their newspaper showtime
18 March/April 2022

ads in a “very logical extension” of their
work in publishing. “Once we had the
relationship with these exhibitors for
display ads, it was very reasonable to
say, ‘Well, what else can we do for you?’”
With the internet rising in importance,
there was no shortage of things a techsavvy
company like CinemaSource could
provide, like websites and newsletters.
“Everybody was trying to find some foray
into the internet at the time”—including a
company called Big Entertainment (later
Hollywood Media), which purchased
CinemaSource and several other online
entertainment companies around the
turn of the century. In late 2000, pulling
from CinemaSource expertise, Big
Entertainment launched MovieTickets
.com. West, no longer wanting to work
within the Hollywood Media ecosystem,
bought CinemaSource—to be rechristened
West World Media—back from Hollywood
Media in 2007; in 2015, West World was
acquired by Webedia Movies Pro, later
rebranded as The Boxoffice Company.
It’s a dizzying array of naming and
ownership changes not uncommon in
the cinema-vendor industry—but the
“interesting thing,” says Stonehill, was
that amid all those changes, “we didn’t
pivot in any way. We weren’t heading in
one direction and said, ‘Well, we can’t
do that. We have to change our business.’
Everything we’ve done, and continue
to do, really grows out of that original
CinemaSource business”—providing techand
data-oriented solutions to exhibitors
around the world.
Working in entertainment may not
have been part of Stonehill’s original career
plan, but he has had an appreciation
for the movies from a young age, when
his parents took him to “many movies
that were probably age-inappropriate”—
like Three Days of the Condor, Marathon
Man, and The Taking of Pelham 123, all
seen before Stonehill hit double digits. It
didn’t hurt that he grew up in Jackson
Heights, Queens, where he had access to
the grand old movie palaces of New York
City—including his favorite, the RKO
Keith’s Theatre in Flushing, New York.
Stonehill’s love of film has been passed
on to his three daughters; a go-to travel
game for the Stonehill family is a variation
on Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, where
players attempt to connect two wildly
disparate actors—“people who don’t make
a lot of sense, like Cary Grant and Mark
“Everything we’ve done,
and continue to do, really
grows out of that original
CinemaSource business.”
CONCESSIONS TIPS WITH
DAVE STONEHILL
“I always do popcorn with the fake butter. I only
recently learned this trick: you take a straw,
you stick it in the popcorn, and you pour the
butter in there so you can get the butter [evenly
distributed] from the bottom to the top.”
Wahlberg”—through a chain of shared
filmographies. “In addition to our game
of connecting-the-actors, they’ve said to
me, on more than one occasion: ‘Is it every
family that turns every comment around
the dinner table into a movie quote?’”
Although he plans to strike off in a
different direction in his career moving
forward, Stonehill will remain with
The Boxoffice Company to assist in the
transition of his duties—and he has some
opinions about where the industry is
going in terms of technology, a field in
which he’s proven adept at anticipating
major sea changes. “Streaming is clearly
the disruptor, but it’s also an enabler,” he
says. “It’s really going to make so many
more opportunities available”—but not
in a way that’s necessarily detrimental
to exhibitors. The continued growth of
streaming “doesn’t mean that the movie
industry and traditional exhibition is
going away. … [But] exhibition is the
one that is going to have to adapt.” The
Boxoffice Company “has to be there
to support what the brick-and-mortar
movie theater is evolving into,” says
Stonehill, specifically citing the growing
trend of family entertainment centers
(FECs) that offer gaming, bowling, and
other entertainment options in addition
to cinema screens. These entertainment
centers “are what’s going to keep the
industry alive and have it evolve into
something bigger than it was before. We
have to be there to take advantage of those
things as well [and] create products—the
apps, the websites, the booking systems—
that work with FECs.”
19

Industry INDIE FOCUS
INDIE FOCUS
Brought to you by
As the cinema industry emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic,
Boxoffice Pro and Spotlight Cinema Networks are partnering
to profile movie theaters and influential industry figures from
across the country and ask them to share their first-person
accounts of bringing the movies back to the big screen.
Ohio Supreme Court to keep the Wendy’s
out. The way they did it was, they created
what was called an “environmental
quality district,” so any restaurants in the
area had to have china and silverware.
[Wendy’s] didn’t fit the bill for that. It was
certainly a community effort. There were
a couple of primary players that would go
door to door, knocking for donations and
community support to get the Esquire
put back together again. … This year will
be our 111th anniversary. So since we
didn’t get to have our 110th birthday party,
because of Covid, we’re going to have our
110th birthday party during year 111.
ESQUIRE THEATRE
Cincinnati, Ohio
Interview with Gary Goldman
(President) and Julianne Reisenfeld
(V.P. of Operations) of Theatre
Management Corporation
Can you tell us a bit about the
history of the Esquire Theatre?
Reisenfeld: The Esquire Theatre was
originally built in 1911 as the Clifton Opera
House, a one-screen theater with a small
stage showing silent films and featuring
live events. In 1915 it became the Clifton
Theatre, and in 1927 it began showing
movies with sound. On December 24, 1939,
the theater was renamed Esquire Theatre.
Goldman: [Theatre Management
Corporation’s] entry into the field with
the Esquire was back around 1989. The
Esquire had recently reopened after a
long battle. Wendy’s wanted to come in
and put a restaurant on that site. The
residents of [the Cincinnati neighborhood
of] Clifton fought it all the way up to the
The Esquire has several different
series targeted toward niche
audiences, like your anime series and
midnight screenings of The Rocky
Horror Picture Show and The Room.
And your general programming is
very diverse, including mainstream
films, documentaries, independent
films, repertory films, and foreignlanguage
films. How do you find and
develop an audience for each of
these segments?
Reisenfeld: We try to do a lot of different
things throughout the year. We do Noir
November with a lot of noir films. We
do Spooktober with horror films. We try
to do a lot of different things that will
engage the community. We have a really
strong arts community in Cincinnati.
We have the Cincinnati Art Museum,
the Taft Museum of Art, the Cincinnati
Museum Center, the [University of
20 March/April 2022

Industry INDIE FOCUS
Cincinnati College’s] Conservatory of
Music, the Cincinnati Ballet, and on and
on. Partnering with a lot of these people
to see what their interests are and what
they want to see has definitely been very
helpful in arranging the different series
that we have. Our longest is definitely
The Rocky Horror Picture Show. For 30
years we’ve had it at the Esquire. Every
other week we do a midnight showing.
There’s a great cast [called] The Denton
Affair—they’re local, and they all love to
participate.
All of these local art centers, the arts
community: What do you do to stay
in touch with them and build those
relationships?
Reisenfeld: It helps that we’re all local.
All of us here are able to join these
organizations or have friends in the
different organizations, to put the feelers
out and see what people are interested
in. We are right next to the University
of Cincinnati campus, and that has a
huge arts community. They have a Film
and Media Studies program and the
Conservatory of Music. And then they
have the [College of] Design, Architecture,
Art, and Planning, which is all creative
artists. We have a lot of teachers and
students who are always coming to us
with ‘Hey, what about this?’ or, ‘Oh, I
loved this!’ There’s a lot of feedback and
suggestions, especially now with social
media. It gives us an idea of what they
want to see. We’re part of the town hall
meetings and things like that, as well. We
can see where the pulse is at certain times.
What is the indie film scene like in
Cincinnati, and what role does the
Esquire play in it?
Reisenfeld: Cincinnati has a strong indie
film scene. We work frequently with many
local partners, including Film Cincinnati,
Cindependent, the Cincinnati Film Society,
the Black Cincinnati Cinema Collective,
and many local filmmakers. Because
we are locally owned and accessible
to filmmakers in their own backyard,
they utilize the Esquire frequently for
showcases, premiere showings, film
collaboratives, and student presentations.
The Esquire is the go-to cinema to put
local films on the big screen, something
we are proud and excited to do.
“We’re part of the town hall
meetings and things like that,
as well. We can see where the
pulse is at certain times.”
A lot of older theaters have seen
substantial shifts in their audience
demographics over the decades—the
rise of the suburbs causing a lot of
downtown theaters to go toward
more of a grindhouse direction, for
example. During its long history, has
the Esquire experienced anything
like that?
Goldman: The Esquire as we know it was
closed in the ’70s, and ’80s. I can tell you
the demographic today is much different
than it was in the early ’90s. One thing that
is significant is, a lot of people assume
that because we’re close to the University
of Cincinnati that much of our support
came from students. Which it does now,
but it wasn’t always that way. It was more
the professionals in the area; because of
the university, because of the hospitals, a
lot of doctors and nurses and health care
workers and professors. That was a big
chunk of our audience for a long time.
How did you get the student
demographic in? That’s something
so important, to get those younger
generations into the habit of
moviegoing.
Reisenfeld: Just being involved. A lot of
our employees are from the University of
Cincinnati, as well. Being on the ground
with them, talking to them, seeing what
they’re involved in, reaching out to the
sororities, the fraternities, the different
groups, the professors. I came from
education as well, so that was helpful to
know where to navigate to get the interest
of the students.
Honestly, a lot of the college students—
and a lot of my friends, when I went to
school there—didn’t even know about the
Esquire. It was a new experience, because
it wasn’t the mainstream movie theaters
and chains that they were used to. So all
of a sudden, it’s a brand-new horizon of
all these unique films and different things
that they wouldn’t get a chance to see
anywhere else.
What has the Covid experience been
like for you?
Goldman: The Covid period for us
was just like it was for everyone else:
It was terrible. We were shut down by
government mandate for a period of
22 March/April 2022

interaction with a Native American
activist at the Lincoln Memorial’s March
for Life led to controversy]. And then
the independent directors, like Wes
Anderson or Paul Thomas Anderson.
Licorice Pizza and The French Dispatch
both did really well.
The Esquire is a cinema with a
very strong connection to its
audience. How did that play
into your choice of in-cinema
advertisement providers?
Goldman: When I would go to the bigbox
theaters, I would hate being
bombarded with real commercial ads.
We worked hard to find Spotlight, because
they would provide us with really classy,
low-key ads that fit our niche and what
we do. We didn’t want the car dealers and
the Coca-Cola [ads]. We certainly don’t
mind advertising for Ferrari or Porsche.
[Spotlight provides] really classy ads,
which makes it nice.
several months. We tried to survive by
selling mega-bags of popcorn from the
theater. We tried streaming our own films.
We got a lot of community support, but
certainly not enough to pay the bills.
What films have done well for you
since reopening in July 2020? Spider-
Man: No Way Home, I imagine; that
did well for everyone.
Reisenfeld: Yeah, the tentpoles always
do well. But the interactive programs
we do—like Rocky Horror, and we do
White Christmas every year, as well—
they’ve all had multiple sellout shows.
Those interactive, unique programs are
definitely ones that do well. We’ve had
a few documentaries, like Summer of
Soul, about the Harlem Cultural Festival,
that did really well. Award-buzz movies:
Minari, Nomadland. And local stuff.
We did The Boys in Red Hats, about the
Covington Catholic kids [whose 2019
“We worked hard to find
Spotlight, because they would
provide us with really classy,
low-key ads that fit our niche
and what we do.”
Reisenfeld: We set up a lot of our own
local advertising with community
organizations, locally owned businesses,
and companies that are as unique as our
films to target our special market. Just
like our programming, we have a mix
of advertisers (local and national), so
there is something for everyone. We
have a lot more local inclusion than
larger cinema chains, as we can connect
with businesses in our own backyard.
For national outreach, we have found
that our partner (Spotlight Cinema
Networks) provides a perfect mix of
exactly what we’d like to see in an art
house environment for our patrons at
the Esquire, as well as [sister cinemas]
Mariemont and Kenwood. Patrons that
come to see our unique films also like to
see unique and special advertising.
Anything else you’d like to mention
about the Esquire?
Goldman: Best popcorn in town.
What makes it so good?
Goldman: If you tell me the secret
ingredients in Kentucky Fried Chicken,
I’ll tell you what we do to the popcorn.
[laughs]
March/April 2022
23

IMAGINATION, INVENTION AND INNOVATION
“IS THERE A SMARTER WAY
TO HANDLE POPCORN?”
Leave it to Cretors to introduce a smarter way
to move and store popped popcorn. With the
patented MOBILE ROC N’ ROLL CORNDITIONER,
popped corn goes directly from the Pop N’ Roll
kettle into a removable stainless steel bin that
can be rolled and plugged into your concession
stand or anywhere there is a standard outlet.
Bring fresh popcorn to the crowds!
Contact Shelly Olesen at 847-616-6901
or solesen@cretors.com for product details.
RTS
24
March/April 2022

Giants of Exhibition 26 | Exhibitors Have Their Say 44
THEATER
“2021 was a transition year for theatrical exhibition as it
embarked on a global recovery effort from the disruption of the
Covid-19 pandemic.”
Giants of Exhibition, p. 26
March/April 2022
25

Theater GIANTS OF EXHIBITION 2022
A D M I T O N E
O F E X HIBI T ION
26 March/April 2022

the top 50 domestic
circuits of 2021
2021 was a transition year for theatrical
exhibition as it embarked on a global
recovery effort from the disruption of the
Covid-19 pandemic. The year began with
a gradual reopening of theaters, leading
up to the return of cinemas in key markets
like Los Angeles and New York in March.
By May, studios found enough confidence
to commit to a consistent release
schedule—reigniting the box office with
the release of Paramount’s A Quiet Place
Part II over Memorial Day weekend.
The recovery came too late for
some cinema chains, as evidenced by
the Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing of the
Pacific/ArcLight circuit in June. The
company’s demise left a notable void on
the U.S.’s West Coast and turned some
of the region’s most lucrative locations
into acquisition targets of other major
chains. Despite the struggles, the industry
accomplished new box office benchmarks
as capacity restrictions were lifted
throughout the summer. A stellar Q3
with titles like Sony’s Venom: Let There
Be Carnage and MGM/UA’s No Time to
Die set the stage for the first major hit of
the pandemic in mid-December: Sony’s
Spider-Man: No Way Home. The latest
installment in the Spider-Man franchise
reinforced the cultural importance of
the moviegoing experience—providing a
glimpse of the industry’s potential in the
months to come.
presented by
March/April 2022
27

