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$6.95 /August/September <strong>2024</strong><br />

®<br />

GIANTS<br />

OF<br />

EXHIBITION<br />

<strong>2024</strong><br />

The Official Magazine of the National Association of Theatre Owners<br />

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ox_24_july.indd 2 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:23:12


August/September <strong>2024</strong><br />

CONTENTS<br />

08<br />

In Memoriam:<br />

George Rouman<br />

Celebrating the Life<br />

of a Champion<br />

of Independent Exhibition<br />

20<br />

CineEurope <strong>2024</strong> Recap<br />

Scatisti ssectecto dusda<br />

es velestor am vel est,<br />

excerum faccum consedis<br />

acestiusam, eat odia<br />

24<br />

Cinema Advertising<br />

How the Preshow<br />

is Helping Exhibitors<br />

Through a Tumultuous<br />

Post-Strike Recovery<br />

33<br />

Giants of Exhibition<br />

Our Annual Ranking<br />

of the Top 50 Circuits<br />

in North America<br />

50<br />

Canadian Colossus<br />

Interview with Cineplex<br />

CEO Ellis Jacob<br />

54<br />

A Midwest Major<br />

Interview with Marcus<br />

Corp. CEO Greg Marcus<br />

August/September <strong>2024</strong> 1<br />

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CONTENTS<br />

INDUSTRY<br />

8 In Memoriam<br />

Remembering George Rouman,<br />

a Champion of Independent<br />

Exhibition<br />

10 Trade Talk<br />

16 Charity Spotlight<br />

A Recap of Industry-Wide<br />

Charity Initiatives<br />

20 CineEurope <strong>2024</strong><br />

Europe’s Largest Exhibition<br />

Conference Takes<br />

Center Stage in Barcelona<br />

24 Cinema Advertising<br />

How the Preshow is Helping<br />

Exhibitors Perservere Through the<br />

Tumultuous Post-Strike Recovery<br />

THEATER<br />

33 Giants of Exhibition<br />

Our Annual Ranking<br />

of the 50 Largest Circuits<br />

in North America<br />

50 Canadian Colossus<br />

Interview with Cineplex<br />

CEO Ellis Jabob<br />

54 A Midwest Major<br />

Interview with Marcus Corp.<br />

CEO Greg Marcus<br />

ON SCREEN<br />

60 Event Cinema Calendar<br />

A Sampling of Event Cinema<br />

Programming Hitting<br />

the Big Screen in <strong>2024</strong><br />

62 Booking Guide<br />

116<br />

122<br />

128<br />

135<br />

136<br />

2 August/September <strong>2024</strong><br />

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VP ADVERTISING<br />

Patricia Martin<br />

DEPUTY EDITOR<br />

Rebecca Pahle<br />

CREATIVE DIRECTION<br />

Olivier Robert<br />

COPY EDITOR<br />

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STAFF WRITER<br />

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ADVERTISING<br />

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4 August/September <strong>2024</strong><br />

box_24_july.indd 4 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:23:19


EXECUTIVE LETTER<br />

BACK ON TRACK<br />

“With the toughest months<br />

of the year now behind<br />

us, we look forward with<br />

anticipation to a <strong>pro</strong>mising<br />

future—and new records<br />

to celebrate with all of our<br />

colleagues in the industry.”<br />

After months of grappling with the<br />

aftermath of Hollywood’s 2023 labor<br />

strikes, exhibitors braced themselves for a<br />

challenging <strong>2024</strong>. Early forecasts hinted<br />

at a downturn from 2023’s $9 billion, a<br />

fact any filmbooker could confirm with a<br />

cursory glance at the release schedule.<br />

Cinema operators had to bide their time<br />

until March to witness tentpoles like<br />

Warner Bros.’ Dune: Part Two and Sony’s<br />

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire—titles<br />

originally slated for Q4 2023—finally<br />

grace the screen. Production delays<br />

wreaked havoc in April and May, leading<br />

to inconsistent or disappointing results<br />

for the handful of titles that weren’t<br />

pushed deeper into the summer.<br />

Yet, amidst these challenges, the industry<br />

stood tall, a testament to its resilience<br />

and determination.<br />

June finally saw a return to a consistent<br />

and competitive release schedule with a<br />

steady flow of films that appeal to<br />

audiences. The month kicked off a<br />

strike-delayed summer movie season, with<br />

several blockbuster releases meeting and<br />

exceeding expectations. Sony’s Bad Boys<br />

Ride or Die, Paramount’s A Quiet Place:<br />

Day One, and Universal’s Despicable Me 4<br />

all delivered on their <strong>pro</strong>mise, but Disney’s<br />

Inside Out 2 reminded us what a mega-hit<br />

looks like. The first film to cross the $1<br />

billion benchmark at the global box office<br />

since Warner Bros.’ Barbie achieved that<br />

feat in the summer of 2023, Inside Out 2<br />

outperformed every expectation and<br />

breathed new life into the theatrical<br />

market. It also created a runway for<br />

Disney’s other box office behemoth of the<br />

summer, July’s Deadpool & Wolverine.<br />

Following a 2023 where Disney saw<br />

disappointing returns on its Pixar and<br />

Marvel releases, Inside Out 2 and Deadpool<br />

& Wolverine were precisely the films the<br />

industry needed to exceed expectations. It<br />

felt like we had finally turned a corner,<br />

returning to the positive momentum and<br />

excitement we last felt in the early weeks of<br />

last year’s Barbenheimer craze.<br />

The success of these films is more than<br />

just a financial victory; it’s a powerful<br />

affirmation of the communal experience<br />

that movie theaters <strong>pro</strong>vide. In this issue,<br />

we celebrate this resurgence with our<br />

Giants of Exhibition feature story, our<br />

annual ranking of the top 50 circuits in the<br />

domestic market by screen count.<br />

The circuits included in this year’s list<br />

have all persevered through the challenges<br />

that the Covid recovery—and subsequent<br />

labor strikes—have dealt to the moviegoing<br />

experience. Their efforts are a<br />

testament to the industry’s resilience in<br />

the face of adversity. Moreover, these<br />

chains have been instrumental in<br />

reimagining the moviegoing experience.<br />

Through initiatives such as premium large<br />

format auditoriums, cinema entertainment<br />

centers, expanded food and<br />

beverage concepts, and event cinema<br />

<strong>pro</strong>gramming, exhibitors have redefined<br />

the idea of cinemas for today’s public.<br />

With the toughest months of the year<br />

now behind us, we look forward with<br />

anticipation to a <strong>pro</strong>mising future—and<br />

new records to celebrate with all of our<br />

colleagues in the industry. Thank you for<br />

your unwavering support and passion for<br />

cinema. Here’s to many more shared<br />

experiences and unforgettable moments in<br />

theaters and to the exciting journey that<br />

lies ahead.<br />

DANIEL LORIA<br />

SVP Content Strategy and Editorial Director,<br />

Boxoffice Pro<br />

August/September <strong>2024</strong> 5<br />

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ox_24_july.indd 6 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:23:21


NATO 8 | Trade Talk 10 | Charity Spotlight 16 | CineEurope 20 | Cinema Advertising 24<br />

INDUSTRY<br />

“European cinema admissions increased by an estimated 21.6 percent in 2023,<br />

with 986 million visits across the region, nearing the one-billion mark. The box office<br />

reached 7.2 billion euros, an increase of 23.7 percent from the previous year.”<br />

CineEurope <strong>2024</strong> Takes the Stage, p. 20<br />

August/September <strong>2024</strong> 7<br />

box_24_july.indd 7 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:23:23


INDUSTRY | NATO<br />

From Left to Right:<br />

Geneva Convention<br />

co-chair<br />

John Scaletta, then-<br />

Will Rogers Motion<br />

Picture Pioneer<br />

Foundation<br />

Todd Vradenburg,<br />

and then-Marcus<br />

Theatres CEO<br />

Rolando Rodriguez,<br />

with George Rouman<br />

IN MEMORIAM:<br />

GEORGE ROUMAN<br />

George Rouman, 51, was born to Michael Rouman and Evdokia<br />

(Manolakos) Rouman on July 3, 1972, in Rhinelander, Wisconsin.<br />

He died on June 9, <strong>2024</strong>, in a tragic car accident.<br />

George grew up working at the State<br />

Theater in Downtown Rhinelander<br />

with his father, Michael, his mother,<br />

Evdokia, and sister, Patti. He did everything<br />

from selling tickets and concessions to<br />

operating the <strong>pro</strong>jectors. George graduated<br />

from Rhinelander High School (RHS) in<br />

1990, serving leadership positions for the<br />

senior class. He was cast in every play at RHS<br />

and two <strong>pro</strong>ductions at Nicolet College in<br />

Rhinelander. He also participated in<br />

forensics for four years.<br />

He then attended the University of<br />

Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where he began<br />

studying film and earned a degree in<br />

marketing. While at UW-Milwaukee,<br />

George was the school mascot for two<br />

seasons, challenging him not to talk while<br />

in character. Shortly after college, he<br />

worked as a college recruiter for Great<br />

America in Gurnee, Illinois. He traveled to<br />

job fairs and universities, talking to<br />

everybody who would listen about the<br />

opportunities at Great America. George<br />

loved the role of meeting people in new<br />

settings and was looking forward to doing<br />

international recruiting. The theater<br />

industry was changing then, and his<br />

family committed to building a new<br />

cinema in Rhinelander in early 2000.<br />

George chose the family business and<br />

decided to return to Rhinelander.<br />

For over 30 years, he followed in his<br />

father’s footsteps and channeled his<br />

dedication and hospitality—working hard<br />

and rarely taking a day off. He appreciated<br />

the business his family had created and<br />

was always looking for ways to build on<br />

new ideas. He was at the forefront of<br />

modernizing and installing cutting-edge<br />

technologies to im<strong>pro</strong>ve the moviegoing<br />

experience. Im<strong>pro</strong>ving the concessions<br />

options and experience was essential to<br />

George. He often called on his sister, Patti,<br />

for her thoughts and advice. George was<br />

the consummate showman, always<br />

thinking outside the box.<br />

In July 2005, he purchased the Fun<br />

Factory Sweet Shoppe. He relied on his<br />

mother, Evdokia, for her advice on making<br />

chocolates and im<strong>pro</strong>ving the customer<br />

experience. Christmas is a hectic time for<br />

the Fun Factory as they ship gift boxes and<br />

chocolates nationwide.<br />

Several years ago, he brought his own<br />

idea to the table: a gelato catering business.<br />

The business quickly grew from a few local<br />

weddings to weekends packed with events<br />

across the state. He would travel around<br />

the state with his gelato carts, <strong>pro</strong>viding<br />

specialty desserts at wedding receptions<br />

and special events. George was back doing<br />

what he fell in love with years ago—<br />

meeting new people, seeing new places,<br />

and sharing stories.<br />

Most people in Rhinelander knew<br />

George because he grew up there and was<br />

so involved in giving back to the community<br />

he loved. For over 20 years, George<br />

coordinated the donations and delivery of<br />

hundreds of Thanksgiving meals to<br />

families in need in Rhinelander and across<br />

Oneida County. He offered free summer<br />

movies; Christmas Day showings; and<br />

8 August/September <strong>2024</strong><br />

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Easter, New Year's, and after-<strong>pro</strong>m parties<br />

for the community at the cinema. He was<br />

involved in many organizations and<br />

committees that benefited the community,<br />

including the Nicolet College Foundation.<br />

George was always someone you could<br />

count on when you needed help with an<br />

event, a charitable donation, or advice. His<br />

positive attitude always shined through<br />

his personality.<br />

George was a natural leader and wanted<br />

to get involved in the motion picture industry.<br />

He served on the advisory board of the<br />

National Association of Theatre Owners<br />

for over 20 years and on the board of<br />

directors for the regional association of<br />

NATO of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan<br />

since 2002, becoming its president in 2016.<br />

He was loved and respected by leaders of<br />

exhibition, movie studios, and the vendor<br />

community. For nearly two decades, he<br />

served as co-chairman for the regional<br />

movie theater convention in Lake Geneva,<br />

<strong>pro</strong>viding educational seminars, panel<br />

discussions, movie screenings, and<br />

networking opportunities for fellow<br />

independent theater owners and others in<br />

the cinema industry. Giving back was always<br />

top of mind in everything George did in life.<br />

In the early days of Covid, George<br />

organized video calls with members of<br />

NATO of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan to<br />

discuss ideas and ways to get through the<br />

pandemic. He was the first regional leader<br />

to convince state lawmakers that movie<br />

theaters were the heart of many small<br />

towns across Wisconsin and would need<br />

“For nearly two decades he<br />

served as co-chairman for the<br />

regional movie theater<br />

convention in Lake Geneva,<br />

<strong>pro</strong>viding educational<br />

seminars, panel discussions,<br />

movie screenings, and<br />

networking opportunities for<br />

other independent theater<br />

owners. Giving back was<br />

always top of mind in<br />

everything George did in life.”<br />

financial assistance to stay afloat. The grant<br />

<strong>pro</strong>gram he initiated was modeled across<br />

the country. The board of directors of NATO<br />

of WI & UP honored George at their annual<br />

convention in 2022 with the Save Our<br />

Screens Award for his tireless advocacy on<br />

their behalf. George’s leadership skills,<br />

business acumen, and experience were<br />

invaluable to the support he offered others<br />

in his community and nationwide. He was a<br />

mentor to so many and happily <strong>pro</strong>vided<br />

advice and knowledge. He was humble and<br />

never sought the limelight; because of his<br />

selfless demeanor, it always found him.<br />

George was an avid runner and loved to<br />

travel, traveling around the world and<br />

always looking for a great adventure.<br />

He visited family in Greece and explored<br />

Southeast Asia with his sister. He climbed<br />

to the base camp of Mount Everest.<br />

He was a sports enthusiast and enjoyed<br />

going to Brewers and Packer games,<br />

including an epic road trip to Super Bowl<br />

XXXI. He loved life and made the most<br />

of every day, spreading his optimistic<br />

attitude to family and friends. So many<br />

will miss his passion for the motion picture<br />

industry, <strong>pro</strong>fessionalism, and selfless<br />

leadership. His legacy will live on for<br />

decades to come.<br />

He is survived by his mother, Evdokia;<br />

his sister, Patti; and his niece, Mikaela.<br />

George always had a sparkle in his eye<br />

when talking about Mikaela and was<br />

looking forward to many summers on the<br />

water with her. He was preceded in death<br />

by his father, Michael Rouman.<br />

To know George was to love<br />

George. He greeted everyone with<br />

the same warmth and hospitality,<br />

and his enthusiasm for the industry<br />

he loved so much was contagious.<br />

When word of George’s passing<br />

got out, the community in<br />

Rhinelander rallied to set up a<br />

memorial at the Rouman Cinema<br />

in his honor. George was a shining<br />

example of an exhibitor’s impact in<br />

a small town: He knew and loved<br />

his customers, who felt the same<br />

way about him.<br />

While running his theater—as<br />

well as a popular gelato and<br />

chocolate business—kept George<br />

very busy, he always found time to<br />

REMEMBERING GEORGE ROUMAN<br />

BY NATO STAFF<br />

volunteer on behalf of exhibition.<br />

He served on NATO’s advisory<br />

board for over 20 years, bringing<br />

awareness to issues important to<br />

independent exhibitors.<br />

Locally, George served as the<br />

president of NATO of Wisconsin<br />

and Upper Michigan since 2016<br />

and was a member of the board<br />

of directors since 2002. Along with<br />

his co-chairman, John Scaletta,<br />

George helped run the Geneva<br />

Convention, an annual event held<br />

in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.<br />

The gathering became one<br />

of NATO’s most well-attended<br />

regional events, with major<br />

screenings, important panels, and<br />

great networking opportunities.<br />

“I had the pleasure and<br />

honor of working with George on<br />

the regional and national NATOs,”<br />

says Rolando Rodriguez, former<br />

chair of NATO. “George was an<br />

amazing, supportive, caring, and<br />

kind human being. A leader<br />

and champion of our industry who<br />

will long be remembered.<br />

He was a great friend and will be<br />

sorely missed by our industry.<br />

I know his legacy will live on.”<br />

“George was just a good<br />

person,” says B&B Theatres’ Bob<br />

Bagby, NATO’s current chair.<br />

“He was friendly, upbeat, and fun<br />

to be with. I always enjoyed<br />

spending time with him. He loved<br />

this industry, and I will miss him.”<br />

August/September <strong>2024</strong> 9<br />

box_24_july.indd 9 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:23:28


INDUSTRY | TRADE TALK<br />

TRADE TALK<br />

SONY PICTURES<br />

ENTERTAINMENT ACQUIRES<br />

ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE CINEMA<br />

Sony Pictures Entertainment<br />

announced the acquisition of dine-in<br />

cinema chain Alamo Drafthouse, making<br />

the only major studio that hasn’t invested<br />

in a <strong>pro</strong>prietary streaming service the first<br />

major studio to acquire an exhibition<br />

circuit since the repeal of the Paramount<br />

Decrees. The decrees were enacted in 1948<br />

to forestall a handful of studios (not<br />

including Sony, which didn’t exist in its<br />

present form at the time) from gaining an<br />

unfair business advantage by also owning<br />

theaters. Following a motion from the U.S.<br />

Department of Justice, the Paramount<br />

Decrees were phased out over two years<br />

starting in mid-2020, leading to rampant<br />

speculation in the years since that a major<br />

studio may acquire a cinema chain.<br />

That has now happened. Since its<br />

1997 founding, Alamo Drafthouse has<br />

grown from a mom-and-pop repertory<br />

theater to a well-established brand with a<br />

loyal following and 35 cinemas across<br />

nine states. The acquisition comes after<br />

Sony ultimately stepped down from its<br />

bid to acquire rival studio Paramount<br />

earlier this year.<br />

The chain, the thirteenth largest in<br />

North America per our <strong>2024</strong> ranking, will<br />

exist under the umbrella of Sony Pictures<br />

Experiences (SPE). That division of the<br />

company also runs Wonderland, a<br />

Chicago-based entertainment destination<br />

that <strong>pro</strong>motes Sony <strong>pro</strong>perties through<br />

immersive technology and experiences.<br />

Sony’s investment into the theatrical,<br />

immersive side of the cinema experience<br />

continues with their acquisition of<br />

Fantastic Fest, a popular genre film<br />

festival that will continue to be run by<br />

Alamo Drafthouse.<br />

“We believe strongly in engaging<br />

entertainment fans outside the home in<br />

fun and distinctive ways as seen most<br />

recently with our Wheel of Fortune LIVE!<br />

10 August/September <strong>2024</strong><br />

traveling tour [a traveling staged experience<br />

based off the game show Wheel of<br />

Fortune] and the opening of Wonderverse<br />

in Chicago,” said Ravi Ahuja, president and<br />

COO of SPE. “Alamo Drafthouse’s<br />

differentiated moviegoing experience and<br />

devoted community fit well with this<br />

vision. Our Crunchyroll business also<br />

aligns well with the audience’s interests.<br />

We look forward to building upon the<br />

innovations that have made Alamo<br />

Drafthouse successful and will, of course,<br />

continue to welcome content from all<br />

studios and distributors.”<br />

The last few years have been eventful<br />

for Alamo, as they have been for the<br />

industry at large. The chain brought in a<br />

new CEO, Shelli Taylor, in April 2020, filed<br />

for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March 2021,<br />

emerged from bankruptcy in June 2021,<br />

and elevated Michael Kustermann,<br />

previously the president at Drafthouse, to<br />

the CEO role in July 2023. Kustermann will<br />

remain Alamo’s CEO and lead SPE,<br />

reporting to Ahuja. Per a statement<br />

<strong>pro</strong>vided by Sony, the last year has been a<br />

good one for the chain, which saw a 30<br />

percent jump in box office, overindexing<br />

when compared to the industry at large.<br />

“We are beyond thrilled to join forces<br />

with Sony Pictures Entertainment to<br />

expand our company vision to be the best<br />

damn cinema that has ever or will ever<br />

exist, now in ways we could only ever<br />

dream of,” said Tim League, who founded<br />

the chain with Karrie League. “They have<br />

a deep respect and understanding of<br />

cinema’s ability to both drive growth and<br />

create lasting cultural impact, which<br />

aligns perfectly with everything Alamo<br />

Drafthouse stands for.”<br />

“Alamo Drafthouse has always held the<br />

craft of filmmaking and the theatrical<br />

experience in high esteem, which are<br />

fundamental shared values between our<br />

companies. I’m jazzed that our company is<br />

doing this,” said Tom Rothman, chairman<br />

and CEO of Sony Pictures Motion Picture<br />

Group.<br />

Since its 1997 founding,<br />

Alamo Drafthouse has grown<br />

from a mom-and-pop<br />

repertory theater to a wellestablished<br />

brand with a loyal<br />

following and 35 cinemas<br />

across nine states.<br />

box_24_july.indd 10 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:23:32


“We are excited to make history with<br />

Sony Pictures Entertainment and have<br />

found the right home and partner for<br />

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema,” said Kustermann.<br />

