Boxoffice Pro - September 2019

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BRIE LARSON STARS IN
DISNEY’S CAPTAIN MARVEL
E-COMMERCE
AT THE MOVIES
HOW THE NEXT REVOLUTION
IN DIGITAL TICKETING IS
CHANGING THE CINEMA
BUSINESS
HEARING
THE PICTURE
AUDIO DESCRIPTION
TECHNOLOGY IS MAKING
THE MOVIEGOING EXPERIENCE
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CONCESSIONS
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THE NAC’S 75TH ANNUAL
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EXPO SHOWCASES NEW
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CONVENTION
2019
FULL COVERAGE OF NATO
WISCONSIN & UPPER
MICHIGAN’S ANNUAL EVENT
THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF THEATRE OWNERS

DANIEL LORIA
JULIEN MARCEL
>> You may have
noticed we have made
some significant
changes to Boxoffice
as we head into next
year’s centennial anniversary.
The merger
with Film Journal
International was the
first step in ensuring
a dynamic new vision
for the magazine;
joining forces with the
industry’s other leading
monthly publication
has allowed us to create
a reference publication
for the exhibition industry. We followed that
with a return to the roots of our brand identity by
bringing back our classic Boxoffice logo, which
originally graced our covers in the 1930s. Our logo
made its debut alongside a complete redesign of
the magazine, launched in March of this year. On
the digital end, we launched a newly redesigned
website in time for CinemaCon. The new site features
an innovative way to interact with box office
figures through data visualizations designed by our
I.T. team at Boxoffice parent company, Webedia
Movies Pro.
As exhibition circuits upgrade their own cinemas,
we’ve made it a priority to do the same for
our legacy brand. For that reason, our most recent
change can be found on the cover of this edition of
the magazine, a return to the Boxoffice Pro we
adopted earlier this decade. As our own company
evolves and expands in the coming years, we found
it important to emphasize the B2B nature of the
publication with a holistic cross-platform brand
identity that brings together our print, digital,
and social media presence under a single entity. As
the Boxoffice brand grows, it’s important for us to
reestablish this publication’s unalloyed dedication
to expressing the interests of the exhibition community.
We believe this Pro branding will help the
industry better associate this publication with our
in-depth business reporting, up-to-the-minute box
office reports, and increasingly popular box office
forecasting and analysis.
We look forward to continuing our commitment
of promoting the theatrical experience
through Boxoffice Pro. As always, thank you
once again for your support of our publication.
Julien Marcel
Chief Executive Officer
The Boxoffice Company
julien@boxoffice.com
2 SEPTEMBER 2019

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2019 VOL. 155 NO. 9
HELLO 2
TRADE TALK 6
Top Women in Global Exhibition 62
EXECUTIVE SUITE 18
GOVERNMENT RELATIONS 22
CHARITY SPOTLIGHT 24
INDIE FOCUS 26
DIGITAL TICKETING 32
GENEVA CONVENTION 2019
MIDWEST HALL OF FAME
Dennis Voy, Rebecca Pattermann, Mike Wozny 38
LARRY D. HANSON AWARD
Gina DiSanto 40
JENNIFER
DOUGLASS
AMC THEATRES
CYNTHIA
PIERCE
AMC THEATRES
KIM
LUECK
MARCUS THEATRES
VENDOR OF THE YEAR
RCM Media 44
TECHNOLOGY
HEARING THE PICTURE
How audio description creates a real movie experience
for the blind and visually impaired 46
INTERNATIONAL CINEMA TECHNOLOGY
ASSOCIATION CONVENTION RECAP
TECHNOLOGY CONCLAVE
Streaming platforms' impact is a hot topic
at ICTA business convention 50
ANN
STADLER
MARCUS THEATRES
DEBBIE STANFORD-
KRISTIANSEN
NOVO CINEMAS
JACKIE
BRENNEMAN
NATO
TEDDY AWARD FOR
MANUFACTURER OF THE YEAR
Christie Digital Systems 54
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
CONCESSIONAIRES
CONCESSIONS SOLUTIONS
Three innovative products from
the 2019 Concession & Hospitality Expo 56
SEATING 58
ESTHER
BARUH
KATHY
CONROY
MAR ILYN
IACOVISSI
SOCIAL MEDIA 95
NATO
NATO
THE BOXOFFICE COMPANY
EVENT CINEMA CALENDAR 98
ON SCREEN 100
BOOKING GUIDE 107
MARKETPLACE 112
Boxoffice has served as the official publication of the National
Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) since 2007. As part of this
partnership, Boxoffice is proud to feature exclusive columns from
NATO while retaining full editorial freedom throughout its pages. As
such, the views expressed in Boxoffice, except for columns signed by
NATO executives, reflect neither a stance nor an endorsement from the
National Association of Theatre Owners.
HOLLYWOOD IN THE GREAT WHITE NORTH
60
TILLICUM TWIN THEATRES BRINGS THE MAGIC OF THE MOVIES
TO TERRACE, BRITISH COLUMBIA
4 SEPTEMBER 2019

DOWNTON ABBEY
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Royal Occasion
MICHAEL ENGLER BRINGS THE
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PENNYWISE RETURNS FOR MORE
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Family Reunion
CONRAD VERNON AND GREG
TIERNAN ANIMATE THE ADDAMSES
88
Teenage Warfare
ALEJANDRO LANDES BRINGS HIS
UNIQUE VISION TO THE SCREEN
92
96
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5

EDITED BY LAURA SILVER
BOXOFFICE MEDIA
CEO
Julien Marcel
SVP CONTENT STRATEGY
Daniel Loria
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Kenneth James Bacon
CINÉPOLIS ACQUIRES
TEXAS’S MOVIEHOUSE &
EATERY DINE-IN THEATERS
>> Mexico-based theater chain Cinépolis
is acquiring Moviehouse & Eatery, a
dine-in cinema circuit in Texas with five
locations and one under construction.
Cinépolis currently operates 5,941
screens at 738 cinemas in 17 countries,
welcoming over 338 million patrons
annually. Once the transaction is
completed, Cinépolis will operate 258
screens at 26 locations in seven states in
the United States.
Alejandro Ramírez Magaña, chief executive
officer of Cinépolis, said, “We are
fully committed to bringing our global
expertise to the U.S. market. This is a
strategic transaction that will help us to
expand and strengthen our best-in-class
luxury offer in this market and around
the world.”
Moviehouse & Eatery co-founders
Leslie Sloan and Rodney Speaks,
originally real estate developers before
venturing into the dine-in theater business,
intend to continue working with
Cinépolis to develop new theater sites in
the United States.
Since the opening of its first theater
in 2012, Moviehouse & Eatery has
grown to five theaters and 47 screens
in the Austin and Dallas metropolitan
areas. The circuit’s sixth theater is under
construction in the Woodlands suburb
of Houston and is expected to open in
November 2019.
Cinépolis USA has no immediate plans
to make any operational or guest-facing
changes to the Moviehouse & Eatery
brand. Moviehouse & Eatery will continue
to operate independently until further
notice and retain all existing employees,
programs, and scheduled events.
NCM NAMES BOARD CHAIR
THOMAS F. LESINSKI AS
NEW CEO
>> The board of directors of National
CineMedia Inc., the managing member
and owner of 48.6 percent of National
CineMedia LLC, , has appointed Thomas
F. Lesinski (above) to the role of chief
executive officer. He will continue to
serve on the NCM Board in his role as
the chief executive officer.
An accomplished executive with a
career bridging the entertainment, digital
media, sales, marketing, and advertising
industries, Lesinski had served as
chairman of the board of NCM Inc. since
2018, after being appointed as independent
director of NCM Inc. in 2014.
Since 2015, he had also served as CEO of
Sonar Entertainment, a TV production
company, after serving as a Sonar board
director since 2013.
Lesinski’s 25-year Hollywood career
also includes prior leadership roles as
CEO and founder of Energi Entertainment,
president of digital content and
distribution with Legendary Entertainment,
president of Paramount Pictures
Digital Entertainment, and president
of Worldwide Home Entertainment for
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6 SEPTEMBER 2019

TRADE TALK
ELIZABETH FRANK
Paramount, and both executive vice president
and general manager of home entertainment and
executive vice president, worldwide marketing and
development, at Warner Bros. He began his career
in advertising at BBDO, Foote, Cone & Belding,
and Clairol Inc.
SHOWEAST TO
HONOR AMC’S
ELIZABETH FRANK
>> Elizabeth Frank,
executive vice president,
worldwide programming,
and chief content officer
for AMC Theatres, will
receive the first annual
ShowEast Empowerment
Award presented by The
Coca-Cola Company.
Frank will be honored on
Wednesday, October 16,
as part of the ShowEast
Breakfast Program in
conjunction with a panel
featuring women in cinema
at the Fontainebleau
Miami Beach.
“At Coca-Cola, we
seek to empower women
both in the workplace and throughout the world.
We are honored to present Elizabeth Frank with
the inaugural ShowEast Women’s Empowerment
Award presented by Coca-Cola. Elizabeth Frank
is a visionary leader who has decades of experience
creating and executing successful growth
strategies across industries and organizations.
Her track record of delivering results is a testament
to the value, leadership, and expertise she
contributes to the cinema industry and beyond,”
said Krista Schulte, senior vice president, strategic
partnership marketing.
Frank leads teams based in Kansas City, Los
Angeles, and London, with operational responsibility
for sourcing and scheduling movies for AMC’s
11,000-plus screens across the United States,
Europe, and the Middle East, as well as promoting,
pricing, and selling 375 million movie tickets
annually. Her teams have developed sophisticated
data analytics and digital promotions capabilities
to activate moviegoer behavior and enhance operational
agility and productivity.
REGAL LAUNCHES ‘UNLIMITED’
SUBSCRIPTION PLAN
>> Another major U.S. exhibitor has entered the
subscription race. Regal, the country’s second-largest
movie theater chain, is the latest to launch
its own in-house subscription program with the
release of its Unlimited offering.
Despite sharing the same name as its European
corporate parent’s Cineworld Unlimited subscription
scheme, Regal’s solution has been specifically
modified for the U.S. market. The plan is available
in three tiers: Unlimited, priced at $18/month and
available at 200 locations; Unlimited Plus at $21/
month and available at 400 locations; and Unlimited
All Access at $23.50/month, which unlocks
over 550 locations nationwide.
Consumers looking to access a location not
included in their plan will be charged a surcharge
between $1.50 and $3 on top of their monthly fee,
with additional surcharges applying to premium
auditoriums like RPX (Regal’s private-label PLF),
Imax, 4DX immersive seating, and ScreenX panoramic
screens. There is no cap on the number of
standard-format movies consumers can attend each
month, nor blackout dates for new releases. A 10
percent discount on all concessions and non-alcoholic
beverages is included in the plan.
Analysts had been expecting Regal’s entry into
subscription since Cineworld announced plans to
acquire the company in late 2017.
AMC STUBS A-LIST CROSSES
900,000 MEMBERS
>> AMC Stubs A-List, the moviegoing subscription
program, has crossed another milestone and
stands at more than 900,000 members.
Said Adam Aron, CEO and president of AMC
Theatres, “The AMC Stubs A-List program’s
continued positive momentum makes it far and
away the most popular movie theater subscription
program in the world. Its success is a testament to
its guest-friendly features and the significant value
it offers for moviegoers. It also reflects the powerful
draw that moviegoing has in the United States.
With more than 900,000 members, we are highly
gratified that our A-List efforts have been so well
received by our guests.”
HARKINS THEATRES ANNOUNCES NEW
HEADQUARTERS AND RETAIL CAMPUS
>> Arizona’s Harkins Theatres has announced that
8 SEPTEMBER 2019

construction is under way on its brand-new $32
million campus in Scottsdale, Arizona. The 13-acre
development will be divided between the company’s
new corporate headquarters and mixed-use
space. At 65,000 square feet, the new headquarters
will nearly triple the size of the company’s current
23,000-square-foot office, also on McDonald
Drive in Scottsdale. The new mixed-use center,
named McDonald Village, will offer 52,000 square
feet of commercial space and is expected to include
a health club, coffee shop, and other shopping
amenities to be enjoyed by Harkins employees,
neighboring businesses, and the community.
Harkins’s new campus will feature sleek, modern
design with a focus on indoor-outdoor space
and natural light. In an homage to Harkins history,
design elements such as the iconic mushroom
structures reclaimed from the original Harkins
Camelview 5 will be a prominent entry feature for
the new headquarters.
“It’s hard to imagine that our headquarters used
to fit inside my garage,” said Dan Harkins, owner
and executive chairman of Harkins Theatres.
“Thanks to our loyal moviegoers, we have been
fortunate to have experienced great
success and growth over the years. We
are absolutely thrilled to announce our
new campus and to continue to bring
the Ultimate Moviegoing experience to
our community.”
Harkins anticipates opening its new
headquarters in the summer of 2020.
SHOWEAST TO HONOR
WARNER BROS.’ SCOTT
FORMAN
>> Scott Forman, executive VP and
general sales manager for domestic
theatrical distribution at Warner Bros.,
will receive ShowEast’s Salah M. Hassanein
Humanitarian Award during the
show’s Final Night Awards Ceremony on October
17 at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach.
Forman’s career in domestic theatrical distribution
started at Columbia Pictures in 1980
while he was still in high school. After graduating
from UCLA in 1985, he continued working
(continued on page 12)
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9

TRADE TALK
MICHAEL ROSENBERG
at Columbia for seven years, then left for MGM/
UA. In 1989, he joined Warner Bros., beginning
what has turned into a 30-year career at the
studio. He was promoted to his current position
in March 2017.
Forman’s lifelong philanthropic passion began
the first time he walked into a Variety Boys and
Girls Club when he was nine years old. He remains
a key driver for the club, in addition to serving on
the board of directors of Variety Tent 25 and the
Will Rogers Motion Pictures Pioneers Foundation.
In 2007, he created Jr. Variety, the first teen-based
industry charity of its kind with his son, Jeremy.
In nine years, Jr. Variety has raised over $625,000
while teaching teenagers the importance of philanthropy
and the basics of fundraising and volunteerism.
He also helped mastermind the charity
auctions at ShoWest and ShowEast.
Forman has received the President’s Lifetime
Achievement Award from Barack Obama, the
Time Warner Andrew Heiskell Community Service
Award, and the Ben Marcus Humanitarian Award.
PROMOTION IN MOTION TO
RECEIVE SHOWEAST LEGACY
AWARD
>> Promotion in Motion will receive
the first annual ShowEast Legacy Award
presented by NAC during ShowEast’s Final
Night Awards Ceremony on October
17 at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach.
The award will be accepted by Michael
Rosenberg, president and CEO.
“I cannot think of a more worthy
organization than Promotion in Motion
to receive the inaugural ShowEast Legacy
Award, or a more worthy individual than Michael
Rosenberg. Promotion in Motion’s dedication to
the concessions class of trade is on display everyday
with their policy to not sell their theater box
product to retail, and Michael’s dedication to many
charitable institutions highlights the company’s
dedication to those both inside and outside of
the confectionary realm,” stated Adam Gottlieb,
president of NAC.
Rosenberg comes from a multigenerational
family of bakers, candy and food makers, and importers.
His grandparents, parents, and numerous
members on both sides of the family emigrated to
the U.S. in the 1930s and established candy and
food operations in America.
The Promotion in Motion Companies Inc.
continues to expand and diversify domestically and
worldwide and is one of the 10 largest confectionery
and snack food producers in North America,
and one of the 100 largest in the world.
MALCO TO BRING IMAX TO
MADISON, MISS.
>> Memphis-based Malco Theatres, a 104-yearold
family-owned exhibition company, recently
announced that guests visiting the Grandview
Cinema in Madison, Mississippi, can soon enjoy
the world’s most immersive cinematic experience
when the Imax theater opens in time for the
release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker on December
20, 2019. The Imax theater, the first and
only one in the state of Mississippi, will be custom
designed for use in the existing multiplex theater
and will be part of the first phase of upgrades to
the Madison location.
“We looked at all of our options regarding a
large-format solution and came to the conclusion
that no one has a better combination of quality,
full-immersion cinema, and brand awareness than
Imax. We are excited to add the Imax Experience
to the region and hope it will be enjoyed for many
years to come,” said David Tashie, Malco president
and COO.
Additional phase 1 renovation plans consist of
upgrading the concessions area to the Malco Cinema
Grill with expanded food and drink options
and installation of space for private events, with
areas dedicated to emerging technologies, such as
virtual reality. The phase 2 upgrade will include a
full renovation to luxury reserved recliner seats.
CINEMARK TO OPEN CUT! DINE-IN
THEATER IN CYPRESS, TEXAS
>> Cinemark Holdings Inc. has announced plans
to build a CUT! by Cinemark, a state-of-the-art
dine-in theater, in Cypress, Texas. Construction
is scheduled to begin in November with plans to
open in July 2020 as a development of Washington
Prime Group.
“We are eager to introduce our CUT! by
Cinemark concept to the Cypress community and
greater Houston area,” said Mark Zoradi, Cinemark
CEO. “Whether seeing the latest blockbuster
with the family or having dinner and drinks with
friends, guests will enjoy this unique and fresh
dine-in entertainment experience.”
12 SEPTEMBER 2019

TRADE TALK
CUT! by Cinemark offers guests made-to-order
menu items and specialty cocktails to enjoy in any
of the auditoriums, as well as in the dining and
lounge areas. Moviegoers can have entrees, beverages,
and traditional snacks delivered discreetly to
their seats with the push of a button. The restaurant
and lounge are welcoming environments designed
to offer guests fun, casual, and social spaces.
SMG ANNOUNCES LA
FLAGSHIP THEATER
>> Brian Schultz, founder & CEO of Studio Movie
Grill (SMG), has announced plans to open a flagship
theater in Glendale, California, during the fourth
quarter of 2019. The in-theater dining chain will
now serve seven communities across California,
including Monrovia, Simi Valley, Downey, Redlands,
Rocklin, and Bakersfield. SMG Sunset Walk,
the brand’s third location in Florida, opened earlier
this year in Kissimmee/Orlando and, previously
announced SMG Prosperity Market, the brand’s
second in Charlotte, North Carolina, will also open
its doors in Q4. The addition of these locations adds
over 50 new screens to the existing 333 screens SMG
currently operates in 10 states nationwide. Taking
over the former MGM 5-Star Cinema location
earlier this year, SMG is in the process of redesigning
the entire facility, which will result in 10 screens and
offer 780 luxury recliners in the heart of Glendale
and the Downtown Arts & Entertainment District.
But SMG is not only constructing new locations;
it is actively preserving old movie houses as it
acquires new movie spaces, including three Krikorian
theaters in SoCal that opened as full-concept
SMG locations earlier this year in Redlands, Mon-
(continued on page 16)
B&B EXPANDS FLEET OF SCREENX
AUDITORIUMS
>> B&B Theatres and South Korea’s CJ 4DPLEX have expanded
their partnership by agreeing to install five additional
ScreenX panoramic screens across the exhibitor’s circuit.
With this deal, B&B Theatres will now count on a total of
seven ScreenX systems throughout its chain of theaters.
The companies began working together in 2018 when
B&B announced it would install the largest ScreenX
system in the world at its flagship Liberty, Missouri, location.
Standing at over four stories tall and stretching to
seven stories wide, the screen proved successful enough to
warrant an additional ScreenX system, scheduled to open
in September 2019.
“The partnership with CJ 4DPLEX introduced the
largest ScreenX in the world with outstanding performance
numbers and audience feedback,” said Bob Bagby, president
of B&B Theatres, in a statement. “We look forward to
continuing this partnership with CJ 4DPLEX in bringing
more ScreenX auditoriums across the States and creating
more premium in-theater experiences for B&B audiences in
the future.”
NOVO LAUNCHES
KIDZ CONCEPT
>> Auditoriums specifically
designed for young
families continue gaining
traction at cinemas around
the world. Novo Cinemas,
one of the largest exhibition
circuits in the Middle
East, is the latest chain to
adopt the concept with
its new Novo Kidz auditorium in its Dubai Festival City
location. The kid-friendly screening room features chairs
with plush “Friendly Monster” seats, adjustable light and
sound levels, and sweet concessions options for children.
The family-friendly experience can be further expanded by
renting out an event space that specifically caters to kids’
birthday parties.
“We’re delighted to be bringing such a unique and special
concept to our youngest Novo audience,” said Novo
CEO Debbie Stanford-Kristiansen. “We wanted to go
the extra mile and create something completely different
whilst focusing on ensuring a truly emotional connection
for our younger moviegoers with the introduction of these
fun friendly monster characters who also have their own
names. We feel there has been a gap in the market, and
Novo brings the innovation and fun to fill it.”
Novo Cinemas currently operates 158 screens in the
Middle East. The circuit expects to finish 2019 with a
total of over 220 screens in the region.
14 SEPTEMBER 2019

SV SUPERIOR VALUE
SELECTING IRWIN SEATING REPRESENTS SUPERIOR VALUE

TRADE TALK
rovia, and Downey. These theaters were successfully
converted with the goal of retaining the integrity
of the old theaters. Thoughtful redesign focused on
elevated touchpoints in the auditoriums, including
luxury recliners and improved sight lines alongside
the modern conveniences of a full-service restaurant
and inviting bar/lounge for gathering before
and after the movie.
STAR CINEMA GRILL ADDS SONY 4K
LASER TO TEXAS LOCATIONS
>> Star Cinema Grill, a Houston based dine-intheater
concept, will implement Sony’s 4K laser
digital cinema projection technology. Star Cinema
Grill’s new Richmond/Katy, Texas, location outfitted
11 auditoriums with Sony’s 4K laser projectors,
while the Spring, Texas, location will feature Sony’s
4K laser projectors in all 12 auditoriums.
In total, Star Cinema Grill’s implementation of
Sony 4K laser includes 82 projectors across nine
locations, with several of the installations featuring
the SRX-R815DS (double stack) projectors.
“Star Cinema Grill has a longstanding relationship
with Sony’s cinema technology,” said Jason
Ostrow, vice president, development, Star Cinema
Grill. “After installing Sony’s latest 4K laser projectors,
we noticed a marked difference in the picture
quality, brightness, and contrast, which helped
keep our guests immersed in the moviegoing
experience and routinely returning to our theaters.
Coupled with the reliability we’ve come to expect
from Sony, we’re confident that top-notch technology
that enhances an audience’s visual experience is
the perfect complement to our renowned dine-in
experience, luxury facilities, and the latest blockbuster
titles.”
In Memoriam
Fox Theatres Founder Richard A. Fox Dies at Age 90
>> Richard A. Fox, founder of
Reading, Pennsylvania–based Fox
Theatres and onetime president of
the National Association of Theatre
Owners, passed away on July 24 at
the age of 90.
Fox launched Fox Theatres
in 1957 with the opening of the
Sinking Spring Drive-In, billed as
“the world’s largest Cinemascope
screen.” Over the next 33 years
he grew the regional circuit to 25
locations with over 100 screens
and more than 1,000 employees.
At its peak, Fox Theatres was one
of the largest independently owned
movie theater companies in the
United States. Fox brought modern
movie theaters to suburban
markets throughout Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland,
and Florida.
Fox was elected president of the National Association
of Theatre Owners in 1984 and tackled issues ranging
from contentious trade practices to competition from
new technologies. He was the last
volunteer president of NATO.
Born in Buffalo, New York, Fox
attended the University of Buffalo
and served in the U.S. Army as a
staff sergeant. He was a former
board member of the Jewish Federation
of Reading, B’nai B’rith, Variety
Club, and the Will Rogers Motion
Picture Pioneers Foundation.
A resident of Boca Raton,
Florida, Fox is survived by his wife
of 32 years, Marcia Spokane Fox,
son Donald Fox, daughter Sheryl
Fox Myerson, son Herrick “Rick”
Fox, sister Lee Redstone, and his
former wife, Helen Fox. He is also
survived by seven grandchildren,
three stepchildren, and seven
step-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his son
Howard in 1978.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the
Howard Fox Memorial Law Scholarship Fund at the Berks
County Community Foundation, bccf.org.
16 SEPTEMBER 2019

EXECUTIVE SUITE
BY JOHN FITHIAN, NATO PRESIDENT & CEO
IT’S TIME FOR THEATER
OWNERS TO REASSERT
LEADERSHIP ON CINEMA
TECHNOLOGY
>> Twenty years ago or so, four different segments of the movie
industry began discussing a possible transition in cinema technology.
Motion picture exhibitors, distributors, technology companies,
and creatives all had substantial but different interests in the likely
benefits and challenges of the potential migration from celluloid film
projection to digital cinema. For exhibitors, digital cinema offered
the potential of consistent image quality and greater programming
flexibility—but the higher costs and shorter technology life cycles left
most cinema executives unwilling to invest in the new technologies.
JOHN FITHIAN
For distributors, the driving force was large potential
cost savings. The production and shipping
of celluloid film prints cost hundreds of millions
of dollars a year in the domestic market alone. Digital-cinema
distribution would cost a small fraction
of that. For technology companies, the benefits
were obvious—sales of new equipment to every
cinema operator in the world. And for creatives,
the view was mixed. Some industry leaders like
George Lucas and James Cameron said that digital
cinema would enable more creative tools and a
better patron experience, while others such as
Steven Spielberg and Christopher Nolan remained
committed to the qualities of film.
The advocates of digital cinema (most distributors,
many technology companies, and some
important creatives) pushed exhibitors aggressively
to make the move to digital. George Lucas’s
production partner Rick McCallum famously
encouraged Star Wars fans to contact NATO and
demand digital cinema—resulting in a crash of our
early email servers. A senior Sony executive with
authority over global theatrical distribution stated
publicly that theater owners would make the transition
to digital cinema and that distributors would
never help pay for that transition.
NATO and our leading members pushed back
hard. The benefits of digital cinema did not justify
the costs if exhibitors were to absorb those costs.
We demanded two things—that distributors defray
equipment costs, and that specified open standards
be adopted to promote interoperability and compatibility
and thus reduce costs through competition.
NATO recruited exhibition leaders from five
different continents to sign a statement regarding
these demands.
After many different and often heated conversations
among the four industry segments, a
generally accepted plan evolved. First, distributors
agreed to defray the costs of digital cinema
equipment through the advent of virtual print fees
(VPFs). With some variations among several different
“integrators,” the VPF models essentially called
for the distributors to pay for the majority of the
equipment costs to effectuate the transition, until
either those costs were fully recouped, or until a
maximum term of years had passed.
Second, given their (somewhat reluctant)
willingness to cover most of the costs of the
transition, the distributors also began to exert
control over the design and function of digital
cinema equipment for use in cinemas. The major
Hollywood studios formed Digital Cinema Initiatives
(DCI) to design equipment specifications in
two areas—security and quality. (Originally DCI
members hoped that DCI would also establish
the VPF models, but that initiative migrated to
competitive third-parties instead.)
The DCI specification process was detailed and
lengthy. Though the studios took some input from
exhibitors, equipment companies, and creatives,
the final product offered requirements on behalf
of the studios only. The proposition was simple
and absolute—if exhibitors wanted digital movie
content and VPFs, they had to install and maintain
DCI-compliant systems. Or stated differently, the
studios insisted on setting the standards for the
digital cinema equipment they would essentially
fund. (To be sure, the DCI specifications have
provided helpful guidance to studios, technology
companies, and exhibitors alike. But those specs
have always been of the studios.)
Many of the DCI technical specifications were
then modified and adopted by the Society of Motion
Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE)—
the industry’s main open technology standardization
body. SMPTE has been, and continues to be,
the primary standards body for cinema technology.
Every segment of the industry had input within
SMPTE. NATO and exhibitors have long sup-
18 SEPTEMBER 2019

ported SMPTE, as have distributors, technology
companies, cinematographers, and other creatives.
From the adoption of the original “DCI spec”
to the present, DCI has continued to publish
updates. Many of these updates have constituted
relatively small changes, or “errata.” But some
proposals from DCI have significant impact on the
cinema industry.
For example, DCI recently published two draft
papers related to high dynamic range and LED
screens (also known as “direct view” screens). These
define a new standard that exceeds the technical
capability of all current displays and auditoriums.
The two draft papers were developed with
almost no input from NATO or our members, yet
they purported to create technical specifications for
equipment of exceedingly high cost and questionable
added value to the quality of the cinema
experience. After NATO raised significant concerns
about this one-sided technical standardization process,
DCI finally invited NATO and the member
leaders of our NATO Technology Committee to
join them at a meeting.
This meeting that occurred on February 28,
2019, was the first meeting between DCI and
exhibitors in over 12 years. The gesture on behalf
of the studios was appreciated, but the overall
process remained fundamentally flawed. Essentially,
some executives at the major studios (now
down to five companies because of consolidation)
continue to believe that they have the right and
the obligation to set technical standards for the
equipment installed in cinemas worldwide. Yet
these same studios reject outright any suggestion
of a second VPF program to subsidize the next
potential generation of equipment that might
meet the stringent demands of the DCI requirements
going forward.
To be sure, the DCI specifications have always
included two elements—security and quality. The
studios have the right to protect the intellectual
property of their movies. If they want to continue
to design technical specifications to prevent movie
theft (piracy), they have the right to do so. In other
words, if DCI should continue to exist and publish
specifications on security, that might be appropriate.
But what no longer makes any sense at all
would be for DCI to continue to promulgate
specifications on the quality of the experience for
movie patrons in our member cinemas. Again simply
put, if the studios want to control the quality
aspects of the image and sound offered to patrons
in cinemas, they should pay for the equipment.
And if “VPF 2.0” isn’t to the liking of the studios,
then they should stop trying to establish unilateral
standards for cinema equipment. The original VPF
models are coming to an end—either through
recoupment or the expiration of a term of years. If
cinema operators have to pay for the digital cinema
business model going forward, cinema operators
will decide what equipment they will buy, or not.
If new technologies can enhance the experience
sufficiently to increase ticket sales or justify higher
prices, or both, exhibitors will consider those technologies.
If not, they won’t.
NATO will pursue a different path from DCI.
We have begun to establish our own testing process
for the future of digital cinema images. We want
to better understand questions like high dynamic
range and brightness. NATO members don’t want
to be forced to invest in technology that cannot
produce a return in increased admissions or higher
ticket prices or both. Or stated a different way,
theater operators will not abide by a system in
which movie studios set technical standards for
equipment that theater owners must finance.
NATO will invite all segments of the industry
to have input at the appropriate time. Distributors,
creatives, and technology companies will all be
heard. And if the process suggests that any new
technology standards should be considered, we
will refer those recommendations to SMPTE—the
industry’s open standards body.
20 SEPTEMBER 2019

GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
BY ESTHER BARUH, DIRECTOR OF GOVERNMENT RELATIONS, NATO
WASHINGTON DISPATCH:
ASCAP AND BMI CONSENT
DECREES REVIEW
>> For most in our nation’s capital, the summer months are sleepy:
Members of Congress are back in their districts, Senators are in their
home states, and locals look to escape D.C.’s notorious heat and humidity.
But for the team at NATO, this summer has been a whirlwind
of activity on one of our industry’s biggest policy priorities: Protecting
the movie theater music licensing exemption.
ESTHER BARUH
Now, the DOJ is again reviewing the ASCAP
and BMI consent decrees in the context of a larger
effort to terminate or modify legacy consent
decrees, or consent decrees that do not have an
expiration date. (Exhibitors will recall that last
summer, the DOJ opened up review of the Paramount
consent decrees. The DOJ received over
75 public comments on that review; as of this
writing, the DOJ has not taken any public action
to terminate or modify the Paramount consent
decrees.) Potential termination or modification of
the consent decrees would reverberate throughout
the entire music licensing industry, from songwriters
to music publishers to licensees, including
movie theaters.
Entities looking to play music in public
spaces—including restaurants, bars, grocery
stores—must obtain licenses from the performing
rights organizations (PROs) that control the
rights of public performance. Movie theaters also
obtain these licenses for music they play in their
common areas such as lobbies, bars, and restaurants.
These so-called blanket licenses allow the
licensee to play music from the PROs’ repertory.
The PROs in turn distribute royalties to their registered
songwriters; royalties are calculated using a
complicated formula that takes into account how
frequently their music is played.
ASCAP and BMI are the premier performing
rights organizations in the United States. Collectively,
they license the public performance rights
for hundreds of thousands of songs. (There are
two other performing rights organizations in the
United States—the Society of European Stage
Authors and Composers, or SESAC, and Global
Music Rights, or GMR—but their music catalogs
are much smaller than those of ASCAP and BMI,
and they are not subject to any consent decrees.)
ASCAP and BMI are governed by two historic
consent decrees that were born from antitrust
litigation brought against ASCAP and BMI by
the United States government decades ago. These
consent decrees require ASCAP and BMI to abide
by several requirements, including providing
the rights to public performance for their music
repertoires on a nonexclusive basis; discrimination
in licensing fees; and limiting licenses to a term of
five years, among others.
Most importantly for exhibitors, the ASCAP
consent decree bars ASCAP from charging movie
theaters for the public performance of music in
movies. In other words, movie theaters in the
United States are not responsible for paying fees
to ASCAP for the public performance of music
synchronized with movies. This exemption has
become the industry norm across the various
performing rights organizations and with the
songwriters and their publishers.
The movie theater licensing exemption places
the negotiating responsibility for music in movies
where it belongs: with the party selecting songs
for films. This is a common-sense, procompetitive,
and efficient process that works best for
songwriters, exhibitors, and audiences, and this
licensing process ensures that the rights holders
are able to negotiate directly for the true value of
their music, rather than being subject only to an
opaque royalty process.
Should the consent decrees be terminated,
or modified to remove the movie theater ex-
22 SEPTEMBER 2019

emption, the PROs would use their monopoly
power to again demand public performance fees
from movie theaters. Movie theaters would be
compelled to take out blanket licenses from the
PROs, because theaters would have no way to
anticipate what music from which repertory will
be used in films they exhibit. There would be
no rate courts to prevent those fees from being
exorbitant, and yet exhibitors would likely
still be paying high film rental to distributors.
This change could impact consumers as well, as
increased fees levied by the PROs could have an
impact on downstream pricing.
NATO identified the DOJ’s review as a key
priority (see John Fithian, Jackie Brenneman, and
Esther Baruh’s article in the May 2019 issue of
Boxoffice Pro) and has undertaken a number of
steps to emphasize the importance of this issue to
lawmakers and regulators. NATO filed extensive
comments with the DOJ, worked with exhibitors
so that our members could file individual comments,
and has met and will continue to meet
with members of the House and Senate Judiciary
Committees to articulate our position on the
DOJ review.
The public comment period on the consent
decrees closed in mid-August. In addition to
comments submitted by NATO and exhibitors,
the DOJ received scores of comments from many
other stakeholders, including performing rights
organizations, businesses that license music to
play in their public spaces, think tanks, digital
music streaming companies, and even a select
handful of elected officials. The DOJ must now
sift through the many comments received before
deciding to ask the court to terminate or modify
the decrees. The DOJ may also elect to take no
action on the decrees, as the department did in its
2014 review.
There are no guaranteed outcomes in government
relations work. Depending on the result
of the DOJ’s review, exhibitors could face many
years of litigation or complicated legislative
battles. But one thing is for certain: NATO will
always fight hard and long for a positive result
for exhibitors.
SEPTEMBER 2019
23

CHARITY SPOTLIGHT
TO ADD EVENTS IN AN UPCOMING ISSUE, PLEASE SEND ANNOUNCEMENTS TO NUMBERS@BOXOFFICE.COM
NAC KINDNESS INITIATIVE PROVIDES 500
BACKPACKS FOR CHICAGO STUDENTS
>> The National Association of Concessionaires (NAC) provided
space on the trade show floor of the NAC Concession and
Hospitality Expo, held at the Fairmont Chicago Millennium
Park Hotel, for their annual Kindness Initiative. On July 30–August
2, Expo delegates and exhibitors took time out of their busy
schedules to put together 500 backpacks for in-need children in
Chicago Public Schools (CPS).
NAC partnered with the Children First Fund to help raise
more than $15,000 for supplies and support, which was provided
by generous donations from NAC member companies,
individuals, and participating sponsors. NAC was founded in
Chicago in 1944 and is headquartered in the city, making the
choice to benefit CPS—and during the 75th anniversary of the
trade association—a natural one.
“Thank you to the NAC and all of its members for your
hard work and dedication on the Kindness Initiative. Equity is
the North Star for everything we do at CPS. We strive for every
student to have access to the best education, opportunities, and
resources,” said Mica Matsoff, director of external partnership,
Children First Fund. “Unfortunately, not every student has
access to the same materials outside of school. NAC’s donation
provided school supplies for hundreds of students who need
them the most, ensuring that each of them is confident and
excited heading into the new school year.”
The NAC Kindness Initiative was first introduced in 2018 by
the NAC Outreach Committee at the NAC Expo in New Orleans
and is slated to become an annual part of the event. In a joint
statement, committee co-chairs Theresa Boysen, ACS, of Kernel
Season’s and Shelly Olesen, ACS, of C. Cretors and Company said:
“Being a member of NAC is about the support that you give and
receive not only within the concessions industry but the outreach
we can provide in a community. In an effort to pay it forward,
NAC’s Outreach Committee was thrilled to work alongside CPS
with the Back Pack Kindness Initiative. Let’s help give our Chicago
students a great start to a new school year and future!”
>> Spider-Man Stars Create Smiles On June 25, Spider-Man:
Far From Home stars Zendaya and Jacob Batalon joined
the Lollipop Theater Network in a surprise visit to the children
of MSK Kids at New York City’s Memorial Sloan Kettering. Answering
questions about the film, taking photos and selfies, and
signing mini movie poster keepsakes, the stars left the patients,
siblings, and parents in a web of smiles!
>> On June 2 in Westwood, California, six-year-old Pedro
was treated to the premiere screening of The Secret Life of Pets 2.
Pedro—given the superhero name “Golden Fly” at Lollipop’s annual
Superhero Walk—got to meet cast members Patton Oswalt,
Kevin Hart, Tiffany Haddish (pictured), and Eric Stonestreet. All
of them made their way to Pedro’s special place on the red carpet
asking for “Golden Fly.”
24 SEPTEMBER 2019

UPCOMING EVENTS
>> Variety kid Matt, from Variety of the
Delaware Valley, had a blast throwing out
the first pitch at the Phillies vs. White Sox
game on August 4!
>> Variety Detroit was one of the
four beneficiaries of the 16th Annual
Paul W. Smith Classic, held on August
5, 2019, at the Detroit Golf Club. More
than 260 golfers enjoyed the historic
course. The event netted more $430,000
to support more than 55,000 children in
southeastern Michigan. Paul W. Smith is
pictured in blue; along with him are (L to
R) Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, Allison
(Smith’s sister), Kim Smith (Variety
Detroit board member and Paul’s wife),
and Sophie (Smith’s daughter).
VARIETY THE CHILDREN’S
CHARITY OF ST. LOUIS
Variety Theatre Presents
Disney’s Mary Poppins
October 18–27 / St. Louis, MO
Variety Theatre’s 2019 production,
Disney’s Mary Poppins, will bring
this timeless story of magic and
wonder to life like never before.
Prepare to be inspired by the
show’s talented children’s ensemble,
comprising kids and teens of
all abilities, as well as a professional
cast and live orchestra. Dazzling
sets, colorful costumes, memorable
songs, and a classic story will
combine to fill Touhill Performing
Arts Center’s stage—and your
heart—with joy.
For tickets and show times,
visit bit.ly/2PdGT8F.
>> Hy-Vee Springfield and Variety
Illinois teamed up for the Petals
for Pedals promotion, teaching
bicycle safety to children, passing
out helmets, and gifting Audrey
with a brand-new bike! Pictured
with Audrey are the Hy-Vee
Springfield store director (left) and
Variety Illinois executive director
Angelique Barthel.
>> American Family Insurance and the
Green Bay Packers teamed up to create
DreamDrive at Green Bay, Wisconsin’s
Lambeau Field. DreamDrive supports a
long-standing tradition dating back to the
Vince Lombardi era, where Packers players
ride young fan’s bikes between Lambeau
Field and the practice field. This year, American
Family Insurance partnered with Variety
of Wisconsin to bring five-year-old Jemma Blechacz to DreamDrive. Jemma was born
with spina bifida and is unable to ride a traditional bike. Her parents reached out to
Variety for help, and with support from American Family Insurance, Jemma received an
adaptive bike just for her. During the 2019 DreamDrive, she rode her new bike proudly
next to Packer player Mason Crosby.
LOLLIPOP THEATER NETWORK
Superheroes of the Beach Volleyball
Tournament
Saturday, October 12
Santa Monica, CA
Join the Lollipop Theater Network
as a sponsor, player, or spectator!
On Saturday,
October 12,
from 8 a.m. to 5
p.m., at Ocean
Park Beach in
Santa Monica,
both competitive
and just-for-fun players will
compete to become the ultimate
Superheroes of the Beach! Anyone
can join! Players are encouraged to
dress as their favorite superheroes as
they play on the heavily trafficked
beaches of Ocean Park, all to benefit
the Lollipop Theater Network!
For more information and tickets,
visit bit.ly/2ZkrJlT.
SEPTEMBER 2019
25

INDIE FOCUS
b r o u g h t t o y o u b y
BLONDE BOMBSHELL
Local artist Mariann
Mawcinitt with Michael
Falter
CITY LIGHTS CINEMAS
FLORENCE, OR
CONTRIBUTOR: MICHAEL FALTER, OWNER
HISTORY
My wife, Susan Tive, and myself have been
involved in independent cinemas since 2002, when
I took on the management, operations, and programming
for Pickford Film Center in Bellingham,
Washington, where Susan subsequently became the
development director during a long but successful
capital campaign. During those years Susan and I
were initial founders of Art House Convergence,
an annual gathering for indie theaters, and Susan
moved on to Salt Lake Film Society and became
their director of philanthropy.
When we came across an empty and closedfor-business
four-plex while on a winter vacation
on the Oregon Coast, we looked at each other and
said, “Could we make this work?” The previous
operators had closed down two years prior, unable
to make the transition to digital projection. We
had been pied pipers for other grassroots theaters
opening in the Northwest and felt like we should
put our own money on the table and set up shop.
We opened our doors in August 2014 after a
whirlwind two months of rehabbing the theater. I
joked that my memoir of that time would be “De-
26 SEPTEMBER 2019

The Post preview screening with Pentagon Papers authors and Dr. Mel Gurtov
SCREENS
City Lights Cinemas features four screens, all named after the original
United Artists. The largest screen is the Chaplin with 148 seats
(and a stage—we had to remove the front two rows to make that
happen). The Pickford auditorium is an homage to the nonprofit theater
in Bellingham that I helped establish and continue to program
for—Pickford Film Center—which has 135 seats. The Griffith has 115
seats, and The Fairbanks has 93 seats.
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ferred Maintenance.” We replaced all the existing
35-millimeter and old sound equipment with new
Barco digital systems, installed new screens, new
masking, and many upgrades. Since Florence is a
tourist destination, by the time we had signed on
the dotted line to lease the space, we were unable
to find any lodging during the makeover—so I
pitched a tent in the lobby and became very familiar
with the janitor’s closet!
As for the management team—we’re it! We
continue to work for nonprofit cinemas, but we’ve
managed to find a fantastic team for City Lights.
We have four screens, run four show times a day
from noon to nine, and have three staff members
who have been with us for five years. The community
loves Mister Ooh-la-la (yes, that’s his real
name), Alex Grady, and Art Donnelly. We pay
them a competitive wage for the region and try to
keep the job fun and flexible.
MEMBERSHIP
We have had many years of experience in the
nonprofit world, and when we evaluated the
makeup of Florence (population: 8,947) we knew
we needed buy-in from the year-round community
if we were to make it through the winter
months. In addition to being a retirement town,
Florence thrives during the tourist season—we’re
known as the gateway to the dunes, and recreation
is a big deal here. To that end, we call City Lights
a “hybrid” theater, which others have done before
us but we believe is right for a small town. We
try to engage with every demographic—we’ll play
commercial and art house with plenty of performing
arts for good measure. The biggest measure of
28 SEPTEMBER 2019

our support is our annual membership program.
Patrons receive discounts on admission, $2 off
any size popcorn, discounts on performing arts,
and free admission and food to our anniversary
celebration. Over 10 percent of the population
participates in our program, which is hugely important
for us to maintain the business during the
slower months.
AUDIENCE
We are a community-based cinema through and
through. We serve a diverse population in terms of
what our audience likes. We consider ourselves to
be a sort of melting pot and safe space for people
to come together who might not otherwise have
much in common. Because we live in a small town,
it is important that we provide a wide range of options
from event cinema programming to the latest
Disney blockbuster and everything in between.
Our belief in the power of film to bring people
together both physically in one place and emotionally
through the experience of communal film
viewing has made a measurable difference in our
community. We are reminded on a daily basis how
important cinema is to our patrons and possibly to
the health and well-being of our society as a whole.
FOOD & BEVERAGE
Serving beer and wine was a priority for us—we
feel it is imperative to eliminate as many barriers
for people to have a good time at the movies as
possible. Within three months of opening, we had
our license and began with bottles and craft cans
with primarily Oregon product. Oregon is a mecca
for hard cider, and possible because I am gluten-free
myself and beer is difficult to find in that
category, we have at least 10 different cider options
at any given time. For beer we have many local options
as well, including Ninkasi and Kiwanda, our
flagship representatives at City Lights, and many
others. After two years of watching some wine
profits go down the drain when we had to pour
out unsold half bottles, we moved to install taps
and we’ve never looked back. With no spoilage, we
now serve wine, beer, cider, and kombucha on tap.
We also feature locally made “hand-pies,” also
known as empanadas, with a variety of fillings—including
bison! These are popular items to go with
a glass of wine or beer. We also partnered with a
food cart that parks outside the theater. The only
food we allow in the theater is anything purchased
from the food cart.
KID STUFF
Michael Falter with Boys
and Girls Club kids
SEPTEMBER 2019
29

INDIE FOCUS
BRING YOUR I.D.
Oregon microbrews are
featured at City Lights
along with wines from
outside the region.
We shun additives to our popcorn other than
using coconut oil, but we feature real butter and a
“flavor station” with the usual suspects, like yeast
and parmesan cheese, to Slap Your Mama Hot
Sauce (very popular). We don’t charge extra for the
toppings, and large popcorns have free refills, which
helps make concessions affordable for families.
PROGRAMMING
In addition to the Painter Series and the NT
Live productions, we offer opera and ballet and an
abundance of specialty programs—from concert
films recorded in H.D. to weekend screenings of
under-the-radar documentaries. We’ll also feature
traveling filmmakers who might have a tour that
connects us to theaters in Portland or Salem or
Eugene. Recently we had fantastic turnouts for
films like Phoenix, Oregon and The Bikes of Wrath,
both featuring appearances from the director. Patrons
are astonished that we offer such events that
might be found in Portland in such a small town
(8,000). With four screens, we always try to have
at least one screen playing art house fare, whether
documentary or narrative, and such programs are a
major incentive for patrons to become members.
We stay flexible enough to feature “legacy
screenings,” since our town has a long memory.
We’ll celebrate the career of a star or an important
figure who has recently passed. When Toni Morrison
recently passed, we were able to add weekend
screenings of Magnolia’s recent documentary Toni
Morrison: The Pieces I Am to a grateful book-loving
audience.
Each year for our anniversary we’ll screen a
classic film free for our members—for our fifth Anniversary
in 2019 we showed Some Like It Hot with
close to 300 in attendance, all with free popcorn
and a complimentary glass of wine or beer. It’s our
favorite day of the year!
GRASSROOTS MARKETING
We often work with Siuslaw News, a thriving
local newspaper, to offer the community free
screenings on important topics—like recycling or
alternative energy, with such films as The Revenge
of the Electric Car with the local utility company
on-site offering test drives of Tesla and Leaf autos.
We frequently offer our space to nonprofits without
rental fees—with four screens, we generally have
enough flexibility to help make other organizations
have an evening to remember, and for us such events
can help introduce our space to potential theatergo-
30 SEPTEMBER 2019

ers. This kind of support for the community comes
back to us—by year three we were voted “Business
of the Year” by the chamber of commerce.
CINEMA ADVERTISING
Spotlight Cinema Networks has always been
supportive of independent cinemas, both nonprofit
and for-profit, and we know Ronnie Ycong and the
team from our time with Art House Convergence.
We loved their aesthetic and we were excited to
partner with them for City Lights. Customers always
enjoy the content—often they see promotions
for cable or streaming content that they wouldn’t
otherwise be aware of (and we don’t worry about
promoting at-home viewing options)—and they
will mention that they are going to “check out that
series”! We love working with them.
PRETTY PICTURES
The City Lights Living
Room with photos by
fashion and celebrity
photographer Milton H.
Greene
SEPTEMBER 2019
31

DIGITAL TICKETING
BY DANIEL LORIA AND REBECCA PAHLE
THE FUTURE OF
THE DIGITAL BOX
OFFICE
HOW THE EVOLUTION OF E-COMMERCE IS
IMPACTING THE MOVIE THEATER BUSINESS
>> There was a time, not that long ago, when audiences flocked to
newspapers to plan their nights out at the movies. They’d scan pages
of ads, squint through an index-sized listing of locations, and settle
on the ideal show time. You could always call the theater itself or dial
the magic numbers that led to that warm, welcoming voice exclaiming,
“Hello, and welcome to Moviefone!” but for decades newspapers
were the go-to source for movie listings and show times. The internet
changed all that, ushering in a new era in which exhibitors could
directly interact with their patrons.
The early days of e-commerce at the movies
were defined by the emergence of two third-party
ticketing websites, MovieTickets.com and
Fandango. They offered the industry a simple and
convenient solution: aggregated show times and
ticket purchasing for partner theaters. These digital
players pioneered cinema e-commerce in the
United States, virtually unrivaled as most exhibitors
saw little need to develop their own in-house
ticketing solutions.
“E-commerce was still in its infancy in 2000,
even as we approached the peak of the dot-com
bubble,” explains Dave Stonehill, who has had a
front-row seat to the development. Stonehill is
one of the founders of CinemaSource, a pioneer
in cinema show time collection that eventually
formed the basis of what is known today known as
The Boxoffice Company (formerly Webedia Movies
Pro), the corporate parent of Boxoffice Pro.
“Theater chains back then, even the largest ones,
didn’t have the knowledge or the resources to
THE BOXOFFICE COMPANY
Show time discovery on Google can
now lead to ticket purchases through
referral ticketing deep links.
32 SEPTEMBER 2019

DIGITAL TICKETING
build an online shopping experience for
their customers. They felt they needed
to turn to third parties to provide that
service; that’s how services like Cinema-
Source, Fandango, and MovieTickets.
com came to flourish and play a critical
role in the industry.”
The second digital revolution at the
box office occurred when the internet
expanded beyond the desktop computer
and made its way to the smartphone.
Mobile apps created a digital shopping
mall on-the-go, where consumers could
conduct transactions 24 hours a day,
seven days a week. Third-party ticketing
evolved accordingly, and MovieTickets
.com and Fandango ramped up focus
on their respective digital apps. New
players, like Atom Tickets, emerged
from a startup culture that understood
e-commerce primarily through mobile
platforms. Exhibitors began paying
closer attention, too. The quality of major-circuit
websites began improving—
some even featured native ticketing
engines where they could sell their own
tickets. The mobile app opened the door
to a range of other innovations, such as
loyalty programs and, later on, subscription
services.
We are now entering the third stage of this
digital revolution. The future of digital ticketing,
much like that of e-commerce, will make it easier
for consumers to find show times and buy their
tickets through a number of digital platforms,
none of them necessarily exclusive to the cinema
sector. The entry of digital publishers into the
cinema e-commerce ecosystem signals this shift,
as tech titans like Amazon, Facebook, and Google
have begun to dip their toes into the business with
unique offerings.
“When we look at the amount of web traffic
Google generates in show time discovery today, it
makes sense for exhibitors to be able to bring that
traffic back to their website,” says The Boxoffice
Company president Stan Ruszkowski, referring
to the rising prominence of ticketing deep links
in show time searches through Google’s OneBox,
a display box the search engine uses to compile
associated search results for local businesses. When
a consumer clicks on a show time, the Google
FANDANGO
Fandango has been a
leader in paperless ticket
technology.
OneBox displays results with different
e-commerce destinations at which to
buy their ticket—through a third-party
ticketing destination or a participating
exhibitor’s website.
According to Marine Suttle, SVP–
chief product officer of The Boxoffice
Company, Google is currently the third
most common source of show time
information for moviegoers—behind
exhibitor websites and Fandango. “Over
21 percent of customers find their show
times on the Google OneBox; it’s a big
driver of online ticket sales,” she says.
“Customers who click on show times
on Google have a conversion rate on
exhibitor websites of about 20 percent,
probably about four to five times the
overall website average.”
Today’s exhibitors have a range of
digital-ticketing options to choose
from, in many cases with vendors that
don’t require exclusive agreements.
Vista Group International, an influential
leader in cinema point-of-sale
technology, for example, has a handful
of subsidiary operations that tackle the
various approaches to digital ticketing in
myriad ways. A solution like MX Tickets,
a segment of Vista’s movieXchange business, is
dedicated to streamlining the integration between
exhibitors and third-party ticketers. Vista Cinema,
the company’s foundation product, handles box
office and ticket concession sales for exhibitor
clients and uses its proprietary framework to allow
chains to sell paperless digital tickets.
Studios get involved in the ticketing process
through collaboration with Vista Group International’s
Powster. Acquired by Vista in 2016, the
platform provides bespoke advertising solutions—
including apps and websites—to clients, among
them studios looking to drive ticket sales through
a movie’s official website. “The studios are the ones
doing the lion’s share of advertising to get moviegoers
to see the film in the first place,” explains
Vista vice president of product Mark Pattie.
“Traditional advertising is difficult to measure,
but when digital advertising is linked to digital
ticketing, studios can get a much more measurable
ROI. That is going to increase their confidence
to invest more in digital marketing and ticketing
34 SEPTEMBER 2019

campaigns, especially the ones that work.”
Vista has even begun using social media
engagement to drive ticket sales through B2C
websites like Flicks and new digital initiatives
like Stardust and Trailered, which aim to leverage
movie fan interactions for digital ticket purchases.
It’s a similar strategy to the one Fandango has
perfected over this decade, evolving beyond being
known as just a ticketing platform. In the last five
years alone, Fandango has invested in acquiring
movie-review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, social
media movie hub Flixster, and YouTube trailer
channel MovieClips to establish a firm B2C presence
among moviegoers.
“We super-serve more than 60 million moviegoers
per month with the world’s leading online
and mobile movie discovery and ticketing tools,”
says Fandango chief commercial officer Kevin Shepela.
“Fandango was founded by exhibitors, and
to this day our core business is connecting fans
to movies on the big screen, with quick and easy
access to show times and tickets for more than
45,000 screens worldwide, the most comprehensive
digital-ticketing network on the globe.”
Further acquisitions have expanded Fandango’s
presence to Latin America (through its acquisition
of CinePapaya in 2016) and even given it a home
entertainment dimension with its own streaming
channel, FandangoNOW. Its most significant acquisition
came in 2017, when the company bought
its long-time rival, MovieTickets.com, which it
still operates as a standalone brand. Since consolidating
the two legacy ticketing channels under
its corporate umbrella, Fandango has been heavily
involved in innovating digital-ticketing solutions—
working directly with leading publishers like
Apple, Facebook, Instagram, Google, Amazon, and
Snapchat—to deliver new ticketing experiences.
While some new ticketing experiences from
recent years have taken off (like paperless tickets
and Google referral ticketing) others, such as
voice-activated purchases through virtual assistants
like Amazon’s Alexa, have been slower to gain
traction. Despite revolutionizing e-commerce (and
sending traditional retail into a tailspin), Amazon
has been a quiet background player thus far in
their digital-ticketing efforts. The company has
made a series of notable investments to become
entrenched in the entertainment industry, counting
on a movie studio, streaming platform, and
popular websites like IMDb and Boxoffice Mojo
frequented by movie fans. [Editor’s note: the name
“Boxoffice,” apparently, was already taken]. It is
therefore ideally positioned to sell movie tickets
on its own—it already sells virtually everything
else. The company’s prior activity in digital ticketing
has always been through collaboration with a
third-party vendor; time will tell how much longer
that will be the case.
Another tech giant, however, has been taking
more tangible steps in establishing its own
ticketing presence online. While exhibitors have
harnessed the power of location-specific Facebook
pages for more than a decade, the company
itself only recently began ramping up new show
time discovery and ticketing features on select
official movie pages. Moviegoers can now find
screenings at nearby theaters by clicking on the
“Get Show Times” button on select movie pages.
Clicking on a show time at a participating theater
refers the user to an exhibitor’s ticketing portal
or their third-party partner, akin to the Google
OneBox experience. Facebook began running an
under-the-radar promotion that waives online
service fees for ticket purchases made through its
portal, in collaboration with AMC, Atom Tickets,
and Fandango. As of August, Facebook has begun
integrating show times and premiere reminders
to the digital ads bought by studios—further
simplifying the movie-discovery-to-ticket-purchase
process. These initiatives are unique in that they
are social native ticketing solutions, pioneering
efforts in gauging how social networks can impact
the digital box office.
That social media–driven approach was the
catalyst behind Atom Tickets, founded in 2012,
which promotes moviegoing as a social experience.
The mobile app, according to co-founder and
chairman Matthew Bakal, offers tickets from over
60 exhibitors, placing “90 percent of moviegoers
… within five miles of an Atom-supported theater.”
In recent months, Atom has added Cinemark
theaters to its platforms, while parting ways
with founding partner Regal.
Moviegoers can use the Atom app to invite
friends and family to the movies. As Bakal told
Boxoffice Pro in 2018, “From an exhibitor point
of view, that takes a pragmatic dimension: can
we get one extra visit a year? That could happen
because you want to see the movie, or you might
want to go because your sister is going. Either of
those reasons will have you show up to the movie.
SEPTEMBER 2019
35