GIANTS OF EXHIBITION
Sponsor
Profile
Melissa Heller
Vice President, Domestic Ticketing
Fandango
1
AMC
THEATERS
Location: Leawood, KS
Founded: 1920
Screens: 7,768 ↘ -0.4%
Locations: 595 ↘ -0.8%
AMC entered its 101st year in business
amid a financial crisis. According
to CEO Adam Aron, the circuit was
within months or weeks of running
out of cash at five different junctures
between April 2020 and January 2021.
The company’s stock price was hovering
around $2 for most of January 2021—until
an unlikely social phenomenon hit the
market. A wave of emboldened retail
investors emerged to rally around the
company, launching its stock price to as
high as $60 by midyear. By the end of the
first quarter, the circuit amassed over 3
million retail investors who comprised
more than 80 percent of the company’s
ownership.
The circuit embraced its new
investors by taking an increasingly
public-facing role in communicating
its operational strategy. In June, AMC
unveiled its Investor Connect portal,
allowing individual investors to access
corporate information and special
moviegoing offers through the circuit’s
website. CEO Aron became more of a
public figure, regularly interacting with
investors on Twitter and personally
hosting movie nights in different cities
around the country. Closer interaction
with its followers pushed the company
to further innovations, including the
acceptance of cryptocurrency payments
across its circuit.
AMC’s stock price went through a
number of peaks and valleys through
the remainder of the year, finishing 2021
with the record-setting debut of Spider-
Man: No Way Home in December. The
circuit sold over 5 million tickets in the
U.S. alone for the film’s opening weekend,
bolstered by an advance ticketing
campaign that offered an exclusive,
limited-edition Spider-Man NFT for the
first 86,000 people to buy a ticket for
opening day.
AMC’s innovations in 2021 weren’t
exclusively reserved for its new
stockholders. In September, the circuit
tapped Nicole Kidman to star in a $25
million consumer-facing national ad
campaign to promote its theaters as part
of a drive to celebrate moviegoing. In
October, AMC made history by becoming
the first major U.S. circuit to voluntarily
implement open captioning in the
majority of its domestic theaters to
benefit deaf and hard-of-hearing patrons,
making every new release available in
the format in more than 100 U.S. markets.
These initiatives signaled an ambition
from the world’s leading cinema circuit
to engage more closely with moviegoers
and build brand loyalty among its best
customers.
Congratulations to the Giants of
Exhibition. The last two years have
been a roller-coaster ride for us
all, as we have worked together
to welcome back moviegoers to
your theaters and super-serve their
pent-up demand for big-screen
experiences that simply can’t be
duplicated at home. With box office
hits like Spider-Man: No Way Home,
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the
Ten Rings, Encanto, Scream, and
others, we believe the signs are
there on the horizon as we head
toward a box office recovery.
We are proud to support you with
Fandango’s innovative movie
discovery and ticketing features
and our expansive consumer
reach to help drive customers
to your theaters to enjoy the
many benefits you offer, including
rewards and loyalty programs, gift
cards, reserved seating, premium
experiences, and more. Over the
next year, we are excited to work
together on exclusive programs for
upcoming movies, like Fandango
Premiere early access screenings.
With our unique performance
marketing capabilities and customer
insights, we’re able to get the right
movies in front of the right fans at
the right time and deliver them to
your theaters.
We are excited about the future
as we team up to ensure that
the moviegoing experience will
always be the fans’ first choice in
entertainment.
28 March/April 2022

March/April 2022
29

Theater GIANTS OF EXHIBITION 2022
With the most comprehensive family of both Xenon and RGB laser
cinema projectors, we have a solution for all sizes of auditoriums –
and budgets – as we deliver on our promise to provide the right light
for the most breathtaking immersive experiences.
Lamp and laser illumination. Stadium seating and VIP recliners.
Comedies and action movies. Popcorn and candy. Options are key
and the choice is yours.
christiedigital.com/cinema
30 March/April 2022

Sponsor
Profile
Brian Claypool
Executive Vice President, Cinema
Christie
2021 was a year we won’t soon
forget. From distribution models
that undervalued the importance of
exclusive theatrical release windows
to operators working tirelessly to
reopen their doors safely, everyone’s
done their part to support the
cinema experience, including the
exhibitors, to whom we pay tribute in
Giants of Exhibition. Congratulations
to you (and all of our exhibition
partners around the globe), and to
NATO for celebrating 100 years of
Boxoffice Pro, bringing the global
exhibition industry together with
thought-provoking news and stories.
Despite disruptions from the pandemic
that have significantly impacted
cinemas, there is no denying the
industry’s resiliency and adaptability.
Christie’s support of our cinema
customers is paramount. We offered
virtual training, helped our customers
maintain their equipment, and
stretched our supply chain in the
most challenging environment ever to
ensure continued availability of service
parts and lamps, while continuing to
introduce new products designed to
keep on-screen performance high and
operating costs low.
Christie continues to provide
the most efficient and extensive
portfolio of 2K and 4K RGB pure
laser projectors in the industry, as
well as xenon projectors with newly
released models with CineLife Plus
electronics—the only lamp-based
cinema projectors on the market
that feature Series 4 electronics. We
also released new functionality to
support alternative financing models
that allow exhibitors to acquire the
latest Christie Real|Laser illuminated
projectors without the up-front
capital expenditure. From xenon and
RGB pure laser projectors to boutique
theaters to premium large format, and
everything in between, Christie has
cinemas covered with the broadest
range of products and services.
2 regal
Location: Knoxville, TN
Founded: 1989
Screens: 6,853 ↘ -2%
Locations: 511 ↘ -3%
Regal began to resume operations
following its Q4 2020 circuit-wide
closures in April 2021, effectively
sitting out the entirety of the first
quarter of 2021. The circuit reopened 77 of
its U.S. sites on April 2 in a ramp-up that
expanded to an additional 423 locations
in May 2021. By the end of June, Regal
had reopened 503 cinemas, representing
98 percent of its footprint in the United
States.
The reopening effort in Q2 coincided
with six major refurbishment projects
at some of the circuit’s most important
locations, including a multimillion-dollar
redesign of its Union Square site in New
York City. Regal’s new look more closely
resembles the design aesthetic of its
corporate parent, U.K.-based Cineworld.
Since acquiring Regal in 2018, Cineworld
has made significant investments in
modernizing its fleet of U.S. theaters,
adding features like coffee bars and
alcohol service and increasing the number
of premium-format auditoriums—both
through its exhibitor-branded RPX label
and in conjunction with partners like
Imax, ScreenX, and 4DX.
The circuit expanded its digital
payment options in 2021, accepting
established formats like Google
Pay and emerging alternatives like
cryptocurrencies. A partnership with Uber
Eats made concessions items at more than
150 locations available to consumers at
home through digital orders. One of its
biggest focus areas during the year was the
expansion of its subscription plan, Regal
Unlimited, which the circuit promoted
through special discounts at different
intervals since reopening.
2022 will be another transitional year
for Regal, which is currently awaiting the
results of Cineworld’s legal affair with
Canada’s Cineplex. Regal’s corporate
parent had announced its intention
to acquire Canada’s largest exhibition
circuit in 2019 but backed away from the
deal in June 2020 after citing contract
breaches. The collapsed merger prevented
Cineworld from becoming the largest
exhibition circuit in North America and
the world at large, spurring legal action
from Cineplex, who sought compensation
for the abandoned deal. A Canadian
court sided with Cineplex in late 2021,
making Cineworld responsible for nearly
$1 billion in damages. Cineworld is
currently appealing that decision; the
ultimate resolution could mean major
repercussions for the global cinema
industry in 2022.
March/April 2022
31

Theater GIANTS OF EXHIBITION 2022
Sponsor
Profile
3 cinemark
Location: Plano, TX
Founded: 1984
Screens: 4,440 ↘ -2.5%
Locations: 324 ↘ -2%
After enduring a difficult reopening
marked by an inconsistent release
schedule in 2020, Cinemark placed
an increased focus on expanding its
programming options in 2021. By May,
the circuit announced it had reached
terms with all five major studios—Disney,
Paramount, Sony, Universal, and Warner
Bros.—to ensure a consistent pipeline of
major theatrical releases in its theaters.
The next deal it announced proved to be
considerably more surprising: Cinemark
became the first major circuit in North
America to sign a deal with Netflix,
agreeing to carry select titles from the
world’s leading streaming service under
an exclusivity window of at least one week.
The circuit first began programming
Netflix titles that could appeal to wide
audiences back in November 2020,
expanding it in May 2021 beginning
with the release of Zack Snyder’s Army
of the Dead. The high-water mark of the
partnership came in November, when
a lull in the studio release schedule
opened the door for adventure caper
Red Notice—headlined by stars Gal
Gadot, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson,
and Ryan Reynolds—to register the best
admissions numbers for a Netflix title
within the circuit. CEO Mark Zoradi went
on to reiterate the circuit’s openness to
working with more streaming companies,
as long as mutually favorable terms could
be reached.
Big films continued to overperform
on the circuit’s premium large-format
(PLF) screens in 2021. PLF auditoriums
accounted for 13 percent of Cinemark’s
U.S. box office by November, despite
only representing 4 percent of its overall
screen count. That put the circuit in
optimal position for the release of Sony’s
Spider-Man: No Way Home in mid-
December. The title delivered Cinemark’s
best opening-night earnings of all time—
going on to set attendance records at its
domestic and Latin American theaters.
2021 marked the end of Mark Zoradi’s
tenure as Cinemark CEO. The former
Disney executive stepped down from
the role at year’s end, with COO/CFO
Sean Gamble taking the reins as his
replacement in 2022. Other executive
changes coming into the New Year
included promotions for Wanda Gierhart
Fearing (Chief Marketing and Content
Officer), Damian Wardle (EVP, Theater
& Technology Operations), and Sid
Srivastava (EVP Human Resources,
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and
Corporate Social Responsibility).
Wim Buyens
Chief Executive Officer,
Cinionic
There is no question that the past
two years have been a time of
change and often uncertainty for
our industry. But throughout it all one
thing remains clear—we will rise to
meet the challenges in front of us.
As an industry, we’ve come together
to adapt and innovate, to not
only preserve but also improve
the cinema experience for the
next generation of moviegoers.
New technologies are raising the
standard for sound and picture
quality, and premium amenities,
unique theater concepts, and
expanded food and beverage
offerings are all helping to remind
moviegoers of the value of cinema.
Operational excellence has taken
on new meaning as well, with the
introduction of touchless ticketing,
efficiencies within the booth with
our laser projection solutions,
and amplified safety measures.
Combined with our collective
passion for what we do, these
actions prepare us to meet evolving
audience expectations for comfort,
presentation, and differentiated
entertainment experiences that
simply can’t be matched by other
content platforms.
At Cinionic, we strive together to
build resilience within our cinema
industry, empowering exhibition
to excite and engage worldwide
audiences. We’re seeing continued
growth of entertainment content
production instrumental in driving
the global exhibition recovery as
moviegoers continue to return week
after week. As a dedicated cinema
company, we’re excited to support
the industry by delivering solutions
that advance exhibition.
We applaud this year’s Giants of
Exhibition, and all our partners
around the world, for shaping a
bright future for moviegoing.
32 March/April 2022

we look forward
to a bright year in
cinema, together
March/April 2022
we’ll see you at
CinemaCon
scan for more.
33

Theater GIANTS OF EXHIBITION 2022
34 March/April 2022

Sponsor
Profile
Stan Ruszkowski
President
The Boxoffice Company
On behalf of The Boxoffice Company,
I would like to congratulate all of this
year’s Giants of Exhibition. An annual
tradition of our colleagues at Boxoffice
Pro, this editorial feature has grown
to be an industry reference in tracking
the development of the exhibition
business over the years. Since the
onset of the pandemic, it has also
provided insight into the innovation
and resiliency of the entire sector.
The circuits on this list prove that no
challenge is insurmountable for the
cinema business. As our colleagues
continue pushing forward in
reengaging the public and welcoming
moviegoers back to cinemas, The
Boxoffice Company is proud to play
a role in assisting the movie theater
recovery effort. Whether it’s showtime
distribution, digital marketing
solutions, e-commerce integrations,
or our suite of business intelligence
tools—the cinema industry can count
on our total commitment in ensuring
the preservation of the moviegoing
experience.
2022 is shaping up to be another
important step on the road to
recovery. After reaching $4.5 billion in
the domestic box office in 2021, we are
confident that 2022 will sustain the
positive momentum we saw firsthand
with last year’s release of Spider-Man:
No Way Home. A great slate of titles
from our studio partners is scheduled
to hit your theaters in the coming
months—and we’re thrilled at the
chance to help pack your cinemas for
years to come.
4 cineplex
Location: Toronto, ON
Founded: 2003
Screens: 1,652 ↘ -0.3%
Locations: 160 ↘ -0.5%
The second year of the Covid crisis
brought further disruptions to
Canadian cinemas, with some
provinces remaining closed through
long stretches of Q1 2021. Prior to the
pandemic, Cineplex accounted for 75
percent of Canada’s market share in 2019—
with PLF auditoriums representing 41
percent of the circuit’s box office revenue.
The Covid-19 pandemic upended their
operations, dropping admissions and box
office revenue by 80 percent in 2020.
Government-mandated closures in
2021 further delayed Canadian cinema’s
recovery. Cineplex staff worked tirelessly
over the summer to bring its circuit
back online, capping their efforts with
a national ad campaign geared toward
welcoming the country’s audiences back
to theaters. That recovery looked to finally
be under way over a successful Q3—but
the emergence of the Omicron variant
derailed a lot of that progress. The highly
transmissible variant pushed the Ontario
and Quebec governments to institute a
50 percent capacity restriction in mid-
December. The timing couldn’t have
been worse, occurring over the opening
weekend of Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Only days later, cinemas in both provinces
would be ordered to suspend operations
through the rest of the year.
One of the reasons Cineplex has
been able to stay engaged with its public
despite these disruptions is the success
of its recently revamped loyalty program,
Scene Plus. A base of over 10 million
members ensures continuous interaction
with moviegoers—crucial in launching
the circuit’s new subscription service,
CineClub. Introduced in August 2021,
CineClub gives members access to one
complimentary ticket a month, along
with discounts on additional tickets and
concessions, for $9.99 per month.
Cineplex is well diversified beyond its
cinema operations with investments across
a variety of entertainment destinations
throughout Canada. Its exhibition-adjacent
businesses include the Cineplex Store, its
video-on-demand streaming platform
with access to over 9,000 titles, and its
own cinema advertising division. The
company works with some of its U.S.
exhibition counterparts through its digital
signage business, which counts AMC
as a client, and Player One Amusement
Group, an arcade equipment provider that
services other circuits like AMC, Regal,
and Cinemark. The circuit also manages a
variety of different entertainment center
concepts: Xscape Entertainment Centres,
attached to select Cineplex locations;
Playdium, targeting teens and families; and
The Rec Room, designed for millennials
and young professionals.
March/April 2022
35