“We were created by film lovers<br />

for film lovers. We know how important<br />

this is to Sony, and it serves as further<br />

evidence of their commitment to the theatrical<br />

experience. Together we will continue<br />

to innovate and bring exciting new<br />

opportunities for our teammates and<br />

moviegoers alike.”<br />

SPE acquired Alamo Drafthouse from<br />

its owners, Altamont Capital Partners,<br />

Fortress Investment Group, and founder<br />

Tim League. Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC<br />

acted as Alamo Drafthouse›s exclusive<br />

financial adviser in the transaction.<br />

VISTA GROUP<br />

ANNOUNCES COMPLETE U.K.<br />

BOX OFFICE DATA COVERAGE<br />

IN NUMERO PLATFORM<br />

Vista Group has announced that its<br />

box office reporting platform,<br />

Numero, now <strong>pro</strong>vides 100 percent<br />

coverage of the U.K. market. Distributors<br />

and exhibitors using Numero’s mobile<br />

apps and desktop platform now have<br />

complete, real-time, and accurate box<br />

office grosses for the U.K. market and can<br />

use Numero for all film, circuit, and<br />

market performance analyses.<br />

In addition to having full flash-gross<br />

coverage, Numero also <strong>pro</strong>vides presale<br />

and hourly data comparisons to assist<br />

users in forecasting any upcoming movie›s<br />

opening day and weekend, a vast repository<br />

of historical data, and a comprehensive<br />

release calendar.<br />

“We are delighted to apply Numero’s<br />

powerful analytics and intelligence to<br />

comprehensive box office data for what is<br />

one of the global industry’s most consequential<br />

markets,” said Simon Burton, the<br />

chief film officer at Vista Group.<br />

Vista Group CEO Stuart Dickinson says<br />

this achievement offers value not only for<br />

Numero users but also enhances the value<br />

of other Vista Group solutions surfacing<br />

this data. “Our connected suite of solutions<br />

cross-utilizes data to <strong>pro</strong>vide performance<br />

insights and support data-driven decision-making,”<br />

says Stuart. “In this case,<br />

Numero’s achievement will have positive<br />

run-on effects for U.K. exhibitors who<br />

embrace <strong>pro</strong>ducts such as Oneview, our<br />

cinema executive app found in Vista<br />

Cloud’s Data Empowerment capability.<br />

These solutions leverage Numero data to<br />

<strong>pro</strong>vide users with data to compare their<br />

own performance to that of the overall<br />

market.”<br />

August/September <strong>2024</strong> 11<br />

box_24_july.indd 11 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:23:38


INDUSTRY | TRADE TALK<br />

SPOTLIGHT CINEMA<br />

NETWORKS AND<br />

FLIX BREWHOUSE INK<br />

CONTRACT EXTENSION<br />

Spotlight Cinema Networks, the<br />

only cinema advertising company<br />

dedicated to serving U.S. art houses,<br />

dine-in, and luxury cinema exhibitors,<br />

and Flix Brewhouse, the only first-run<br />

movie theater in the world to incorporate<br />

a fully functioning microbrewery, are<br />

extending their long-term partnership to<br />

exclusively remain Flix Brewhouse’s<br />

cinema advertising partner.<br />

Flix Brewhouse delivers craft beer<br />

and great food via stadium seating dining<br />

rooms across eleven theaters and<br />

ninety-five screens in key locations,<br />

including Dallas, San Antonio, Austin, and<br />

Albuquerque.<br />

“We’re thrilled to continue our<br />

long-term partnership with Flix Brewhouse,<br />

one of the most unique exhibitors<br />

in the film business,” said Spotlight’s<br />

Bernadette McCabe, executive vice<br />

president of event cinema and exhibitor<br />

relations. “Flix Brewhouse has been, and<br />

continues to be, a key exhibitor within the<br />

dine-in and luxury cinema segment of<br />

Spotlight’s Exhibitor Partner network<br />

offering urbane moviegoers’ distinctive<br />

environments that emphasize experiential<br />

out-of-home entertainment.”<br />

“We could not be happier to extend our<br />

long-term relationship with Spotlight,”<br />

said Chris Randelman, Flix Brewhouse’s<br />

chief revenue officer. “As a leader in the<br />

cinema advertising space, we can think of<br />

no better partner to help Flix deliver the<br />

best possible theatrical experience to our<br />

customers. We look forward to our<br />

partnership for many years to come.”<br />

DIGITAL CINEMA UNITED’S DCU CONNECT REACHES<br />

80 PERCENT OF SCREENS IN BALKAN REGION<br />

Digital Cinema United has announced that the company’s<br />

DCU Connect electronic delivery network has reached nearly<br />

3,000 locations across EMEA, North America, and the Caribbean.<br />

The company has focused aggressively on the rollout of DCU<br />

Connect since its official launch at CinemaCon 2022 across<br />

arthouses, cinema chains, drive-in locations, and independent<br />

cinemas. DCU Connect is a cloud-based electronic delivery platform<br />

designed to download feature, trailer, and cinema advertising DCPs<br />

directly to cinemas, which only requires software installation. It<br />

fully integrates with TMS systems, including Cinema ACE, Eikona,<br />

GDC, Rosetta Bridge, and Screenwriter.<br />

In the Balkans, the company recently installed DCU Connect in<br />

over 200 locations, including the Cineplex, Cine Grand, and<br />

Cinemarine cinema chains, making DCU Connect the most<br />

widely deployed electronic delivery network in the region.<br />

“With the fast and easy deployment of DCU Connect in over<br />

80 percent of cinemas in the Balkans, Con Film’s partnership<br />

with Digital Cinema United is one of our most important <strong>pro</strong>jects<br />

since the end of the pandemic,” said Mario Ljubic, the head of<br />

theatrical at Con Film. “By eliminating hard drives to deliver<br />

feature DCPs of Hollywood content, we were able to save time<br />

and increase delivery efficiencies.”<br />

“What Digital Cinema United and Con Film were able to<br />

accomplish in a very short period was an impressive endeavor,”<br />

said Ronnie Ycong, executive vice president and general manager<br />

of the Americas at Digital Cinema United. “It not only <strong>pro</strong>ved<br />

DCU Connect is fast to deploy and helps drive efficiencies but<br />

also enabled cinemas to receive DCPs more reliably without<br />

additional hardware.”<br />

12 August/September <strong>2024</strong><br />

box_24_july.indd 12 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:23:39


NATIONAL FILM AUTHORITY<br />

OF GHANA SETS DATE,<br />

THEME, AND EXECUTIVE<br />

TEAM FOR AFRICA CINEMA<br />

SUMMIT <strong>2024</strong> EDITION<br />

The National Film Authority of<br />

Ghana, in partnership with<br />

Silverbird Cinemas, has announced the<br />

second edition of the Africa Cinema<br />

Summit. The event’s theme is “The<br />

Relevance of Cinema in African Communities.”<br />

It will take place from October 7-10,<br />

<strong>2024</strong>, at the Movenpick Ambassador Hotel<br />

in Accra.<br />

Last year, the in<strong>aug</strong>ural<br />

Africa Cinema Summit<br />

convened representatives<br />

from 20 African countries to<br />

facilitate critical discussions<br />

on the cinema landscape in<br />

Africa. The summit focused<br />

on exploring and tailoring<br />

opportunities to suit the unique characteristics<br />

of each geographic location across<br />

the continent.<br />

The 2023 edition’s highlight was the<br />

ap<strong>pro</strong>val of a government film tax<br />

incentive by Nana Addo Dankwah<br />

Akufo-Addo, Ghana’s president. Collaborative<br />

ventures were successfully<br />

established among African countries, with<br />

the Filmhouse Group committing to<br />

distribute Ghanaian films across Nigeria<br />

and other partner nations. Silverbird<br />

Ghana pledged to incorporate local snacks<br />

into their cinema foods, and Ster-Kinekor,<br />

the leading cinema chain in Southern<br />

Africa, committed to exploring e-sports in<br />

their cinemas.<br />

This year’s edition of the summit aims<br />

to consolidate the <strong>pro</strong>gress made in the<br />

African cinema industry, fostering<br />

collaboration, innovation, and sustainable<br />

growth. The <strong>2024</strong> summit will focus, per a<br />

statement from organizers, on “growth in<br />

quality of local content <strong>pro</strong>duction and<br />

consumption driving the case for<br />

increased cinema investment.” and will<br />

reimagine and rethink cinema for Africa’s<br />

mass market segment The Africa Cinema<br />

Summit <strong>2024</strong> will bring together cinema<br />

exhibitors, builders and investors,<br />

industry leaders, filmmakers, <strong>pro</strong>ducers,<br />

distributors, studios, policymakers, and<br />

stakeholders from across the continent<br />

and the globe.<br />

In addition to the theme and date<br />

announcement, the National Film<br />

Authority of Ghana also named its<br />

executive steering committee, consisting<br />

of executives from the global cinema,<br />

content, and creative communities. These<br />

executives will spearhead the<br />

summit alongside Juliet Yaa<br />

Asantewa Asante, CEO of the<br />

National Film Authority of<br />

Ghana, and her team.<br />

In line with Akufo-Addo’s<br />

assertion that “both the<br />

cinema world and Africa<br />

need each other,” Africa<br />

represents an underserved market.<br />

Currently, with less than 2,000 cinema<br />

screens catering to over 1.4 billion people<br />

and less than 20 percent of the population<br />

having experienced a cinema visit,<br />

significant potential exists for growth.<br />

Moreover, considering the rapid population<br />

growth across Africa, the demand<br />

“Africa’s cinematic <strong>pro</strong>wess<br />

is undeniable, yet remains<br />

largely untapped. Through<br />

the biggest cinema event<br />

in Africa, the Africa Cinema<br />

Summit, we envision a<br />

transformative journey<br />

that can create over twenty<br />

million jobs and contribute an<br />

impressive $20 billion to the<br />

continent’s combined GDP."<br />

for cinematic experiences is poised to<br />

increase substantially.<br />

Andrew Egyapa Mercer, minister of<br />

Tourism, Arts and Culture for Ghana,<br />

commented: “Funding the film industry is<br />

a wise investment. Opportunities for<br />

investment in the sector are wide, and we<br />

call on all those interested in investments<br />

in Africa and especially Ghana to consider<br />

investing in the infrastructure that<br />

supports the ecosystem, especially in<br />

studios and cinemas. This can only yield<br />

great returns on investments, considering<br />

that the future of cinema is this continent.<br />

Ghana is also committed to working on the<br />

policy changes needed to help <strong>pro</strong>pel a<br />

thriving film ecosystem.”<br />

Asante commented: “Africa’s cinematic<br />

<strong>pro</strong>wess is undeniable, yet remains largely<br />

untapped. Through the biggest cinema<br />

event in Africa, the Africa Cinema<br />

Summit, we envision a transformative<br />

journey that can create over twenty<br />

million jobs and contribute an impressive<br />

$20 billion to the continent’s combined<br />

GDP, as <strong>pro</strong>jected by the 2021 UNESCO<br />

Report. I am also delighted to welcome<br />

back key executives from the global<br />

cinema, content, and creative communities<br />

to collaborate with me on this new<br />

edition and beyond.<br />

“This year’s focus on the growth in<br />

quality local content and reimagining<br />

ways of introducing the cinema culture to<br />

Africa’s largely youth population who have<br />

never been to a cinema is exciting because<br />

we are diving into the deep end of some<br />

core issues. Over 80 percent of Africans on<br />

the continent have never been to a cinema,<br />

as the lack of cinema infrastructure has<br />

meant the eroding of the cinema culture in<br />

African communities. This is a big<br />

opportunity, and we have the mindset that<br />

it is possible to drive Africa’s 1 billion youth<br />

population to think about cinema as a<br />

viable entertainment option. The entire<br />

cinema world must join us on this journey<br />

that holds the future sustainability of<br />

African cinema and world cinema.”<br />

August/September <strong>2024</strong> 13<br />

box_24_july.indd 13 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:23:39


INDUSTRY | TRADE TALK<br />

CINETRAIN AND ICTA JOIN FORCES<br />

FOR AN ONLINE CINEMA TECHNICAL<br />

EDUCATION TRAINING PROGRAM<br />

Online educational solutions <strong>pro</strong>vider CineTRAIN has<br />

announced a partnership with the International Cinema<br />

Technology Association (ICTA) to launch a new and engaging<br />

online technical training <strong>pro</strong>gram.<br />

The collaboration between CineTRAIN and ICTA aims to<br />

address the growing need for accessible and comprehensive<br />

education within the cinema technology sector. The first<br />

certification <strong>pro</strong>gram, “Fundamentals of Presentation Technology,”<br />

will give users insights into cinema technology›s latest<br />

advancements and best practices. Users will engage with content,<br />

complete assessments, and ultimately earn a certification.<br />

This partnership will allow for accessibility to educational<br />

content, particularly for those unable to attend in-person<br />

seminars. This first online training <strong>pro</strong>gram will be modeled after<br />

the traveling educational seminar the ICTA has hosted at<br />

numerous trade events in partnership with the Cinema Foundation<br />

over the past year. Plans are in place to develop a full<br />

cinema technological certification path. The <strong>pro</strong>gram is set to<br />

launch in October <strong>2024</strong> at ShowEast.<br />

Brett King, CineTRAIN›s chief executive officer, expressed<br />

excitement about the partnership, stating, “At CineTRAIN, we are<br />

committed to empowering beginners and <strong>pro</strong>fessionals in the<br />

cinema industry with the knowledge and skills they need to<br />

succeed. Our collaboration with ICTA represents a significant step<br />

forward in achieving this mission. Through our online training<br />

<strong>pro</strong>gram, we aim to bridge the gap between traditional learning<br />

methods, accessibility, and the evolving needs of the industry.”<br />

Frank Tees, president of the ICTA, shared his perspective on the<br />

initiative, noting, “The partnership between CineTRAIN and ICTA<br />

reflects our shared dedication to advancing education and<br />

<strong>pro</strong>fessional development within the cinema technology community.<br />

By leveraging the expertise and resources of both organizations,<br />

we can <strong>pro</strong>vide participants with unparalleled access to<br />

cutting-edge content and practical training opportunities.”<br />

LARRY H. MILLER<br />

MEGAPLEX THEATRES TO<br />

ACQUIRE AND RENOVATE<br />

WATER GARDENS THEATRES<br />

IN PLEASANT GROVE, UTAH<br />

Megaplex Theatres and Larry H.<br />

Miller Real Estate will begin<br />

converting the Water Gardens Theatres in<br />

Pleasant Grove into a Megaplex location<br />

with 100 percent luxury seating. Construction<br />

is scheduled to start in August,<br />

with a grand opening celebration slated<br />

before the upcoming holiday season.<br />

The extensive renovation will temporarily<br />

close the six-screen cinema. During<br />

construction, movie fans can visit nearby<br />

Megaplex locations in Lehi (Larry H. Miller<br />

Megaplex Theatres at Thanksgiving Point)<br />

and Vineyard (Larry H. Miller Megaplex<br />

Theatres at Geneva).<br />

“We love the Water Gardens location in<br />

Pleasant Grove and are excited to upgrade<br />

the seating to luxury recliners. This<br />

location is conveniently located on State<br />

Street in Pleasant Grove and is a great<br />

location to service guests in Utah County<br />

who live on the east side of the valley,” said<br />

Britten M<strong>aug</strong>han, Megaplex Theatres<br />

president. “We expect to have 187<br />

auditoriums across 17 Megaplex locations<br />

entertaining movie fans by the end of<br />

<strong>2024</strong>, with even more exciting <strong>pro</strong>jects on<br />

the horizon.”<br />

Since the renovation <strong>pro</strong>ject will involve<br />

a substantial technical makeover, existing<br />

payment and redemption systems will be<br />

removed and replaced. Guests with current<br />

Water Gardens vouchers or gift cards are<br />

encouraged to use them at the Pleasant<br />

Grove location before July 27, <strong>2024</strong>.<br />

“We are delighted that Megaplex<br />

Theatres will be remodeling the Pleasant<br />

Grove theatre and reopening before the<br />

Thanksgiving holiday season,” said Mike<br />

Daniels, Water Gardens coowner. “We love<br />

the quality of <strong>pro</strong>ducts the Miller<br />

organization builds and the services they<br />

<strong>pro</strong>vide to communities they are in. We<br />

would ask all of our patrons to support<br />

them in this endeavor.”<br />

“We thank all of our guests for the<br />

many memories in Pleasant Grove. It has<br />

been such a tremendous experience to<br />

watch families grow. Many employees who<br />

had their first jobs here in 2010 are now<br />

bringing their own kids to the theatre. We<br />

know we leave it in good hands,” said Tyler<br />

Walters, Water Gardens coowner.<br />

Megaplex guests in Pleasant Grove will<br />

have easier access to many Megaplex<br />

benefits, including the MyMegaRewards<br />

loyalty <strong>pro</strong>gram as well as the popular<br />

MegaTub and MegaMug refillable popcorn<br />

and Coca-Cola loyalty <strong>pro</strong>grams. Additional<br />

benefits include the new Megaplex<br />

$5 Reel Deals, special Megaplex events,<br />

movie marathons, film festivals, celebrations,<br />

and exclusive Megaplex <strong>pro</strong>motions.<br />

Located at 912 West Garden Drive in<br />

Pleasant Grove, the newly acquired<br />

Megaplex Theatres will occupy the same<br />

space as the original theater, which was<br />

built in 1997.<br />

O<br />

H<br />

Q<br />

a<br />

C<br />

a<br />

14 August/September <strong>2024</strong><br />

box_24_july.indd 14 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:23:42<br />

Vista_Fu


Once upon a time in<br />

Hollywood...<br />

Quentin Tarantino and his team reached out to Proctor Companies to design<br />

and build his dream theatre. The result? The Vista Theatre, Hollywood,<br />

California. Renovated with an eye for retro styling, this 100 year old cinema<br />

absolutley oozes eclectic coolness, just like its owner. Groovy!<br />

www.<strong>pro</strong>ctorco.com | | sales@<strong>pro</strong>ctorco.com<br />

800-221-3699<br />

box_24_july.indd 15 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:23:44<br />