DIGITAL TICKETING
That’s why our social feature has really
resonated.” The company plans to expand
this functionality moving forward
and is currently “exploring ways via
our app experience to make planning a
night out with friends easier than ever.
As such, we’re looking to expand our
planning and invite features in addition
to creating better seat-map functionality
to find alternative show times if one
is already full.”
Kim Lueck, CIO at Marcus Theatres,
says that group sales will become
ever more important to the digital-ticketing
landscape. She muses on a potential
scenario: “Say we’re all girlfriends,
and we go to a movie every Wednesday
night. But not everybody comes [every
week.]” Tickets, she proposes, could be
“purchased almost like a hotel block. I
want to group these five seats together,
and then we’ll all prepopulate based on
who’s coming and release the rest. …
The younger people coming up, they
do things as a group. It’s very social. So
we’re going to have to accommodate
that, too.”
“I think [digital ticketing] is going
to be on your car before you know it,” as
well, notes Lueck—something that Atom
already has in the works via an announced partnership
with Honda to introduce an Atom app to
its “Dream Drive” dashboard, shown in prototype
form at CES 2019. “Additionally,” Bakal notes,
“we bring promotional partners to the table (such
as T-Mobile, Amazon and Chase Pay) to drive new
guests to our exhibitor partners.”
This year Atom also “launched the ability to
scan a movie ticket with a QR code on an Apple
Watch” as well as making it possible to order a
ticket (including selecting a reserved seat) through
Atom on Amazon’s Alexa. Moving forward, Atom
has “announced that we’re working with Amazon
Alexa on their new and more intuitive ‘conversation’
voice technology.”
Voice ordering and group sales are two factors
that Influx Worldwide CEO Harish Anand
Thilakan says will play a major role in the future
of digital ticketing. “Group bookings where each
guest pays for their own tickets and food and
beverage is a feature users seem to rate highly,”
ATOM TICKETS
Reserved seating has
emerged as a popular
feature stemming from
the innovations brought by
digital ticketing.
says Thilakan. “No one wants to finish
a movie night, asking the other for $10
that’s owed to them, but, collectively,
the person who’s planned the movie
night has fronted close to $60 to $100!
Our product Movie Parties (releasing
on major exhibitor apps shortly) has
this covered.”
Thilakan also recommends that digital-ticketing
providers integrate features
not widely on offer in North America,
like zone pricing—whereby the best
seats in the auditorium cost more—and
partnerships with outside companies
on ticketing deals. “Asian exhibitors
have done a stellar job of being able to
partner with banks to be able to give
their premium customers privileged
deals,” he explains. “It doesn’t have to
be a Tuesday or Monday—these deals
are usually available all week and only
capped by usage. More importantly,
the deals are available not just at the
box office but across digital platforms
as well. Influx was also instrumental
in enabling an integration between
VOX Cinemas and Du telecom in the
Middle East, whereby pay-as-you-go
users of Du got a free ticket for every
ticket purchased on Tuesdays in Dubai.
Du Tuesdays has now been running successfully
for nearly five years.
“I believe that by investing in redemption
partnerships, exhibitors would be able to leverage
the massive loyalty bases built by other large consumer-facing
brands. I don’t see why an American
Airlines AAdvantage member cannot burn his or
her accrued air miles for movie tickets.”
Increased adoption of loyalty programs by
exhibitors large and small has even revolutionized
email marketing. Exhibitors can now send their
best customers targeted newsletters promoting
upcoming titles and deals at the concession stand.
Whereas this process used to be a time-intensive
task, often requiring operators to extract CSV
files from their point-of-sale and online ticketing
systems, new software as a service (SaaS) solutions
can seamlessly automate that process. Products like
Movio’s Dynamic Content tool and The Boxoffice
Company’s Boost CRM allow exhibitors to personalize
content in email marketing campaigns.
36 SEPTEMBER 2019

“SaaS solutions like Boost CRM let exhibitors
customize email newsletters and marketing
campaigns within a minute,” says Thomas
Jullienne, SVP of global products at The Boxoffice
Company. “It democratizes the sort of marketing
solutions that were once only available to major
circuits. Today even a single-screen cinema can use
audience-targeting tools that seemed out of reach
only a couple of years ago.”
As the “Internet of things” allows moviegoers
to purchase tickets on more and more devices—
phones, tablets, virtual assistants, smart watches,
even cars—convenience of payment will become
more and more crucial. It may sound like a small
inconvenience, but the act of digging out a credit
card and manually inputting the information on
a checkout page is being phased out from the
e-commerce experience. “Saved payment methods
(like Amazon Wallet) will definitely boom in the
next few years,” says Thilakan.
That boom is already coming; Atom, for one,
lets users pay through Chase Pay, Google Pay, or
PayPal before sending tickets to their Apple and
Android digital wallets. Cinemark has Chase Pay
integration through its website. Fandango offers
payment via Apple Pay, MasterPass, PayPal, and
the PayPal-owned Venmo, a payment platform
that allows the splitting of payments.
All roads seem to lead to a future where the
consumer will be able to buy a movie ticket anywhere,
at any time. Specialized digital-ticketing
channels—like those from the vendors mentioned
above—will likely continue to play a role
in this future regardless of whether a purchase
occurs on one of their branded platforms. As the
e-commerce evolution continues to revolutionize
consumer habits, the increased number of avenues
in digital ticketing signals a strong vitality
to the movie theater industry. Every month,
barriers to movie and show time discovery are
disappearing, while the digital-ticketing experience
becomes increasingly seamless for consumers.
As the end of the second decade of the
e-commerce era comes to an end, it’s becoming
perfectly clear that the evolution of the digital
box office is just beginning.
SEPTEMBER 2019
37

GENEVA CONVENTION 2019
North Central
NATO
DENNIS
VOY
OWNER OF THE VOY 3
THEATRE AND SIX
DRIVE-IN THEATERS IN
MAQUOKETA, IOWA
NATO of
Wisconsin & Upper Michigan
REBECCA
PATTERMANN
CINEMAS OF WHITEWATER
NATO of
Illinois
MIKE
WOZNY
INDUSTRY VETERAN
38 SEPTEMBER 2019

GENEVA CONVENTION 2019
BY DANIEL LORIA
LARRY D. HANSON AWARD
GINA DISANTO
>> Like many other second-generation exhibitors, Gina DiSanto never
thought she would follow in her father’s footsteps. After graduating
from Bloomsburg University, she spent eight years in sales for Burroughs/Unisys
before being drawn back to the family business in 1993.
By 2007, she was named CEO of her family’s circuit, growing to the size
of 79 screens at nine locations in Pennsylvania. Despite selling the circuit
in 2012, DiSanto is still an active member of the industry. She served
as eight-year term on the NATO executive board, is a founding director
and executive board member of the Independent Cinema Alliance (ICA),
and served on the board of the National Association of Concessionaires
(NAC) from 2002 to 2019. In 2006, DiSanto was honored by the NAC with
the Bert Nathan Memorial Award for outstanding service in the concessions
industry. She currently acts as the president of NATO of Pennsylvania.
Boxoffice Pro spoke with the exhibition veteran ahead of her
latest honor at the 2019 Geneva Convention.
GINA DISANTO
How did you first enter the exhibition industry?
I grew up in the family business. My father bought a theater in 1955, a few
years before I was born. We had a single screen and two drive-ins. That’s what I
did through my teenage years, through college. After graduating, I told my father
I would never work for him again—but this business gets in your blood. We had a
supply business where we supplied movie theaters in five states on the East Coast
and the Pennsylvania area, and I joined the sales team.
I was a single mom with two little babies, and I came back to work part-time.
My dad said, “Fine, but you can’t sell to any of our movie theaters here because
that’s what we do. If you want to come back and work for me, you can carve out
your own supply chain.” That’s how I ended up selling to Hershey Park and other
venues around us.
Eventually I realized I really wanted to work with movie theaters. I’d already
done ushering, along with every other job, so I came in as a part-time manager. We
only had nine screens at that point: the little twins and single screens throughout
central Pennsylvania.
What were some of the first projects you tackled when you came back to
exhibition?
We didn’t have a website, we didn’t have an employee handbook. We didn’t have
a lot of things that, having worked in the corporate world, I knew were important.
I introduced selling bottled water at our circuit; we didn’t even sell concession combos
at the time, so that’s what I dove into because I had come from selling concession
supplies to all these arenas and stadiums. As we were growing the business, in
2007, I was appointed CEO of the company. At that point we had probably around
40 SEPTEMBER 2019

GENEVA CONVENTION 2019
50 screens; we ended up with 79 screens, which we
sold in 2012. I facilitated the sale of the company
in 2012 to Digiplex who sold to Carmike, who
then sold to AMC.
What were those years, at the head of a
79-screen circuit, like?
I grew with the business, and we hired great
people, too. We were big on training and had great
managers. I was project manager on two of the
new builds and renovations that we did. It’s invigorating;
there’s nothing like watching the public
come to a theater and see them being entertained
by something we provided for them. We used to
do “Free Kiddy” matinees and would see grandparents
bringing their grandchildren to a movie
for the first time. We were in smaller communities;
all our theaters were in towns with populations of
25,000 or less—and the people were so appreciative
of these initiatives.
Our theaters were only in Pennsylvania, and we
would go out and visit our theaters every weekend.
Every theater we had was within a two-hour drive.
Whenever anyone had an issue that needed to be
addressed, we would go out and address it directly.
Those years were in the middle of the transition
to digital cinema. What were some of the
other transformational changes you tackled
during your time at the circuit?
Websites and email were big difference makers.
Today it’s hard to imagine this business back in the
’90s, when many theaters didn’t have their own websites.
Everything was newspaper-driven; the decision
to drop some of our theaters out of newspapers
was a major decision. We had to think about the
communities we were in and how vital the newspaper
was to that community. We left some ads, but
exhibitor websites were a major change. We traveled
through a little time warp during that period.
You joined Bruce Taffet at Taffet & Associates
in 2012. Could you tell us more about that stage
of your career?
Bruce and I are partners in business and life
partners. I joined Taffet & Associates after selling
the circuit. He had a seven-plex theater in Philadelphia,
and he was in the middle of construction
for a location in Frackville, Pennsylvania. I helped
him with operations and the build at the Frackville
location, which had a full bar and a luxury-seating
and PLF auditorium.
The bar was completed in 2013, and it was a
whole new thing to learn about operating a theater
with a liquor license. We were one of the first theaters
to sell liquor in Pennsylvania, and we got some
pushback from the community. They were worried
that somebody would be feeding a 16-year-old beer
or something. To resolve the issue, we labeled the
two auditoriums with alcohol service as VIP auditoriums,
which is what the township designated us to
do if we wanted to serve liquor.
How did that VIP designation for auditoriums
with alcohol service affect the business?
We began to upcharge for the VIP auditorium
and some of our employees said, “Gee, you
shouldn’t pay an upcharge because it’s 21 and
older; they’d spend more money at the bar if we
did that.” We surveyed our customers and found
most of them liked the select auditoriums. “We
don’t even drink,” they’d say. “We just like being in
an auditorium that we don’t have the teenagers at
the Friday night movie.”
After all these ventures, you’re still a theater
owner. What are some of your current projects?
I’m still in exhibition! When we sold our circuit,
we knew we wanted to keep our one drive-in,
and I still oversee its operations today. Bruce and I
do consulting in the industry on building and operations.
We just helped on a location in Panama
that opened this year; I believe it has the sixth-largest
Imax in the world. We consulted on the build
of that theater, which was interesting and exciting.
Being so involved in the industry’s trade associations,
what are the issues facing the industry
that you consider most critical?
Windows, streaming, and the availability of
movies stand out as major concerns. On the other
hand, I see an opportunity in how movie theaters
are adapting to today’s audiences. Making going to
the movies an event that people are excited to go to
a theater for. We’re doing that with upscale concessions,
alcohol service, and recliner seating. I think
we have challenges ahead, but we’ve been through
challenges before with TV and other home entertainment
options. We just have to be creative and
continue entertaining the public so they want to
come back to our theaters. In this industry, we are
all showmen at heart.
42 SEPTEMBER 2019

GENEVA CONVENTION 2019
BY DANIEL LORIA
VENDOR OF THE YEAR
RCM MEDIA
LEADING THE PACK
RCM Media co-founder
and CEO Jim McGinness
>> Although the concept of concessions
merchandising dates back to the early
days of exhibition, the concept’s biggest
evolution in the modern era came with the
introduction of movie graphic collectibles.
Seemingly overnight, collectible cups and
popcorn tubs started making their way to
multiplexes across the nation—a trend that
Jim McGinness, co-founder and CEO of RCM
Media, attributes to the power of 1994’s
The Lion King.
“We had done campaigns around a couple of
other films before, but that’s when it really took
off,” says McGinness, whose company is being
recognized as the 2019 Vendor of the Year at this
year’s Geneva Convention.
McGinness and his partner at PMG developed
promotional merchandise when they were at
PMG. The idea was simple enough: manufacture
movie graphic collectibles for cinemas looking for
an enticing way to upsell patrons at the concession
stand. According to McGinness, the Disney connection
came through in large part from an intro-
44 SEPTEMBER 2019

duction by AMC Theatres founder Stan Durwood.
With Disney’s promotional rights settled, the pair
was confident their branded concessions materials
would be a hit with audiences.
“We were putting movie graphics on the large
collectible popcorn tubs, so everyone going to
an AMC was sizing up,” remembers McGinness.
“We started running those three or four weeks
ahead of the film’s release, so it was great exposure
and advertising for the studio. People would
take these items home with them and you’d see
families take them to the beach; it was a walking
billboard to help promote these films. It turned
into a win-win situation for everybody: the
public went home with a little piece
of Hollywood, the theaters were
increasing
their percaps
with
everyone
sizing up,
and the
studio
was getting
additional
marketing
and exposure
for their film.”
McGinness
and his business partner Mark Osborn left
PMG in 2008 to create their own company, RCM
Media. “We named it ‘Media’ because we didn’t
want to be known as just a concession supplier,”
explains Osborn.” When we first started out, we
would produce cups and popcorn tubs. Today we
build integrated in-theater marketing and media
campaigns around a concessions item.”
Those campaigns take a holistic approach across
several channels. With a kid’s combo, for example,
RCM uses a patented “Speed Pack,” which
includes a collectible cup with a figurine topper.
RCM takes this marketing technique beyond
concessions packaging with on-screen spots, digital
menu boards, lobby monitors, and point-of-sale
material. “We build a whole campaign around that
item,” says McGinness.
3-D collectible merchandise is one of the
most successful recent trends in the sector. For
RCM, which is distributing unique product for
tentpole movies like Avengers and Star Wars, it’s
THEY’RE CREEPY AND THEY’RE KOOKY
RCM Media has produced integrated
marketing campaigns for 300 films,
including this series based on UA’s The
Addams Family.
been an especially positive development. Whether
it’s a popcorn tub in the shape of a stormtrooper
helmet, or a large soda cup shaped like a lightsaber,
movie fans have reacted very positively to
this new range of products. McGinness also says
popular brands like Star Wars help drive collectible
merchandise sales. “You can sell a popcorn tub
shaped like Chewbacca’s head for more than a
regular-sized tub.”
He continues, “On some occasions, RCM
has even produced exclusive products for specific
cinema chains. You know how competitive this
industry can be. Major circuits don’t want to sell
something that their competitor has, so we’re used
to developing unique items when our clients
ask for them.”
Always
on the
pulse of
the next
big innovation,
RCM
is rolling
out what it
considers the
next frontier
of concessions
merchandising:
augmented reality (A.R.). The company has partnered
with Fuze Viewer to activate studio movie
content with their products, enabling moviegoers
to interact with their favorite characters on their
phones when scanning RCM cups and tubs.
Patrons can also experience a photo op with their
favorite live-action hero and share it on social media.
It becomes an immersive experience as soon
as the patrons walk through the door.
After completing campaigns for roughly 300
films while working with all the major studios,
McGinness says the future of the company will
be led by a stream of new ideas. “We’re still in the
concession packaging business but with a lot of
new twists. We’re not copiers, we’re innovators,”
he says. “Our total focus is on the movie theater
channel. We’re not in stadiums or anywhere else;
we’re totally focused on cinemas. 3-D promotion
products and A.R. are the next frontier, and we
will always be on the lookout for new ways to
innovate in this industry.”
HIGH-TECH POPCORN
RCM is partnering with
Fuze Viewer to deliver
A.R.-activated experiences.
POP THE TOP
RCM Media specializes
in innovating concessions
combo packs, like
this Angry Birds Movie
2 set featuring cup
toppers.
SEPTEMBER 2019
45

TECHNOLOGY
BY KEVIN LALLY
HEARING
THE PICTURE
HOW AUDIO DESCRIPTION CREATES A REAL
MOVIE EXPERIENCE FOR THE BLIND AND
VISUALLY IMPAIRED
>> More than 26 million adults in America are blind or have low
vision. But despite their inability to see the spectacular images on
today’s cinema screens, many still crave an entertaining night out at
the movies. And thanks to audio description, they can enjoy hit films
along with other moviegoers.
Audio description (A.D.) uses a prerecorded
audio track in which a narrator details what’s happening
on-screen, including actions, gestures, facial
expressions, settings, and costumes. The customer
listens on a headset to narration that augments the
dialogue, sound effects, and music that the rest of
the theater audience is hearing. As of June 2, 2018,
all first-run cinemas equipped with digital projection
equipment for at least six months are required
to make available both audio-description headsets
and closed captioning for their visually and hearing-impaired
customers, respectively.
Roy Samuelson is one of the industry’s leading
voiceover talents; he can be heard on commercials
for Quaker, State Farm, Ford, Target, and many
other brands, and on promos for the Lifetime, Discovery,
and Nickelodeon networks and Los Angeles
National Public Radio station KCRW. And for the
last five years, he’s been a top audio-description
artist, supplying the narration for such films as Get
Out, Pacific Rim: Uprising, The Hateful Eight, Fate
of the Furious, Atomic Blonde, Venom, First Man,
Baby Driver, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Glass,
Us, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and the current
Hobbs & Shaw. Thanks to that work, he’s also become
an advocate for audio-description awareness.
“As I’ve connected with the community, I am
learning so much about disability and perceptions—my
own sighted bias towards people who
are blind. And that is changing the entire perception
that I have,” Samuelson reflects. “I’m not there
yet. This is such a process. I’m really appreciating
learning more about how people with blindness
live with it, and disability in general. There are a
lot of steps being taken right now across the entertainment
business, as well as in other areas. It’s
really exciting.”
Although Samuelson says that he enjoys hearing
from fans of his audio-description work, he knows
he’s done a good job if his performance stays in
the background. “The biggest focus for me is that
the spotlight is on the story. I think a successful
narrator is one where she’s able to deliver so that
the audience can be a part of the story and keep
focused and fully immersed in that story. There
are subtle ways to do that, but a lot of it obviously
has to do with the writing. And I’ve got so much
respect for the describers—that’s what they call the
writers of audio description. The narration has to
ride the emotion of the story without being overly
emoted. It’s exciting to try and find that line.”
The writers, he notes, use different programs
that tell them how much time they have in between
lines of dialogue or action sequences. Then
they have to fit their description of what’s happening
on-screen into those pauses. “I always like to
use the analogy that a picture’s worth a thousand
words. There are 24 to 30 frames a second, and
a movie lasts 90 minutes and above. So there are
thousands and thousands of images that can be
described. The describers really have to focus, like
a radio sports announcer, on what are the most
important elements that are going to push the plot
forward or that people who can’t see might miss in
the visuals.”
Samuelson says action films like Hobbs &
Shaw are among the most challenging to describe.
“Hobbs & Shaw is just back-to-back narration,
because it’s all action. The describers did an incredible
job of capturing the essence of it, because so
much is happening. Sometimes it’s just page after
page after page of nonstop action, interspersed
with punches and screeches and explosions. If
I started thinking about it, I’d just stumble and
fail. But [I get into] a zone. And this is, again, a
collaboration between the describer doing their
job so incredibly well and the director allowing me
to sense the feeling of the scene, the intensity of
the emotion, and my being able to ride all these
different cues happening seemingly simultaneously
and still [meet an exact time count].”
Margo Tone, senior manager of operations,
audio description/scripting services, at Deluxe
Media Inc., confirms how precise this descriptive
46 SEPTEMBER 2019

work is. “The writers are really the foundation—
they are the most important part of this. Because if
the writer doesn’t know how to describe in between
dialogue and capture what’s going on on-screen,
while being able to not editorialize, not be condescending
to the visually impaired, the voiceover actor
won’t know how to read it. But the voice actors
are very important, too. All the voice actors that
we use are trained, because it’s a cold read. Even
people who are experienced dubbing voiceover, we
audition them to make sure they can do this read.
A cold read is really hard, so the pool of resources
that we have are some of the best—they’ve done
a lot of the big features that we’ve worked on.
You don’t want to be too excited and confuse the
listener, but you don’t want to be so monotone that
you put people to sleep. When there’s an action
scene or something like that, we’ll tell them to do
it a little quicker, have a little bit of acceleration to
your voice and your tone. It’s definitely a fine line.”
Deluxe has roughly 15 full-time employees and
20 freelancers working in its audio-description
division, which encompasses its offices in Los
Angeles, London, and Bangalore. “And we also
have access to translators all over the world when
we get foreign-language A.D.,” Tone adds. “We’ve
done quite a bit of French-Parisian, French-Canadian,
we’ve done Spanish, German, Japanese; we’ve
even done Icelandic. We have access to really any
language that is needed.”
Since it began audio-description operations in
2011, Deluxe has transcribed over 1,600 feature
films and 700 television shows across streaming
platforms. In the past year alone, the company
transcribed over 400 feature films.
After the narrator records the audio description,
says Tone, “our editor goes in and cleans up the audio,
getting rid of mouth sounds, pops, that kind
of thing.” Deluxe’s technicians also keep a careful
watch to ensure that “what’s on-screen and what’s
being described are correct. We want to make sure
we are as accurate as possible.”
The final A.D. track, says Chris Reynolds,
senior V.P. for localization products and services, is
incorporated into auxiliary channels in the digital
cinema package that is shipped to cinemas. “Any
theater can access it,” he notes.
Tone says the studios sometimes get involved
with voice casting. “They want to hear a couple of
different narrators to see which one they like. Depending
on the genre of the film, we try to match it
with the right voice. We have a guy who has a really
great low voice, and we
give him a lot of the
action films. And then
some of our female narrators
have sweet voices,
and we’ll give them
romantic comedies or
those that are geared
toward a younger
audience. Every voice
actor brings something
a little different.”
Tone says she gets
great personal gratification
out of the work
she and her team does.
“I went to a conference
about four years
ago with the Audio
Description Project
[an initiative of the
American Council of
the Blind]. There was
a blind patron and
he was talking about
going to see Lincoln,
which we did the A.D. for. He said he went with
his wife, who is also blind. There’s a scene where
a bunch of Lincoln’s troops have been killed and
he’s on his horse. So all you hear is clip-clop,
clip-clop. And to be able to hear the description
of Lincoln’s expression and the emotion that was
behind it, he said they were overwhelmed, they
were so happy. It means so much to them. Our
goal is to give the blind patron the same experience
the sighted viewer has. That’s why we make
sure we use trained writers, because we want to
give people the best experience.”
Tone agrees with Samuelson that action films
can be especially challenging. Deluxe did the audio
description for the most recent Mad Max, with
its many long chase scenes. That meant a lot of
descriptive writing for repetitious actions. But,
says Tone, “you don’t want to repeat yourself—you
want to keep the writing vibrant and let the blind
patron get that same feeling, the same experience
that a sighted viewer is getting.” One recent and
especially demanding film had a first-person point
of view, and the A.D. writer had to relay that perspective.
“You always have to be ready to change it
up a little bit, depending on what’s going on in the
feature, while still following those tenets of what
ROY SAMUELSON
SEPTEMBER 2019
47

TECHNOLOGY
STUDIO TIME
Audio recording facility
at Deluxe
A.D. is supposed to do.”
As Tone describes it, some films are talky, and
the writer has to struggle to avoid interrupting the
dialogue. And sometimes the actors on-screen talk
over visual jokes. “So there are certain challenges,
but everyone huddles together and says, ‘Hey, look,
this is a really difficult scene. What do you think?’
And then everyone gets their two cents about what
they think is best. My writers have anywhere from
10 to 16 years’ experience. So they’ve been doing it
for a very long time.”
One cinema that has fully embraced the recent
legislation mandating audio description and closed
captioning is the Prospector Theater in Ridgefield,
Connecticut, a unique venue that seeks to create
employment opportunities for the physically challenged.
Three-quarters of its employees, known as
“prospects,” identify as disabled.
Says Ryan Wenke, director of operations,
“We’re a nonprofit and we employ people with
disabilities, so we operate as if people are going to
be using [audio-description] equipment every single
day. That’s what really sets us apart from other
theaters. If you go to other theaters in the surrounding
areas, a lot of the time their staff doesn’t
know where the equipment is or how it’s used or
it’s not charged. Here, every single time we get a
movie, we test the devices in all of our theaters
and make sure that the new movie is working. We
get customers every single day using it, and every
month we actually host a group called Guiding
Eyes for the Blind. We have the service animals
come in with their owners and they’re all watching
movies. So we’re seeing this equipment used all
the time, in real time, with those who are blind or
visually impaired.”
Wenke says that despite the recent audio-description
mandate, more needs to be done—better
education and more investment in advancing
technology—partly because it’s a smart business
move. “These are paying customers too, and why
wouldn’t you want as many people as possible
coming to your movie theater, especially when
you have streaming options like Netflix? You’re
not doing yourself any favors by not having this
equipment ready. I would love to see tech companies
especially continue to advance the technology
and not just be like, ‘OK, we made something,
we’re good.’ But get feedback and work with us,
work with other theaters.”
The Prospector supplies Braille cards with
instructions for its audio description headsets, and
48 SEPTEMBER 2019

for first-time users. “We’ll have an usher go into
the theater with them and walk them through how
to use it,” Wenke says.
Wenke has high praise for the craft that goes
into audio description. “The voice acting really
makes a big difference. It’s a different kind of
voice acting when you’re doing narrative description.
… It’s like you’re listening to a good friend
describe what’s happening and it’s perfectly timed
and not overwhelming. It’s not taking away from
the action—they’ll tell you just enough but not
too much.
“We encourage people to listen to one of these
tracks. It’s like an audiobook. In the past, we’ve
done a challenge where we blindfold other prospects
who work here and we use the headsets to
help them understand what the experience is like
for somebody who’s visually impaired or blind. A
lot of these movies have come a long way. When
I’m in the theater and I’m using the equipment or
I’m with somebody who’s using the equipment,
they’re laughing at all the same jokes that everybody’s
laughing at, they’re getting emotional with
everybody else in the theater. One time I walked
into a theater during a Guiding Eyes visit just to
make sure everything was good, and everybody was
laughing at what was happening and they all had
headsets on. So, clearly, this technology and the
narration are working.”
Wenke says the cinema “should be a medium
where everybody has a favorite movie, everybody
has a favorite actor. It should be a place
where everybody can come together, experience
something in the same way. Maybe we’re using
different technology and different means to
experience the art of the movie, but we want to
be inclusive.”
Voice artist Roy Samuelson echoes those
sentiments: “There’s another narrator who did
one of the Toy Story films, and she said the only
fan letter that she got was from a parent who had
several children, one of whom was low-vision
or blind. She wrote the narrator saying, ‘Thank
you for the work that you do. This was the first
time my family could watch a movie all together.’
And that’s what we’re doing. This is normalizing
the experience of watching movies, being able to
engage with others in watching and talking about
their favorite moments. It provides access just like
sighted people have.”
THEATER
ARCHITECTS
& ENGINEERS
GRAND RAPIDS
PHOENIX
TRAVERSE CITY
www.paradigmae.com
p:616.785.5656
SEPTEMBER 2019
49

