Boxoffice Pro - CineEurope 2023

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CINEEUROPE 

2023 

Nordisk Film Cinemas, CineEurope’s 

International Exhibitor of the Year 

The Official Magazine of the National Association of Theatre Owners

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CineEurope 2023 

Wide Releases 64 Long-range Forecast 70 Event Cinema Calender 74 

INDUSTRY 

CONTENTS 

60 

CinemaCon 2023 

Studio Recap 

Highlights of the 

Studio Presentations at 


28 

Small But Mighty 

Sol Cinema May Just Be 

the World’s Smallest Solar- 

Powered Cinema 

32 

Giants of Exhibition 

74 

On with the Show! 

“Look Ranking beyond the Top 50 the Cinema bag or bucket Crowd-Pleaser and you’ll Theater find Camp the 

Circuits 

world 

in Europe 

of popcorn is surprisingly 

Brings the Stage 

complex” 

to the Big 

Screen This Summer 

Everything about Popcorn–p72 

80 

New Horizons 

Fathom Events CEO Ray Nutt 

on the Distributor’s Upcoming 

Slate and Incursion into 

Specialty Distribution 

Nov/Dec 2022 

05

CONTENTS 

INDUSTRY 

THEATER 

ON SCREEN 

12 

14 

16 

18 

NATO 

NATO’s New President and CEO 

Reflects on the Challenges and 

Opportunities That Lie Ahead 

NATO 

John Fithian Delivers His Final 

State of the Industry Address at 


Charity Spotlight 

A Recap of Industry-Wide Charity 

Initiatives 

Indie Influencers 

2023’s CinemaCon Spotlights Great 

Films, a Great Experience 

24 

28 

AMC Theaters 

AMC Theatres CEO Adam Aron Talks 

PVOD, Dynamic Pricing, Meme 

Stocks—and those Tweets 

Small but Mighty 

Sol Cinema May Just Be the World’s 

Smallest Solar- Powered Cinema 

60 

74 

80 

84 

CinemaCon 2023 Studio Recap 

Highlights of the Studio 

Presentations at CinemaCon 2023 

On with the Show! 

Crowd-Pleaser Theater Camp Brings 

the Stage to the Big Screen This 

Summer 

New Horizons 

Fathom Events CEO Ray Nutt 

on the Distributor’s Upcoming 

Slate and Incursion into Specialty 

Distribution 

Event Cinema Calendar 

A Sampling of Event Cinema 

Programming Hitting the Big 

Screen in 2023 

“The best part is the 

reactions of audiences from 

outside, when they see 

people coming out. They 

can’t believe so many fit in 

there. It’s like the TARDIS.” 

Small but Mighty, p. 28 

87 

Booking Guide 

CINEEUROPE 

32 

40 

44 

50 

54 

Giants Of Exhibition: Europe 

Ranking the Top 50 Cinema Circuits 

in Europe 

UNIC Achievement Award 

Hans-Joachim Flebbe, Founder 

and Managing Director, Astor Film 

Lounge and Zoo Palast 

International Distributor of 

the Year 

Tonis Kiis, Senior Vice President, 

International Distribution, Warner 

Bros. 

International Exhibitor of the Year 

Nordisk Film Cinemas 

Good as Gold 

CineEurope’s Gold Award Recognizes 

Outstanding Dedication and Service 

to Cinema 

06 CineEurope 2023

BOXOFFICE MEDIA 

CEO 

Julien Marcel 

SVP Content Strategy 

Daniel Loría 

Creative Direction 

Extract Studio 

EVP Chief Administrative Officer 

Susan Rich 

VP Advertising 

Patricia Martin 

BOXOFFICE PRO 

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR 

Daniel Loría 

DEPUTY EDITOR 

Rebecca Pahle 

MANAGING EDITOR 

Laura Silver 

CHIEF ANALYST 

Shawn Robbins 

ANALYSTS 

Chad Kennerk 

Jesse Rifkin 

DATABASE 

Diogo Hausen 

CONTRIBUTORS 

John Fithian 

Michael O’Leary 

ADVERTISING 


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BOXOFFICE PRO 2023 

PUBLISHING SCHEDULE 

Winter 2023 

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EXECUTIVE LETTER 

ONWARD TO BARCELONA 

This is my favorite time of year: 

That window after CinemaCon and 

Cannes, as we begin the summer and greet 

our European colleagues at CineEurope, 

always brings a revitalized excitement for 

the months ahead. A renewed commitment 

to close out the year as best we can. 

This year is no different, as both challenges 

and opportunities emerge on the 

horizon that will likely make or break 2023 

for many companies in this industry. 

CineEurope is kicking off this week in 

Barcelona, and it’s another great opportunity 

to celebrate the industry’s positive 

momentum—but it is important to avoid 

complacency despite the strong start to 

this year’s box office. We simply cannot 

assume that everything is fine merely 

because we see signs of recovery. Now is 

the time to be proactive and maintain the 

momentum we’ve so carefully built. 

As we cast our gaze upon the European 

market, it is impossible to ignore the 

ongoing war in Ukraine, which has 

plagued the region for the past 14 months. 

What was once a subject typically confined 

to the realm of movie fiction has become 

a harsh reality that directly impacts our 

industry. The plight of the Ukrainian 

population, the separation of the Russian 

industry from the rest of the continent (as 

highlighted in this issue’s second annual 

Giants of Exhibition: Europe ranking), and 

the persistent challenges posed by piracy 

all demand our attention and concerted 

efforts to find solutions. 

Across the Atlantic, new challenges 

emerge with the WGA writers’ strike. 

Inflation, new regulations surrounding 

streaming platforms, and the advent of 

artificial intelligence all cast shadows of 

uncertainty over the future. It is imperative 

that we address these issues head-on. 

We cannot turn a blind eye to their potential 

consequences. 

In times like these, major industry 

gatherings play a crucial role. They provide 

a platform for unity, where we can stand 

together and demonstrate our readiness to 

confront and overcome challenges. Let us 

use these gatherings not only to celebrate 

our successes but also to acknowledge and 

tackle the obstacles that lie before us. 

As we venture forward, we shall continue 

to celebrate the triumphs of the 

silver screen, highlighting the incredible 

talent, creativity, and innovation that 

make the world of cinema so captivating. 

Yet we must also use our platform to 

shed light on the difficulties faced by our 

industry, be it on a global scale or within 

our local communities. 

It is our job, as those of us who mold and 

shape this industry’s future, to ensure it can 

remain an affordable, accessible, and (most 

of all) fun part of peoples’ lives all over the 

world. By doing so, we will not only preserve 

its legacy but also forge a path toward 

a brighter and more resilient future. 

Julien Marcel 

CEO, The Boxoffice Company 


09

Michael O’Leary 12 | State of the Industry 2023 14 | Charity Spotlight 16 | Indie Influencers 18 

INDUSTRY 

“For an art house theater, for example, the draw for customers 

is not the biggest or brightest screen, but an experience that’s 

enjoyable and intentionally crafted.” 

Indie Influencers, p. 18 


11

Industry NATO 

ONLY OPPORTUNITIES 

AHEAD 

NATO’s New President and CEO Reflects on the 

Challenges and Opportunities That Lie Ahead 

BY MICHAEL O’LEARY 

As I head toward my first CineEurope 

as president and CEO of NATO, I do 

so with optimism about the opportunities 

that lie before our industry. 

Early results for 2023 are positive as 

moviegoers the world over return to the 

cinema. Fans of the big screen are proving 

what we have always known—that 

the cinematic experience cannot be 

replicated or replaced. The history of this 

industry is resilience and, once again, you 

are proving it. 

CinemaCon was the perfect kickoff to 

my start at NATO. I am so thankful to every 

exhibitor who took time to make me feel 

welcome, and I look forward to meeting 

even more of you in Barcelona. Your passion 

for movies on the big screen is contagious. 

I am also bolstered by the diversity 

of this industry: large chains, regional 

circuits, independents, art houses. That 

we offer the public so many unique ways 

to enjoy this amazing art form is a strength. 

Moreover, ours is a global industry, and 

our impact is amplified when we advocate 

as such. I am committed to promoting the 

positive cultural and economic impact of 

exhibition on a global stage. That is why it 

is so important to be in Barcelona. 

As I have talked with the media in 

recent weeks, I am often asked to compare 

today to 2019. I resist such comparisons. 

There was the world before the pandemic, 

and there is the world after the pandemic. 

Things have changed for all industries, 

including ours, and the future is still 

sorting itself out. The key message is that 

there are movies in theaters, and people 

the world over are rushing to see them. 

Challenges remain, but as we always have, 

NATO’S NEW 

CHIEF OF STAFF 

The National Association 

of Theatre Owners (NATO) 

has announced that 

Amanda Martin will join 

the NATO team as chief 

of staff. Martin, who will 

report directly to president 

and CEO Michael O’Leary, 

will work across all NATO 

organizations, including 

The Cinema Foundation 

and CinemaCon, to 

drive and support 

overall efficiency and 

coordination. 

Martin joins NATO from the 

Entertainment Software 

Association (ESA), the 

trade group representing 

the video game industry. 

At ESA, Martin held a 

series of senior positions, 

including most recently 

the associate director for 

government affairs. Prior 

to ESA, Martin worked 

in the district office of 

Congressman Eric Swalwell 

(CA-14). Martin will be 

based in Washington, 

D.C., but will work regularly 

in Los Angeles. She is a 

California native and 

graduate of California 

State University, Fullerton. 

“Amanda brings 

operational expertise, 

good judgment, and a 

collaborative spirit to 

NATO,” said O’Leary. “She 

will work with me and the 

entire team to enhance 

our collective work serving 

our members all across 

the nation. Having worked 

with Amanda for three 

years, I know she will have 

an immediate and positive 

impact. We are excited to 

have her join the 

NATO family.” 


we continue to move forward and solidify 

our place at the forefront of the global 

entertainment landscape. 

Success will be a collective effort, made 

possible by working with our partners in 

distribution and the creative community. 

Their passion for theatrical exhibition 

could not have been clearer and made 

CinemaCon the success that it was. My 

meetings with distribution executives 

echoed the commitment we all saw on 

the main stage. In the week leading up to 

CinemaCon, NATO and key leaders from 

the global cinema community held several 

meetings with the creative community. 

These productive discussions made it 

clear that filmmakers care deeply about 

the theatrical experience and want to see 

their creativity on the big screen. They are 

tremendous advocates for the cinema. All 

these voices are important, and we are 

committed to working with them to promote 

the primacy of theatrical exhibition 

around the world. 

The slate of movies for the rest of this 

year is impressive. In addition to the blockbuster 

titles we all love, the months ahead 

offer R-rated comedies, romantic flicks, 

The key message is that 

there are movies in theaters, 

and people the world over 

are rushing to see them. 

auteur-driven ensemble dramas, and 

original storytelling. Everyone benefits 

when movie fans have more options. We 

must work with our partners to promote 

and drive the success of these important 

stories and ensure that more of them have 

a home in your theaters. 

For all these reasons, and many more, 

I couldn’t be more excited to be working 

with you in this important industry. 

Remaining mindful of the challenges we 

face, let’s build on our optimism, seize 

the opportunity at hand, and prove, once 

again, that there is no other entertainment 

experience like a movie on the big screen. 

See you in Barcelona. 

Please do not hesitate to reach out to 

me at mo@natodc.com. I hope to meet you 

soon in person! 

Michael O’Leary is the president & CEO of 

the National Association of Theater Owners. 

Join us at the beautiful, brand-new 

Le Méridien Hotel 

in Downtown Salt Lake City! 

THEATRE CONVENTION 

The annual Rocky Mountain Theatre Convention 

brings together cinema operators, 

suppliers, vendors and distributors 

for an expansive TRADE SHOW, 

exclusive SCREENINGS, 

fun NETWORKING events and 

educational SEMINARS by 

Questions? Contact Diane Eve at 

convention@rmnato.com 

Register now at rmnato.com 

September 19-21, 2023 

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH 

PRESENTING PARTNERS 


13

Industry NATO 

STATE OF THE 

INDUSTRY 2023 

John Fithian Delivered His 

Final State of the Industry 

Address at CinemaCon 2023. 

Boxoffice Pro Presents the 

Transcript of His Speech. 

Releasing major films with 

massive budgets directly to 

streaming platforms is not a 

sustainable business model. 

The return on investment is 

nonexistent. 

Welcome to CinemaCon 2023. We 

have an amazing week ahead of 

us; all of the studios here this week have 

incredible presentations in store. The 

enthusiasm of our studio partners is 

matched by our vendors and attendees. 

This is going to be the best show we’ve 

ever hosted! 

One of the key themes that will 

emerge this week is optimism. Our 

industry is off to an incredible start in 

2023. And why are we off to such a great 

start? Well, the explanation is a simple 

one: We have more movies to play. 

In 2022, we had 71 movies open on 

2,000-plus screens. This year, we will have 

more than 100, and new titles are being 

added at a steady pace. Our optimism 

grows further beyond 2023, because the 

major studios are all aggressively claiming 

release dates for major titles in 2024 

and beyond. It is now more irrefutable 

than ever that theatrical is the keystone of 

the movie industry. Releasing major films 

with massive budgets directly to streaming 

platforms is not a sustainable business 

model. The return on investment is 

nonexistent. 

Movie fans want a theatrical release to 

help them decide what their best viewing 

options are. According to data released 

by The Cinema Foundation in their first 

State of the Cinema Industry report, nine 

out of 10 people know which movies have 

had a theatrical release, and 50 percent 

are more likely to watch theatrically 

released titles when considering their 

options on streaming platforms. 

That’s why we are encouraged by the 

commitment to theatrical that Apple 

and Amazon are showing, and we will be 

celebrating that commitment this week. 

Last night, we saw incredible footage 

from Apple’s Napoleon from legendary 

director Ridley Scott and Oscar-winning 

star Joaquin Phoenix, which Sony will 

release in November. Later this week, 

we will hear about the theatrical release 

of Apple’s Killers of the Flower Moon—a 

historic collaboration that teams the 

iconic Martin Scorsese with two of his 

best collaborators: Robert De Niro and 

Leonardo DiCaprio. Paramount releases 

the film in October. 

As for Amazon, we celebrate the 

recent success of Air and their commitment 

to the theatrical experience and 

bringing people back to theaters. Though 

Air was sold as a streaming movie, Ben 

Affleck and the entire filmmaking team 

really delivered a crowd-pleaser with 

universal themes, transcending a typical 

sports, deal, or business movie. It’s a film 

deserving a true theatrical experience, 

and Amazon Studios gave it just that. 

I want to take a moment to talk 

about the value of this industry we have 

devoted ourselves to. The words “product” 

and “content” are still used far too 

often, and they diminish the value this 

industry provides. We are not in the 

widget business. We are in the movie 

business, and movies are what we bring 

to our audiences. Movies are fun, entertaining, 

and sometimes art. When we 

speak of that art—the art of cinema—let’s 

use that word. It is the word we use to 

describe the greatest art form of all time. 

“Product” is something that you use to 

keep your hair styled. “Content” makes 

something sound disposable. “Content” 

may have shifted during transit. Movies 

are about pleasure, and “cinema” signifies 

lasting power and cultural relevancy. 

I want to talk a bit about what we have 

accomplished at NATO, and why we’re so 

excited about the future. We have built 

up an incredibly engaged and passionate 

membership over the last few decades. 

There are so many in our industry who 

selflessly devote the little free time they 

have to ensure our industry stays strong. 


The numbers don’t lie: 

• 2,829 recipients of general NATO updates 

• 643 members of various committees and 

task forces 

• 23 percent individual committee 

participation 

• 304 member companies (out of 849, or 

36% of member companies) represented 

on committees and task forces 

[It’s a] demonstration of the volunteer army 

of members that keeps NATO strong and 

continues to advance cinema. 

We have built valuable alliances with 

major trade bodies and guilds in order 

to ensure cinema’s crucial role in this 

industry. Our government relations efforts 

helped save this industry as it faced an 

existential crisis. A letter signed by more 

than 100 leading directors and producers 

led to grants and tax benefits that provided 

much-needed support during a difficult 

time. Our government relations work is 

ongoing and more important than ever. 

We have launched The Cinema 

Foundation, which is currently led by 

President Jackie Brenneman and Executive 

Director Bryan Braunlich. You will hear a lot 

We have built valuable 

alliances with major trade 

bodies and guilds in order to 

ensure cinema’s crucial role 

in this industry. 

more about The Cinema Foundation throughout 

the week. I promise that the impact it will 

have on this industry is going to be substantial. 

Indeed, with the launch of National 

Cinema Day and the release of the first-ever 

comprehensive theatrical data report, the 

Foundation is already moving the industry 

forward. The Cinema Foundation will continue 

to bring together stakeholders across 

the industry to work toward a shared goal. 

I am excited to see what Michael O’Leary 

will accomplish as the next president and 

CEO of NATO when he takes over in a just 

few days. I have known Michael for many 

years, and he is a born leader with extensive 

experience in government relations and 

knowledge of the movie industry, too. 

Finally, I have a personal request. If you 

can stay at CinemaCon through the final 

night on Thursday, that would mean a great 

deal to me. I have the honor that evening to 

say a few goodbyes and to present an award 

to Chris Nolan and Emma Thomas—two of 

the most dedicated champions of cinema. 

Thank you all so much. 

John Fithian served as NATO’s president 

and CEO from 2000 to 2023. 


15

Industry CHARITY SPOTLIGHT 

CHARITY 

SPOTLIGHT 

At select SMG locations, 

demand for the special needs 

screening of The Super Mario 

Bros. Movie was so high 

that another screening was 

offered the following week. 

Variety – the Children’s Charity 

of Greater Kansas City had a busy 

spring, hosting or participating in several 

events designed to help differently abled 

children and their families. On April 24, 

the Variety chapter hosted the 2023 Variety 

Show, raising over $907,000 to help children 

in need. At the show, Delaney Murphy 

received the first-ever Deborah Weibrecht 

Inclusive Revolution Award. 

Weibrecht, Variety KC’s director 

of inclusion, was on hand on April 27 

for the Special NFL Draft Red Carpet 

Experience, presented by Pepsi. At 

the event, two youth athletes with 

disabilities—Lilly Morgan and Jesus 

Cardoza—rolled down the red carpet, 

highlighting the importance of inclusion 

in sports. Weibrecht, who escorted the 

children along with quarterback Patrick 

Mahomes’s mother, Randi Mahomes, and 

Steve Milonovich of Pepsi, noted, “We 

don’t always see inclusion at events of 

this magnitude, so we are proud to show 

the world this level of accessibility at an 

event showcasing top-tier athletes. We 

hope people see this and feel inspired by 

how we’re making sure that everyone can 

share in the excitement of these events.” 

Following the red carpet, Morgan and 

Cardoza were treated to a VIP experience 

at the Hy-Vee Arena, which had been 

outfitted for the occasion with disability-friendly 

amenities, including sensory 

kits, 300 accessible parking spots, and an 

accessible viewing area. 

This spring also saw the grand opening 

of Kansas City’s Central Bank Sporting 

Complex, featuring the Variety KC 

Inclusive Soccer Field—an outdoor field 

built to accommodate powerchair soccer, 

allowing users of power wheelchairs to 

play the sport outdoors, rather than on an 

indoor gymnasium surface. 

Finally, April 19 saw the official publication 

of Maddox’s Dream, the second 

book in the Variety Tales Book Series. 

Through the story of an airplane-loving 

young boy named Maddox, the book tells 

of the Kansas City International Airport’s 

accessible terminal, which opened earlier 

this year. Among the amenities designed 

to make flying easier for all is the Variety 

KC Inclusive Family Play Zone, which 

makes it possible for children of all ability 

levels to play together. Variety Tales Book 

Series: Maddox’s Dream is now available 

for purchase on Amazon. 

Studio Movie Grill Welcomes 3,000- 

Plus to Special Needs Screening of 

The Super Mario Bros. Movie 

April 22 was a special day for dine-in 

chain Studio Movie Grill, with more 

than 3,000 moviegoers attending a 

circuit-wide special needs screening of 

The Super Mario Bros. Movie. At SMG’s 

Tyler, Texas location, over 325 members 

of Neurodivergent Advocates of 

East Texas attended the event; in Simi 

Valley, the screening was paired with an 

adaptive-bike presentation for 6-yearold 

Carlos—with so many of his friends, 

family, and supporters attending that a 

second auditorium was needed. At select 

SMG locations, demand for the special 

needs screening of The Super Mario Bros. 

Movie was so high that another screening 

was offered the following week. At the 

Bakersfield, California SMG location, over 

100 attendees from a nearby therapeutic 

center were able to attend that second 

screening. 


Megaplex Theatres Expands Kids 

Summer Program, Offers Free 

Admission for Families Receiving 

SNAP/WIC Benefits 

Larry H. Miller Megaplex Theatres is 

expanding its popular Kids Summer 

Movies program by inviting those 

receiving food benefits (SNAP or WIC) to 

enjoy complimentary admission for one 

adult and up to five children (in the same 

household). Qualified guests may present 

an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT or 

eWIC) card and valid photo ID at any 

participating Megaplex location to receive 

the complimentary 2023 Kids Summer 

Movies Pass, which will be loaded onto a 

free MyMegaRewards loyalty account. 

The traditional Megaplex Kids 

Summer Movies pass continues as usual 

for other guests, who can purchase a $10 

pass that allows them to attend up to 10 

different family-friendly movies over the 

course of 10 weeks. Tickets to individual 

films are also available for $1.50 each. This 

year, the movies to be screened as part of 

Megaplex Theatres’ Kids Summer Movies 

program include DC League of Super-Pets; 

Mummies; Sonic the Hedgehog 2; Paws of 

Fury; The Amazing Maurice; Lyle, Lyle, 

Crocodile; Puss in Boots; Puss in Boots: The 

Last Wish; Minions: The Rise of Gru; and 

The Bad Guys. 

Megaplex Theatres also continues 

to host sensory-friendly screenings, 

designed to improve the moviegoing 

experience for those on the autism spectrum 

and with other special needs. 

“Whether through our new WIC/SNAP 

benefits offer, our sensory-friendly 

screenings, or our original movie program, 

we love offering these fun family 

films in our Kids Summer Movies program 

to as many guests as possible,” said 

Blake Andersen, president of Larry H. 

Miller Megaplex Theatres. “Our hope is 

to bring the magic of Megaplex movies 

to all of our guests and provide an enjoyable 

escape, especially to young families 

and those who could use a break from 

life’s daily challenges.” 

Upcoming Events 

July 15 

varietyiowa.com 

Join Variety – the Children’s Charity of 

Iowa for the 27th Annual Polo on the 

Green. Tickets are now on sale for the 

event, taking place at Powder River Ranch 

in Des Moines, where participants will 

enjoy an air-conditioned evening of 

dinner, an all-inclusive hosted bar, live 

and silent auctions, and, of course, a polo 

match, complete with divot stomping. 

July 16–17 

varietywi.org 

Variety – the Children’s Charity of 

Wisconsin’s Ben Marcus Variety Golf 

Classic takes place Monday, July 17, at 

the Grand Geneva Resort & Spa in Lake 

Geneva, Wisconsin; those unable to 

attend in person can still register to 

participate in the online auction. The previous 

day will introduce a new event from 

Variety Wisconsin: a Sunday Executive 

Bid and Golf Event, where you can bid to 

golf nine holes with your foursome and a 

Marcus Theatres executive of your choice. 

July 18 


The 35th Annual Leinenkugel Golf 

Invitational will take place at Hunters 

Ridge Golf Course in Marion, Iowa. 

Participants will enjoy lunch and dinner, 

games on the course, a raffle, a Hy-Vee 

shopping spree opportunity, a silent auction, 

and a presentation of a specialized 

bike to a child from the Cedar Rapids area 

living with special needs. 

August 5 

varietywi.org 

Join Variety’s Wisconsin chapter for their 

annual Family Summer Picnic, taking 

place at West Bend, Wisconsin’s Blue 

Lotus, an accessible nature retreat center. 

Children with physical or developmental 

special needs and their family members, 

and those who are registered with Variety – 

the Children’s Charity of Wisconsin, 

may attend. 