Vista_Full BO.indd 1<br />

4/15/24 2:41 PM


INDUSTRY | CHARITY SPOTLIGHT<br />

CHARITY SPOTLIGHT<br />

EMAGINE ENTERTAINMENT<br />

JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION<br />

BENEFITS UNITED NEGRO<br />

COLLEGE FUND<br />

This June, Emagine Entertainment<br />

partnered with the United Negro<br />

College Fund (UNCF) for a special film<br />

series in honor of Juneteenth. Two of<br />

Emagine’s Michigan locations—Emagine<br />

Royal Oak and The Rivieria Powered by<br />

Emagine—screened Spike Lee’s School<br />

Daze daily for one week, starting on<br />

Wednesday, June 19. Tickets to all<br />

screenings, including the opening night<br />

meet and greet with singer, songwriter,<br />

and actress Dawnn Lewis, were $5, with<br />

net <strong>pro</strong>ceeds benefiting various UNCF<br />

initiatives, including the 36th Annual<br />

UNCF Detroit Walk for Education.<br />

This is the fourth year Emagine<br />

Entertainment has partnered with UNCF,<br />

whose mission it is to create a nation where<br />

all Americans have equal access to a<br />

college education that will prepare them<br />

for rich intellectual lives, competitive and<br />

fulfilling careers, engaged citizenship, and<br />

service to our nation.<br />

“Since 1944, UNCF has fueled historically<br />

black colleges and universities with<br />

vital resources to educate generations of<br />

African American and other minority<br />

students. We are excited to once again<br />

partner with Emagine Entertainment as<br />

we continue our yearlong 80th anniversary<br />

celebration as the nation’s largest<br />

and most effective minority education<br />

organization,” said Patrice M. Neal,<br />

Michigan’s area development director for<br />

UNCF. “This Juneteenth event will help<br />

<strong>pro</strong>vide additional exposure for the great<br />

work UNCF continues to do to help<br />

underrepresented students not only go to<br />

college, but get through college.”<br />

ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE<br />

SUPPORTS NONPROFITS<br />

THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER<br />

While Alamo Drafthouse firmly<br />

believes in flying the rainbow flag<br />

year-round, it raised it a little higher for<br />

Pride at Alamo Drafthouse. Throughout<br />

June the Texas-based dine-in chain<br />

celebrated the LGBTQ+ community by<br />

screening essential queer cinema, helping<br />

guests show their pride with branded<br />

apparel, and matching up to $5,000 of<br />

guest donations to Point Foundation, the<br />

nation’s largest LGBTQ scholarship fund.<br />

Guests to all screenings in June were<br />

invited to add a $1, $3, or $5 donation to<br />

their online ticket purchases.<br />

“Alamo Drafthouse has been and always<br />

will be a safe place for people, including the<br />

LGBTQ+ community, to share in their love<br />

of cinema,” shared Alamo Drafthouse CEO<br />

Michael Kustermann. “We could not be<br />

more <strong>pro</strong>ud to champion these films and<br />

support the vital work of organizations like<br />

Point Foundation.”<br />

On June 12-13, the New<br />

York–based Motion Picture<br />

Club hosted the 28th<br />

Annual Max Fried Cocktail<br />

Reception and Golf<br />

Tournament—this year in<br />

honor of Kyle Davies,<br />

president of distribution at<br />

Bleecker Street. Proceeds<br />

from the event went to a<br />

number of local charities,<br />

among them the Will<br />

Rogers Motion Picture<br />

Pioneers Foundation,<br />

Variety Boys and Girls Club<br />

of Queens, Rising Ground,<br />

Variety – the Children’s<br />

Charity, and Ronald<br />

McDonald House Charities.<br />

16 August/September <strong>2024</strong><br />

box_24_july.indd 16 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:23:47


In June, Cinemark employees once<br />

again gave back to their community<br />

through Cinemark Cares Day,<br />

partnering with the North Texas Food<br />

Bank and putting together book bags for<br />

Variety Children’s Charity of Texas for<br />

kids attending summer camps.<br />

August/September <strong>2024</strong> 17<br />

box_24_july.indd 17 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:23:53


INDUSTRY | CHARITY SPOTLIGHT<br />

UPCOMING EVENTS<br />

JULY 22<br />

Monday, July 22, sees Variety of<br />

Wisconsin host their annual Ben<br />

Marcus Variety Golf Classic at the<br />

Grand Geneva Resort and Spa in<br />

Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. The<br />

previous day, a winning bidder will<br />

be golfing with top Marcus Theatres<br />

executives; bidding closes on July 1.<br />

varietywi.org<br />

JULY 24<br />

Join Variety’s Southern California<br />

chapter for their 12th Annual Poker<br />

& Casino Night, held at the<br />

Paramount Pictures lot in<br />

Hollywood. Variety’s Charity Poker<br />

& Casino Night has become one of<br />

the most anticipated fundraising<br />

events in the industry, as<br />

entertainment execs and<br />

celebrities go all in for a great<br />

cause. To date, Variety SoCal’s<br />

poker events have raised over $1<br />

million to <strong>pro</strong>vide lifesaving support<br />

for disabled, abused, physically<br />

challenged, and underprivileged<br />

children in Southern California.<br />

varietysocal.org<br />

JULY 27<br />

Polo on the Green is back and<br />

better than ever in Des Moines,<br />

Iowa. Join Variety’s Iowa chapter<br />

at Powder River Ranch for an<br />

air-conditioned evening of dinner,<br />

an all-inclusive hosted bar, live and<br />

silent auctions, and, of course, a<br />

polo match complete with divot<br />

stomping.<br />

varietyiowa.com<br />

JULY 27<br />

Variety KC is hosting its first Variety<br />

KC Family Bowl-a-Thon on July 27.<br />

Families, friends, and volunteers<br />

are invited to hit the lanes to show<br />

off their skills and, more important,<br />

to have fun with the theme of<br />

inclusion and accessibility.<br />

varietykc.org<br />

18 August/September <strong>2024</strong><br />

JULY 29<br />

The 21st Annual Paul W. Smith<br />

Golf Classic to benefit children’s<br />

charities will be held on Monday,<br />

July 29, at the Country Club of<br />

Detroit.u This event benefits four<br />

charities: Variety - the Children’s<br />

Charity, Detroit PAL, The Children’s<br />

Center, and the Children’s<br />

Foundation. Since the tournament’s<br />

inception in 2004, it has<br />

raised more than $8.7 million to<br />

support children in need.<br />

variety-detroit.com<br />

AUGUST 12<br />

At the 36th Annual Leinenkugel<br />

Golf Invitational, golfers will<br />

participate in a four-person<br />

best-shot event at one of Iowa’s<br />

top-rated golf courses, located in<br />

Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Participants<br />

will enjoy lunch, games on the<br />

course, a raffle, a Hy-Vee shopping<br />

spree opportunity, a chance to win<br />

a vehicle on a hole-in-one shot, a<br />

silent auction, and a specialized<br />

bike presentation to a local child.<br />

Proceeds from this event benefit<br />

Variety - the Children’s Charity and<br />

children in eastern Iowa.<br />

varietyiowa.com<br />

AUGUST 22<br />

Gather your friends, colleagues,<br />

and clients for Variety’s annual<br />

men’s-only stag event, held on<br />

August 22 at the Powder River<br />

Ranch in Cumming, Iowa. The<br />

evening includes beverage<br />

sampling, a steak dinner, an<br />

auction, raffles, and a swag bag<br />

for each guest.<br />

varietyiowa.com<br />

AUGUST 25<br />

Variety Detroit’s Shine Fashion Show<br />

returns this summer at the Somerset<br />

Collection South Rotunda in Troy,<br />

Michigan. This beautiful fashion<br />

show, featuring the children of<br />

Variety and friends from Far<br />

Therapeutic Arts & Recreation, will<br />

capture the hearts of all in<br />

attendance as models rock the<br />

runway in the latest back-to-school<br />

fashions from Somerset Collection<br />

retailers. The afternoon will benefit<br />

two therapeutic <strong>pro</strong>grams for those<br />

with special needs: Far’s Making<br />

Music with Friends and the Variety<br />

4-H Horseback Riding <strong>pro</strong>gram.<br />

variety-detroit.com<br />

AUGUST 28-29<br />

Variety of Texas closes out<br />

CinéShow in Dallas with two days<br />

of events: First, on Wednesday,<br />

June 28, the non<strong>pro</strong>fit’s annual<br />

gala will be held at Grandscape in<br />

The Colony, Texas. The following<br />

day will see attendees golf at the<br />

Dallas Cowboys Golf Club in<br />

Grapevine, Texas.<br />

varietytexas.org<br />

SEPTEMBER 3<br />

Variety Manitoba is excited to once<br />

again bring Variety’s Drive Fore the<br />

Kids Golf Classic to the Glendale<br />

Golf & Country Club. The<br />

tournament <strong>pro</strong>mises to deliver a<br />

unique experience with an exciting<br />

$1 million hole-in-one shoot-out!<br />

varietymanitoba.com<br />

SEPTEMBER 5<br />

Supervillain Golf hosts its Third<br />

Annual Canmore Supervillain<br />

Charity Golf Classic, held at the<br />

Silvertip Golf Resort in Canmore,<br />

Alberta, and benefiting the children<br />

of Variety of Alberta. The 18-hole,<br />

four-player scramble event will<br />

include <strong>pro</strong>ximity and length prizes,<br />

prizes for best dressed and team<br />

uniforms, and more.<br />

varietyalberta.ca<br />

SEPTEMBER 17<br />

Attendees at the Miller Lite Golf<br />

Invitational will compete in a<br />

four-person best-shot tournament<br />

at the award-winning Legacy<br />

Golf Course in Norwalk, Iowa.<br />

Participants will enjoy lunch and<br />

dinner, games on the course,<br />

complimentary gifts, flight prizes,<br />

and hole-in-one opportunities.<br />

After the tournament, a specialized<br />

piece of mobility equipment will be<br />

presented to a local child with<br />

special needs.<br />

varietyiowa.com<br />

SEPTEMBER 18<br />

Gather friends, colleagues, and<br />

clients for eastern Iowa’s men’s-only<br />

stag event, held in support of<br />

Variety - the Children’s Charity’s<br />

Iowa chapter. The evening includes<br />

beverage sampling, a steak dinner,<br />

a silent auction, a raffle, entertainment,<br />

and a gift for each guest.<br />

All <strong>pro</strong>ceeds stay in eastern Iowa<br />

and support Variety’s mission of<br />

im<strong>pro</strong>ving the lives of children who<br />

are underprivileged, at-risk,<br />

critically ill, or living with special<br />

needs.<br />

varietyiowa.com<br />

SEPTEMBER 19<br />

This autumn sees Variety of<br />

Southern California host their 52nd<br />

Annual Golf Classic, held at<br />

Moorpark Country Club in<br />

Moorpark, California.<br />

varietysocal.org<br />

SEPTEMBER 24<br />

Those who purchase entry<br />

to the drawing party, held on<br />

Tuesday, September 24, at<br />

Variety Club Headquarters in<br />

Lancaster, New York, will have a<br />

chance to win a 1955 Chevy Bel Air.<br />

varietybuffalo.org<br />

SEPTEMBER 26<br />

Variety the Children's Charity of<br />

Detroit has announced that the<br />

Variety Mental Health Luncheon will<br />

be held on Thursday, September 26,<br />

<strong>2024</strong>, at Pine Lake Country Club.<br />

The special afternoon will benefit<br />

Variety Detroit’s newest core<br />

<strong>pro</strong>gram—Variety Being You Being<br />

Strong—which <strong>pro</strong>vides mental<br />

health awareness support for<br />

children in elementary school.<br />

variety-detroit.com<br />

OCTOBER 10<br />

Proceeds from the men’s-only stag<br />

event held at the Sundown<br />

Mountain Resort on October 10 in<br />

Dubuque, Iowa, will go towards<br />

supporting Variety’s mission of<br />

im<strong>pro</strong>ving the lives of children who<br />

are underprivileged, at-risk,<br />

critically ill, or living with special<br />

needs. The evening includes<br />

beverage sampling, a steak dinner,<br />

a silent auction, a raffle, entertainment,<br />

and a gift for each guest.<br />

The event will be emceed by the<br />

iconic voice of the Iowa Hawkeyes,<br />

Gary Dolphin.<br />

varietyiowa.com<br />

OCTOBER 20<br />

Think you've got what it takes<br />

to be crowned a chili champion?<br />

Join Variety’s Iowa chapter at its<br />

Fourth Annual Chili Cookoff, hosted<br />

with local networking group<br />

The Loop DSM at the Iowa Tap<br />

Room in Des Moines, Iowa.<br />

varietyiowa.com<br />

W<br />

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box_24_july.indd 19 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:23:55


INDUSTRY | CINEEUROPE <strong>2024</strong><br />

Film Expo Group President Andrew Sunshine<br />

CINEEUROPE <strong>2024</strong><br />

TAKES THE STAGE<br />

Local Titles Come to the Rescue Across Europe, Mitigating<br />

the Damage from Hollywood’s Labor Disruption<br />

BY DANIEL LORIA<br />

The European cinema industry once<br />

again convened in Barcelona for<br />

UNIC’s annual convention, bringing<br />

together the region’s top circuits, the<br />

world’s leading vendors, and Hollywood’s<br />

major studios. The breakthrough<br />

performance of Disney’s Inside Out 2,<br />

released over the weekend leading into the<br />

event, <strong>pro</strong>vided a rush of excitement and<br />

optimism for a week full of panels, studio<br />

presentations, and meetings.<br />

2023 <strong>pro</strong>ved to be a successful year for<br />

cinemas across Europe, largely thanks to<br />

the success of titles like Barbie, Oppenheimer,<br />

The Super Mario Bros. Movie,<br />

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part<br />

20 August/September <strong>2024</strong><br />

One, and Wonka. In terms of a recovery<br />

since the cinema closures of 2020, a large<br />

number of European markets—including<br />

the Netherlands, Belgium, Bulgaria,<br />

Romania, Croatia, Albania, Bosnia and<br />

Herzegovina, Estonia, Hungary, Serbia<br />

and Montenegro—ended 2023 with box<br />

office revenues above their 2017-2019<br />

average. Countries like Austria, the Czech<br />

Republic, Finland, and Slovakia finished<br />

the year on par with their pre-pandemic<br />

box office results. European cinema<br />

admissions increased by an estimated 21.6<br />

percent in 2023, with 986 million visits<br />

across the region, nearing the one-billion<br />

mark. The box office reached 7.2 billion<br />

euros, an increase of 23.7 percent from the<br />

previous year. At the EU level, over 662<br />

million tickets were sold in cinemas, worth<br />

an estimated 5.1 billion euros at the box<br />

office—increases of 22.5 percent and 26.7<br />

percent, respectively.<br />

Hollywood’s labor strikes hurt grosses<br />

in the second half of the year through the<br />

first two quarters of <strong>2024</strong>, but European<br />

territories could turn to their national film<br />

industries to fill the gaps in the release<br />

schedule. Local titles mitigated the<br />

decreased output from Hollywood imports<br />

in 2023, contributing sizable shares to<br />

markets like France (36.7 percent), Albania<br />

(31 percent), Turkey (42.7 percent), Italy<br />

box_24_july.indd 20 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:23:57


From Left to Right: Julien Marcel (CEO, The Boxoffice Company),<br />

Laura Houlgatte (CEO, UNIC), Phil Clapp (President, UNIC & CEO,<br />

UK Cinema Association)<br />

From Left to Right: Daniel Loria (SVP Content Strategy & Editorial<br />

Director, Boxoffice Pro), Malcolm MacMillan (EVP Exhibitor Relations,<br />

The Boxoffice Company), Sunil Suri (Director, Reel Cinemas)<br />

From Left to Right: Sonia Ragone (Industry Relations & Research<br />

Manager, UNIC), Shaun Jones (Vice President & Company Director,<br />

Cineworld Cinemas), Daniel Loria (SVP Content Strategy & Editorial<br />

Director, Boxoffice Pro)<br />

From Left to Right: Tim Richards (Founder & CEO, VUE Entertainement),<br />

Nicolas Seydoux (Chairman, ALPA & Chairman of the<br />

Supervisory Board, Gaumont), Julien Marcel (CEO, The Boxoffice<br />

Company)<br />

From Left to Right: Giovanni Dolci, (Global Chief Sales Officer, Imax), Kadri Kaldma (Business Development Manager, Apollo Cinema<br />

Baltics) Steven O’Dell (President, International Distribution, Sony Pictures Releasing), Tim Richards (Founder & CEO, VUE Entertainment),<br />

Mark Viane (President, International Theatrical Distribution, Paramount Pictures), Julien Marcel (CEO, The Boxoffice Company)<br />