ITCA
BY DAVE PAOLINI
TECHNOLOGY CONCLAVE
STREAMING PLATFORMS’ IMPACT IS A HOT TOPIC AT ICTA BUSINESS CONVENTION
The impact of streaming platforms and services—both current and
those expected to come online this fall—on exhibitors’ bread-andbutter
movie business dominated hallway conversations and the
official program at the 2019 International Cinema Technology Association
(ICTA) Annual Business Convention, held in Toronto in July.
NEIL CAMPBELL
>> Disney+, HBO Max, Apple TV
Plus, and NBC Universal’s yet-tobe-named
service will join a crowded
market that includes Netflix, Amazon
Prime, Hulu, Sling, and others,
with their effect on the traditional
“theatrical experience” unknown. But
for some ICTA attendees, cinema is
holding its own.
“Consider that 2018 was a record
year for box office takes and theater
attendance, because we had a great
slate of products and the public came
out to watch great movies, in theaters,”
said Neil Campbell, vice chair
of Canada’s Landmark Cinemas. “As
well, these were better experiences
that could be enjoyed more fully due to better
sound, more comfortable seating, associated entertainment
and other pluses, at more locations and
not just the bigger, downtown marquee houses.”
Campbell and Mark Louis, senior director of
presentation at the Alamo Drafthouse circuit,
formed a panel on “The Upside Down World of
Streaming and Theaters,” moderated by Loren
Nielsen, V.P., content relations and strategy, Xperi/
DTS Inc., who prefaced the discussion with an
overview of the streaming industry.
Xperi’s independent and aggregated research
revealed that slightly more than half of Americans
watch streaming content for two to three hours
per day, spread over an average of three devices and
three services. “And we’ve found that the number
one content category streamed is movies, followed
by episodic TV [shows], then news and then
sports,” Nielsen reported.
A wide variety of services and pricing schemes
are out there, and some of these are delivering
more movies than others, as well as episodic TV.
Original movies and documentaries, buttressed by
extensive libraries of prior content, will dominate
the fall and 2020 rollouts. Nielsen noted that,
led by Disney, the characters and story lines of
episodic TV will tie in to theatrical movie plots
and characters. So fans wanting to keep up with
the Marvel Cinematic Universe and other popular
favorites will need to watch streaming content as
well as go out to the movies.
But what about the tentative moves by some
studios to take remastered classics, such as
Disney’s Lady and the Tramp (1955), as well as
original movie content, straight to their streaming
services? Is that a challenge, Nielsen asked, to
the traditional model of the first release being a
theatrical experience?
“Sure, I would like my theaters to be the only
initial source to see a Lady and the Tramp, but that’s
not how the world works. I don’t think anyone has
a clear plan yet, because, remember, none of this
has ever happened before and we don’t know what
is coming or we hadn’t thought of, so I hope that
there will be more opportunities for us all to do
better and make more money, given there will be so
much more product,” Campbell observed.
“No one is making nothing but blockbusters, so
the more quantity, the more likely that there will be
quality there as well, delivering movies like Green
Book, which came out of nowhere to be a winner
and the best movie of the year,” Campbell added.
Technology, properly deployed to deliver the
best experience, should be an argument to the
content providers that theaters ought to continue
to have “windows of exclusivity,” which in turn
could be shared with streaming-service subscribers,
Louis opined. “We are teed up to do something
nationally with the launch of ‘Righteous
Gemstones’ on HBO in August. You will be able
to see it before anyone sees it at home, but on the
big screen, as a subscriber, with reserved seats to
see a premiere. The big benefit for the streaming
platforms is that subscribers in turn will spread
the word.
“In this way content creators and providers
should view theatrical releases as an opportunity
50 SEPTEMBER 2019

to build excitement for what they’re producing,
ensuring that all sides win.”
Campbell agreed, noting that theatrical distribution
is the engine that pulls the content-delivery
train, setting the value for all the other platforms.
“Look at Disney, where they believe in the value
of the theatrical window, and they want to ensure
that they market a movie as best as they can, to deliver
as big an audience as possible in the theaters.
Because that in turn sets the demand, excitement,
attendance, etc. for all the other markets. Ours is
still the number one vehicle to build public awareness
of their product.”
FROM MULTIPLEXES TO ENTERTAINMENT
‘DESTINATIONS’
Content may still be king, but the ICTA delegates
were reminded of the importance of diversification
as well by Ellis Jacob, president and CEO of
Cineplex, in a Q&A session with ICTA executive
director Robert Sunshine, following the streaming
panel discussion.
“We have to create destinations that our customers
want to come to. It can’t just be movies;
one has to have other entertainment available to
create a destination that people can enjoy as a onestop
location,” Jacob declared.
His own circuit is a case in point. Cineplex has
moved from being simply a film exhibitor to an
ecosystem of successful entertainment and media
companies. Its foray into digital place-based media,
supplying the digital media needs of McDonald’s
Canada, BMW, Scotiabank, Royal Bank, and others,
has resulted in having 57 percent of the mall
traffic in Canada for its digital signage business.
“That’s not reliant on our theatrical experiences;
but they are not much different than what
we deliver in our theaters, showing content and
delivering it on an ongoing basis. Cineplex has also
gone into the amusement and leisure businesses,
with the advent of the Rec Room venues. We have
exclusive rights to Topgolf Canada, with our first
location coming soon,” Jacob added.
“Cineplex is moving from being a cinema company
to an entertainment destination, where we
SEPTEMBER 2019
51

ICTA RECAP
win the entertainment time and dollars of customers,
all tied into our loyalty program, which boasts
almost 10 million members now. That’s 60 percent
of Canadian households, by the way.”
Replying to Sunshine’s question on the value
of the Global Cinema Federation, Ellis stressed
its emergence as a positive, to give the exhibition
community a united, diverse, and expansive voice.
“The reason we set up the
Cineplex
organization is really
is moving from being a cinema
to look at global
company to an entertainment destination, issues, and one
big one is that of
where we win the entertainment time
music rights. In
and dollars of customers, all tied into our the U.S. when a
loyalty program, which boasts almost movie plays, an exhibitor
doesn’t have
10 million members now. That’s 60
to pay for the music
percent of Canadian households, by
rights. In other parts
the way. – Ellis Jacob
of the world, including
Canada, exhibitors must
negotiate payments for the music
rights, which can amount to from 6 to 8 percent of
your box office take. So what the GCF is trying to
do is work with the studios to figure out a mechanism
whereby we have some kind of uniformity
across the world, to deal with
the music portfolios and get them
up front, rather than each country
having to deal with different rules
and rights.”
Ellis noted that “the minute
we put the organization
ELLIS JACOB
together two years
ago in Barcelona,
every
studio
phoned
me and
asked,
‘What are you doing, why are you coming together?’
It certainly wasn’t to gang up on the studios,
but rather to have a common voice to press a
united front on windows of exclusivity, technology,
music rights, and other common areas.”
ICTA SPREADS ITS GLOBAL WINGS
The past year has seen renewed membership
growth for the ICTA outside its core North
American members. For Marion Rosset, president
of Lyon-based ADDE SAS—a leading French
cinema manufacturer and installer—belonging to
a mutually supportive, well-versed association of
technology experts began as a family affair.
“I’m following in the footsteps of my dad, who
was involved with the French exhibition scene
and the ICTA when he was younger,” said Rosset.
“Learning different ways of doing things is best
done by exchanging information with fellow ICTA
members, which can only make my company
better and benefit our customers, and events like
the 2019 Annual Business Convention ensure that
ADDE is in the middle of it all. I was pleased to
be here with Mathieu Cazorla, operations director,
and Loys Philibert, our technology director, learning
from others and also sharing our experiences.”
Alan Roe, ICTA president, gave full credit to
Jan Runge, Thomas Rüttgers, and the other ICTA
members outside North America for promoting
membership and providing the association with a
wider context for association events, initiatives, and
knowledge exchange.
“We basically serve the exhibition and manufacturing
communities, working with like-minded
but not identical organizations such as NATO,
MPAA, SMPTE, and NAC, and through our
partnerships with major trade events, including
CinemaCon, ShowEast, CineEurope, and CineAsia.
So we have a lot to offer a diverse membership,
while ensuring their participation to provide a
global perspective.”
Alongside a strong networking and social aspect
for attendees, the ICTA convention featured
tours of Deluxe Canada and Imax facilities in
the Toronto region, and an extensive update on
manufacturing and service provider offerings,
including Christie, Cielo, Cinionic, Dolby, D-Box,
EOMAC, GDC, Jaymar, LTI, Moving Image
Technologies (MiT), NEC Solutions, Omniterm,
and TouchMate.
52 SEPTEMBER 2019

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ICTA
TEDDY AWARD FOR
MANUFACTURER OF
THE YEAR
CHRISTIE
DIGITAL
SYSTEMS
ICTA members recognized
Christie as the 2019 honoree of
the Teddy Award for Manufacturer
of the Year, given
each year to the ICTA member
company that best represents
the trade organization’s high
standards of service. It is the
third time Christie has been
honored with the award, after
previously receiving it in 1998
and 2010. Boxoffice Pro spoke
with Christie’s Susie Beiersdorf
on the occasion, to find out
about the upcoming innovations
exhibitors can expect from the
global cinema technology company.
INTERVIEW WITH SUSIE BEIERSDORF,
VICE PRESIDENT OF SALES, CINEMA-
AMERICAS, CHRISTIE
What are some of the projects Christie
has planned for the coming months?
We announced a major deal with
Cineworld and Regal and are deploying
over a thousand units with them this
year. We continue our support of major
film festivals like Cannes, Toronto, and
Shanghai. We are proud of our joint
venture with Huaxia to provide projection
systems to present Gemini Man as
Ang Lee envisioned it in 4K 120fps 3-D,
in China. We continue to deploy our
leading-edge technology with our recently
introduced line of RGB pure laser cinema
projectors featuring Christie RealLaser
illumination technology. We’ve just
released a lower-cost model—the Christie
CP2309—ideal for smaller cinema
screens. We’re able to provide multiple
solutions in 2K and 4K resolutions,
anywhere from 8,000 to 50,000 lumens
in pure RGB laser.
ICTA vice president Frank Tees (far left) and ICTA president Alan Roe (far right) present
the 2018 ICTA Teddy Award for Manufacturer of the Year to Christie at the annual conference
held in Toronto, Canada, on July 24, 2019. Accepting the award is former Christie
president and CEO Jack Kline; V.P. of Christie cinema sales, America, Susie Beiersdorf;
V.P. of cinema product management, Brian Claypool; and Christie’s senior director of
business development for cinema, Patrick Artiaga.
Projection technology has evolved
significantly over the past decade.
Where do you think the industry is
headed with innovations like high
frame rate (HFR), laser projection,
panoramic screens, and direct view?
Christie led the way with the original
digital cinema deployment, and we
continue to lead the way in providing
quality and reliable technologies for
cinemas. Direct view is a potential future
cinema solution, but the technology still
has major challenges, like audio, pricing,
and weight. Christie has a solution that
could be developed for DCI playback,
and we will be ready to participate when
the industry demand is there. Right now,
however, in terms of mainstream adoption,
lasers continue to be the next big
evolution from xenon.
At Christie, we believe it’s important to
create an immersive moviegoing experience.
In the U.S., we have partnered with
CJ 4DPLEX to identify new opportunities
for the ScreenX and 4DX solutions.
At CinemaCon, Christie announced
it would play a part of a new cinema
technology alliance to support
advance-format filmmaking
with other industry leaders
like GDC and Huaxia. Ang
Lee’s on board, and he’s got
Gemini Man coming out in
October—a perfect example
of the creative potential of
this type of technology. How
important is it for Christie to
work with filmmakers at the
production level?
Christie is actively involved
with the creative community
and production companies to
provide technologies that help
bring the creative visions to
the big screen. Currently, these
include Ang Lee, Lightstorm
Entertainment, and Huaxia.
We are committed to helping
them present their projects at
the highest standard.
With our most recent product, the
Christie CP4440 and CP4450 and the
4K@120fps capability, the significant
higher brightness will enable better experiences
for HFR content. The mainstream
adoption of HFR is going to be driven
by content and the creative use of the
technology. There’s a giant toolbox out
there for filmmakers to use, and we want
to develop technologies that will allow
them to present their films to audiences
the way they want them to be seen.
Do you believe digital cinema has
reached its full potential? What is the
next frontier of digital cinema?
Film was around for over a hundred
years and was a relatively stable technology.
Digital cinema took over and is barely
20 years old now. Digital cinema allows
for countless possibilities, and I’m sure
there are creative tools and opportunities
we haven’t thought of. Technology develops
so fast and the creative community
is always willing to push the envelope.
That’s why I don’t think we’ve reached the
full potential of digital cinema. I think we
will continue to see it evolve as technology
continues to develop.
54 SEPTEMBER 2019

FOOD & BEVERAGE
CONCESSIONS SOLUTIONS
THREE INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS FROM THE NAC EXPO TRADE SHOW
CORN LOCO
POPCORN SEASONING STATIONS
www.cornloco.mx/en
>> Powdered popcorn seasonings are a popular complement for many moviegoers, a
trend Mexican company Corn Loco has expanded with its new seasoning stations. The
company introduced its partnership with Mexico’s Cinemex, rolling out co-branded
popcorn seasonings with brands like Cheetos, Ruffles, Chip’s, Tajín, Tabasco, Oreo, and
M&M’s. Whether the seasonings are sweet or savory, Corn Loco gives exhibitors the
chance to spice up their concessions stand with movie tie-in flavors like Green Marshmallow
popcorn for Universal’s The Grinch and the aptly titled spicy Hell Popcorn for
Hellboy. CornLoco is available at theme parks, stadiums, and 3,000 Cinemex screens in
Mexico. The company has begun looking to expand to the United States and Canada, so
don’t be surprised if you find a buffet line around popcorn flavors at a theater near you.
HALOVINO
REIMAGINING THE WINE GLASS AT THE CONCESSIONS STAND
www.halovino.com
>> “Wine enthusiasts dread drinking wine from a plastic cup,” says HaloVino
founder & CEO Jessica Bell. “It doesn’t feel, smell, or taste like wine—and it spills
everywhere. [Consumers] pay $10 for a $2 wine experience. Designed by Bell, a certified
sommelier, HaloVino are shatterproof, stemless wine tumblers with a patented
two-piece design that helps wine taste better by enhancing its inherent aromas. The
HaloVino tumblers are stackable, portable, and dishwasher safe—meaning moviegoers
can take them home after purchasing wine at the movies. Launched in June 2016,
HaloVino can be found at entertainment venues like stadiums, wineries, restaurants,
and festivals. HaloVino can carry 12 ounces of wine, allowing operators to upsell for
a “tall pour” of 9–10 ounces. Easy-to-read ounce lines on the product allow servers to
deliver a perfect pour to patrons.
MY WIGGY
A SMOOTH RIDE FROM THE CONCESSIONS STAND TO YOUR SEAT
www.mywiggy.com
>> Walking from the concessions stand to your seat doesn’t have to be a treacherous adventure.
My Wiggy concession trays come with an adjustable strap that give consumers
increased freedom and mobility after a trip to the snack bar; it’s no longer necessary to
balance tickets with two drinks and a bucket of popcorn. Exhibitors can customize the
trays with screen imprints of their logos on the front of the trays, delivering a uniquely
branded concessions experience.
“Obviously there are other snack trays on the market, mostly disposable” says My
Wiggy creator Debby Kase. “This multipurpose tray is made with durable dishwasher-safe
plastic so it can be used again and again.” My Wiggy is currently being targeted
to movie theaters, stadiums, concert venues, and fairs and expos.
56 SEPTEMBER 2019

With more than 39 percent
growth in 2018 and 1,696
systems installed worldwide,
according to UNIC, immersive
seating has proven to be much
more than a mere fad. But much of
the growth has been concentrated
in emerging markets where the construction
of new theaters—and the
race to differentiate through premium
enhancements—is booming.
The pace has been
somewhat slower in
Europe. Opening
its first
screen in the
Netherlands
in 2010,
D-Box was
the first
player to
enter the
European
market
and has now
expanded to
200 screens and 13
countries. Two years
later, CJ 4DPLEX opened
four 4DX theaters with Cineworld
Cinemas in Hungary, Poland, and the
Czech Republic. With more than 141 European
locations in 24 countries—which
constitute 33 percent of all 4DX auditoriums
worldwide—4DX has established
the strongest presence in the market.
Arriving later in the game, MX4D
invested in Europe for the first time in
2017 via a partnership with Cineplexx in
Croatia. More recently, local players such
as Finland’s Flexound Augmented Audio,
which uses audio vibrations to add the
sensation of touch, have also emerged
amid foreign giants.
But while the market is starting to
move faster, the old continent’s conservatism,
coupled with a slower pace of theater
construction, has presented challenges
to exhibitors and resulted in variable
growth of immersive seating in different
European markets, led by Germany, Eastern
Europe, France, and the U.K.
“Overall, the European market hasn’t
moved that quickly for 4-D,” explains
MediaMation CEO Howard Kiedaisch.
“There are a few different reasons for that.
When people are building from scratch,
they think about it, whereas when they
need to retrofit, it’s harder. If you’re
building new multiplexes and starting
from scratch, it’s very easy to contemplate,
‘OK, how do I get this with a 4-D
solution in mind and being
aggressive in expanding?’
If you’re refurbishing,
it takes a little
bit more effort
ROCKING
THE OLD
CONTINENT
Immersive Seating in
Europe Faces Unique
Challenges
By Vassiliki Malouchou
and time, and
you need to
ask if you’re
willing to
disrupt the
theater.”
Screen
count
indeed
remained
stable from the
beginning of the
decade and only grew
in the last two years, rising
by 3.7 percent to 42,000 screens
in UNIC territories in 2018. The growth
was particularly impressive in Eastern
Europe. On top of anemic construction
rates, most European
territories are characterized
by a considerable
number of small,
local, independent
exhibitors—often
seen as the
gatekeepers
of European
cinema’s cultural
diversity—who
can find it harder
to bear the financial
costs of new technologies
and refurbishments.
CJ 4DPLEX CEO JongRyul
Kim and Flexound CEO Mervi Heinaro
also point to more conservative decision-making
on the part of European
exhibitors. “For decades, cinemas have
been focusing on big-screen, augmented
sound, comfortable chairs, and F&B,
not on the moviegoing experience itself,”
says JongRyul Kim. “Bringing the innovative
and dynamic cinematic experience
to rather conservative movie theaters in
Europe was a huge challenge at first,”
Heinaro observes, “In many countries,
exhibitors are looking for new solutions.
Of course, for small exhibitors,
it’s harder to find financing. The bigger
ones might not be as fast sometimes; I
think one of the traditional European
handicaps is that we’re not extremely fast
decision-makers.”
But D-Box’s sales director Jean-
François Gagnon dismisses a view of
Europeans as conservative: “We first
launched our technology in the United
States and Canada back in 2009. Because
of that initial success, we found ourselves
installing motion seats in the Netherlands
and then Germany, Slovakia, and the
United Kingdom just one year later. We
see Europeans as early adopters because,
in our experience, both exhibitors and
moviegoers are looking for that kind of
innovative, immersive experience.”
To deal with the limitations posed by
these factors, immersive-seating companies
have devised new business models
catering to the needs of European
exhibitors, both large and
small. “We have recently
put a financing package
in place and
we’re now able to
offer a revenue
share model,”
says MediaMation’s
Kiedaisch.
“In some places
exhibitors say,
‘I want to buy it.
I don’t want you
involved in my business.
I have deep pockets.’
Other people say, ‘I want to
phase out my expenditure, I want it to
be based on the money that it makes.’ It
58 SEPTEMBER 2019

depends on the appetite,
the capability of the
exhibitor. We’re
now offering
both options,
and we’re just
starting to get
out there and
push that as an
opportunity.”
Flexound,
on the other
hand, responded
to exhibitors’ fear of
losing seating because of the
installation of recliners by offering a
different form of immersive seating that
does not necessarily require larger seats.
Flexound sells its system as a one-time
buy, but cooperates with seat manufacturers
to incorporate its technology into
the type of seats that suit the exhibitor’s
needs. Moreover, Flexound is compatible
with any content as is, without requiring
reprogramming or recoding on the part
of the exhibitor.
While overall European admissions
dipped by 3.4 percent this year, immersive-seating
companies remain optimistic
and believe the technology
can stimulate moviegoing;
they point to the
higher-than-average
occupancy rates
for their screens.
“The whole
cinema industry,
we all need to
bring the people
to the theaters,”
Heinaro says. “I
think it’s about
creating experiences
and creating something
bigger. Since synchronized
sound in the 1920s, we’ve only been
using hearing and our vision; we haven’t
been using the other senses.”
Hollywood content is driving the
market, but there is an increasingly strong
demand for programming local content
as well. For example, last year, 4DX
produced the French titles
Taxi 5 and Alad’2,
while the top-grossing
Serbian film of
2018, Juzvi Vetar
(South Wind),
was also a local
MX4D hit.
Kiedaisch
points out one
challenge in adapting
local content:
“Those situations are
a bit like the chicken and
the egg, where you
need enough screens
to have it make sense
to invest. And so
as the platform
gets better, more
people can say
I’ll make 4-D
content, but
then exhibitors
say, ‘Well, if you
make the content,
I’ll buy the screens
…’ As the platform is
growing, we’re engaging
more and more
with local exhibitors
and distributors who
want to find local
content.”
Today, Eastern
Europe—which
scored the
highest growth
in terms of admissions
and new
screens last year—
and Central Europe
are leading focuses
for immersive-seating
providers. “We’re finding
Eastern Europe to be extremely fertile,
because you have so many European and
international players who finally want
to take cinemas to the next level,” says
Kiedaisch. “One of those things is going
to be the large format, and in many
cases one of those things is going to be
the 4-D format. The amount of interest
from Eastern Europe right off CineEurope
was just extraordinary.” Through a
partnership with Cineplexx and Diesel
Kino, MX4D has focused on Austria,
Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia but is preparing
for a bigger rollout later this year.
Despite a 13.9 percent decline in
admissions in 2018, confirming alarmist
predictions of a more structural decline,
Germany concentrates key investments.
D-Box has 100 screens there alone—half
of its count in Europe. 4DX opened two
auditoriums this year, at the Cineplex
Bayreuth and Filmpalast, and
MX4D expects new openings
in Q4 of 2019.
France and the
U.K. are equally
important
markets. D-Box
is present in 11
locations in both
countries, and
MX4D anticipates
builds in Q1
and Q2 of 2020.
4DX currently operates
35 cinemas in France
(34 with Pathé, which opened
a 4DX ScreenX at the Pathé Beaugrenelle
in Paris and Pathé La Joliette in
Marseille earlier this year), as well as 22 in
the U.K. with Cineworld.
Immersive-seating players are beginning
to rush to Scandinavian countries.
Last year, D-Box invested in Norway
and is looking to expand further in
Scandinavian countries following 4DX’s
presence in Norway, Denmark, and the
Netherlands. Flexound Augmented Audio
opened its first commercial theater in its
home country in February with great support
from the local community.
One region is lagging behind: Southern
Europe. Only 4DX is present in
Spain and Portugal, while Italy, Malta,
Greece, and Cyprus—perhaps due to the
years of economic crisis plaguing the area,
which has hampered attendance, capex,
and new theater construction—have not
attracted any investments to date.
SEPTEMBER 2019
59

Hollywood in the Great White North
TILLICUM TWIN THEATRES BRINGS THE MAGIC OF THE MOVIES
TO TERRACE, BRITISH COLUMBIA
BY CHRIS EGGERTSEN
FOREVER YOUNG
Diane Robinson upholds
her father’s legacy at the
Tillicum Twin.
>> It wasn’t until the age of 94 that Bill Young
considered selling the Tillicum Twin Theatres—the
no-frills movie house in Terrace, British Columbia,
that he’d owned and run for over 50 years—and
finally taking a well-deserved rest. But the impulse
didn’t last long.
“He thought maybe he should retire,” says
Young’s daughter Diane Robinson, who now runs
the cinema. “[But after] he had a couple people
look at the theater, that was the end of that [idea].”
Indeed, Young continued running the Tillicum
Twin until his death last December at 95. In
his wake, the theater owner left behind a legacy
of altruism and community service, and in the
immediate aftermath of his passing—the result of a
fall that triggered a massive brain hemorrhage—his
family received an outpouring of support from the
citizens of Terrace and its surrounding communities,
mirroring the generosity and compassion he
had shown them for decades.
“[The response] was huge,” says Robinson.
“People that knew him were just in shock. But we
kept the theater going. Our staff all came in, [and]
they took over the place for us for a couple weeks.”
Keeping the theater going is exactly what Young
would have wanted. Throughout his life, the
community leader and business owner remained
a tireless workhorse with an entrepreneurial spirit;
in addition to the Tillicum Twin, he at various
points owned an adjacent music shop, as well as
the nearby Tillicum Drive-In, which closed down
sometime in the late 1970s. Defying small-town
stereotypes, he also kept a constant eye on the
latest advances in theater technology.
“He was very technology-driven,” says Robinson,
adding that the Tillicum, despite its rather
humble reputation, is reasonably up to date. She
continues, “Dad would weigh it out and say, ‘Look,
60 SEPTEMBER 2019

if we don’t spend [on new
technologies], we’re gonna
lose our customers. The
generations are changing.
People are changing.’ So he
never sat still.”
Business acumen aside,
Young will best be remembered
for his unflagging
contributions to Terrace
and its surrounding communities,
located about
800 miles northwest of
Vancouver and roughly 100
miles southeast of the Alaskan
border. These efforts
include everything from
support of the local food
bank, drives to solicit donations
of school supplies for
low-income children, and
even, in 1973, buying a fire
truck for the neighboring
community of Thornhill
following a devastating fire
that destroyed the Youngs’ family home.
“Our house burnt down,” remembers Robinson,
“and he went up and bought a fire truck and
came back to Terrace and put out a call. [He] and
one of his good friends called out, ‘Anybody interested
in being volunteer firemen?’ And he started
the volunteer Thornhill Fire Department.”
Located in a boxy three-story building along
the town’s main thoroughfare Lakelse Avenue,
the Tillicum Twin—built in 1954, purchased
by Young a decade later, and expanded to two
auditoriums a decade after that—isn’t much to
look at from the outside. But once they walk
through its doors, visitors are greeted by a variety
of homey personal touches and quirky knickknacks—snake-shaped
fountain-turned-communal-ashtray
here, intricately carved First Nation
totem there—that offer the kind of lived-in
quality that is sharply at odds with the antiseptic
feel of today’s corporate multiplexes. According
to Robinson, that welcoming feel extends to the
theater’s employees.
“[New customers] have a bit of a hard time not
getting the big seats, not getting that huge screen,”
says Robinson. “But by the time they leave, they
have a whole different feel. Because our customer
service is, I have to say it, top-notch. We make
everybody feel at home, and I think that’s the key.”
It doesn’t hurt that the Tillicum Twin offers
reasonable prices for the town of 18,000 (including
neighboring communities). For children, admission
is $6 for regular shows and $9 for 3-D shows,
while adult tickets go for $10 and $12.50. Additionally,
the theater offers a Young at Heart club
that lets seniors into any showing for just $6.
“Young at Heart” wasn’t just a play on the
family name but also on the very nature of Young
himself, whose boundless energy (he graduated
high school at 85, completing the education he’d
been forced to cut short as a teenager) remained
with him until the end of his life. Shortly before
his death, he even flirted with the idea of adding a
third auditorium.
“[He said] ‘What we’ll do is we’ll put those
nice fancy seats in, we’ll put that high end sound
system [in],” says Robinson. “He never stopped
moving ahead.”
That constant striving forward was perhaps key
to Young’s—not to mention the theater’s—longevity.
But it was Young’s spirit of giving back that
made the Tillicum Twin an institution.
“People recognize it as part of the community,”
says Robinson, who notes that she and her family
have no plans to sell. “They call it their theater.”
PUTTING OUT FIRES
Bill Young’s love of his
community extended
to buying a fire truck
for local volunteer fire
fighters.
SEPTEMBER 2019
61

PART 4
IN THE
SERIES
TOP WOMEN
IN GLOBAL
EXHIBITION 2019
EDITED BY REBECCA PAHLE
Earlier this year, Boxoffice Pro partnered with Celluloid Junkie to present the
fourth annual list of Top Women in Global Exhibition, published in our CinemaCon
issue. Throughout 2019, Boxoffice Pro continues to pay tribute to the
women who have an immeasurable impact on the exhibition industry with a
series of in-depth profiles. As Boxoffice Pro travels to the Geneva Convention,
we’re profiling honorees from NATO and the Midwest-based AMC and
Marcus Theatres, in addition to a pair of overseas executives.
62 SEPTEMBER 2019