August 22–24 

varietyofgeorgia.org 

Following the ShowSouth Awards Dinner, 

Variety – the Children’s Charity of Georgia 

kicks off three days of fun, fellowship, and 

philanthropy. The fun begins on Tuesday, 

August 22—after the ShowSouth awards 

dinner—with the Variety After Party & 

Silent Auction at Lake Lanier Islands in 

Buford, Georgia. The next day, after the 

ShowSouth trade show, Phil Zacheretti 

will receive the 2023 Mac McAfee Big 

Heart Award at the Variety chapter’s 

annual dinner to honor individuals for 

their commitment to Variety and the local 

Georgia community. Finally, tee off at the 

52nd Variety Golf Tournament, taking 

place on August 24 at the Lake Lanier 

Islands golf course. 

August 24 


Gather your friends, colleagues, and 

clients for Variety – the Children’s Charity 

of Iowa’s annual men’s-only Stag Event, 

taking place on August 24th at Powder 

River Ranch in Cumming, Iowa. The 

evening includes beverage sampling, a 

steak dinner, an auction, raffles, and a 

swag bag for each guest. 

August 27 

variety-detroit.com 

Mark your calendars: Variety of Detroit’s 

SHINE Fashion Show is returning on 

Sunday, August 27. The children of Variety 

will rock the runway in the latest fashions, 

with proceeds benefiting at-need children 

in the Detroit area. 

August 30 

varietytexas.org 

Variety – the Children’s Charity of 

Texas’s annual Texan of the Year Gala 

and Golf Fundraiser takes place over two 

days this August: the Texan of the Year 

Gala at the Renaissance Dallas Addison 

on Wednesday, August 30, and the Al 

Webster Memorial Golf Tournament 

on Thursday, August 31, at the Dallas 

Cowboys Golf Club. 

August 14 

varietywi.org 

Blue Mound Golf and Country Club in 

Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, hosts Variety of 

Wisconsin’s 2023 Golf Classic. Lunch and 

an afternoon of golfing will be followed by 

a cocktail and dinner reception. 


17

INDUSTRY INDIE INFLUENCERS 

INDIE INFLUENCERS 

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. We’ll ask them to share their first-person 

accounts of bringing the movies back to the big screen. 

BACK TO BASICS: 

CINEMACON 2023 

SPOTLIGHTS GREAT 

FILMS, A GREAT 

EXPERIENCE 

From April 24 to 27, Caesars Palace 

was once again host to CinemaCon— 

the third edition of the show to take 

place since 2019. Then, the global cinema 

community gathered in Las Vegas not 

knowing that their industry would come 

to a screeching halt some 11 months 

later. During the planned dates of the 

canceled 2020 show, exhibitors, distributors, 

vendor partners, and more were 

worrying about cinema’s future instead 

of celebrating its present. And the 2021 

and 2022 editions of CinemaCon, though 

they provided long-awaited opportunities 

for in-person discussion and connection 

(i.e., not via computer screen), still existed 

under the cloud of the pandemic; optimism 

justified by the record-breaking 

box office success of Spider-Man: No 

Way Home was tempered by the surging 

Omicron variant and a still-slim slate. 

Finally, in 2023, CinemaCon “felt like 

the ones we had before the pandemic. 

Everyone seemed upbeat, positive, and 

[they] were enjoying the event,” says Luis 

Olloqui, CEO of luxury dine-in cinema 

chain Cinépolis USA. That CinemaCon 

was like its old self again was a common 

refrain among show attendees. With 

studio presentations emphasizing strong 

and varied slates, with films geared 

toward diverse audience segments, “it 

feels like we are about to return to 

pre-pandemic release patterns, which 

is good news for exhibition,” says Chris 

Hamel, CEO of Columbus, Ohio’s Gateway 

Film Center. (For our full recap of this 

year’s studio presentations, see page 60.) 

“The films coming out over the coming 

months look incredible, and the studio 

presentations we attended were fantastic. 

It was great to experience so much energy 

and excitement around the upcoming 

slate,” says Bernadette McCabe, EVP, 

exhibitor relations, at cinema advertising 

company Spotlight Cinema Networks. 

“Every movie that came out, one after the 

other—it was incredible,” concurs Brian 

Schultz, CEO of LOOK Dine-In Cinemas, 

reflecting on everything his audiences 

will have to look forward to in the coming 

months. “Mission: Impossible, Indiana 

Jones, Oppenheimer, White Bird [from 

Lionsgate]—which probably won’t be the 

largest movie but [looks] powerful and 

18 

CineEurope 2023


19

INDUSTRY INDIE INFLUENCERS 

important.” Moviegoing audiences of all 

tastes will have something to look forward 

to throughout the coming year. 

It’s a far cry from 2020 and 2021, when 

many studios released tentpoles day-anddate. 

Though the relationship between 

studios and exhibitors can sometimes be 

“a little bit antagonistic,” Schultz admits, 

this year studios displayed an eagerness 

to collaborate with exhibition partners. If 

CinemaCon 2022 was the funeral for the 

widespread day-and-date film releases— 

with then-CEO John Fithian proclaiming 

in his State of the Industry address that 

“simultaneous release is dead as a serious 

business model, and piracy is what killed 

it”—2023 was the year “we saw all movie 

studio executives commit to the theatrical 

window,” notes Cinépolis USA’s Olloqui. 

“Theatrical is back, the movie slate looks 

great, and we need to be ready in our 

theaters to have a great summer.” 

Studio presentations, of course, are 

only part of the value CinemaCon provides 

to attendees. The trade show gives 

exhibitors the opportunity to shop around 

for products and technology that might 

“We really need to focus on 

quality. Quality of experience, 

cleanliness, making sure 

that everything is working 

the right way and that we’re 

[holding ourselves] to the 

right standards.” 

benefit their cinemas, and numerous 

panels and networking events throughout 

the week are a fertile ground for new ideas. 

Having an eye toward innovation, 

though, is no reason to take the basics of 

the theater experience for granted. “There 

was a lot of talk about how you need to 

buy stuff,” says Schultz—whereas the 

takeaway for exhibitors should be “that 

we really need to focus on quality. Quality 

of experience, cleanliness, making sure 

that everything is working the right way 

and that we’re [holding ourselves] to the 

right standards.” This is true of all cinemas—but 

it’s a truth felt perhaps more 

keenly among small to midsize exhibitors 

lacking the financial resources and the 

cross-country footprint of the domestic 

market’s largest chains. For an art house 

theater, for example, the draw for customers 

is not the biggest or brightest 

screen, but an experience that’s enjoyable 

and intentionally crafted, from the preshow 

to the concessions and the film 

itself, until the moment customers walk 

through the lobby on their way out. 

“There continues to be an emphasis 

20 


on technology as a method to lure audiences 

back to our venues,” says Gateway 

Film Center’s Hamel. “I agree with this 

philosophy, but the economic conditions 

of the last few years make it challenging 

to know which advancements are worthy 

investments.” 

It’s a concern echoed by Kristina 

Dinino-Jeffords, co-founder of the ROC 

Cinema in Rochester, New York. Though 

the cinema has existed in some form 

since 1914, Dinino-Jeffords and husband, 

Damon Jeffords, had been running the 

cinema, which they converted to a dine-in, 

for less than a year when they attended 

their first CinemaCon this past April. 

Knowledgeable about the restaurant 

industry from more than 10 years of operating 

a restaurant in Rochester, the pair 

went to Vegas in search of operational 

solutions in the dine-in space. “I have to 

say I’m surprised at the lack of point-ofsales 

systems out there for smaller independent 

theaters that are able to accomplish 

ticketing and food and beverage 

sales,” says Dinino-Jeffords. “Many claim 

they are able to conduct full-service food 

sales” but do not offer resources commonly 

available in the restaurant industry, 

instead focusing only on basic concessions. 

After some time on the trade show 

floor, the pair met a vendor at CinemaCon 

who will assist them with their needs. 

Overall, says Dinino-Jeffords, CinemaCon 

was “an overwhelming experience, but in 

a good way. We felt it was beneficial and 

will definitely return!” 


21

THE FEATURES 

YOU NEED 

THE OPTIONS 

YOU WANT 

THE COMPANY 

YOU TRUST 

When it comes to concessions, 

it comes from Cretors. 

SINCE 1885 

Contact Shelly Olesen at 847.616.6901 or visit www.cretors.com

Adam Aron 24 | Sol Cinema 28 

THEATER 

“The best part is the reactions of audiences from outside, when 

they see people coming out. They can’t believe so many fit in 


Sol Cinema, p. 28 


23

THEATER ADAM ARON 

THE BOXOFFICE 

& CJ INTERVIEW: 

AMC THEATRES 

CEO ADAM ARON 

AMC Theatres CEO Adam Aron Talks PVOD, Dynamic Pricing, 

Meme Stocks—and those Tweets—in an Exclusive CinemaCon 

Interview with Boxoffice Pro’s Daniel Loria and Celluloid 

Junkie’s J. Sperling Reich 

BY DANIEL LORIA 

Few of the C-suite executives running 

movie theaters these days are 

as omnipresent as Adam Aron, the CEO 

of AMC Theatres. While navigating the 

world’s largest cinema chain through the 

Covid pandemic, Aron’s public profile 

only managed to grow, even at a time 

when most of his company’s theater 

locations were shuttered for months on 

end. This is due in no small part to the 

millions of retail investors who helped 

turn AMC’s publicly traded shares into a 

meme stock in 2021. Organizing through 

Reddit, Twitter, and other social media 

platforms, they refer to themselves as 

“apes” and view Aron as their “silverback” 

leader, nicknames he has fully embraced. 

Leaning into his newfound popularity, 

Aron took to Twitter and YouTube to 

communicate directly with the millions of 

retail shareholders who helped save AMC 

financially when most predicted the circuit 

would soon be filing for bankruptcy. 

He regularly holds special screenings for 

apes around the United States where the 

draw is less the movie than it is Aron’s 

presence. He even rode on AMC’s float in 

the 2022 Rose Parade along with some of 

his Twitter followers. 

Boxoffice Pro’s Daniel Loria and 

Celluloid Junkie’s J. Sperling Reich interviewed 

the executive at CinemaCon 2023 

and asked him about the latest ambitions 

and initiatives of the world’s largest 

cinema circuit. 

Daniel Loria: In 2020, AMC struck a deal 

with Universal that would allow the 

studio’s films to hit premium video on 

demand (PVOD) early—either 17 or 30 

days after release—while your circuit 

would stand to share in a portion of 

those PVOD revenues. I understand 

that was a deal that made sense at 

the time, but here we are three years 

later, operating under very different 

market conditions. Is that PVOD deal 

with Universal still providing AMC the 

same value it once did? Is there a 

chance that those terms, particularly 

regarding the window, can be revisited? 

Adam Aron: Honestly, the PVOD 

experiment of 2020 is simply not really 

on my radar right now. We’ve had so 

many other issues to deal with that are 

of far greater importance to my time and 

attention, including the survival of our 

company from a three-year pandemic, 


where the box office in 2022 was still 35 

percent below 2019 levels. 

On a broader point than just the 

particular Universal PVOD discussions 

of 2020, what’s really interesting to me 

is that the entire industry, including 

Universal on movies where it’s not going 

to PVOD, has come to a consensus surrounding 

a 45-day window. 

J. Sperling Reich: It’s like an unspoken 

consensus within the industry. 

Adam Aron: Well, we don’t speak about 

it with competing theater chains, and I 

don’t know that [Universal] would speak 

about it with competing movie studios. 

But I know that, generally, movies are 

playing with a 45-day window. Getting 

that consensus has been really important. 

Another important development over 

the past year is that, in 2020 and 2021, 

the studios were really leaning into their 

streaming services as their top priority. 

Then came Spider-Man: No Way Home, Top 

Gun: Maverick, Avatar: The Way of Water, 

and a lot of good movies in-between those 

three. Hollywood started to realize again 

how much money could be made by releasing 

movies theatrically. They also realized 

that movies that were released theatrically 

became national or global events and that 

those movies only became even more successful 

when they were eventually released 

in their respective streaming services. 

So what I think happened over the 

last 17 months—again, starting with 

Spider-Man: No Way Home and continuing 

through Avatar: The Way of Water—is that 

studios have once again prioritized theatrical 

releases as the smartest way to monetize 

their assets. They’re giving us their 

biggest movies first, then they’re going 

streaming, and that makes everybody 

happy. I think those developments are far 

more important than the Universal deal. 

J. Sperling Reich: You talk about the 

existential nature of surviving as 

a company. You have a privileged 

vantage point, but without giving 

anything proprietary away, what do 

you think is working for AMC that 

is also working for the exhibition 

industry at large? 

Adam Aron: For the industry generally, 

the thing that has been working is time— 

the passage of time. If you look at the 

“I believe that 2024 is going 

to be bigger than 2023. I think 

that Covid was a five-year 

detour for this industry, and 

we’ve already completed 

three years of it.” 

domestic box office as a basic placeholder 

for the size of the industry, for five years 

in a row, it was between $11 billion and 

$11.9 billion. Then comes the pandemic, 

and in 2020 it dropped from $11.4 to $2 

billion. Then it goes to $4.5 billion in 2021 

and $7.5 billion in 2022. This ecosystem 

was not built for a $2 billion box office. It 

was not built for a $4.5 billion box office 

or a $7.5 billion box office. This ecosystem 

was built for an $11.5 billion box office. 

The pandemic brought us all down to our 

knees, but with the passage of time, we’re 

on an upwards ramp. 

The forecasts for 2023—I’m not saying 

AMC forecasts, but of the forecasts that 

I’ve seen, I haven’t seen one under $8.5 

billion, and I haven’t seen one over $10 

billion. That appears to be the billionand-a-half-dollar 

range where everybody 

is. Anywhere in that range is a lot more 

than $7.5 billion. As I say, with the passage 

of time, we’re clearly on an upwards ramp: 

$2 to $4.5 to $7.5 billion … to “pick your 

number for this year.” 

I believe that 2024 is going to be bigger 

than 2023. I think that Covid was a fiveyear 

detour for this industry, and we’ve 

already completed three years of it. March 

of 2023 was the three-year mark since 

theaters were shut. I think this recovery 

is a four-, five-, six-year affair, but let’s 

call it five years before we’re kind of back 

to normal. For those companies that 

had cash, they were able to survive this 

horrible decline and an upwards ramp 

where, as of the calendar year 2022, we’re 

still down 35 percent from pre-pandemic 

levels. Last year was not a particularly 

good year for movie theaters. 


25

THEATER ADAM ARON 

What’s worked for AMC is quite different 

than what’s worked for the rest of the 

industry. It’s pretty well known that we’re 

one of the two meme stocks in the United 

States: GameStop and AMC. Somewhere 

between 3 and 4 million avid, passionate 

shareholders, with whom I tweet every 

single day, descended on AMC and 

bought control of our company. I started 

tweeting in April of 2021, once we realized 

retail investors had shown up. My tweets 

have been read about 300 million times. 

What’s been really important for AMC is 

that these retail investors have come to 

our side, and they’re our most enthusiastic 

backers. They’ve allowed us to raise a 

lot of cash. In debt, equity, or concessions 

from landlords and lenders, AMC has 

raised over $5 billion since March 2020. 

That’s why we’re still here today, and 

that’s why we’re still strong today. I give a 

lot of credit to those retail investors who 

really love AMC, and whose connection to 

our company is strong. 

It’s obviously a unique situation. I 

don’t know of any other movie theater 

company in the world that has millions 

of investors or has been able to raise the 

kind of capital we’ve been able to raise or 

has so many millions of people following 

“What’s worked for AMC is 

quite different than what’s 

worked for the rest of the 

industry. It’s pretty well known 

that we’re one of the two 

meme stocks in the United 

States: GameStop and AMC.” 

everything that we do, the hundreds of 

thousands of people who read every tweet 

that comes out of our pen. So that’s been 

a particularly noteworthy thing for us. We 

are the biggest movie theater chain in the 

world, and we’re the biggest movie theater 

chain in the United States. If you go on 

Twitter and read my Twitter feed— 

Daniel Loria: Oh, we read the tweets. 

We read the replies, too, sometimes … 

Adam Aron: Some are a little grouchy. 

But so many of them are so supportive of 

the company and in love with the company 

and committed to the company and 

are going to stay committed to the company 

for a very long time. That’s a great 

asset that we have. 

Daniel Loria: Dynamic pricing is a 

new concept for movie theaters here 

in the U.S., but it’s not unheard of 

internationally. You’re the world’s 

largest movie theater chain, so I 

understand dynamic pricing in the 

United States was something you 

implemented after having research 

and data to back it up from your 

global circuit. The concept has met 


with some pushback domestically, 

however. Why do you think that is? 

How is the U.S. different in terms of 

promoting a concept that’s been 

easier to implement overseas? 

Adam Aron: Because it’s never been tried 

before here, so it’s news since it’s a change 

of habit. It should work. It works in every 

other industry. We’re testing it right now 

across the United States. We’re testing it 

in three cities: Kansas City, Chicago, and 

New York. We’ll probably test it in more 

cities later in the year and see what the 

reaction is. I’m not surprised that when 

you change the habit of an industry, it 

takes people a little while to adjust to it. 

Daniel Loria: How do you feel about 

the results from those three test 

markets so far? 

Adam Aron: It’s too early to tell. 

J. Sperling Reich: Speaking of 

changing habits, a big thing 

happened right at the start of the 

pandemic: The Paramount consent 

decree was thrown out. It essentially 

permits movie studios to go out and 

buy movie theaters. From what we’ve 

been told by certain people, big guys 

love that it’s gone, little guys hate it. 

And it’s something studios could and 

would have done a long time ago if 

they’d wanted to. On the flip side of 

that, a movie theater chain like AMC 

can now safely venture into acquiring 

movies that play exclusively at AMC, 

and later stream on AMC On Demand. 

Has there been any thought about 

going into distribution on some level? 

lately around industry consolidation. 

In terms of opportunities that are out 

there at the right price, is domestic 

or international expansion more 

appealing to you as the CEO of the 

world’s largest exhibition circuit? 

Adam Aron: Yes. 

Daniel Loria: [Laughs.] So whatever’s 

the best deal on the table? 

Adam Aron: With AMC, you’re dealing 

with the largest exhibitor in Europe, and 

the largest exhibitor in the United States, 

so we should want to support either one 

of our businesses. You know, you use the 

phrase “people are focused on survival.” 

That’s what I was focused on last year. I 

believe that AMC has survived. The box 

office is growing, earnings are growing. 

We’re starting to look past playing defense 

and looking towards playing on offense. 

You may recall we bought up almost half 

of the ArcLight/Pacific circuit. We bought 

up more than half of the Bow Tie circuit 

in the Northeast. There are a number of 

other theater chains that we have talked 

to about combining forces. Nothing necessarily 

this week, but I think you’ll see 

AMC continue to add locations when we 

find attractive theaters in great locations 

that we can bring into our fleet on really 

good economic terms. 

“The box office is growing, 

earnings are growing. We’re 

starting to look past playing 

defense and looking towards 

playing on offense.” 

Adam Aron: We actually did that several 

years back. You may recall that we owned 

50 percent of Open Road. 

Daniel Loria: You even had a Best 

Picture winner in Spotlight through 

Open Road. 

Adam Aron: We’re considering content as 

a possible avenue for investment dollars, 

but we haven’t made any decisions yet. 

Daniel Loria: Speaking of investment, 

let’s talk M&A. I know survival is top 

of mind for everyone right now, but 

there has been a lot of speculation 


27

Theater SOL CINEMA 

SMALL BUT 

MIGHTY 

Sol Cinema May Just Be 

the World’s Smallest Solar- 

Powered Cinema 

BY JESSE RIFKIN 

In South Wales, United Kingdom, 

sits one of the most unusual yet 

endearing cinemas you’ve ever seen. 

The tiny, decades-old caravan, just 

16 feet long by 7 feet high, seats about 

eight to 12 people. Originally it was used 

to house chickens, then later to store car 

tires. Yet today, the refurbished interior’s 

red-and-yellow striped walls, tasseled 

curtains, and cloud-painted ceiling exude 

the vintage style of film palaces of old. 

Sol Cinema attempts to re-create the 

pizzazz of early to mid-20th-century 

movie theaters—without the pesky real 

estate prices. The experience comes with 

usherettes dressed like drum majors from 

The Music Man, a popcorn booth, and a 

red carpet that rolls up to the entrance. 

Bringing it into the 21st century: The whole 

operation is powered by solar energy. 

Sol Cinema is the brainchild of Paul 

O’Connor, an independent documentary 

filmmaker who runs the traveling cinema 

on the side. 

“It was 2010 and we were trying to work 

out how to show short films,” O’Connor 

recalls of the project’s origins. “Lots of 

people were starting to look at YouTube 

videos, but we thought that’s not much of 

an experience. So we thought, ‘Right, 

let’s make a cinema.’” 

And not just any cinema, but one 

that hearkens back to the golden age 

of moviegoing: take the usherettes, 

who twirl batons and shout at passersby 

to persuade them to come on in for a 

few minutes. 

“When you go to a cinema now, you 

sit in a plastic box, really. It’s lacking a 

lot, when you compare it to a time like 

the 1940s, when there were film palaces,” 

O’Connor says. “There was an effort. You 

had managers at the doors. You had 

usherettes. It was a performance they 

were doing, in a way, because it made you 

feel like [you were having] this proper 

night out.” 

The vehicle is most frequently booked 

for large events, from art festivals to corporate 

functions to street parties. They’ve 

even booked a spot for several years at 

Glastonbury, England’s legendary annual 

five-day music festival, headlined by Paul 

McCartney in 2022 and Elton John in 2023. 

“But we’ve also performed at zoos, 

farms, factories, fields, city high streets,” 

O’Connor adds. “You name it, we’ve been 

everywhere.” 


“The best part is the 

reactions of audiences from 

outside, when they see 

people coming out. They 

can’t believe so many fit in 


They’ve screened around 300 titles 

through the years, exclusively independent 

short films, usually five minutes or 

less. In particular, they focus on titles 

with strong environmental, social, 

or political themes. That gels with 

O’Connor’s day job as a documentary 

filmmaker who runs an “alternative 

news” video production company called 

Undercurrents. 

Yet occasionally, Sol Cinema will screen 

a short for its entertainment value alone. 

“These guys called Movie Maniacs made 

this short film called Chavatar, which was 

a spoof of Avatar. I don’t know if you’re 

familiar in America, but ‘chavs’ over here 

are like your hillbillies.” It was “very clever, 

very well done,” O’Connor says. 

(Asked whether it made as much 

money as the actual Avatar, O’Connor 

quips, “I don’t know, we’ve never seen the 

box office receipts.”) 

In the dozen years since the Sol 

Cinema project started, an estimated 

110,000 to 120,000 people have experienced 

it for themselves. Keep in mind, 

that cumulative total was achieved in 

individual showings of a dozen attendees 

or fewer at a time. 

“The best part is the reactions of audiences 

from outside, when they see people 

coming out. They can’t believe so many fit 

in there. It’s like the TARDIS,” O’Connor 

says, referencing the time machine / 

police booth from “Doctor Who.” He 

laughs. “People go around the back trying 

to find out if it’s an optical illusion.” 

Considering the theater’s miniscule 

size, its technical specs are relatively 

impressive. In addition to surround 

sound, the cinema uses an LED projector 

housed in 1920s-style “lighting housing” 

so patrons don’t see the projector itself, 

but just see the light coming out of it. The 

actual projected image is about 8 feet long 

by 5 feet high. 

Sol Cinema is based in the U.K. and 

Ireland but has traveled all over Europe, 

from Wales to Croatia. “If the wheels can 

go, we’ll take it,” O’Connor says, noting 

that they haven’t yet crossed the pond. 

“It’s about time we conquered America.” 


29

Giants of Exhibition 32 | Hans-Joachim Flebbe 40 | Warner Bros. 44 | Gold Awards 54 

CINEEUROPE 

“What you learn when you only have 20 percent of the titles, and 

you find you have 60 percent of the admissions, is that we are 

also very much demand-driven.” 

Nordisk Film Cinemas, p. 60 


31

CINEEUROPE GIANTS OF EXHIBITION: EUROPE 

Presented in Association with: 

GIANTS OF 

EXHIBITION: 

EUROPE 


THE TOP 50 CINEMA CIRCUITS IN EUROPE 

All theater locations/screen counts 

are accurate as of 12/31/22. 

For the second consecutive year, 

Boxoffice Pro has partnered 

with UNIC, the trade body representing 

the interests of cinema operators in 

39 European territories, to produce an 

annual ranking of the top 50 European 

cinema groups by screen count. The order 

in this list is determined by screen counts 

across European markets as of December 

31, 2022. The circuits included in this 

year’s “Giants of Exhibition: Europe” 

ranking will be honored at a special 

ceremony during CineEurope. 