August/September <strong>2024</strong> 21<br />

box_24_july.indd 21 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:24:03


INDUSTRY | CINEEUROPE <strong>2024</strong><br />

(24.3 percent), and Norway (23.5 percent).<br />

Italy, in particular, saw a massive boost<br />

thanks mainly to the success of C’è ancora<br />

domani, which helped push the box office<br />

to an astounding 62 percent im<strong>pro</strong>vement<br />

over the prior year. “In Norway, during the<br />

Christmas holiday, Norwegian films<br />

accounted for three out of four cinema<br />

tickets sold in that country,” said UNIC<br />

CEO Laura Houlgatte during her keynote<br />

address at CineEurope. “Meanwhile, four<br />

domestic releases in Romania made [the<br />

country’s] top ten [in annual box office] for<br />

the first time.”<br />

Local titles have also continued to<br />

impact Europe in <strong>2024</strong>. In Germany,<br />

Chantal im Märchenland registered an<br />

opening day box office 40 percent higher<br />

than Barbie. In France, the comedy<br />

Un p’tit truc en plus registered 4.8 million<br />

admissions in May only, more than the<br />

lifetime admissions for Oppenheimer in<br />

the country.<br />

The impact of local titles on an<br />

inconsistent release schedule has led major<br />

circuits like AMC (parent company of<br />

Odeon, the largest exhibition circuit in<br />

Europe) and Vue International to begin<br />

distributing their own films. “It’s something<br />

that we’ve always liked and believed<br />

in,” shared Vue CEO Tim Richards at a<br />

CineEurope executive panel moderated by<br />

Boxoffice Pro CEO Julien Marcel. “We had<br />

a large distribution company in Poland, so<br />

Warner Bros. Studios president<br />

of international distribution Andrew Cripps<br />

“In Norway, during the<br />

Christmas holiday, Norwegian<br />

films accounted for three<br />

out of four cinema tickets sold<br />

in that country. Meanwhile,<br />

four domestic releases in<br />

Romania made [the country’s]<br />

top ten [in annual box office]<br />

for the first time.”<br />

we have experience in it. Once we settled<br />

down [after the pandemic], we started<br />

looking at this year as a foundation year,<br />

where we’re investing heavily in converting<br />

our sites with recliner seats, laser<br />

<strong>pro</strong>jection, and Dolby Atmos. We opened<br />

up a few new sites and started thinking<br />

about what else we could do—and that’s<br />

how we found ourselves setting up our own<br />

distribution company.”<br />

On the vendor side, CineEurope saw a<br />

<strong>pro</strong>liferation of PLF concepts dominating<br />

the tradeshow floor—a reflection of one of<br />

the biggest global exhibition trends.<br />

Projection technologies like Barco’s Barco<br />

HDR, Christie’s Cinity, and Dolby’s Dolby<br />

Vision and Dolby Atmos showcased the<br />

potential of high-contrast resolution using<br />

today’s flagship <strong>pro</strong>jector technology.<br />

Complementing those concepts were<br />

impressive demos from Timewaying’s<br />

(<strong>pro</strong>jector-free) HeyLED screens and ICE<br />

Theaters’ panoramic screen format.<br />

CineEurope also saw updated announcements<br />

on UNIC’s current activities<br />

across the European cinema industry.<br />

The trade group formally launched the<br />

eighth edition of its popular Women’s<br />

Cinema Leadership Programme, which<br />

pairs upcoming executives with influential<br />

veterans from across the industry.<br />

The <strong>pro</strong>gram was launched in the 2017 to<br />

address the gender imbalance in the<br />

exhibition business. UNIC also updated<br />

members on its People Programme<br />

initiative, shifting its focus this year to<br />

address leadership skills.<br />

Finally, UNIC took the occasion<br />

to announce its newly elected board of<br />

directors, who will serve two-year terms<br />

expiring in June 2026. Phil Clapp, the chief<br />

executive officer of the UK Cinema<br />

Association, was reappointed as president.<br />

He is joined by Jaime Tarrazón, delegate<br />

of the Federación de Cines de España, as<br />

SVP and treasurer, and a group of vice<br />

presidents that includes Richard Patry,<br />

president of the Fédération Nationale des<br />

Cinémas Français; Edna Epelbaum,<br />

president of the Association Cinématographique<br />

Suisse; Mario Lorini, president<br />

of the Associazione Nazionale Esercenti<br />

Cinema; Tomasz Jagiełło, CEO of<br />

exhibition chain Helios and member of the<br />

Polish Cinema Association; and Christine<br />

Berg, head of Germany’s HDF Kino.<br />

Thierry Laermans, general secretary of the<br />

Fédération des Cinémas de Belgique,<br />

will serve as observer.<br />

22 August/September <strong>2024</strong><br />

box_24_july.indd 22 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:24:07


ox_24_july.indd 23 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:24:08


INDUSTRY | CINEMA ADVERTISING<br />

CINEMA<br />

ADVERTISING:<br />

A CATALYST<br />

TO RECOVERY<br />

The Preshow Comes to the Rescue as Exhibitors Wrangle<br />

with Fewer Titles and an Inconsistent Release Schedule<br />

BY DANIEL LORIA<br />

Aximporerum ut hicturiorem eum<br />

velloreped ulparup tatusan dandita<br />

pernatem eos et occus et omnis ma cus, il<br />

maionse rruptate et eius, coratur sit<br />

quatiorem que latur mos adio bearitaepel<br />

mi, con expe odis aut harum raest, quist<br />

volor accus quuntinis eiusdan iminciene<br />

con remped mini sectiis as ut ipit, quas aut<br />

voluptatia consequi dolest, que plam,<br />

omnietur?<br />

Anto cor apidunt, coriste consed et<br />

aborio. Dundae. Ihillab orupturis as<br />

doloresci sectora venit, iminctae re lam,<br />

qui reicitatem fugiae nonse nis voluptae.<br />

Estem quo voluptatiis eaquiam et odi<br />

dipsuntur, sit, omni dolessi nullabo.<br />

Itatatur andi dero mint as verum quam et<br />

24 August/September <strong>2024</strong><br />

maiorporit quis ut qui omnimusaped et<br />

aut que int, cus expligent.<br />

Em nimet ut <strong>pro</strong> que debistiis rehenitis<br />

mo et quaeria tiunt.Fugias is dunt. Usdam<br />

int earunt aut odi illa voluptur?<br />

Obis sandis cor aciur aut eum utem<br />

dolore voluptur?<br />

Ro dolorep tatquamusdae <strong>pro</strong>vit<br />

fugiam harumque dio mossed ut parumqu<br />

isciminctur, volorro omniet eossitia nime<br />

sit alignihitio inusa vendia senient, tem<br />

aut ratus dolupta tusciundae seque est aut<br />

odi andit volorit, voloreria sunte vellam<br />

aut es dolupic temporeritas aut vellectotae<br />

inctaquis esequia corersped es dit vel id<br />

maios iuntio tem<br />

“Obita dolore conesed qui<br />

cupiduciat aspe voluptatus as<br />

simil es rem repernatibus et ut<br />

aliciis eum nobitibus non core<br />

velit eum ime parit velit<br />

laboremque sa volorio.”<br />

box_24_july.indd 24 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:24:11


While annual box office returns<br />

remain billions of dollars away from<br />

prepandemic levels, cinema<br />

advertising’s value <strong>pro</strong>position in<br />

recent years has increased<br />

because of the structural changes<br />

across the media ecosystem.<br />

It’s been a long road to recovery for<br />

theater owners since reopening their<br />

screens following the Covid pandemic.<br />

Shorter exclusivity windows and fewer theatrical<br />

releases have contributed to an<br />

overall box office decline, putting pressure<br />

on operators to find revenue from every<br />

possible area. Cinema advertising has<br />

been an invaluable partner in this effort,<br />

connecting brands with moviegoing<br />

audiences at a benefit for all parties<br />

involved. While annual box office returns<br />

remain billions of dollars away from<br />

prepandemic levels, cinema advertising’s<br />

value <strong>pro</strong>position in recent years has<br />

increased because of the structural<br />

changes across the media ecosystem.<br />

According to Nielsen, “traditional” TV<br />

viewership, a metric comprised of<br />

broadcast and cable television <strong>pro</strong>viders,<br />

accounts for around half of television<br />

usage across all platforms in May <strong>2024</strong>.<br />

Meanwhile, streaming represented nearly<br />

40 percent of viewership during that same<br />

period. Advertising remains the sector<br />

most affected by this trend, with<br />

streaming unable to <strong>pro</strong>vide the attention,<br />

viewership, or recall brands used to rely<br />

upon. The decline of traditional TV<br />

advertising has helped emphasize cinema<br />

advertising as the ideal home for video<br />

advertising. In the streaming business,<br />

brands often have less than 15 seconds to<br />

capture viewers’ attention before they can<br />

skip an ad. At the cinema, brands can be<br />

reassured of a highly engaged captive<br />

audience they can target by title, genre,<br />

region, and even showtime, <strong>pro</strong>viding a<br />

unique and effective platform for their<br />

advertising needs.<br />

“If you look at significant cultural<br />

moments driven by media, they don’t exist<br />

as they used to,” says Mike Rosen, CRO of<br />

National CineMedia (NCM). “You don’t see<br />

linear television delivering those moments,<br />

outside a handful of live sporting<br />

events. We no longer have that Thursday<br />

night sitcom everyone talks about on<br />

Friday morning. Cinema is the only place<br />

where that exists today. Marketers know<br />

that when Deadpool & Wolverine comes<br />

out, tens of millions of people will share<br />

that experience over 72 hours in its<br />

opening weekend.”<br />

Viewers’ emotional connection with a<br />

highly anticipated new film has <strong>pro</strong>ven to<br />

be one of the most appealing factors for<br />

brands to buy into cinema advertising in<br />

recent years. According to Amy Tunick,<br />

CMO of NCM, her firm sold out its ad<br />

inventory for the first four weeks of the<br />

theatrical run of Taylor Swift: The Eras<br />

Tour within weeks of the film’s announcement.<br />

NCM “Taylor-ized” (Tunick’s<br />

pun, not ours) its own specialized preshow<br />

for The Eras Tour, recognizing the title’s<br />

central role in the brand’s decision to<br />

advertise. The entire preshow experience<br />

was designed to deliver specific marketing<br />

messages tied to that particular film, an<br />

increasingly common trend for major<br />

releases.<br />

“The best [preshow] content is the one<br />

that talks to the audience in the way that<br />

they want to be talked to while being<br />

reflective of the brand,” says Kathryn<br />

Jacob, CEO of UK cinema advertising<br />

leader Pearl & Dean. “You instinctively<br />

know, for example, when you see a Chanel<br />

or Rolex ad. Brand markers, whether sonic<br />

logos or visual iconography, are key to this<br />

association. The role of a cinema sales<br />

house is to act as the conduit for putting<br />

the right ad with the right content so that it<br />

feels resonant … if you want memorable,<br />

brand-building, and emotionally-resonant<br />

advertising, you need to be in cinema.”<br />

Luxury brands like those mentioned by<br />

August/September <strong>2024</strong> 25<br />

box_24_july.indd 25 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:24:13


INDUSTRY | CINEMA ADVERTISING<br />

Jacob are particularly adept at identifying<br />

the most suitable cinema advertising<br />

platforms for their ad spend. Spotlight<br />

Cinema Networks—which specializes in<br />

advertising with art house, luxury, and<br />

dine-in cinema circuits in the United<br />

States—offers distinctive preshows<br />

appealing to different audience segments.<br />

“We listen to our partners and know the<br />

importance of <strong>pro</strong>viding a quality,<br />

cinematic preshow that enhances, and<br />

reflects, the cinema environment it<br />

appears in,” says Michael Sakin, president<br />

of Spotlight Cinema Networks. “Our art<br />

house preshow includes exclusive indie<br />

short films, relevant trivia, and eclectic<br />

music. The mainstream preshow features<br />

exclusive red carpets, press junkets, cast<br />

interviews from the most talked about<br />

movies, relatable trivia, and more.<br />

Additionally, we work with our exhibitor<br />

partners to customize the length of the<br />

“We listen to our partners<br />

and know the importance<br />

of <strong>pro</strong>viding a quality,<br />

cinematic preshow that<br />

enhances, and reflects, the<br />

cinema environment it<br />

appears in.”<br />

preshow to meet their needs and review all<br />

advertising campaigns before appearing<br />

onscreen.” Spotlight’s boutique ap<strong>pro</strong>ach<br />

to cinema advertising is concentrated<br />

around theaters in urban, upscale zip<br />

codes with a national footprint. “The best<br />

theaters in top markets,” explains Sakin<br />

succinctly, “<strong>pro</strong>viding the ideal advertising<br />

platform to reach urbane, educated,<br />

influential adults within the top DMAs in<br />

the country.”<br />

A successful preshow must also keep<br />

the advertisers’ priorities at the forefront.<br />

Screenvision Media, which has grown its<br />

national network to 14,300 screens in<br />

2,300 locations across all 50 states,<br />

announced it would be “guaranteeing<br />

campaigns on any measurable business<br />

outcome” in an address by its CRO,<br />

Christine Martino, at its upfront in New<br />

York City earlier this summer. “We want<br />

the advertisers to feel like their brands are<br />

center stage,” says Screenvision CEO John<br />

Partilla. “They are front and center. They<br />

are the heroes of that preshow. We don’t<br />

want to take too much of a focus away from<br />

the brands themselves.”<br />

Delivering on advertisers’ expectations<br />

has been central to Screenvision’s success.<br />

Jeremy Morgante, SVP of data and<br />

<strong>pro</strong>grammatic at Screenvision, singles out<br />

an increased demand for outcome-based<br />

measurement as the most <strong>pro</strong>minent trend<br />

he’s observed in the cinema advertising<br />

sector. “While we advise all clients to<br />

measure brand lift and reach, which are<br />

the most important measures of our<br />

medium, other types of attribution<br />

studies—foot traffic lift, web visits,<br />

purchase lift, tune-in—are increasingly<br />

important to <strong>pro</strong>ve ROI,” says Morgante.<br />

Programmatic advertising has also<br />

emerged as an important innovation to<br />

better address advertisers’ needs. “For the<br />

past 20-plus years, there was only one way<br />

to buy cinema advertising: a direct sale,”<br />

says NCM’s Mike Rosen. “Starting this<br />

year, we are offering a fully automated way<br />

to purchase, whether it’s our full network<br />

of over 18,000 screens, a single theater,<br />

market, region—or any combination that<br />

an advertiser prefers. Advertisers can now<br />

bid and run an ad on the same day. Now<br />

that they can buy ads <strong>pro</strong>grammatically,<br />

we’re seeing clients who had not previously<br />

purchased with us.”<br />

Despite these innovations, the decline<br />

in box office performance has paused some<br />

advertisers’ media plans regarding cinema.<br />

C<br />

M<br />

Y<br />

CM<br />

MY<br />

CY<br />

CMY<br />

K<br />

26 August/September <strong>2024</strong><br />

box_24_july.indd 26 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 23:14:49


C<br />

M<br />

Y<br />

CM<br />

MY<br />

CY<br />

CMY<br />

K<br />

August/September <strong>2024</strong> 27<br />

box_24_july.indd 27 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:24:21


INDUSTRY | CINEMA ADVERTISING<br />

“Actual theater attendance is down<br />

compared with the period before the<br />

pandemic. Since advertisers are paying for<br />

impressions, the number of impressions<br />

available through cinema advertising<br />

networks is also down, and so is the overall<br />

spending by advertisers and the revenue of<br />

both theaters and ad networks,” explains<br />

Thaddeus Bouchard, president of cinema<br />

advertising company Screendollars.<br />

“On the other hand, cinema advertisers<br />

have expanded their offerings to counteract<br />

this by introducing premium ad<br />

placements that play immediately before<br />

the feature and introducing entertainment<br />

and advertising screens in the lobbies and<br />

other common areas of the theater.<br />

The net is that as attendance rebounds in<br />

what is expected to be a strong period over<br />

the next two years, beginning with the<br />

second half of <strong>2024</strong>, revenue should<br />

eventually recover to a level ap<strong>pro</strong>aching<br />

the prepandemic highs. From an<br />

exhibitor’s point of view, that’s great news<br />

since it’s essential to maximize all<br />

available revenue opportunities to have<br />

the resources to operate theaters and<br />

invest in the future.”<br />

28 August/September <strong>2024</strong><br />

Ultimately, the real value<br />

of cinema advertising comes<br />

from the benefits it <strong>pro</strong>vides<br />

brands and exhibitors alike.<br />

In this era of media<br />

fragmentation, cinema<br />

remains the sole video venue<br />

that can bring together<br />

a mass audience and claim<br />

its undivided attention.<br />

Screenvision Media, which partners<br />

with Screendollars as part of its advertising<br />

network, has introduced its Marquee<br />

Position ad spot in response to this trend.<br />

Marquee Position runs one ad after the<br />

trailers and before the start of the feature<br />

film, touting an ad recall rate of 88 percent,<br />

according to Screenvision. While that<br />

solution has helped mitigate the perception<br />

caused by postpandemic box office<br />

figures, Screenvision’s John Partilla<br />

remains confident that theatrical returns<br />

have finally turned a corner from the<br />

postpandemic challenges. “From the back<br />

half of this year onward, I think we’re<br />

finally all well positioned for the skies to<br />

clear and fully enjoy this exciting,<br />

rewarding business again,” he says.<br />

Competitive pricing is another way for<br />

cinema advertising and exhibitors to<br />

compete. Parrot Film has been <strong>pro</strong>viding<br />

cinema advertising solutions to exhibitors<br />

since 1924. Its CEO, John Adams, believes<br />

competitively priced local ads can<br />

compound to make a real difference for<br />

independent exhibitors’ preshow. “We<br />

believe [ads] should be priced low enough<br />

where everybody in town has an opportunity<br />

to buy. In the towns we service, we<br />

have clients who don’t care about their<br />

placement in the preshow. They want to be<br />

involved; they want to be part of the<br />

experience. When we have an advertiser<br />

who makes it a point to be the last spot<br />

before a film starts, we can make that<br />

happen at a price that makes sense for<br />

everyone involved.”<br />

Ultimately, the real value of cinema<br />

advertising comes from the benefits it<br />

<strong>pro</strong>vides brands and exhibitors alike. In<br />

this era of media fragmentation, cinema<br />

remains the sole video venue that can<br />

bring together a mass audience and claim<br />

its undivided attention. “Our entire<br />

sector’s focus is on <strong>pro</strong>viding marketers<br />

and advertisers the opportunity to reach<br />

one of the most desirable demographics:<br />

millennials and Gen Z,” says NCM’s Mike<br />

Rosen. “The broader video landscape is<br />

going through significant challenges in<br />

reach, scale, and relevancy to those<br />

audiences. When people are at home, they<br />

can easily avoid ads through subscription<br />

streaming services. Cinema advertising<br />

allows brands to reach the hardest-toreach<br />

audiences with the most spending<br />

power through a platform that can deliver<br />

the highest attention scores. It is the best<br />

value <strong>pro</strong>position in advertising today.”<br />

box_24_july.indd 28 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:24:26


Congratulations to the<br />

Giants of Exhibition<br />

NCM, the leading cinema video ad platform,<br />

delivers The Noovie Show to moviegoing audiences<br />

nationwide. Our premium content experience is paired with<br />

better customer service, leading to increased revenue.<br />

Partner with NCM – the perfect best friend<br />

for the exhibition community.<br />

box_24_july.indd 29 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:24:27


CINEMA TECHNOLOGY & MARKETING<br />

Websites<br />

Mobile Apps<br />

Online Ticketing<br />

Targeted Emailing<br />

and more...<br />

Scan the QR code to find out more.<br />

box_24_july.indd 30 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:24:27


Giants of Exhibition 33 | Cineplex 50 | Marcus Theatres 54<br />

THEATER<br />

"Bowling is always going to be bowling, but going to the movies<br />

gives you a new experience each week."<br />

Marcus Theatres, p. 54<br />

August/September <strong>2024</strong> 31<br />

box_24_july.indd 31 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:24:29


Congratulations to the<br />

<strong>2024</strong> Giants of Exhibition<br />

Your dedication and resilience are the backbone<br />

of our industry. It is a privilege to partner with<br />

many of you, <strong>pro</strong>viding innovative solutions that<br />

empower your exceptional cinematic experiences.<br />

Reassuringly familiar and radically superior, Vista Cloud is designed<br />

to <strong>pro</strong>pel Giants of Exhibition into the future.<br />

Learn more at vista.co<br />

box_24_july.indd 32 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:24:30


THEATER | GIANTS OF EXHIBITION<br />

GIANTS<br />

BOXOFFICE PRO’S ANNUAL RANKING<br />

OF THE LARGEST EXHIBITION CIRCUITS<br />

IN NORTH AMERICA BY SCREEN COUNT<br />

OF EXHIBITION<br />

Presented by<br />

August/September <strong>2024</strong> 33<br />

box_24_july.indd 33 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:24:31


THEATER | GIANTS OF EXHIBITION<br />

SPONSOR<br />

PROFILE<br />

Jerramy Hainline<br />

EVP, Fandango<br />

Fandango wishes the Giants of<br />

Exhibition a huge congratulations!<br />

Your continued dedication to<br />

<strong>pro</strong>viding the best theatrical<br />

experiences and bringing the<br />

magical world of cinema closer to<br />

the hearts of movie lovers is<br />

unmatched. We are <strong>pro</strong>ud to be<br />

your partner.<br />

01<br />

AMC THEATRES<br />

Headquarters: Leawood, KS<br />

Founded: 1920<br />

Screens: 7,325<br />

Locations: 558<br />

A mix of creativity and tenacity<br />

helped AMC Theatres steer its way<br />

through the turbulent waters that followed<br />

Hollywood’s labor strikes in 2023. Faced<br />

with <strong>pro</strong>gramming gaps in the release<br />

calendar, AMC surprised the film industry<br />

with an unexpected incursion into<br />

theatrical distribution. Instead of dipping<br />

its toes in the water, AMC dived right in<br />

with a pair of blockbuster concert films<br />

released in Q4 2023, working directly with<br />

music megastars Taylor Swift and Beyoncé<br />

to bring Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour and<br />

Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé to movie<br />

theaters worldwide. Those two titles<br />

injected much-needed life into a moribund<br />

box office reeling from rescheduled studio<br />

releases. The Eras Tour finished its<br />

theatrical run with $180 million from North<br />

America, while Renaissance contributed an<br />

additional $33 million to the domestic<br />

market. Globally, AMC’s two concert films<br />

brought in a combined total of $310 million<br />

worldwide in box office revenue.<br />

The world’s top cinema chain hasn’t yet<br />

announced additional titles for <strong>2024</strong>, but,<br />

in a recent interview with Boxoffice Pro,<br />

CEO Adam Aron confirmed plans to have<br />

AMC Distribution play an important role<br />

in the circuit’s future. “Given what we just<br />

pulled off, the obvious thing to first<br />

consider is whether there are other concert<br />

movies that would be right in our<br />

wheelhouse,” Aron shared in the interview.<br />

“We’re talking to other world-class artists<br />

to see if we can get more concert films into<br />

theaters worldwide.”<br />

Aron joked that AMC’s mantra since the<br />

Hollywood labor strikes has been “survive<br />

until ‘25,” when he expects the box office to<br />

experience a big rebound. Until then, the<br />

circuit has launched a series of initiatives<br />

to diversify revenue. Some initiatives have<br />

been obvious (a streaming app) and some<br />

surprising (a goldmine), but the combined<br />

efforts have begun to affect the company’s<br />

bottom line. AMC launched its own<br />

branded retail popcorn line last year.<br />

Initially available at 550 locations, it is now<br />

sold at over 6,500 points of distribution in<br />

the United States—a twelve-fold increase<br />

over its first year on the market. The circuit<br />

also launched its own line of candy sold at<br />

its theaters to avoid supply-chain<br />

disruptions and increase food and<br />

beverage margins.<br />

While AMC’s overall screen and<br />

location counts have been gradually<br />

decreasing since the onset of the pan-<br />

demic, Aron explains that this is a strategy<br />

devised to optimize margins from their<br />

fleet of U.S. theaters. The circuit closed<br />

four underperforming locations in the first<br />

quarter of <strong>2024</strong> while adding one new site.<br />

In total, AMC has closed 169 underper-<br />

forming theaters since the pandemic—<br />

replacing them with 60 new locations.<br />

Over the past 20-plus years we<br />

built a network of direct-to-consumer<br />

digital brands that serve<br />

fans throughout their entertainment<br />

journey from discovery to<br />

moviegoing and beyond, and we<br />

remain dedicated to innovating<br />

and eventizing the theatrical<br />

experience with our partners.<br />

At Fandango, we continue to<br />

leverage our e-commerce<br />

expertise, <strong>pro</strong>motional know-how,<br />

and massive audience reach to<br />

drive more theater attendance,<br />

sell more tickets and concessions,<br />

and build happy and loyal<br />

audiences. Whether it’s through<br />

our new preorder concessions<br />

feature, ticket gifting and gift with<br />

purchase <strong>pro</strong>grams, supporting<br />

movie holidays like National<br />

Cinema and Popcorn Days,<br />

working with third-party <strong>pro</strong>motional<br />

partners, or helping bring<br />

new types of content to the big<br />

screen like concerts and the <strong>2024</strong><br />

Paris Olympics—we’re driving fans<br />

into theaters like never before.<br />

With <strong>2024</strong> already welcoming<br />

back cherished franchises and<br />

beloved characters to the cinema,<br />

we’re excited about this year and<br />

beyond. We look forward to<br />

working with you, our valued<br />

exhibition partners, to drive more<br />

movie fans into theaters to enjoy<br />

the best entertainment experience<br />

in the world.<br />

Grab a seat: It’s showtime!<br />

34 August/September <strong>2024</strong><br />

box_24_july.indd 34 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:24:35


ox_24_july.indd 35 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:24:37


THEATER | GIANTS OF EXHIBITION<br />

SPONSOR<br />

PROFILE<br />

Ronnie Ycong<br />

EVP and GM, Americas<br />

Digital Cinema United<br />

Congratulations, Giants<br />

of Exhibition! It’s great to see the<br />

many stalwarts of exhibition<br />

on the list and to welcome the<br />

newly tapped Giants.<br />

02<br />

REGAL CINEMAS<br />

Headquarters: Knoxville, TN<br />

Founded: 1989<br />

Screens: 5,774<br />

Locations: 425<br />

Regal Cinemas emerged from last<br />

year’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing<br />

by its parent circuit, U.K.-based multina-<br />

tional Cineworld, with an aggressive<br />

recovery plan. After renegotiating leases in<br />

key locations—including top-performing<br />

sites like New York City’s Times Square<br />

and Union Square—the chain began<br />

renovating and updating select theaters<br />

across the country. Updated design details,<br />

new bar areas, luxury seating, and<br />

additional premium large format (PLF)<br />

auditoriums have all been part of Regal’s<br />

new look in the United States. The chain<br />

has also been busy taking over new leases<br />

across the country. Its latest pickup—a<br />

former Kerasotes location in Secaucus,<br />

New Jersey—opened in late June.<br />

Regal maintains a diversified fleet of<br />

PLF concepts, including their <strong>pro</strong>prietary<br />

RPX screens, select Imax locations, and CJ<br />

4DPlex's 4DX immersive seating and<br />

ScreenX panoramic screens, of which they<br />

are the country's leading <strong>pro</strong>vider.<br />

In total, Regal operates 49 4DX audito-<br />

riums and 52 ScreenX venues across the<br />

United States. For context, the rest of<br />

Cineworld’s global circuit operates an<br />

additional 62 4DX auditoriums and 29<br />

ScreenX locations across Europe and<br />

Israel. Regal’s newly remodeled Times<br />

Square location in New York City recently<br />

added its second 4DX auditorium, the first<br />

site in North America to devote two<br />

separate auditoriums to the immersive<br />

seating experience. The newly installed<br />

4DX screen in Times Square features a<br />

60-foot-wide screen, four fog machines,<br />

and eight shaker amplifiers, <strong>pro</strong>viding<br />

extra motion for patrons.<br />

It is also the first 4DX auditorium in the<br />

United States to feature 30 rainstorm fans,<br />

including 14 directly above the audience.<br />

Cineworld expanded investment into<br />

its U.S. circuit beyond its physical<br />

locations. In February of this year, the<br />

cinema chain launched its online<br />

merchandise store, the Regal Store, where<br />

patrons can buy movie memorabilia like<br />

collectible cups and popcorn buckets.<br />

Moviegoers tied to the Regal Crown Club<br />

loyalty <strong>pro</strong>gram receive 20 percent off<br />

their first purchase at the store. The Regal<br />

Store has <strong>pro</strong>ven to be a valuable way to<br />

reach family audiences, with exclusive<br />

popcorn buckets for titles like Disney/<br />

Pixar’s Inside Out 2 <strong>pro</strong>minently featured<br />

on the e-commerce site.<br />

While <strong>2024</strong> started off slow for<br />

our industry, the box office finally<br />

bloomed with the record-breaking<br />

release of Inside Out 2 and other<br />

strong releases that followed.<br />

With the robust upcoming film<br />

slate, the <strong>2024</strong> box office is<br />

certainly going to close better<br />

than it started.<br />

Through Digital Cinema United’s<br />

theatrical services of DCP<br />

mastering, DCP delivery, and KDM<br />

management, we are doing our<br />

part to get movies on the big<br />

screen across North America and<br />

EMEA. Today, the rollout of our<br />

DCU Connect electronic delivery<br />

platform has reached 3,000<br />

locations. The installation of DCU<br />

Connect will allow theaters to<br />

receive DCPs faster and more<br />

reliably, with fewer delays caused<br />

by weather or mechanical issues.<br />

DCU Connect also contributes to<br />

Digital Cinema United’s personal<br />

goal of a cleaner planet through<br />

the reduction of fuel emissions.<br />

From the entire Digital Cinema<br />

United team, thank you to all our<br />

exhibition and distribution<br />

partners. There is a lot of theatrical<br />

content coming out in the next<br />

12 months, and Digital Cinema<br />

United is <strong>pro</strong>ud to play<br />

a significant role in the theatrical<br />

exhibition ecosystem.<br />

36 August/September <strong>2024</strong><br />

box_24_july.indd 36 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:24:40<br />

dcu-box


®<br />

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efficient, and affordable<br />