Theater GIANTS OF EXHIBITION 2022
5
marcus theatres
Location: Milwaukee, WI
Founded: 1935
Screens: 1,064 ↘ -3%
Locations: 85 ↘ -4%
6
B&B theatres
Location: Kansas City, MO
Founded: 1924
Screens: 513 ↗ 20%
Locations: 56 ↗ 14%
Over the past six years,
Marcus Theatres has
grown from a regional
circuit in the Midwest to
the fifth-largest movie theater
chain in the domestic market.
During that span, Marcus has
added 425 screens across 36
locations and 10 states. That
growth was primarily driven by
its 2019 acquisition of dine-in
cinema chain Movie Tavern,
which increased its total
screen count by 23 percent.
That level of investment
has also been applied to
individual sites, with recliner
seating now available at over
80 percent of its screens—the
highest percentage among
the domestic market’s top
players. The chain hosts at
least one PLF auditorium at
over 75 percent of its locations,
a factor that helped the circuit
raise its average ticket price by
6 percent during Q3 2021.
Marcus Theatres rang in
the New Year by piloting a
new subscription program
in select Nebraska and Ohio
locations. The initiative,
MovieFlex, will give members
two different tiers of access
to a range of benefits—from
complimentary tickets to
concessions discounts—for a
low monthly price. Marcus is
the largest exhibitor in North
America yet to offer its own
nationwide subscription plan.
Should MovieFlex take off, that
could likely change before the
end of the year.
Kansas City, Missouri-based
B&B Theatres—the largest
family-owned exhibitor
in North America—is the
first chain on this list to see
an uptick in both theater and
screen counts during 2021.
The year saw B&B acquire
several locations previously
run by other circuits, including
a former Alamo Drafthouse
theater in downtown Kansas
City; the former CMX cinema
in Minnesota’s Mall of
America; a Galaxy Cinemas
location in Sedalia, Missouri;
and a 16-screen cinema in the
suburbs of Tampa, Florida.
Acquisitions of preexisting
cinemas in North Carolina and
Washington marked the chain’s
expansion into those states.
Further expansion
plans are in the works,
with theater openings in
Creve Coeur, Missouri, and
Athens, Georgia—B&B’s
first theater in the latter
state—pending remodeling.
Updates done during the
past year at B&B’s newly
acquired theaters indicate
a continued investment
in premium formats and
amenities. Entering 2022, the
chain boasted 10 theaters with
MX4D immersive seating,
three with ScreenX technology,
and 18 with B&B’s proprietary
large-screen format. That
offering, called Grand Screen,
is enhanced by technology
from Cinionic, with whom
B&B inked a four-year contract
in September, making them
B&B’s exclusive projection
technology partner.
36 March/April 2022

7
harkins theatres
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
Founded: 1933
Screens: 494 ↘ -2%
Locations: 33
8
malco theatres
Location: Memphis, TN
Founded: 1915
Screens: 351 ↘ 3%
Locations: 33 ↘ 14%
Phoenix-based Harkins
Theatres went into 2021
sans its full complement
of theaters, as the chain’s
four California locations—
all in the Los Angeles area,
which maintained strict Covid
restrictions for cinemas well
into the beginning of 2021—
had yet to reopen. Those
four locations finally opened
in March, bringing them in
line with their counterparts
in Arizona, Colorado, and
Oklahoma. To help combat
the relative lack of major
Hollywood releases earlier in
the year, Harkins launched a
Moonlight Cinema program
at their Camelview location
in Scottsdale, Arizona, taking
over the rooftop of a nearby
parking garage for outdoor
screenings of older films.
Harkins Theatres, like many
North American chains, has
turned to remodeling over the
past year, taking advantage of a
temporary lull in the schedule
to add fresh amenities for
moviegoers. In Arizona, the
Harkins Tempe Marketplace
16 got new Ultimate Loungers
and a Cine 1 auditorium, with
digital sound and projection,
updated seating, and an
expanded snack bar.
2021 ended with the
announcement that Harkins
would be closing its North
Valley 16 location in Phoenix;
earlier in 2021, its Southlake,
Texas location was acquired by
family entertainment center
circuit EVO Entertainment.
As with many other chains
in North America, Malco
Theatres spent the first
months of 2021 reopening
theaters closed the year prior
due to the pandemic. For
cinemas in Malco’s home
city of Memphis, Tennessee,
preexisting theaters got
a new purpose, as Malco
rented auditoriums to the
University of Memphis for
socially distanced classes.
Malco’s nontraditional use of
auditoriums during off-peak
times includes their Malco
Select cinema rental program
and the running of their
three cinema entertainment
centers, featuring amenities
like bowling, laser tag,
and arcade games. In May
2021, Malco launched its
Malco Marquee Rewards
loyalty program, which lets
customers earn points in
exchange for discounts or free
tickets and concessions.
Malco closed out the
year with an act of charity,
donating 10 percent of all
ticket sales on December 15
to assist victims of the deadly
storms that affected the
Southeast earlier that month.
March/April 2022
37

Theater GIANTS OF EXHIBITION 2022
9
emagine entertainment
Location: Troy, MI
Founded: 1935
Screens: 342 ↘ -20%
Locations: 28 ↘ -42%
10
cmx cinemas
Location: Miami, FL
Founded: 2017
Screens: 341 0%
Locations: 32 ↗ 3.2%
2021 saw Emagine Entertainment
kick its nontraditional
programming into
high gear. Throughout
the year, the Michigan-based
exhibitor hosted an assortment
of non-film events—including
free watch parties for football
and basketball, screenings of
WWE SummerSlam, and an
“80’s at the 8” live music festival—to
compensate for a relative
lack of titles and to draw
attention to the luxury chain’s
food and beverage offerings.
At their Woodhaven cinema—formerly
an AMC, reopened
by Emagine in June—the
chain introduced an all-inclusive
ticketing and concessions
program, allowing moviegoers
to pay one price (adjusted based
on day of the week, time of day,
and other factors) for a ticket
and all-you-can-eat concessions
(minus alcoholic drinks and
bottled beverages).
Emagine closed out the
year with the announcement
of a new “Vegas-style” sports
lounge—boasting an array
of LED screens, a 5.1 cinema
sound system, power recliners
with individual tables, and a
display of betting odds—at its
Royal Oak location. Said CEO
Anthony LaVerde in a statement:
“We are big believers
that our multipurpose venues
are the perfect environment
to showcase a variety of entertainment
content to the
public and are confident that
the product and experience we
are serving up with the new
Emagine Sports Lounge will be
exceptional in every way.”
2021 has been a year of
recovery for the entire cinema
industry—but especially
so for CMX Cinemas,
which in April 2020 became
the first major North American
circuit of the pandemic to file
Chapter 11 bankruptcy. CMX
reemerged from Chapter 11
in 2021, having closed several
theaters—including their single
New York City location—
that were no longer financially
viable. Other cinemas would
be upgraded throughout the
year, with five locations getting
motion seats via a deal with
D-Box and an upgrade to their
laser projection solution from
Cinionic in CMX’s Dolphin 19
theater in Miami.
Notably, 2021 saw CMX
CFO Luis Castelazo continue
his 2020 call for studios to
lower the price of film rentals
to compensate for lower
theater attendance caused
by streaming. Said Castelazo
on the Boxoffice Podcast in
January, “If we’re not having
that historical exclusivity,
then the percentage that they
charge us for every movie
should be drastically reduced.
And the reduction should be
calculated based on how much
our attendance is impacted,
versus having that exclusivity
that we have enjoyed for
several decades.”
38 March/April 2022

March/April 2022
39

Theater GIANTS OF EXHIBITION 2022
40 March/April 2022

11–30
11
Landmark Cinemas
of Canada
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Founded: 1965
Screens: 325 ↘ -2.7%
Locations: 40 ↘ -13%
12
Alamo Drafthouse
Location: Austin, TX
Founded: 1997
Screens: 301 ↘ -5%
Locations: 37 ↘ -9.8%
13
National Amusements
(Showcase Cinemas)
Location: Norwood, MA
Founded: 1936
Screens: 291 ↘ -9.4%
Locations: 22 ↘ -8.3%
14
Caribbean Cinemas
Location: San Juan, PR
Founded: 1968
Screens: 281
Locations: 32
15
Southern Theatres
Location: New Orleans, LA
Founded: 2003
Screens: 266
Locations: 18
16
Cinépolis Luxury
Cinemas
Location: Dallas, TX
Founded: 2011
Screens: 260 ↘ -5.8%
Locations: 26 ↘ -7.1%
17
Georgia Theatre
Company
Location: St. Simons Island, GA
Founded: 1992
Screens: 253 ↘ -3.8%
Locations: 24 ↘ -4%
18
Premiere Cinemas
Location: Big Spring, TX
Founded: 1993
Screens: 249 ↘ -3.8%
Locations: 22 ↘ -4.3%
19
Neighborhood
Cinemas Group
Location: Owosso, MI
Founded: 1983
Screens: 246 ↘ -6.5%
Locations: 25 ↘ -7.4%
20
Reading Cinemas
Location: New York, NY
Founded: 2020
Screens: 238
Locations: 24
21
Studio Movie Grill
Location: Dallas, TX
Founded: 2000
Screens: 226 ↘ -23%
Locations: 21 ↘ -22%
22
Landmark Theatres
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Founded: 1974
Screens: 216 ↗ 7.5%
Locations: 38 ↘ -5%
23
UEC Theatres
Location: Maple Grove, MN
Founded: 1993
Screens: 191
Locations: 22
24
GQT Movies
Location: Grand Rapids, MI
Founded: 2000
Screens: 189 ↘ -5.5%
Locations: 24 ↘ -4%
25
Galaxy Theatres
Location: Sherman Oaks, CA
Founded: 1998
Screens: 183 ↘ -1.6%
Locations: 16
26
Cinema West
Location: Petaluma, CA
Founded: 1984
Screens: 174 ↗ 13%
Locations: 17 ↗ 21%
27
Larry H. Miller
Theatres (Megaplex
Theatres)
Location: Sandy, UT
Founded: 1999
Screens: 173 ↘ -1.7%
Locations: 15
28
Regency Theatres
Location: Agoura Hills, CA
Founded: 1996
Screens: 172
Locations: 25
29
MJR Theatres
Location: Bloomfield Hills, MI
Founded: 1980
Screens: 164
Locations: 10
30
Marquee Cinemas
Location: Beckley, WV
Founded: 1979
Screens: 162 ↘ -0.6%
Locations: 15
March/April 2022
41

Theater GIANTS OF EXHIBITION 2022
31–50
31
Phoenix Theatres
Location: Knoxville, TN
Founded: 2001
Screens: 155 ↗ 7.6%
Locations: 14
36
Epic Theatres
Location: Deltona, FL
Founded: 2003
Screens: 144
Locations: 12
41
Bow Tie Cinemas
Location: Ridgefield, CT
Founded: 1900
Screens: 128 ↘ -18%
Locations: 15 ↘ -25%
46
Mitchell Theatres
Location: Elkhart, KS
Founded: 2005
Screens: 107 ↘ -75%
Locations: 15 ↘ -69%
32
Cinema Entertainment
Corp.
Location: Waite Park, MN
Founded: 1964
Screens: 154
Locations: 19
33
Celebration Cinema
By Studio C
37
Coming Attractions
Theatres
Location: Ashland, OR
Founded: 1985
Screens: 142 ↘ -7.2%
Locations: 18
38
Santikos
Entertainment
42
Apple Cinemas
Location: Walpole, MA
Founded: 2013
Screens: 127
Locations: 12
42
Look Cinemas
Location: Dallas, TX
Founded: 2021
Screens: 127
Locations: 8
47
IPIC Theaters
Location: Boca Raton, FL
Founded: 2007
Screens: 102 ↘ -12%
Locations: 13 ↘ -13%
48
R.L. Fridley Theatres
Location: Des Moines, IA
Founded: 1972
Screens: 97 ↘ -1%
Locations: 18
Location: Grand Rapids, MI
Founded: 1944
Screens: 149 ↗ 2.8%
Locations: 11
34
EVO Entertainment
Location: Austin, TX
Founded: 2014
Screens: 148
Locations: 16
35
Cinémas Guzzo
Location: Terrebonne, QC
Founded: 2003
Screens: 145 ↗ 2.8%
Locations: 10 ↗ 2.8%
Location: San Antonio, TX
Founded: 1948
Screens: 136 ↗ 18%
Locations: 11 ↗ 22%
39
Classic Cinemas
Location: Downers Grove, IL
Founded: 1978
Screens: 131
Locations: 15
39
Flagship Premium
Cinemas
Location: Cambridge, MA
Founded: 1995
Screens: 131 ↘ -12%
Locations: 18 ↘ -5.3%
44
R/C Theatres
Location: Reisterstown, MD
Founded: 1932
Screens: 119 ↘ -72%
Locations: 13 ↘ -73.5%
45
Allen Theatres
Location: Las Cruces, NM
Founded: 1912
Screens: 112 ↘ -3.4%
Locations: 16 ↘ -5.9%
49
Metropolitan
Theatres
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Founded: 1923
Screens: 94
Locations: 17 ↗ 6%
50
Xscape Theatres
Location: New Albany, IN
Founded: 2013
Screens: 94 ↘ -13%
Locations: 7 ↘ -61%
42 March/April 2022

ccib
barcelona
20-23
june 2022
CONVENTION AND TRADE FAIR
CENTRE CONVENCIONS INTERNACIONAL BARCELONA (CCIB)
CINEEUROPE.NET
OFFICAL CORPORATE SPONSOR