Once again in the lead of this year’s 

ranking is Odeon Cinemas Group, the 

U.K.-based European subsidiary of AMC 

Theatres, with nearly 2,500 screens across 

the United Kingdom and Ireland, Finland, 

Germany, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Spain, 

and Sweden. 

The top four is rounded out by 

Cineworld (U.K.), Vue International (U.K.), 

and Les Cinémas Pathé Cinémas (France). 

Each of the top four circuits on this 

year’s list have a multinational European 

presence of more than 1,000 screens 

across the region. This year’s “Giants of 

Exhibition: Europe” list includes circuits 

based in 18 different markets across the 

region. The U.K. and France are the most 

represented markets on the list with 

seven circuits each, followed by Spain and 

Turkey (five), and Germany (four). Other 

territories featured on the list are Portugal 

and Ireland (each with two circuits), and 

Austria, Netherlands, Czech Republic, 

Denmark, Italy, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia, 

Sweden, Estonia, and Ukraine (each with 

one circuit). 

This year again, as a statement of 

solidarity with Ukrainian exhibitors as 

well as with the Ukrainian people, UNIC 

and Boxoffice Pro’s corporate parent, 

The Boxoffice Company, have jointly 

agreed not to include the names and 

screen counts of the Russian companies 

that would otherwise have featured in 

the top 50. 

Each of the top four circuits 

on this year’s list have a 

multinational European 

presence of more than 1,000 

screens across the region. 


33



1–2 

01 

ODEON CINEMAS GROUP 

United Kingdom 

Corporate Parent: AMC Theatres (U.S) 

Screens: 2,471 

Locations: 283 

European Brands: Cinesa, Filmstaden, 

Finnkino, ODEON, UCI 

European Markets: Finland, Germany, 

Italy, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, 

U.K. & Ireland 

Odeon, the European division of AMC 

Theatres, the world’s largest exhibition 

circuit, once again tops our Giants of 

Exhibition: Europe ranking. The circuit 

reaches the top spot by retaining the 

number two or three spot in several key 

European markets, including the United 

Kingdom & Ireland, Spain, Italy, Sweden, 

and Germany. Odeon’s recovery from the 

pandemic mirrors that of exhibition as a 

whole, reporting strong figures from its 

fleet of premium-format screens and an 

uptick in concessions spending. 


02 

CINEWORLD 




European Brands: Cinema City, Cineworld, 

Picturehouse 

European Markets: Bulgaria, Czech 

Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, 

Slovakia, U.K. 

2022 was a tumultuous year for Europe’s 

second-largest circuit by screen count. 

The chain was forced to file for Chapter 11 

bankruptcy protection in September as a 

bid to cut down on its reported $5 billion 

in debt. Several offers were made for parts 

of the circuit in the months that followed, 

but none that were deemed important 

enough to warrant a sale of any part of 

the company’s global business. Cineworld 

is expected to emerge from bankruptcy 

this summer, with most of its circuit of 

European locations intact. 


35



3–4 

03 

VUE INTERNATIONAL 




European Brands: CinemaxX, MultiKino, 

The Space Cinema, Vue 

European Markets: Denmark, Germany, 

Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, U.K. 

& Ireland. 

Vue continued its comeback from the 

pandemic in 2022 with an upswing in box 

office revenue. The multinational circuit 

wasted no time in investing part of those 

earnings back into its theaters, rolling out 

recliner-seating enhancements in several 

of its top territories. 2023 is expected to 

bring even stronger balance sheets, as 

restrictions in several of Vue’s major 

markets like Denmark, Italy, Netherlands, 

and Poland remained in place through 

portions of the first half of 2022. 


04 

PATHÉ CINÉMAS 

France 



European Brands: Pathé 

European Markets: Belgium, France, 

Netherlands, Switzerland 

Having recently rebranded itself as Pathé 

Cinémas (at the start of 2023), France’s 

leading circuit consolidated its network of 

theaters in its home country throughout 

2022. Locations Le Morvan (in Creusot) 

and Les Plessis (in Montceau-les-Mines) 

were sold to Régis Faure, Le Modern (in 

Issoire) was acquired by Arcad’Cinés, 

and Gaumont Amnéville (in Metz) was 

taken over by Kinepolis. At the same 

time, the group opened a cinema in Dijon 

and focused its efforts on upgrading its 

facilities throughout France. In total, the 

circuit now has 16 fewer screens in its 

home nation than in 2019—but it has 

nevertheless remained a prominent 

player on the European stage. Pathé is the 

highest-ranking European circuit based 

outside the United Kingdom. 


37



5–50 

5 

PARIBU CINEVERSE 

Turkey 

Corporate Parent: CJ CGV 

(South Korea) 

Screens: 783 

Locations: 90 

6 

CGR CINÉMAS 

France 

Screens: 705 

Locations: 74 

7 

KINEPOLIS 

Netherlands 

Screens: 648 

Locations: 61 

European Markets: Belgium, 

France, Luxembourg, 

Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland 

8 

RUSSIAN CINEMA CHAIN 

Russia 

9 

UGC 

France 

Screens: 595 

Locations: 58 

European Markets: Belgium, 

France 

10 

CINEPLEX 

Germany 

Screens: 551 

Locations: 93 

11 

YELMO CINES 

Spain 

Corporate Parent: Cinépolis 

(Mexico) 

Screens: 519 

Locations: 51 

12 


Russia 

13 

CINEPLEXX 

Austria 

Screens: 425 

Locations: 62 

European Markets: Albania, 

Austria, Bosnia, Croatia, 

Greece, Italy, Kosovo, North 

Macedonia, Montenegro, 

Romania, Serbia, Slovenia 

14 

CINESTAR 

Germany 

Corporate Parent: Event 

Cinema (Australia) 

Screens: 373 

Locations: 47 

European Brands: CineStar 

15 

HELIOS 

Poland 

Screens: 296 

Locations: 53 

16 

OMNIPLEX 

Ireland 

Corporate Parent: Cinépolis 

(Mexico) 

Screens: 285 

Locations: 38 

European Markets: Ireland, U.K. 

17 

OCINE 

Spain 

Screens: 268 

Locations: 29 

Other European Brands: 

Monciné 

18 

NORDISK FILM CINEMAS 

Denmark 

Screens: 261 

Locations: 46 

European Markets: Denmark, 

Norway, Sweden 

19 


Russia 

20 


Russia 

21 

SVENSKA BIO 

Sweden 

Screens: 230 

Locations: 54 


BioRex, Biografkompaniet 

European Markets: Sweden, 

Finland, Denmark 

22 

MEGARAMA 

France 

Screens: 229 

Locations: 29 

European Markets: France, 

Spain 

23 

NATIONAL AMUSEMENTS 


Corporate Parent: National 

Amusements (United States) 

Screens: 228 

Locations: 17 


Showcase Cinemas 

24 

CINEMAS NOS 

Portugal 

Screens: 214 

Locations: 30 


25 

MK2 

France 

Screens: 202 

Locations: 22 


CineSur 

European Markets: France, 

Spain 

26 

CINEMAPINK 

Turkey 

Screens: 182 

Locations: 26 

27 

MULTIPLEX CINEMAS 

Ukraine 

Screens: 176 

Locations: 30 

28 


Russia 

29 

BLITZ CINESTAR 

Serbia 

Screens: 167 

Locations: 27 


CineStar Cinemas, VCin 

European Markets: Bosnia, 

Croatia, Serbia 

30 


Russia 

31 


Russia 

32 

IMC CINEMAS 

Ireland 

Screens: 146 

Locations: 19 

European Markets: Ireland, U.K. 

33 

KINOPOLIS 

Germany 

Screens: 142 

Locations: 17 

34 

ODEON MULTICINES 

Spain 

Screens: 133 

Locations: 13 

35 

EVERYMAN CINEMAS 


Screens: 128 

Locations: 38 

36 

EMPIRE CINEMAS 


Screens: 126 

Locations: 14 

37 

CINEVILLE 

France 

Screens: 24 

Locations: 16 

38 

UNION CINE CIUDAD 

Spain 

Screens: 113 

Locations: 12 

39 

CINESTAR 

Czech Republic 

Screens: 99 

Locations: 13 

40 

CINEMARINE 

Turkey 

Screens: 98 

Locations: 10 

European Markets: Turkey, 

Kosovo 

41 

FILMPALAST 

Germany 

Screens: 96 

Locations: 14 

42 

CINEMAX 

Slovakia 

Screens: 91 

Locations: 16 

European Markets: Czech 

Republic, Romania, Slovakia 

42 

LIGHT CINEMAS 


Screens: 91 

Locations: 12 

43 

AVSAR SINEMA 

Avşar 

Screens: 91 

Locations: 10 

45 

PRESTIGE 

Turkey 

Screens: 87 

Locations: 10 

46 

ARTESIETE 

Spain 

Screens: 85 

Locations: 12 

46 

GRAND ECRAN 

France 

Screens: 85 

Locations: 11 

48 

GIOMETTI CINEMA 

Italy 

Screens: 84 

Locations: 13 

49 

BLUE CINEMA 

Switzerland 

Screens: 83 

Locations: 7 

50 

CINEPLACE 

Portugal 

Corporate Parent: Orient 

Cinema (Brazil) 

Screens: 81 

Locations: 13 

50 

APOLLO CINEMA 

Estonia 

Screens: 81 

Locations: 16 

Other European Brands: AK 

March/April CineEurope 2023 

39

CINEEUROPE UNIC ACHIEVEMENT AWARD 

UNIC ACHIEVEMENT 

AWARD 

Hans-Joachim Flebbe, Founder and Managing Director, 

Astor Film Lounge and Zoo Palast 

BY REBECCA PAHLE 

The recipient of this year’s UNIC 

Achievement Award at CineEurope, 

Hans-Joachim Flebbe, has under his 

belt more than 40 years in the exhibition 

industry—during which time he’s played 

a major role in shaping the world of 

cinema in Germany today. 

His love for older films led young 

Flebbe to a job booking—and later programming—at 

Hanover’s Apollo Cinema, 

which he would help turn into one of 

the first art house cinemas in Germany. 

Fast forward to the ’90s, and Flebbe— 

through the chain CinemaxX, which he 

founded—was responsible for the creation 

of one of Germany’s first multiplexes. 

Differences of opinion as to how CinemaxX 

should be run led to Flebbe’s leaving the 

company in 2008. But Flebbe loves film too 

much to stay away from the industry, and 

from CinemaxX he moved on to found the 

Astor Group, which brings luxury cinema 

experiences to moviegoers across Germany. 

“We are absolutely delighted to honor 

Hans-Joachim at CineEurope 2023,” says 

Phil Clapp, president of UNIC. “The 

award recognizes his incredible passion 

for the big screen, his outstanding career, 

and his key role in developing both the 

German and European cinemagoing 

experience.” In the lead-up to CineEurope, 

Flebbe spoke to Boxoffice Pro about 

his impactful and dynamic career in the 

cinema industry. 

Could you talk a bit about the Apollo 

Cinema in Hanover? How did you end 

up working as a programmer there? 

My start in the movie theater business 

was rather accidental. As a student, I 

spent more time at cinemas than at 

university. My passion was great, but I 

couldn’t watch many titles because they 

were no longer playing in cinemas, and 

there were no DVD, video, or streaming 

services in the early ’70s. 

One day I asked the owner of a small 

cinema in Hanover if I could offer him 

some movie suggestions. He agreed, since 

he actually wanted to close his theater so 

he had “nothing to lose.” The result: One 

of Germany’s first art house cinemas, the 

Apollo Kino in Hanover, opened in 1973. 

The concept of showing a different, 

challenging movie every day was so well 

received that the cinema sold out every 

day in the first month. Because of this success, 

the cinema owner offered me a share. 

Then, when a project-development 


“The concept of showing 

a different, challenging 

movie every day was so well 

received that the cinema 

sold out every day in the 

first month. Because of this 

success, the cinema owner 

offered me a share.” 

company in Hanover wanted to create an 

inner-city construction project including 

a cinema center, but couldn’t find a reputable 

operator, I took the chance to realize 

my own first cinema (4 screens, art house). 

What compelled you to move from 

programming to starting your own 

cinema? When you started your 

career in exhibition, did you see 

yourself starting a major chain? 

This venture was also very successful 

and opened up the opportunity for me to 

expand further. I took over and renovated 

numerous traditional, beautiful, large 

movie theaters throughout Germany, and 

by the mid ’80s I was among the top 10 

German cinema operating companies. 

In 1989 I founded the CinemaxX cinema 

company, and I opened one of the first 

German multiplex movie theaters in 1991. 

Cinemas are getting more and more 

technologically advanced, with 

exhibitors introducing things like 

giant screens or full-service kitchens 

to provide a luxury experience to 

moviegoers. But this industry’s history is 

one of the great things about it. How do 

you integrate technological advances 

into some of these historical theaters? 

In my cinema career I have made all 

decisions from a cinema visitor’s point of 

view: What should the cinema look like 

when I want to enjoy the movie? What 

do I expect from a satisfying visit to the 

cinema? Large screens, comfortable seats, 

perfect technology, good service, suitable 

films that entertain me. The CinemaxX 

concept was based on providing the 

visitor with the largest possible image 

in order to enjoy the movie in the best 

possible way, in competition with TV. 


41

CINEEUROPE UNIC ACHIEVEMENT AWARD 

Stadium seating was a must-have for 

that. So we built all cinemas with steps, 

generous spacing between the rows, 

armchairs (instead of folding chairs), and 

large foyers. Always at the best location 

in the respective city, centrally located in 

the city center, never on the outskirts. 

What major changes came to the 

world of cinema exhibition in Germany 

during your time with CinemaxX? 

After the competitors had been watching 

for about five years to see if this concept 

would have lasting success, multiplex 

theaters started to appear everywhere in 

the ’90s and early 2000s, some of them 

initiated with a great deal of optimism. 

An “overscreening” situation developed 

in Germany. Therefore, I developed and 

realized projects abroad in the early 

stages (Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, 

Turkey, Denmark, Poland, etc.). 

Do you remember the first movie you 

saw on the big screen? What was your 

hometown theater growing up? 

My first movie was The Glenn Miller Story, 

which I watched with my father (a big 

swing music fan) at the Riki cinema in my 

hometown of Hanover. 

I know that you’re not a fan of 

popcorn in cinemas—is there a 

different type of concession you enjoy, 

or would you prefer to focus on the 

movie 100 percent? 

For many guests, popcorn is part of the 

cinema experience. Even in premium 

cinemas you can’t miss it. I didn’t offer it 

at first, but the complaints only stopped 

when we introduced it. 

However, to this day I still resist 

selling nachos with cheese sauce. Instead, 

we have finger food (cheese, ham, olives, 

etc.), but mainly cocktails, champagne, 

and wine. 

“Unfortunately, there are 

almost no old, traditional 

movie theaters left in 

Germany. Due to the 

multiplex boom of the ’90s 

and 2000s, movie theaters 

closed in many places.” 

charm and were a real alternative to the 

giant multiplex cinemas. 

What was the most challenging 

period in your decades-long career in 

cinema exhibition, and what are some 

lessons you took from that time? 

Since I started virtually from zero, and 

in the beginning I had neither banks nor 

investors on my side, things were always 

challenging. I worked very hard and 

invested every mark in new projects, so 

I often couldn’t sleep well and didn’t 

know if I would be able to pay the next 

month’s rent. 

The moment when I was forced to 

take on a new shareholder at CinemaxX 

AG due to fear-driven bankers was my 

biggest disappointment. Unfortunately, 

we did not act in unison, and I had to 

leave my life’s work in 2008. The new 

shareholder, a former friend of mine, then 

sold CinemaxX a few years later at a huge 

profit to an English cinema group. 

I started all over again and founded 

Astor, an idea and a company that I really 

enjoy. And above all, without banks and 

investors on board, but with a great team 

of cinema-enthusiastic employees. I am 

my own boss again, and that is extremely 

worth it to me. 

Do you have any additional cinema 

restorations planned? 

From 2024, my children will take over the 

operational business, and I will take care 

of the expansion of the Astor brand. 

Why is it important that historical 

cinemas be preserved? 

Unfortunately, there are almost no 

old, traditional movie theaters left in 

Germany. Due to the multiplex boom 

of the ’90s and 2000s, movie theaters 

closed in many places. In Berlin, there 

were over 15 different movie theaters on 

Kurfürstendamm until a few years ago, 

but today only our Astor Film Lounge 

still exists. This is a great shame, because 

these old movie palaces had a certain 


19-22 JUNE 2023 

CENTRE CONVENCIONS INTERNACIONAL BARCELONA (CCIB) 

CONVENTION & TRADE SHOW • CINEEUROPE.NET 

OFFICIAL CORPORATE SPONSOR

CINEEUROPE TONIS KIIS, WARNER BROS. 

INTERNATIONAL 

DISTRIBUTOR 

OF THE YEAR 

“It has been a great 14- 

year-plus run, and I feel very 

blessed for having had the 

opportunity to work with so 

many wonderful people from 

all over the world.” 

Tonis Kiis, SVP of International Distribution at Warner Bros., 

Honored for a Globetrotting Career in Distribution 


Tonis Kiis, the senior vice president 

of international distribution at 

Warner Bros. Pictures, will be honored as 

this year’s International Distributor of the 

Year at CineEurope. Based in Los Angeles, 

Kiis is responsible for a wide range of 

theatrical film distribution activities 

in more than 125 countries, including 

release planning, filmmaker relationships, 

partnerships with theatrical exhibitors, 

business development initiatives, and 

emerging cinema technologies. 

During his more than 14 years in 

distribution, Kiis has helped Warner 

Bros. reach more than $35 billion in 

international box office. Working with 

one of the most robust and diverse 

slates in the industry, Kiis has helped 

guide international release strategies 

to maximize box office for such hugely 

successful film franchises as Harry Potter 

and Fantastic Beasts, The Hobbit trilogy, 

DC’s Joker, Wonder Woman, Shazam!, and 

the highest-grossing DC title of all time, 

Aquaman, with its sequel slated for later 

this year. He has also helped shepherd 

such acclaimed titles as Dunkirk, A Star Is 

Born, Dune, and Elvis, among numerous 

others, to box office success. 

Boxoffice Pro caught up with the 

executive ahead of CineEurope to discuss 

his career—and his perspective on the 

recovery of the overseas box office. 

How did you find yourself working in 

international distribution? 

My journey to international distribution 

has been somewhat unusual. I’m 

originally from Estonia and moved to 

Los Angeles 25 years ago after marrying 

my wife of 26 years, who was born and 

raised in California. Back then, when 

the internet was still working on dial-up 

connections, film distribution was rather 

old-school—35 mm prints were still 

around, and the overseas box office was 

nowhere near the levels it represents 

today. At the time, as I was trying to 

get a footing and establish a career, I 

quickly realized that my competitive 

edge was that I was a hard-working guy 

with an international background and, I 

daresay, a resourceful self-starter, eager 

to learn. And because I did find myself 

in Hollywood after all, the obvious path, 

like for millions of others, was to see if I 

could make a run for a career in the film 

industry on the business side of things, 

given that I had graduated from a law 

school in Estonia and had a very decent 

understanding of how contracts work. I 

still remember how, back in those days, I 

was frequenting industry bookstores for 

film-distribution catalogs, looking up 

phone numbers and addresses of all the 

distribution companies so that I could 

cold call them for a start-up job. There 


CREED III 

was no one there to open doors for me, 

and I was ready to invest a lot of sweat 

equity into any opportunity that came 

my way. My first full-time job with a film 

studio didn’t come until 2006, however. 

The years before that included the arrival 

of my two beautiful children, grad school, 

and a four-year run with the Welk Group, 

the TV impresario Lawrence Welk’s 

family holding company, with its robust 

real estate holdings, a hospitality business, 

and two record labels. It was a great 

learning experience and a window into 

the U.S. entertainment business. What 

was particularly great about the Welk 

experience is that I was able to wear many 

hats during my tenure at the company, 

including a general manager role managing 

an independent studio facility, now 

known as Quixote Studios in Griffith Park. 

From then on, things started picking up. 

First, I found myself at Warner Bros. with 

the International Theatrical Operations 

team, and almost two years later I was 

recruited by the Walt Disney Company 

to help launch Disney’s EST business 

on Apple iTunes. It was a role with a 

company within a company in a very 

entrepreneurial setting, a real start-up if 

you will. I had the privilege to work with 

great minds, and we started the business 

from nothing and had to figure it out on 

the fly—Disney was the first studio to 

“There was no one there to 

open doors for me, and I was 

ready to invest a lot of sweat 

equity into any opportunity 

that came my way.” 

offer EST downloads on Apple iTunes. So 

from my perspective, it was the perfect 

environment for me, as my previous jobs 

required me to wear many hats, and to 

this day, I still define myself as a jack of 

many trades—and I guess also a master 

of some, given that I’m still around. Most 

importantly, it was my first experience 

with digital distribution, which in retrospect 

ended up being the most crucial 

piece of my career puzzle that followed. 

While at Disney, it just so happened that 

my previous boss at Warner Bros. had 

recommended me to Tom Molter, who 

was spearheading digital distribution at 

WB on the international theatrical side at 

the time. Digital distribution for cinemas 

was only getting started, and to help the 

entire industry to convert to digital, all 

major studios were helping to subsidize 

the technology conversion from 35 mm 

to digital. It was a gargantuan effort 

involving all distributors, exhibitors, 

vendors, and digital integrators, all of 

which played a significant role in turning 

the theatrical space into what it is today. 

This was also a great opportunity for 

me to continue down the path of film 

distribution, and I accepted the role in 

international theatrical digital distribution 

without hesitation. My first day back 

at WB was January 20, 2009, the same day 

that Barack Obama took office, and I have 


45


BARBIE 

been with WB ever since. In 2009 I was 

typically looked at as the “digital” guy and 

not necessarily incorporated into the dayto-day 

international distribution business. 

Over time though, the entire business 

transitioned to digital distribution, so my 

role expanded as a result. And as before, I 

have had the pleasure of wearing many 

hats as part of the international team, 

which I’m particularly grateful for, as in 

any corporate environment, roles tend to 

be rather narrowly tailored. It has been 

a great 14-year-plus run, and I feel very 

blessed for having had the opportunity to 

work with so many wonderful people from 

all over the world. So the thought, or wish 

rather, that I had put out to the universe 

25 years ago, i.e., to have a career in film 

distribution, worked out in the end, albeit 

through some zigzagging along the way. 

Are there any executives you consider 

mentors in your career? 

There have been many great people I 

have looked up to over the years, and that 

includes everybody, not just executives. 

My entire career has always been about 

learning, rethinking, and improving the 

business and myself along the way, so 

every person who I have ever crossed 

paths with has left a mark on me as a 

person. That’s why working in international 

business is such a blessing, because 

the curiosities of the people and world 

around us are endless. With that in mind, 

I have always tried to pick up the best 

attributes from everyone who I have 

worked with and learn from everyone 

around me. 

“But the opportunity is there 

not only to bring back the 

business as we know it, but 

also to bring it back better. 

It’s up to everyone in our 

industry to make it happen, 

including content creators, 

distributors, and exhibitors.” 

Clearly, I wouldn’t be here without 

the support of some very special people 

who have supported me over the years, 

starting with Tom Molter who gave me 

my big break by hiring me in 2009, as 

well as Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, 

both of whom were the previous heads 

of international theatrical distribution 

at WB, and our current leader Andrew 

Cripps, whom I have had the pleasure 

of working with for almost four years 

now. I consider my entire journey at 

WB a learning expedition if you will, 

and an endless discovery, a continuous 

story. There is always something that 

we have yet to figure out—whether it’s 

films by great filmmakers that pose new, 

intriguing challenges for distribution, 

or challenges to our business in general 

with the business models continuing to 

evolve after the pandemic, and the list 

goes on. This is a long way of saying that 

I have always enjoyed being on the way 

to a destination versus getting there. So 

as long as I can continue on this journey 

without arriving, it will literally keep me 

in motion and on the right path. 

What have been some of your 

proudest achievements in your role 

at Warner Bros.? 

In short, I would want to say it’s the 

overall body of work. Even though there 

have been smaller milestones, as well as 

bigger achievements that have made me 

feel proud of what we have accomplished 

along the way, it’s the overall list of films 

from A to Z that I have had the privilege 

to work on over the years. I recently tallied 

up the international box office of the 

films that I have worked on since 2009, 

and it’s a staggering $35 billion-plus. It 

goes without saying that in our industry 

it takes a village to release a film, so 

proud achievements are all based on 

team effort, which makes the sense of 

accomplishment so much sweeter, as it is 

a shared experience. 