way to receive DCPs<br />

Free digital delivery service for exhibitors<br />

Only 10 minutes to install<br />

3,000 cinemas and growing<br />

JOIN THE INDUSTRY’S FASTEST GROWING E-DELIVERY NETWORK<br />

DigitalCinemaUnited.com/BoxOffice<br />

dcu-<strong>boxoffice</strong>-print-fullpage.indd 1<br />

<strong>2024</strong>-05-09 5:00 PM<br />

box_24_july.indd 37 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:24:41


THEATER | GIANTS OF EXHIBITION<br />

03<br />

CINEMARK<br />

Headquarters: Plano, TX<br />

Founded: 1984<br />

Screens: 4,303<br />

Locations: 308<br />

Third in our Giants of Exhibition<br />

ranking, Texas-based Cinemark<br />

continues under the leadership of CEO<br />

Sean Gamble, who took over from former<br />

CEO Mark Zoradi at the end of 2021.<br />

Under Gamble, Cinemark has continued<br />

technological upgrades at existing theatres<br />

while exercising caution on the mergers<br />

and acquisitions front. Per Gamble, in the<br />

chain’s Q1 <strong>2024</strong> earnings call, “We’re going<br />

to continue to be very disciplined and<br />

balanced in our ap<strong>pro</strong>ach” to adding<br />

locations to Cinemark’s existing foot-<br />

print—though he also notes that, following<br />

an industry-wide pause in the devel-<br />

opment of new sites due to the pandemic,<br />

“we have reactivated that development<br />

pipeline <strong>pro</strong>cess” and have been looking<br />

for opportunities to expand with<br />

“investments that have a high <strong>pro</strong>bability<br />

of success.”<br />

Among those opportunities being<br />

explored by Cinemark are the integration<br />

into their circuit of family entertainment<br />

centers, combining cinema auditoriums<br />

with other entertainment amenities and<br />

expanded food and beverage options<br />

38 August/September <strong>2024</strong><br />

under one roof. “We’ve seen how well these<br />

types of concepts have performed both<br />

during the pandemic and since,” said<br />

Gamble in a February <strong>2024</strong> earnings call,<br />

adding that there are plans in place at<br />

Cinemark to open two family enter-<br />

tainment center complexes within the<br />

year.<br />

On the subject of existing theaters,<br />

Cinemark continues their work with Barco<br />

to transition the chain to laser <strong>pro</strong>jection<br />

technology, following a deal inked in 2019.<br />

The chain boasts recliner seating across<br />

nearly 70 percent of their domestic<br />

screens, the market’s largest footprint of<br />

D-Box motion seating, and their PLF<br />

brand, Cinemark XD. Other custom-<br />

er-centric enhancements have been<br />

implemented of late, including intro-<br />

ducing branded Cinemark merchandise,<br />

expanding third-party concessions<br />

delivery, and rolling out a new brand<br />

identity throughout 2023. Part of the latter<br />

has been the adoption of social and digital<br />

marketing platforms that have expanded<br />

Cinemark’s addressable customer base to<br />

nearly 30 million.<br />

Finally, in February of 2023,<br />

Cinemark founder Lee Roy Mitchell<br />

stepped down from the company’s board<br />

of directors, following a lengthy tenure<br />

with the company—first as CEO, then<br />

executive chairman of the board, and<br />

finally as a board member.<br />

SPONSOR<br />

PROFILE<br />

Gerwin Damberg<br />

EVP Cinema, Barco<br />

To this year’s Giants of<br />

Exhibition, congratulations from<br />

the entire Barco Cinema family<br />

around the world. It is our privilege<br />

to serve you and illuminate the<br />

power of stories that can only be<br />

told on the big screen. Your<br />

unwavering dedication to the film<br />

industry, commitment to <strong>pro</strong>viding<br />

exceptional cinematic experiences,<br />

and leadership in exhibition<br />

have not only entertained<br />

countless audiences but also<br />

elevated the standards of movie<br />

theaters everywhere. Through your<br />

innovation, passion, and resilience,<br />

you are bright beacons of<br />

excellence.<br />

Your efforts in curating diverse<br />

and high-quality film selections,<br />

creating immersive viewing<br />

environments, and embracing the<br />

latest technological advancements<br />

have set you apart.<br />

Each of your theaters offers a<br />

unique blend of the traditional and<br />

the modern, honoring the rich<br />

history of cinema while pushing<br />

the boundaries of what a<br />

moviegoing experience can be.<br />

No matter the landscape and<br />

environment, your ability to adapt<br />

and thrive ensures the ability to<br />

continue bringing joy, excitement,<br />

and wonder to audiences around<br />

the world. Your role in fostering a<br />

love of cinema and supporting<br />

filmmakers in realizing their vision<br />

preserves the legacy of cinema for<br />

this generation and many to come.<br />

Your impact on the industry is<br />

<strong>pro</strong>found, and we look forward to<br />

many more years of extraordinary<br />

cinematic experiences delivered<br />

together. The Barco Cinema team<br />

salutes you.<br />

box_24_july.indd 38 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:24:45


Feel the difference<br />

of precision<br />

Laser by Barco is today’s leading technology for tomorrow.<br />

Outstandingly beautiful image quality in an easy-to-operate<br />

system. Efficient, effective, and eco-friendly. Made for delivering<br />

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Discover more at barco.com/cinema<br />

box_24_july.indd 39 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:24:46


THEATER | GIANTS OF EXHIBITION<br />

SPONSOR<br />

PROFILE<br />

John Fennell<br />

EVP, Sales<br />

Adam Peterson<br />

VP, Cinema Sales<br />

VIP Luxury Seating<br />

04<br />

CINEPLEX<br />

Headquarters: Toronto, ON<br />

Founded: 1912<br />

Screens: 1,618<br />

Locations: 156<br />

With a 74 percent share of the<br />

Canadian market, Cineplex is the<br />

largest cinema chain in Canada and the<br />

fourth largest in North America overall.<br />

Cineplex has continued to reap the benefits<br />

of a diversified business strategy: In<br />

addition to its cinemas, Cineplex has been<br />

a major and early player in location-based<br />

entertainment, with 13 locations across the<br />

Rec Room and Playdium brands in<br />

operation as of Q1 <strong>2024</strong> with three more<br />

planned through the end of the year.<br />

2023 also saw Cineplex open the second<br />

location of their Junxion concept, which<br />

combines cinema auditoriums with<br />

additional gaming, entertainment, and<br />

food and beverage facilities.<br />

In November of 2023, Cineplex sold its<br />

amusement solutions division Player One<br />

Entertainment Group, which <strong>pro</strong>vided<br />

amusement and vending equipment to<br />

both Cineplex’s own facilities and other<br />

operators across North America. The<br />

circuit continues to operate in-theater<br />

advertising (Cineplex Media) and digital<br />

media (Cineplex Digital Media) divisions<br />

in addition to acting as a film distributor,<br />

40 August/September <strong>2024</strong><br />

having extended their contract with<br />

Lionsgate to release that studio’s films in<br />

Canada. The chain overindexes on<br />

international content compared to other<br />

North American exhibitors, with ap<strong>pro</strong>xi-<br />

mately 13 percent of its Q1 <strong>2024</strong> box office<br />

coming from international content,<br />

compared to 6 percent for the North<br />

American industry as a whole. This can be<br />

attributed largely to a robust loyalty<br />

<strong>pro</strong>gram—owned by Cineplex, Scotiabank,<br />

and Empire Company Limited—that<br />

gathers data from a user base that, as of the<br />

end of March <strong>2024</strong>, numbered over 15<br />

million, representing one-third of the<br />

Canadian population. Cineplex’s own<br />

CineClub subscription <strong>pro</strong>gram, launched<br />

in the summer of 2021, exceeded 140,000<br />

members at the end of Q1 <strong>2024</strong>.<br />

At Cineplex, as with other North<br />

American exhibitors, premium formats<br />

remain a substantial pull; in the first<br />

quarter of <strong>2024</strong>, premium formats—in-<br />

cluding Imax screens, ScreenX panoramic<br />

screens, 4DX and D-Box immersive<br />

seating, and Cineplex’s own UltraAVX and<br />

Cineplex VIP brands—represented 41.3<br />

percent of the box office. Box office per<br />

patron continues upward for the chain, as<br />

does concession per patron spend.<br />

Congratulations to the Giants of<br />

Exhibition! At VIP Luxury Seating,<br />

we are thrilled to celebrate our<br />

exhibitor partners, and we are<br />

honored to be a part of your<br />

success story.<br />

Our mission at VIP Luxury<br />

Seating is to deliver innovations<br />

that elevate the comfort and<br />

luxury of exceptional moviegoing<br />

experiences. It’s no secret that the<br />

right seating can transform a good<br />

theater into a great one.<br />

By choosing VIP Luxury Seating,<br />

theaters signal their dedication to<br />

<strong>pro</strong>viding a premium experience,<br />

one that prioritizes the comfort<br />

and satisfaction of every guest.<br />

We are incredibly <strong>pro</strong>ud<br />

to support the Giants of Exhibition<br />

and look forward to continuing<br />

our partnerships in pushing the<br />

boundaries of what a movie<br />

theater can offer. Here’s to more<br />

innovations, more satisfied<br />

moviegoers, and many more years<br />

of cinematic excellence.<br />

Cheers to another billion VIP<br />

Luxury Seating patrons!<br />

box_24_july.indd 40 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:24:48


Contact us to find out more! +1 662.598.1989 • vipluxuryseating.com<br />

101 Industrial Drive • New Albany, MS 38652<br />

box_24_july.indd 41 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:24:49


ox_24_july.indd 42 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:24:49


THEATER | GIANTS OF EXHIBITION<br />

05<br />

MARCUS THEATRES<br />

Headquarters: Milwaukee, WI<br />

Founded: 1935<br />

Screens: 981<br />

Locations: 78<br />

06<br />

B&B THEATRES<br />

Headquarters: Liberty, MO<br />

Founded: 1924<br />

Screens: 550<br />

Locations: 57<br />

Marcus Theatres added<br />

veteran leadership to its<br />

executive ranks over the last<br />

year, announcing the inclusion<br />

of Steve Bunnell as executive<br />

vice president of content<br />

strategy and Ken Thewes as<br />

senior vice president and head<br />

of marketing. The two<br />

experienced hires join Marcus<br />

Theatres president Mark<br />

Gramz, who was <strong>pro</strong>moted to<br />

the role in late 2022. Gramz has<br />

been part of Marcus Theatres<br />

since first joining the company<br />

over 50 years ago, back in 1971,<br />

while still in high school.<br />

The Midwest-based circuit<br />

hit a major milestone in its<br />

loyalty <strong>pro</strong>gram in May of this<br />

year. Marcus Magical Rewards<br />

was launched in 2014 and has<br />

since amassed over 6 million<br />

subscribers. The <strong>pro</strong>gram is<br />

known to consumers for its<br />

perks, including complimentary<br />

popcorn on Tues-<br />

days—a circuit-wide discount<br />

day known as Value Tuesdays<br />

that offers reduced prices<br />

across all titles.<br />

Family-owned and<br />

operated B&B Theatres<br />

is celebrating its centennial<br />

anniversary this year, a<br />

historic milestone for the<br />

Missouri-based circuit.<br />

B&B commemorated the<br />

anniversary with the opening<br />

of an expansive new Cinema<br />

Entertainment Center site<br />

in Red Oak, Texas, a 12-screen<br />

complex with several<br />

premium auditoriums,<br />

an arcade, full-service<br />

restaurant, bowling alley,<br />

rock climbing wall, and<br />

outdoor pickleball courts.<br />

The site is 20 miles outside of<br />

Dallas, making it an enter-<br />

tainment destination<br />

for communities around the<br />

metropolitan area.<br />

The circuit’s centennial also<br />

ushers in a new era for B&B<br />

Theatres. Earlier this year, the<br />

company announced the<br />

<strong>pro</strong>motion of siblings Bobbie<br />

Bagby Ford, Brittanie Bagby<br />

Baker, and Brock Bagby to<br />

serve as co-presidents of the<br />

circuit. CEO Bob Bagby, who<br />

also acts as NATO chairman,<br />

will continue to play a pivotal<br />

role in the company as its CEO,<br />

focusing company financial<br />

strategies and growth as B&B<br />

continues to expand across the<br />

nation.<br />

August/September <strong>2024</strong> 43<br />

box_24_july.indd 43 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:24:50


THEATER | GIANTS OF EXHIBITION<br />

07<br />

HARKINS THEATRES<br />

Headquarters: Scottsdale, AZ<br />

Founded: 1933<br />

Screens: 475<br />

Locations: 32<br />

08<br />

SANTIKOS ENTERTAINMENT<br />

Headquarters: San Antonio, TX<br />

Founded: 1911<br />

Screens: 377<br />

Locations: 27<br />

2023 was a big year<br />

for Harkins Theatres,<br />

marking 90 years in oper-<br />

ation for the Arizona-based<br />

chain, which celebrated with<br />

various special screenings,<br />

giveaways, donations, and<br />

special offers for loyalty club<br />

members. The year also saw<br />

Harkins join the Screenvision<br />

Media network for their<br />

preshow advertising needs.<br />

Harkins also built up its retail<br />

popcorn line, which was<br />

established in 2017, by adding<br />

new <strong>pro</strong>ducts and expanding<br />

distribution.<br />

Finally, in September of<br />

2023, the chain launched its<br />

flagship Harkins Ciné Grill<br />

location, with an outdoor<br />

cocktail bar, laser <strong>pro</strong>jection,<br />

and dine-in service,<br />

in Peoria, Arizona. Behind<br />

the scenes, Mike Bowers,<br />

Harkins president and CEO,<br />

was elected vice chair of<br />

the board of NATO.<br />

A new addition to<br />

the top 10 in this year’s<br />

Giants of Exhibition Ranking<br />

is Santikos Entertainment,<br />

based in San Antonio, Texas.<br />

In the summer of 2023,<br />

Santikos more than doubled its<br />

location and screen count—<br />

and expanded from one state,<br />

Texas, to eight total—with<br />

their acquisition of AmStar<br />

Cinemas and The Grand<br />

Theatres from VSS-Southern<br />

Theatres.<br />

Following the acquisition, CEO<br />

Tim Handren said in an<br />

interview with Boxoffice Pro<br />

that major priorities for the<br />

chain after the acquisition<br />

have been integrating<br />

Grand and AmStar employees<br />

into Santikos and reaffirming<br />

the company’s culture.<br />

In addition, Santikos signed<br />

a deal in early <strong>2024</strong> to upgrade<br />

their 17 acquired cinemas<br />

with Christie <strong>pro</strong>jection<br />

technology.<br />

44 August/September <strong>2024</strong><br />

box_24_july.indd 44 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:24:54


09<br />

MALCO THEATRES 1<br />

Headquarters: Memphis, TN<br />

Founded: 1915<br />

Screens: 345<br />

Locations: 33<br />

10<br />

EMAGINE ENTERTAINMENT<br />

Headquarters: Troy, MI<br />

Founded: 1997<br />

Screens: 330<br />

Locations: 27<br />

In April 2023,<br />

Memphis-based Malco<br />

Theatres became one of the<br />

latest chains to embark on a<br />

large-scale adoption of laser<br />

technology. The chain inked a<br />

deal with Barco to upgrade<br />

the chain’s Barco Series 2<br />

<strong>pro</strong>jectors via the company’s<br />

Laser Light solution, which<br />

calls for replacing a legacy<br />

xenon <strong>pro</strong>jector’s light source<br />

engine with laser technology.<br />

That same month, Malco<br />

announced plans to launch<br />

an online food and beverage<br />

ordering system, scheduled to<br />

debut over the summer.<br />

Emagine Entertainment<br />

made big moves in 2022,<br />

becoming one of the first<br />

cinema chains to open a sports<br />

betting lounge following the<br />

legalization of sports betting in<br />

Michigan. In 2023, Emagine<br />

continued to diversify,<br />

launching a Quickserve<br />

window at their Birmingham 8<br />

theater in Birmingham,<br />

Michigan, allowing customers<br />

to buy concessions more easily<br />

without attending a movie.<br />

They also revamped their<br />

Emagine Rewards Program by<br />

introducting a new points<br />

system. In the summer of 2023,<br />

Emagine opened their new<br />

Batavia, Illinois, location—<br />

then, a month later, opened a<br />

Super EMX PLF auditorium<br />

there, giving the chain the<br />

largest movie screen in Illinois.<br />

August/September <strong>2024</strong> 45<br />

box_24_july.indd 45 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:24:58


THEATER | GIANTS OF EXHIBITION<br />

11 - 30<br />

11<br />

CMX CINEMAS 1<br />

Headquarters : Miami, FL<br />

Founded : 2016<br />

Screens : 327<br />

Locations : 29<br />

12<br />

CARIBBEAN CINEMAS 2<br />

Headquarters : San Juan, PR<br />

Founded : 1968<br />

Screens : 302<br />

Locations : 34<br />

13 (TIE)<br />

ALAMO<br />

DRAFTHOUSE 1<br />

Headquarters : Austin, TX<br />

Founded : 1997<br />

Screens : 299<br />

Locations : 35<br />

13 (TIE)<br />

LANDMARK<br />

CINEMAS OF CANADA 2<br />

Headquarters : Calgary, AB<br />

Founded : 1965<br />

Screens : 299<br />

Locations : 36<br />

15<br />

NCG - NEIGHBORHOOD<br />

CINEMAS GROUP 2<br />

Headquarters : Owosso, MI<br />

Founded : 1983<br />

Screens : 263<br />

Locations : 27<br />

16<br />

CINÉPOLIS USA<br />

Headquarters : Dallas, TX<br />

Founded : 2011<br />

Screens : 262<br />

Locations : 26<br />

17<br />

PREMIERE CINEMAS 2<br />

Headquarters : Big Spring, TX<br />

Founded : 1993<br />

Screens : 245<br />

Locations : 22<br />

18<br />

GEORGIA THEATRE<br />

COMPANY 1<br />

Headquarters : Saint Simon<br />

Island, GA<br />

Founded : 1992<br />

Screens : 238<br />

Locations : 22<br />

19<br />

NATIONAL AMUSEMENTS<br />

(SHOWCASE CINEMAS) 6<br />

Headquarters : Norwood, MA<br />

Founded : 1936<br />

Screens : 233<br />

Locations : 18<br />

20<br />

ELEVATE ENTERTAINMENT<br />

GROUP 6<br />

Headquarters : Austin, TX<br />

Founded : 2014<br />

Screens : 230<br />

Locations : 24<br />

21<br />

STUDIO MOVIE GRILL<br />

Headquarters : Dallas, TX<br />

Founded : 2000<br />

Screens : 205<br />

Locations : 19<br />

22<br />

READING CINEMAS USA 1<br />

Headquarters : Culver City, CA<br />

Founded : 2000<br />

Screens : 198<br />

Locations : 20<br />

23<br />

UNITED ENTERTAINMENT<br />

(UEC THEATRES)<br />

Headquarters :<br />

Maple Grove, MN<br />

Founded : 1993<br />

Screens : 191<br />

Locations : 22<br />

24<br />

CINEMA WEST 4<br />

Headquarters : Petaluma, CA<br />

Founded : 1984<br />

Screens : 178<br />

Locations : 18<br />

25<br />

GALAXY THEATRES 1<br />

Headquarters :<br />

Sherman Oaks, CA<br />

Founded : 1998<br />

Screens : 176<br />

Locations : 15<br />

26<br />

LARRY H. MILLER<br />

MEGAPLEX THEATRES 1<br />

Headquarters : Sandy, UT<br />

Founded : 1999<br />

Screens : 173<br />

Locations : 15<br />

27<br />

LANDMARK THEATRES<br />

Headquarters :<br />

West Hollywood, CA<br />

Founded : 1974<br />

Screens : 172<br />

Locations : 31<br />

28<br />

MJR THEATRES<br />

Headquarters : Bloomfield<br />

Hills, MI<br />

Founded : 1980<br />

Screens : 164<br />

Locations : 10<br />

29<br />

REGENCY THEATRES 1<br />

Headquarters : Agoura Hills, CA<br />

Founded : 1996<br />

Screens : 159<br />

Locations : 23<br />

30 (TIE)<br />

CINEMA ENTERTAINMENT<br />

CORP (CEC THEATRES) 1<br />

Headquarters : Waite Park, MN<br />

Founded : 1964<br />

Screens : 154<br />

Locations : 19<br />

46 August/September <strong>2024</strong><br />

box_24_july.indd 46 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:24:59


CRETORS<br />

INVENTED THE<br />

POPCORN<br />

MACHINE<br />

THEN JUST KEPT GOING!<br />

When it comes to concessions,<br />

it comes from Cretors.<br />

SINCE 1885<br />

Contact Shelly Olesen at 847.616.6901 or visit www.cretors.com<br />

box_24_july.indd 47 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:25:00


THEATER | GIANTS OF EXHIBITION<br />

30-50<br />

30 (TIE)<br />

GQT MOVIES 10<br />

Headquarters : Grand Rapids, MI<br />

Founded : 1930<br />

Screens : 154<br />

Locations : 22<br />

32 (TIE)<br />

CELEBRATION CINEMA<br />

BY STUDIO C<br />

Headquarters : Grand Rapids, MI<br />

Founded : 1944<br />

Screens : 150<br />

Locations : 11<br />

32 (TIE)<br />

MARQUEE CINEMAS<br />

Headquarters : Beckley, WV<br />

Founded : 1979<br />

Screens : 150<br />

Locations : 14<br />

35 (TIE)<br />

LOOK CINEMAS 10<br />

Headquarters : Dallas, TX<br />

Founded : 2021<br />

Screens : 145<br />

Locations : 14<br />

37<br />

CLASSIC CINEMAS 1<br />

Headquarters :<br />

Downers Grove, IL<br />

Founded : 1978<br />

Screens : 141<br />

Locations : 16<br />

38<br />

COMING ATTRACTIONS<br />

THEATRES 2<br />

Headquarters : Ashland, OR<br />

Founded : 1985<br />

Screens : 137<br />

Locations : 16<br />

41<br />

GOLDEN TICKET<br />

CINEMAS 1<br />

Headquarters : Durham, NC<br />

Founded : 2016<br />

Screens : 121<br />

Locations : 18<br />

42<br />

PHOENIX THEATRES 1<br />

Headquarters : Knoxville, TN<br />

Founded : 2001<br />

Screens : 118<br />

Locations : 11<br />

43 (TIE)<br />

ALLEN THEATRES 1<br />

Headquarters : Las Cruces, NM<br />

Founded : 1912<br />

Screens : 112<br />

Locations : 16<br />

46<br />

IPIC THEATERS 1<br />

Headquarters : Boca Raton, FL<br />

Founded : 2010<br />

Screens : 100<br />

Locations : 13<br />

47<br />

R.L. FRIDLEY THEATRES 2<br />

Headquarters : Des Moines, IA<br />

Founded : 1974<br />

Screens : 97<br />

Locations : 17<br />

48<br />

PICTURE SHOW<br />

ENTERTAINMENT NEW<br />

Headquarters :<br />

Colorado Springs, CO<br />

Founded : 2003<br />

Screens : 89<br />

Locations : 11<br />

34<br />

EPIC THEATRES 1<br />

Headquarters : Deltona, FL<br />

Founded : 2003<br />

Screens : 146<br />

Locations : 12<br />

35 (TIE)<br />

CINÉMAS GUZZO 1<br />

Headquarters :<br />

Terrebonne, QC<br />

Founded : 1974<br />

Screens : 145<br />

Locations : 10<br />

39<br />

APPLE CINEMAS<br />

Headquarters : East Walpole, MA<br />

Founded : 2013<br />

Screens : 136<br />

Locations : 12<br />

40<br />

FLAGSHIP PREMIUM<br />

CINEMAS<br />

Headquarters : Baltimore, MD<br />

Founded : 1995<br />

Screens : 131<br />

Locations : 18<br />

43 (TIE)<br />

STAR CINEMA GRILL 4<br />

Headquarters :<br />

Missouri City, TX<br />

Founded : 2009<br />

Screens : 112<br />

Locations : 13<br />

45<br />

MITCHELL THEATRES 1<br />

Headquarters : Elkhart, KS<br />

Founded : 2005<br />

Screens : 107<br />

Locations : 15<br />

49 (TIE)<br />

FLIX<br />

ENTERTAINMENT NEW<br />

Headquarters :<br />

Round Rock, TX<br />

Founded : 2011<br />

Screens : 88<br />

Locations : 10<br />

49 (TIE)<br />

MAYA CINEMAS NEW<br />

Headquarters : Pasadena, CA<br />

Founded : 2000<br />

Screens : 88<br />

Locations : 6<br />

48 August/September <strong>2024</strong><br />

box_24_july.indd 48 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:25:01


1. Offers luxurious comfort with deep-cushioned back and seat upholstery. 2. Features plush, tailored<br />

seat modules. 3. Includes attractive chaise lounge footrests. 4. Drives down construction costs while<br />

advancing <strong>pro</strong>ject timelines. 5. Maximizes all renovation budgets. 6. Enhanced patron experience by<br />

maximizing comfort and convenience. 7. Reduced noise levels for an uninterrupted viewing experience.<br />