Theater EXHIBITORS HAVE THEIR SAY
EXHIBITORS
HAVE THEIR SAY
Executives from Some of the Country’s Leading
Circuits Share Their Favorite Moviegoing
Moments of 2021
44 March/April 2022

RUSSELL ALLEN
President, Allen Theatres
Being able to go to a movie in my
own hometown after 15 months of
closure.
BLAKE ANDERSEN
President, Larry H. Miller Megaplex
Theatres
The past year has been extraordinary
and humbling as Utah and the Larry
H. Miller Megaplex Theatres team
has led the nation in welcoming
guests back to the movies. The
Megaplex team has shown an
amazing ability to pivot and adapt
amid seemingly endless challenges
of supply chain disruptions, staffing
shortages, studio scheduling shifts,
and other issues, while working to
offer guests the best entertainment
experience possible. I am grateful
to work with a remarkable team
who represent the Larry H. Miller
company values of integrity, hard
work, stewardship, and service and
see how those values translate into
the ultimate moviegoing experience
for guests at Megaplex Theatres.
BO CHAMBLISS
President, Georgia Theatre Company
My favorite movie experience of
2021 was watching Dune in a Georgia
Theatre Extreme auditorium with
my family. Everyone loved the
movie, and we didn’t want it to end!
The cinematography was amazing.
We are ready for the next chapter!
JACK GARDNER
V.P. Marketing, Box Office Sales &
Content Programming, Landmark
Cinemas Canada
I love the smell of popcorn in the
morning … it’s the smell of open
theaters.
JEGAN GOMANGALAM
Co-Founder, Apple Cinemas
Of course, it has to be Spider-Man:
No Way Home! This brought back
our real cinema-viewing social
experience after a long two years
with a full audience. The energy
in the room is unbelievable. It’s a
movie for the whole family and all
of us loved it.
“Everyone loved the
movie, and we didn’t
want it to end! The
cinematography was
amazing. We are ready
for the next chapter!”
March/April 2022
45

Theater EXHIBITORS HAVE THEIR SAY
GREG HECKMANN
Director of Marketing, Maya Cinemas
ELLIS JACOB
President & CEO, Cineplex
I thought Free Guy was an incredibly
fun movie and it helped end our
summer strong. Obviously, Spider-
Man: No Way Home capped off 2021
in a huge way and showed us that
the cinema business is here to stay!
TEARLACH HUTCHESON
V.P. Film, Studio Movie Grill
My favorite moviegoing memory
for 2021 was watching No Time To
Die. I’ve been a big fan of Daniel
Craig as James Bond, and I’m also
very interested in the historical
images of masculinity in cinema
(I teach film at SMU). To observe
the James Bond mythology evolve
from the chauvinist, combined
with intense action, brilliant
cinematography, and dynamic
sound, and culminating in an
excellent ending reminded me of
all the talents needed to make a
film stand out and that ultimately
it is great storytelling that makes a
film timeless.
My favorite moviegoing memory
of 2021 was in July when our
entire circuit of theaters across the
country was finally reopened after
months of mandated closures. I
visited my local theater in Toronto,
Cineplex Cinemas Varsity and VIP,
to see Roadrunner: A Film About
Anthony Bourdain and witnessed
firsthand how excited our guests
were to be back. Nothing compares
to the escape of the big screen and
collective experience that can only
happen in our theaters.
“Nothing compares to the
escape of the big screen
and collective experience
that can only happen in
our theaters.”
46 March/April 2022

JEFFREY A. KAUFMAN
SVP Film and Marketing, Malco
Theatres
What a roller-coaster year it has
been. 2021 had its fill of Greek letters
like Delta and Omicron. We had
hijinks from studios like Warner
Bros. with all its films day-and-date
on streamer HBO Max, and Disney
deciding once-revered Pixar films
had no place in theaters anymore.
Even trying to guess when a picture
would appear on VOD or hop to a
studio’s streaming platform was a
challenge worthy of a tarot reader.
Equally stress-inducing was getting
those hot-off-the-press notices of
release date changes. Yes, it was a
challenging year. But, my friends,
we are in good hands and the future
is bright. My favorite moviegoing
moment was not mine. Although
I admit, going with my wife to see
House of Gucci at an early show
was fun, as was the trade of West
Side Story in Imax. No, my favorite
moviegoing moment was the
pictures my daughter-in-law sent
to me of my son and my 18-monthold
grandson ensconced in big
comfortable recliners, sharing
popcorn one little handful at a time,
just before they watched Encanto
(which is now his favorite movie).
Then a few weeks later they sat
through Sing 2 and loved it. I think
the popcorn and booster chair
helped! Nevertheless, the next
generation of movie lovers is on the
way, and their experience in movie
theaters is critical to the renewal
of our industry. TV is TV. It is not a
60-foot screen and giant sound. Just
ask Julian. He’s only 18 months old
and he knows the difference. All we
need now is a movie for him to see
this spring. Any suggestions?
March/April 2022
47

Theater EXHIBITORS HAVE THEIR SAY
48 March/April 2022

ANTHONY LAVERDE
CEO, Emagine Entertainment
My favorite memory of 2021 was
seeing the emotional response from
our guests viewing Spider-Man:
No Way Home back in our theaters.
That to me proved once again that
there is nothing like witnessing a
film on a large screen in a communal
atmosphere.
TIM LEAGUE
Co-Founder & Executive Chairman,
Alamo Drafthouse
The week we opened up our new
Manhattan theater in mid-October,
our V.P. of marketing, Chaya
Rosenthal, and I snuck away from
our press duties and caught an early
screening of Licorice Pizza on 35
mm in Manhattan. Licorice Pizza is
such an amazing, special film, the
perfect smile-inducing antidote
to 18 months of hunkering down.
Immediately after the screening,
we couldn’t stop talking about
what we had just experienced
and brainstormed a bunch of
ideas for our release—letterpress
printing, building waterbeds, and
our surprisingly tasty “Alana-tini”
martini (yes vodka, yes gin, yes
twist, yes olive). I don’t really cry
when watching movies at home, but
somehow the power of cinema takes
hold of me in that darkened room,
and I cry. A lot. Perhaps I was just so
thankful to be back in the cinema
that I cried at some point in every
movie I saw with an audience in
2021 (including Spider-Man: No Way
Home and Sing 2). But Licorice Pizza,
that was a two-Kleenex job.
J.D. LOEKS
President, Celebration Cinema by
Studio C
My favorite movie memory was
seeing Belfast, a movie I had very
low expectations of, but walked
out of reminded of the magic of the
movies and the importance of this
form of storytelling.
MARK MALINOWSKI
V.P. Global Marketing, National
Amusements
My favorite moviegoing memory
from 2021 was seeing No Time to Die
in our XPlus auditorium at Showcase
Cinemas de Lux Legacy Place. It was
an extremely vivid and powerful
reminder that movies like that
are meant for the big screen—no
question!
JARED MILGRAM
EVP Film & Marketing,
Bow Tie Cinemas
My favorite moviegoing memory
of 2021 is a tie between the joy I felt
watching In the Heights on the big
screen and the joy I felt watching
Spider-Man: No Way Home advance
ticket sales build and build leading
up to opening day.
“It was an extremely
vivid and powerful
reminder that movies like
that are meant for the
big screen—no question!”
March/April 2022
49

Theater EXHIBITORS HAVE THEIR SAY
LUIS OLLOQUI
CEO, Cinépolis USA
Although 2021 was a tough year,
there were so many small moments
to be grateful for. Most notably,
seeing our guests return for Spider-
Man: No Way Home. Watching
our buildings come alive with
excitement again brought me so
much joy. It was truly wonderful to
end the year on such a high note.
NEIL PEARLMUTTER
V.P. Operations and Technology,
Santa Rosa Cinemas
My favorite moviegoing experience
of 2021 was watching Ghostbusters:
Afterlife at CinemaCon. Not only was
I blown away by the film, absolutely
loved it, but being back together
with my colleagues celebrating the
film industry was special. All of us
laughing together and thoroughly
enjoying the film was cathartic.
MITCH ROBERTS
CEO, EVO Entertainment
My favorite moviegoing moment of 2021
was when Ernie Hudson was in town
for a few days introducing Ghostbusters:
Afterlife and taking photos with fans
at screenings across our Central Texas
venues. It was a special moment to see
the love and passion that fans have
for great franchises and to see the
communal experience of cinema come
back at its best.
50 March/April 2022

ROLANDO RODRIGUEZ
CEO, Marcus Theatres
of seeing movies in theaters. Let’s
make 2022 a positive journey for all
of us to remember.
“It was a special moment
to see the love and
passion that fans have
for great franchises and
to see the communal
experience of cinema
come back at its best.”
There are many positive movie
memories from 2021. In May, the
entire industry—studios, exhibitors,
vendor partners, CAA team and
the creative/artistic community—
united to launch the “Big Screen Is
Back” campaign. It really got the
momentum going for the industry.
Then in August, we all came
together again for CinemaCon 2021.
It was a great show and platform for
everyone to reconnect. Watching all
the great films together reminded
me of the amazing experience we
have to offer—a social art form and
much-needed escape that can’t be
replicated at home. As the chairman
of NATO, I have continued to be
inspired by our incredible board of
directors, John Fithian, the NATO
management team, and all the
NATO exhibitors for their leadership
and efforts to rebuild our industry.
We look forward to continuing the
momentum that really took off
with the release of Spider-Man: No
Way Home, proving once again the
magic, relevance, and importance
BRAIN SCHULTZ
CEO, Look Cinemas
After being sidelined for a time,
my favorite memory of 2021 was
speaking with hundreds of guests
and team members about the
power of the theatrical experience
and how stories are the spark in
forming our worldviews. The time
off provided self-reflection and a
recommitment to the importance of
what we do every day.
“Watching all the great
films together reminded
me of the amazing
experience we have to
offer—a social art form
and much-needed
escape that can’t be
replicated at home.”
March/April 2022
51

Theater EXHIBITORS HAVE THEIR SAY
ANTHONY TAYLOR
Director of Marketing, MJR Digital
Cinemas
My favorite moviegoing memory
of 2021 is watching Spider-Man: No
Way Home in a packed auditorium
of fans laughing, cheering, and
even being moved to tears at all the
right moments. It was a heartening
reminder that there’s nothing
quite like the powerful communal
experience of going to the movies.
ROB WESTERLING
V.P. Film – Head Film Buyer, Regal
There is nothing quite like the shared
experience you get by seeing a film in
the theater. I had many memorable
moviegoing moments in 2021, but
two stand out as my favorites. First, I
remember going to see A Quiet Place
Part II opening night. The in-person
experience of seeing a horror genre
movie is essential. It added to the
film’s intensity and kept me on the
edge of my seat the entire time. I also
had the privilege of being in New
York City for the opening weekend
of Spider-Man: No Way Home. I was
able to catch the film in the fully
immersive 4DX experience at the
marvelous Regal Union Square. It
was the perfect setting to see this
masterpiece.
52 March/April 2022

PHIL J. ZACHERETTI
President & CEO, Phoenix Theatres
Entertainment
Spider-Man: No Way Home brought
a volume of attendance that helped
our company so much. I saw it
twice with various grandchildren,
and tens of millions of others! As
we left the theater, my 8-year-old
granddaughter said, “That was very
emotional.” I agreed with her.
“It was a heartening
reminder that there’s
nothing quite like the
powerful communal
experience of going to
the movies.”
March/April 2022
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54 March/April 2022

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 56 | Morbius 64 | Event Cinema Calender 70
ON SCREEN
“It was also filled with lots of joy, because I’ve been a big comic
book reader my whole life. To stand there and see someone
levitate? That’s a very joyful experience.”
Morbius, p. 64
March/April 2022
55

On Screen SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2
SUPER
56 March/April 2022

SONIC
Director Jeff Fowler Brings an Iconic
Speedster Back to the Big Screen
BY JESSE RIFKIN
March/April 2022
57

On Screen SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2
In 2020 Sonic the Hedgehog proved
one of the most successful video
game film adaptations ever,
earning $146 million domestically.
That would have been impressive
enough on its own, but Sonic’s
gross actually reflects a theatrical
release cut short by the Covid-19
pandemic. Indeed, the film still ranked
sixth at the weekend box office during the
final frame before everything shut down.
The movie was based on the popular
video game franchise that premiered
in 1991, in which players control the
lightning-fast title character on his
missions to save the world. Ben Schwartz,
best known for playing the flamboyant
Jean-Ralphio on NBC’s “Parks and
Recreation,” voiced Sonic. As the villain
Dr. Robotnik, Jim Carrey appeared in his
first live-action comedy role in six years,
since 2014’s Dumb and Dumber To.
It also marked Jeff Fowler’s featurelength
directorial debut; Fowler had
previously earned an Academy Award
nomination for Best Animated Short Film
with Gopher Broke. Now he’s back helming
Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog 2,
releasing exclusively in cinemas on April
8. Fowler spoke to Boxoffice Pro about
the production challenges associated with
Carrey’s comically enormous mustache,
hiding Easter eggs for the games’ eagleeyed
fans on a character’s iPhone screen,
and why it’s important for audiences to
see this title in a cinema.
“I read a lot of people online
saying the first film was the
last movie they’d seen in
theaters. There were theaters
out here in L.A. that still had
the poster on the marquee for
the entire shutdown.”
58 March/April 2022