I also have to say that working with 

world-renowned filmmakers has been 

particularly intriguing, and also rewarding. 

The creative community puts a great 

deal of trust in what we do at the studio as 

we deliver their films to worldwide audiences, 

so it’s a great feeling when we get 

it right from the pre-release perspective, 

and then deliver international box office 

above expectations. And there have been 

many films that we are particularly proud 


of, including Dunkirk, A Star Is Born, 

Dune, and Elvis. 

I must say, though, that as we operate 

in a very fast-paced environment, the special 

and memorable moments have come 

and gone quickly. The contemplation of 

the proud moments often comes later 

as a result. So thinking about it, I’m also 

proud of the opportunity to be part of the 

WB 100-year storied legacy, with my own 

small contribution to its success. It’s easy 

to take it all for granted, so I consciously 

try to remind myself to be more appreciative 

of it. I’m one of these lucky people 

who get to do what I love for a living, so it 

feels like I’ve never worked a day. I would 

say that this is another achievement on a 

very personal level. 

From your perspective, how is the 

European market evolving and 

recovering? Which markets are 

performing best, and which are taking 

longer to get back on their feet? 

I can say with confidence that things 

are looking up not only in Europe but 

everywhere internationally. Based on 

Gower Street tracking, Q1 of 2023 is 

pacing ahead of the same period in 2022 

by double-digit increases almost everywhere, 

with our key international territories 

overall tracking 30 percent-plus 

ahead of 2022. In Europe, Germany and 

Italy were outpacing the same period 

by 72 percent-plus and 61 percent-plus, 

respectively, with France and Spain 

coming in 33 percent-plus and 30 percent-plus 

ahead of 2022, and the U.K. not 

far behind with 7 percent-plus increase 

year over year. 

Admittedly, we are still lagging behind 

the pre-pandemic averages. When comparing 

Q1 of 2023 against the three-year 

average of 2017–19, Germany again is 

leading the pack by coming virtually on 

par with the pre-pandemic era, which is 

a great milestone to celebrate. France is 

trailing their average by minus 13 percent, 

followed by the U.K. and Spain at 

minus 31 percent, and Italy is behind by 

minus 38 percent. But the most important 

and positive message here is that we 

are moving in the right direction. 

Let’s put our pandemic challenges 

into further context. Covid was undoubtedly 

one of the worst challenges our 

world has seen in decades. With the official 

number of deaths at 6.6 million and 

“I’m also proud of the 

opportunity to be part of 

the WB 100-year storied 

legacy, with my own small 

contribution to its success. 

It’s easy to take it all for 

granted, so I consciously try 

to remind myself to be more 

appreciative of it.” 

THE FLASH 


47


unofficial counts way above that, it wasn’t 

just the human tragedy that unfolded. The 

world economy was severely impacted, 

with GDP in the advanced countries 

dipping more than 2 percent on average, 

and the shock felt across most industries. 

With theatrical declining 30 percent from 

the pre-pandemic era, we did see a similar 

trend also in other important industries, 

such as the airlines and hospitality, which 

from the industry size perspective are 

both much, much bigger than us. So based 

on that, should we then conclude that if 

our business shrinks by 30 percent due 

to reasons beyond our control, we should 

just pack our bags and call it a day? Do we 

expect that airplanes will no longer fly and 

there will no longer be hotel accommodations 

offered given that they too shrunk? 

Clearly not. That doesn’t mean, though, 

that there won’t be challenges to all of 

us ahead. But the opportunity is there 

not only to bring back the business as we 

know it, but also to bring it back better. It’s 

up to everyone in our industry to make 

it happen, including content creators, 

distributors, and exhibitors. 

We’ve seen genres like horror perform 

exceptionally well in the domestic 

market, while family films have 

struggled to pick up the pace. What 

trends have you seen across genres 

from an international perspective? 

Genre preferences have largely remained 

the same. Drama and/or horror films 

don’t suddenly work better than action in 

one region versus another because of the 

pandemic. However, aside from the big 

event films of 2022 and 2023, the horror 

genre has indeed performed surprisingly 

well in recent months. Take the surprise 

hits like Smile, with over $217 million 

globally and roughly $75 million in 

Europe alone, and our own Evil Dead Rise, 

which has taken in nearly $123 million to 

date at the global box office, with Europe 

delivering an excellent $33 million of that. 

And there have been also some drama 

standouts. Air, which is distributed by 

WB for Amazon internationally, has taken 

in over $35 million overseas and over $86 

million worldwide. Creed III, which WB is 

distributing for MGM overseas, has delivered 

nearly $120 million internationally 

and a whopping $92 million from Europe, 

making it the highest-grossing Creed film 

of the franchise internationally. With 

the Creed III global running cume now 

over $274 million, can we really say that 

dramas no longer work in cinemas? 

But I must say, it’s really the local films 

that have shaken things up, with many 

films breaking out at the international box 

office. And most importantly, many of 

them are also crossing borders. Take RRR 

in India last year, for example. Having 

generated $130 million in India, the film 

went on to generate over $14 million in 

Japan, over $2 million in Australia and 

UAE, over $1 million in the U.K., and an 

excellent $15 million-plus in the U.S. for a 

“We are so excited to present 

this award to my friend Tonis. 

He is so deserving of this 

recognition, and it is fitting 

that we can celebrate him for 

this milestone achievement 

in 2023—the same year 

as Warner Bros. Studios’ 

centennial celebration. Tonis 

has played such a key role 

at Warner Bros. as they 

continue to expand and 

lead by example in the 

international market.” 

— Andrew Sunshine, President, Film Expo Group 

EVIL DEAD RISE 


total global take of $167 million. Japanese 

anime is also making a splash at the 

global box office. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu 

No Yaiba launched in Japan earlier this 

year and grossed $30 million, but also 

released in a long list of other markets, 

including the U.S., where it generated 

$10 million and helped propel the global 

running cume for the film to $56 million. 

In addition, Suzume, released last year, 

took in $98 million in Japan and $189 

million overseas for a global cume of $287 

million, with the bulk of the international 

total outside Japan coming from China. 

And speaking of China, let’s not forget 

Chinese local films that continue to generate 

astronomical results, including the 

recent hit in 2023—Full River Red, with 

over $670 million in the market. 

Do you believe moviegoers are more 

difficult to reach after the pandemic? 

How is the moviegoer of today 

different from the moviegoer of 2019? 

We have already observed since 2022 that 

cinemagoers are returning to theaters 

for the right movies. Take Top Gun: 

Maverick, Avatar: The Way of Water, or 

Elvis, for example. These are all very 

different films that did exceptionally 

well even when measured by pre-Covid 

standards. Things have gotten a lot more 

competitive though for distribution 

and exhibition in the theatrical space 

given the proliferation of digital content 

platforms. Content is ubiquitous these 

days, and clearly there is a home for all 

content. The opportunity for cinema is 

what we’ve done best in the past, and 

that is content curation across 52 weekends 

of the year. The theatrical business 

model is founded on the notion that 

only select films find their way to the big 

screen, creating events and experiences 

that audiences are drawn towards. It’s a 

responsibility that distribution and exhibition 

communities have to continue to 

take seriously in order to offer consumers 

experiences that they don’t have access 

to at home. And cinema-worthy content 

comes from all genres, and every genre 

has its own target audience. So even 

though the pre-pandemic audiences may 

not find their way back to cinemas all 

at once, with the right content curation, 

combined with memorable cinemagoing 

experiences in partnership with exhibition, 

we will get back to the annual 

box office levels that are similar to those 

generated before the pandemic. 

Warner Bros. has an exciting theatrical 

slate planned for 2023. What can 

exhibitors and moviegoers expect from 

the studio at theaters later this year? 

What’s exciting about WB is that we have 

always offered a very diverse slate of films 

by the best filmmakers in the industry, 

and 2023 is no exception. We are kicking 

off the summer with the much anticipated 

The Flash, which has received very 

positive feedback from early screenings. 

So personally, I am very much looking 

forward to that one. We will then release 

Barbie, which is turning out to be a real 

cultural moment, and a ton of fun no 

less. And the list goes on with Meg 2: The 

Trench, followed by The Nun II, and then 

Dune: Part Two, Wonka, and of course 

Aquman and the Lost Kingdom. These are 

all major event films of different genres 

that we hope will light up the box office 

and further highlight the importance of 

the big-screen experience. 

WE ARE HUMBLED 

AND GRATEFUL TO RECEIVE 

THE FOLLOWING AWARDS 

Nordisk Film 

Cinemas 

INTERNATIONAL 

EXHIBITOR 

OF THE YEAR 

AWARD 2023 

Jan Rasmussen 

HEAD OF SCREEN TECHNOLOGY 


RECIPIENT OF THE 

CineEurope 

Gold Award 

2023 


49

CINEEUROPE NORDISK FILM CINEMAS 

INTERNATIONAL 

EXHIBITOR 

OF THE YEAR: 

NORDISK FILM 

CINEMAS 

One of the World’s Oldest 

Cinema Chains Stays Strong 

in 2023 


This year’s International Exhibitor 

of the Year award at CineEurope 

goes to one of the oldest cinema circuits 

in the world: Nordisk Film Cinemas, 

founded as Nordisk Film in 1906 by 

Danish filmmaker Ole Olsen. A producer, 

distributor, and exhibitor of films, 

Nordisk Film was acquired in 1992 by 

Nordic media giant Egmont, which traces 

its own roots to the late 19th century. 

The aughts of the 21st century saw a 

period of expansion for the exhibition side 

of Nordisk, which made substantial acquisitions 

of two Norwegian cinema chains— 

100 percent of the country’s largest chain, 

Oslo Kino AS, and 49 percent of Kinosør— 

and built new cinemas in Denmark and 

Sweden. Nordisk Film Cinemas currently 

stands as the market leader in Denmark 

and Norway, with a pair of locations in 

Sweden bringing the chain’s screen count 

in Scandinavia to more than 250. 

A “pioneer in the industry,” according 

to Film Expo Group president Andrew 

Sunshine, Nordisk “has built a culture 

of innovation for cinema, changing the 

moviegoing experience in Scandinavia” 

in its second century of operation by 

introducing Scandinavian moviegoers 

to recliner seats and premium formats, 

among other innovative concepts. “They 

have continued to expand and strengthen 

in recent years and consistently offer 

a superb experience” to their multinational 

audience, adds UNIC CEO Laura 

Houlgatte-Abbott. In anticipation of this 

year’s CineEurope, Boxoffice Pro spoke 

to Nordisk Film Cinemas CEO Asger 

Flygare Bech-Thomsen, who is accepting 

the award on Nordisk’s behalf. 

What have these last few years 

been like for Nordisk, in terms of the 

recovery process? 

We are in three territories: Denmark, 

Norway, and Sweden. The pandemic was 

kind of a learning lab: It was a learning 

lab for us, but it was also a learning lab 

for society. The interesting thing was that, 

for three countries being as similar as we 

are here in Scandinavia, the pandemic 

was handled in three different ways. In 

Denmark, either you were open or you 

were completely closed. In Sweden, 

cinemas never closed down, but sometimes 

restrictions limited capacity to 

something like 20 percent. And Norway 

was in-between. 


There was a lot of discussion about, 

“Couldn’t we just keep cinemas a little 

open instead of being completely closed?” 

But you have to judge what our politicians 

decided by what happened after Covid. 

How fast did you recover? I would say that 

a country’s handling of the pandemic, as 

a whole, mirrors how it was handled for 

cinemas. Denmark recovered very fast. 

That came from consumer confidence, 

which was already much higher going 

through pandemic. A cinema was either 

closed or it was open. When it was open, it 

was regarded as safe. So when we opened 

after the pandemic, the confidence 

quickly rose, and we gained traction very 

fast. Sweden has been way slower than 

both Norway and Denmark in recovering 

from Covid. 

As a company, we had to learn some 

new tricks of the trade. We found new 

ways of doing things that actually benefit 

us today. We have a much, much healthier 

business, I would say, after Covid. 

How was Scandinavia’s local film 

industry impacted by the pandemic? 

Were you able to screen more local 

titles, with Hollywood imports being 

thinner on the ground during the 

recovery? 

Local titles are a big thing in Scandinavia. 

We are usually between 20 and 30 percent 

in market share for our local titles, for 

each of the countries. 

But here, again, how you managed 

Covid [factored] in. If you are a distributor, 

would you like to release your movie 

when capacity is [capped] at 50 percent? It 

was easier for the distributors in Denmark, 

because when the cinemas were open, 

they were nearly completely without 

restrictions. Of course, you would have to 

wear a mask and everything. But still, it 

was open. And that meant that the distributors 

could easily release their movies. 

It’s nothing like a situation where you’re 

maybe open, but you’re restricted to about 

20 percent of your capacity. What distributor 

would like to release their movie in 

that territory? That was the main problem, 

the availability of movies. 

The interesting thing is that, before, 

we very much discussed this industry 

as completely content-driven. What you 

learn when you only have 20 percent 

of the titles, and you find you have 60 

percent of the admissions, is that we are 

also very much demand-driven. Meaning 

“What you learn when you 

only have 20 percent of the 

titles, and you find you have 

60 percent of the admissions, 

is that we are also very much 

demand-driven.” 

that people want to go out. If they want to 

go out, they want to have a cultural experience. 

If they have to choose between 

cultural experiences, a cinema is very 

available. It has a lot of showtimes. Even 

in small towns, it’s available. I would say 

that we learned a lot from this learning 

lab, as I call Covid. And one [thing] is that 

we are probably just as much demanddriven 

as we are content-driven. If you 

[are] well-covered with titles, all genres, 

and all target groups, you are doing quite 

well, even with fewer titles. 

Has that shift in the way you think 

about the business—from a more 

content-driven mindset to one 

where supply and demand are equal 

factors—changed your approach at all, 

in terms of programming, marketing, 

or general operations? 

Yes, it has a little. We are very aware [now] 

that we need to fill out all the boxes for all 

the genres and target groups. There were 

more movies than we could really give 

attention to before Covid. The number 

of titles had gradually increased up until 

Covid happened. So I would say we’ve 

been more aware that we have to cover 

the genres and the target groups, in order 

to actually harvest the demand that is 

out there. Of course, if you have a larger 

number of titles, you can offer each target 

group or each genre several titles. That 

will, of course, increase the number of 

admissions you can have. 


51

CINEEUROPE NORDISK FILM CINEMAS 

the experiences in the United States and 

the United Kingdom, which are definitely 

ahead of us [in that regard]. 

The interesting thing is that the first 

recliner was introduced in Denmark in 

something like 2015. The audience has 

taken to that very quickly. [Expanded 

food offerings have] done exactly the 

same. We are a little behind in terms 

of those offerings, recliners and food. 

But I will say, there are no surprises in 

Scandinavia, in that what works in the 

United States probably would also work 

in Scandinavia. That is what we have 

experienced. In our portfolio of cinemas— 

we have 48—three of them [have been 

recently] fitted out with kitchens. We’re 

still in the learning phase about what are 

the best offerings we can have. What are 

the price points? 

Speaking on a global scale, the 

cinema industry has found that 

premium formats have been effective 

in bringing back moviegoers. Has 

that been your experience? What 

does Nordisk’s premium format 

footprint look like? 

We see the same thing. The larger formats 

are popular despite the fact that 

we charge a premium price. If there’s a 

limited supply and one of the movies is in 

a premium format, it sells out first. It’s the 

same at the screens where we still have 

classic seats and maybe one row of recliners: 

The recliners always sell out first. 

We operate 4DX [screens]. We have a 

THX Ultimate screen in Copenhagen, the 

capital of Denmark. And then we have 

our own large premium format, called 

Supreme. They’re usually in the largest 

auditoriums in our multiplexes, and they 

do quite well. 

What are your concessions offerings 

like? Attitudes toward concessions 

can vary so widely between markets— 

in North America, for example, 

dine-in theaters have become 

very popular, but in France the 

moviegoing experience is historically 

much less geared toward concessions. 

What’s the state of concessions in 

Scandinavia? 

We are still in the test phase of finding out 

what flavors the Scandinavian audiences 

like. There’s no one who’s [created] a real 

kitchen with a lot of hot food, so we’re still 

in our infancy there. We are looking to 

“The interesting thing is 

that the first recliner was 

introduced in Denmark in 

something like 2015. The 

audience has taken to that 

very quickly.” 

Nordisk is one part of Egmont, which 

has business in all different types of 

media and entertainment: magazine 

publishing, video games, books. 

Nordisk itself, outside of exhibition, is 

involved in digital signage and film 

distribution. Are you able to apply 

insights from different parts of your 

parent company to your operations as 

an exhibitor? 

Egmont is a foundation supporting 

children and young people that come 

from families and backgrounds with few 

resources. [Editor’s note: The profits 

from all Egmont’s companies are either 

reinvested in its media or donated to 

help children and young people at risk.] 

That common baseline is very important 

for all of us. 

In terms of the business side, yes, we 

work together when there is a sound 

reason for it. And even in Nordisk 

Film—where we have production, film 

distribution, and cinemas—we operate 

each leg as an individual [company]. If 

our [production arm] was limited to only 

produce what I would have in cinemas, 

they would miss out on some talent. They 

would probably miss out on opportunities 

that other production companies would 

pick up. So our production company must 

have freedom to compete freely with 

all other production companies. And if 

Nordisk Film Cinemas was to screen only 

movies that were either produced by us or 

distributed by us, we would miss out on a 

couple of very important movies. We are 

very aware that each of the companies has 


its own place in the industry. We compare 

notes, I would say, on general trends in 

the industry. 

Is there any room for growth in the 

Scandinavian markets? Or is your 

focus more on elevating the theaters 

you already have, in terms of things 

like recliners, premium formats, and 

expanded concessions? 

The three markets in Scandinavia are 

very mature. We’ve been in business for 

over 100 years. It’s not like there are green 

fields all around us. It’s like the end of a 

Monopoly game: There are houses everywhere. 

So there’s limited opportunity here 

for growth. But there are possibilities. We 

and the competition are still investing. 

If we are going to develop this industry, 

[that’s what we have to do]. 

We are also [renovating] here and there. 

Actually, we are renovating [one location] 

in October. [The new theater] will have a 

higher capacity [and will be] full-recliner, 

of course. It will maybe have a 4DX as 

well; we haven’t decided that. 

The whole thing here is that the 

industry needs to keep on investing. The 

markets in Scandinavia are a little bit 

different in terms of how much they have 

been invested in. I would say the competition 

is a bit more tough in Denmark. 

The capacity has been growing more than 

admissions—also before Covid—and that 

means tough competition. 

We have gone from what I would call 

phase one to phase two. In phase one, 

we focused very much on doing all the 

things that we saw would have an impact. 

That means [switching to] LED screens. 

Automation of ventilation and heating 

systems. We remotely control all our 

booths. From three operations centers; 

we can control 260 sound screens, which 

means there are no people in the booths. 

That’s very efficient. Heating and ventilation 

are also controlled remotely. All these 

basic things, that’s phase one. 

Phase two, which we are implementing 

now, is mapping completely 

what our carbon footprint is. We use 

the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, like most 

Fortune 500 companies, and that is a 

time-consuming process. The management 

team in Nordisk Cinemas—and the 

level under them—has a mandatory target 

for their carbon footprint. They also have 

a mandatory score [to hit], when our 

employees complete the biannual survey 

about how they feel at the company and 

how they score us as management. 

One last comment on this: When you do 

the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, it’s divided 

into scope one, scope two, and scope three. 

Scope one is the energy [one’s employees] 

consume [in the course of business]: 

traveling in cars, flying in planes. Scope 

two is energy [consumed in] cinemas. 

Scope three is what comes from your 

value chain—mainly concessions, but also 

[materials used to] refurbish cinemas. 

We’ve been focusing on scope two, and 

we’ve improved that. But what we learned 

from mapping our footprint is that scope 

three—the supply chain—has a much, 

much larger footprint. The footprint we 

have from electricity, power, and utilities 

in all our cinemas—the supply chain has a 

footprint six times bigger. That is an interesting 

conclusion for us. We are going to 

work with our suppliers to improve it. 

Could you give me a top-level 

overview of what your sustainability 

efforts look like at Nordisk? I know it’s 

an important priority for you. 

Sustainability is a big issue for Egmont, 

our parent group, and also with us. The 

interesting thing is that when we ask our 

guests to rate different things in our cinemas, 

how important they are for them— 

for example, recliners, food and beverage, 

and so on—[our carbon footprint is] in the 

lower quarter [of things our customers 

care about]. 

So it’s not directly important when you 

ask the guests about it. Where it is very 

important is with our staff. Biannually, 

we do a staff survey. Our staff, our colleagues—they 

rate us as leaders. They 

supply a lot of comments, and that is very 

helpful. From that, we can see that for 

our own colleagues, sustainability is very 

important. I would say we’ve been interested 

in it for quite a long time. 


53

CineEurope UNIC GOLD AWARDS 

GOOD 

AS GOLD 

CineEurope’s Gold Award 

Recognizes Outstanding 

Dedication and Service to Cinema 


Since the 2018 edition of CineEurope, the Gold Award—presented 

by the Film Expo Group and the International Union of 

Cinemas (UNIC)—has been a way to honor cinema professionals 

who in their careers have made an impact on their countries, 

their companies, and the European cinema community at large. 

This year’s crop of winners, says UNIC president Phil Clapp, 

showcases “the depth of talent there is across our sector.” Says 

Film Expo Group (FEG) president Andrew Sunshine, speaking on 

behalf of the entire FEG team, “We would like to congratulate all 

of those being recognized with a Gold Award this year for their 

continued support and dedication to our great industry.” Below, 

Boxoffice Pro offers an introduction to the winners of this 

year’s CineEurope Gold Awards. 

THE WINNERS 

Jan Rasmussen 

Head of Screen Technology, 


Javier Hoyos 

Head of Food & Beverage Southern Europe, 

Cinesa and UCI (Odeon Cinemas Group) 

Kadri Kaldma 

Baltic Business Development Manager, 

Apollo Cinema 

Kelly Drew 

Operations Director (South), 

Cineworld Group 

Max Bell 

Managing Director, 

Bell Theatre Services 

Ron Sterk 

CEO, 

Vue Nederland 

Tõnis Kümnik 

Senior Projectionist/Technical Manager, 

Cinamon Group 

54 


WHAT IS THE NUMBER ONE 

LESSON YOU HAVE LEARNED 

FROM THE INDUSTRY’S LAST 

FEW YEARS OF RECOVERY? 

Jan Rasmussen, Nordisk Film Cinemas 

I think the most important takeaway is 

the resilience of our industry. It’s not 

the first time cinema has been declared 

dead—or close to it. When TV became 

a household thing in the 1950s, it was 

seen as the end of cinema, and the same 

happened when VCRs became a popular 

way of viewing movies in the 1980s. 

The truth is that nothing replaces the 

experience of seeing a film in a cinema 

with an audience. It’s up to us to always 

maintain and improve on that experience. 

There is no substitute for quality. 

Javier Hoyos, Cinesa and UCI 

At Cinesa and UCI, upholding a strategy 

based on constant innovation and 

adaptability to market changes and 

client necessities has always been of 

top importance. In that sense, listening 

closely to our audience in order to 

understand their preferences and offer 

them quality products and services that 

can adapt to them has been essential in 

order to face the struggles that have arisen 

in the last few years within our sector. 

That is the key to continue being leaders 

and managing to provide the best possible 

experience to our users. 

Also, when we talk about innovation, 

we don’t just refer to the cutting-edge 

technology of our cinemas. We mean 

content, not just of great cinematic 

premiers, but also regarding thematic 

cycles or alternative programming: new 

ways of consuming cinema—such as the 

Pack Reservado, or Pack Gaming—that 

allow customers to enjoy a movie in 

private or have fun playing video games 

with friends and family—and even the 

launch of new services, like Cinesa 

Unlimited Card, the first subscription 

plan in Spain’s film exhibition sector. 

Kadri Kaldma, Apollo Cinema 

It’s hard to say. I think the last couple 

of years have given the whole industry 

lesson after lesson. My answer depends 

on the day. Today I would say that 

the biggest lesson is that the cinema 

industry can be easily overlooked or 

underestimated by legislative organs, or 

maybe even customers. On one hand it 

feels that maybe the industry itself has 

taken its own success for granted, and 

on the other that customers also think 

that whatever happens, cinema will 

remain—regardless of the hardship it 

endures. I believe that one reason behind 

[this misconception] is the astonishing 

[phenomena] that everybody outside the 

industry seems to know a lot better how 

cinemas are run [than we do]. I think 

that this has taught us to fight for our 

business more. 