8. Effortless cleaning ensures efficient maintenance routines. 9. Cost-effective upkeep with modular<br />

construction. 10. Uses fabricated foam cushions for additional comfort. 11. Provides quiet, reliable power<br />

operation for reclining. 12. Balances capacity with a high-end aesthetic. 13. Includes built-in cupholders<br />

for convenience. 14. Enclosed mechanism ensures quiet reclining & enhanced durability. 15. Available in<br />

high-quality materials. 16. Features two-pillow or three-pillow back construction for superior comfort.<br />

17. Designed with a heavy-duty recliner mechanism for enhanced durability. 18. Comes with optional<br />

heated back feature for added warmth. 19. Equipped with battery backup for uninterrupted operation.<br />

20. Intuitive hand controls for limitless seating positions. 21. Fully upholstered ends and center casings.<br />

22. Available with replacement covers for easy maintenance. 23. Supports mass open-close operation<br />

for synchronized movements. 24. Incorporates back-lit buttons for visibility in dark environments.<br />

25. High-quality finishes for premium looks. 26. Vinyl wrap arm caps for enhanced tailoring.<br />

27. Fits dozens of riser sizes and depths – more than any other solution on the market. 28. Provides<br />

vinyl wraps for easy cleaning and maintenance. 29. Battery backup for uninterrupted operation.<br />

30. Substantial space beneath the seat reduces cleaning time. 31. Offers ergonomic design for enhanced<br />

comfort. 32. Designed to fit different auditorium layouts. 33. Features attractive designs that enhances<br />

the venue’s appearance. 34. Available with a range of accessories for customization to support specific<br />

cinema needs. 35. Obstacle free space under seat. 36. Utilizing existing backs and seats <strong>pro</strong>vide<br />

ease of maintenance. 37. Installation that’s efficient and cost effective. 38. Provides installation<br />

support for easy setup. 39. Supports food and beverage tables for convenience. 40. Ensures long-term<br />

reliability with high-quality construction. 41. Innovative patented design. 42. Designed to keep patrons<br />

comfortable and returning. 43. Seamless support during construction. 44. Made by a trusted brand<br />

with a 117 year history of quality. 45. Suitable for retrofitting existing venues. 46. Provides<br />

easy integration with existing infrastructure. 47. Supports food and beverage<br />

tables for convenience. 48. Ergonomic design for enhanced comfort.<br />

49. Supports a wide range of diverse installation environments.<br />

50. Backed by strong customer support and service.<br />

Just 1 of 50 benefits standard with our Recliner Over Riser.<br />

irwinseating.com<br />

box_24_july.indd 49 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:25:02


THEATER | CINEPLEX<br />

CANADIAN<br />

COLOSSUS<br />

Cineplex CEO Ellis Jacob on Becoming<br />

Canada’s Entertainment Destination<br />

BY REBECCA PAHLE<br />

50 August/September <strong>2024</strong><br />

box_24_july.indd 50 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:25:05


Boasting ap<strong>pro</strong>ximately 74 percent of<br />

the market share of Canadian<br />

cinemas, there’s no doubt that Cineplex is<br />

practically synonymous with cinema in<br />

Canada. But cinemas aren’t the stopping<br />

point for the fourth largest chain in North<br />

America by screen count (as determined<br />

by this year’s Giants of Exhibition<br />

ranking). Cineplex also has a diversified<br />

business portfolio, including in-cinema<br />

advertising, digital signage, location-based<br />

entertainment, and more. Boxoffice Pro<br />

spoke with CEO Ellis Jacob about just a few<br />

of the ways Cineplex dominates the<br />

entertainment space in Canada.<br />

In Q4 of 2023, Cineplex sold its Player<br />

One Entertainment Group division,<br />

which <strong>pro</strong>vided amusement and<br />

vending equipment. Why was it the right<br />

time to sell?<br />

We have grown the business nicely.<br />

Basically, it’s not the sweet spot of what we<br />

do. We are a retail business, whereas P1AG<br />

was a business-to-business concept. We<br />

thought it was good to divest, pay down our<br />

debt, and put our balance sheet in a much<br />

stronger position as we move forward.<br />

Really, our long-term focus is to be the<br />

leader in entertainment for Canadians, so<br />

when you think about entertainment, you<br />

think about us—whether it’s in a Rec<br />

Room or Palladium [location], or a movie<br />

theater. We’ll continue to look at premium<br />

experiences in theaters. We will continue<br />

to invest in our UltraAVX, our VIP [auditoriums],<br />

our Imax, D-Box, ScreenX, 4DX.<br />

That will all be part of what we have going<br />

forward. A significant amount of our<br />

revenue is coming from premium<br />

experiences. Guests love them.<br />

You do have a lot of variety in the<br />

premium formats you offer.<br />

This is something we’ve done for quite<br />

some time. We started off with 3D, and<br />

we’ve continued to widen the appeal for<br />

our guests. You can see a movie close to<br />

eight different ways today.<br />

You’ve also experienced growth in your<br />

audiences for international films.<br />

Before Covid, we were at two to four<br />

percent [of box office coming from<br />

international film], and now we are at 13<br />

percent. One thing we’ve been able to<br />

use—and it’s been very helpful—is our data.<br />

Our loyalty <strong>pro</strong>gram has given us great<br />

information about our guests and allowed<br />

us to communicate [with the right people<br />

about the right films]. We’re also using AI,<br />

so we can pinpoint where a movie should<br />

play and what the showtime should be. It<br />

helps us tremendously because it allows us<br />

to <strong>pro</strong>gram <strong>pro</strong>perly and staff adequately.<br />

We want it to be a seamless experience. We<br />

now [give customers] the ability to purchase<br />

concessions online before they get to the<br />

theater. You just pick up [your order] and go<br />

to your seat. You don’t have to line up like<br />

you would in the old days.<br />

Cineplex was an early player<br />

in the concept of location-based<br />

entertainment, and you have plans to<br />

open three more through the end of this<br />

year. What do you think is the potential<br />

for location-based entertainment across<br />

Canada? What can the market sustain?<br />

We will have 16 [location-based<br />

entertainment complexes] at the end of<br />

this year. Across the country, we could<br />

<strong>pro</strong>bably go to a number like 30. But it’s<br />

not going to happen overnight. It’s got to<br />

be the right location, the right size, and [it<br />

has to fit] our ability to get the most<br />

synergies from the theater business.<br />

August/September <strong>2024</strong> 51<br />

box_24_july.indd 51 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:25:07


THEATER | CINEPLEX<br />

theaters. They have done very well for us.<br />

It’s about giving [guests] an offering that<br />

they couldn’t replicate at home and having<br />

them enjoy that social experience.<br />

Can you talk a bit more about how you<br />

ap<strong>pro</strong>ach the discovery <strong>pro</strong>cess at<br />

Cineplex? Data from your loyalty<br />

<strong>pro</strong>gram allows you to target your<br />

marketing with great precision, and an<br />

industry initiative like National Cinema<br />

Day gets people out to the cinema<br />

where they see trailers and marketing<br />

and such for upcoming films. Is there<br />

potential in an event like you see in<br />

some other countries, something<br />

designed specifically around showcasing<br />

upcoming content?<br />

We are very careful—in Canada, we<br />

don’t run an unlimited amount of trailers<br />

or advertising, because you want the<br />

guests to come in and have a great<br />

experience. We are very focused on the<br />

overall offering that we give.<br />

How has the response been on the<br />

rollout for mobile ordering?<br />

It’s still relatively new, but the positive<br />

effect is that guests are actually consuming<br />

more [by using online ordering],<br />

from an overall purchase perspective.<br />

You’re very strong with premium<br />

formats and very strong with international<br />

titles—is there much crossover<br />

between those two audiences? Have<br />

you had success playing international<br />

films on some of your premium formats?<br />

We do. A lot of times we end up playing<br />

them in Imax. We play them in UltraAVX<br />

and even put them into certain VIP<br />

52 August/September <strong>2024</strong><br />

"In a recent study, it was<br />

found that cinema advertising<br />

has the most retention<br />

of anything. You’ve got so<br />

many distractions with phones<br />

and computers and<br />

everything—[in the cinema,<br />

guests] are totally engrossed<br />

in the screen."<br />

With the digital signage side of your<br />

business, I imagine you have a lot of<br />

insight into what works for your<br />

consumers, in terms of advertising.<br />

With our digital media business, we<br />

signed [real estate developer, owner, and<br />

operator] Cadillac Fairview and [real<br />

estate investment fund] Cominar, which<br />

is in Quebec. We control [digital signage<br />

in] basically nine of the most trafficked<br />

malls in Canada, and we bought a<br />

significant number of screens. So we are a<br />

huge touch point. And one other differentiator<br />

is the cinema media side of the<br />

business. Because, unlike our peers in the<br />

U.S. and other parts of the world, we own<br />

that business. And we certainly keep a<br />

significant portion, whereas in the U.S.<br />

they only get a small percentage. We run<br />

[our own in-cinema advertising division,<br />

Cineplex Media], and ad agencies come to<br />

us and we can offer them a whole host of<br />

different ways to advertise. In a recent<br />

study, it was found that cinema advertising<br />

has the most retention of anything.<br />

You’ve got so many distractions with<br />

phones and computers and everything—<br />

[in the cinema, guests] are totally<br />

engrossed in the screen. Given Cineplex’s<br />

presence, you can basically send a<br />

message right across the country. A lot of<br />

car companies and telecom companies<br />

want that because it allows them to speak<br />

and engage with their clients.<br />

box_24_july.indd 52 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:25:09


ox_24_july.indd 53 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:25:10


THEATER | MARCUS THEATRES<br />

54 August/September <strong>2024</strong><br />

box_24_july.indd 54 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:25:12


Marcus Theatres has grown from its<br />

origins as a family-owned Mid-<br />

western circuit to a national powerhouse.<br />

Now a publicly traded company operated<br />

by the eponymous family, Marcus enters<br />

the year retaining the number five spot on<br />

our annual Giants of Exhibition ranking.<br />

Boxoffice Pro’s Daniel Loria c<strong>aug</strong>ht up<br />

with Marcus Corporation CEO Greg<br />

Marcus at CinemaCon to discuss the<br />

theater chain’s latest trends, initiatives,<br />

and objectives as it looks to bounce back<br />

from the Hollywood labor strikes of 2023.<br />

A MIDWEST<br />

MAJOR<br />

An Interview with Marcus Corporation CEO<br />

Greg Marcus on Theatrical’s Path to Recovery<br />

BY DANIEL LORIA<br />

Where’s the circuit right now? How did<br />

you finish 2023, and what has <strong>2024</strong> been<br />

like?<br />

2023 was strong. It was an interesting<br />

finish to the year because we were all pretty<br />

nervous, given the lack of a big tentpole.<br />

Still, what it showed—which is great, I think<br />

it’s so important for the business—is that<br />

when you put together a strong slate of<br />

non-IP, non-tentpole films, you can do quite<br />

well. People want to go to the movies, they<br />

want to go to different movies, and they<br />

want to be entertained. It was a heartening<br />

thing and <strong>pro</strong>bably something we were all<br />

very nervous about, especially as we looked<br />

into the end of the year with the strikes, and<br />

that’s what we’re feeling.<br />

How was the start of the year?<br />

It wasn’t my favorite six months in the<br />

movie business. We talk about the business<br />

being a momentum business. You need a<br />

cadence of films to fuel the momentum of<br />

people going to the movies, seeing trailers,<br />

feeling good about being at the theater,<br />

and saying, “You know what? I want to do<br />

this again.” When that halts, it’s more chal-<br />

lenging for us as a business. There was<br />

box_24_july.indd 55 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:25:15


THEATER | MARCUS THEATRES<br />

some discussion about some of the films in<br />

the first quarter underperforming, not the<br />

biggest ones, but some of the more<br />

medium-sized stuff. I attribute some of<br />

those challenges to the lack of traffic going<br />

into our theaters and seeing trailers for<br />

upcoming releases. Moviegoing is a great<br />

driver for people getting into the habit of<br />

going to theaters consistently. It was hard<br />

when week 23 came, and we finally said,<br />

“Okay, we’re on the up; things are good.<br />

People are saying good things.”<br />

One of the biggest trends in exhibition<br />

today are Cinema Entertainment<br />

Centers. What’s your ap<strong>pro</strong>ach to that<br />

concept?<br />

We haven’t done anything with it yet.<br />

We’re looking at all that in the world of<br />

“everything old is new again.” We have an<br />

entertainment center attached to one of<br />

our movie theaters. It’s in central Wisconsin,<br />

and it must be 20 years old. Either<br />

we just have really good foresight, or we’re<br />

back to something that’s already been<br />

done. Now, maybe times are different, and<br />

it’s going to work better, or people get a<br />

better sense of what will work, but there<br />

was no shortage of theater operators trying<br />

this 20 years ago. Maybe everything was<br />

too big, or maybe a smaller version would<br />

work better economically.<br />

56 August/September <strong>2024</strong><br />

"PLF is the big thing.<br />

On a relative basis, we<br />

<strong>pro</strong>bably have the most PLFs<br />

of any circuit in the country.<br />

I will not take the credit<br />

myself, but I will tell you that<br />

Mark Gramz, who runs our<br />

theater business, I give him<br />

credit for inventing PLF."<br />

In this instance, we’re just observing<br />

before making our next move. We’re<br />

expanding games where it seems ap<strong>pro</strong>priate<br />

because we’ve seen some success<br />

with that. We also have this [sports bar]<br />

concept [called] The Wall, which we’ve had<br />

for a few years. We took an auditorium and<br />

turned it into a sports bar. We didn’t take<br />

out the seats, but we’ve reconfigured some<br />

of the seating. We’re just tinkering with it.<br />

It’s a lab; we’re trying to figure it out. We<br />

already have a lot of dine-in and expanded<br />

food and beverage menus. We’ve had them<br />

for a long time, which may relate to us<br />

being in the hospitality business in<br />

general. It’s not extravagant food. You<br />

don’t have to have fork-and-knife steaks<br />

and shrimp scampi, just a great hamburger.<br />

What are the other major trends you’re<br />

seeing in exhibition right now?<br />

PLF is the big thing. On a relative basis,<br />

we <strong>pro</strong>bably have the most PLFs of any<br />

circuit in the country. I will not take the<br />

credit myself, but I will tell you that Mark<br />

Gramz, who runs our theater business, I<br />

give him credit for inventing PLF. Mark’s<br />

been around for over 50 years. He knows<br />

the business. He came up in the big<br />

houses, with 1,000 seats and things like<br />

that, from the middle of our theatrical<br />

box_24_july.indd 56 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:25:16


history. We were trying some other large<br />

format stuff—this was 25 to 30 years<br />

ago—and Mark said, “You know, we<br />

should build a big theater (our theater was<br />

called the Southtown), a big auditorium<br />

like the Southtown and attach it to one of<br />

our current theaters, put in 500 seats, and<br />

it’ll be our presentation house.”<br />

That was the birth of the UltraScreen,<br />

which is what we call our <strong>pro</strong>prietary<br />

PLF format. Nobody had done it, and it<br />

was a huge success. It was so long ago,<br />

that we already tore that theater down.<br />

That whole complex had become obsolete,<br />

and we moved to a different location.<br />

That’s how long we’ve been doing it.<br />

We try to have one to two PLFs in each of<br />

our complexes. We didn’t have to pick<br />

between Barbie and Oppenheimer, for<br />

example. We had enough PLFs to cover<br />

them both.<br />

Marcus Corporation also runs hotels and<br />

restaurants. How have those sectors<br />

recovered in comparison to cinema?<br />

Those other businesses have fully<br />

recovered. We’re back to prepandemic<br />

levels, adjusted for inflation. The reason<br />

we’re not back isn’t because people have<br />

said, “I’m not going anymore, I don’t want<br />

to leave my house.” Last summer was close<br />

to that 2019 level because the number of<br />

releases was close to what we saw in 2019.<br />

We need to get back to the cadence of<br />

prepandemic releases. I don’t know if we’ll<br />

ever get back to the number of movies<br />

being released in 2019, we’ve lost a lot of<br />

films since Fox was absorbed by Disney.<br />

One of the questions raised at CinemaCon<br />

was whether this business could<br />

survive on $8 billion of box office instead<br />

of $10 billion. And if so, who would<br />

survive that contraction?<br />

If you want a business that attracts<br />

capital so that there can be reinvestment<br />

in that sector, we need to get back to $10<br />

billion. $9 billion will not attract the<br />

capital we need to reinvest in our theaters.<br />

I don’t mean to say that we can’t support<br />

the infrastructure that’s already been built<br />

at $9 billion, but we need to get back to $10<br />

billion to continue growing. If our industry<br />

shrinks from 40,000 screens to 30,000, it’s<br />

not like people can just go across the street<br />

to an existing theater. That’s not how the<br />

movie theater business works; what’s<br />

closed, in many cases, is going to be lost.<br />

One of the beauties of our business is<br />

that the <strong>pro</strong>duct is fresh every week. That’s<br />

such a unique thing. Bowling is always<br />

going to be bowling, but going to the movies<br />

gives you a new experience each week. One<br />

week it’s Godzilla; the next it’s Deadpool.<br />

CinemaCon was a great chance to see<br />

that in action, with a large variety of<br />

films heading to theaters in <strong>2024</strong> and<br />

2025. What was your biggest takeaway<br />

from the event?<br />

I was most heartened by the collective<br />

attitude. Nobody was sitting around, and<br />

it’s clear that companies in this space<br />

recognize the value theatrical brings to the<br />

entertainment industry. It is important for<br />

the cultural zeitgeist and builds awareness<br />

of films. All these months later, we were<br />

still talking about “Barbenheimer” as<br />

something that resonated with global<br />

audiences. Meanwhile, I wouldn’t be able<br />

to list the biggest movies from any of the<br />

top streaming companies. Streaming plays<br />

a vital role in our industry as a replacement<br />

for the home entertainment<br />

market. Theatrical is still the place to<br />

launch the biggest and best movies.<br />

August/September <strong>2024</strong> 57<br />

box_24_july.indd 57 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:25:17


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box_24_july.indd 58 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:25:19