SONIC
AT THE
MOVIES
*Numbers represent
domestic grosses
Three-day opening:
$58M
Four-day opening
(Presidents’ Day
weekend):
$70M
Domestic total:
$148.9M
Top International
Markets
U.K.
$24.9 million
Mexico
$18.4 million
France
$15.5 millon
Australia
$10.9 million
Russia/CIS
$10.6 million
Germany
$10.4 million
The first Sonic movie came out in
February 2020, right before the
pandemic upended the domestic box
office. This movie was conceived, and
will be released, in a very different
world. How much of a disruption
was the Covid-19 pandemic on the
production of this film?
The first film had come out. The studio
was obviously really excited about how
audiences had received it. There had
already been some early discussion about
doing another Sonic movie, so we were in
the early stages of that. But we were kind of
fortunate in having something to do when
the world went remote, to be able to still be
talking story with writers. Even though it’s
better to get together and do that in person,
that didn’t hold us back from having these
great story sessions and talking about what
would make for a great sequel.
Paramount made the decision to
release [the first film] on digital earlier
than planned, so [more] people could
watch it. The spirit of the first Sonic movie
was so positive and optimistic, which
was a really great thing to have out there
when people, especially in the early days,
weren’t sure what to expect. Families were
looking for things to do, stuff to take their
minds off everything. Hopefully, Sonic was
able to help with that.
And I hope this movie does the same!
In some weird way, I hope these two
Sonic movies kind of bookend people’s
experiences with the pandemic. I read a
lot of people online saying the first film
was the last movie they’d seen in theaters.
March/April 2022
59

On Screen SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2
There were theaters out here in L.A. that
still had the poster on the marquee for
the entire shutdown. At the Grove, Sonic
was plastered all over the exterior. It was
surreal. We were very fortunate to have
the theatrical run that we had and are
hoping that everyone will be excited and
comfortable going out in April.
A number of video game movie
adaptations in recent years failed
to crack $60 million at the domestic
box office—Assassin’s Creed, Warcraft,
Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon
City, 2018’s Tomb Raider. Yours made
$146 million, and that was curtailed by
the pandemic! Why do you think yours
succeeded?
I think it all comes down to character. Not
character design or the look of the character,
but the heart of the character. What
journey are they going on? How relatable
is that to an audience? How emotionally
connected can they become? That’s not a
specific or unique challenge to video game
translations, that’s all movies. All movies
come down to character. How hard are you
rooting for or against somebody? Then
you’re invested for the whole two hours.
“You’ve really got to honor
what it is people love about
the characters. The 30 years
Sonic’s been around, the
fan base he’s generated is
incredible and enormous.”
And honestly, just fun. Are the audience
having a good time? Not to sound too
simplistic about it, but that’s really the
blueprint for these movies. You can see
the actors are really enjoying it, they’re
having fun with their characters. That
really translates for the audience. They
walk away having a great time and a great
experience. That’s what makes for a successful
movie.
Well, Jim Carrey was very clearly
having fun. In this one, his mustache is
literally about a foot longer than it was
in the first film.
And he still has to grow it longer! It’s still
in its early stages.
Did the mustache keep falling off when
filming?
Ironically, the bigger it gets, the easier it
is to stay on his face, because there’s lots
of places you can put more glue on. The
smaller mustache from the first film, just
because it was simpler and thinner, that
one we had way more issues with. This one
is so big that you can just slather on the glue.
He’s obviously such an incredible actor.
He works really hard, that’s the thing that’s
60 March/April 2022

so impressive about him. He just turned
60 last week. He just really cares about
getting it right. With all the work he’s done
over the years, the concern would be that
he somehow is no longer so invested. But
nothing could be further from the truth.
He loves playing Dr. Robotnik. He’s always
pitching ideas, trying to come up with
funnier dialogue. It’s really inspiring to
have him come to work. You see how much
he cares, and it makes everyone else work
hard to also do great work.
What’s your favorite example of a Jim
Carrey improvisation or pitch that
made it into the final cut?
From the first movie, when Agent Stone
[played by Lee Majdoub] comes into the
Wachowski house after Dr. Robotnik has
gotten punched out by James Marsden’s
character, [Robotnik] grabs Stone by the
jaw, holds him forward, and does the
whole scene with his hand in Lee’s mouth.
We were all there and saw Jim get this
little twinkle in his eye. He basically asked
Lee, “Would it be OK if I put my hand in
your mouth?” Of course, who is Lee to
say anything other than, “Yeah, go for it!”
When Jim Carrey asks to put his hand in
your mouth, you don’t say no. So we did
it four or five times, and each time was
funnier than the last.
He has such a great eye for not only
physical comedy, but for ways to “plus”
the scene. And of course, dialogue. He
can always come up with funnier ways
of delivering a line. He really does care,
really does work hard to make his scenes
come to life.
What was the biggest challenge in
making this film?
It’s just a big movie! It’s got a ton of visual
effects. But that’s also the best part about
it. I love what we were able to do with this,
tell a big action-adventure story and bring
in all these new characters like Knuckles
and Tails. That’s what made it challenging
but also the best thing ever, because we
knew we wanted these characters coming
into our movie universe, knowing that
fans love these characters every bit as
much as we do.
With that first film, we wanted to tell
an origin story and keep it simple. We
wanted to make it all about Sonic and
Robotnik, setting them up. But now
having the opportunity to expand the
universe and bring in some of these other
“This is something you just
have to see on a big screen.
It’s such a big, fun adventure.
It’s so much bigger than the
first movie. There’s so much
spectacle.”
characters, it’s just awesome. Hopefully
we get to just continue on that trajectory.
There are so many characters in the Sonic
universe to pull from. There’s so much
more room for growth.
And when you’ve finally pulled in all the
characters by Sonic the Hedgehog 17,
do what Spider-Man: No Way Home did,
and have Sonic open up a multiverse
with other versions of himself.
I’m right there with you, man. [Laughs.]
Are there any Easter eggs that Sonic
video game fans can look forward to
in this film?
Yeah, all over the place. There are also
these little things you can do, like put
something on an iPhone screen. The time
March/April 2022
61

On Screen SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2
on the iPhone screen is 6:23, which is a
reference to Sonic’s birthday, June 23.
That’s about as granular as it gets! Why
put something random on there when you
can stash an Easter egg? There are lots of
little places to stash them because you
know fans are going to go back over the
whole movie with a fine-tooth comb.
There are also big ones that are very
obvious, like the Tornado, Tails’s biplane
that Tails and Sonic fly into battle with,
which is a direct and loving homage to
the end of [1992’s] “Sonic the Hedgehog
2” video game, when it delivers Sonic into
battle. There’s all kinds of stuff, and a lot
of it would be very “spoiler-y” for me to
mention now. But I’ll throw it out there for
all the fans, that there’s all kinds of stuff
buried throughout.
I was looking up interviews from the
first Sonic film in early 2020, and you
mentioned that you had a newborn son,
which would make him about two and a
half now. Is he too young to watch this
yet, or do you run any of it by him?
He’d pop his head in. He loves running in
and seeing what I’m reviewing. He’s a big
Knuckles fan. He likes the color red a lot,
so Knuckles is neck-and-neck with Sonic
right now in popularity. Someday, he’ll
get to watch these movies and hopefully
approve of how his dad has been spending
all his time. Or at least he’ll lie to me and
tell me that he loves them.
The first film gained goodwill from fans
for its faithfulness to the original video
games. Had you considered departing
from the source material, or was that
never even a possibility?
You’ve really got to honor what it is
people love about the characters. The
30 years Sonic’s been around, the fan
base he’s generated is incredible and
enormous. The power of that fan base
is obvious from the [success of the] first
film, giving us a lot of great support. So
you want to take what people love about
the character and translate it to the big
screen. It’s very challenging and can be
tricky. But at its core, you have to look at
those key foundations of what makes the
games and their characters so beloved.
And how do you retain that spirit, even if
you’re rearranging the pieces a little bit or
tweaking the story a little bit?
Why is it important for audiences to see
Sonic 2 in a cinema?
This is something you just have to see on
a big screen. It’s such a big, fun adventure.
It’s so much bigger than the first movie.
There’s so much spectacle. I think people
are going to really love it. It’s like a [rollercoaster]
ride. All the action is bigger, all
the set pieces are bigger. Really, I think
it’s just perfect for audiences, getting
together with your friends or your family
and seeing a big movie on the biggest
screen possible.
AT THE
MOVIES
What is your all-time
favorite moviegoing
memory or experience?
Return of the Jedi. I was
five when it came out,
in ’83. Star Wars really
shaped what I love about
movies: constructing these
incredible worlds and
bringing visual effects into
the storytelling medium. Of
course, that’s something
that’s become very
important in my work. With
something like Sonic the
Hedgehog, you’re bringing
a character to life through
the talent of visual effects
artists.
What’s your favorite snack
at the movie theater
concession stand?
I’m a Skittle man. Love me
some Skittles.
62 March/April 2022

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On Screen MORBIUS
THERE
WILL
Morbius Director Daniel Espinosa
on Green Screen and Gratitude
BY JESSE RIFKIN
64 March/April 2022

BE
BLOOD
March/April 2022
65

On Screen MORBIUS
Since the character’s 1971
introduction (in comic The
Amazing Spider-Man #101), the
vampire Morbius has been a
Spider-Man universe staple,
appearing in numerous comics, animated
television series, and video games. Yet he’s
never made the leap to film, until now.
In the upcoming dark action-adventure
Morbius, Jared Leto stars as scientist
Michael Morbius, who accidentally
becomes a vampire after attempting
to cure himself of a rare blood disease.
Leto, who won a Best Supporting Actor
Academy Award for Dallas Buyers Club
(2013), previously starred as superhero
villain Joker in Suicide Squad (2016).
Sony Pictures debuts Morbius
exclusively in cinemas on Friday, April 1.
Swedish director Daniel Espinosa helms
the project, having previously directed
2017’s outer space thriller Life, starring
Ryan Reynolds and Jake Gyllenhaal, and
2012’s action-drama Safe House, starring
Denzel Washington.
Espinosa spoke to Boxoffice Pro
about his life’s journey from teenage exconvict
to major Hollywood director, his
long-standing love of Marvel Comics, and
his selectively limited and judicious use
of green screen.
You got your start at 18 by knocking
on the door of a film production office
and offering to make their coffee for
free. Did you even have aspirations to
become a director?
Not really. At the time, I was living in an
elevator. I was homeless. After six months
of that, I thought, “I might as well go
somewhere where I can at least dream a
bit.” Since I’m broke and living off food that
I can steal, I at least want to be with people
I can admire. So for the first two months in
that production office, nobody knew where
I lived. They just knew that here was this
new guy making coffee for free.
But I worked my ass off. Slowly, I got
a little pay. Then I could rent a sofa at a
friend’s place. Off I went, becoming a
grown-up.
Eventually you started directing
European movies, but you once said in
an interview that you never imagined
working in the American film business.
So how does it feel to be directing
one of the most anticipated American
tentpole movies of the entire year?
It’s absurd. It’s very strange when you
look at it from that perspective. I think
I’d never dreamed about American
movies because they seemed so
extremely far away. When you start off
as a 16-year-old going to jail, then you
come out and end up on the street for
six months, then you get a job making
coffee, the idea that you would be
anything at all was almost impossible.
The idea that you would become an
American film director feels like a dream
that is not even worthy of aspiring to,
because it would just cloud you.
When I was on the set and directing my
first scene with Jared, with his excellent
preparation, and Stefania Cella—who
is the production designer on [Marvel’s
Disney Plus show] “Moon Knight” as
“It was also filled with lots
of joy, because I’ve been
a big comic book reader
my whole life. To stand
there and see someone
levitate? That’s a very
joyful experience.”
66 March/April 2022

SUPERHERO
VILLAINS
AT THE BOX
OFFICE
Numbers reflect
domestic grosses
1.
Joker (2019)
$335.4M
2.
Suicide Squad (2016)
$325.1M
3.
Venom (2018)
$213.5M
4.
Venom: Let There Be
Carnage (2021)
$213.5M
5.
Birds of Prey (2020)
$84.1M
well—who had built a beautiful set, I had
to pinch myself. Gratitude, man. You have
to exercise gratitude.
Your father was tortured for four years
by the Pinochet regime in his native
Chile. You’ve previously said that
that personal connection made it
emotionally difficult to film a torture
sequence in Safe House. Were there
any similarly triggering sequences in
Morbius, or is this film too escapist and
fantastical for that?
There were rough moments. This
character is in a lot of pain. Jared has his
way of stuffing himself into his characters.
At times where he was really weak and
fragile, it was really hard to see. But it was
also filled with lots of joy, because I’ve
been a big comic book reader my whole
life. To stand there and see someone
levitate? That’s a very joyful experience.
Jared Leto was attached to star before
you signed on. He personally met with
several director candidates, and you
met with him in Germany while he
was touring with his rock band Thirty
Seconds to Mars. What was said at the
meeting that landed you the job?
For me, Morbius is the ultimate Dr. Jekyll
and Mr. Hyde story. That’s always been
a theme for the Marvel universe—in
the Marvel Cinematic Universe too, but
especially the [comics]. You have the
Lizard, you have the Hulk, Wolverine
in many ways. Morbius was a story that
should only be about that: about this
good man who has to fight for his own
humanity.
6.
The Suicide Squad
(2021)
$55.8M
7.
Catwoman (2004)
$40.2M
8.
Elektra (2005)
$24.4M
March/April 2022
67