Kelly Drew, Cineworld Group 

I guess the number one lesson I have 

learned throughout the industry’s 

recovery period is to remain resilient and 

positive to the changes we had to deliver. 

I have placed a high level of importance 

on reengaging with our teams, as we have 

had in many cases to build our workforce 

up again and learn how to operate a little 

leaner whilst we recover. Thankfully, 

with the exciting film slate coming this 

summer, this is getting a bit easier. 

Ron Sterk, Vue Nederland 

It is really hard to come up with a number 

one lesson, as the effect of the pandemic 

and all the lockdowns have been so huge, 

and also since the industry still is in 

recovery. But if I have to name one, it is 

the importance of good, stable teams in 

our cinemas. They are essential for the 

perfect night out for our guests. During 

the pandemic the cinemas remained 

intact but, unfortunately, some of our 

staff members left for various reasons. 

We had to rebuild teams, and work in 

cinemas is teamwork. Good teams get the 

best results. 

Tõnis Kümnik, Cinamon Group 

There is no doubt that the last few years 

have been difficult, and it is probably 

true that people have never had as many 

different options to entertain themselves 

as they do today. This means that the 

competition for clients’ attention will 

be even more fierce in the future. Rather 

than whine about it, I try to embrace 

the challenge of keeping our standards 

constantly on the rise. With so many 

streaming services available out there 

today, it feels important to make sure that 

every cinema guest, someone who has 

made the effort to attend an actual show, 

is rewarded with an experience that the 

home environment cannot match. 

Max Bell, Bell Theatre Services 

It was heartening to see the exhibition 

industry manage to pull together so well 

through those difficult times, facing so 

many uncertainties. It proved once again 

that exhibition really is a global family, 

and I’m proud to be part of it. 


55

CineEurope UNIC GOLD AWARDS 

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST JOB IN 

THE INDUSTRY, AND WHEN DID 

YOU THINK YOU MIGHT LIKE TO 

PURSUE EXHIBITION AS A CAREER? 


My first job in exhibition was selling 

candy at the local cinema. That was 

back in 1981. I worked in that cinema for 

nine years; [it’s where I was] trained as 

a projectionist. Around 2000 I became 

chief projectionist in a major cinema 

in Copenhagen—and dropped out of 

university at the same time. That was my 

career decision. 


My first job in the industry was as general 

manager in a Cinesa cinema, and I 

decided to make my career in this sector 

when I had the opportunity to participate 

in the launch of our company in Brazil, 

actively participating in the opening of 

the first six UCI multiplexes in Brazil and 

later, when I became regional operation 

manager for the north of Spain. 


I started in the cinema business 11 years 

ago as a hall service attendant. From 

that point on I have basically gone 

through every position that a cinema 

could have. From checking tickets and 

sweeping popcorn from the floor to 

managing the operations in one and even 

multiple cinema units, to managing the 

development of the entire cinema chain. 

It has been a ride! I have never thought of 

this as a career—rather, a vision I would 

like to work on. I have always had some 

idea of how things should be done. It 

started small, regarding maybe only one 

position or one unit, but it has grown into 

something much bigger, encompassing 

the whole chain and beyond. I’m 

definitely not done yet. 


I joined the cinema industry whilst I 

was at college in my late teenage years, 

working for AMC at The Point in Milton 

Keynes. I soon discovered I had a strong 

flair for leadership and quickly found 

myself involved with the rapid expansion 

of the U.K. industry. I traveled all over 

the U.K., supporting the opening of new 

builds and training new employees on 

how to run multiscreen cinemas—it was 

great fun and of course very different to 

how we do things today! 


I started working in finance at a small but 

famous art house cinema in Amsterdam. 

At the time, Dutch cinema attendance was 

at its lowest point ever, with an average 

frequency of less than one movie per year. 

My father warned me, saying there would 

be no future in cinema because of video 

and television. I still have warm feelings 

about that period, and I remember titles 

such as Raise the Red Lantern, Reservoir 

Dogs, and the brilliant What’s Eating 

Gilbert Grape. During the nearly five 

years I worked in that cinema, I learned 

about new builds and multiplexes, which 

also inspired me to pursue a career 

in exhibition. I saw the opportunities 

and dynamics of the new cinemas 

after visiting, for example, Movieworld 

Scheveningen and Kinepolis in Brussels. 


When I started in this industry back in 

2008, my first job title was projectionist. 

Funnily enough, the title hasn’t changed 

since. However, the job itself has changed 

quite a bit: When I started, one cinema 

needed four full-time projectionists to 

handle all the films in 35 mm. Now it’s the 

digital age, and I can take care of multiple 

cinemas alone. It’s been quite a transition 

over the years. 

I must admit, there was not much 

deliberation when I started out. Just an 

interesting job offer at the correct time 

for me. After 15 years on this path, it 

looks like it has not worked out too badly. 

I can feel quite lucky that I had this 

opportunity to start working in a cinema 

in my hometown. 


From my early teens, I knew I wanted 

to work somewhere in film but was 

unsure as to where. I started as a 

projectionist in 1960. I wanted to work 

in film production and successfully used 

projection as a stepping stone. I then 

worked in production for many years and 

after a spell in the U.S. returned home 

in the mid-'80s. I then moved back into 

exhibition, this time selling and installing 

sound and projection equipment. I 

haven’t regretted one moment of it. 

“When I started, one cinema 

needed four full-time 

projectionists to handle all 

the films in 35 mm. Now it’s 

the digital age, and I can 

take care of multiple cinemas 

alone. It’s been quite a 

transition over the years.” 

56 


WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE 

PART OF WORKING IN 

THE CINEMA INDUSTRY? 


I have always enjoyed the commitment 

and passion of people working in 

exhibition. That goes all the way from the 

staff selling popcorn to the people making 

the decisions. No one works in cinema 

because they have to. It’s always a choice 

of preference. Usually if people decide to 

make a career within exhibition, they stay 

there for good. But, ultimately, it’s my 

love of movies that drives the passion. 


The fact that every week is changing; 

the challenge of being able to actively 

influence the business; the possibility of 

being creative and being in a business 

that allows you in many cases to try new 

strategies; the contact with our people; 

the daily struggle to be better and believe 

that we have the ability to improve the 

customer experience. 


I would say that my favorite part is the 

people who are working in it. I can’t 

imagine that there would be more 

dedicated people anywhere else than in 

the cinema business. Once you’re in, you’re 

hooked! 


It’s great that the people that I work 

with are so passionate about the film 

industry, and they want the business to 

be as successful as it can be. But for me, 

it’s all about the people in our cinemas. I 

like to ensure they are highly engaged 

to deliver the best service in the cleanest 

environments and that we give them the 

opportunity to grow their skills in order 

“I have always enjoyed the 

commitment and passion of 

people working in exhibition. 

That goes all the way from the 

staff selling popcorn to the 

people making the decisions.” 

to be our leadership teams of the future. I 

would like to think that I can inspire others 

to come through the leadership ladder and 

be the very best version of themselves. 


I don’t have an absolute favorite part of 

working in the cinema industry. I enjoy 

my position as M.D., which gives me an 

overall view of the business and allows me 

to create the best environment for people 

to develop themselves while working 

with different departments. When all 

this results in a thoroughly refurbished 

cinema or a new-build cinema, that is 

what makes me happy and proud. 


It’s funny how this job with its established 

weekly tasks doesn’t feel like too much 

routine to me at all. I guess it’s like this 

mainly because almost every week new 

movies will premiere, and they all have 

their own stories and little distinguishing 

technical details that I have to know to 

prepare them correctly for the shows. I 

also quite like the technical advancements 

I see in this business. I’m sure the cinema 

equipment we use in upcoming years 

won’t be exactly the same as it is today, 

because I have already seen the technology 

change many times during my career. 


That’s a difficult one. There are a lot of 

favorite parts. The best part is a successful 

opening night, but there are a lot of other 

favorite parts as well. 

If I had to single out one [thing], it 

would probably be a good dinner at the 

end of the job with all the guys. 


57

A GLOBAL FOOTPRINT THAT KEEPS EXPANDING 

JOIN THE CLUB! 

COME MEET US 

BOOTH #107 

www.icetheaters.com

CinemaCon 2023 Studio Recap 60 | Theater Camp 74 | Event Cinema 84 | Booking Guide 87 

ON SCREEN 

“The major takeaway from this year’s biggest convention for the 

cinema industry? The movies are back, and streaming isn’t the 

first-run bogeyman that many had feared.” 

CinemaCon 2023 Studio Recap, p. 60 


59

ON SCREEN CINEMACON 2023 STUDIO RECAP 

BLUE BEETLE 

60 CinemaEurope 2023

CINEMACON 

2023 STUDIO 

RECAP 

Boxoffice Pro Brings You Highlights 

of the Studio Presentations at CinemaCon 2023 


Another eventful edition CinemaCon 

brought together exhibitors, vendors, 

and studios for a week of meetings, 

panels, and presentations in Las Vegas. 

The major takeaway from this year’s 

biggest cinema-industry convention? The 

movies are back, and streaming isn’t the 

first-run bogeyman that many had feared. 

Three of the highest-grossing films of all 

time—Sony’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, 

Paramount’s Top Gun: Maverick, and 

20th Century Studios’ Avatar: The Way 

of Water—were all launched theatrically 

after cinemas reopened from the pandemic, 

proving that theatrical still has the power 

to create global cultural events. The 

next challenge for the industry? Having 

enough titles released to theaters to have 

moviegoers coming back with increased 

frequency. This year’s studio presentations 

at CinemaCon 2023 gave us a glimpse of the 

movies that will be heading to theaters later 

this year, including first looks at some titles 

scheduled for 2024 and beyond. 


61


NO HARD FEELINGS 

SONY 

Sony’s opening night presentation at 

CinemaCon 2023 wasn’t quite the micdrop 

moment of its 2021 presentation— 

when Tom Rothman, chairman of Sony 

Pictures Entertainment, memorably took 

the stage in defense of theatrical exclusivity. 

It wasn’t the victory lap of its 2022 

presentation, when the studio returned 

to the Las Vegas convention to exult over 

the record-setting grosses of Spider-Man: 

No Way Home. Sony’s 2023 presentation 

wasn’t there to build confidence in theatrical, 

as its two prior showcases did. 

Instead, it confirmed its dedication to 

a sector of the industry that it has long 

regarded as a valuable partner. 

Josh Greenstein, co-president of the 

Motion Picture Group at Sony Pictures 

Entertainment, took the stage on the 

opening night of CinemaCon 2023 and 

reminded attendees that his studio never 

wavered in its commitment to theatrical 

during the pandemic—sticking to a 

traditional theatrical exclusivity window 

and supporting films with marketing 

campaigns designed to drive audiences to 

theaters. “And now other studios realize 

the value of exclusive theatrical windows 

and are reversing course. Now, even some 

streamers are giving their best films 

exclusive theatrical runs,” said Greenstein. 

“Oh, how the times have changed.” 

Sony plans to release 23 films exclusively 

to theaters in 2023, showcasing a 

diverse slate of genres, popular franchises, 

and star-driven original films to keep 

audiences coming back to the movies. 

Among the standout films of the Sony 

presentation was Craig Gillespie’s Dumb 

Money, giving off strong vibes of 2015’s 

The Big Short by telling the story of the 

GameStop retail investor craze. Paul Dano 

stars in the film, which screened around 

five minutes of footage to a receptive 

CinemaCon crowd. R-rated romantic comedies 

No Hard Feelings, starring Jennifer 

Lawrence, and Anyone But You, with Glen 

Powell and Sydney Sweeney, kept the 

tone upbeat throughout the presentation—and 

confirmed that adult theater 

audiences looking for alternatives to 

major franchises will have some options 

from Sony in the coming months. 

Sony shared first looks at upcoming 

Sony plans to release 23 films 

exclusively to theaters in 2023, 

showcasing a diverse slate of 

genres, popular franchises, 

and star-driven original films 

to keep audiences coming 

back to the movies. 


franchise entries in its stable, too. Director 

Antoine Fuqua shared the stage with 

frequent collaborator Denzel Washington 

to introduce early footage of The Equalizer 

3—a dependable midrange franchise that 

has grossed nearly $400 million over its 

first two entries and has achieved an it’salways-on-cable 

afterlife that only a rarified 

few action films seem to attain these 

days. Blumhouse horror title Insidious: 

The Red Door also received some stage 

time, along with the video game title Gran 

Turismo, action franchise Bad Boys 4 (currently 

in production), and the upcoming 

(and still untitled) NYC-set Ghostbusters: 

Afterlife sequel scheduled for Christmas. 

Sony’s Spider-Man was once again the 

main course of its studio presentation at 

CinemaCon. Co-director Kemp Powers 

took the stage with voice talent Shameik 

Moore (Miles Morales), Hailee Steinfeld 

(Gwen Stacy), and Issa Rae (Jessica Drew) 

to introduce a very promising 14 minutes 

of footage that elicited a strong reaction 

from the audience. Even more surprising 

was an advance look at footage from 

Kraven the Hunter, part of Sony’s Spider- 

Man villain universe, which promises to be 

a sharp departure from the campy tone of 

its Venom and Morbius titles. CinemaCon 

delegates got a first look at bone-crushing 

action sequences from the film, which 

Sony revealed would carry an R-rating. 

The studio closed the presentation by 

screening parts of an epic battle sequence 

from Ridley Scott’s upcoming Napoleon, 

an Apple title that will be distributed 

theatrically by Sony this fall. In 2021, 

Apple reportedly spent a record sum to 

acquire CODA at Sundance and subsequently 

launch a (successful) Best Picture 

campaign later that year—all without 

seeming to make any legitimate effort to 

get audiences to see its Oscar-winning 

film in theaters. By the looks of it, Apple 

will be reversing course this year with 

Napoleon. “From among many suitors, 

[Apple] has chosen Sony to partner for the 

theatrical release of Ridley Scott’s action 

epic Napoleon,” said Rothman onstage 

at CinemaCon, speaking of the film as 

a potential awards-season contender. 

“The film will be released worldwide at 

Thanksgiving with a robust theatrical 

window and a full-throttle marketing campaign 

before moving to Apple TV Plus.” 

SONY’S TOP- 

GROSSING FILMS 

OF 2022 

Figures represent domestic grosses 

earned during calendar year 2022 

Spider-Man: No Way Home 

Uncharted 

Bullet Train 

$103.3M 

Where the Crawdads Sing 

$90.2M 

Morbius (Columbia Pictures) 

$73.8M 

$148.6M 

$231.8M 

The Woman King (TriStar Pictures) 

$67.1M 

Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile 

$46.7M 

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero 

(Crunchyroll) 

$38.1M 

Jujutsu Kaisen 0 (Crunchyroll) 

$34.5M 

The Invitation 

$25.1M 

Father Stu 

$20.8M 

ANYONE BUT YOU 

Devotion (Columbia Pictures) 

$19.8M 


63


WARNER BROS. 

The DC Extended Universe 

(DCEU) received extensive 

stage time at the Warner Bros. 

slate showcase, including 

footage from its three 

remaining titles scheduled 

for release in 2023. 

Warner Bros. took the stage at the Caesars 

Palace Colosseum under the backdrop 

of the studio’s centennial anniversary. 

“100 Years of Warner Bros.” might have 

been the slogan, but the focus from the 

studio’s CinemaCon presentation was 

strictly forward-looking in its renewed 

commitment to exhibition under the 

new corporate leadership at Warner Bros. 

Discovery. The conglomerate’s previous 

decision to launch its entire 2021 theatrical 

slate day-and-date on its streaming 

platform, then called HBO Max, created 

tension with exhibitors that Warner Bros. 

Discovery is currently trying to mend. 

The studio took an important step in 

healing those old wounds by bringing 

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav 

onstage to address the exhibition community 

directly. Zaslav promptly delivered a 

succinct and powerful statement of intent 

for his tenure at the studio: “We believe 

in the full windowing of motion pictures,” 

he said. “We do not want to do direct-tostreaming 

movies.” 

The studio will be bringing 16 titles 

to theaters in 2023, a diverse array of 

films across genres and franchises, 

under a traditional theatrical window. 

Following Zaslav’s remarks, Oprah 

Winfrey provided a bit of star power of 

her own, coming onstage to introduce 

footage from the upcoming film adaptation 

of the Broadway musical The 

Color Purple, scheduled for a Christmas 

release. Counting both Oprah and Steven 

Spielberg as executive producers, The 

Color Purple will be making a play for 

family audiences and group outings in the 

holiday corridor. A first look at the film 

helped raise expectations for the title. 

When it came to celebrity charisma 

and excitement, however, even Oprah 

and David Zaslav were no match for 

Barbie. The upcoming title, from director 

Greta Gerwig, was the standout presentation 

of the Warner Bros. showcase and 

included the director and stars Margot 

Robbie, Ryan Gosling, and America 

Ferrera who arrived onstage to introduce 

never-before-seen footage of the film. It 

was clear at the screening that Barbie 

BARBIE 


THE COLOR PURPLE 

WARNER BROS.’ 

TOP-GROSSING 

FILMS OF 2022 



The Batman 

$369.3M 

Black Adam 

$168M 

bears a parallel resemblance to fellow 

Warner Bros. title The LEGO Movie, but 

with the added resonance of Gerwig’s 

distinct tone as a writer-director. Barbie 

looks to be a film that doesn’t take itself 

too seriously yet is unwilling to talk down 

to its audience. Based on the footage 

screened at CinemaCon, Warner Bros. will 

likely have one of their biggest hits of the 

year in this title. 

Warner Bros. will have fresh genre 

titles like Meg 2: The Trench and The Nun 

II to close out the summer and kick off Q3, 

respectively. The latter, a Blumhouse title 

and sequel to the highest-grossing entry 

in the Warner Bros. Conjuring universe, 

has a prime spot on the release schedule 

where horror films traditionally excel. 

Director Denis Villeneuve received a 

warm ovation from CinemaCon delegates 

when he took the stage alongside stars 

Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya to 

introduce new footage from Dune: Part 

Two. Villeneuve described the first half of 

his two-part Dune adaptation—released 

day-and-date in 2021—as an “appetizer” 

in terms of story, teasing Part Two as 

an “action-packed main course,” to 

be released exclusively in theaters. 

Exhibitors can expect big PLF grosses 

from Dune: Part Two, specifically on 

Imax screens. Around 40 percent of 

Villeneuve’s first Dune movie was shot 

using Imax cameras, while the second 

part was entirely conceived and shot 

using the Imax format. Chalamet did 

double duty at the Warner Bros. presentation, 

where he also introduced a new 

extended trailer of the upcoming family 

film Wonka, directed by Paddington 

filmmaker Paul King. 

The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) 

received extensive stage time at the 

Warner Bros. slate showcase, including 

footage from its three remaining titles 

scheduled for release in 2023. First up is 

The Flash, which screened in its entirety 

for CinemaCon delegates, and which will 

effectively reset the timeline of the DCEU. 

Director Andy Muschietti was on hand 

to introduce footage from the film before 

the screening, which curiously centered 

a lot more on Michael Keaton’s return as 

Batman than on the film’s title character. 

Star Ezra Miller has been embroiled in 

legal matters for much of the last year, 

complicating the studio’s marketing 

efforts for the film. If CinemaCon is any 

indication, we might see The Flash marketed 

as a kind of Batman: No Way Home 

in the weeks leading up to its release. 

Blue Beetle, scheduled for a mid-August 

release, will introduce a new superhero 

to the DCEU. A Latin American cast 

will headline the title, which, based on 

the footage shown at CinemaCon, plays a 

lot like a Hispanic twist on the Shazam! 

concept. Blue Beetle will lead into the closing 

chapter of this generation of DCEU 

films, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, 

coming to theaters on December 20. 

Director James Wan introduced first-look 

footage from the Aquaman sequel via 

a video address, setting the stage for a 

reboot of Warner Bros.’ DC Comics properties 

starting in 2024. Zaslav described 

the studio’s upcoming slate of DC titles, 

currently in development under the 

leadership of producer Peter Safran and 

filmmaker James Gunn, as theatrical 

events conceived, shot, and scheduled for 

audiences to enjoy best in theaters. 

Elvis 

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets 

of Dumbledore 

$95.8M 

DC League of Super-Pets 

$93.6M 

$151M 

Don’t Worry Darling 

The Matrix Resurrections 

$9.5M 

$45.3M 


65


Disney entered its 


presentation in high spirits, 

riding the wave of momentum 

following the release of 

third-highest-grossing 

global movie of all time, 

Avatar: The Way of Water. 

THE MARVELS 

DISNEY 

Disney entered its CinemaCon 2023 

presentation in high spirits, riding the 

wave of momentum following the release 

of third-highest-grossing global movie of 

all time, Avatar: The Way of Water. The 

Avatar sequel’s $2.3 billion global haul has 

been Disney’s most successful theatrical 

release of the post-pandemic era. Its blockbuster 

run sets the stage for a busy year for 

the studio, which is planning to release at 

least one film from each of its motion picture 

divisions for the first time since 2019. 

This means that 20th Century Studios, 

Lucasfilm, Marvel Studios, Disney, Pixar, 

Walt Disney Animation, and Searchlight 

Pictures will all be bringing movies to 

cinemas around the world this year. 

Marvel Studios 

Disney’s two remaining Marvel titles this 

year are expected to be among the highest 

earners of 2023. Opening on May 5, James 

Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 

kicked off the summer movie season. The 

CinemaCon audience was treated to a new 

and exclusive clip and trailer. November 

will see the release of the Captain Marvel 

sequel The Marvels, but Disney didn’t 

bring anything new from the title to its 

CinemaCon presentation. 

Walt Disney Animation 

There was no mention of Disney celebrating 

its centennial anniversary during 

the studio’s presentation at CinemaCon, 

a curious omission considering the 

influential role it has played in exhibition 

throughout its history. The Walt 

Disney Animation title Wish, a film that 

celebrates the legacy of Walt Disney’s 

vision, was as close to self-referential 

as the studio got. Scheduled to release 

over Thanksgiving, Wish has the breakthrough 

potential at the box office that 

the studio’s other recent animated titles 

have lacked. 

Disney 

The studio’s live-action adaptations have 

proved to be critical and commercial 

successes over the last 10 years or so, 

and 2023 will likely have another major 

tentpole in the series with The Little 

Mermaid. Released over Memorial Day 

weekend, the title features all the classic 

songs from Disney’s original animated 

version—along with new songs by Alan 

Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda. 

Co-star Melissa McCarthy, who plays the 

villainess Ursula in the film, took the 

stage at CinemaCon to introduce footage 

of her performance of the memorable 

number “Poor Unfortunate Souls.” An 

advance look at Disney’s Haunted 

Mansion came up next in the presentation, 

with footage that gave the film a 

fun and slightly campy vibe that could 

potentially help launch it as a franchise. 

WISH 


Pixar 

Disney’s Pixar division is badly in need of 

a box office hit following the commercial 

letdown of 2022’s Lightyear. The studio is 

doubling down on Lightyear’s mid-June 

release slot for Elemental, a movie that 

turns all four of the earth’s elements into 

uniquely recognizable Pixar characters. 

Roughly 20 minutes of Elemental were 

screened at CinemaCon—as was the 

case with Lightyear at last year’s convention. 

Elemental’s footage received a 

notably more enthusiastic reception this 

year, with several CinemaCon delegates 

praising the look of the film in digital 3D. 

Elemental has all the elements to catch 

fire at the box office—and bring back 

audiences who enjoyed their 3D experience 

with Avatar: The Way of Water. 

Searchlight Pictures and 20th 

Century Studios 

Disney’s Searchlight division scored a 

warm reception at CinemaCon with the 

first trailer for the Taiki Waititi comedy 

Next Goal Wins, currently scheduled for 

a November 17 release. A heartfelt underdog 

story starring Michael Fassbender in 

a rare comic role, the film tells the story 

of the world’s worst international soccer 

team and their quest to score a single goal 

in an official match. On the 20th Century 

Studios side, CinemaCon audiences got 

an early look at footage from A Haunting 

in Venice, a horror-themed sequel in the 

studio’s Hercule Poirot series, while the 

horror title The Boogeyman, originally 

conceived as a straight-to-streaming 

movie, closed out the Disney presentation 

with an early screening of the entire film. 

The most compelling footage from the 

20th Century Studios presentation went 

to The Creator, a contemplative sci-fi film 

with strong vibes of A.I. and Children 

of Men by Rogue One director Gareth 

Edwards. The title will receive an Imax 

release on September 29. 