AMC THEATRES
Bringing the Flavor
Jennifer Douglass
Serves Up F&B at AMC
By Rebecca Pahle
>> Jennifer Douglass admits with a
chuckle, “I did try several times to leave
the company.”
Starting in the sixth grade, Douglass
was a regular visitor at AMC’s Santee Village
8 cinema, outside San Diego, where
she estimates she saw Footloose 10 times.
“Because I practically lived there, they finally
broke down and gave me a job right
before I turned 16,” she recalls. Being
raised in a family of educators, Douglass
intended to join that field herself, and …
well, while she was doing student teaching,
she might as well stay with AMC and
do training part-time, “because that felt to
me like teaching.”
“I kept trying to quit—I actually did
teach for one year—but then I realized:
I could be a teacher for the rest of my
life, but I was loving what I was doing
at AMC!” Thirty-two years after the
manager of the Santee 8 decided to give
that Footloose kid a job, Douglass is AMC
Theatres’ senior vice president of food
and beverage.
Douglass describes herself as a “generalist”
who likes “to be exposed to different
areas of business and different parts of the
company. I loved working in the theater,
because you can work in the H.R. group,
in terms of writing schedules and doing
payroll. You could do the accounting
piece of it and pay all the bills. You could
run the food and beverage, which ironically
wasn’t my favorite thing!”
Early in her career, Douglass worked
in the West Division, headed up by Nora
Dashwood, now the COO at ArcLight
Cinemas Company. “I think having visible
examples of female leadership is very
inspiring to women who are coming up,”
Douglass reflects. “If you can see someone
you relate to who is doing a much bigger
job, it opens the possibilities that maybe
someday you can
do something like
that. [In AMC now],
having two of our
executive members be
females—Elizabeth
Frank [EVP worldwide
programming
and chief content
officer] and Carla
Chavarria [senior vice
president of human
resources and chief
human resource
officer]—is very
inspiring.”
At last year’s internal
general manager
meeting, Douglass
helped host a panel
“that was talking
about women in the
industry—how can
women get more
opportunities? It was
an optional section,
and it sold out in
like 10 minutes.
We had about 140
people, and not all of
them were women,
which was even more
inspiring to see. …
We had different folks who talked about
their paths that led them here to Kansas
City and the corporate headquarters. You
walked out of there, and it’s like you were
singing the Beyoncé song: ‘Who run the
world? Girls.’”
From the theater management side of
things, Douglass worked her way up to
operations and later oversaw the growth of
AMC’s dine-in brand, a role she held for
six years before shifting to her current position
late in 2018. “When I joined dinein
we only had eight locations. When I
left, we had 49 or so,” she says.
“I feel like I’ve gotten to have four
or five different careers. I was just lucky
enough never to have to leave AMC for
those opportunities.”
Crafting AMC’s food and beverage
JENNIFER DOUGLASS
experience—including both traditional
concessions and dine-in options—requires
experimentation, expanding the limits
of what people think of as movie theater
food while still staying within the bounds
of what is practical for the theatrical landscape.
Douglass refers to this as “empathetic
food.”
“There are a lot of things people bring
to us, and it’s like, well, that sounds like
a great idea. It’s a great product. But take
it into a darkened auditorium and then
show us how that works,” she says. “Every
now and again our enthusiasm gets the
better part of us and we maybe put something
out [that isn’t a good fit]. And guests
are very clear about what does not work.
Those things have to be retooled or come
off the menu. We try to be disciplined
SEPTEMBER 2019
63

TOP WOMEN IN GLOBAL EXHIBITION 2019
in that approach. It has to be empathetic and has to be inspired.
We’re always looking to surprise and delight.”
Douglass cites as one of AMC’s dine-in successes the Royal
Burger, which mixes up the traditional bacon cheeseburger
recipe by adding brie, arugula, and fig jam. “It’s delicious! Obviously,
your best seller is always going to be a bacon cheeseburger.
[But you want an option for] people who are looking for
something a little bit more adventurous in our menu, whether
it’s on the dine-in side or on the traditional side. Rather than
just basic pretzel bites, here’s a honey mustard version. Here’s a
cinnamon sugar version.”
“I think I have the best job in the company,” Douglass says—
and that’s not just because of the opportunities for taste testing.
(“I have a terrible sweet tooth, so I love all the different candies
that we offer. I’m particularly fond of the sour ones.”) AMC’s
food and beverage division “has so many different aspects and so
many different places where you can play and innovate. I started
when I was 16, and the biggest innovation was Icees. That was a
big deal back in the day!”
Now, not only has AMC added a wide array of different
menu options (including some gluten-free products, opening the
menu up to those with varying dietary needs, which Douglass is
particularly proud of), but they also have digital technology that
enables them to get food and drinks to the customer quicker and
more efficiently.
As an example, Douglass cites mobile concessions ordering,
which AMC introduced in select markets early this year.
So far, “there’s been a very positive response from our theater
teams and also from guests,” Douglass says. “I was out visiting
theaters the night Avengers: Endgame opened. I happened to be
in Jacksonville. [I was] looking at the number of mobile orders
that poured in. It’s great to see that, especially for a high-capacity
movie. It was exciting to see how guests were responding to
that technology. Guests were like, ‘This is the best thing ever.’ I
can’t disagree!”
As for the future of mobile ordering, Douglass notes that
“we’re doing it in a phased rollout fashion. We want to make sure
that we’re optimizing it and getting the best, most frictionless
experience for the guest.”
Thirty-plus years after Douglass first joined the AMC ranks,
the spot where she learned to love movies is now home to a
grocery store. But it lives on in some small way in one of the
conference rooms at AMC’s corporate headquarters. “When we
moved into this particular conference office in Kansas City, we
were naming the different conference rooms after movie theaters.
I lobbied very hard, and I’m pleased to tell you that 100 feet from
my office door, there’s a nice conference room called the Santee
Village 8. I’m very nostalgic for my little theater.” The theater may
be gone, but AMC is going strong, with Douglass an integral part
of operations. “My motto has always been, ‘When it stops being
fun, I’ll do something else.’” The fun’s still rolling.
“Keep It You”
Cynthia Pierce Brings Sight and
Sound to AMC
By Rebecca Pahle
CYNTHIA PIERCE
>> Going to the movies “was always a special occasion” for Cynthia
Pierce. Between her and her siblings, “there were five of us,
so we didn’t go very often. When we did go, it was always a big
deal.” An early experience had the potential to put her off the art
of film forever: At the drive-in to see a double bill with her family,
she watched The Jungle Book and was supposed to be sleeping
during the second film, “a PG-rated John Wayne movie. I don’t
remember what movie it was, but I do remember that in the movie
a gentleman died sitting up in a rocking chair. For some reason,
that gave me nightmares forever!”
Far from being scarred for life, Pierce embraced the movies—and
decades later, as AMC’s senior vice president of
facilities/sight and sound, she helps make them look and sound
the best they can.
Pierce joined AMC in 1981, working her way through college
as a relief manager, roving from theater to theater to fill in for
managers on vacation. She got an accounting degree, but “it turns
out that accounting wasn’t very fun,” she recalls. “I was in the
field as a general manager and came to [AMC’s corporate office
in] Kansas City in 2006 as a training director. I spent some time
in H.R. and then moved over to V.P. of operations.” After four
years in that position, Pierce moved to her current role—which,
wide-ranging as it is, pulls upon the extensive knowledge she
attained in her decades with the company up to that point.
There’s no quick sound bite explanation for what a “senior vice
president of facilities/sight and sound” does. Both sides of her job
have a “service component: supporting the day-to-day needs of
64 SEPTEMBER 2019

TOP WOMEN IN GLOBAL EXHIBITION 2019
the field.” On the facilities side, that might mean
overseeing the resolution of practical issues, like
“‘my roof’s leaking, my parking lot has holes’—the
sorts of things where a general manager wouldn’t
have the knowledge or the expertise to even know
where to start.”
Pierce and her team are also responsible for
the installation of new technology—whether it’s
a Coca-Cola Freestyle machine or a new Dolby
Cinema—and fielding tech support issues. “The
deployment side [of my job is that] the sight and
sound team is deploying Dolby, they’re deploying
Imax and AMC’s in-house premium large-format
brand, Prime. We’re always looking for new technology
to improve the sight and sound experience.
It’s a rather large team, but they’ve got a lot to do.”
Pierce points out that the chain has “the biggest
Imax footprint” in addition to “the biggest Dolby
Cinema footprint—[that’s] a little bit newer to the
table, but we still have more Dolby [Cinema] than
anyone else.”
AMC’s size and industry standing, Pierce says,
gives the sight and sound team leeway to test
products before deciding what to invest in, allowing
AMC to balance risk and innovation. “The manufacturers
look to us to test their equipment. So
we’re able to get in on the ground floor. We’ve been
very fortunate in that they look to us to provide
feedback on their new technology. To the degree
that, as an exhibitor, we can say, ‘This is good, but’
or, ‘We’re not sure we want to pursue this kind of
technology,’ I like to think that we’ve been able to
influence where [manufacturers] landed to some degree.
They’re clearly also going to other exhibitors.
But I think we have a reputation for a willingness to
test and do R&D on emerging technologies.”
Among that emerging tech, Pierce cites laser
projection as something of particular interest to
AMC. “Changing the light source from xenon to
laser is a big thing right now. You have some companies
favoring one technology over another. Some
are trying them all. And we’re trying to figure out
what’s the mix of technology that’s going to serve
AMC for the future. It’s probably not a one-sizefits-all
solution,” she says. “Our existing [digital]
fleet is 10 to 13 years old, and they’re basically computers.
So we’re trying to figure out, how do you
maintain the computer? And then as you’re moving
toward other technology, what’s the right choice?
And we’re just really scratching the surface on that.”
In introducing that tech, Pierce—who was a
general manger for a long time herself—makes
sure to maintain lines of communication between
the corporate office and those with boots-on-theground
experience at the AMC theaters. “We are
always checking back with the field to say, ‘Here’s
what we’re thinking. How does this affect life for
you? How do you think it will impact your guests?’
We’re constantly touching back with them, and
even including G.M.s along the way, [asking them]
‘What do you think? How do you think this is
going to play out?’ We might think one approach
is the best approach, but then after running it by
the G.M.s and having conversations with them, we
might change that a little bit. They help prevent us
from making mistakes, because we think we know,
and they often know better.”
As someone who’s moved up the ranks at AMC
herself, Pierce has noted a substantial improvement
in regard to gender equality. This she attributes to
“intentionality” in the recruitment process. “The
presence on the executive team today versus where
it was 10 years ago, and then more broadly in the
field, as well, [has gotten more noticeable]. I’ve seen
all those things evolve over a long career. I think
we’ve done a good job at making that our priority.”
It’s key when making hiring decisions, Pierce argues,
to ask oneself, “‘Am I hiring someone just like
me, or am I looking at a broader pool and trying to
be intentional about the choices that we make?’ The
facilities/sight and sound team, when I came in four
and half years ago, had a high percentage of males
with technical background and expertise. And we
tried to be more intentional, and guess what? There
are females out there with the same expertise. They
just needed to get in. I think we’ve done a nice job.
One of the things that I’m proud of on my team is
that we’ve been able to change the gender makeup a
little bit in a way that I think is meaningful.”
Once they get through the door, Pierce’s advice
to women in the exhibition industry is to find their
own management style. “I think that women need
to be comfortable managing people and situations
in a way that’s comfortable to them. I’m not a big
fan of ‘Act like a man, because that’s how you’ll
make it in business.’ I think women bring something
different to the table, and we shouldn’t be
embarrassed or apologetic about that. I don’t have
to act like a man who I work for, or a man who I
work with, in order to make it. Just be confident
in what you’re bringing to the table. As trite as it
sounds, keep it you.”
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TOP WOMEN IN GLOBAL EXHIBITION 2019
MARCUS THEATRES
Information
Overload
Kim Lueck Keeps
Marcus in the 21st
Century
By Rebecca Pahle
>> Anyone who works in the exhibition
industry will tell you: Customer experience
has never been more important
than it is right now. The film is still the
thing, but amenities are of increasing
importance to the discerning modern
moviegoer. And there’s one thing that all
those amenities, whether a customized
marketing email or a cocktail menu, rely
on in some way: technology.
“How do you make that experience
better?” ponders Kim Lueck, chief information
officer for The Marcus Corporation
and vice president of technology for
Marcus Theatres. “Marketing is trying
to do things, and they need technology.
And then the film or operational teams
are trying to do something different with
alternative content so they need I.T. …
[When you try] to make yourself stand
out or be a little bit different, it takes
something cooler on the app, or a neat kiosk
when you walk in, or a very different,
easy way to order your food anywhere.”
Even customer service is affected, as
increasing automation gives employees
room to look up from their point-of-sale
screens and have more personal interactions
with their customers. “You’ve got
to make sure you still have great customer
service, because you’re losing some
of those interactions,” Lueck cautions.
“That’s one thing we have to watch out for
as an industry as we move more and more
to online ticketing.”
A long-time employee of The Marcus
Corporation’s theater division, Lueck has
personal insight into the ways in which
the theater experience has advanced over
KIM LUECK
the years. Lueck joined Marcus Theatres
in 1997, coming off a five-year stint
working in publishing. (She’s been a fan
of movies for much longer—she recalls
going to a screening of The Wizard of Oz
with her little sister, after which some of
the actors who played the Munchkins put
in an appearance. “I remember my sister
and I getting autographs of the Munchkins.
Seeing this very old movie in an old
movie theater, and then the Munchkins
were there! My sister and I still talk about
it once in a while.”)
“I’ve come up through the theater
ranks and bounced around, even to our
hotels a bit,” Lueck says. “Manager, director,
vice president, CIO.” In the run-up
to the new century—remember the Y2K
craze?—Lueck and others “were brought
on to help implement the ‘big data’ warehouse
back then as well as get ready for
the year 2000.”
It was an exciting time to work in the
industry, Lueck recalls. “The industry
didn’t change a lot for a long time. …
When I came in, basically we had just
kicked off changing all our point-ofsale
systems in all our theaters. We were
starting to collect information. It was the
time where we went from old-fashioned
ticketing systems to a computerized ticketing
system. It was a great time to come
onboard, because I got to help roll it out
and understand why we were changing.
Yet I still knew what the old technology
was that was heading out the door.”
As Lueck moved up through the
ranks—learning from all three generations
of the Marcus family, Ben, Steve,
and Greg, along the way—the business
of catering to customers kicked into
high gear. Before, “you came to a movie,
you saw the movie, and you left,” Lueck
recalls. “Maybe you had popcorn.” By
contrast, “Right when I came in, it’s like
it turned on. We went to stadium seating.
Then we went to cup holders. Then we
went to DreamLoungers. Then we went to
lounges. It was interesting how stagnant
it had stayed, up until about 20 years ago.
Right after the year 2000, I felt like it was
the best place to be, because our industry
started to evolve and started to really focus
on the guests, not just the content on the
screen.”
That change is still ongoing. Twenty-two
years ago, Marcus was “implementing
phone systems” that people could
use to get show times, freeing them from
musty newspaper listings. Now, there are
apps and kiosks, and cell phones, oh my!
“We have wireless handhelds for in-seat
dining. It’s amazing the amount of tickets
purchased before they even get near the
theater.” Mobile food ordering, too, is
in the works at Marcus: “On the day of
your movie, [the app] will pop up and say,
‘Tonight’s your movie. Do you know what
you want to eat?’ And you can order it
and it’ll be delivered to your seat.”
With these perks (and others—like $5
Movie Tuesdays and the Magical Movie
Rewards loyalty program)—Marcus is
able to compete with a growing number
of chains offering luxury amenities.
With all that competition, though, what
surprised—and pleased—Lueck when
she first entered the exhibition business is
“how everybody knows each other. I work
with many major circuits on technology
advancements and I have friends at all dif-
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TOP WOMEN IN GLOBAL EXHIBITION 2019
ferent theater circuits, competitive or not.
Normally that’s not how it works!”
That spirit of camaraderie, Lueck
notes, extends to the increasing enthusiasm
of the exhibition market to offer opportunities
to the women of her industry.
“At CinemaCon and other trade shows
I’ve gone to, [more companies now] highlight
the women they have in [executive]
roles, where before it might’ve been the
same old vice president of operations
talking. Now they’re saying, ‘Well, wait,
let’s have this lead female get up in front
of us and speak.’ And the more people see
that, I think that’ll give them the confidence
to say, ‘I can get to other levels.’ We
have to give these women—and anybody,
not just women—opportunities. They
may not have the perfect degree, but maybe
we give them that opportunity to come
in and bring new ideas. Because they’ll
have a different perspective. And our
audiences are so diverse. We should have
a very diverse leadership team, because
those are all the people we’re serving. That
mix of ideas is what will make you better.”
Diverse Dealings
Marcus’s Ann Stadler
Uses Marketing to
Reach New Audiences
By Rebecca Pahle
>> The desires of moviegoers are not
static. Advancements in technology boost
people’s expectations for video and sound
quality. A menu that you introduced five
years ago might not (bad pun incoming)
cut the mustard today. And, with all the
diversity that exists in the United States,
it would be foolish to assume that every
moviegoer wants to see the same thing. As
Marcus Theatres’ vice president of marketing
and chief marketing officer, Ann
Stadler is on the front lines of finding out
what moviegoers want and determining
how to best deliver it to them.
Marcus’s CMO since 2014, Stadler
previously worked with advertising firms
ANN STADLER
and the nonprofit organization United
Way, where as vice president of marketing
and communication she was instrumental
in building partnerships and introducing
the Live United branding. When she got
to the movie business, things were …
different. “We don’t control the products
that we’re playing for these guests. The
way this industry works, we may [only
know a few days in advance] that we
actually have the product in a certain
market,” she explains. “Every day, I have
product that I need to sell in order to keep
a business thriving. How do I make sure
that I’m reaching the right people with
that information, and we’re playing it in
all the right places?”
To match the movie to the moviegoer,
information is key. Marcus’s Magical
Movie Rewards loyalty program, Stadler
notes, is essential for that purpose, giving
the chain insight into what Marcus customers
want to see and allowing Marcus
to communicate about what’s available.
Beyond that, “from a leadership standpoint,
when I’m being my best is when
I’m listening,” Stadler says. “Whether
that’s listening to my associates and what
they are hearing directly in the field or
listening to customers, reading surveys, or
looking at NPS [net promoter score] comments.
Or just being in a theater: ‘Help
me understand why you chose that movie,
or why you chose that theater? Why are
you loyal to us?’”
Stadler’s openness to learning about
Marcus’s customer base facilitates Marcus’s
goal—echoed by chairman, president, and
CEO Rolando Rodriguez in his work with
NATO to increase diversity and inclusion
in the exhibition industry—of screening
movies that cater to a diverse group of
moviegoers. “That’s one of the things we’re
looking at: How do we make sure that we
create a culture and an environment that
supports diversity? [How do we make]
sure to attract audiences from different
backgrounds, whether it be ethnic or
economic? We want to invite them to the
theaters and play products and produce
events that make sense. [We want them]
to see that we are an active part of the
community who embraces everyone.”
In 2017, Marcus Theaters helped create
and launch the CineLatino Milwaukee
Film Festival, which “brought in close
to 6,000 people” in its first year, Stadler
recalls. “Part of the reason [we did that]
was because the studios didn’t necessarily
perceive that we had enough Hispanics [in
that market for the] grosses to be in alignment
with some of the other states and
communities.” The success of the festival
caused people to “sit up and take notice
and realize that there are opportunities in
a lot of communities. We just have to be
able to have those partnerships in place
and promote them.”
In addition to the CineLatino festival,
Marcus screens Bollywood films—working
with local influencers and specialized
publications to help get the word out to
the community—and recently worked
with the “mommy blogger” crowd for
a screening where people could vote on
which of four retro titles they wanted
to see. “We had 80 people sign up to
come to this evening, not because of the
movie—because voting wasn’t over—but
because of that group and knowing that it
was going to be a fun event.”
With 90 theaters in 17 states, for a
screen count just over 1,000, Marcus
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hooray.
Congratulations to
Cynthia Pierce & Jennifer Douglas
2019 WOMEN IN GLOBAL EXHIBITION
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TOP WOMEN IN GLOBAL EXHIBITION 2019
doesn’t have the numbers of the “big
guys” in the exhibition industry, Stadler
acknowledges. But what they do have
is “the flexibility to be able to do some
unique things within our community.
We get out there and we do grassroots
efforts. We help to build relationships
with people. We’re at events where key
audiences will be, whether it be promoting
summer films or promoting very
specific, niche things.”
Stadler’s belief in the importance of
connecting with people extends outside
her purview as Marcus Theatres’ CMO.
She belongs to TEMPO Milwaukee, an
executive leadership group for women in
the Milwaukee area. “It’s so important
that we help each other find a voice and
to support each other and to take time
to celebrate successes as we all move forward.”
She also serves on NATO’s Diversity
and Inclusion Committee; as part of
that group’s scholarship review committee,
the group offers financial assistance
to employees of NATO member theaters
so they can attend NATO’s Annual Fall
Membership Meeting. The committee
aims to increase diversity within NATO,
giving professionals from underrepresented
groups an opportunity to participate
in key discussions that affect the exhibition
industry.
Marcus has been a part of the industry
for a long time—85 years, in fact, as of
2020. During last year’s holiday season,
Stadler recalls, they launched a campaign
that invited people to celebrate the
chain’s legacy by sharing their “favorite
Marcus moviegoing memory. Some were
just straight moviegoing, and some were
specific to the circuit. But we had an
overwhelming response. … That was a
campaign that was fun, because it really
helps you get an understanding of your
audience from a different perspective. You
hear from your guests and what they’re
passionate about. Many people shared a
memory about either their first movie or
taking their child to see their first movie.
There were a lot of good, passionate,
wonderful memories associated with that.”
NOVO CINEMAS
New in Novo
Debbie Stanford-
Kristiansen Brings
Luxury to Gulf Region
Theatres
By Rebecca Pahle
>> Debbie Stanford-Kristiansen is
“someone who very much likes to be
challenged.” Born and raised in Brighton,
England, where she’d make weekly trips to
a theater “just across from the seafront,”
Stanford-Kristiansen has been the CEO of
Novo Cinemas, which operates cinemas
throughout Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, and
the United Arab Emirates, since 2013.
Initially an executive in the world
of events and business tourism, Stanford-Kristiansen
received a job offer in
2004 that brought her to Bahrain to help
establish that country’s Exhibition and
Convention Authority. That phase of her
professional life lasted almost nine years,
during which time she was promoted to
CEO of the Exhibition and Convention
Center. “Then I got offered an opportunity
to move to Dubai [and work in]
entertainment,” she recalls. “I thought
about the synergy of what I had done
in the past [and] where I could take the
company in the future, by looking at
cinema with very different eyes [since I
didn’t] come from the industry. … It was
a big challenge to swap industries after
such a long time. I said to myself, ‘This
is a super opportunity. If I don’t do it,
I’ll regret it. I’ve got nothing to lose and
everything to gain.’”
Debbie Stanford-Kristiansen took the
job and got to work. “It was apparent
to me that we needed to look at doing a
complete rebrand, which is exactly what I
did,” she says. Since its founding in 2010,
the chain had been known as Grand
Cinemas; Stanford-Kristiansen admits
that, while “there was a lot of history and
a super legacy there, times had changed.
The audience had changed. There were
different demographics living and working
in the UAE. So we did a six-month
project where we set about doing a complete
rebrand of the organization, creating
a new structure and different roles” that
would allow the new Novo to expand
into different facets of the exhibition
market, such as hosting corporate events,
which Novo has been “very successful” at.
The rebrand was followed by a spate
of renovations and expansions. “When I
joined, we had one Imax theater. Every
other screen was a standard screen,”
Stanford-Kristiansen recalls. Now, Novo
boasts seven Imax screens, making them
“the largest Imax partner in the region.”
In early 2019, Novo cut the ribbon on
Dubai’s largest Imax screen with laser,
located at the chain’s new flagship location
at the IMG Worlds of Adventure,
the world’s largest indoor theme park. In
April of this year, Novo Cinemas opened
a new cinema at Oman’s Mall of Muscat,
bringing the chain’s total screen count to
178 across 17 locations. By 2020, that
number will grow to 201 screens in 20 locations,
with “further expansion” planned
across the Gulf region.
Under Stanford-Kristiansen, Novo
packed in the premium amenities,
introducing Dolby Atmos, MX4D
motion seating, and Novo Kidz screens,
with seats and design catered to younger
audiences, to select locations. With their
“seven-star VIP” service in place at 21
theaters, Novo gives moviegoers access
to leather recliner seats and a “butler” to
deliver food and beverages. Three of those
theaters, Stanford-Kristiansen says, even
have dedicated valet parking, so you can
“literally go from your car to your movie
seat in three minutes.” Novo also offers its
Novo Majlis, an “ultra-exclusive experience”
where moviegoers have access to a
“dedicated entrance and a personal butler
offering a four-course meal from a menu
that features classic dishes from both the
East and the West.”
“We really, really worked hard,” says
Stanford-Kristiansen. “We did a complete
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and utter evaluation of the business as
it was in 2013 [and decided] where we
wanted to take the brand in the future.”
But that future didn’t—and couldn’t—
just involve luxury amenities, as important
as they are to Novo’s overall experience.
The Gulf region presents unique challenges—though
Stanford-Kristiansen prefers to
label them as “opportunities.” The United
Arab Emirates, for example, where Novo
has 10 theaters, is home to inhabitants of
“around 220 different nationalities.” Catering
to the needs of this varied population
means screening the hits from Hollywood
and Bollywood, of course. There’s also
South Indian cinema, which represents
“a very big market” for Novo. “We have
Tagalog movies. We have Arabic movies—
Arabic from Egypt [and] Arabic from the
Emirates and Bahrain. In terms of expat
market, we show French movies. We’ve
shown German movies. Russian movies.
We’ve even shown Korean and Chinese
movies. We always try to appeal to the audience
that we have, [and] we work really
hard at understanding who our audience is
at each and every location.”
This analysis led Novo to expand into
event cinema, starting with a live stream
of the 2015 boxing match between Floyd
Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. The
time difference between Dubai and Las
Vegas meant Novo moviegoers would
have to head to one of six participating
cinemas at five o’clock in the morning …
which they did. Eight thousand of them.
“There were so many different nationalities
that wanted to see that match,”
says Stanford-Kristiansen. “It gave us the
appetite to expand further and look at
other opportunities.” Football (soccer,
for the Americans) has grown into a big
draw, with Novo screening World Cup
match-ups in addition to La Liga, UEFA
European Championship, and Essay Cup
games. Three Novo locations screened
this year’s ICC Cricket World Cup, the
result of “a very, very big Asian customer
base here who are very passionate about
cricket.” In addition to sporting events,
Novo screens ballet and opera and “works
very closely with
schools and colleges;
we regularly have
groups of school
children coming in
to see educational
movies”—nature
documentaries, for
example—thanks to
the chain’s partnership
with Imax.
“The market
differs from country
to country, especially
in the Middle East,”
Stanford-Kristiansen
explains. “It’s never
one size fits all. …
It’s about constantly
doing studies, doing online research,
and testing things for the customer.
Doing pilot testing in different locations,
whether on F&B offerings or experiential
offerings or the way that we market to
the audience. We really try to understand
who they are.” Who they are changes,
Stanford-Kristiansen readily admits:
“We have a much younger, tech-savvy
audience now, so we need to make sure
that we always understand the right ways
to engage with them, whether that’s on
Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, YouTube,
or whatever it is.”
Novo is currently in the midst of that
research phase for Saudi Arabia; in 2018,
Stanford-Kristiansen announced that the
chain was “in discussions” about moving
into the newly opened market. “Right
now, we are still studying the market,”
she says. “We haven’t made firm commitments
on locations. … I think it’s an
exciting time. We’re observing, we’re taking
notes, we are doing our own market
research to study a number of options.”
Stanford-Kristiansen’s role in the evolution
and expansion of cinemagoing in
the Gulf region made her a prime candidate
for inclusion on Boxoffice Pro and
Celluloid Junkie’s 2019 list of the Top
Women in Global Exhibition. Fitting,
too, is Stanford-Kristiansen’s belief in the
DEBBIE STANFORD-KRISTIANSEN
importance of mentorship, with an end
goal of creating increased gender diversity.
“Obviously, this is a very male-dominated
industry. I certainly felt it when I
moved across into entertainment, coming
from tourism, which is very heavily
female-dominated. … I believe that you
need to have a balance of both male and
female within any organization in order
to get the best out of the company and to
bring better opportunities.”
The support Stanford-Kristiansen
received when she moved to the Middle
East (“Probably more than I ever had
back in Europe!”) increased her determination
to pay it forward. At this year’s
CineEurope, she was announced as one
of the eight mentors participating in
UNIC’s Women’s Cinema Leadership
Programme, designed to provide one-onone
support and advice to up-and-coming
women in the exhibition business.
“That’s something I’m really, really proud
to be part of,” she notes. “The more
women support other women, the more
we’ll start to see women grow within
the industry, move up the career ladder,
get better opportunities for growth. …
There are so many amazing young women
coming into this industry. I think we have
an obligation to help support them and to
help them to grow.”
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TOP WOMEN IN GLOBAL EXHIBITION 2019
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
THEATRE OWNERS
Doing Their Part
NATO Trio Encourages
Industry Diversity
By Rebecca Pahle
>> The role of NATO, as any Boxoffice Pro reader
knows, is wide-ranging. The trade group represents
the interests of a diverse range of theaters
across the United States and beyond.
It’s an “inviting and passionate industry,”
says NATO’s general counsel and director
of industry relations Jackie Brenneman—
if one that, like many other industries,
is largely male-dominated. “There is no
doubt,” Brenneman expands, “that unconscious
bias and ingrained sexism impact
women in this and nearly every other business.”
But NATO is making an effort to combat
that, putting in the work to make the world of
film more inclusive and diverse. It’s Brenneman, Esther
Baruh, and Kathy Conroy’s daily work in support
of a thriving, successful industry open to all
that earned them a spot on Boxoffice Pro
and Celluloid Junkie’s 2019 list of the Top
Women in Global Exhibition.
Baruh, NATO’s director of government
relations, is also the staff lead on NATO’s
Diversity and Inclusion Committee, which
has three goals: “increasing diversity and
inclusion with the association’s volunteers,
committees, and leadership; providing our
members with the tools to increase diversity and
inclusion within their companies; and increasing the
variety of movies exhibited in theaters so that all stories
are told and represented on the big screen.” For an
industry that’s been male-dominated for so long,
achieving these goals takes effort and mindfulness,
which luckily Baruh, Brenneman, and
Conroy have in abundance.
The committee “has undertaken several
initiatives in support” of its diversity and
inclusion goals, notes Conroy, NATO’s vice
president and COO. Among those initiatives
are “holding rounds of meetings with
industry stakeholders to discuss exhibition’s
role in increasing diversity and representation
in film content; offering scholarships to currently
JACKIE BRENNEMAN
ESTHER BARUH
KATHY CONROY
underrepresented groups to participate in NATO’s annual governance
meeting [in September] in Los Angeles; and developing
educational materials to assist NATO members in expanding
diverse and inclusive hiring.”
As NATO’s general counsel and director of industry relations,
Brenneman describes her job—or one of them, in addition to
working with theaters to combat movie piracy, answering questions
regarding movie ratings, and generally serving as a liaison
between the exhibition and studio sides of the movie industry—as
the Diversity and Inclusion Committee’s third prong:
increasing “diversity of product.”
Along with her colleague Erin Von Hoetzendorff,
Brenneman formed the Green
Light Committee, made up of “a group of
members who are in a position to make
booking decisions.” The committee reaches
out to various corners of the distribution
industry, spreading the word that
“variety matters to exhibition. We are not
only looking to do business in tentpoles.
We love tentpoles. They’re very important.
But our members need variety. There
are a lot of small towns that need faith-based titles
but aren’t getting them, for example. Not to mention
the importance of diversity to serve local communities.
America has a very diverse population,
and people want all kinds of different things.
Our movie theaters [are a very important
part of that], especially if they want to
stay relevant.
“We’ve met with the DGA. We’ve met
with Time’s Up. We’ve met with NALIP
[the National Association of Latino Independent
Producers]. We’ve met with [civil
rights advocacy group] Color of Change.
It was really interesting, because I think a lot
of groups don’t realize how the business model
of exhibition works. They don’t realize the robust data
that some of our members have started gathering
now, with their loyalty and subscription programs.
Exhibitors are working really hard to
understand their audience more and more.
And that information can help justify a
theatrical release of titles that maybe are
not leaning towards theatrical release at
the moment.”
Though Brenneman admits that a lot of
money is being spent on securing films for
“alternative pipelines”—which Brenneman
views as a temporary part of the “bulking up of
these services”—she emphasizes that the so-called
74 SEPTEMBER 2019