On Screen MORBIUS
So we just had an open, frank conversation
about where we stood and what we
thought. I thought that was very good for
both of us, because we got a very honest
perspective of each other.
Sony Pictures is releasing a series of
stand-alone films based on Spider-
Man universe villains. Venom (2018)
and its sequel Venom: Let There Be
Carnage (2021) were first. Kraven the
Hunter comes next year. Did you look
to Venom as inspiration, or were you
just trying to do your own thing?
I’m a big Marvel Comics buff. What I love
is that they’re all connected to each other,
even if they’re different genres. [Marvel
Comics writers] Chris Claremont and Ed
Brubaker have very little to do with each
other, but it would be possible for them to
write in the same universe, even though
artistically they’re very far apart. On the
other hand, if I read a comic book where
the writer didn’t note that he was part of a
universe that already existed, I would
get pissed off.
So, I mean, you have to. It’s all part of
the same universe. I loved Venom.
“Now, I still didn’t use much
green screen. But lots of
things were added to let us
‘become’ Morbius and see
the world through his eyes.”
In that same vein, did you look to
director Jon Watts’s current series of
Spider-Man movies for inspiration, too?
Well, that’s a bit different, because we’re
two very different movies! No Way Home
cost about $200 million, or was it $300
million? My movie cost $70 million.
[Laughs.] Our movie has to stand on its
own by its originality, by its imagination,
its power. It’s like comparing a smaller war
movie to [1962’s famously high-budget]
The Longest Day.
Do you have a favorite memory from
production?
Having Jared Leto play a cripple, watching
him go through the pain of just walking
and arriving in front of my camera, truly
showed his dedication to the role.
On your previous movie, Life, you
refused to use any green screen. Did
you try to continue that approach with
Morbius, or was this film just too highbudget
to avoid it?
I actually wanted to use green screen on
this one, because I wanted his powers to
be expressed. Michael Morbius gets added
68 March/April 2022

senses upon the senses you and I have. He
has echolocation. How would that express
itself on-screen? The only thing that can
come close to it are psychedelic experiences.
Once you get into that realm, you get into
the realm where what you’re watching
when you’re filming is not the final version.
Now, I still didn’t use much green
screen. But lots of things were added to let
us “become” Morbius and see the world
through his eyes.
You’ve collaborated with composer
Jon Ekstrand on most of your projects
going back to your short-film days,
first working together at Stockholm
Film School when you were 19. Surely
this was the largest music budget he’d
ever had. Did he try to expand his
musical horizons accordingly?
When you make a Marvel movie, you have
to make a great theme. You’re competing
with the greatest composers on the planet.
In the same way that he took an enormous
step from Child 44 to Life, he again took
an enormous step from Life to this one.
We know each other so well. Every time
I’ve done a movie in the past, I’ve thought,
“Now I’ve gotten to a new stage.” But
because we live next door to each other, I’d
go to his studio to have a coffee, I’d hear
something he’s written and think, “Oh,
he’s so much better than me.”
You’re from Sweden, but in a previous
interview, you called Night of the
Living Dead the greatest movie ending
of all time. So, clearly, your influences
are a combination of European
and American. Would you say one
influence is greater?
It’s a mixture of both. A lot of directors are.
If you look at great directors like Alfonso
Cuarón, he has a lot of Mexican tradition
inside himself, but at the same time he has
a very strong American tradition. Jacques
Audiard, one of his first movies, The Beat
That My Heart Skipped, was a remake of
an American movie called Fingers.
I think this idea of foreign cinema
versus American cinema has started to
dissolve ever since this invasion of foreign
directors that happened in the 2000s: Paul
Greengrass, Guillermo del Toro, Alejandro G.
Iñárritu. The new director is a melting pot.
Sony Pictures is releasing this film
exclusively in theaters. Why is it
important for audiences to see this
on the big screen?
The cinema experience is very important
as a storytelling form, because we do it
together—with a bunch of our friends, of
course, but also a bunch of strangers. It’s
a very exciting experience, sitting there
with hundreds of other people. The first
moments where I really saw “crowds” were
in the movie theater. You went into the
city, you got your movie ticket, you sat in
the cinema, and there were kids from all
over town that were sitting there. That
would make me feel that I was part of
something.
Sony took a stand on cinema. [Sony
Pictures Entertainment Chair] Tom
Rothman loves cinema. Whether you want
to talk about cinema from the 1920s or ’30s
or ’40s, or ’70s, ’80s, ’90s, he’s seen them
all. Even the year before this pandemic
happened, he got Quentin Tarantino, one
of our biggest defenders of cinema among
all directors. [After releasing all his prior
films with Harvey Weinstein’s distributors
Miramax or The Weinstein Company,
Tarantino released 2019’s Once Upon a
Time in Hollywood through Sony Pictures.]
This is an extension of that idea, of what
cinema should stand for.
“The cinema experience is very
important as a storytelling
form, because we do it
together—with a bunch of our
friends, of course, but also a
bunch of strangers.”
AT THE
MOVIES
What is your all-time
favorite moviegoing
memory or experience?
A Swedish sci-fi movie
called The Brothers
Lionheart, which is
about two brothers
who die and end up in
this afterlife where they
have to fight this huge
dragon. I was 6 years
old, and I dreamed
about that dragon for
10 years after that. You
know the author Astrid
Lindgren, who wrote
Pippi Longstocking? She
wrote it.
What is your favorite
snack at the movie
theater concession
stand?
For me, it’s popcorn. I
love popcorn. I hate the
sound of it, but I love
popcorn.
March/April 2022
69

ON SCREEN EVENT CINEMA CALENDAR
EVENT CINEMA
CALENDAR
Updated through February 11, 2022.
Contact distributors for latest listings.
FATHOM EVENTS
fathomevents.com
855-473-4612
PEACE RIVER
Mar. 3
Genre: Inspiration
BOLSHOI BALLET: SWAN LAKE
(2022 ENCORE)
Mar. 6
Genre: Ballet
THE METROPOLITAN OPERA LIVE IN
HD: ARIADNE AUF NAXOS
Mar. 12 (live), Mar. 16 (encore)
Genre: Opera
TCM BIG SCREEN CLASSICS: THE
QUIET MAN (70TH ANNIV.)
Mar. 13, Mar. 17
Genre: Classics
WHOSE CHILDREN ARE THEY?
Mar. 14
Genre: Documentary
MAN OF GOD
Mar. 21
Genre: Inspiration
THE METROPOLITN OPERA LIVE IN
HD: DON CARLOS
Mar. 26 (live), Mar. 30 (encore)
Genre: Opera
NEVER FORGET TIBET
Mar. 31
Genre: Inspiration
THE CASE FOR HEAVEN
Apr. 4, Apr. 5, Apr. 6
Genre: Inspiration
HIGH EXPECTATIONS
Apr. 7
Genre: Inspiration
TCM BIG SCREEN CLASSICS:
SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN (70TH ANNIV.)
Apr. 10, Apr. 13
Genre: Classics
THE MULLIGAN
Apr. 18, Apr. 19
Genre: Inspiration
BOLSHOI BALLET: THE PHARAOH’S
DAUGHTER (2022)
May 1
Genre: Ballet
THE METROPOLITAN OPERA LIVE IN
HD: TURANDOT (2021)
May 7 (live), May 11 (encore)
Genre: Opera
THE METROPOLITAN OPERA LIVE IN
HD: LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR
May 21 (live), May 25 (encore)
Genre: Opera
TCM BIG SCREEN CLASSICS: STAR
TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN
(40TH ANNIV.)
Sept. 4, Sept. 5, Sept. 8
Genre: Classics
TCM BIG SCREEN CLASSICS:
POLTERGEIST (40TH ANNIV.)
Sept. 25, Sept. 26, Sept. 28
Genre: Classics
TCM BIG SCREEN CLASSICS: IN THE
HEAT OF THE NIGHT (55TH ANNIV.)
Oct. 16, Oct. 19
Genre: Classics
TCM BIG SCREEN CLASSICS: TO
KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (60TH
ANNIV.)
Nov. 13, Nov. 16
Genre: Classics
TCM BIG SCREEN CLASSICS: IT’S A
WONDERFUL LIFE
Dec. 18, Dec. 21
Genre: Classics
TCM BIG SCREEN CLASSICS:
SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT (45TH
ANNIV.)
May 29, June 1, June 2
Genre: Classics
THE METROPOLITAN OPERA LIVE IN
HD: HAMLET
June 4 (live), June 8 (encore)
Genre: Opera
TCM BIG SCREEN CLASSICS: WHAT
EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE?
(60TH ANNIV.)
June 12, June 15
Genre: Classics
ROYAL OPERA HOUSE
roh.org.uk/cinemas
cinema@roh.org.uk
RIGOLETTO
Mar. 10 (live), Mar. 13 (encore)
Genre: Opera
LA TRAVIATA
Apr. 13 (live), Apr. 17 (encore)
Genre: Opera
SWAN LAKE
May 19 (live), May 22 (encore)
Genre: Opera
TCM BIG SCREEN CLASSICS:
CABARET (50TH ANNIV.)
July 17, July 20
Genre: Classics
TRAFALGAR RELEASING
trafalgar-releasing.com
ANYTHING GOES THE MUSICAL
Mar. 27, Mar. 30
Genre: Musical
70 March/April 2022

Online Ticketing is
the new box office
Scan it with the camera on your phone or visit
company.boxoffice.com/boost to book a meeting with us.

Big screen.
Bigger cause.
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® is
leading the way the world understands,
treats and defeats childhood cancer and
other life-threatening diseases. But, we
couldn’t do it without you. By donating
pre-show advertising to screen the annual
St. Jude Thanks and Giving® movie trailer,
you support our lifesaving mission: Finding
cures. Saving children.® The generosity of
you and your patrons helps ensure that
families never receive a bill from St. Jude
for treatment, travel, housing or food—
because all a family should worry about is
helping their child live.
St. Jude patient
Eleanor
Art inspired by St. Jude patients
For more information, please email
chance.weaver@alsac.stjude.org or visit stjude.org/theaters
©2021 ALSAC/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (RELM-634)

BOOKING
GUIDE
Release calendar for theatrical
distribution in North America
Release dates are updated through February 15, 2022.
Please consult distributors to confirm latest listings.
Lightyear
Fri, 6/17/22 WIDE
BLUE FOX ENTERTAINMENT
William Gruenberg
william@bluefoxentertainment.com
I AM HERE
Fri, 3/11/22 LTD
Director: Jordy Sank
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Doc
DISNEY
THE MARVELS
Fri, 2/17/23 WIDE
Stars: Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris
Director: Nia DaCosta
Rating: NR
Genre: Act/SF/Fan
UNTITLED DISNEY LIVE ACTION
2023 1
Fri, 3/10/23 WIDE
Rating: NR
20TH CENTURY STUDIOS
310-369-1000
212-556-2400
THE BOB’S BURGERS MOVIE
Fri, 5/27/22 WIDE
Stars: H. Jon Benjamin,
Kristen Schaal
Rating: NR
Genre: Ani
UNTITLED 20TH CENTURY 2022 1
Fri, 9/23/22 WIDE
Rating: NR
UNTITLED DAVID O. RUSSELL
Fri, 11/4/22 WIDE
Rating: NR
AVATAR 2
Fri, 12/16/22 WIDE
Stars: Zoe Saldana,
Sam Worthington
Director: James Cameron
Rating: NR
Genre: Act/Fan/SF
UNTITLED 20TH CENTURY 2022 2
Fri, 12/23/22 WIDE
Rating: R
UNTITLED 20TH CENTURY 2023
Fri, 9/15/23 WIDE
Rating: NR
AMAZON STUDIOS
MASTER
Fri, 3/18/22 LTD
Stars: Regina Hall, Zoe Renee
Director: Mariama Diallo
Rating: R
Genre: Dra
A24
646-568-6015
X
Fri, 3/18/22 LTD
Stars: Mia Goth, Jenna Ortega
Director: Ti West
Rating: R
Genre: Hor
EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT
ONCE
Fri, 3/25/22 WIDE
Stars: Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu
Directors: Daniel Kwan,
Daniel Scheinert
Rating: R
Genre: Com/SF
MEN
Fri, 5/20/22 WIDE
Stars: Jessie Buckley, Rory Kinnear
Director: Alex Garland
Rating: NR
Genre: Hor
818-560-1000
Ask for Distribution
DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE
MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS
Fri, 5/6/22 WIDE
Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch,
Elizabeth Olsen
Director: Sam Raimi
Rating: NR
Genre: SF/Fan/Adv
LIGHTYEAR
Fri, 6/17/22 WIDE
Stars: Chris Evans
Director: Angus MacLane
Rating: NR
Genre: Ani
THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER
Fri, 7/8/22 WIDE
Stars: Chris Hemsworth,
Tessa Thompson
Director: Taika Waititi
Rating: NR
Genre: SF/Fan/Act
BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA
FOREVER
Fri, 11/11/22 WIDE
Director: Ryan Coogler
Rating: NR
Genre: Act/SF/Fan
STRANGE WORLD
Fri, 11/23/22 WIDE
Director: Don Hall
Rating: NR
Genre: Ani
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3
Fri, 5/5/23 WIDE
Stars: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana
Director: James Gunn
Rating: NR
Genre: Act/Adv/SF
THE LITTLE MERMAID
Fri, 5/26/23 WIDE
Rating: NR
UNTITLED PIXAR 2023 1
Fri, 6/16/23 WIDE
Rating: NR
Genre: Ani
UNTITLED INDIANA JONES
Fri, 6/30/23 WIDE
Rating: NR
Genre: Act/Adv
ANT-MAN AND THE WASP:
QUANTUMANIA
Fri, 7/28/23 WIDE
Stars: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lily
Director: Peyton Reed
Rating: NR
Genre: Act/SF
UNTITLED DISNEY LIVE ACTION
2023 2
Fri, 8/11/23 WIDE
Rating: NR
UNTITLED MARVEL 2023
Fri, 11/3/23 WIDE
Rating: NR
March/April 2022
73