Lucasfilm 

CinemaCon audiences came out of the 

Disney presentation with a smile on their 

faces following the reveal of new footage 

from Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, 

the fifth installment of the beloved 

Indiana Jones franchise. This movie may 

very well finish the year as one of 2023’s 

highest-grossing films at the global box 

office, and first-look footage of one of the 

film’s car chase sequences helped raise 

expectations ever higher. 

DISNEY’S TOP- 


OF 2022 



Black Panther: Wakanda Forever 

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse 

of Madness 

Avatar: The Way of Water 

(20th Century Studios) 

Thor: Love and Thunder 

Lightyear 

$118.3M 

$343.2M 

$436.4M 

$411.3M 

$401M 

Death on the Nile (20th Century 

Studios) 

$45.6M 

Barbarian (20th Century Studios) 

$40.8M 

Strange World 

$36.8M 

The Menu (Searchlight Pictures) 

$35.7M 

The Bob’s Burgers Movie (20th 

Century Studios) 

$31.9M 

Avatar (re-release) 

$24.7M 


67


MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING 3 

ASTEROID CITY 

UNIVERSAL & FOCUS FEATURES 

Universal and Focus Features opened 

their presentation by showing off their 

deep ties with Hollywood’s creative community. 

They prefaced studio chairman 

Donna Langley’s introductory remarks 

with a video featuring their stable of filmmakers, 

who shared personal messages 

in support of the theatrical experience. 

It was the perfect opening note for a 

CinemaCon presentation that ran nearly 

three hours long, fitting for a studio that 

is releasing over 20 titles to cinemas this 

year. Langley went on to welcome filmmaker 

Christopher Nolan, the director 

behind Universal’s upcoming WW2-era 

thriller, Oppenheimer, onstage. Nolan 

hinted that a full trailer for his new film 

might be ready in time to play ahead of 

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 by the time 

that film opened on May 5. CinemaCon 

audiences weren’t left empty-handed: 

Nolan showed never-before-seen clips 

from the film. Oppenheimer will release 

domestically on July 21 on all premium 

formats. 

Jim Orr, Universal’s president of domestic 

theatrical distribution, had the daunting 

task of following Nolan onstage but had 

little trouble winning over the audience 

with his own remarks. “We heard all those 

Chicken Little stories that question whether 

and how the theatrical model can survive,” 

he said. “But like you, we didn’t pay much 

attention to them because we were too 

busy proving them wrong.” Orr succinctly 

stated Universal’s theatrical strategy for the 

coming years: “At Universal, we don’t buy 

franchises, we build them.” 

Family films have been a cornerstone 

of Universal’s theatrical business for the 

last decade, and the studio arrived at 

CinemaCon hot on the heels of the release 

of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, from its 

animation studio Illumination, which 

the week after CinemaCon became the 

first billion-dollar global earner of 2023. 

Family films have been a 

cornerstone of Universal’s 

theatrical business for the 

last decade, and the studio 

arrived at CinemaCon hot 

on the heels of the release of 

The Super Mario Bros. Movie, 

from its animation studio 

Illumination, which will soon 

to be the first billion-dollar 

global earner of 2023. 


UNIVERSAL’S TOP- 


OF 2022 



Jurassic World: Dominion 

$378.6M 

Minions: The Rise of Gru 

$369.6M 

Nope 

$123.2M 

The Bad Guys 

$97.2M 

The Black Phone 

$90.1M 

Later this year, Illumination will roll out 

Migration over the Christmas corridor, 

with a pair of DreamWorks Animation 

titles preceding that release: Ruby Gillman, 

Teenage Kraken on June 30 and Trolls 

Band Together on November 17. In 2024, 

Jack Black will be back to lead the voice 

cast of Kung Fu Panda 4. 

Adult audiences will have plenty 

of Universal releases at the movies for 

the rest of the year. R-rated talking-dog 

comedy Strays will hit theaters later 

this year and could emerge as the rare 

successful adult-skewing comedy at the 

box office judging by the trailer screened 

during the presentation. On the horror 

front, David Gordon Green was in attendance 

to introduce first-look footage of his 

upcoming Exorcist trilogy, launching this 

October with The Exorcist: Believer. 

The studio also previewed a pair of 

action titles it will be bringing to theaters. 

Stuntman-turned-director David Leitch, 

who directed Focus Features’ Atomic 

Blonde and Universal’s Hobbs & Shaw, will 

helm The Fall Guy, a big-screen adaptation 

of the Lee Majors television series. 

When it comes to established Universal 

action franchises, none is bigger than the 

Fast & Furious series. Vin Diesel took the 

stage at CinemaCon to deliver lengthy 

(and apparently unscripted) remarks 

ahead of a brief footage reveal from the 

film. Fast X hit screens on May 19, and a 

follow-up entry is scheduled for 2025. 

On the specialty front, Focus Features 

chairman Peter Kujawski and president 

of distribution Lisa Bunnell introduced 

clips of upcoming titles meant to drive 

audiences to art house theaters later this 

year. CinemaCon audiences saw new 

clips of Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City, 

Nia Vardalos’s My Big Fat Greek Wedding 

3, Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers, and 

Ethan Coen’s Drive-Away Dolls. 

Universal concluded its CinemaCon 

2023 presentation with a glimpse of the 

highly anticipated musical Wicked. The 

studio is sparing no expense in turning the 

beloved stage musical into a two-part bigscreen 

experience—and while it’s too early 

to tell much about the film based on the 

footage shown in Las Vegas, Universal’s 

marketing department won’t have much 

trouble promoting the film leading up to 

its Thanksgiving 2024 release. 

Sing 2 

$86.3M 

Ticket to Paradise 

$68.2M 

Halloween Ends 

$64M 

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish 

$55.6M 

Violent Night 

$46.7M 

Downton Abbey: A New Era 

(Focus Features) 

$44.1M 

The Northman (Focus Features) 

$34.2M 


69


PARAMOUNT 

Paramount president and 

CEO Brian Robbins, speaking 

earlier in the presentation, 

emphasized the studio’s firm 

belief that “streaming and 

theatrical are not a zero-sum 

game—we need theatrical to 

make streaming work.” 

Paramount’s presentation at CinemaCon 

2023 opened with a Teenage Mutant Ninja 

Turtles–inspired dance sequence onstage 

at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace. From 

the depths of the neon-green New York City 

stage set, Chris Aronson, Paramount’s president 

of theatrical distribution, emerged 

from a smoking sewer holding a pizza box. 

Somehow, this wasn’t entirely unexpected. 

The distribution chief has made similarly 

irreverent entrances to introduce his 

studio presentations dating back to his 

days in the same role at 20th Century Fox. 

At CinemaCon 2023, Aronson had every 

excuse to take a victory lap after launching 

Top Gun: Maverick to a $718 million domestic 

haul in 2022, the fifth-highest-earning 

film in Paramount’s history. 

Instead, Aronson handed out pizza 

slices to exhibitors in the audience and 

went on to talk about one of his favorite 

topics: ticket prices. At the ICTA Los 

Angeles Seminar in January, Aronson was 

part of a roundtable discussion where he 

warned exhibitors in attendance about the 

dangers of pricing audiences out during 

the industry’s final stage of pandemic 

recovery. He repeated those sentiments 

during a panel discussion on Monday at 

CinemaCon. 

“The two biggest [titles] on National 

Cinema Day were family films, DC League 

of Super-Pets and Minions: The Rise of Gru, 

both of which had been in the marketplace 

for a long time,” he said, referring 

to the one-day event in September when 

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES 


all tickets to all films were priced at $3. 

“Concurrent to that are Tuesday bargain 

days, where particularly in the summer 

you see a huge jump in admissions. What 

does that tell you? What is the learning? 

My learning is that price sensitivity is 

an issue—and it’s certainly an issue for 

families. So follow the trail. Follow the 

consumer choice.” 

It seems counterintuitive for the head 

of distribution of the studio with the 

biggest movie of 2022 to ask exhibitors to 

charge less for movies, but Aronson has 

already walked the talk. Earlier this year, 

Paramount released 80 for Brady with an 

optional pricing strategy that encouraged 

participating cinemas to charge matinee 

prices for the film regardless of the 

showtime. In his CinemaCon remarks, 

Aronson emphasized his stance. “We 

need to be realistic and acknowledge that 

pre-Covid theatrical admissions had been 

going down and ticket prices had only 

been going up,” he said at the start of the 

Paramount presentation. “That means 

admitting that the status quo [needs] to 

be changed. We should be experimenting 

with variable pricing … let’s give audiences 

an offer they can’t refuse.” 

This year, Paramount will be offering 

audiences plenty of options at the movies. 

An animated new take on Teenage Mutant 

Ninja Turtles will be coming out in August, 

spearheaded by producer Seth Rogen. 

Referring to CinemaCon as “a great place 

to come if you want to find yourself having 

an hour-long conversation with a guy who 

owns a two-screen theater in Wilmington,” 

Rogen charmed the audience before 

introducing footage of the animated title, 

which garnered a positive response from 

those in attendance. Paramount will be 

making a strong investment in animated 

films over the coming years, highlighting 

upcoming releases Paw Patrol: The 

Mighty Movie, Avatar: The Last Airbender, 

and The SpongeBob Movie: Search for 

SquarePants in its presentation. 

While Rogen’s routine onstage at the 

Paramount presentation drew laughs, 

the audience at the Colosseum broke 

out in applause when Rihanna arrived to 

introduce details of her involvement in 

The Smurfs Movie. The singer will serve 

as producer, play Smurfette, and provide 

original songs for the title, which is scheduled 

for a Valentine’s Day 2025 release. 

Paramount also announced the release 

of the first animated Transformers movie 

in nearly 40 years with Transformers 

One, coming out in September of next 

year. The studio is hoping for a revival of 

the Transformers I.P. with this summer’s 

release of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. 

Director Steven Caple Jr. was on hand to 

introduce footage of the film, set in 1990s 

New York City. 

If the Transformers serve as a legacy 

franchise for the studio, John Krasinski’s 

A Quiet Place is quietly emerging as a 

new series with a growing mythology. 

Krasinksi, the writer-director of the first 

film, came onstage during the presentation 

to introduce footage of the NYC-set 

prequel, A Quiet Place: Day One, directed 

by Michael Sarnoski. While Krasinski 

is surrendering directing duties on that 

prequel, he will be back to helm If, starring 

Ryan Reynolds and Vince Vaughn, which 

was described by the writer-director as “a 

live-action Pixar movie.” 

Tom Cruise, who has attended the 

last two editions of CineEurope in 

Barcelona to promote his recent films, 

was not in attendance for CinemaCon 

this year. Instead, audiences got to see a 

20-minute action-packed sequence from 

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 

1. Paramount’s confidence in the film is 

strong enough that the studio announced 

it would be moving up its domestic release 

by two days, to Wednesday, July 12, shortly 

after screening the footage at CinemaCon. 

Martin Scorsese was arguably the 

biggest name to be part of the talent on 

hand for Paramount’s presentation, showcasing 

footage from the upcoming Apple 

title Killers of the Flower Moon, which will 

be distributed theatrically by Paramount. 

Scorsese stuck around for a lunchtime 

conversation, surprisingly moderated by 

Leonardo DiCaprio in an unannounced 

appearance following the studio presentation. 

Footage from the film screened 

at CinemaCon promises another epic 

period piece from Scorsese. The director’s 

last film, The Irishman, was produced 

by Netflix and only received a limited 

theatrical release when it came out in 2019. 

Now working with Apple and Paramount, 

Scorsese is set to receive strong marketing 

for the theatrical release of Killers of the 

Flower Moon. Paramount president and 

CEO Brian Robbins, speaking earlier in 

the presentation, emphasized the studio’s 

firm belief that “streaming and theatrical 

are not a zero-sum game—we need theatrical 

to make streaming work.” 

PARAMOUNT’S 

TOP-GROSSING 

FILMS OF 2022 



Top Gun: Maverick 

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 

$190.8M 

Smile 

The Lost City 

Scream 

Jackass Forever 

Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank 

Babylon 

$105.9M 

$105.3M 

$81.6M 

$57.7M 

$17.8M 

$9M 

Orphan: First Kill 

$5.7M 

Laal Singh Chaddha 

$3.4M 

$718.3M 

71


LIONSGATE 

Lionsgate is planning a major return to 

movie theaters in 2023 with a slate of 

14 theatrical titles that Adam Fogelson, 

vice chair of the motion picture group, 

believes caters to a segment of “important 

and frequently underserved customers.” 

The studio’s diverse slate of titles 

covers a range of genres through a mix of 

sequels and original films. “You’ve told 

us repeatedly how important it is to have 

a wide variety of quality movies, and the 

business cannot and will not thrive on 

tentpoles alone,” said Fogelson, before 

announcing several of the films Lionsgate 

will be bringing to theaters this year. 

The studio will spend the summer 

releasing a trio of comedies, each of 

them a month apart. In May, comedian 

Sebastian Maniscalco paired with 

Robert De Niro for About My Father. In 

June, The Blackening will hit theaters, 

described by Fogelson as “a raucous, 

communal theatrical experience,” while 

July will see the release of Joy Ride, a 

raunchy R-rated comedy headlined by an 

Asian American cast. Joy Ride screened 

in its entirety immediately following 

the presentation, a reflection of the 

confidence Lionsgate has in the title after 

its warm reception at the SXSW Film 

Festival last month. 

The second half of the year will see 

Lionsgate release the drama White 

Bird, part of a film series launched by 

2018’s surprise hit Wonder, on August 

25. Sylvester Stallone and his ever-growing 

cast of co-stars will be back for The 

Expendables 4 on September 22. Hilary 

Swank will headline the faith-based 

drama Ordinary Angels on October 13, 

while the decidedly not-faith-based Saw 

X hits theaters two weeks later—just in 

time for Halloween. 

The Lionsgate presentation closed with 

the trailer premiere of the upcoming prequel 

to The Hunger Games franchise, The 

Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds 

and Snakes, scheduled for a November 17 

release. The film is set 64 years before the 

story of the first Hunger Games movie, and 

Lionsgate hopes it will launch a new series 

of titles for the studio. 


LIONSGATE’S TOP- 


OF 2022 



The Unbearable Weight of 

Massive Talent 

$20.3M 

Prey for the Devil 

$19.8M 

Moonfall 

$19M 

American Underdog 

$14.3M 

Fall 

$7.2M 

¿Y cómo es él? 

$1.5M 

Apocalypse Now (re-release) 

$71K 

THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES 


73

ON SCREEN THEATER CAMP 

ON WITH 

Crowd-Pleaser Theater Camp Brings the 

Stage to the Big Screen This Summer 


74 


THE SHOW! 


75


Amid a full slate of summer blockbusters, 

Searchlight Pictures brings 

to the big screen a small, ensemble-driven 

comedy called Theater 

Camp. Directed by Molly Gordon and Nick 

Lieberman, making their feature directorial 

debuts, the film had its start as a 2020 short 

film co-starring Gordon and Dear Evan 

Hansen’s Ben Platt. They reprise their roles 

in the feature as Rebecca-Diane and Amos, 

two teachers trying to keep their financially 

struggling theater camp afloat after its longtime 

director falls into a coma. Stepping into 

his mother’s shoes is the director’s clueless 

but well-meaning son, Troy (“American 

Vandal” breakout Jimmy Tatro), the lone bro 

in a sea of precocious theater kids. 

The “theater kid” may be a pretty 

specific cultural niche, but stories like this 

one—a team of misfits bands together to 

save something important to them—have 

universal appeal, made evident in this 

case when Theater Camp won the U.S. 

Dramatic Special Jury Award for best 

ensemble at the 2023 edition of Sundance. 

A warm, crowd-pleasing comedy, Theater 

Camp debuts in domestic theaters on July 

14. In advance of its release, Gordon and 

Lieberman spoke with Boxoffice Pro 

about creating a theatrical comedy fit for a 

wide audience—including those who think 

Hamilton is just a township in New Jersey. 

Can you walk me through the process 

of remaking your original short film as 

a feature? You have a concept that 

works, and characters that work—how 

do you enlarge it to feature-length 

size in a way that maintains the spirit 

of the short? 

Molly Gordon: It was daunting. We never 

wanted people to watch it and go, “Oh 

God, it could have just been a short,” right? 

That’s the worst possible thing. But the 

method and spirit that went into the short, 

we tried to bring into the feature, the spirit 

of wanting to create opportunities for our 

friends to stretch themselves, and [create] 

roles specifically for them where they 

would get to feel free and get to play in a 

way that maybe they haven’t in other jobs. 

Nick Lieberman: Using improvisation 

and letting the comedy come out of the 

situations, but then really giving room to 

the actors to see where a scene goes and 

generate their own dialogue. 

And then, you know also, the world of 

the theater is really what we brought over. 

“The film is just the tip of the 

iceberg of crazy theater class 

and theater camp stories, in 

our experience.” 


We knew that this was going to be a different 

portrait of that same world, which is 

a world that we know really well. So that 

was easy. The film is just the tip of the 

iceberg of crazy theater class and theater 

camp stories, in our experience. 

Molly Gordon: The arts are the first thing 

to go when funding gets pulled, and that 

was a core thing about our short that was 

also really important to us. It was about 

how important the arts are and what 

people will do to keep their job in the 

arts. Because people that work in the arts, 

they’re not there for the money. They’re 

there because they love it. And we wanted 

to bring that over to the feature: the instability 

of an artist’s life and how important 

creative havens are for young people. 

I was never a theater kid in high 

school. I was a debate kid. Still, some 

of the debate club kids had this very 

intense, obsessive focus. It made 

Theater Camp relatable to me, even 

though I was never into that scene. 

Molly Gordon: That’s the goal. We want 

to bring it out of everybody. 

Whether it’s seeing a play or seeing 

a film in the theater, being part of 

a live audience is a huge part of 

the experience. Molly, as someone 

with a background in theater, how is 

performing onstage different from, 

for example, Theater Camp debuting 

at Sundance? 

Molly Gordon: I mean, inside of my body 

it’s a pretty similar Jewish anxiety. When 

you’re performing in a show, it’s this onenight 

experience, and you’re only going to 

do it that way that night. Whoever saw it 

that night—it’s this beautiful connection 

you have with the audience. 

With Theater Camp, we shot it, and 

then we have this archive of footage that 

we manipulated to create this thing that’s 

going to play in movie theaters. And the 

audience will have a connection with it, 

but it is also so different, because theater 

is this one-night-only thing and [Theater 

Camp] is obviously going to continue to 

run in a different way. 

Nick Lieberman: Yeah, it’s definitely 

weird to think about all the situations in 

which people will be experiencing this 

“Every audience is different, 

and the timing of when they 

respond is different. That’s 

one of the things that’s nice 

about tuning up a movie– 

you have a control case, 

which is that the movie isn’t 

changing, so you can see how 

different audiences laughing 

at different moments affects 

different laughs.” 

movie and we won’t be there. That’s an 

interesting part of it: You’re making this 

machine that can operate without you 

even being present. 

Molly Gordon: And we’ve been so close to 

it, but we actually just finished working on 

it yesterday. To think that we’re not going 

to be a part of it anymore and it doesn’t 

belong to us is thrilling, but sad, too. 

What was the final stuff you were 

working on? 

Molly Gordon: We were just reworking 

it a bit. We shot it over the summer. We 

edited it in about two minutes, and then 

we went to Sundance. It’s been beautiful, 

now that we’ve had some audience reactions, 

to get to do a little bit of a polish. 

Nothing big. It’s ready to be seen now; we 

just needed to do a couple of oil changes. 

Can you talk a bit about that process 

of screening for audience reactions? 

What did you take out of the 

experience? 

Nick Lieberman: Well, we’d only really 

shown it once before, as part of the process, 

before our actual premiere at Sundance. 

So we were sitting there freaking out, just 

trying to figure out what was working and 

what wasn’t working, all while being 10 

feet above our heads floating in space. 

Getting through that initial exposure 

therapy of having it in front of an audience 

and starting to see it with other groups, 

you definitely realize, “OK, this thing that 

was feeling really good to us just isn’t quite 

hitting. Then, this thing that we really felt 

still insecure about is working.” 

I don’t know. Every audience is different, 

and the timing of when they respond 

is different. That’s one of the things that’s 

nice about tuning up a movie–you have a 

control case, which is that the movie isn’t 

changing, so you can see how different 

audiences laughing at different moments 

affects different laughs. We’d just never in 

our lives gotten the chance to expose [our 

work] this much to this many people and be 

in the room. We’re so intense and anal-retentive 

about our comedy, so it’s really nice 

to be able to keep trying to drill it. 

As first-time feature directors, how 

concerned were you with where the 

film would eventually be seen by 


77


That sounds like it opens the door 

to some really funny improv. How much 

footage do you have that you didn’t use? 

Molly Gordon: We have so much footage. 

We have not seen all of our footage. We 

hope that we can own it one day and get 

to watch all of it, because so much of the 

funniest stuff isn’t even in the movie, 

because it makes no sense for the story: 

Ayo [Edebiri] and Jimmy [Tatro] riffing 

about something that is just the best thing 

I’ve ever seen but is not about a theater 

camp. So I hope we can continue to 

[release content from] this movie for a long 

time, because there are such great gems 

that we’re still discovering. 

“Going to the movie theater 

was always such a core part 

of my life. The first movie I 

ever saw in the movie theater 

was Babe. I was really into 

it, though I think I was also 

really amazed by how many 

[different kinds of] people 

were there.” 

audiences? Were you like, “We want 

this to be screened theatrically. That’s 

a hard line,” or was it more, “We’ll see 

what happens”? 

Molly Gordon: We’ve always dreamed of 

theatrical. It doesn’t feel like many people 

get that opportunity anymore, so it felt like 

maybe our dream wouldn’t be a reality. 

But this movie came out of being inspired 

by seeing movies in a theater as children. I 

remember seeing Anchorman when I was 

too young—and throwing up I was laughing 

so hard. It was the craziest experience 

of my life, having that communal laughter. 

We dreamed that it could happen, and we 

feel so grateful that it’s going to. 

The whole movie is about people 

getting together and kind of bouncing 

off each other’s energy. For people 

not to have access to that communal 

experience while watching it, that 

would be sad. 

Nick Lieberman: Totally. We’ve tried to 

include all these different strands that 

we’re interested in—obviously theater, and 

our background in children’s theater. And 

some of our favorite people, that Molly, 

in particular, is close to—comedians that 

are doing really strange, avant garde live 

comedy that is wonderful. Jimmy Tatro 

does his concerts all over. [We didn’t want 

to] create something that just exists in an 

online ecosystem, but something that is 

built around people who are comfortable 

performing, comfortable performing live, 

and have a wide range of audiences that 

respond to them, not just on streaming 

platforms but also in real life. 

Molly, you spoke about a moviegoing 

experience that was important to you 

growing up. Nick, is there a standout 

cinema memory for you? What’s the 

earliest movie you remember seeing in 

a theater? 

Nick Lieberman: Going to the movie 

theater was always such a core part of 

my life. The first movie I ever saw in the 

movie theater was Babe. I was really into 

it, though I think I was also really amazed 

by how many [different kinds of] people 

were there. 

I was at a screening of The Wizard of 

Oz, and there were a bunch of parents 

in the audience with young kids who 

had clearly never seen the movie 

before. And seeing them react to it 

made me fall in love with the movie 

all over again. It terrified them! That 

movie is scary! 

Nick Lieberman: Totally. It’s really thrilling 

to think that that was 84 years ago, and 

it’s just as thrilling now. It’s pretty amazing. 

Do you go to the cinema a lot? 

Molly Gordon: We’ve been inside for a 

year working on this movie, so I think this 

was the least amount of time we’ve ever 

spent in a movie theater. But Nick and I 

love movie theaters. We’re just big supporters 

of them and never want it to be a 

thing that isn’t happening anymore. 

Well, we’re getting to summer movie 

season, so you’ll have a lot of options. 

Huge tentpoles, but smaller stuff, too. 


Nick Lieberman: Like our little camp 

movie. 

Molly Gordon: It’s such an exciting 

summer for cinema. I hope we all feed off 

of each other, and we all go to the movies. 

There are huge movies like Oppenheimer 

and Barbie, and then there’s us. So many 

little-movies-that-could, and big movies. 

I hope we all go to see all of them. That’s 

the dream. 

Nick Lieberman: More people are back 

in that weekly habit of [asking], “What’s 

on?” because there’s something that’s 

actually going to be worthy every week. 