Event Cinema Calendar 60 | Booking Guide 62<br />

ON SCREEN<br />

THE CROW<br />

Fri, 8/23/24 WIDE<br />

A look at upcoming releases heading to theaters.<br />

Booking Guide, p. 62<br />

August/September <strong>2024</strong> 59<br />

box_24_july.indd 59 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:25:20


ON SCREEN | EVENT CINEMA CALENDAR<br />

EVENT CINEMA<br />

CALENDAR<br />

Updated through July 26, <strong>2024</strong><br />

Contact distributors for latest listings<br />

FATHOM EVENTS<br />

fathomevents.com<br />

855-473-4612<br />

PONYO - STUDIO<br />

GHIBLI FEST <strong>2024</strong><br />

Aug. 3 - Aug. 7<br />

Genre: Anime<br />

TURANDOT: MET SUMMER<br />

ENCORE <strong>2024</strong><br />

Aug. 7<br />

Genre: Opera<br />

RIFFTRAX LIVE: POINT BREAK<br />

Aug. 8, Aug. 13<br />

Genre: Comedy<br />

LAWRENCE OF ARABIA<br />

Aug. 11, Aug. 12<br />

Genre: Classics<br />

PORGY AND BESS: MET SUMMER<br />

ENCORE <strong>2024</strong><br />

Aug. 14<br />

Genre: Opera<br />

CORALINE 15TH ANNIVERSARY<br />

Aug. 15 - Aug. 22<br />

Genre: Family, Fantasy<br />

WHISPER OF THE HEART - STUDIO<br />

GHIBLI FEST <strong>2024</strong><br />

Aug. 25, Aug. 27<br />

Genre: Anime<br />

REAR WINDOW 70TH ANNI-<br />

VERSARY - FATHOM’S BIG SCREEN<br />

CLASSICS <strong>2024</strong><br />

Aug. 25, Aug. 28<br />

Genre: Classics<br />

THE CAT RETURNS -<br />

STUDIO GHIBLI FEST <strong>2024</strong><br />

Aug. 26, Aug. 28<br />

Genre: Anime<br />

SIGHT & SOUND PRESENTS:<br />

DANIEL LIVE<br />

Aug. 30 - Sept. 2<br />

Genre: Faith/Inspirational<br />

GOD’S NOT DEAD:<br />

IN GOD WE TRUST<br />

Sept. 12 - Sept. 18<br />

Genre: Faith/Inspirational<br />

DANIEL LIVE<br />

Aug. 30 - Sept. 2<br />

60 August/September <strong>2024</strong><br />

box_24_july.indd 60 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:25:21


HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE<br />

20TH ANNIVERSARY<br />

STUDIO GHIBLI FEST <strong>2024</strong><br />

Sept. 26 - Aug. 3<br />

BLAZING SADDLES<br />

50TH ANNIVERSARY - FATHOM’S<br />

BIG SCREEN CLASSICS <strong>2024</strong><br />

Sept. 15, Sept. 18<br />

Genre: Classics<br />

SUPER/MAN:<br />

THE CHRISTOPHER REEVE STORY<br />

Sept. 21, Sept. 25<br />

Genre: Documentary<br />

HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE<br />

20TH ANNIVERSARY -<br />

STUDIO GHIBLI FEST <strong>2024</strong><br />

Sept. 26 - Oct. 3<br />

Genre: Anime<br />

MEAN GIRLS 20TH ANNIVERSARY<br />

- FATHOM’S BIG SCREEN<br />

CLASSICS <strong>2024</strong><br />

Oct. 3, Oct. 6<br />

Genre: Classics<br />

AVERAGE JOE<br />

Oct. 10 - Oct. 17<br />

Genre: Faith/Inspirational<br />

KIKI’S DELIVERY SERVICE -<br />

STUDIO GHIBLI FEST <strong>2024</strong><br />

Oct. 26 - Oct. 30<br />

Genre: Anime<br />

RADIATING JOY:<br />

THE MICHELLE DUPPONG STORY<br />

Nov. 12<br />

Genre: Faith/Inspirational<br />

THE FIFTH ELEMENT - FATHOM’S<br />

BIG SCREEN CLASSICS <strong>2024</strong><br />

Nov. 17, Nov. 20<br />

Genre: Classics<br />

POM POKO 30TH ANNIVERSARY -<br />

STUDIO GHIBLI FEST <strong>2024</strong><br />

Nov. 24, Nov. 26<br />

Genre: Anime<br />

THE TALE OF THE PRINCESS<br />

KAGUYA - STUDIO GHIBLI FEST<br />

<strong>2024</strong><br />

Nov. 25, Nov. 27<br />

Genre: Anime<br />

MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO -<br />

STUDIO GHIBLI FEST <strong>2024</strong><br />

Dec. 7 - Dec. 11<br />

Genre: Classics<br />

WHITE CHRISTMAS 70TH<br />

ANNIVERSARY - FATHOM’S BIG<br />

SCREEN CLASSICS <strong>2024</strong><br />

Dec. 15, Dec. 16<br />

Genre: Classics<br />

ICONIC RELEASING<br />

iconicreleasing.com<br />

UFC 305<br />

Aug. 17<br />

Genre: Live Sports<br />

STREAM<br />

Aug. 21, Aug. 24<br />

Genre: Horror<br />

NINJA SCROLL<br />

Sep. 11 - Sep. 13<br />

Genre: Anime<br />

UFC 306<br />

Sep. 14<br />

Genre: Live Sports<br />

UNTITLED ICONIC HORROR<br />

ANNIVERSARY EVENT<br />

Sep. 19<br />

Genre: Horror<br />

TERRIFIER 3<br />

Oct. 11<br />

Genre: Horror<br />

METROPOLIS<br />

Nov. 4, Nov. 7, Nov. 10<br />

Genre: Anime<br />

BABYMETAL LEGEND -<br />

43 THE MOVIE<br />

Dec. 11, Dec, 15<br />

Genre: Anime<br />

THE BABADOOK<br />

10TH ANNIVERSARY<br />

TBD<br />

Genre: Horror<br />

UFC 308<br />

TBD<br />

Genre: Live Sports<br />

UFC 309<br />

TBD<br />

Genre: Live Sports<br />

UNTITLED ICONIC HORROR EVENT<br />

Jan. 24 2025<br />

Genre: Horror<br />

TRAFALGAR RELEASING<br />

trafalgar-releasing.com<br />

CORALINE 15TH ANNIVERSARY<br />

Aug. 15 (INT’L)<br />

Genre: Family/Fantasy<br />

August/September <strong>2024</strong> 61<br />

box_24_july.indd 61 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:25:22


ON SCREEN | BOOKING GUIDE<br />

BOOKING<br />

GUIDE<br />

Release calendar for theatrical<br />

distribution in North America<br />

Release dates are updated through July 1 <strong>2024</strong>.<br />

Please contact distributors to confirm latest listings.<br />

A24<br />

646-568-6015<br />

A24 X IMAX PRESENT:<br />

EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE<br />

ALL AT ONCE<br />

Fri, 8/28/24 LTD<br />

Stars: Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie<br />

Hsu<br />

Director: Daniel Kwan and Daniel<br />

Scheinert<br />

Rating: R<br />

Genre: Act/Com/SF<br />

Specs: Imax<br />

THE FRONT ROOM<br />

Fri, 9/6/24 WIDE<br />

Stars: Brandy, Andrew Burnap<br />

Director: Max Eggers and Sam<br />

Eggers<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Hor<br />

HERETIC<br />

Fri, 11/15/24 WIDE<br />

Stars: Hugh Grant, Sophie<br />

Thatcher<br />

Director: Scott Beck and Bryan<br />

Woods<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Hor<br />

AMAZON MGM<br />

310-724-5678<br />

Ask for Distribution<br />

BLINK TWICE<br />

Fri, 8/23/24 WIDE<br />

Stars: Channing Tatum, Naomi<br />

Ackie<br />

Director: Zoë Kravitz<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Thr<br />

MY OLD ASS<br />

Fri, 9/13/24 LTD<br />

Stars: Maisy Stella, Percy Hynes<br />

White<br />

Director: Megan Park<br />

Rating: R<br />

Genre: Com/Dra<br />

ELIO<br />

Fri, 6/13/25 WIDE<br />

NICKEL BOYS<br />

Fri, 10/25/24 LTD<br />

Stars: Ethan Herisse, Brandon<br />

Wilson<br />

Director: RaMell Ross<br />

Rating: PG-13<br />

Genre: Dra<br />

RED ONE<br />

Fri, 11/15/24 WIDE<br />

Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Chris<br />

Evans<br />

Director: Jake Kasdan<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Act/Adv/Com/Fam<br />

THE FIRE INSIDE<br />

Fri, 12/25/24 WIDE<br />

Stars: Ryan Destiny, Brian Tyree<br />

Henry<br />

Director: Rachel Morrison<br />

Rating: PG-13<br />

Genre: Dra<br />

THREE BAGS FULL:<br />

A SHEEP DETECTIVE MOVIE<br />

Fri, 2/20/26 WIDE<br />

Stars: Hugh Jackman, Emma<br />

Thompson<br />

Director: Kyle Balda<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Act/Com/Mys<br />

PROJECT HAIL MARY<br />

Fri, 3/20/26<br />

Stars: Ryan Gosling<br />

Director: Phil Lord and Christopher<br />

Miller<br />

Genre: Act/Adv/SF<br />

Rating: NR<br />

MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE<br />

Fri, 6/5/26 WIDE<br />

Director: Travis Knight<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Act/Adv/Fan<br />

BRIARCLIFF /<br />

OPEN ROAD FILMS<br />

MY DEAD FRIEND ZOE<br />

Fri, 11/1/24 WIDE<br />

Stars: Sonequa Martin-Green,<br />

Natalie Morales<br />

Director: Kyle Hausmann-Stokes<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Com/Dra/War<br />

WEREWOLVES<br />

Fri, 12/6/24 WIDE<br />

Stars: Frank Grillo<br />

Director: Steven C. Miller<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Hor/Thr<br />

62 August/September <strong>2024</strong><br />

box_24_july.indd 62 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:25:24


DISNEY<br />

818-560-1000<br />

Ask for Distribution<br />

MOANA 2<br />

Wed, 11/27/24 WIDE<br />

Stars: Auli’i Cravalho, Dwayne<br />

Johnson<br />

Director: Dave Derrick Jr.<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Ani<br />

Specs: Dolby Atmos, Dolby Vision<br />

MUFASA: THE LION KING<br />

Fri, 12/20/24 WIDE<br />

Stars: Aaron Pierre,<br />

Kelvin Harrison Jr.<br />

Director: Barry Jenkins<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Ani<br />

CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW<br />

WORLD<br />

Fri, 2/14/25 WIDE<br />

Stars: Anthony Mackie, Harrison Ford<br />

Director: Julius Onah<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Act/Adv/SF<br />

UNTITLED DISNEY 2025 1<br />

Fri, 3/7/25 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

DISNEY’S SNOW WHITE<br />

Fri, 3/21/25 WIDE<br />

Stars: Rachel Zegler, Gal Gadot<br />

Director: Marc Webb<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Fan<br />

THUNDERBOLTS<br />

Fri, 5/2/25 WIDE<br />

Stars: David Harbour, Hannah<br />

John-Kamen<br />

Director: Jake Schreier<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Act/Adv/SF<br />

UNTITLED DISNEY 2025 2<br />

Fri, 5/23/25 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

ELIO<br />

Fri, 6/13/25 WIDE<br />

Stars: America Ferrera,<br />

Jameela Jamil<br />

Director: Adrian Molina<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Ani<br />

THE FANTASTIC FOUR<br />

Fri, 7/25/25 WIDE<br />

Stars: Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby<br />

Director: Matt Shakman<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Act/Adv/SF<br />

TRON: ARES<br />

Fri, 10/10/25 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

BLADE<br />

Fri, 11/7/25 WIDE<br />

Director: Mahershala Ali<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Act/Adv/SF<br />

ZOOTOPIA 2<br />

Wed, 11/26/25 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Ani<br />

UNTITLED DISNEY 2026 1<br />

Fri, 1/16/26 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

UNTITLED MARVEL 2026 1<br />

Fri, 2/13/26 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Act/Adv/SF<br />

UNITTLED PIXAR 2026 1<br />

Fri, 3/6/26 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Ani<br />

UNTITLED DISNEY 2026 2<br />

Fri, 3/27/26 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

UNTITLED DISNEY 2026 3<br />

Fri, 4/17/26 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

AVENGERS: THE KANG DYNASTY<br />

Fri, 5/1/26 WIDE<br />

Director: Destin Daniel Cretton<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Act/Adv/SF<br />

THE MANDALORIAN & GROGU<br />

Fri, 5/22/26 WIDE<br />

Stars: Pedro Pascal<br />

Director: Jon Favreau<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Act/Adv/SF<br />

TOY STORY 5<br />

Fri, 6/19/26 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Ani<br />

August/September <strong>2024</strong> 63<br />

box_24_july.indd 63 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:25:25


ON SCREEN | BOOKING GUIDE<br />

MOANA<br />

Fri, 7/10/26 WIDE<br />

Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Catherine<br />

Laga’aia<br />

Director: Thomas Kail<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Adv/Mus<br />

NEVER LET GO<br />

Fri, 9/27/24 WIDE<br />

UNTITLED MARVEL 2026 2<br />

Fri, 7/24/26 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Act/Adv/SF<br />

UNTITLED DISNEY 2026 5<br />

Fri, 8/14/26 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

UNTITLED DISNEY 2026 6<br />

Fri, 9/18/26<br />

WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

UNTITLED MARVEL 2026 3<br />

Fri, 11/6/26 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Act/Adv/SF<br />

UNTITLED DISNEY ANIMATION<br />

2026<br />

Fri, 11/25/26 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Ani<br />

UNTITLED STAR WARS 2026 2<br />

Fri, 12/18/26 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Act/Adv/SF<br />

AVENGERS: SECRET WARS<br />

Fri, 5/7/27 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Act/Adv/SF<br />

UNTITLED STAR WARS 2027<br />

Fri, 12/17/27 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: SF/Fan<br />

20TH CENTURY STUDIOS<br />

310-369-1000<br />

212-556-2400<br />

ALIEN: ROMULUS<br />

Fri, 8/16/24 WIDE<br />

Stars: Cailee Spaeny, David<br />

Jonsson<br />

Director: Fede Álvarez<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: SF/Hor<br />

Specs: Imax<br />

THE AMATEUR<br />

Fri, 4/11/25 WIDE<br />

Stars: Rachel Brosnahan, Caitríona<br />

Balfe<br />

Director: James Hawes<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Act/Thr<br />

AVATAR 3<br />

Fri, 12/19/25 WIDE<br />

Director: James Cameron<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Act/Fan/SF<br />

AVATAR 4<br />

Fri, 12/21/29 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Act/Adv/SF<br />

AVATAR 5<br />

Fri, 12/19/31 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Act/Fan/SF<br />

SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES<br />

212-556-2400<br />

A REAL PAIN<br />

Fri, 10/18/24 WIDE<br />

Stars: Jesse Eisenberg, Kieran Culkin<br />

Director: Jesse Eisenberg<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Com/Dra<br />

NIGHTBITCH<br />

Fri, 12/6/24 WIDE<br />

Stars: Amy Adams,<br />

Scoot McNairy<br />

Director: Marielle Heller<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Com/Hor<br />

FOCUS FEATURES<br />

PIECE BY PIECE<br />

Fri, 10/11/24 LTD<br />

Director: Morgan Neville<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Doc/Ani<br />

CONCLAVE<br />

Fri, 11/8/24 WIDE<br />

Stars: Ralph Fiennes,<br />

Stanley Tucci<br />

Director: Edward Berger<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Dra<br />

NOSFERATU<br />

Fri, 12/25/24 WIDE<br />

Stars: Bill Skarsgård,<br />

Nicholas Hoult<br />

Director: Robert Eggers<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Hor/Com<br />

DOWNTON ABBEY 3<br />

Fri, 9/12/25 WIDE<br />

Stars: Hugh Bonneville,<br />

Elizabeth McGovern<br />

Director: Simon Curtis<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Dra<br />

BUGONIA<br />

Fri, 11/7/25 WIDE<br />

Stars: Emma Stone, J<br />

esse Plemons<br />

Director: Yorgos Lanthimos<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: SF/Com<br />

GKIDS<br />

DAN DA DAN: FIRST ENCOUNTER<br />

Fri, 9/13/24 LTD<br />

Stars: Shion Wakayama,<br />

Natsuki Hanae<br />

Director: Fuga Yamashiro<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Ani<br />

IFC FILMS<br />

bookings@ifcfilms.com<br />

SKINCARE<br />

Fri, 8/16/24 WIDE<br />

Stars: Elizabeth Banks, Lewis<br />

Pullman<br />

Director: Austin Peters<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Thr<br />

UNTITLED IFC CHRISTMAS FILM<br />

Fri, 11/15/24 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

LIONSGATE<br />

310-309-8400<br />

BORDERLANDS<br />

Fri, 8/9/24 WIDE<br />

Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart<br />

Director: Eli Roth<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Act/SF<br />

Specs: Imax<br />

THE CROW<br />

Fri, 8/23/24 WIDE<br />

Stars: Bill Skarsgård, FKA twigs<br />

Director: Rupert Sanders<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Act/Thr<br />

Specs: Imax<br />

THE KILLER’S GAME<br />

Fri, 9/13/24 WIDE<br />

Stars: Dave Bautista, Sofia<br />

Boutella<br />

Director: JJ Perry<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Act/Com<br />

64 August/September <strong>2024</strong><br />

box_24_july.indd 64 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:25:27


MEGALOPOLIS<br />

Fri, 9/27/24 WIDE<br />

Stars: Adam Driver, Giancarlo<br />

Esposito<br />

Director: Francis Ford Coppola<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Dra/SF<br />

NEVER LET GO<br />

Fri, 9/27/24 WIDE<br />

Stars: Halle Berry<br />

Director: Alexandre Aja<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Hor/Sus<br />

WHITE BIRD: A WONDER STORY<br />

Fri, 10/4/24 WIDE<br />

Bryce Gheisar, Ariella Glaser<br />

Director: Marc Forster<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Dra/Fam<br />

FLIGHT RISK<br />

Fri, 10/18/24 WIDE<br />

Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Michelle<br />

Dockery<br />

Director: Mel Gibson<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Thr<br />

THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER<br />

Fri, 11/8/24 WIDE<br />

Director: Dallas Jenkins<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Fam/Dra<br />

DEN OF THIEVES: PANTERA<br />

Fri, 1/10/25 WIDE<br />

Stars: Gerard Butler,<br />

O’Shea Jackson Jr<br />

Director: Christian Gudegast<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Act/Thr<br />

UNTITLED GUY RITCHIE MOVIE<br />

Fri, 1/17/25 WIDE<br />

Stars: Henry Cavill,<br />

Jake Gyllenhaal<br />

Director: Guy Ritchie<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Act<br />

THE UNBREAKABLE BOY<br />

Fri, 2/21/25 WIDE<br />

Stars: Zachary Levi, Meghann Fahy<br />

Director: Jon Gunn<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Dra/Fam<br />

MICHAEL<br />

Fri, 4/18/25 WIDE<br />

Stars: Jaafar Jackson Antoine Fuqua<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Dra<br />

BALLERINA<br />

Fri, 6/6/25 WIDE<br />

Stars: Ana de Armas, Anjelica Huston<br />

Director: Len Wiseman<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Act<br />

UNTITLED SAW XI<br />

Fri, 9/25/25 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Hor<br />

THE HUNGER GAMES:<br />

SUNRISE ON THE REAPING<br />

Fri, 11/20/26 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Act/Adv<br />

NEON<br />

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CUCKOO<br />

Fri, 8/9/24 WIDE<br />

Stars: Hunter Schafer,<br />

Jan Bluthardt<br />

Director: Tilman Singer<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Hor<br />

ANORA<br />

Fri, 10/18/24 LTD<br />

Stars: Mikey Madision,<br />

Mark Eydelshteyn<br />

Director: Sean Baker<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Com/Dra/Rom<br />

THE MONKEY<br />

Fri, 2/21/25 LTD<br />

Stars: Theo James,<br />

Tatiana Maslany<br />

Director: Osgood Perkins<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Hor<br />

PARAMOUNT<br />

323-956-5000<br />

TRANSFORMERS ONE<br />

Fri, 9/20/24 WIDE<br />

Stars: Chris Hemsworth,<br />

Scarlett Johansson<br />

Director: Josh Cooley<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Ani<br />

Specs: Imax<br />

INTERSTELLAR (RE-RELEASE)<br />

Fri, 9/27/24 WIDE<br />

Stars: Matthew McCon<strong>aug</strong>hey,<br />

Anne Hathaway<br />

Director: Christopher Nolan<br />

Genre: SF<br />

Imax<br />

SMILE 2<br />

Fri, 10/18/24 WIDE<br />

Stars: Naomi Scott,<br />

Rosemarie DeWitt<br />

Director: Parker Finn<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Hor<br />

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August/September <strong>2024</strong> 65<br />

box_24_july.indd 65 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:25:28


ON SCREEN | BOOKING GUIDE<br />

GLADIATOR II<br />

Fri, 11/22/24 WIDE<br />

Stars: Paul Mescal<br />

Director: Ridley Scott<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Act/Dra<br />

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3<br />

Fri, 12/20/24 WIDE<br />

Stars: Ben Schwartz, Colleen<br />

O’Sh<strong>aug</strong>hnessey<br />

Director: Jeff Fowler<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Act/Adv/Com<br />

BETTER MAN<br />

Fri, 12/25/24 LTD<br />

Director: Michael Gracey<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Mus<br />

THE SMURFS MOVIE<br />

Fri, 2/14/24 WIDE<br />

Stars: Rihanna<br />

Director: Chris Miller<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Ani/Mus<br />

HERE<br />

Fri, 11/15/24 WIDE<br />

NOVOCAINE<br />

Fri, 3/14/25 WIDE<br />

Stars: Robert Olsen, Dan Berk<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Thr/Act<br />

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 8<br />

Fri, 5/23/25 WIDE<br />

Stars: Tom Cruise<br />

Director: Christopher McQuarrie<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Act<br />

Specs: Imax<br />

UNTITLED TREY PARKER/MATT STONE/<br />

KENDRICK LAMAR/DAVE FREE<br />

Fri, 7/4/25 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Com<br />

UNTITLED NAKED GUN<br />

Fri, 7/18/25 WIDE<br />

Stars: Liam Neeson, Pamela<br />

Anderson<br />

Director: Akiva Schaffer<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Com<br />

VICIOUS<br />

Fri, 8/8/25 WIDE<br />

Stars: Dakota Fanning<br />

Director: Bryan Bertino<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Hor<br />

THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SEARCH<br />

FOR SQUAREPANTS<br />

Fri, 10/19/25 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Ani<br />

UNTITLED AANG AVATAR FILM<br />

Fri, 1/30/26 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

PAW PATROL 3<br />

Fri, 7/31/26 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Ani<br />

TMNT 2<br />

Fri, 10/9/26 WIDE<br />

Director: Jeff Rowe<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Ani<br />

ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS<br />

323.882.8490<br />

MY PENGUIN FRIEND<br />

Fri, 8/16/25 LTD<br />

Stars: Jean Reno, Adriana Barraza<br />

Director: David Schurmann<br />

Rating: PG<br />

Genre: Adv<br />

CITY OF DREAMS<br />

Fri, 8/30/25 WIDE<br />

Stars: Alfredo Castro, Paulina<br />

Gaitan<br />

Director: Mohit Ramchandani<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Thr<br />