ON SCREEN BOOKING GUIDE
PARIS, 13TH DISTRICT
Fri, 4/15/22 LTD
Stars:Noémie Merlant,
Geneviève Doang
Director: Jacques Audiard
Rating: NR
Genre: Dra
HATCHING
Fri, 4/29/22 LTD
Stars: Siiri Solalinna, Sophia Heikkilä
Director: Hanna Bergholm
Rating: NR
Genre: Hor
HAPPENING
Fri, 5/6/22 LTD
Stars: Anamaria Vartolomei,
Sandrine Bonnaire
Director: Audrey Diwan
Rating: NR
Genre: Dra
The Northman
Fri, 4/22/22 WIDE
UNTITLED DISNEY ANIMATION 2023
Fri, 11/22/23 WIDE
Rating: NR
Genre: Ani
ROGUE SQUADRON
Fri, 12/22/23 WIDE
Director: Patty Jenkins
Rating: NR
Genre: Act/SF/Fan
UNTITLED MARVEL 2024 1
Fri, 2/16/24 WIDE
Rating: NR
UNTITLED DISNEY LIVE ACTION
2024 1
Fri, 3/22/24 WIDE
Rating: NR
FOCUS FEATURES
THE OUTFIT
Fri, 3/18/22 WIDE
Stars: Mark Rylance, Dylan O’Brien
Director: Graham Moore
Rating: NR
Genre: Dra
YOU WON’T BE ALONE
Fri, 4/1/22 WIDE
Stars: Noomi Rapace,
Anamaria Marinca
Director: Goran Stolevski
Rating: NR
Genre: Hor
THE NORTHMAN
Fri, 4/22/22 WIDE
Stars: Alexander Skarsgård,
Nicole Kidman
Director: Robert Eggers
Rating: NR
Genre: Act/Dra
DOWNTON ABBEY: A NEW ERA
Fri, 5/20/22 WIDE
Stars: Hugh Dancy, Laura Haddock
Director: Simon Curtis
Rating: NR
Genre: Dra
MRS HARRIS GOES TO PARIS
Fri, 7/15/22 WIDE
Stars: Lesley Manville,
Isabelle Huppert
Director: Anthony Fabian
Rating: NR
Genre: Dra
VENGEANCE
Fri, 7/29/22 WIDE
Stars: B.J. Novak, Issa Rae
Director: B.J. Novak
Rating: NR
Genre: Com/Thr
GOOD DEED ENTERTAINMENT
MOON MANOR
Fri, 3/11/22 LTD
Stars: James Carrozo,
Debra Wilson
Directors: Erin Granat,
Machete Bang Bang
Rating: NR
Genre: Com
GREENWICH ENTERTAINMENT
MAU
Fri, 3/18/22 LTD
Stars: Bruce Mau
Directors: Benjamin Bergmann,
Jono Bergmann
Rating: NR
Genre: Doc
IFC FILMS
bookings@ifcfilms.com
THE TORCH
Fri, 3/18/22 LTD
Director: Jim Farrell
Rating: NR
Genre: Doc
NITRAM
Fri, 3/30/22 LTD
Stars: Caleb Landry Jones,
Judy Davis
Director: Justin Kurzel
Rating: NR
Genre: Dra
BARBARIANS
Fri, 4/1/22 LTD
Stars: Iwan Rheon, Will Kemp
Director: Charles Dorfman
Rating: NR
Genre: Thr
COW
Fri, 4/8/22 LTD
Director: Andrea Arnold
Rating: NR
Genre: Doc
THE INNOCENTS
Fri, 5/13/22 LTD
Stars: Rakel Lenora Fløttum, Alva
Brynsmo Ramstad
Director: Eskil Vogt
Rating: NR
Genre: Hor
HOLD YOUR FIRE
Fri, 5/20/22 LTD
Stars: Shu’aib Raheem, Harvey
Schlossberg
Director: Stefan Forbes
Rating: NR
Genre: Doc
LIONSGATE
310-309-8400
THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF
MASSIVE TALENT
Fri, 4/22/22 WIDE
Stars: Nicolas Cage, Pedro Pascal
Director: Tom Gormican
Rating: NR
Genre: Com/Act
SHOTGUN WEDDING
Wed, 6/29/22 WIDE
Stars: Jennifer Lopez, Josh Duhamel
Director: Jason Moore
Rating: NR
Genre: Act/Com
ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT’S ME,
MARGARET
Fri, 9/16/22 WIDE
Stars: Rachel McAdams,
Abby Ryder Fortson
Director: Kelly Fremon Craig
Rating: NR
Genre: Fam
74 March/April 2022

WHITE BIRD: A WONDER STORY
Fri, 9/16/22 WIDE
Stars: Bryce Gheisar, Ariella Glaser
Director: Marc Forster
Rating: NR
Genre: Dra/Fam
THE DEVIL’S LIGHT
Fri, 10/28/22 WIDE
Stars: Virginia Madsen, Ben Cross
Director: Daniel Stamm
Rating: NR
Genre: Hor
JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4
Fri, 3/24/23 WIDE
Rating: NR
Genre: Act
MAGNOLIA PICTURES
212-379-9704
Neal Block
nblock@magpictures.com
ULTRASOUND
Fri, 3/11/22 LTD
Stars: Vincent Kartheiser,
Chelsea Lopez
Director: Rob Schroeder
Rating: NR
Genre: SF
YOU ARE NOT MY MOTHER
Fri, 3/25/22 LTD
Stars: Hazel Doupe,
Carolyn Bracken
Director: Kate Dolan
Rating: NR
Genre: Dra/Hor
ANAÏS IN LOVE
Fri, 4/29/22 LTD
Stars: Anaïs Demoustier,
Valeria Bruni Tedeschi
Director: Charline Bourgeois-
Tacquet
Rating: NR
Genre: Com/Rom
NEON
hal@neonrated.com
PETITE MAMAN
Fri, 4/22/22 LTD
Stars: Joséphine Sanz,
Gabrielle Sanz
Director: Céline Sciamma
Rating: NR
Genre: Dra
OPEN ROAD FILMS
MEMORY
Fri, 4/29/22 WIDE
Stars: Liam Neeson, Guy Pearce
Director: Martin Campbell
Rating: NR
Genre: Thr
PARAMOUNT
323-956-5000
THE LOST CITY
Fri, 3/25/22 WIDE
Stars: Sandra Bullock,
Channing Tatum
Directors: Adam Nee, Aaron Nee
Rating: NR
Genre: Com
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2
Fri, 4/8/22 WIDE
Stars: Ben Schwartz
Director: Joe Fowler
Rating: NR
Genre: Adv/Fan
TOP GUN: MAVERICK
Fri, 5/27/22 WIDE
Stars: Tom Cruise, Miles Teller
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Act/Adv
Specs: Imax/Dolby Vis/Atmos
BLAZING SAMURAI
Fri, 7/22/22 WIDE
Rating: NR
Genre: Ani
SECRET HEADQUARTERS
Fri, 8/5/22 WIDE
Stars: Owen Wilson
Rating: NR
Genre: Fam/Adv
UNTITLED PARAMOUNT
Fri, 10/21/22 WIDE
UNTITLED BEE GEES
Fri, 11/4/22 WIDE
Rating: NR
Genre: Dra/Mus/Bio
BABYLON
Fri, 12/23/22 WIDE
Director: Damien Chazelle
Rating: NR
Genre: Dra
TIGER’S APPRENTICE
Fri, 2/10/23 WIDE
Rating: NR
Genre: Ani
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS
Fri, 3/3/23 WIDE
Rating: NR
Genre: Fan
TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE
BEASTS
Fri, 6/9/23 WIDE
Stars: Anthony Ramos,
Dominique Fishback
Director: Steven Caple Jr.
Rating: NR
Genre: Act/Adv/SF
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 7
Fri, 7/14/23 WIDE
Stars: Tom Cruise
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Rating: NR
Genre: Act
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES:
THE NEXT CHAPTER
Fri, 8/4/23 WIDE
Director: Jeff Rowe
Rating: NR
Genre: Ani
UNTITLED A QUIET PLACE
SEQUEL
Fri, 9/22/23 WIDE
Director: Jeff Nichols
Rating: NR
Genre: Hor
PAW PATROL: THE MIGHTY MOVIE
Fri, 10/13/23 WIDE
Rating: NR
Genre: Ani
THE SHRINKING OF TREEHORN
Fri, 11/10/23 WIDE
Rating: NR
Genre: Ani
UNTITLED RYAN REYNOLDS/JOHN
KRASINSKI FILM
Fri, 11/17/23 WIDE
Stars: John Krasinski, Ryan Reynolds
Director: John Krasinski
Rating: NR
Genre: Com/Fan
UNTITLED STAR TREK
Fri, 12/22/23 WIDE
Rating: NR
Genre: SF/Act
Ultrasound
Fri, 3/11/22 LTD
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 8
Fri, 6/28/24 WIDE
Stars: Tom Cruise
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Rating: NR
Genre: Act
March/April 2022
75

ON SCREEN BOOKING GUIDE
THE BRIDE
Fri, 8/26/22 WIDE
Stars: Nathalie Emmanuel,
Thomas Doherty
Director: Jessica M. Thompson
Rating: NR
Genre: Hor/Thr
THE WOMAN KING
Fri, 9/16/22 WIDE
Stars: Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedu
Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood
Rating: NR
Genre: His/Dra
SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-
VERSE (PART ONE)
Fri, 10/7/22 WIDE
Stars: Oscar Isaac, Shameik Moore
Directors: Joaquim Dos Santos,
Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson
Rating: NR
Genre: Ani
Morbius
Fri, 4/1/22 WIDE
UNTITLED TRANSFORMERS
ANIMATION
Fri, 7/19/24 WIDE
Rating: NR
Genre: Ani
UNTITLED SMURFS ANIMATED
MUSICAL
Fri, 12/20/24 WIDE
Rating: NR
Genre: Ani/Mus
ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS
323.882.8490
ALICE
Fri, 3/18/22 LTD
Stars: Keke Palmer, Common
Director: Krystin Ver Linden
Rating: NR
Genre: His/Dra
ALINE
Fri, 4/8/22 LTD
Stars: Valérie Lemercier,
Sylvain Marcel
Director: Valérie Lemercier
Rating: NR
Genre: Dra/Bio/Mus
SABAN FILMS
THE EXORCISM OF GOD
Fri, 3/11/22 LTD
Stars: Joseph Marcell,
María Gabriela de Faría
Director: Alejandro Hidalgo
Rating: R
Genre: Hor
SAMUEL GOLDWYN FILMS
A COWGIRL’S SONG
Fri, 4/22/22 LTD
Stars: Cheryl Ladd,
Savannah Lee May
Director: Timothy Armstrong
Rating: NR
Genre: Fam
SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES
212-556-2400
UNTITLED SEARCHLIGHT 2022 1
Fri, 4/8/22 WIDE
Rating: NR
UNTITLED SEARCHLIGHT 2022 2
Fri, 6/10/22 WIDE
Rating: NR
UNTITLED SEARCHLIGHT 2022 3
Fri, 8/12/22 WIDE
Rating: NR
SONY
212-833-8500
MORBIUS
Fri, 4/1/22 WIDE
Stars: Jared Leto, Matt Smith
Director: Daniel Espinosa
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Act/Thr/SF
Specs: Imax/Dolby Vis/Atmos
65
Fri, 4/29/22 WIDE
Stars: Adam Driver,
Ariana Greenblatt
Directors: Scott Beck, Bryan Woods
Rating: NR
Genre: SF/Thr
OH HELL NO
Fri, 6/17/22 WIDE
Stars: Jack Black
Director: Kitao Sakurai
Rating: NR
Genre: Com
BULLET TRAIN
Fri, 7/15/22 WIDE
Stars: Brad Pitt, Joey King
Director: David Leitch
Rating: NR
Genre: Act
WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING
Fri, 7/22/22 WIDE
Stars: Daisy Edgar-Jones,
Taylor John Smith
Director: Olivia Newman
Rating: NR
Genre: Dra
THE MAN FROM TORONTO
Fri, 8/12/22 WIDE
Stars: Kevin Hart, Woody Harrelson
Director: Patrick Hughes
Rating: NR
Genre: Act/Com
LYLE, LYLE, CROCODILE
Fri, 11/18/22 WIDE
Stars: Javier Bardem,
Winslow Fegley
Directors: Will Speck, Josh Gordon
Rating:NR
Genre: Fam
I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY
Wed, 12/23/22 WIDE
Stars: Naomi Ackie
Director: Kasi Lemmons
Rating: NR
Genre: Dra/Bio/Mus
KRAVEN THE HUNTER
Fri, 1/13/23 WIDE
Stars: Aaron Taylor-Johnson,
Russell Crowe
Director: J.C. Chandor
Rating: NR
Genre: Act/Adv/SF
HAROLD AND THE PURPLE CRAYON
Fri, 1/27/23 WIDE
Stars: Zachary Levi,
Zooey Deschanel
Director: Carlos Saldanha
Rating: NR
UNTITLED GEORGE FOREMAN
BIOPIC
Fri, 4/7/23 WIDE
Stars: Khris Davis, Sullivan Jones
Director: George Tillman Jr.
Rating: NR
Genre: Dra/Bio
UNTITLED SONY/MARVEL
UNIVERSE 1
Fri, 6/23/23 WIDE
Rating: NR
UNTITLED SONY/MARVEL
UNIVERSE 2
Fri, 10/6/23 WIDE
Rating: NR
76 March/April 2022