Not to say that there haven’t been great 

movies that have come out the last few 

years, but obviously the pace and the 

restrictions have made it hard. 

So you finished the film last night, after 

working on it in some form for six years. 

You’re beginning to let go of something 

that was such a huge part of your life 

for years. How does that feel? 

Molly Gordon: You’re the start of it, 

Rebecca. We’re letting it go. I think it’s 

going to be a comedown, but we all feel 

really grateful that it happened. It’s been 

such a long road. But I don’t know, I’m 

probably going to be sad for a couple of 

weeks, and then it’ll be OK. 

Nick Lieberman: It’s like, “You’re done.” 

And then you’re not done. There’s always 

something more to do on helping the 

movie reach an audience and advocate 

for it and just keep it going. So, while we 

can sign our little names in the corner 

and send it off to be potentially exhibited, 

we’re still in the thick of it. Maybe in like 

two months, we’ll have a different answer 

to that question. 

Summer] and Christopher Guest movies, 

which we found [years after they came 

out]. So that’s the hope. 

Nick Lieberman: Definitely. Especially 

with improv, there’s a lot of stuff—a little 

aside or a little moment or a look or something—that 

we only found deep into the 

editing process. Like, “OK, that’s my new 

favorite thing in this scene.” We’re excited 

about that. 

Molly Gordon: All we’re focused on right 

now is making anyone see it. One person 

seeing it! 

It’s definitely a crowd-pleaser. It’s a fun 

movie, even if you’re not into theater. 

Nick Lieberman: We should put that 

quote on the poster: “If you literally hate 

theater, if you do not ever want to know 

another thing about theater—this could 

still work!” 

It reminds me of something Greta 

Gerwig said about Barbie—that even if 

you hate Barbies, this movie’s for you. 

It’s critiquing its subject matter, but 

it’s coming from a place of love. 

Molly Gordon: Totally. We were given the 

advice going into making it that the more 

specific we make it, the more universal it 

will feel. I’m not obsessed with watching 

baseball, but a movie about baseball 

where the characters are so juicy, and the 

world is so interesting—I can find my way 

into it. I think Nick and I get the most 

happy when someone hates theater and 

thinks this movie is OK. We’re like, “Yes! 

We did it!” 

As someone who dislikes sports and 

loves sports movies, I agree. 

MOLLY GORDON 

AND NICK 

LIEBERMAN AT 

THE MOVIES 

Finally, I always like to 

ask: What are your movie 

theater concessions of 

choice? 

Molly Gordon: I’m the queen 

of “I don’t want anything,” 

and then eating everyone’s 

popcorn and everyone’s 

everything. I love it all. But 

any sort of chocolate. I like 

to put M&Ms in my popcorn. 

Nick Lieberman: Definitely 

popcorn. I do like sour 

candy of some kind. Maybe 

a sour Skittle. I am partial to 

Dibs as well, even though I 

was raised not eating dairy. 

Somehow my one dairy vice 

was Dibs. 

I feel like this is the sort of movie that 

people are going to keep discovering. 

There are so many funny individual 

performances. You could keep finding 

new things on every viewing. 

Molly Gordon: We’ve watched it now, 

like, 60 times, and random things are still 

tickling us. There are gems in a rewatch 

that we hope people will find throughout 

the years. We’re hopeful that it’ll have a 

life beyond this summer. Obviously, we 

drew inspiration from Wet Hot [American 

Nick Lieberman: Totally. We found some 

Jimmy-esque guys on YouTube that were 

reviewing it and were like, “Honestly, 

surprisingly, this kind of rules.” OK, we 

will absolutely take that from you. That’s 

the biggest endorsement we could get. 


79

ON SCREEN FATHOM EVENTS 

NEW 

HORIZONS 

Fathom Events CEO Ray 

Nutt on the Distributor’s 

Upcoming Slate and 

Incursion into Specialty 

Distribution 


Coming off a highly successful 2022, 

in which Fathom Events saw gross 

box office revenues of over $68 million, the 

distributor has big plans for its 2023 slate— 

including an incursion into specialty 

distribution. Fathom Events launched its 

move to a specialty distribution model last 

year, breaking new ground by premiering 

the two-episode finale of the faith-based 

streaming series “The Chosen,” and 

grossing over $5 million in the process. The 

company then expanded its distribution 

efforts internationally with The Journey: A 

Music Special from Andrea Bocelli, which 

grossed over $3 million. 

Boxoffice Pro spoke with Fathom 

Events CEO Ray Nutt following the company’s 

presentation at CinemaCon 2023. 

Among other topics, Nutt spoke about the 

distributor’s event cinema slate and its 

upcoming plans for longer theatrical runs 

for high-profile films. 

It was a big CinemaCon for Fathom 

Events this year. You introduced 

your slate ahead of the filmmaker’s 

luncheon with Martin Scorsese, which 

was moderated by Leonardo DiCaprio. 

What was your big takeaway from this 

year’s event? 

We had a great CinemaCon. I think the 

buzz over the entire conference was that 

it felt like 2019 again. We sponsored the 

filmmaker’s lunch for the fourth consecutive 

year, preceding the conversation 

between Martin Scorsese and Leonardo 

DiCaprio. It was good for us at Fathom, 

giving us a full room to present our slate. 

One of the main things that we look 

forward to when we go to CinemaCon 

is the ability to get together with all the 

exhibitors we distribute to. We tend 

to see our owners—AMC, Regal, and 

Cinemark—a little more often than we 

see some of the other exhibitors that we 

distribute to, and we distribute to 100 

exhibitors in total. It was great to see a lot 

of those folks face-to-face that we hadn’t 

seen prior to the pandemic and talk about 

ways that we can distribute our content to 

them as well. 

Major circuits reported a nice bump 

in business in their Q1 results. How 

was the first quarter of the year for 

Fathom? 

We exceeded all of our budgets for the first 

quarter; it was one of the best quarters in 

the history of the company. Keep in mind, 

we were coming off a great 2022, where 

we actually performed at 86 percent of 

2019, while the industry was at 66 percent 

of 2019. It was a spectacular quarter for 

us, and it looks like Q2 is going to be very 

strong as well. 

Fathom Events released 10 of the top 

30 documentary films in theaters last 

year. What are you expecting in terms 

of documentary releases this year? 

Yes, we released 10 of the 30 highestgrossing 

documentaries of last year. We 

had the Academy Award winner, Navalny, 

that we partnered with both Warner 

Bros. and CNN Films on. We also had the 

Mother Teresa documentary, No Greater 

Love, in the faith-based area, and you’ll 

likely see some more faith-based documentaries 

coming out soon. I think you’re 

going to see some more documentaries 

coming out of our original programming 

department as well. Those two categories 

will keep us very busy this year. 

You mentioned Navalny, a film that 

was released to theaters by Fathom 

Events, which won the Academy 

Award for Best Documentary last year. 

Do you see Fathom being more active 

in finding Oscar contenders in the 

coming years? 

There are so many filmmakers that want 

to take their films into theaters. In the past, 

we’ve looked at about 3,000 potential films 

or events a year, and only about 100 of 

them will make it to our network of cinemas. 

We’re very selective when it comes 

to our programming. Of course, if you end 

up with an Oscar winner, it’s a nice feather 

in your cap to attract additional attention 

and filmmakers down the road. It’s not our 

primary goal, but I can tell you, it would be 

awfully nice to have Fathom mentioned at 

the Academy Awards. 

We know that theaters have a lot 

of competition from streaming right 

now. What is your strategy regarding 

partnerships with streamers? Whom 

you can partner with to release new 

content to theaters? 

We partner with all the major studios who 

have downstream rights to content. We 

also deal with a lot of newer filmmakers 

that aren’t very experienced in this 

particular area. We don’t view that as 

competition. We’re looking at new models 

of releasing films—new windows—like 


“There are so many 

filmmakers that want to take 

their films into theaters. In the 

past, we’ve looked at about 

3,000 potential films or events 

a year, and only about 100 

of them will make it to our 

network of cinemas.” 

our church network, where we take 

content that we’re licensing for movie 

theaters, draw a geofence around them 

based on the density of the geography, 

and then license those films to churches 

outside that area. Those churches have 

an opportunity, in those underserved 

communities, to connect with people 

who would never make the drive out to 

the theaters that we serve. Instead, they 

can enjoy our programming and events 

locally in their church. It’s the best form 

of grassroots marketing, when you have 

a priest, a pastor, or a minister getting up 

to say, “Show up on Wednesday, we’ve got 

this great film.” It’s an awesome opportunity 

to create a brand-new window that 

didn’t exist before. We’ve never considered 

ourselves competitive with any of the 

downstream opportunities or windows, 

and I think you’ll probably see us doing a 

little bit more in the direct-to-consumer 

space later this year. 

What is Fathom’s relationship with 

mainstream film distributors and 

content producers? Anything new on 

the horizon? 

We’re continuing to work with all 

the major studios. At CinemaCon we 

announced our partnership with Bleecker 

Street to premiere Golda, starring Helen 

Mirren, on August 23. We’ll be doing a 

premiere event that features a Q&A with 

Helen Mirren and director Guy Nattiv. 

That will take place before Bleecker 

Street distributes the film theatrically in a 

traditional manner afterwards. 

And we’ve just come off a highly 

successful return to live music by bringing 

BTS member SUGA to theaters as part 

of his D-Day Tour. We captured it live in 

Japan and brought it to theaters in the U.S. 

and Canada later that same day. 

Event cinema has emerged as a 

disruptive and inclusive way for 

filmmakers to release their films to 

theaters without having to go through 

traditional distribution models. 

For those filmmakers interested in 

submitting a film, how can they go 

about doing so? 

We have a culture of transparency at 

Fathom Events. If a film is not quite right 

for our platform, we’ll work with the 

filmmaker and suggest alternative modes 

of distribution. We’re the 10th-largest distributor 

in North America. We work very 

closely with major studios and independent 

distributors across our platform, as 

well as dealing directly with filmmakers 

and producers. Anyone who wants to 

work with us can contact our programming 

department directly. We like to work 

with everyone, and whenever it isn’t a fit, 

we’re more than happy to help anyone 

find a different direction that may be right 

for their film. We love to work directly 

with filmmakers and our door will always 

be open to them. 

Fathom has a robust lineup of classic 

films on its schedule. How important is 

this piece of the business for you and 

the films’ distributors? 

GOLDA 


81

ON SCREEN FATHOM EVENTS 

Very important. It reminds me of how old 

I’m getting whenever I see a movie like 

Grease having its 45th anniversary, which 

we did an event for earlier this year. This 

year we have titles like Raiders of the Lost 

Ark, Hairspray, The Birds, and Enter the 

Dragon, all celebrating anniversaries and 

coming back to our theaters. We tend to 

pursue repertory programming around 

anniversaries because we like to get home 

entertainment involved on the studio side 

to assist in the marketing and promotion of 

our event screenings. Those marketing dollars 

simultaneously promote the Fathom 

screenings and the Blu-ray launch as well. 

We just hired film critic Leonard Maltin to 

introduce 11 of our titles this year, and he’s 

done a spectacular job. He’s a walking film 

encyclopedia—that guy knows more about 

movies than just about anybody I know. 

He introduces these titles with a three- or 

four-minute clip that always adds to the 

context and appreciation of those movies. 

This category is important, not only to us, 

but it’s very important to the studios, who 

have a repertory library that they’re trying 

to monetize and get in front of audiences. 

You’ll see us continue with this particular 

category in the future. 

Two other mainstays for Fathom 

Events have been the Met Opera 

screenings and your relationship with 

anime titles through GKIDS for Studio 

Ghibli Fest. How are those categories 

performing for you? 

I think it’s been well documented that 

older audiences were a little bit slower to 

come back to the movies after the pandemic. 

The average age of the Met moviegoer 

is 73 years old, and we saw that for 

ourselves over the last two years. What’s 

interesting, however, is that if you look 

at what the Met is doing right now, you’ll 

realize that they’re being very strategic 

about going after a younger audience. We 

just came off a performance of Champion, 

about an African American boxer. It’s an 

example of how the Met is programming 

to attract a much younger audience. The 

Met’s season is winding down for us this 

year, and I’ve already seen some of the 

content we have in store for next season— 

and it looks pretty good. 

With regards to anime, it’s been a very 

interesting year for us in that programming 

genre. We’re celebrating nearly half 

a century of Miyazaki in the film business, 

and we have a lineup of films like Spirited 

Away, My Neighbor Totoro, and Kiki’s 

Delivery Service programmed to celebrate. 

We just finished a run of My Neighbor 

Totoro, which we’ve done in the past, and 

it performed better as part of this 11-film 

package we’re presenting it under. Another 

interesting event we recently held was 

Spirited Away: Live on Stage, which did 

very well. There are all kinds of opportunities 

like that out there in the anime space. 

STUDIO GHIBLI’S NAUSICAÄ OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND 


“The average age of the Met 

moviegoer is 73 years old, 

and we saw that for ourselves 

over the last two years. 

What’s interesting, however, 

is that if you look at what the 

Met is doing right now, you’ll 

realize that they’re being very 

strategic about going after a 

younger audience.” 

SUGA: LIVE FROM JAPAN 

Fathom added over 400 affiliates to 

its theater network last year. Is that 

number still growing? What’s behind 

that growth? 

In the past, we had a requirement where 

exhibitors had to install our satellite 

technology to join our network. That was a 

capital expense on the exhibitor’s side. We 

listened to our partner cinemas, especially 

after the pandemic, about being more 

flexible and inclusive in the programming 

and distribution of our content. That’s 

why our leadership group decided to 

drop that requirement. We still have 1,100 

theaters and 2,200 screens out there with 

that technology installed. In order to reach 

more screens, however, as we did with 

“The Chosen,” one of our biggest hits, we 

needed to expand into distributing content 

via digital content package (DCP). We 

called that program “DCP Only,” and it has 

allowed a lot of exhibitors—basically any 

cinema with a digital projector—to book 

our content as if it were any other movie 

on their screens. That’s the primary reason 

why you’ve seen that expansion in our 

network of theaters. 

Part of that growth has also been into 

international territories. Have you 

seen any success outside the U.S.? 

Yes, we have—and it’s been a great learning 

experience for us as well. While we 

have distributed content in 45 countries 

in the past and often extend into Canada, 

we are working to extend that reach in 

2023. For example, late in 2022 we brought 

“The Chosen” to the U.K., Ireland, Canada, 

Australia, and New Zealand. 

Leaving the big news for last here, 

Fathom Events announced at 

CinemaCon that it’ll be entering the 

world of specialty distribution. What 

can you tell us about this new project? 

We will always be an event cinema 

company but there’s an evolution going 

on—from alternative content years ago 

to event cinema today—and leading to a 

future for Fathom that will include going 

into specialty distribution. We’re going 

to be taking a handful of films that aren’t 

necessarily going to play for one or two 

nights, the way event cinema distribution 

usually does. Take a picture like The Blind, 

for example, a biopic on Phil Robertson, 

from the “Duck Dynasty” TV series, which 

we’ll be releasing September 28 for a full 

week with at least two showtimes per day. 

That is the sort of model we’re going to be 

exploring. Most of our content will still 

be one or two nights, but there are a lot of 

filmmakers out there that want to release 

their movies through Fathom versus 

other distributors. These are releases 

that we expect to gross around $5 million 

and up. We’re very excited to take on this 

new adventure in specialty distribution 

through the rest of this year. 


83

ON SCREEN EVENT CINEMA CALENDAR 

EVENT CINEMA 

CALENDAR 

Updated through May 31, 2023. 

Contact distributors for latest listings 

EXHIBITION ON SCREEN 

HOPPER: AM AMERICAN LOVE 

STORY 

Available Now 

Genre: Art 

CÉZANNE: PORTRAITS OF A LIFE 

Available Now 

Genre: Art 

MARY CASSATT: PAINTING THE 

MODERN WOMAN 

Available Now 

Genre: Art 

VERMEER - THE BLOCKBUSTER 

EXHIBITION 

Available Now 

Genre: Art 

TOKYO STORIES 

Available Now 

Genre: Art 

PISSARRO: FATHER OF 

IMPRESSIONISM 

Available Now 

Genre: Art 

FATHOM EVENTS 

855-473-4612 

NAUSICAÄ OF THE VALLEY OF THE 

WIND – STUDIO GHIBLI FEST 2023 

Jul. 9, Jul. 11 

Genre: Anime 

CASTLE IN THE SKY – STUDIO 

GHIBLI FEST 2023 

Jul. 10, Jul. 12 

Genre: Anime 

NATIONAL LAMPOON’S 

VACATION 40TH ANNIVERSARY 

PRESENTED BY TCM 

Jul. 16, Jul. 19 

Genre: Classics 

DEMON SLAYER: KIMETSU NO 

YAIBA ON STAGE 

Jul. 18 

Genre: Anime 

MET SUMMER ENCORE: 

AKHNATEN 

Jul. 26 

Genre: Opera 

MET SUMMER ENCORE: IL 

TROVATORE 

Aug. 2 

Genre: Opera 

PRINCESS MONONOKE – STUDIO 

GHIBLI FEST 2023 

Aug. 5-9 

Genre: Anime 

MET SUMMER ENCORE: IL 

BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA 

Aug. 9 

Genre: Opera 

DCI 2023: BIG, LOUD & LIVE 

Aug. 10 

Genre: Performing Arts 

ENTER THE DRAGON 50TH 

ANNIVERSARY PRESENTED BY 

TCM 

Aug. 13, Aug. 16 


METS SUMMER ENCORE: EUGENE 

ONEGIN 

Aug. 16 

Genre: Opera 

RIFFTRAX LIVE: RAD 

Aug. 17 

Genre: Comedy 

PORCO ROSSO – STUDIO GHIBLI 

FEST 2023 

Aug. 20, Aug. 22 

Genre: Anime 

THE WIND RISES 10TH 

ANNIVERSARY – STUDIO GHIBLI 


Aug. 21, Aug. 23 

Genre: Anime 

GOLDA 

Aug. 23 

Genre: Premiere 

RENÉE FLEMING’S CITIES THAT 

SING: PARIS 

Aug. 26 


RENÉE FLEMING’S CITIES THAT 

SING: VENICE 

Sept. 16 


RAIN MAN 35TH ANNIVERSARY 


Sept. 17, Sept. 20 


HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE – 

STUDIO GHIBLI FEST 2023 

Sept. 23-27 

Genre: Anime 

THE BLIND 

Sept. 28-Oct. 5 

Genre: Premiere 

THE BIRDS 60TH ANNIVERSARY 


Oct. 22, Oct. 25 


SPIRITED AWAY – STUDIO GHIBLI 


Oct. 28-31, Nov. 1 

Genre: Anime 

SCARFACE 40TH ANNIVERSARY 


Nov. 12, Nov. 15 


A CHRISTMAS STORY 40TH 

ANNIVERSARY PRESENTED BY 

TCM 

Dec. 10, Dec. 13 


ICONIC EVENTS 

iconicreleasing.com 

MET Summer Encore: Akhnaten 

ZIGGY STARDUST & THE SPIDERS 

FROM MARS: THE MOTION 

PICTURE 50TH ANNIVERSARY 

Jul. 9, Jul. 10 

Genre: Music 

TERRIFIER (EVENT) 

Jul. 19 

Genre: Horror 

UFC 291 

Aug. 19 

Genre: Sports 

SATANIC HISPANICS 

Sept. 14 

Genre: Horror 

UFC 294 

Oct. 21 

Genre: Sports 

TRAFALGAR RELEASING 

trafalgar-releasing.com 

ODESZA: THE LAST GOODBYE 

CINEMATIC EXPERIENCE 

Jul. 7 

Genre: Music 

METALLICA: M72 WORLD TOUR 

LIVE FROM ARLINGTON, TX – A 

TWO NIGHT EVENT 

Aug. 18, Aug. 20 

Genre: Music 

OKLAHOMA! STARRING HUGH 

JACKMAN 

Jul. 16 

Genre: Musical 


Join Us! 

Where Hollywood 

Meets the Heartland 

Be a part of the Midwest’s largest convention 

for exhibitors, vendors & studios. 

September 26-28, 2023 | Grand Geneva Resort & Spa | Lake Geneva, WI 

Save the 

Date! 

Sept. 26-28 

Screenings | Seminars | Awards | Trade Show | Variety Charity Golf Outing 

Presented by 

2023 Geneva Convention 

September 26-28, 2023 | Grand Geneva Resort & Spa | Lake Geneva, Wisconsin 

Register at GenevaConvention.com or call 262-532-0017 

Official Media Sponsor

BOOKING 

GUIDE 

Release calendar for theatrical 

distribution in North America 

Release dates are updated through May 31, 2023. 

Please consult distributors to confirm latest listings. 

20TH CENTURY STUDIOS 

310-369-1000 

212-556-2400 

A HAUNTING IN VENICE 

Fri, 9/15/23 WIDE 

Director: Kenneth Branagh 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Cri/Dra 

Specs: Imax 

THE CREATOR 

Fri, 9/29/23 WIDE 

Stars: Gemma Chan, Allison Janney 

Director: Gareth Edwards 

Rating: PG-13 

Genre: Rom/SF/Dra 

Specs: Imax 

KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF 

THE APES 

Fri, 5/24/24 WIDE 

Rating: NR 

Genre: SF 

AVATAR 3 

Fri, 12/20/24 WIDE 

Director: James Cameron 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Act/Fan/SF 

AVATAR 4 

Fri, 12/18/26 WIDE 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Act/Adv/SF 

AVATAR 5 

Fri, 12/22/28 WIDE 

Rating: NR 

A24 

646-568-6015 

EARTH MAMA 

Fri, 7/4/23 LTD 

Stars: Tia Nomore, Erika Alexander 

Director: Savanah Leaf 

Rating: R 

Genre: Dra 

TALK TO ME 

Fri, 7/28/23 LTD 

Stars: Sophie Wilde, Miranda Otto 

Directors: Danny Philippou, 

Michael Philippou 

Rating: R 

Genre: Hor 

PROBLEMISTA 

Fri, 8/4/23 LTD 

Stars: Julio Torres, Tilda Swinton 

Director: Julio Torres 

Rating: R 

Genre: Com 

COHEN MEDIA GROUP 

Justin DiPietro 

justin@cohenmedia.net 

BETWEEN TWO WORLDS 

Fri, 8/11/23 LTD 

Stars: Juliette Binoche, 

Hélène Lampert 

Director: Emmanuel Carrère 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Dra 

DISNEY 

818-560-1000 

Ask for Distribution 

INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL 

OF DESTINY 

Fri, 6/30/23 WIDE 

Stars: Harrison Ford, 

Phoebe Waller-Bridge 

Director: James Mangold 

Rating: PG-13 

Genre: Act/Adv 

Specs: Imax, Dolby Vis/Atmos 

HAUNTED MANSION 

Fri, 7/28/23 WIDE 

Stars: LaKeith Stanfield, 

Tiffany Haddish 

Director: Justin Simien 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Hor 

Specs: Dolby Vis/Atmos 

HAUNTED MANSION 

Fri, 7/28/23 WIDE 

THE MARVELS 

Wed, 11/10/23 WIDE 

Stars: Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris 

Director: Nia DaCosta 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Act/SF/Fan 