LEE<br />

Fri, 9/27/25 LTD<br />

Stars: Kate Winslet, Josh O’Connor<br />

Director: Ellen Kuras<br />

Rating: R<br />

Genre: War<br />

SONY<br />

212-833-8500<br />

HAROLD AND THE PURPLE<br />

CRAYON<br />

Fri, 8/2/24 WIDE<br />

Stars: Zachary Levi, Zooey<br />

Deschanel<br />

Director: Carlos Saldanha<br />

Rating: PG<br />

Genre: Fam<br />

Specs: Dolby Atmos<br />

IT ENDS WITH US<br />

Fri, 8/9/24 WIDE<br />

Stars: Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni<br />

Director: Justin Baldoni<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Rom/Dra<br />

Specs: Dolby Atmos<br />

THE FORGE<br />

Fri, 8/23/24 WIDE<br />

Stars: Cameron Arnett, Priscilla Shirer<br />

Director: Alex Kendrick<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Dra<br />

THEY LISTEN<br />

Fri, 8/30/24 WIDE<br />

Stars: John Cho, Katherine<br />

Waterston<br />

Director: Chris Weitz<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Hor<br />

WOLFS<br />

Fri, 9/20/24 WIDE<br />

Stars: Brad Pitt, George Clooney<br />

Director: Jon Watts<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Thr<br />

Specs: Imax<br />

VENOM: THE LAST DANCE<br />

Fri, 10/25/24 WIDE<br />

Stars: Tom Hardy, Juno Temple<br />

Director: Kelly Marcel<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Act/Adv/Fan<br />

Specs: Imax, Dolby Vis/Atmos<br />

HERE<br />

Fri, 11/15/24 WIDE<br />

Director: Robert Zemeckis<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Com/Dra/Rom<br />

KRAVEN THE HUNTER<br />

Fri, 12/13/24 WIDE<br />

Stars: Aaron Taylor-Johnson,<br />

Russell Crowe<br />

Director: J.C. Chandor<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Act/Adv/SF<br />

Specs: Imax, Dolby Vis/Atmos<br />

PADDINGTON IN PERU<br />

Fri, 1/17/25 WIDE<br />

Stars: Olivia Colman, Antonio<br />

Banderas<br />

Director: Dougal Wilson<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Fam<br />

KARATE KID<br />

Fri, 5/30/25 WIDE<br />

Stars: Jackie Chan, Ralph Macchio<br />

Director: Jonathan Entwistle<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Act<br />

Specs: Dolby Atmos<br />

28 YEARS LATER<br />

Fri, 6/20/25 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Hor<br />

66 August/September <strong>2024</strong><br />

box_24_july.indd 66 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:25:29


UNTITLED SONY/MARVEL LIVE<br />

ACTION 2025<br />

Fri, 6/27/25 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Act/SF<br />

Specs: Imax<br />

I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST<br />

SUMMER<br />

Fri, 7/18/25 WIDE<br />

Stars: Jennifer Kaytin Robinson<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Thr/Hor<br />

ANIMAL FRIENDS<br />

Fri, 8/15/25 WIDE<br />

Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Jason Momoa<br />

Director: Peter Atencio<br />

Rating: R<br />

Genre: Ani<br />

SONY/BLUMHOUSE INSIDIOUS<br />

Fri, 8/29/25 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Hor<br />

GOAT<br />

Fri, 2/13/26 WIDE<br />

Director: Tyree Dillihay<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Ani<br />

STREET FIGHTER<br />

Fri, 3/20/26 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Act<br />

SONY PICTURES CLASSICS<br />

Tom Prassis 212-833-4981<br />

KNEECAP<br />

Fri, 8/2/24 WIDE<br />

Stars: Naoise Ó Cairealláin,<br />

Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh<br />

Director: Rich Peppiatt<br />

Rating: R<br />

Genre: Dra<br />

BETWEEN THE TEMPLES<br />

Fri, 8/23/24 LTD<br />

Stars: Jason Schwartzman, Carol<br />

Kane<br />

Director: Nathan Silver<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Com<br />

UNIVERSAL<br />

818-777-1000<br />

SPEAK NO EVIL<br />

Fri, 9/13/24 WIDE<br />

Stars: James McAvoy,<br />

Mackenzie Davis<br />

Director: James Watkins<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Hor<br />

THE WILD ROBOT<br />

Fri, 9/27/24 WIDE<br />

Director: Chris Sanders<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Ani<br />

Specs: Imax<br />

UNTITLED UNIVERSAL<br />

EVENT FILM <strong>2024</strong><br />

Fri, 11/1/24 WIDE<br />

WICKED PART 1<br />

Fri, 11/22/24 WIDE<br />

Stars: Ariana Grande,<br />

Cynthia Erivo<br />

Director: Jon M. Chu<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Mus<br />

THE WOMAN IN THE YARD<br />

Fri, 1/10/25 WIDE<br />

Stars: Danielle Deadwyler,<br />

Russell Horsby<br />

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Hor<br />

WOLF MAN<br />

Fri, 1/17/25 WIDE<br />

Stars: Christopher Abbott<br />

Director: Leigh Whannell<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Hor<br />

DOG MAN<br />

Fri, 1/31/25 WIDE<br />

Director: Peter Hastings<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Ani<br />

WITH LOVE<br />

Fri, 2/7/25 WIDE<br />

Stars: Ke Huy Quan<br />

Director: Jonathan Eusebio<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Act<br />

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August/September <strong>2024</strong> 67<br />

box_24_july.indd 67 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:25:30


ON SCREEN | EVENT CINEMA CALENDAR<br />

UNTITLED UNIVERSAL<br />

EVENT FILM 2025 1<br />

Fri, 2/14/25 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

DROP<br />

Fri, 4/11/25 WIDE<br />

Stars: Meghann Fahy,<br />

Brandon Sklenar<br />

Director: Christopher Landon<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Hor<br />

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON<br />

Fri, 6/13/25 WIDE<br />

Director: Dean DeBlois<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Act<br />

M3GAN 2.0<br />

Fri, 6/27/25 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Thr/Hor<br />

ALL-NEW JURASSIC WORLD<br />

EVENT FILM<br />

Wed, 7/2/25 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Act/Adv<br />

THE KILLER’S GAME<br />

Fri, 9/13/24 WIDE<br />

THE BAD GUYS 2<br />

Fri, 8/1/25 WIDE<br />

Stars: Sam Rockwell,<br />

Craig Robinson<br />

Director: Pierre Perifel<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Ani<br />

NOBODY 2<br />

Fri, 8/15/25 WIDE<br />

Stars: Bob Odenkirk<br />

Director: Timo Tjahjanto<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Act<br />

HIM<br />

Fri, 9/19/25 WIDE<br />

Stars: Marlon Wayans,<br />

Tyriq Withers<br />

Director: Justin Tipping<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Hor<br />

GABBY’S DOLLHOUSE: THE MOVIE<br />

Fri, 9/26/25 WIDE<br />

Stars: Laila Lockhart Kraner, Ryan<br />

Crego<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Ani<br />

THE BLACK PHONE 2<br />

Fri, 10/17/25 WIDE<br />

Stars: Ethan Hawke, Mason<br />

Thames<br />

Director: Scott Derrickson<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Hor<br />

WICKED PART 2<br />

Wed, 11/26/25 WIDE<br />

Stars: Ariana Grande,<br />

Cynthia Erivo<br />

Director: Jon M. Chu<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Mus<br />

FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S 2<br />

Fri, 12/5/25 WIDE<br />

Director: Emma Tammi<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Hor<br />

SOULM8TE<br />

Fri, 1/2/26 WIDE<br />

Director: Kate Dolan<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Hor<br />

UNTITLED UNIVERSAL<br />

EVENT FILM 2026 1<br />

Fri, 1/16/26 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

UNTITLED UNIVERSAL<br />

EVENT FILM 2026 2<br />

Fri, 2/13/26 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

UNTITLED EXORCIST FILM<br />

DIRECTED BY MIKE FLANAGAN<br />

Fri, 3/13/26 WIDE<br />

Director: Mike Flanagan<br />

Rating: NR<br />

UNTITLED NEW ANIMATED<br />

FILM BASED ON THE WORLD<br />

OF SUPER MARIO BROS.<br />

Fri, 4/3/26 WIDE<br />

Director: Aaron Horvath,<br />

Michael Jelenic<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Ani<br />

UNTITLED EVENT FILM<br />

DIRECTED BY STEVEN SPIELBERG<br />

Fri, 5/15/26 WIDE<br />

Director: Steven Spielberg<br />

Rating: NR<br />

UNTITLED UNIVERSAL<br />

EVENT FILM 2026 4<br />

Fri, 6/12/26 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

UNTITLED UNIVERSAL<br />

EVENT FILM 2026 5<br />

Wed, 7/1/26 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

UNTITLED UNIVERSAL<br />

ANIMATED EVENT FILM 2026<br />

Fri, 9/25/26 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

UNTITLED BLUMHOUSE<br />

EVENT FILM 2026<br />

Fri, 10/16/26 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

UNTITLED FOURTH FILM<br />

DIRECTED BY JORDAN PEELE<br />

Fri, 10/14/26 WIDE<br />

Jordan Peele<br />

Rating: NR<br />

UNTITLED UNIVERSAL<br />

EVENT FILM 2026 6<br />

Fri, 11/13/26 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

UNTITLED UNIVERSAL<br />

EVENT FILM 2026 7<br />

Wed, 12/23/26 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

VIVA PICTURES<br />

200% WOLF<br />

Fri, 8/23/24 WIDE<br />

Stars: Samara Weaving,<br />

Jai Courtney<br />

Director: Alexs Stadermann<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Ani<br />

SCARYGIRL<br />

Fri, 10/11/24 WIDE<br />

Stars: Anna Torv, Sam Neill<br />

Director: Ricard Russo & Tania<br />

Vincent<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Ani<br />

68 August/September <strong>2024</strong><br />

box_24_july.indd 68 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:25:34


WARNER BROS.<br />

818-977-1850<br />

TRAP<br />

Fri, 8/2/24 WIDE<br />

Stars: Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue<br />

Director: M. Night Shyamalan<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Thr<br />

HORIZON: AN AMERICAN SAGA<br />

CHAPTER 2<br />

Fri, 8/16/24 WIDE<br />

Stars: Kevin Costner<br />

Director: Kevin Costner<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Wes/Dra<br />

BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE<br />

Fri, 9/6/24 WIDE<br />

Stars: Michael Keaton, Jenna<br />

Ortega<br />

Director: Tim Burton<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Com/Fan/Hor<br />

Specs: Imax<br />

JOKER: FOLIE À DEUX<br />

Fri, 10/4/24 WIDE<br />

Stars: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady<br />

Gaga<br />

Director: Todd Phillips<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Dra/Thr/Mus<br />

THE LORD OF THE RINGS:<br />

THE WAR OF THE ROHIRRIM<br />

Fri, 12/13/24 WIDE<br />

Director: Kenji Kamiyama<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Ani/Fan<br />

COMPANION<br />

Fri, 1/10/25 WIDE<br />

Stars: Sophie Thatcher, Jack Quaid<br />

Director: Drew Hancock<br />

Rating: NR<br />

MICKEY 17<br />

Fri, 1/31/25 WIDE<br />

Stars: Robert Pattinson, Naomi<br />

Ackie<br />

Director: Bong Joon Ho<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Act/Dra/SF<br />

Specs: Imax<br />

AN UNTITLED RYAN COOGLER<br />

EVENT FILM<br />

Fri, 3/7/25 WIDE<br />

Stars: Michael B. Jordan<br />

Director: Ryan Coogler<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Dra<br />

ALTO KNIGHTS<br />

Fri, 3/21/25 WIDE<br />

Stars: Robert De Niro, Debra<br />

Messing<br />

Director: Barry Levinson<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Dra<br />

MINECRAFT<br />

Fri, 4/4/25 WIDE<br />

Stars: Jason Momoa, Jack Black<br />

Director: Jared Hess<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Ani<br />

FLOWERVALE STREET<br />

Fri, 5/16/25 WIDE<br />

Stars: Anne Hathaway, Ewan<br />

McGregor<br />

Director: David Robert Mitchell<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Thr<br />

Specs: Imax<br />

UNTITLED NEW LINE<br />

EVENT FILM 2025 1<br />

Fri, 5/30/25 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

UNTITLED NEW LINE<br />

EVENT FILM 2025 2<br />

Fri, 6/20/25 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

SUPERMAN<br />

Fri, 7/25/25 WIDE<br />

Stars: David Corenswet, Rachel<br />

Brosnahan<br />

Director: James Gunn<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Act/ADv<br />

AN UNTITLED PAUL THOMAS<br />

ANDERSON EVENT FILM<br />

Fri, 8/8/25 WIDE<br />

Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean<br />

Penn<br />

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Dra<br />

Specs: Imax<br />

THE UNTITLED CONJURING FINALE<br />

Fri, 9/5/25 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Hor<br />

THE BRIDE!<br />

11/26/25 WIDE<br />

Stars: Christian Bale, Jessie<br />

Buckley<br />

Director: Maggie Gyllenhaal<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Specs: Imax<br />

August/September <strong>2024</strong> 69<br />

box_24_july.indd 69 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:25:35


ON SCREEN | EVENT CINEMA CALENDAR<br />

WICKED<br />

Fri, 11/22/24 WIDE<br />

MORTAL KOMBAT 2<br />

Fri, 10/24/25 WIDE<br />

Karl Urban, Adeline Rudolph<br />

Director: Simon McQuoid<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Act<br />

UNTITLED NEW LINE<br />

EVENT FILM 2025 3<br />

Fri, 11/21/25 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

UNTITLED WB EVENT FILM 2025<br />

Fri, 12/19/25 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

WEAPONS<br />

Fri, 1/16/26 WIDE<br />

Josh Brolin, Julia Garner<br />

Director: Zach Cregger<br />

Rating: NR<br />

THE CAT IN THE HAT<br />

Fri, 3/6/26 WIDE<br />

Stars: Bill Hader, Quinta Brunson<br />

Director: Alessandro Carloni, Erica<br />

Rivinoja<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Ani<br />

Specs: Imax<br />

UNTITLED NEW LINE<br />

HORROR FILM 2026 1<br />

Fri, 3/27/26 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

UNTITLED NL/ATOMIC MONSTER/<br />

BLUMHOUSE EVENT FILM<br />

Fri, 4/17/26 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Hor<br />

UNTITLED DC EVENT FILM<br />

Fri, 5/29/26 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

UNTITLED NEW LINE<br />

EVENT FILM 2026 1<br />

Fri, 6/19/26 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

SUPERGIRL: WOMAN OF<br />

TOMORROW<br />

Fri, 6/26/26 WIDE<br />

Stars: Milly Alcock<br />

Director: Craig Gillespie<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Act/Adv<br />

Specs: Imax<br />

UNTITLED NEW LINE<br />

EVENT FILM 2026 2<br />

Fri, 7/3/26 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

UNTITLED NEW LINE EVENT FILM<br />

2026 3<br />

Fri, 8/7/26 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

UNTITLED NEW LINE<br />

HORROR FILM 2026 2<br />

Fri, 9/11/26 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Hor<br />

UNTITLED NEW LINE<br />

EVENT FILM 2026 4<br />

Fri, 11/20/26 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

UNTITLED WB/LEGENDARY/<br />

DENIS VILLENEUVE EVENT FILM<br />

Fri, 12/18/26 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

UNTITLED NEW LINE<br />

EVENT FILM 2026 5<br />

Fri, 12/25/26 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

THE BATMAN PART II<br />

Fri, 10/2/26 WIDE<br />

Stars: Robert Pattinson<br />

Director: Matt Reeves<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Act/Thr<br />

Specs: Imax<br />

UNTITLED WB/LEGENDARY/<br />

MONSTERVERSE FILM<br />

Fri, 3/26/27 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

MARGIE CLAUS<br />

Fri, 11/5/27 WIDE<br />

Stars: Melissa McCarthy<br />

Director: Ben Falcon & Damon<br />

Jones<br />

Rating: NR<br />

UNTITLED WB FAMILY SEQUEL<br />

Fri, 12/17/27 WIDE<br />

Rating: NR<br />

Genre: Fam<br />

WELL GO USA<br />

ENTERTAINMENT<br />

theatrical@wellgousa.com<br />

YOU GOTTA BELIEVE<br />

Fri, 8/30/24 LTD<br />

Stars: Luke Wilson, Greg Kinnear<br />

Director: Ty Roberts<br />

Rating: PG<br />

Genre: Fam<br />

70 August/September <strong>2024</strong><br />

box_24_july.indd 70 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:25:36


Advertiser<br />

Page<br />

Agile Ticketing Solutions 3<br />

Barco BC 39<br />

Bay City Cargo 69<br />

The Boxoffice Company 30, 42, 49<br />

Cinema 360 53<br />

Cretors 47<br />

Digital Cinema United 37<br />

Fandango 35<br />

Gold Medal 63<br />

Irwin Seating 29<br />

Jacro 19<br />

Moving Image Technologies 6<br />

NCM 23<br />

Omniterm 58<br />

Paradigm 58<br />

Packaging Concepts 65<br />

Proctor 15<br />

RTS 67<br />

Sensible Cinema Software 71<br />

Spotlight Cinema Networks 27<br />

Telescopic Seating<br />

IFC, IBC<br />

VIP Seating 41<br />

Vista 32<br />

Image Credits & Acknowledgments<br />

Cover: Alexander Podshivalov/Adobe<br />

Stock<br />

Page 1: © <strong>2024</strong> TAS Rights Management<br />

Page 7: Photo Credit: Theo Kingma, Film<br />

Expo Group<br />

Page 8: Photo Couresty National<br />

Association of Theatre Owners<br />

Page 9: Photo Couresty National<br />

Association of Theatre Owners<br />

Page 10 (Top): Photo by Kevin Marple for<br />

Alamo Drafthouse<br />

Page 10: Photos by Kathy Tran for Alamo<br />

Drafthouse<br />

Page 11: Photos by Kathy Tran for Alamo<br />

Drafthouse<br />

Page 12: Photo Couresty Flix Brewhouse<br />

Page 16: Photo Courtesy Motion Picture<br />

Club<br />

Page 17: Photos Coutesy of Cinemark<br />

Page 20: Photo Credit: Theo Kingma, Film<br />

Expo Group<br />

Page 21: Photo Credit: Theo Kingma, Film<br />

Expo Group<br />

Page 22: Photo Credit: Theo Kingma, Film<br />

Expo Group<br />

Page 24: © <strong>2024</strong> TAS Rights Management<br />

Page 26: © <strong>2024</strong> TAS Rights Management<br />

Page 28: Photo by Jay Maidment. © <strong>2024</strong><br />

20th Century Studios / © and <strong>2024</strong><br />

MARVEL.<br />

Page 34: Photo Courtesy AMC Theatres<br />

Page 36: Photo Courtesy Regal<br />

Page 38: Photo Courtesy Cinemark<br />

Page 40: Photo Courtesy Cineplex<br />

Page 43 (Left): Photo Courtesy Marcus<br />

Theatres<br />

Page 43 (Right): Photo Courtesy B&B<br />

Theatres<br />

Page 44 (Left): Photo Courtesy Harkins<br />

Theatres<br />

Page 44 (Right): Photo Courtesy Santikos<br />

Entertainment<br />

Page 45 (Left): Photo Courtesy Malco<br />

Theatres<br />

Page 45 (Right): Photo Courtesy Emagine<br />

Entertainment<br />

Pages 50 - 52: Photos Courtesy Cineplex<br />

Pages 54 - 57: Photos Courtesy Marcus<br />

Theatres, Aaron Lemay/Adobe Stock<br />

Page 59: Courtesy of Lionsgate. Photo<br />

by Larry Horricks for Lionsgate. © <strong>2024</strong><br />

Lionsgate. All Rights Reserved.<br />

Page 60: Photo Courtesy of Fathom<br />

Events. © <strong>2024</strong> Sight & Sound. All Rights<br />

Reserved.<br />

Page 61: Photo Courtesy of Fathom<br />

Events<br />

Page 62: Courtesy of Disney/Pixar. ©<br />

2023 Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.<br />

Page 64: Courtesy of Lionsgate. Photo<br />

by Liane Hentscher for Lionsgate. © <strong>2024</strong><br />

Lionsgate. All Rights Reserved.<br />

Page 66: Courtesy of Sony Pictures. ©<br />

2023 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.<br />

Page 68: Courtesy of Lionsgate. Photo<br />

by Csaba Aknay / © <strong>2024</strong> Lionsgate. All<br />

Rights Reserved.<br />

Page 70: Courtesy of Universal Pictures. ©<br />

Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.<br />

CINEMA TECHNOLOGY & MARKETING<br />

Websites<br />

Mobile Apps<br />

Online Ticketing<br />

Targeted Emailing<br />

and more...<br />

Scan the QR code to find out more.<br />

August/September <strong>2024</strong> 71<br />

box_24_july.indd 71 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:25:37


St. Jude patient<br />

Eliza<br />

Big Screen. Bigger Cause.<br />

When St. Jude opened in 1962, childhood cancer was largely considered incurable. Since then,<br />

St. Jude has helped push the overall survival rate from 20% to more than 80%, and we won’t stop<br />

until no child dies from cancer. But we can’t do it without your powerful partnership. By pairing<br />

movie exhibitors with some of Hollywood’s brightest stars, St. Jude is harnessing the power of the<br />

silver screen to accomplish a truly marvelous mission: Finding cures. Saving children. ®<br />

For more information, please visit stjude.org/theaters<br />

or email chance.weaver@alsac.stjude.org.<br />

©<strong>2024</strong> ALSAC/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (MCC-23083)<br />

box_24_july.indd 72 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:25:38<br />

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4/19/24 10:27 AM


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box_24_july.indd 73 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:25:38


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box_24_july.indd 74 12/07/<strong>2024</strong> 22:25:38

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