division between theatrical
and streaming is overblown.
“Data shows that people
who stream the most also go
to the movies most,” offering
an alternative viewpoint to
the idea that the increase of
streaming spells doom for
exhibitors. For example, “We
think that part of the success
of all the documentaries last
year”—five documentaries
crossed the $10 million mark
domestically—“was because people
saw great documentaries on Netflix,
and so then they wanted to see other
great ones in the theaters.”
As the North American theatrical industry’s premier trade and
advocacy organization, NATO also has the power to open up various
events and committees to a wider spectrum of participants—a
responsibility that Baruh, Brenneman, and Conroy take seriously.
“I’ve helped form two committees recently, and I reached out
to some of our members and said, ‘I’m looking to fill a slot in this
group. I would love for you to recommend someone, and I would
I was always a frequent moviegoer. I would go
to any movie. I went every week, and I would go
see anything because it was an excuse for me to have
Cherry Coke and a sour strawberry belt. I just liked
being in a movie theater. Though I will say that the
most defining movie experience of my life was when
Titanic came out. I was a freshman in high school,
and I saw that movie six times in theaters until
my mom prevented me from watching it
anymore. —Jackie Brenneman
love for you to be mindful of us
trying to expand our diversity.
So just think about people
who haven’t historically
participated in NATO committees
who you think are
really smart and would be
a good fit.’ And it’s making
CEOs identify other people
as good volunteers. And we’re
gaining more, new, interesting
volunteers. So it’s a win-win for
all of us.”
“There is still progress to be
made,” adds Baruh, “but I have noticed and
rejoiced that there are more female executives featured
as speakers at industry events. It is heartening to see that trend.” As
the industry moves toward gender parity, Baruh cautions women
that “there will be many meetings in which you may be the only
women, or one of the only women. But don’t be afraid to speak
up, share ideas, and be confident in what you have to offer.”
Though Baruh, Brenneman, and Conroy have all come to love
the exhibition industry, none of them originally started in that
space. Before joining NATO, Conroy worked in marketing and
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TOP WOMEN IN GLOBAL EXHIBITION 2019
communications at the Color Marketing Group, the Employers
Council of Flexible Compensation,
and the National Wooden
Pallet and Container
Association, among others.
Baruh “worked in foreign
policy for several years
before I joined NATO.
I wanted to stay in D.C.
and pivot to private sector
government relations. I saw
that NATO had an opening
and jumped at it. Of course,
when I told people that I was
shifting from foreign policy
to NATO, they were initially a
bit confused!” And Brenneman
worked in law before leaving to
—Esther Baruh
join NATO and be a part of “an
industry I cared more about.” Once
joining NATO, in a non-legal capacity,
she “did some initial legal work
… [that] allowed me to think about our industry at a higher, more
strategic level pretty early on, which I enjoyed. It helped me get to
know the industry better, because I was certainly an outsider. But
now, of course, I’m general counsel of NATO and the Global
Cinema Federation. So I didn’t really
quit law very effectively!”
In reading trade publications,
Brenneman explains,
she often sees a “bleak
picture” of exhibition as
an industry that’s “fighting
for this old business model.
I don’t see that at all. I do
see that exhibitors have
something to offer. There
are so few places for people
to go and be with other people.
I think that there should
be enthusiasm for this. I go to
the movies all the time, frequently
at pretty full houses, and people are always
really enjoying themselves. It’s such a positive experience.
I see a lot of really exciting potential partnerships that haven’t even
been explored yet.”
II remember very distinctly crying in the
theater during The Lion King when Mufasa died. I was
heartbroken. I also laugh when I think about the time my
mother took my sister and me to see Matilda at the local
movie theater. As a treat, she bought us an enormous
bag of M&M’s to share. Sadly we pretty much abandoned
the bag after the scene when Bruce Bogtrotter eats
an entire chocolate cake, because we completely
lost our appetites. (We regained them later and
eventually finished off the bag.)
THE BOXOFFICE
COMPANY
Vive Le France
Marilyn Iacovissi
Excels at The
Boxoffice Company
by Ayşegül Algan
>> While studying law in France,
Marilyn Iacovissi spent four years at CGR
Cinémas, now the country’s second largest
circuit, where she was introduced to the
world of exhibition. Writes Iacovissi: “I
always loved cinemas, but there I discovered
a new environment that I did not
expect as a viewer.” From France, Iacovissi
moved to London, where she became the
manager of one of Odeon Cinemas’ flagship
locations—“Even the Queen herself
visits for charity screenings!” After moving
back to France, Iacovissi joined the Côté
Ciné Group, where she managed exhibitor
relations. Côté Ciné Group was later
purchased by Webedia Movies Pro (now
The Boxoffice Company), where Iacovissi
now serves as operations and commercial
director for the French division.
What’s your proudest achievement
from your time so far at The
Boxoffice Company?
What makes me proud is when my
teams thrive and when my coworkers
feel good in their work. I am very
attached to the idea of supporting them
when they face challenges, so I give a lot
of importance to communication and
training. It’s satisfying when I see them
following my advice successfully. I am
very lucky to have a very professional
and invested team; we do beautiful
things every day. The responsibilities
that were conferred to me by Côté
Ciné Group’s president Patrick Farcy,
as well as the international adventure
undertaken by the side of Julien Marcel
with The Boxoffice Company, are also
among the successes I’m most proud of.
The challenge is not easy. I still have a
lot to learn. The adventure continues!
What are the key accomplishments
you would still like to achieve at The
Boxoffice Company?
Supporting all types of exhibitors
in their day-to-day [business] is in The
Boxoffice Company’s DNA. Since a few
years ago, we’re facing a big challenge
because of digitalization. We can’t leave
anyone behind on this journey. The train
is rolling, and we need to accompany the
smaller and medium-sized theaters in
these changes. The vast majority of these
theaters don’t have a marketing team.
We are their daily advisers.
I would also like to develop charity
actions in France. It’s something that’s
already in place in the United Kingdom.
Our American colleagues at The
Boxoffice Company are also far ahead on
the matter.
As your company has taken on an
international dimension, how do you
ensure that corporate culture stays
positive and welcoming?
We have put into place numerous
76 SEPTEMBER 2019

communication channels and moments
of exchange between our teams with
internal newsletters, team-building sessions,
a yearly general meeting, seminars.
… The possibility to work in different
offices (in France as well as abroad) and
teleworking are also assets that enhance
and consolidate The Boxoffice Company’s
corporate culture.
How would you evaluate the progress
women have made in the exhibition
business in France over the past
few years?
I’ve had the pleasure of seeing
more and more women taking hold of
positions with more responsibilities in
the industry. I’m thinking in particular
about Cathy Coppey from the Ociné
group or Marie-Christine Desandre [of
Loft Cinémas]. However, there are still
a lot of battles to be fought to defend
women’s rights, most importantly in
terms of equal pay and against reflexes
MARILYN IACOVISSI
IMAGINATION, INVENTION AND INNOVATION
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Contact Shelly Olesen at 847-616-6901
or solesen@cretors.com for product details.
SEPTEMBER 2019
77

TOP WOMEN IN GLOBAL EXHIBITION 2019
that are deeply rooted in our collective
unconscious (of women included),
like believing that entrepreneurship is
essentially a man’s affair. The proof is
that when I started working in the field,
women were still at the register (and
wearing skirts!) and men were at the
concession stand. Today, the positions
are more balanced and the possibilities
of advancement in the company are
more rapid for women. And even if we
have long proved that we are capable of
reconciling our personal and professional
lives, this requires even more work
and a mental burden that’s heavier for
women; for the same position, a woman
is continuously tested and always needs
to show that she’s on top of things.
What advice would you give to
women just entering the movie
exhibition business?
I would tell them that there is a legitimate
spot for them in this industry and
that their responsibilities are compatible
with their personal aspirations, including
their familial ones. You need to hang
on and believe. Women have the same
capacities as men to succeed. Wage differences
can be justified, but we need to
differentiate between disparities linked
to one’s experience and those that come
from discrimination against women. The
fact of the matter is that we need to stop
enduring it.
What’s the most important lesson
you’ve learned during your time in
this industry?
That we always need to adapt and to
be available for our clients. At The Boxoffice
Company, customer service and
innovation are our priorities. If you have
good products but no one answers your
clients, it’s not gonna work.
Tell us about your mentors in
this business.
I always loved working with people
at all levels. I have to admit that there is
not a single woman amongst my mentors,
proof
that positions
with
responsibilities
are still
mostly
male. But
I immensely
appreciate
working
with women,
be it from
my team or
exhibitors. In
France, there
are a lot of women
exhibitors who
are real businesswomen,
which is very rewarding.
Patrice Martin, who was my director
at CGR Cinemas (he’s now a programmer
of CGR group), allowed me
to go beyond exhibition and work in
distribution, which I didn’t know at all
back then. Christopher Hilton, general
manager at Odeon Leicester Square,
introduced me to the management (the
British way) of a cinema, teams, and the
retail business. Patrick Farcy, of course,
with whom I share the love of exhibition,
offered me a real vision of the
industry; his knowledge of the market is
just incredible. I don’t know anyone who
knows as much as him. Lastly, our own
CEO at The Boxoffice Company, Julien
Marcel, is a brilliant spirit who guides
us internationally [and has] a striking
ability to analyze the market. He inspires
us daily.
I’ve had the pleasure of seeing more and
more women taking hold of positions with more
responsibilities in the industry. I’m thinking in particular
about Cathy Coppey from the Ociné group or Marie-
Christine Desandre [of Loft Cinémas]. However, there
are still a lot of battles to be fought to defend women’s
rights, most importantly in terms of equal pay and
against reflexes that are deeply rooted in our
collective unconscious (of women included), like
Describe your ideal moviegoing
experience.
A good comedy with Ben & Jerry’s
Chocolate Fudge Brownie ice cream! For
some time now moviegoing has been a
family affair. As a very cinephile family,
we never miss the opportunity to make
our children discover classics like Who
Framed Roger Rabbit or [the comedies
believing that entrepreneurship is essentially
a man’s affair. —Marilyn Iacovissi
of] Buster Keaton. But the ultimate
pleasure is to discover a new theater!
Can you describe a formative
moviegoing experience from your
childhood?
I have very strong memories from my
“educational cinema” outings in elementary
school, where my classmates and I
discovered one film every Wednesday
in the city’s cinema (which doesn’t exist
anymore). Another formative memory:
the release of Terminator 2, which
everyone was waiting for but that was
forbidden to children under 12 … and
that I still managed to see!
What is the biggest challenge facing
exhibition in 2019?
To always give people a reason to
get out of their house and come to the
theater. To do this, we need to adapt to
new technologies, to digitalization, to
data, to online alternatives. … When I
see that some theaters are still reluctant
to offer online sales, that’s where our
expertise and our advice come into play.
We also need to preserve the culture
of moviegoing for younger audiences,
which can be done through education at
a very young age. It’s an essential task for
the future of our industry.
78 SEPTEMBER 2019

Royal Occasion
SHALL WE DANCE?
Michelle Dockery stars
as Lady Mary Talbot
and Matthew Goode as
Henry Talbot.
MICHAEL ENGLER ORCHESTRATES THE BIG-SCREEN RETURN OF DOWNTON ABBEY
BY KEVIN LALLY
It’s rare for a television series to transfer to the big screen
with its original cast and creative team aboard, but
“Downton Abbey” is an exceptional phenomenon. Spanning
the years 1912 to 1926, the British saga of the patrician
Crawley family and their retinue of devoted servants has
earned three Golden Globes and 15 Emmy Awards and has
found an avid fan base in more than 200 countries.
Now, less than four years after the series finale, the
denizens of Downton are ready for their multiplex close-up.
Series creator Julian Fellowes (who wrote all 52 episodes of
the TV show) has devised a momentous occasion for the
Crawleys and their household staff: a visit from the king and
queen of England. Nearly the entire cast is back, including
Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Michelle Dockery,
Penelope Wilton, Laura Carmichael, Matthew Goode, Jim
Carter, Phyllis Logan, and the incomparably wry Maggie
Smith as the Dowager Countess. And directing the feature is
a relative latecomer to the series, American Michael Engler,
a veteran of such series as “30 Rock,” “Sex in the City,” and
“Six Feet Under,” who helmed four episodes including the
finale. We spoke to Engler by phone about Downton Abbey’s
September 20 return via Focus Features.
How do you turn a long-running TV series into an event for
the big screen?
Very carefully. One, I think you have to acknowledge what
it is that people always loved about it. And make sure that you
deliver that, which is a great, broad canvas of characters, upstairs
and downstairs, young and old, that people love and recognize.
And all of those people have to be accounted for in an individual
way, as well as having a story that in some way engages the
whole group. The tricky thing about that, I think, is that normally
on the series every week you can adjust who’s in the foreground
and who’s in the background and whose story is heating
up and whose is at a simmer on the back burner. And the overall
effect is one of a big world and a lot of different people you
care about. And just like with your own family and friends,
sometimes you see more or less of certain people, or maybe they
become more important at certain times in your life or in their
lives. I think what was important for Julian and what he did
so well in the screenplay—brilliantly, actually—was to create a
story that is one complete arc, beginning, middle and end, that
encompasses the whole world of Downton and yet allows each
of the people that we love and that we missed from the series to
have their own little story line, their own separate one where we
80 SEPTEMBER 2019

understand something about where they
are in their lives.
So that’s one thing, shifting the time
and storytelling narrative frame so that it
feels satisfying in a two-hour format. And
then the other thing is to make it feel like
more of a cinematic experience. ‘Downton’
even on television always felt pretty
cinematic—that was an adjective that was
often applied to it. But we wanted to make
sure that if we were going to put it on the
big screen and ask people to come out for
it and pay their money to see it in the cinema,
we gave them something of a scale and
beauty and technical complexity that we
couldn’t have given them in the TV series.
And I think we’ve done that well.
And to do that, Julian hit on this idea of
the royal visit, obviously.
It’s always been important for everybody
to work together to keep Downton
alive and running and thriving, as
individuals and collectively. The idea that
the King and Queen are coming somehow
raises the stakes even more for everybody.
The servants have to go beyond where
they’ve ever gone, the family themselves,
on every level they have to do what they’ve
always done and what we’ve always come
to love about that world, and they have to
do it better than ever.
You came into the series fairly late in
the run. How did you, especially as an
American, get hired?
Well, I got hired because I had met
[producer] Liz Trubridge through a friend.
We were just talking about television, and
I was huge fan of the show and she had
seen some of my work. I think it was really
just the way we spoke about it, that she
felt I could potentially bring something
to it that, as an outsider, might give a new
perspective or bring some fresh blood
into it. That I might help the actors and
department heads and creative people also
look at it differently and maybe ask some
different questions. Being such a big fan
and never really thinking I would be able
to [work on the show], the strange thing
was I never felt more at home than I did
when I went there. Just the work ethic,
the discussions, the way we spoke about
the English class system and labor and
personal issues. It is so universal, this story
of what it means to be part of something
larger than yourself.
I’m always amazed to hear how big the
show is in places like Asia. It really is
universal.
Right. I think they appreciate it too
because there’s so much in their history, in
their culture that has to do with the idea
that wherever you fit, even in a very hierarchical
system, there is always the possibility
of honor, of behaving and performing
honorably, of going above and beyond
your personal position in the system. And
that character somehow transcends all
of those things. And I think that is very
much the Asian social hierarchical ethos
as well.
I guess the most important person
you had to hit it off with was Julian
Fellowes. Can you talk about your
relationship with him?
Well, first of all, Julian is almost encyclopedic
in his knowledge of this particular
world, and actually of lots of things. I
think one of the reasons we get along so
well is that he is in some ways more like a
playwright than a traditional screenwriter.
I think the essence of what makes his writing
so brilliant is not just visual storytelling
but the character writing, the relationships,
AT THE HELM
Director Michael Engler
on the set of Downton
Abbey
the subtext, the fine-tuning of voices and
how they work together to create a kind
of bigger, almost orchestral mix of voices.
And that’s really what I’m interested
in—storytelling through character and
through psychology and intellect of people
and how they express their needs together,
whoever they are.
What’s also great about him is he’s very
practical. He’ll write something and then
if we say, oh, here’s an interesting production
opportunity or beautiful location—
or the opposite, this is going to be very
tricky to work—he can find other ways to
adapt it. I think we both share a sense of
priorities about what’s important in the
storytelling. So that even though he wants
it to be lush and beautiful and visual, as
do I, he also understands that that stuff
can take over and that if [the story] isn’t
there, it doesn’t matter how lovely the
characters are; it can get boring. He’s
thoughtful and practical and he has a very
strong voice and point of view, but he also
has a very subtle ability to shift things,
to take advantage of opportunities or to
avoid difficult production problems.
You have an amazing list of TV credits,
including one of my all-time favorite
shows, “My So-Called Life.” But this is
only your second feature. Are there
appreciable differences between TV
work and working on features?
I wouldn’t say there are. It’s less and
less as time has moved forward, given all
SEPTEMBER 2019
81

AT YOUR SERVICE
Jim Carter stars as Mr.
Carson in Downton
Abbey.
the different formats, HBO and Netflix and what
everybody’s doing, I think audiences are much more
sophisticated and are looking for more sophisticated,
cinematic storytelling. So whatever format you’re
working in, it’s a sophisticated filmmaking world
right now where everybody’s looking to do things
in the most interesting ways possible. With this film
there was just more money and more time, which
allowed us the ability to do more complicated things
on a bigger canvas, so that you can leave things in
shots that you might have to edit more to get inside
the psychology of people if you imagine people
watching it on a smaller screen. But the funny thing
is, even that I think is changing, because so many
people in their living rooms have bigger screens and
they’re as close to it as they would be relative to the
size of a larger screen in a theater. So I think even a
lot of those differences are falling away. Mostly it has
to do with the timing, the format, the fact that people
are gonna settle in and take time and you’ve got
the time to grab them. It doesn’t have to be ‘Get ’em
now or they’re going to turn to something else’ that
you have in television. It allows you to be a little bit
more leisurely in some ways, but also more generous
with time and being able to tell the story in ways
that aren’t as quick to reveal themselves.
Even though the mediums are kind of merging,
I assume you still want as many people as
possible to see this film on a big screen.
Oh yeah, absolutely. I feel very happy, I feel like
it is worthy of it. There’s a certain fan base that I
think will go anywhere to see Downton Abbey and
would be happy to pay the money, but we wanted
them to feel that they were getting something that
they couldn’t get at home, that they couldn’t get
from the series, that we were able to do things that
we couldn’t do during the series. That it would feel
like a different kind of experience in the storytelling,
but also in the visual scale of it, the sound, the
music—every aspect of it has been scaled up to suit
the story, but also to fill the cinematic experience.
I want to ask you about two actors in particular.
Is it intimidating to work with Maggie Smith?
Yes. It’s intimidating and it’s exhilarating working
with Maggie. It’s only intimidating because
there is nobody more prepared and more curious
82 SEPTEMBER 2019

and insightful and thoughtful and demanding—
not demanding in a rude or unpleasant way, but
just somebody who knows what the responsibility
is of the actor and the script and the director.
We get along great, and I love Maggie and have a
fantastic time working with her, but she keeps you
on your toes, the way the best ones do. She isn’t
sitting and having her time wasted, and I don’t
blame her. Nor should it be. But she’s intimidating
because no matter how prepared I am, and I consider
myself fairly prepared when I get on the set, it
never fails to surprise me that she’ll come up with
a question or a series of thoughts about something
that I hadn’t considered. And so I find you have to
work fast, think fast. She’s also one of the smartest,
funniest, wittiest people around and somebody
who loves being part of a company, an acting
company. The thing you always worry about when
you’re doing those big scenes, the pageantry or a
large dinner table scene where for huge chunks of
the day, unless the shot is about a particular actor,
everybody else becomes almost like extras. What I
was amazed by was that Maggie would love sitting
there all day even if it wasn’t about her, because she
loves talking to other actors. I would be working
on a close-up of somebody, down at the other end
of the table, and I’d say ‘Cut’ and she would say,
‘Oh, wasn’t he marvelous?’ That is so fascinating
that she really took it in. She is excited and interested
in being part of the process with other actors
to stimulate her as well, both the young and the
most experienced ones.
New to the cast is Imelda Staunton, as a cousin
of the Dowager Countess’s late husband. I didn’t
realize that she is married to Jim Carter [who
plays reserved butler Mr. Carson]. So it was
almost like a homecoming to bring her into the
movie, yes?
It was. I think she was surprised. We’ve all gotten
used to the structure of how Downton works.
Most of the time you’re either working with the upstairs
cast or the downstairs cast, the servants or the
members of the family. And so the crossover is rare.
It’s rare, and it’s usually with people like Carson
or Mrs. Hughes or the footman, Thomas. In the
dining room, for instance, most of the dialogue, all
of the action is centered on the people at the table,
the family and their guests. People like Jim and
Kevin Doyle and Michael Fox and Rob James-Collier
are essentially extras—they’re in the background
moving plates and pouring wine and every now and
then they share a look.
So it was sort of funny
that whenever Jim and
Imelda were in a scene
together, it was usually
Jim standing in the
back quietly or giving
a nod of the head or
saying, ‘Yes, milady.’ It
was a funny thing for
the two of them to be
on set and realize that
even being in the same
film, even being in the
same scene a number
of times, they would
have no interaction
at all. Essentially she
would barely be aware
of his character. I think
they enjoyed in a funny
way the subtext of that,
given that they’ve been
married over 30 years.
Can you give us an
update on “The Gilded
Age” [an upcoming
Engler-Fellowes TV series for HBO]?
I don’t want to talk about it too much. We are
just in the early prep phase. We’ve been scouting
locations in New York—we’re going to be
shooting parts of it all over New York and also in
Newport. We’re just beginning to cast it. It begins
in New York in 1882, and it’s about the introduction
of a whole new world of money, especially
in America, and what that does to the shifts of
power and the social structure and how that sets
the stage for everything that’s to come in America.
It’s similar to what we’re dealing with today,
the super-rich, the top 0.1 percent, and then
everybody else. We start shooting it in the spring,
and we’ll be finishing it at the end of next year to
air in early 2021.
I hope the Downton movie is a big success
for you.
Thank you very much. I hope you enjoy it. I feel
like we’ve delivered what everybody was hoping for,
and then enough surprises and new things to make
it fun and to make it feel like it was worth doing for
more than nostalgic reasons.
LORDS & LADIES
Laura Carmichael stars
as Lady Hexham, Maggie
Smith as The Dowager
Countess of Grantham,
Hugh Bonneville as Lord
Grantham, Allen Leech
as Tom Branson and
Elizabeth McGovern
as Lady Grantham in
Downton Abbey.
SEPTEMBER 2019
83

You’ll Float 2
PENNYWISE RETURNS FOR MORE KILLER
CLOWN CARNAGE IN IT CHAPTER 2
BY REBECCA PAHLE
CLOWNING AROUND
Try not to look too long
at this picture of Bill
Skarsgård as Pennywise,
or he might jump off the
page and eat your face.
>> Two years ago, It floated into theaters on a
river of red balloons and money. With its $700.3
million worldwide gross, the film would become
the highest-grossing horror movie and fourth
highest-grossing R-rated movie to date, earning
director Andy Muschietti a secured spot at the
helm of its sequel. Getting moviegoers primed
and prepped for horror movie season, It Chapter
2 (in theaters in North America now) raises
the stakes for the now-adult Losers Club as they
return to their hometown of Derry, Maine, to
(hopefully) take out Pennywise the evil, kid-eating
clown for good.
Pennywise, as those who saw the first film
will remember—unless they’ve blocked out the
nightmare fuel—is a shape-shifter who taunts the
members of the Losers Club by embodying their
inner fears and deep-seated traumas. It uses the
medium of horror to paint an affecting portrait of
the highs (friendship, first love) and lows (guilt,
abuse, grief … killer murder clown) of childhood,
giving the movie depth far beyond its scares.
The same is true of It Chapter 2, in which the
reunion of the Losers Club—most of whom have
lost all memory of each other and Pennywise,
a particular quirk of the supernaturally tainted
Derry—brings to the fore the ways in which the
traumas of youth manifest into adulthood.
“The core of this story is very much about
feelings,” Muschietti explains. “There’s not a single
plot in the movie that doesn’t deal with drama or
romance or some kind of deep feeling.” Getting
down to the core of each character required
sloughing off a bit from King’s book—notably,
84 SEPTEMBER 2019

a plotline where the
wife of Losers Club
leader Bill Denbrough
(played in his adult
incarnation by James
McAvoy) and Beverly
Marsh’s (Jessica
Chastain) abusive
husband follow their
spouses to Derry.
“There are tangents
and repetitions” in
King’s book, Muschietti
explains.
“The book is a great
experience, but in a
movie, you can’t afford
repetition.” After establishing
that Bill has
married a woman who
reminds him of Beverly,
his first love, and
that Beverly herself is
locked in a pattern of
loving men who abuse
her (first her father,
then her husband),
“you don’t really need
[Bill’s wife or Beverly’s
husband]. With Bill,
I really wanted to
focus on the trauma
of guilt,” stemming
from his inability to
save his little brother Georgie. “I think you have
to pick your battles. You only have certain scenes
[with which to] explore and express the arc of the
characters, and you want to be concise and not
diffuse those arcs.”
Winnowing down the story to its essentials is
something Muschietti learned from the first It.
There, as if being hunted by a killer clown isn’t
bad enough, the Losers Club is also tormented by
local bully Henry Bowers (Nicholas Hamilton)
and his cronies. Test audiences “barely connected
with the Henry Bowers subplot,” Muschietti recalls.
“In my first version of It, we explored Henry
Bowers much more. We saw Henry at his house,
dealing with his own misery, with his own abuse,
his own trauma of being abused by his dad. We
see him lash out [because of that]. We screened
that, but people really wanted to cut to the chase.
That’s one of the symptoms of a movie where
there are a lot of secondary characters. I knew that
if we had that problem with Henry Bowers in It,
we would probably have that problem with Tom
[Beverly’s husband] and Audra [Bill’s wife] coming
back to Derry. In the book, they’re exciting. But
reading a book, it’s different. Watching a movie
stimulates a different part of the brain. The audience
doesn’t want to waste time with characters
who are accessories.”
Keeping the story
moving “forward
faster” was key for
It Chapter 2, which
in its final cut creeps
toward three hours.
“My first cut was four
hours, but that was
fresh from production,”
Muschietti
says. “I knew from
the beginning that
a four-hour movie
wasn’t feasible,
not only for studio
requirements, but you don’t want an audience sitting
there for four hours. I know from experience
that the faster the pace this movie has, the better.”
Even with its run time just shy of the behemoth
that was Avengers: Endgame, It Chapter 2
does march along quite swiftly, in part due to the
cutting back and forth between scenes with the
younger Losers Club and their adult counterparts.
Filming the former group required digital de-aging
to make the child actors look the same as they
did two years ago. This was particularly important,
Muschietti notes, because the flashback scenes
in It Chapter 2 are interspersed with scenes from
the first It; having actors look noticeably older
between one scene and the next would “throw
people out of the movie.”
Muschietti personally oversaw every part of the
de-aging process. “The first version of the aging
was good in a technical sense, but the proportions
weren’t quite right. I knew where the nose was two
years ago. I knew where the eyes were compared
to the mouth. I was a bit of a ballbreaker in that
sense!” The VFX team “was able to do a great
job”—and a particularly big one (or small one?)
in the case of Richie Tozier, played by “Stranger
Things”’ Finn Wolfhard, who hit a growth spurt
between filming It and Chapter 2. “Finn is a giant
In my first version of It, we explored
Henry Bowers much more. We saw
Henry at his house, dealing with his
own misery, with his own abuse, his
own trauma of being abused by his
dad. We see him lash out [because of
that]. We screened that, but people
really wanted to cut to the chase.
SEPTEMBER 2019
85