87

ON SCREEN BOOKING GUIDE 

FOCUS FEATURES 

EVERY BODY 

Fri, 6/30/23 LTD 

Stars: Julie Cohen 

Rating: R 

Genre: Doc 


Fri, 9/8/23 WIDE 

Stars: Nia Vardalos, John Corbett 

Director: Nia Vardalos 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Com 

DRIVE-AWAY DOLLS 

Fri, 9/22/23 WIDE 

Stars: Margaret Qualley, 

Geraldine Viswanathan 

Director: Ethan Coen 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Com 



WISH 

Wed, 11/22/23 WIDE 

Stars: Ariana DeBose, Chris Pine 

Director: Chris Buck 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Ani 

UNTITLED DISNEY 2023 

Fri, 12/1/23 WIDE 

Rating: NR 

UNTITLED DISNEY 2024 1 

Wed, 2/14/24 WIDE 

Rating: NR 

ELIO 


Rating: NR 

Specs: Ani 

DISNEY’S SNOW WHITE 

Fri, 3/22/24 WIDE 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Fan 

CAPTAIN AMERICA: NEW WORLD 

ORDER 


Stars: Anthony Mackie 

Director: Julius Onah 

Rating: NR 


INSIDE OUT 2 

Fri, 6/14/24 WIDE 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Ani 

MUFASA: THE LION KING 


Rating: NR 

Genre: Ani 

THUNDERBOLTS 

Fri, 7/26/24 WIDE 

Stars: Jake Schreier 

Rating: NR 



Fri, 7/26/24 WIDE 

Rating: NR 

BLADE 


Stars: Mahershala Ali 

Rating: NR 


UNTITLED DEADPOOL MOVIE 

Fri, 11/8/24 WIDE 

Stars: Ryan Reynolds, 

Hugh Jackman 

Rating: NR 


UNTITLED DISNEY ANIMATION 

2024 

Wed, 11/27/24 WIDE 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Ani 

FANTASTIC FOUR 

Fri, 2/14/25 WIDE 

Rating: NR 



Fri, 4/11/25 WIDE 

Rating: NR 

AVENGERS: THE KANG DYNASTY 


Director: Destin Daniel Cretton 

Rating: NR 



Fri, 5/23/25 WIDE 

Rating: NR 

UNITTLED PIXAR 

Fri, 6/13/25 WIDE 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Ani 


Wed, 7/2/25 WIDE 

Rating: NR 

UNTITLED MARVEL 2025 1 

Fri, 7/25/25 WIDE 

Rating: NR 



Fri, 8/15/25 WIDE 

Rating: NR 

UNTITLED DISNEY ANIMATION 

2025 

Fri, 11/26/25 WIDE 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Ani 

THE HOLDOVERS 

Fri, 11/10/23 LTD 

Stars: Paul Giamatti, 

Da’Vine Joy Randolph 

Director: Alexander Payne 

Rating: R 

Genre: Com 

IFC FILMS 

bookings@ifcfilms.com 

BIOSPHERE 

Fri, 7/7/23 LTD 

Stars: Mark Duplass, 

Sterling K. Brown 

Director: Mel Eslyn 

Rating: NR 

Genre: SF/Dra/Com 

LAKOTA NATION VS UNITED 

STATES 

Fri, 7/14/23 LTD 

Stars: Jesse Short Bull, 

Laura Tomaselli 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Doc 

WHAT COMES AROUND 

Fri, 8/4/23 LTD 

Stars: Grace Van Dien, 

Summer Phoenix 

Director: Amy Redford 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Thr 

BIRTH/REBIRTH 

Fri, 8/18/23 LTD 

Stars: Judy Reyes, Marin Ireland 

Director: Laura Moss 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Hor 



Rating: NR 


KINO LORBER 

Maxwell Wolkin 

mwolkin@kinolorber.com 

FINAL CUT 

Fri, 7/14/23 LTD 

Stars: Romain Duris, Bérénice Bejo 

Director: Michel Hazanavicius 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Hor/Com 

TOKYO POP (4K RESTORATION) 

Fri, 8/4/23 LTD 

Stars: Carrie Hamilton, 

Diamond Yukai 

Director: Fran Rubel Kuzui 

Rating: R 

Genre: Com 

SCRAPPER 

Fri, 8/25/23 LTD 

Stars: Harris Dickinson, 

Lola Campbell 

Director: Charlotte Regan 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Com/Dra 

RADICAL WOLFE 

Fri, 9/15/23 LTD 

Stars: Michael Lewis, Jann Wenner 

Director: Richard Dewey 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Doc 

LIONSGATE 

310-309-8400 

JOY RIDE 


Stars: Ashley Park, Sherry Cola 

Director: Adele Lim 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Com 

THE HUNGER GAMES: THE 

BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS AND 

SNAKES 

Fri, 11/17/23 WIDE 

Director: Francis Lawrence 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Act 

IMAGINARY 


UNTITLED DIRTY DANCING 

SEQUEL 


Stars: Jennifer Grey 

Director: Jonathan Levine 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Dra/Rom 

BALLERINA 


Stars: Ana de Armas, Anjelica Huston 

Director: Len Wiseman 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Act 

MAGNOLIA PICTURES 

212-379-9704 

Neal Block: nblock@magpictures.com 

THE LEAGUE 

Fri, 7/14/23 WIDE 

Director: Sam Pollard 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Doc 

KOKOMO CITY 

Fri, 7/28/23 WIDE 

Director: D. Smith 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Doc 

A COMPASSIONATE SPY 


Director: Steve James 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Doc 

OPEN ROAD FILMS / 

BRIARCLIFF ENTERTAINMENT 

THE HILL 

Fri, 8/18/23 WIDE 

Stars: Dennis Quaid, Colin Ford 

Director: Jeff Celentano 

Rating: PG 

Genre: Dra 

PARAMOUNT 

323-956-5000 

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - DEAD 

RECKONING PART ONE 

Wed, 7/12/23 WIDE 

Stars: Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames 

Director: Christopher McQuarrie 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Act 

Imax, Dolby Vis/Atmos 

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA 

TURTLES: MUTANT MAYHEM 


Stars: Micah Abbey, 

Shamon Brown Jr 

Director: Jeff Rowe 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Ani 

PAW PATROL: THE MIGHTY 

MOVIE 

Fri, 9/29/23 WIDE 

Stars: Taraji P. Henson, Kristen Bell 

Director: Cal Brunker 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Ani 

KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON 

Fri, 10/6/23 LTD 

Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, 

Lily Gladstone 

Director: Martin Scorsese 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Wes/Dra 

Specs: Imax 

UNTITLED BOB MARLEY 

Fri, 1/12/24 WIDE 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Bio 

THE TIGER’S APPRENTICE 

Fri, 1/19/24 WIDE 

Stars: Henry Golding 

Director: Raman Hui 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Ani 

A QUIET PLACE: DAY ONE 


Director: Michael Sarnoski 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Hor 

IF 

Fri, 5/24/24 WIDE 

Stars: John Krasinski, 

Ryan Reynolds 

Director: John Krasinski 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Com/Fan 

WHITE BIRD: A WONDER STORY 

Fri, 8/18/23 LTD 

Stars: Bryce Gheisar, Ariella Glaser 

Director: Marc Forster 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Dra/Fam 

THE EXPENDABLES 4 

Fri, 9/22/23 WIDE 

Stars: Jason Statham, 

Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson 

Director: Scott Waugh 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Act 

ORDINARY ANGELS 

Fri, 10/13/23 WIDE 

Stars: Hilary Swank, Alan Ritchson 

Director: Jon Gunn 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Dra 

UNTITLED SAW 

Fri, 10/27/23 WIDE 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Hor 

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - DEAD RECKONING PART ONE 

Wed, 7/12/23 WIDE 


89


MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 8 

Fri, 6/28/24 WIDE 

Stars: Tom Cruise 

Director: Christopher McQuarrie 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Act 

TRANSFORMERS ONE 

Fri, 9/13/24 WIDE 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Ani 

UNTITLED GLADIATOR SEQUEL 

Fri, 11/22/24 WIDE 

Stars: Paul Mescal 

Director: Ridley Scott 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Act/Dra 

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3 

Fri, 12/20/24 WIDE 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Act 

THE SMURFS MOVIE 

Fri, 2/14/24 WIDE 

Stars: Rihanna 

Director: Chris Miller 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Ani/Mus 

UNTITLED ANIMATED 

SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS FILM 

Fri, 5/23/25 WIDE 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Ani 

UNTITLED AANG AVATAR FILM 

Fri, 10/10/25 WIDE 

Rating: NR 

RLJE FILMS 

SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL 

Fri, 7/28/23 LTD 

Stars: Nicolas Cage, Joel Kinnaman 

Director: Yuval Adler 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Thr 

THE DIVE 

Fri, 8/25/23 LTD 

Stars: Sophie Lowe, Louisa Kraus 

Director: Max Erlenwein 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Thr 

SAMUEL GOLDWYN FILMS 

THE OUTLAW JOHNNY BLACK 

Fri, 9/15/23 LTD 

Stars: Michael Jai White, 

Anika Noni Rose 

Director: Michael Jai White 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Wes 

SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES 

212-556-2400 

THEATER CAMP 

Fri, 7/14/23 LTD 

Stars: Molly Gordon, Ben Platt 

Directors: Molly Gordon, 

Nick Lieberman 

Rating: PG-13 

Genre: Com 

POOR THINGS 

Fri, 9/8/23 LTD 

Stars: Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe 

Director: Yorgos Lanthimos 

Rating: R 

Genre: Rom/SF 

NEXT GOAL WINS 

Fri, 9/22/23 WIDE 

Stars: Elisabeth Moss, 

Michael Fassbender 

Director: Taika Waititi 

Rating: PG-13 

Genre: Com 

MAGAZINE DREAMS 

Fri, 12/8/23 LTD 

Stars: Jonathan Majors, 

Haley Bennett 

Director: Elijah Bynum 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Dra 

SONY 

212-833-8500 

NO HARD FEELINGS 

Fri, 6/23/23 WIDE 

Stars: Jennifer Lawrence 

Director: Gene Stupnitsky 

Rating: R 

Genre: Com 

Specs: Dolby Atmos 

INSIDIOUS: THE RED DOOR 


Stars: Ty Simpkins, Patrick Wilson 

Director: Patrick Wilson 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Hor 

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PSYCHO-PASS: PROVIDENCE 

Fri, 7/14/23 WIDE 

Stars: Kana Hanazawa, 

Hidaka Noriko 

Director: Naoyoshi Shiotani 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Ani 

GRAN TURISMO 

Fri, 8/11/23 WIDE 

Stars: David Harbour, Orlando Bloom 

Director: Neill Blomkamp 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Dra 


THE EQUALIZER 3 


Stars: Denzel Washington, 

Dakota Fanning 

Director: Antoine Fuqua 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Act/Thr 

Specs: Imax, Dolby Atmos 

THE BOOK OF CLARENCE 

Fri, 9/22/23 WIDE 

Stars: LaKeith Stanfiel, Omar Sy 

Director: Jeymes Samuel 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Adv/Dra 

KRAVEN THE HUNTER 

Fri, 10/6/23 WIDE 

Stars: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, 

Russell Crowe 

Director: J.C. Chandor 

Rating: NR 


Specs: Imax 

DUMB MONEY 

Fri, 10/20/23 WIDE 

Director: Craig Gillespie 

Rating: NR 


JOURNEY TO BETHLEHEM 

Fri, 11/10/23 WIDE 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Mus 

THANKSGIVING 

Fri, 11/17/23 WIDE 

Stars: Patrick Dempsey, Nell Verlaque 

Director: Eli Roth 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Hor 

NAPOLEON 

Wed, 11/22/23 LTD 

Stars: Joaquin Phoenix, 

Vanessa Kirby 

Director: Ridley Scott 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Dra/His 

Specs: Imax 

INSIDIOUS: THE RED DOOR 


ANYONE BUT YOU 

Fri, 12/15/23 WIDE 

Stars: Sydney Sweeney, Glen Powell 

Director: Will Gluck 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Rom/Com 

GHOSTBUSTERS SEQUEL 

Wed, 12/20/23 WIDE 

Director: Gil Kenan 

Rating: NR 

EL MUERTO 

Fri, 1/12/24 WIDE 

Stars: Bad Bunny 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Act/Adv/Fan 

Specs: Imax 

MADAME WEB 

Fri, 2/16/24 WIDE 

Stars: Dakota Johnson 

Director: S.J. Clarkson 

Rating: NR 


Specs: Imax, Dolby Atmos 

SPIDER-MAN: BEYOND THE 

SPIDER-VERSE 

Fri, 3/29/24 WIDE 

Stars: Oscar Isaac, Shameik Moore 

Directors: Joaquim Dos Santos, 

Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Ani 

Specs: Imax 

MY EX-FRIENDS WEDDING 

Fri, 5/10/24 WIDE 

Stars: Ariana DeBose, 

Chloe Fineman 

Director: Kay Cannon 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Com 

GARFIELD 

Fri, 5/24/24 WIDE 

Stars: Chris Pratt, Samuel L. Jackson 

Director: Mark Dindal 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Ani 

KARATE KID 


Rating: NR 

Genre: Act 


HORRORSCOPE 

Fri, 6/28/24 WIDE 

Stars: Harriet Slater, Adain Bradley 

Directors: Spenser Cohen, 

Anna Halberg 

Rating: NR 

Specs: Hor 

UNTITLED SONY/MARVEL 

UNIVERSE 

Fri, 7/12/24 WIDE 

Rating: NR 


HAROLD AND THE PURPLE 

CRAYON 


Stars: Zachary Levi, Zooey Deschanel 

Director: Carlos Saldanha 

Rating: PG 

Genre: Fam 

UNTITLED KENDRICK BROTHERS 

FILM 

Fri, 8/23/24 WIDE 

Director: Alex Kendrick 

Rating: NR 

THEY LISTEN 

Fri, 8/30/24 WIDE 

Stars: John Cho, 

Katherine Waterston 

Director: Chris Weitz 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Hor 

SONY PICTURES CLASSICS 

Tom Prassis 

212-833-4981 

SHORTCOMINGS 

Fri, 8/4/22 LTD 

Stars: Justin H. Min, Sherry Cola 

Director: Randall Park 

Rating: NR 


MGM 

310-724-5678 

Ask for Distribution 

CHALLENGERS 

Fri, 8/11/23 WIDE 

Stars: Zendaya, Josh O’Connor 

Director: Luca Guadagnino 

Rating: R 

Genre: Dra 

THE UNDERDOGGS 

Fri, 10/20/23 WIDE 

Stars: Snoop Dogg 

Director: Charles Stone III 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Com 


91


SPEAK NO EVIL 


Stars: James McAvoy 

Director: James Watkins 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Hor 

UNTITLED BLUMHOUSE 

PRODUCTIONS PROJECT 2024 1 

Fri, 9/13/24 WIDE 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Hor 

UNTITLED MONKEYPAW 

HORROR/THRILLER 

Fri, 9/27/24 WIDE 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Hor/Thr 

RUBY GILLMAN, TEENAGE KRAKEN 

Fri, 6/30/23 WIDE 

UNIVERSAL 

818-777-1000 

RUBY GILLMAN, TEENAGE KRAKEN 

Fri, 6/30/23 WIDE 

Stars: Lana Condor, 

Jaboukie Young-White 

Director: Kirk DeMicco 

Rating: PG 

Genre: Ani 


OPPENHEIMER 

Fri, 7/21/23 WIDE 

Stars: Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt 

Director: Christopher Nolan 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Dra/War 


THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE 

DEMETER 

Fri, 8/11/23 WIDE 

Stars: Corey Hawkins, 

Aisling Franciosi 

Director: André Øvredal 

Rating: R 

Genre: Hor 

STRAYS 

Fri, 8/18/23 WIDE 

Stars: Will Ferrell, Jamie Foxx 

Director: Josh Greenbaum 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Com 

THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER 

Fri, 10/13/23 WIDE 

Stars: Ellen Burstyn, Leslie Odom Jr. 

Director: David Gordon Green 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Hor 

Specs: Imax 

FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S 

Fri, 10/27/23 WIDE 

Stars: Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Lail 

Director: Emma Tammi 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Hor 

TROLLS BAND TOGETHER 

Fri, 11/17/23 WIDE 

Stars: Anna Kendrick, 

Justin Timberlake 

Director: Walt Dohrn 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Ani 

MIGRATION 

Fri, 12/22/23 WIDE 

Stars: Kumail Nanjiani, 

Elizabeth Banks 

Director: Benjamin Renner 

Rating: PG 

Genre: Ani 

NIGHT SWIM 


Stars: Wyatt Russell, Kerry Condon 

Directors: Bryce McGuire, 

Rod Blackhurst 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Hor 

UNTITLED UNIVERSAL EVENT FILM 

2024 1 

Wed, 2/14/24 WIDE 

Rating: NR 

THE FALL GUY 


Stars: Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt 

Director: David Leitch 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Act 

KUNG FU PANDA 4 


Rating: NR 

Genre: Ani 


2024 2 


Director: M. Night Shyamalan 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Thr 


2024 3 

Fri, 4/19/24 WIDE 


2024 4 

Fri, 5/17/24 WIDE 

Rating: NR 


2024 5 

Fri, 6/21/24 WIDE 

Rating: NR 

DESPICABLE ME 4 


Stars: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig 

Director: Chris Renaud 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Ani 

TWISTERS 

Fri, 7/19/24 WIDE 

Director: Lee Isaac Chung 

Rating: NR 


UNTITLED BLUMHOUSE 

PRODUCTIONS PROJECT 2024 2 

Fri, 10/18/24 WIDE 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Hor 

WICKED PART 1 

Wed, 11/27/24 WIDE 

Stars: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo 

Director: Jon M. Chu 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Mus 

UNTITLED FOURTH FILM 

DIRECTED BY JORDAN PEELE 

Wed, 12/25/24 WIDE 

Director: Jordan Peele 

Rating: NR 

M3GAN 2.0 

Fri, 1/17/25 WIDE 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Thr/Hor 


2025 1 

Fri, 2/14/25 WIDE 

Rating: NR 

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 

Fri, 3/14/25 WIDE 

Director: Dean DeBlois 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Act 


2025 2 

Fri, 4/11/25 WIDE 

Rating: NR 

UNTITLED BLUMHOUSE EVENT 

FILM 2025 2 

Fri, 4/18/25 WIDE 

Rating: NR 


2025 3 

Fri, 6/13/25 WIDE 

Rating: NR 



2025 4 


Rating: NR 

UNTITLED UNIVERSAL ANIMATED 

EVENT FILM 2025 

Fri, 9/26/25 WIDE 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Ani 

UNTITLED BLUMHOUSE EVENT 

FILM 2025 2 

Fri, 10/17/25 WIDE 

Rating: NR 

UNTITLED UNIVERSAL FAMILY 

EVENT FILM 2025 

Fri, 11/21/25 WIDE 

Rating: NR 

Fam 

WICKED PART 2 

Thr, 12/25/25 WIDE 

Stars: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo 

Director: Jon M. Chu 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Mus 

VERTICAL ENTERTAINMENT 

A SOUTHERN HAUNTING 

Fri, 6/30/2023 LTD 

Stars: Imani Hakim, Tarik Lowe 

Directors: Tyrone Huff, MJ Anderson 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Thr/Dra 

SUSIE SEARCHES 


Stars: Kiersey Clemons, Alex Wolff 

Director: Sophie Kargman 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Com 

THE POD GENERATION 


Stars: Emilia Clarke, Chiwetel Ejiofor 

Director: Sophie Barthes 

Rating: PG-13 

Genre: Rom/Com/SF 

WARNER BROS. 

818-977-1850 

BARBIE 

Fri, 7/21/23 WIDE 

Stars: Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling 

Director: Greta Gerwig 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Com 


MEG 2: THE TRENCH 


Stars: Jason Statham, Wu Jing 

Director: Ben Wheatley 

Rating: PG-13 

Genre: Act 


BLUE BEETLE 

Fri, 8/18/23 WIDE 

Stars: Xolo Maridueña 

Director: Angel Manuel Soto 

Rating: NR 

Genre: SF/Fan/Act 


THE NUN 2 


Stars: Storm Reid 

Director: Michael Chaves 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Hor 

Specs: Imax 

DUNE: PART TWO 

Fri, 11/3/23 WIDE 

Stars: Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya 

Director: Denis Villeneuve 

Rating: NR 

Genre: SF 

Specs: Imax 

WONKA 

Fri, 12/15/23 WIDE 

Stars: Timothée Chalamet 

Director: Paul King 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Fan 

Specs: Imax 

AQUAMAN AND THE LOST 

KINGDOM 

Fri, 12/20/23 WIDE 

Stars: Jason Momoa, Patrick Wilson 

Director: James Wan 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Act/SF/Fan 


BARBIE 

Fri, 7/21/23 WIDE 


93


DUNE: PART TWO 

Fri, 11/3/23 WIDE 

THE COLOR PURPLE 

Fri, 12/25/23 WIDE 

Stars: Corey Hawkins, 

Taraji P. Henson 

Director: Blitz Bazawule 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Mus 

THE WISE GUYS 


Stars: Robert De Niro, 

Debra Messing 

Director: Barry Levinson 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Dra 

GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW 

EMPIRE 

Fri, 3/15/24 WIDE 

Director: Adam Wingard 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Act/SF 

Specs: Imax 

MICKEY 17 

Fri, 3/29/24 WIDE 

Stars: Robert Pattinson, Steven Yeun 

Director: Bong Joon Ho 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Act/Dra/SF 

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE 

WAR OF THE ROHIRRIM 

Fri, 4/12/24 WIDE 

Director: Kenji Kamiyama 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Ani/Fan 

FURIOSA 

Fri, 5/24/24 WIDE 

Stars: Anya Taylor-Joy, 

Chris Hemsworth 

Director: George Miller 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Act 

THE WATCHERS 


Director: Ishana Night Shyamalan 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Thr 

UNTITLED DC EVENT FILM 2024 

Fri, 6/21/24 WIDE 

Rating: NR 

UNTITLED NEW LINE HORROR 

EVENT FILM 2024 1 

Fri, 7/12/24 WIDE 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Hor 

TRAP 


Director: M. Night Shyamalan 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Thr 

BEETLEUICE 2 


Stars: Michael Keaton, 

Jenna Ortega 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Com 

JOKER: FOLIE À DEUX 

Fri, 10/4/24 WIDE 

Stars: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga 

Director: Todd Phillips 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Dra/Thr 

UNTITLED WB EVENT FILM 2024 

Fri, 11/8/24 WIDE 

Rating: NR 

UNTITLED NEW LINE EVENT FILM 

2024 4 

Fri, 12/20/24 WIDE 

Rating: NR 

MINECRAFT 


Stars: Jason Momoa 

Director: Jared Hess 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Ani 

SUPERMAN: LEGACY 

Fri, 7/25/25 WIDE 

Director: James Gunn 

Rating: NR 


THE BATMAN PART II 

Fri, 10/3/25 WIDE 

Stars: Robert Pattinson 

Director: Matt Reeves 

Rating: NR 


UNTITLED WB EVENT FILM 2025 

Fri, 12/19/25 WIDE 

WELL GO USA 

ENTERTAINMENT 

WARHORSE ONE 


Stars: Johnny Strong, 

Athena Dumer 

Directors: William Kaufman, 

Johnny Strong 

Rating: NR 

Genre: Act/War 

XYZ FILMS 

GOD IS A BULLET 

Fri, 6/23/23 WIDE 

Stars: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, 

Maika Monroe 

Director: Nick Cassavetes 

Rating: R 



St. Jude patient 

Eri’Elle 

Big Screen. Bigger Cause. 

When St. Jude opened in 1962, childhood cancer was considered incurable. Since then, St. Jude has 

helped push the overall survival rate from 20% to more than 80%, and we won’t stop until no child 

dies from cancer. But we can’t do it without your powerful partnership. By pairing movie exhibitors 

with some of Hollywood’s brightest stars, St. Jude is harnessing the power of the silver screen to 

accomplish a truly marvelous mission: Finding cures. Saving children. ® 

For more information, please visit stjude.org/theaters 

or email chance.weaver@alsac.stjude.org. 

©2023 ALSAC/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (MCC-8340)

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Image Credits & Acknowledgments 

Cover: Photo courtesy Nordisk Film Cinemas 

Page 5: ©2022 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved. 

Page 6: Photo courtesy Nordisk Film Cinemas 

Page 11: Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for CinemaCon 

Page 12: Photos courtesy NATO 


Page 16: Courtesy Studio Movie Grill 

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CinemaCon 

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Page 31: Photo courtesy Nordisk Film Cinemas 

Page 34: Photos courtesy of Daniel Loria (top), 

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Page 35-37: Photos courtesy companies’ respective chains 

Pages 40–42: Interior shots by Jan Bitter; photos courtesy 

Flebbe Services GMBH 

Pages 44–48: Courtesy Warner Bros. 

Pages 50–53: Photos Courtesy Nordisk Film Cinemas 

Pages 54: Photos courtesy Karen Harms (Kadri Kaldma) and 

Gold Award recipients 

Pages 59: Photo courtesy Paramount Pictures and Skydance 

Page 60-61: PHOTO BY ERIC CHARBONNEAU 

Page 62: Photo by Macall Polay, © 2023 CTMG, Inc. 

All Rights Reserved. 

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Inc. All Rights Reserved. 

Page 88: Credit: Courtesy of Yannis Drakoulidis / 


Page 89: Photo courtesy Paramount Pictures and Skydance 

Page 91: Photo by Screen Gems. © 2023 CTMG, 


Page 92: © 2023 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved. 

Page 93: Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures 

Page 94: Photo by Niko Tavernise. © 2023 Warner Bros. 

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