SONY PICTURES CLASSICS
Tom Prassis
212-833-4981
MOTHERING SUNDAY
Fri, 3/25/21 LTD
Stars: Odessa Young,
Josh O’Connor
Director: Eva Husson
Rating: R
Genre: Rom/Dra
THE DUKE
Fri, 4/22/22 LTD
Stars: Jim Broadbent, Helen Mirren
Director: Roger Michell
Rating: NR
Genre: Com
STX ENTERTAINMENT
310-742-2300
OPERATION FORTUNE: RUSE DE
GUERRE
Fri, 3/18/22 WIDE
Stars: Jason Statham, Hugh Grant
Director: Guy Ritchie
Rating: NR
Genre: Act/Thr
THE CONTRACTOR
Fri, 4/1/22 WIDE
Stars: Chris Pine, Ben Foster
Director: Tarik Saleh
Rating: NR
Genre: Act/Thr
BED REST
Fri, 7/15/22 WIDE
Stars: Melissa Barrera
Director: Lori Evans Taylor
Rating: NR
Genre: Hor
SUPER LTD
ON A WING AND A PRAYER
Fri, 8/31/22 WIDE
Stars: Dennis Quaid,
Heather Graham
Director: Sean McNamara
Rating: NR
Genre: Dra
DARK HARVEST
Fri, 9/23/22 WIDE
Stars: Casey Likes,
E’myri Crutchfield
Director: David Slade
Rating: NR
Genre: Hor
TILL
Fri, 10/7/22 WIDE
Stars: Danielle Deadwyler,
Whoopi Goldberg
Director: Chinonye Chukwu
Rating: NR
Genre: His/Dra
THIRTEEN LIVES
Fri, 11/18/22 WIDE
Stars: Viggo Mortensen, Colin Farrell
Director: Ron Howard
Rating: NR
Genre: Dra
CREED III
Fri, 11/23/22 WIDE
Stars: Michael B. Jordan,
Tessa Thompson
Director: Michael B. Jordan
Rating: NR
Genre: Dra
Mothering Sunday
Fri, 3/25/21 LTD
UNTITLED RUSSO BROTHERS
FAMILY FILM
Fri, 1/13/23 WIDE
Rating: NR
Genre: Fam
VERTICAL ENTERTAINMENT
THE LOST GIRLS
Fri, 6/17/22 LTD
Stars: Joely Richardson,
Vanessa Redgrave
Director: Livia De Paolis
Rating: NR
Genre: Dra/Fan
UNIVERSAL
818-777-1000
AMBULANCE
Fri, 4/8/22 WIDE
Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal,
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
Director: Michael Bay
Rating: R
Genre: Act/Thr
THE BAD GUYS
Fri, 4/22/22 WIDE
Stars: Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron
Director: Pierre Perifel
Rating: NR
Genre: Ani
FIRESTARTER
Fri, 5/13/22 WIDE
Stars: Zac Efron, Sydney Lemmon
Director: Keith Thomas
Rating: NR
Genre: Hor
JURASSIC WORLD: DOMINION
Fri, 6/10/22 WIDE
Stars: Chris Pratt
Director: Colin Trevorrow
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Act/Adv
THE BLACK PHONE
Fri, 6/24/22 WIDE
Stars: Ethan Hawke, Mason Thames
Director: Scott Derrickson
Rating: R
Genre: Hor
MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU
Fri, 7/1/22 WIDE
Stars: Steve Carell, Taraji P. Henson
Director: Kyle Balda
Rating: PG
Genre: Ani
NOPE
Fri, 7/22/22 WIDE
Stars: Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer
Director: Jordan Peele
Rating: NR
Genre: Hor
Specs: IMAX
ALL MY FRIENDS HATE ME
Fri, 3/25/22 LTD
Stars: Tom Stourton, Charly Clive
Director: Andrew Gaynord
Rating: NR
Genre: Com/Hor
UNITED ARTISTS RELEASING
310-724-5678
Ask for Distribution
SAMARITAN
Fri, 8/26/22 WIDE
Stars: Sylvester Stallone
Director: Julius Avery
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Act/Thr
March/April 2022
77

ON SCREEN BOOKING GUIDE
EASTER SUNDAY
Fri, 8/5/22 WIDE
Stars: Jo Koy, Jimmy O. Yang
Director: Jay Chandrasekhar
Rating: NR
Genre: Com
BEAST
Fri, 8/19/22 WIDE
Stars: Idris Elba
Director: Baltasar Kormákur
Rating: NR
Genre: Thr
DISTANT
Fri, 9/16/22 WIDE
Stars: Anthony Ramos,
Zachary Quinto
Directors: Josh Gordon, Will Speck
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Com/SF
PUSS AND BOOTS: THE LAST WISH
Fri, 9/23/22 WIDE
Stars: Antonio Banderas
Director: Joel Crawford
Rating: NR
Genre: Ani
BROS
Fri, 9/30/22 WIDE
Stars: Billy Eichner
Director: Nicholas Stoller
Rating: NR
Genre: Com/Rom
HALLOWEEN ENDS
Fri, 10/14/22 WIDE
Rating: NR
Genre: Hor
TICKET TO PARADISE
Fri, 10/21/22 WIDE
Stars: George Clooney,
Julia Roberts
Director: Ol Parker
Rating: NR
Genre: Rom/Com
SHE SAID
Fri, 11/18/22 WIDE
Stars: Carey Mulligan, Zoe Kazan
Director: Maria Schrader
Rating: NR
Genre: Dra
THE FABELMANS
Wed, 11/23/22 WIDE
Stars: Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen
Director: Steven Spielberg
Rating: NR
Genre: Dra
VIOLENT NIGHT
Fri, 12/2/22 WIDE
Stars: David Harbour
Director: Tommy Wirkola
Rating: NR
Genre: Act/Thr
MARIO
Wed, 12/21/22 WIDE
Stars: Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy
Rating: NR
Genre: Ani
M3GAN
Fri, 1/13/23 WIDE
Stars: Allison Williams,
Ronny Chieng
Director: Gerard Johnstone
Rating: NR
Genre: Hor/Thr
THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER
Fri, 1/27/23 WIDE
Stars: Corey Hawkins,
Aisling Franciosi
Director: André Øvredal
Rating: NR
Genre: Hor
KNOCK AT THE CABIN
Fri, 2/3/23 WIDE
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: NR
Genre: Thr
UNTITLED DREAMWORKS
ANIMATION
Fri, 4/7/23 WIDE
Rating: NR
FAST & FURIOUS 10
Fri, 5/19/23 WIDE
Rating: NR
Genre: Act
STRAYS
Fri, 6/9/23 WIDE
Stars: Will Ferrell, Jamie Foxx
Director: Josh Greenbaum
Rating: NR
Genre: Com
UNTITLED ILLUMINATION ANIMATED
FILM 2023
Fri, 6/30/23 WIDE
Rating: NR
Genre: Ani
OPPENHEIMER
Fri, 7/21/23 WIDE
Stars: Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt
Director: Christopher Nolan
Rating: NR
Genre: Dra/War
UNTITLED UNIVERSAL EVENT FILM
2023 2
Fri, 8/4/23 WIDE
Rating: NR
UNTITLED UNIVERSAL EVENT FILM
2023 3
Fri, 9/29/23 WIDE
Rating: NR
Firestarter
Fri, 5/13/22 WIDE
78 March/April 2022

UNTITLED DC EVENT FILM 2023
Fri, 9/22/23 WIDE
Rating: NR
Genre: Act
DUNE: PART TWO
Fri, 10/20/23 WIDE
Stars: Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Rating: NR
Genre: SF
THE COLOR PURPLE
Fri, 12/20/23 WIDE
Stars: Corey Hawkins,
Taraji P. Henson
Director: Blitz Bazawule
Rating: NR
Genre: Mus
UNTITLED WB EVENT FILM 2023
Fri, 12/25/23 WIDE
Rating: NR
Fantastic Beasts: The
Secrets of Dumbledore
Fri, 4/15/22 WIDE
TOTO
Fri, 2/2/24 WIDE
Director: Alex Timbers
Rating: NR
EXORCIST FRANCHISE IP
Fri, 10/13/23 WIDE
Rating: NR
Genre: Hor
TROLLS 3
Fri, 11/17/23 WIDE
Rating: NR
WARNER BROS.
818-977-1850
THE BATMAN
Fri, 3/4/22 WIDE
Stars: Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz
Director: Matt Reeves
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Act
Specs: Imax
FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE SECRETS
OF DUMBLEDORE
Fri, 4/15/22 WIDE
Stars: Eddie Redmayne, Dan Fogler
Director: David Yates
Rating: NR
Genre: Fan/Act
DC LEAGUE OF SUPER PETS
Fri, 5/20/22 WIDE
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart
Director: Sam Levine
Rating: NR
Genre: Ani
ELVIS
Fri, 6/24/22 WIDE
Director: Baz Luhrmann
Rating: NR
Genre: Dra/Bio/Mus
BLACK ADAM
Fri, 7/29/22 WIDE
Stars: Dwayne Johnson,
Aldis Hodge
Director: Jaume Collet-Serra
Rating: NR
Genre: Act/Fan
UNTITLED WB EVENT FILM 2022 1
Fri, 8/5/22 WIDE
Rating: NR
SALEM’S LOT
Fri, 9/9/22 WIDE
Stars: Alfre Woodard, Lewis Pullman
Director: Gary Dauberman
Rating: NR
Genre: Hor
DON’T WORRY DARLING
Fri, 9/23/22 WIDE
Stars: Florence Pugh, Harry Styles
Director: Olivia Wilde
Rating: NR
Genre: Thr
UNTITLED WB EVENT FILM 2022 2
Fri, 10/14/22 WIDE
Rating: NR
THE FLASH
Fri, 11/4/22 WIDE
Stars: Ezra Miller, Kiersey Clemons
Director: Andy Muschietti
Rating: NR
Genre: Act/SF/Fan
UNTITLED WB EVENT FILM 2022 3
Fri, 11/18/22 WIDE
Rating: NR
AQUAMAN AND THE LOST
KINGDOM
Fri, 12/16/22 WIDE
Stars: Jason Momoa
Director: James Wan
Rating: NR
Genre: Act/SF/Fan
WONKA
Fri, 3/17/23 WIDE
Stars: Timothée Chalamet
Director: Paul King
Rating: NR
Genre: Fan
THE LAST TRAIN TO NEW YORK
Fri, 4/21/23 WIDE
Director: Timo Tjahjanto
Rating: NR
SHAZAM! FURY OF THE GODS
Fri, 6/2/23 WIDE
Stars: Zachary Levi, Asher Angel
Director: David F. Sandberg
Rating: NR
Genre: Act/Adv/Fan
COYOTE VS ACME
Fri, 7/21/23 WIDE
Director: Dave Green
Rating: NR
Genre: Com/Ani
BLUE BEETLE
Fri, 8/18/23 WIDE
Stars: Xolo Maridueña
Director: Angel Manuel Soto
Rating: NR
Genre: SF/Fan/Act
UNTITLED DC EVENT FILM 2024 1
Fri, 3/15/24 WIDE
Rating: NR
LORD OF THE RINGS: THE WAR OF
THE ROHIRRIM
Fri, 4/12/24 WIDE
Director: Kenji Kamiyama
Rating: NR
Genre: Fan/Act
FURIOSA
Fri, 5/24/24 WIDE
Stars: Anya Taylor-Joy,
Chris Hemsworth
Director: George Miller
Rating: NR
Genre: Act
March/April 2022
79

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Image Credits & Acknowledgments
Page 05: PHOTO BY: Kimberley French COPYRIGHT © 2021 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Page 11: Courtesy Theatre Management Corporation
Page 13: Courtesy Sony Pictures, Copyright ©2021 CTMG
Pages 14-15: Photos Courtesy NATO
Page 16: Photos courtesy Cineplex Cinemas Oakville and VIP (top); Larry H Megaplex Theatres (bottom right)
Page 18: Photo Courtesy Dave Stonehill
Page 19: Adobe stock
Pages 20, 23: Courtesy Theatre Management Corporation
Page 25: Courtesy Regal
Page 28: Courtesy AMC Theaters; Courtesy Fandango (sidebar)
Page 31: Courtesy Regal; Courtesy Christie (sidebar)
Page 32: Courtesy Cinemark; Courtesy Cinionic (sidebar)
Page 35: Courtesy Cineplex; Courtesy The Boxoffice Company (sidebar)
Page 36: Courtesy Marcus Theatres, B&B Theatres
Page 37: Courtesy Harkins Theatres, TK Architects
Page 38: Courtesy Emagine Entertainment, CMX Cinemas
Page 44: Copyright: © 2020 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved. Photo Credit: Chiabella James
Page 46: Photo by Alan Markfield. © 2020 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Page 47: © 2022 Disney. All Rights Reserved.
Page 48-49: Photo Credit: Melinda Sue Gordon; Copyright © 2021 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Page 50: PHOTO BY:Kimberley French COPYRIGHT: © 2021 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Pages 51-52: Photos Courtesy of Sony Pictures COPYRIGHT: ©2021 CTMG. All Rights Reserved.
Page 55: Courtesy of Sony Pictures. COPYRIGHT: © 2021 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Pages 56-62: Photo Credit: Courtesy Paramount Pictures and Sega of America.
Pages 64-66: PHOTO BY:Jay Maidment COPYRIGHT: © 2021 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Pages 67-69: Courtesy of Sony Pictures. COPYRIGHT: © 2021 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Page 69: Adobe stock
Page 70: Courtesy Fathom Events
Page 74: Credit: Aidan Monaghan / 2022 Focus Features, LLC
Page 75: Photo Courtesy Magnet Releasing
Page 76: Courtesy of Sony Pictures. COPYRIGHT: © 2021 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Page 77: Photo by Robert Viglasky. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.
Page 78: Photo Credit: Ken Woroner/Universal Pictures © 2022 Universal Pictures
Page 79: Photo by Jaap Buitendijk. © 2021 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved
80 March/April 2022