THE KING OF THE LOT
Andy Muschietti (center,
with headphones) directs
a bunch o’ Losers.
now! He’s very, very tall. …. [The VFX team]
managed to squeeze him into the kid he was two
years ago.”
The success of It gave Muschietti a bigger
budget this time around—some of which went to
beefing up the cast’s A-list contingent. In addition
to McAvoy and Chastain, It Chapter 2 boasts
Bill Hader (“Barry”), who turns in the best film
performance of his career to date. TV-wise, it’s
tough to top HBO’s “Barry,” which Muschietti is
a fan of: “Oh, ‘Barry’ is amazing. The thing about
‘Barry’ is that [Hader] doesn’t even play funny! He
plays straight. Everything that happens around
him is so ridiculous. That tells you that he has a
great mind. He’s not just a comedian. He’s a great
storyteller.” It Chapter 2 gives Hader, playing the
loudmouthed class-clown-grown-up Richie, the
chance to show off his dramatic chops as well as
his comedic genius. “His character in the movie
goes through a lot,” Muschietti notes cryptically.
“It was great. I knew Bill could do it. He fucking
nailed it. I’m so happy I cast him.”
Drama and romance—the latter between
Beverly and Ben Hanscom (Jay Ryan), who’s been
nursing unrequited love since his Derry days—are
essential components of It Chapter 2 … but this
is a horror movie, after all, and it does have to be
scary. To that end, Muschietti was determined that
Pennywise not be the exact same killer clown he
was in the first film. Here, still expertly played by
Bill Skarsgård, Pennywise is smarter, with a villain
M.O. that’s tilted just a smidge away from murdering
people and toward psychologically torturing
them. (Before murdering them, of course.)
“Pennywise is still nice when he wants,” Muschietti
explains. “Everyone knows that something
wrong is going to happen, just like in the first
movie. What we did is raise his ability to manipulate.”
This reaches its peak in a particularly
harrowing scene between Pennywise and a young
girl—meant as a mirror for the Georgie storm
drain scene in It. “The kid that he’s talking to
is smarter than Georgie. But Pennywise breaks
her. It’s a horrible moment in the movie. We’ve
brought a Pennywise that is smarter and poses a
bigger threat this time.”
86 SEPTEMBER 2019

A Very Animated
Family Reunion
CONRAD VERNON AND GREG TIERNAN
BRING THE ADDAMS FAMILY
BACK TO ITS ROOTS
BY JESSE RIFKIN
Dum dum dum dum … snap snap. The iconic theme music from
ABC’s 1960s horror-comedy television show “The Addams Family”
has become a timeless and much-loved earworm, reprised in the
many Addams Family films, sequels, and specials—even the hit Broadway
musical. Inspired by the 1930s Charles Addams cartoons, the show
followed a family of mysterious and often morbid characters whose
names became part of the cultural lexicon. Paramount’s
1991 live-action adaptation helped keep the franchise
in the public imagination, becoming the seventh-highest
grossing film of that year.
The family is coming back to cinemas,
this time in animated form, through
United Artists’ The Addams Family, in
theaters October 11. The stellar voice
cast includes high-profile names
like Charlize Theron, Oscar
Isaac, Nick Kroll, and
Allison Janney.
Co-directors
Conrad Vernon
(Shrek 2, Monsters vs.
Aliens, Madagascar 3:
Europe’s Most Wanted)
and Greg Tiernan (Sausage
Party) spoke to Boxoffice
Pro about making the Addamses
an immigrant family, flipping Thing, the
disembodied hand, from righty to lefty,
and directing a family-friendly film after
their previous co-directorial effort was rated a
hard R.
Was it an extreme jolt going from Sausage Party to The Addams
Family?
Conrad Vernon: Well, we’d done [family-friendly] things before Sausage
Party. Craig did a preschool TV show [“Thomas & Friends”] while I’d worked
for DreamWorks for 20 years. But MGM did love that movie! They were
sausage admirers.
Greg Tiernan: But there are a few jokes for the adults in this one. The
Addamses, going back to the original cartoons in The New Yorker, it’s all
DOUBLE DIPPING Pugsley Addams is voiced by Finn Wolfhard, who’s on the other side of supernatural terror in It: Chapter 2, also featured in this issue
adult-based
material. Nick
Kroll, playing Uncle
Fester, just came up with
all sorts of stuff that wasn’t
in the script. When Wednesday
at the breakfast table says, “Uncle Fester can
go wherever he wants,” he came up with, “No, I
can’t go into a school.” But we had to take that one
out! There’s another line of Nick’s that we had to
take out where he said, “We should jump out of
those bushes and expose ourselves … emotionally.”
Those jokes were maybe just a smidge over the line
of family-friendly.
88 SEPTEMBER 2019

Vernon: We had Gomez and Morticia in the
back seat of a car, speaking lovingly to each other
in French. They slowly sank down in the back seat
together, like they were going to make out. We
played that for a test audience, and there was a 6-
or 7-year-old kid who shot his hand up afterward
and said, “When Gomez and Morticia were in the
back seat, that was very, very inappropriate!” We
took it out because this 7-year-old told us to.
What was the most challenging aspect of
making this film?
Vernon: Walking this tightrope between
making a movie that audiences who grew up
loving The Addams Family would feel represented
them properly, and bringing in a new generation
of children who maybe don’t know The Addams
Family—making sure they’re entertained as well.
We had to walk this fine line between fans and a
brand-new audience.
Tiernan: Many times we’d come up with a gag
or a piece of dialogue and we’d say, “Oh, that’s perfect
for Morticia.” But then we’d have to remind
ourselves that there’s a lot of the younger audience
who have no idea who Morticia is or her history.
Not over-explaining the Addamses, but also not
ambushing the audience with “Just pick it up as
you go along.”
TILL DEATH DO US PART
Morticia (Charlize Theron)
and Gomez (Oscar
Isaac) Addams have
bona fide couple goals.
SEPTEMBER 2019
89

TICKLING THE IVORIES
The Addams Family’s
Lurch and Thing
make beautiful music
together.
So did you include any Easter eggs that refer to
the original material?
Vernon: There’s a ton of them in there. We had
a large book that had all the old New Yorker cartoons
in it. We went through it, and not only did
we find a bunch of lines we liked in there, but we
also took a lot of Charles Addams’s old character
designs and turned them into extended family
members. There’s also a character that’s an Easter
egg; he appears four or five times, but you have
to look for him. He’s right out of the old Charles
Addams cartoons, because he used to hide this one
character in the background of his cartoons. See
if you can spot him! We also did some fun things
with Snoop Dogg, who voices Cousin Itt. You can
watch the movie two or three times and get something
different out of it each time.
How much did you try to emulate the ’30s
cartoons versus the ’60s television show
versus the two ’90s movies versus doing
your own thing?
Tiernan: Very much. We went back to the well
of Charles Addams. One of the other challenges we
had was, especially for such an iconic family: How
to present something different and put our own
stamp on it. Both Conrad and I grew up watching
the TV show and also the movies. Personally, I
loved them. Those actors really brought something
to those characters that went above and beyond,
so we had to try and do the same thing. But we
needed a firm foundation to be able to do that. We
really went back to the Charles Addams originals
for the character designs. We had a fantastic
character designer, Craig Kellman, who’s worked
with Conrad for many years and worked with us
on Sausage Party. Between him and our producer
Alex Schwartz, we really did our best to take what
Charles Addams had given the world and use that
as our foundation to build on.
How did you go about putting your own stamp
on it?
Vernon: We tried to do something with the
story that had not been done with any of the other
iterations. [The villain is the new character Margaux
Needler, a reality TV host.] We also have a
scene at the beginning of the movie with Morticia
and Gomez before they’ve had children, before
they meet Lurch, before they find their house. It’s
the origin of who they are, before they actually
turn into the Addams Family that we know. Plus,
we’ve turned them into an immigrant family. We
thought the idea of an immigrant family migrating
to this country was particularly poignant. We
weren’t making any sort of political statement,
although now it is a topic on people’s minds. It was
a story about this family that people could relate
to, and we could say something important.
Tiernan: When Craig [Kellman] was design-
90 SEPTEMBER 2019

ing Thing [a disembodied forearm who’d always
previously been right-handed], you’d think a hand
is a hand is a hand. But Craig’s design was a left
hand, probably because he’s left-handed! Thing was
never a disembodied hand in the original Charles
Addams cartoons; that was made for the TV show.
Once we realized that, we figured we’re not breaking
any of Charles Addams’s designs.
How do the two of you co-direct?
Tiernan: It’s completely joint. It was the exact
same thing on Sausage Party. Conrad and I met
way back in the early ’90s on Cool World [a 1992
live-action/animated crossover in the style of Who
Framed Roger Rabbit and Space Jam].
We weren’t directing that; I was
animating and Conrad was
doing effects. On Sausage
Party and, it’s a little
bit twee to say, but
we sort of think
with one mind
when we’re working.
I’m proud
to say that we
never had a cross
word between us.
If Conrad feels a
bit more strongly
on a story point or
a design issue than I
do, I step back. And he
does exactly the same for
me. We never make decisions
without one another. I don’t know
how it works, but it does.
What’s an example of a time when the two of
you resolved a disagreement?
Vernon: Just this morning! Yesterday I went
to the D.I. [digital intermediate] house, where
we look at the final shots, to make sure that the
color and everything is correct. There was a point
near the end of the movie where the camera was
shaking, but when I was watching, the camera was
shaking so much that I couldn’t focus on anything.
So I texted Greg this morning and said we’re going
to have to bring that camera shake down by at least
50 percent. And he said, “Oh, OK.” We hadn’t had
any camera shakes at first, so I put some in, but
then it was too much. That’s a perfect example of
how we work together.
The Addams Family theme song is classic. How
did you incorporate that?
Tiernan: That theme has been so iconic for so
many years that it would have been a travesty to
leave it out. We have an absolutely amazing score
for the movie, by Mychael and Jeff Danna. They
incorporated the theme into the score in several
places. I won’t tell you exactly where, because some
of them are Easter eggs.
Is this the type of movie to be enjoyed on the
big screen at a cinema?
Vernon: The design and work that our production
team put into the detail and the background,
this is like no other film that’s
out there right now. Every single
detail, down to end tables
and lamps, have been
designed by our production
team and just
beautifully rendered
on the screen. I
don’t usually go
to 3-D movies,
but the 3-D shots
on this movie in
particular really
do make you feel
like you’re in the
house with them.
Look at the backgrounds,
the carpet, the
drapery, the old television
sets from the 1950s, all the
weird little toys that we designed and
scattered throughout the house. Wednesday
has an electric chair in her bedroom. Pugsley
has a stretching rack for a bed. You’re not going
to catch all that if you were watching it on your
phone. There’s an immensity and a cinematic
quality we tried to instill.
Tiernan: I’ve always believed that theatergoing
is an event, from the golden age of cinema right
up to today. Whether you go in there as a first date
or because your favorite star’s new movie is out.
There’s nothing wrong with sitting down in your
own living room and streaming or watching whatever.
But to actually go out to a movie, especially if
you’re there with friends or family members, that
turns it into something a little bit more special. By
all means, watch it over and over again at home!
But watch it on the big screen first.
EAT UP Cookies by Grandma (Bette Midler) are cooked with love—and probably bugs or maybe poison—in The Addams Family.
AT THE
MOVIES
What is your all-time
favorite moviegoing
memory or
experience?
Tiernan: It’s got
absolutely nothing to
do with animation, but
seeing Grease in 1978.
I was just blown away
because I’m a huge
1950s fan, the music
and culture. I saw that
movie probably five or
six times in one week,
when it first came out in
the U.K. Not the world’s
greatest movie, by a long
shot! But it’s the one I
remember the most.
Vernon: When my
parents took me to see
Young Frankenstein, I
was very young. I had
no idea what the ending
meant, when she starts
singing “Sweet Mystery
of Life.” I just knew that
the audience roared.
I looked around at
everybody just laughing
their asses off and
thought, “I want to make
people do that.” That’s
kind of what inspired me
to go into filmmaking. In
fact, we were using some
of that soundtrack—
the violin that Cloris
Leachman is playing—as
placeholder music
during early animation of
The Addams Family.
SEPTEMBER 2019
91

Teenage Warfare
ALEJANDRO LANDES BRINGS HIS
UNIQUE VISION TO MONOS
BY CHRIS EGGERTSEN
Alejandro Landes hasn’t directed a movie since
2011’s Porfirio—though you’d be forgiven
for not knowing he’d directed at all. While it
received some acclaim following a screening at that
year’s Cannes Film Festival, Porfirio—a matter-offact
drama that blurred the lines between narrative
and documentary filmmaking—received extremely
limited distribution in the U.S. But Landes’s profile
is about to get a major boost with his haunting new
film, Monos, which won the World Cinema Dramatic
Special Jury Award at this year’s Sundance and is
getting a North American release courtesy of Neon
on September 13.
Set on a remote mountaintop somewhere in Latin
America (and filmed in Landes’s native Colombia),
Monos centers on a group of teenage soldiers fighting
in an unnamed conflict who have been tasked
with guarding an American POW known as Doctora
(Julianne Nicholson) and tending to Shakira, a dairy
cow they’ve received from a local farmer. Though they
quickly fall in line each time a diminutive drill sergeant
known as The Messenger (real-life ex-Colombian guerrilla
Wilson Salazar) arrives to instruct them in a series
of physically rigorous training exercises, their default
setting is debauchery—drinking, drugs, casual sex,
and reckless semiautomatic gunplay.
Suffice it to say, the rebellious adolescents—bearing
such unusual names as Rambo, Boom Boom,
Lady, and Smurf—ultimately descend to even greater
depths, leaving their desperate captive to plot her
escape once the ragtag group decamps for the neighboring
jungle.
Monos is by far the broadest canvas Landes—who
also directed the little-seen 2007 documentary Cocalero—has
enjoyed to date, and he makes the most of it
with the aid of Jasper Wolf’s evocative cinematography
and Mica Levi’s disquieting, unconventional score. In
advance of the film’s release, Boxoffice Pro spoke
with the director about his rigorous casting process,
how he pulled off one particularly dangerous stunt
late in the movie, what Monos says about Colombia’s
protracted civil war, and why he took so long to make
another film.
You last movie, Porfirio, came out in 2011, so
about eight years have passed since then. How
much of that time was spent actually trying to
get Monos made?
Monos was hard to get made and to get financed,
and coming from Latin America, to be
able to aspire to have that kind of epic feel, it took
a bit. But actually I was on an architecture project.
I love architecture, and so I ended up designing
a house, and that’s also what took me away from
cinema. I didn’t think it was gonna be so long, I
thought it was just gonna [be] designing something
in maybe a couple of years, and in the end I
ended up designing and building the thing. And
it won a big architecture prize, and it ate up four
years of my life. So that’s why there was kind of a
big gap between the two.
It was obviously worth the wait—you won an
award at Sundance for this. What was that like?
I arrived at [Sundance] without anything other
than a sales agent, so it was very exciting that Neon
picked it up. Immediately after the screening, a
bidding situation started. And ever since then, it’s
been making its way around the world and finding
its audience. And that’s just very exciting.
92 SEPTEMBER 2019

Most of the young actors are unknown, with
the exception of Moises Arias. What was the
casting process like for this?
It was kind of an unorthodox casting process.
We looked for faces throughout Colombia while
I was scouting locations. We had casting directors
going to schools, going to acting workshops.
I mean we really cast a very wide net. In the
end, we had 800 kids and then chose about 25
for this mountaintop workshop. In the morning
we would do like acting improv exercises, in
the afternoon military and physical drills. And
by being there and learning about them, I was
able to see that mini-society interact almost like
in a schoolyard. By watching those dynamics I
was able to choose the eight that would [be in
the film]. Because the idea wasn’t just how they
each played their role individually, but how they
worked as an ensemble.
Near the end of the film some of the
characters are sort of navigating these really
dangerous-looking river rapids. I’m curious
how you pulled that off—did you use stunt
people for that scene?
No, no stunt people. We had Colombia’s
national kayak team; they do tours down that river
so they knew those rapids particularly well. And
so they had all the gear and all the know-how, and
we had some special buoyancy equipment that you
don’t see. We had some good digital-effects people
and a safety team and a good camera setup, and
particularly a very good telephoto lens.
I read that Wilson Salazar who plays The
Messenger was an ex-guerrilla?
Yes.
How did you find him?
[In Colombia] the government has these
reinsertion programs where former guerrilla or
paramilitary fighters have laid down their arms to
come back to civil society. I went to go visit one
of these, and there was this guy there, Wilson,
who was taking care of horses on this sort of farm
theme park place [Panaca in Quimbaya, Colombia]
that let some of these guys come and work
there. And he was very compelling. Initially, I
hired him as my consultant to help train the kids
physically. To make them move like fighters, like
warriors. And then he was so good that in the
end I was like, ‘No, you need to be in front of the
DOWN THE RAPIDS
Moises Arias as Bigfoot
SEPTEMBER 2019
93

THE PRISONER
Doctora Sara Watson
(Julianne Nicholson) in
Monos
camera.’ And he was very special. You juxtapose
his physicality with his authority and he creates
this kind of mythical character.
One of the most striking things in the film is
Julianne Nicholson’s performance. There’s a lot
of time that she has to spend alone on screen,
and she has these moments of dancing wildly in
her cell or silently screaming into a mirror.
Thank you for mentioning that dancing moment.
I love that moment, and I have to say you’re
the first journalist who [asked about it].
Were those moments improvisational or were
they scripted?
There were moments like that in the script,
of course. But once we were shooting that, with
the camera in such a confined space, in this real
kind of cell-like situation, then we tried to just
improv with Julianne, work on it together, speak
to her, keep the camera rolling, try to bring her to
different states. With Julianne, sometimes I would
ask her to sit in that cell, which she hated, and just
draw on the walls. So all the drawings you see on
the walls are actually by Julianne.
One other element of the film that I really
loved was the score by Mica Levi. How did you
come to work with her?
Mica saw an unfinished cut of the film, and she
really connected with [it]. There are some sounds
that are very elemental, like just blowing into a
bottle, like the wind or the stream. And then you
have sounds that are completely digital. Those
synthetic sounds that are born out of a synthesizer.
So the juxtaposition between those elemental
sounds and something that could be coming out
of a Berlin nightclub, it goes with the feel of the
film in general. And then also the characters, there
were so many of them that we worked with Mica
to make sure that the characters had musical notes.
So for example, The Messenger, when he appears
on-screen there’s always a very shrill whistle. That
whistle kinda gives you that emotional cue of authority,
of a force kind of lording over our protagonists,
our heroes.
At the end of the film, Rambo is in a helicopter
and she essentially breaks the fourth wall and
is pleading with us in a way. It reminded me
of the final shot of The 400 Blows. Why did you
decide to end it that way?
I think [Monos] has a very good question at the
end. And it asks the question, and you hear it, with
the soldiers speaking in the helicopter, which is
‘What do we do? Where do we go from here?’ And
I think that’s a big question for us as a species—it’s
just a conflicted time—but particularly also for
Colombia. That’s a very important question for a
civil war that’s gone on for 60 years.
94 SEPTEMBER 2019

SOCIAL MEDIA
BY ALEX EDGHILL
WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY
SHORTER MARKETING CAMPAIGNS ARE SEEING HEALTHY RESULTS
In recent years, studios have often chosen to condense their marketing
campaigns into smaller windows. The prevailing thought has been that millennials
especially have shorter attention spans, and with such a crowded
theatrical marketplace, it is better to have a shorter and more concentrated
marketing effort to raise and maintain awareness. This is especially true
for sequels, which already have both a built-in audience and huge brand
and character awareness
>> The previous school of thought
was that large tentpole releases should
have a one- to two-year campaign, with
awareness rising and falling dramatically
through sporadic release of information.
Let’s take a look at some major releases
over the last five years and their promotional
efforts on social media to see how
the landscape has changed to better meet
the needs of audiences.
We analyzed the top five domestic box
office performers since 2015 and how
far from opening their first trailer was
released. 2017 had the highest average, at
246 days before release of the first trailer,
while 2018 was the lowest, at 193 days.
This year is not far off that mark, with
195 so far. This lines up with conventional
wisdom about shortening of the
marketing windows—the fact that over
the last few years the average for that
first trailer premiere has dropped by two
months is a huge change.
In the past, there would
often be three or four
trailers for major releases,
including international
trailers, teaser trailers, and
other clips and featurettes.
With shorter windows,
this has slashed the
numbers of trailers
on average; a
maximum of
two or three
trailers
is now
customary. This undoubtedly saves money
and allows extra capital to be spent on
other channels.
In addition, studios are using social
media to communicate and interact
with fans more than in the past. This has
helped to maintain interest in between
trailers and news alerts and has become a
key strategy for many releases. Facebook
and Twitter have been used extensively
for the last 10 years by studios, but
mainly as informational tools to share
trailers, casting information, and set pictures.
But this has shifted in recent years
and many (but not all) have increased
their posting frequency and types of
posts to offer more for their fans. This is
especially true for larger franchises such
as Avengers and Star Wars, which are head
and shoulders above most other campaigns
in terms of their engagement with
fans. Certain trailblazers such
as Deadpool have popped
up with massive
presence online and
surprising box
office revenue,
which has
forced all distributors
to rethink
their efforts.
Another
factor that
has been
important
in recent
years
is the rise of Instagram among younger
audiences as a vital promotional and engagement
tool. Within the last two years,
Instagram official pages have become
essential for all films, and most major
releases now have distinctly different campaigns
for each of the three major services
rather than cut-and-paste marketing.
An interesting case study is that of
Avengers, which created its Instagram
profile on November 28, 2017. Since that
time, there have been 350 posts—but in
the last five months alone, more than 180
posts have appeared. It’s no coincidence
that Avengers: Endgame had the shortest
marketing window of any film in the top
five over the last two years, just under five
months. Star Wars, James Bond and Detective
Pikachu also had huge pushes on
Instagram, which led to their consistently
being among the most talked-about films
on the service, even so far from their
release dates—good examples of smart
campaigns in this current climate.
The total number of films released
each year has continued to increase
annually, with 2018 the first year ever to
tally over 850 films. Add to that increased
competition the changing demographics
of moviegoers, the waning importance
and reach of TV ads, and the rise of
different mediums of advertising consumption,
and you have a vastly different
landscape today than even five years ago.
Studios are forced to alter the tried and
tested methods of promoting their films
to accommodate these changes. The proof
is always in the results, and it’s notoriously
difficult to gauge the impact of these
changing methods. But the fact that 2018
was the highest-grossing year on record,
yet its biggest films had the shortest marketing
windows of the last five years, is a
strong sign that what studios are doing is
spot-on for today’s audiences.
SEPTEMBER 2019
95

TIMECODE
BY KENNETH JAMES BACON
“SOMETIMES YOU
JUST HAVE TO GIVE
THESE THINGS A
WHACK”
NAZIS, JUNKETS, AND A ONE-
HOUR PHONE CALL WITH THE
BIGGEST STAR IN THE WORLD
PART 9 OF OUR 12-PART DEEP DIVE
INTO THE BOXOFFICE ARCHIVES
HE’LL SEE YOU IN YOUR DREAMS
Robert Englund, Freddy Krueger
[Intro to Kris Turnquist’s April 1989 profile] The grey door
of the limousine swings open, propelled by a hand from
inside the car. “C’mon in,” says the voice of the man behind
the most terrifying creature currently stalking the screen.
But the hand that courteously opens the door is not the
razor-tipped extremity that fatally stabs the heroine of A
Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors. And the voice is
not the obscene cackle that taunts young victims with their
innermost fears.
Instead, Robert Englund, the veteran actor who has played
the maniacal Freddy Krueger in all three of the Nightmare
on Elm Street movies, is the soul of cordiality. Dashing from
one interview to another, he takes the time to stop at a Los
Angeles street-corner and pick up a reporter whose car has
conked out en route to a scheduled meeting with the star.
“Doughnut? Coffee?” he politely offers.
>> One of the perks of working for a movie magazine is the occasional
shoulder rubbing with all manner of celebrity. Most of the crew here at
Boxoffice has visited film sets—even I, who have no business visiting a film
set. Our editors speak to filmmakers all the time. Yet prior to going monthly
in September 1980, Boxoffice (now Pro) rarely interviewed the artists
who made the films through which exhibitors made their monthly nut. Even
so, my favorite interaction between filmmaker and Boxoffice Pro editor
occurred in early 1939.
German filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl chose perhaps the worst possible time
to travel to New York, then to Hollywood, to drum up distribution interest
in her 226-minute documentary about the Berlin Olympics, Olympia. It’s
a masterpiece, if you ignore all the Nazi bits. Upon arriving in New York,
she was stunned and surprised that she wasn’t welcomed by the filmmaking
community—or anybody at all—with accolades and awards. A quick trip to
Hollywood (where she claimed Walt Disney invited her to tour the studio—he
denied it) was not what she expected, and she left almost as soon as she arrived.
Returning to New York and after boarding the liner Hansa for home, she entertained
a few reporters, including Boxoffice’s Dave Golding (who described
her as “the not unattractive women who is reputed to be Adolph Hitler’s ‘girl
friend’”). As she signed photographs of herself, she said she resented her treatment
by the Hollywood Anti-Nazi League. She claimed that she was told that
if anyone talked to her, they would lose their job.
“Only the bad things you write,” she said. “Why don’t you write about the
good things?” Golding replied, “What do you expect me to write?” Boom.
Mic drop.
As Boxoffice morphed into a more showbizzy monthly, studios, filmmakers,
and artists became more available as they jockeyed for covers and coverage.
Our first cover story interview was with Jeannot Szwarc, director of the Christopher
Reeve vehicle Somewhere in Time, in the September 1980 issue (which
featured as its inside cover ad, the Marilyn Chambers XXX film Insatiable—
more about that another time). Through the years we have conducted exclusive
interviews with Arnold Schwarzenegger for Commando (associate editor Alan
Karp begins his November 1985 piece: “My only worry about interviewing
Arnold Schwarzenegger was the handshake. Would the Austrian Oak try to
impress your humble correspondent with the power of his grip?”), Tom Hanks,
who described his favorite snacks in the May 1995 issue (“The only real factor
[when deciding on a movie theater], the element which can truly alter your
perspective on your moviegoing experience, making it a positive one or a
negative one, is this question, this factor alone: do they have Red Vines or do
they have Twizzlers?”), and James Cameron in the March, 2014 edition (on his
documentary Deepsea Challenge, “If you have a social cause, you have to understand
people aren’t going to think about that as entertainment. That’s going to
be self-limiting because most people, when they go to the movies, just want to
have a good time.”)
Oh, and the title of this piece? When associate editor Kris Turnquist was
interviewing Oscar-winning visual effects icon Richard Edlund (Star Wars,
Ghostbusters) and the cassette recorder jammed, tech nerd Edlund gave it a
look, rapped it sharply on the table and said, “Sometimes you just have to give
these things a whack.”
96 SEPTEMBER 2019

JUST A BIT OUTSIDE
David S. Ward, writer/director of Major League
THE BIGGEST STAR IN THE WORLD CALLS BOXOFFICE
TOM CRUISE, THE LAST SAMURAI
by Christine James, Managing Editor, Boxoffice
[Opening excerpt from November 2013] “This is Tom Cruise,” says the iconically familiar
but cellphone-compromised voice on the line. This information is met with silence. “Hello?”
He queries to determine the continued presence of the call’s recipient.
“I’m writing down the message,” a Boxoffice editor explains of the pause, omitting a
spectrum of reactions such as thrill and incredulity that have also contributed to the delay
in response.
Cruise laughs and makes small talk: “What’s this 626 area code?” (Pasadena, California)
before relaying that he’ll try to reach this interviewer (who had not been aware of the
possibility of this unscheduled call) the next day.
This subsequently arranged appointment, which is a window of three hours, is preceded
by more than half a dozen situation-apprising calls from no less than three of Cruise’s
representatives, all of who try to narrow down the exact time the call will take place, in
one of Hollywood’s most shocking displays of consideration. Rehearsals and production
confabs keep running over, and by the evening his handlers say that we’ll have to try again
the next day and that “Tom apologizes profusely.” Yeah, right—Tom Cruise apologizes profusely.
But when Mr. Cruise (“Call me Tom”) is once again on the other end of the receiver
(another round of extended meetings and status-report calls later), what does he do but
apologize profusely? “I’m sure you have better things to do with your time,” he suggests
generously. Than wait around for Tom Cruise to call? If you say so. This reporter did have
a Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star review to write up and satirical fake news stories on the
Onion to catch up on …
[Note: I have listened to a recording of this interview; it is, indeed an hour]
[Excerpts from April 1989] “I think that the real problem
with most sports movies in the past is that they weren’t
very realistic. They weren’t shot well, and they were
made by people who didn’t know sports very well,” Ward
observes, sitting in a trendy Los Angeles cafe as he takes
a break from looping sessions on Major League. “And the
actors in those films were not good athletes—I’m sorry,
but Gary Cooper [in Pride of the Yankees] did not swing a
bat like Lou Gehrig. Moviegoers are fairly sophisticated,
and they have seen enough sports on television to know
what a good athlete looks like. [Sports movies] just never
had that ring of authenticity before.
“Being an Indians fan is a pretty frustrating devotion, because
since 1954 they have never won a pennant,* and
in the past 28 years they haven’t even finished within ten
games of first place,” Ward notes with a bemused smile.
“So it’s safe to say that they are the most futile team in
baseball over the past three decades. No other team can
match the sheer abundance of losses that the Indians
have piled up, but they’ve always maintained a spot in
my heart.
“It was very important to me to cast actors who were
good baseball players. If you can’t play baseball at all,
it’s not something that you can fake,” Ward says. “So
when I was casting, I’d take them outside and play
catch with them to see if they could throw and catch
the ball properly.
“Actors will not necessarily tell you the truth,” Ward
was shocked to discover. “I had guys coming in who
told me that they had played minor league or AAA ball,
and I’d take them outside and they couldn’t throw the
ball 35 feet.”
*The Indians have been to the World Series three times since this interview, but
have yet to win.
SEPTEMBER 2019
97

EVENT CINEMA CALENDAR
CINELIFE
ENTERTAINMENT
cinelifeentertainment.com
310-309-5774
IRIS: A SPACE OPERA BY JUSTICE
Tues. 9/10
Music
HALLOWEEN (1978)
Fri. 9/27-Thurs. 10/31
Classics
SNOOPY, COME HOME
Sun. 9/29, Thurs. 10/3, Sat. 10/5
Kids & Family
A NIGHT WITH JANIS JOPLIN
Tues. 11/5-Mon. 11/11
Theater
GAUGUIN FROM THE NATIONAL
GALLERY, LONDON
Tues. 1/21-Mon. 1/27 (U.S.
release)
Art
CINEMA LIVE
www.cinemalive.com
PLÁCIDO DOMINGO:
50TH ANNIVERSARY
GALA EVENING
Tues. 10/1
Opera
THE ROYAL EDINBURGH
MILITARY TATTOO 2019
Sun. 10/6 (Canada Only)
Music
BILLY CONNOLLY:
THE SEX LIFE OF BANDAGES
Thurs. 10/10
Comedy
NORTHERN BALLET: DRACULA LIVE
Thurs. 10/31
Ballet
FATHOM EVENTS
fathomevents.com
855-473-4612
MARGARET ATWOOD: LIVE IN
CINEMAS
Tues., 9/10
Live Event
YOU ARE HERE
Weds. 9/11
Documentary
BLINK OF AN EYE
Thurs. 9/12
Sports
EL NORTE 35TH ANNIVERSARY
Sun. 9/15
Classics
STAR TREK THE MOTION PICTURE
40TH ANNIVERSARY
Sun. 9/15, Weds. 9/18
Classics
THE GAME CHANGERS
Mon. 9/16
Documentary
BILLY CONNOLLY: THE SEX LIFE OF BANDAGES
ROB ZOMBIE’S 3 FROM HELL
Mon. 9/16, Tues. 9/17, & Weds. 9/18
Premiere
PROMARE
Tues. 9/17 (dub), Thurs. 9/19 (sub)
Anime
TCM BIG SCREEN CLASSICS:
THE SHAWSHANK
REDEMPTION 25TH
ANNIVERSARY
Sun. 9/22, Tues. 9/24,
Weds. 9/25
Classics
FRIENDS 25TH:
THE ONE WITH THE
ANNIVERSARY
Mon. 9/23, Sat. 9/28,
Weds. 10/2
Television
STUDIO GHIBLI FEST
2019: THE SECRET WORLD OF
ARRIETTY
Sun. 9/29 (dub), Mon. 9/30 (sub)
Anime
ELVIS UNLEASHED
Mon. 10/7, Thurs. 10/10
Music
THE MET: LIVE IN HD: TURANDOT
Sat. 10/12 (live), Weds. 10/16 (encore)
Opera
TCM BIG SCREEN CLASSICS:
ALIEN 40TH ANNIVERSARY
Sun. 10/13, Tues. 10/15, Weds. 10/16
Classics
JAY & SILENT BOB REBOOT
Tues. 10/15, Thurs. 10/17
Premieres
THE MET: LIVE IN HD: MANON
Sat. 10/26 (live), Weds. 10/30 (encore)
Opera
BOLSHOI BALLET: RAYMONDA
Sun. 10/27
Ballet
STUDIO GHIBLI FEST 2019: SPIRITED
AWAY
Sun. 10/27 (dub), Mon. 10/28 (sub), Weds.
10/30 (dub)
Anime
THE MET: LIVE IN HD: MADAMA
BUTTERFLY
Sat. 11/9 (live), Weds. 11/13 (encore), Sat.
11/16 (encore)
Opera
TCM BIG SCREEN CLASSICS: THE
GODFATHER PART II
Sun. 11/10, Tues. 11/12, Weds. 11/13
Classics
BOLSHOI BALLET: LE CORSAIRE
Sun. 11/17
Ballet
STUDIO GHIBLI FEST 2019: PRINCESS
MONONOKE
Sun. 11/17 (dub), Mon. 11/18 (sub), Weds.
11/20 (dub)
Anime
THE MET: LIVE IN HD: AKHNATEN
Sat. 11/23 (live), Weds. 12/4 (encore)
Opera
THE MET: LIVE IN HD: THE MAGIC
FLUTE HOLIDAY ENCORE
12/7/2019 only
Opera
TCM BIG SCREEN CLASSICS: WHEN
HARRY MET SALLY
Sun. 12/1, Tues. 12/3
Classics
TCM BIG SCREEN CLASSICS: MEET ME
IN ST. LOUIS
Sun. 12/8, Weds. 12/11
Classics
BOLSHOI BALLET: THE NUTCRACKER
Sun. 12/15
Ballet
STUDIO GHIBLI FEST 2019: THE TALE
OF THE PRINCESS KAGUYA
Mon. 12/16 (dub), Weds. 12/18 (sub)
Anime
THE MET: LIVE IN HD: WOZZECK
Sat. 1/11 (live), Weds. 1/15 (encore)
Opera
THE MET: LIVE IN HD: THE
GERSHWINS’ PORGY AND BESS
Sat. 2/1 (live), Weds. 2/5 (encore), Sat. 2/8
(encore)
Opera
THE MET: LIVE IN HD: AGRIPPINA
Sat. 2/29 (live), Weds. 3/4 (encore)
Opera
98 SEPTEMBER 2019

THE MET: LIVE IN HD:
DER FLIEGENDE
HOLLÄNDER
Sat. 3/14 (live), Weds.
3/18 (encore)
Opera
THE MET:
LIVE IN HD: TOSCA
Sat. 4/11 (live), Weds.
4/15 (encore), Sat. 4/18
(encore)
Opera
THE MET: LIVE IN HD:
MARIA STUARDA
Sat. 5/9 (live), Weds. 5/13 (encore)
Opera
MORE2SCREEN
www.more2screen.com
WISE CHILDREN
Thurs. 10/31
Theater
GAUGUIN FROM THE NATIONAL
GALLERY, LONDON
Tues. 10/15 (U.K./Ireland), Fri. 11/1 (Int’l)
Art
42ND STREET – THE MUSICAL
Sun. 11/10, Tues. 11/12 (U.K./Europe)
Musical
BERLINER PHILHARMONIKER LIVE
NEW YEAR’S EVE CONCERT
Tues. 12/31 (U.K./Republic of Ireland)
Music
KINKY BOOTS – THE MUSICAL
Tues. 2/4, Sun 4/9 (except North America)
Musical
JONAS KAUFMANN MY VIENNA
Tues., 2/11
Opera
BERLINER PHILHARMONIKER LIVE
SEASON FINALE CONCERT
Fri. 6/12 (U.K./Republic of Ireland)
Music
MYCINEMA
www.mycinema.live
RIGHT BEFORE YOUR EYES
Sun. 9/20
Premiere
COMING UP FOR AIR
Sun. 9/20
Premiere
THE FARE (DREAD CENTRAL)
Sun. 10/4
Horror
GAUGUIN FROM THE NATIONAL GALLERY, LONDON
CANDY CORN
(DREAD CENTRAL)
Sun. 10/11
Horror
LA OTRA PARTE
Sun. 10/11
Premiere
ARTIK (DREAD
CENTRAL)
Sun. 10/18
Horror
HOAX (DREAD CENTRAL)
Sun. 10/25
Horror
AMITYVILLE: A NEW GENERATION
Weds. 10/28
Horror
AMITYVILLE: IT’S ABOUT TIME
Thurs. 10/29
Horror
AMITYVILLE: THE EVIL ESCAPES
Fri. 10/30
Horror
MURDEROUS TRANCE
Fri. 11/1
Premiere
HARPOON
Fri. 11/1
Premiere
APOCALYPSE NOW: FINAL CUT,
VETERAN’S DAY
RE-RELEASE
Weds. 11/11
Classics
MAN’S BEST FRIEND, VETERAN’S DAY
Weds. 11/11
Premiere
LE CIRQUE ALIS
Tues.11/24
Arts
ROYAL OPERA
HOUSE
roh.org.uk/cinemas
cinema@roh.org.uk
DON GIOVANNI
Tues. 10/8
Opera
DON PASQUALE
Thurs. 10/24
Opera
CONCERTO/ENIGMA
VARIATIONS/RAYMONDA ACT III
Tues. 11/5
Ballet
COPPÉLIA
Tues. 12/10
Ballet
THE NUTCRACKER
Tues. 12/17
Ballet
THE SLEEPING BEAUTY
Thurs. 1/16
Ballet
LA BOHÈME
Weds. 1/29
Opera
NEW MARSTON / NEW SCARLETT
Tues. 2/25
Ballet
FIDELIO
Tues/ 3/17
Opera
SWAN LAKE
Weds. 4/1
Ballet
CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA / PAGLIACCI
Tues. 4/21
Opera
THE DANTE PROJECT
Thurs. 5/28
Ballet
ELEKTRA
Thurs. 6/18
Opera
MURDEROUS TRANCE
TRAFALGAR RELEASING
trafalgar-releasing.com
ROGER WATERS US + THEM
Fri. 10/2
Music
METALLICA AND SAN FRANCISCO
SYMPHONY: S&M²
Fri. 10/9
Music
BRANAGH THEATRE
LIVE: THE WINTER’S
TALE
Weds. 12/4
Theater
SEPTEMBER 2019
99

ON SCREEN BY KEVIN LALLY
WIDE RELEASES
ABOMINABLE
SEPT. 27 / UNIVERSAL
In the year’s second animated feature centered on a Yeti (the first was
Missing Link), a Shanghai teenager discovers one of the fabled creatures
on the roof of her apartment building and makes it her mission
to help reunite him with his family on Mount Everest. But a wealthy
hunter is on their trail. Jill Culton and Todd Wilderman directed.
VOICE CAST CHLOE BENNET, ALBERT TSAI, EDDIE IZZARD, SARAH
PAULSON, TENZING NORGAY TRAINOR, MICHELLE WONG RATING PG
RUNNING TIME 92 MIN.
JUDY
SEPT. 27 / ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS & LD
ENTERTAINMENT
Renée Zellweger (below) transforms into Judy Garland, as the legendary
performer embarks on a five-week engagement in London in
1968, one year before her death from an accidental overdose. Finn
Wittrock plays Mickey Deans, her soon-to-be fifth husband, in this
musical biopic from director Rupert Goold (True Story).
CAST RENÉE ZELLWEGER, FINN WITTROCK, RUFUS SEWELL, JESSIE
BUCKLEY, MICHAEL GAMBON, BELLA RAMSEY RATING PG-13 RUNNING
TIME 119 MIN.
RENÉE ZELLWEGER AS JUDY GARLAND IN JUDY
100 SEPTEMBER 2019

JOAQUIN PHOENIX IN JOKER
JOKER
OCT. 4 / WARNER BROS.
Director Todd Phillips (The Hangover) and co-writer Scott Silver
(8 Mile) delve into the origin story of one of the comic world’s
most iconic villains, already brought to memorable life by Jack
Nicholson and Heath Ledger. In this gritty version set in the
early 1980s, Joaquin Phoenix is Arthur Fleck, an outcast who
takes revenge on the society that has tossed him aside.
CAST JOAQUIN PHOENIX, ROBERT DE NIRO, ZAZIE BEETZ, FRANCES
CONROY, BILL CAMP, BRETT CULLEN, DOUGLAS HODGE, MARC
MARON, BRIAN TYREE HENRY, GLENN FLESHLER RATING R
RUNNING TIME 122 MIN.
THE CURRENT WAR
OCT. 4 LTD., OCT. 11 WIDE / 101 STUDIOS
Once a Weinstein Company release and finally arriving in theaters
after two years, this drama chronicles the intense competition
between two pioneering inventors: Thomas Edison and
George Westinghouse (assisted by the young Nikola Tesla). Both
seek to bring electricity to America, but Edison champions DC
technology while Westinghouse believes in the AC current. Cue
the song “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap.” Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
directed.
CAST BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH, MICHAEL SHANNON, NICHOLAS
HOULT, TOM HOLLAND, KATHERINE WATERSTON, TUPPENCE
MIDDLETON, MATTHEW MACFADYEN RATING PG-13 RUNNING
TIME 107 MIN.
BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH
AS THOMAS EDISON IN
THE CURRENT WAR
SEPTEMBER 2019
101

ON SCREEN
GEMINI MAN
OCT. 11 / PARAMOUNT
Director Ang Lee continues to explore
cutting-edge visual-effects technology with
this thriller about a suddenly unemployed
government assassin who is stalked by his
much younger clone. Will Smith plays both
roles, in one case de-aged to look like he
did in his Independence Day/Men in Black
prime. Select engagements will be in highframe-rate
3-D.
CAST WILL SMITH, MARY ELIZABETH
WINSTEAD, CLIVE OWEN, BENEDICT WONG,
DOUGLAS HODGE, LINDA EMOND RATING
PG-13 RUNNING TIME TBA
DIRECTOR ANG LEE WITH STAR WILL SMITH
THE ADDAMS FAMILY
OCT. 11 / UNITED ARTISTS
RELEASING
Charles Addams’s delightfully macabre
brood, stars of New Yorker cartoons, a
’60s TV series, and two ’90s hit films,
make their animated feature debut,
with a voice cast headed by Oscar Isaac
and Charlize Theron. Conrad Vernon
and Greg Tiernan, whose last collaboration
was Sausage Party, directed the
ghoulish antics.
VOICE CAST OSCAR ISAAC, CHARLIZE
THERON, CHLOË GRACE MORETZ,
ALLISON JANNEY, BETTE MIDLER, NICK
KROLL, FINN WOLFHARD, CATHERINE
O’HARA, MARTIN SHORT RATING PG
RUNNING TIME TBA
102 SEPTEMBER 2019

ON SCREEN
MICHELLE PFEIFFER AND ANGELINA JOLIE
MALEFICENT: MISTRESS OF EVIL
OCT. 18 / DISNEY
One of the great villains in the Disney canon was at the
center of a hit 2014 showcase for Angelina Jolie. This
sequel further explores the relationship between the formidable
fairy Maleficent and the princess she cursed (aka
Sleeping Beauty). Joachim Rønning directed.
CAST ANGELINA JOLIE, ELLE FANNING, MICHELLE PFEIFFER,
ED SKREIN, CHIWETEL EJIOFOR, SAM RILEY, HARRIS
DICKINSON, IMELDA STAUNTON, JUNO TEMPLE, LESLEY
MANVILLE RATING TBA RUNNING TIME TBA
EMMA STONE, WOODY HARRELSON, JESSE EISENBERG, AND ABIGAIL BRESLIN
ZOMBIELAND: DOUBLE TAP
OCT. 18 / SONY-COLUMBIA
In this sequel to the 2009 horror comedy Zombieland,
makeshift family members Columbus, Tallahassee, Wichita,
and Little Rock take to the road and encounter other
survivors of the zombie apocalypse. Ruben Fleischer
returns to direct.
CAST WOODY HARRELSON, JESSE EISENBERG, EMMA
STONE, ABIGAIL BRESLIN, ZOEY DEUTCH, ROSARIO
DAWSON, BILL MURRAY, LUKE WILSON, THOMAS
MIDDLEDITCH, DAN AYKROYD RATING TBA RUNNING
TIME TBA
104 SEPTEMBER 2019

ANTHROPOCENE:
THE HUMAN EPOCH
SEPT. 25 / KINO LORBER
The title is a proposed scientific term
for our current geological era, in which
human activity has become the dominant
influence on the climate and environment.
Filmmakers Jennifer Baichwal,
Nicholas de Pencier, and Edward Burtynsky
traveled to 20 countries on six
continents to document humans’ impact
on the planet. Alicia Vikander narrates.
RATING NOT RATED RUNNING TIME
87 MIN.
FIRST LOVE
SEPT. 27 / WELL GO USA ENTER-
TAINMENT
Prolific Japanese cult director Takeshi
Miike (Audition, Ichi the Killer) returns
with this boisterous tale taking place
during one night in Tokyo, as a boxer and
a call girl fall in love and get enmeshed in
a drug-smuggling caper.
LIMITED RELEASES
CAST MASATAKA KUBOTA, SHÔTA
SOMETANI, NAO OHMORI RATING TBA
RUNNING TIME 108 MIN.
LOW TIDE
OCT. 4 / A24
It’s summertime on the New Jersey shore,
where three teenage boys scrounge extra
cash by breaking into vacation homes
and stealing valuables. But trouble lies
ahead when one of them discovers a bag
of gold coins. Kevin McMullin wrote and
directed this indie thriller.
CAST KEEAN JOHNSON, JAEDEN MARTELL,
ALEX NEUSTAEDTER, DANIEL ZOLGHADRI,
KRISTINE FROSETH, SHEA WHIGHAM RAT-
ING R RUNNING TIME 86 MIN.
LUCY IN THE SKY
OCT. 4 / FOX SEARCHLIGHT
Debuting just two weeks after Brad Pitt’s
outer space adventure Ad Astra, Lucy in the
Sky stars Natalie Portman as an astronaut
whose perspective changes dramatically
following a life-altering experience. Noah
Hawley, the creative force behind FX’s
“Fargo” and “Legion” series, directed.
CAST NATALIE PORTMAN, JON HAMM, ZA-
ZIE BEETZ, DAN STEVENS, ELLEN BURSTYN,
PEARL AMANDA DICKSON, TIG NOTARO
RATING R RUNNING TIME TBa
PAIN AND GLORY
OCT. 4 / SONY PICTURES CLASSICS
Antonio Banderas won the Best Actor
prize at Cannes playing Salvador Mallo,
an aging, celebrated film director plagued
by physical ailments and a creative block.
Pedro Almodóvar’s drama interweaves
Mallo’s childhood memories with the
present, as he reunites with two important
men from his past.
CAST ANTONIO BANDERAS, ASIER ETXE-
ANDIA, LEONARDO SBARAGLIA, PENÉLOPE
CRUZ, NORA NAVAS, JULIETA SERRANO,
CÉSAR VICENTE, ASIER FLORES, CECILIA
ROTH RATING R RUNNING TIME
113 MIN.
SEPTEMBER 2019
105

ON SCREEN
JEXI
OCT. 11 / CBS FILMS & LIONSGATE
This comedy from the Hangover team
of Jon Lucas and Scott Moore imagines
what might happen if the A.I. assistant
on your phone got carried away with
making your life better. It all began with
HAL 9000 ...
CAST ADAM DEVINE, ROSE BYRNE, ALEXAN-
DRA SHIPP, WANDA SYKES, MICHAEL PEÑA,
RON FUNCHES, CHARLYNE YI, JUSTIN HART-
LEY RATING TBA RUNNING TIME TBA
PARASITE
OCT. 11 / NEON
Winner of the Palme d’Or at the 2019
Cannes Film Festival, the latest wild ride
from Korea’s Bong Joon-Ho (Okja, Snowpiercer)
follows a family of impoverished
grifters who insinuate themselves into the
lives and home of a wealthy businessman
and his wife. But there are surprises in
store they never expected.
CAST SONG KANG-HO, CHOI WOO-SHIK,
LEE SUN-KYUN, PARK SO-DAM, CHO YEO-
JEONG, LEE JUNG-EUN, CHANG HYAE-JIN
RATING TBA RUNNING TIME 132 MIN.
MISTER AMERICA
OCT. 11 / MAGNOLIA
Comedian Tim Heidecker (“Tim and
Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!”) plays
himself in this loopy satire of local politics.
After beating a murder rap for selling
faulty e-cigarettes at an EDM festival,
Heidecker decides to run against the San
Bernardino district attorney—and manages
to alienate his would-be constituents.
Eric Notarnicola directed.
CAST TIM HEIDECKER, GREGG TURKING-
TON, TERRI PARKS RATING R RUNNING
TIME TBA
SERENDIPITY
OCT. 18 / COHEN MEDIA GROUP
French artist Prune Nourry’s documentary
follows her own odyssey as she
turns her breast cancer diagnosis into
a personal project that reflects on her
treatment and the changes happening to
her body.
FEATURING PRUNE NOURRY RATING TBA
RUNNING TIME 74 MIN.
JOJO RABBIT
OCT. 18 / FOX SEARCHLIGHT
During World War II, a lonely German
boy discovers that his single mother is
hiding a Jewish girl in the attic. And
so he turns for advice to his imaginary
friend—Adolf Hitler. Director Taika
Waititi brought us the equally quirky
What We Do in the Shadows, Hunt for the
Wilderpeople, and Thor: Ragnarok—and
plays the comical Führer.
CAST ROMAN GRIFFIN DAVIS, SCARLETT
JOHANSSON, THOMASIN MCKENZIE, TAIKA
WAITITI, SAM ROCKWELL RATING PG-13
RUNNING TIME 108 MIN.
106 SEPTEMBER 2019

BOOKING GUIDE
A24
646-568-6015
THE DEATH OF DICK LONG
Fri, 9/27/19 LTD
C Michael Abbott Jr.,
Virginia Newcomb
D Daniel Scheinert
R · Com/SF
LOW TIDE
Fri, 10/4/19 LTD
C Keean Johnson,
Alex Neustaedter
D Kevin McMullin
NR · Dra
THE LIGHTHOUSE
Fri, 10/18/19 LTD
C Willem Dafoe, Robert Pattinson
D Robert Eggers
NR · Dra/Thr
THE KILL TEAM
Fri, 10/25/19 LTD
C Nat Wolff, Alexander Skarsgård
D Dan Krauss
R · Act/Dra/Thr
WAVES
Fri, 11/1/19 LTD
C Sterling K Brown,
Kelvin Harrison Jr,
D Trey Edward Shults
NR · Dra
IN FABRIC
Fri, 12/6/19 LTD
C Marianne Jean-Baptiste,
Gwendoline Christie
D Peter Strickland
R · Com/Hor
UNCUT GEMS
Fri, 12/13/19 LTD
C Adam Sandler, LaKeith Stanfield
D Josh Safdie, Benny Safdie
NR · Com
ABRAMORAMA
914-741-1818
K-12
Thur, 9/5/19 LTD
C Maggie Budzyna, Kendy Cruz
D Melanie Martinez
NR · Thr
CRACKED UP
Thur, 9/13/19 LTD
C Darrell Hammond
D Michelle Esrick
NR
AMAZON STUDIOS
310-573-0652
brian.flanagan@amazonstudios.com
HONEY BOY
Fri, 11/8/19 LTD
C Shia LaBeouf, Noah Jupe
D Alma Har’el
R · Dra · Dolby Vis/Atmos
THE REPORT
Fri, 11/15/19 LTD
C Adam Driver, Annette Bening
D Scott Z. Burns
R · Thr
THE AERONAUTS
Fri, 12/6/19 LTD
C Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones
D Tom Harper
R · Act/Adv
DISNEY
818-560-1000
Ask for Distribution
MALEFICENT:
MISTRESS OF EVIL
Fri, 10/18/19 WIDE
C Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning
D Joachim Rønning
NR · Fan · IMAX/Dolby Vis/Atmos
FROZEN 2
Wed, 11/22/19 WIDE
C Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell
D Jennifer Lee, Chris Buck
NR · Ani
3D/ Dolby Vis/Atmos
STAR WARS:
THE RISE OF SKYWALKER
Fri, 12/20/19 WIDE
C Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver
D J.J. Abrams
NR · Act/Adv/SF
3D/IMAX/Dolby Vis/Atmos
ONWARD
Fri, 3/6/20 WIDE
C Chris Pratt, Tom Holland
D Dan Scanlon
NR · Ani · 3D
MULAN
Fri, 3/27/20 WIDE
C Yifei Liu, Donnie Yen
D Niki Caro
NR · Fan/Act/Adv · 3D/IMAX
BLACK WIDOW
Fri, 5/1/20 WIDE
NR · 3D
ARTEMIS FOWL
Fri, 5/29/20 WIDE
C Ferdia Shaw, Josh Gad
D Kenneth Branagh
NR · Fan · 3D
SOUL
Fri, 6/19/20 WIDE
D Pete Docter
NR · Ani · 3D
JUNGLE CRUISE
Fri, 7/24/20 WIDE
C Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt
D Jaume Collet-Serra
NR · Act/Adv
THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN
Fri, 8/14/20 WIDE
NR
ENTERTAINMENT
STUDIOS MOTION
PICTURES
310-277-3500
Ask for Distribution
THE WEDDING YEAR
Fri, 9/20/19 WIDE
C Sarah Hyland,
Tyler James Williams
D Robert Luketic
R · Rom/Com
ARCTIC DOGS
Fri, 11/8/19 WIDE
C Jeremy Renner, James Franco
D Aaron Woodley
PG · Ani
ALL RISE
Fri, 11/15/19 WIDE
C Jennifer Hudson,
Kelvin Harrison Jr.
D Anthony Mandler
R · Dra
FOCUS FEATURES
424-214-636
DOWNTON ABBEY
Fri, 9/20/19 WIDE
C Hugh Bonneville,
Laura Carmichael
D Michael Engler
PG · Dra · Dolby Vis/Atmos
HARRIET
Fri, 11/1/19 WIDE
C Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Odom Jr.
D Kasi Lemmons
NR · Dra/Bio/His
FOX
310-369-1000
212-556-2400
AD ASTRA
Fri, 9/20/19 WIDE
C Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones
D James Gray
PG-13 · SF/Thr
IMAX/Dolby Atmos
FORD v. FERRARI
Fri, 11/15/19 WIDE
C Matt Damon, Christian Bale
D James Mangold
NR · Dra · IMAX
SPIES IN DISGUISE
Wed, 12/25/19 WIDE
C Will Smith, Tom Holland
D Nick Bruno, Troy Quane
NR · Ani
UNDERWATER
Fri, 1/10/20 WIDE
C Kristen Stewart, T.J. Miller
D William Eubank
NR · Act
THE KING’S MAN
Fri, 2/14/20 WIDE
C Ralph Fiennes,
Gemma Arterton
D Matthew Vaughn
NR · Act/Adv
CALL OF THE WILD
Fri, 2/21/20 WIDE
NR · Dra
THE NEW MUTANTS
Fri, 4/3/20 WIDE
C Anya Taylor-Joy, Maisie Williams
D Josh Boone
NR · Act/Hor/SF
Dolby Vis/Atmos
THE WOMAN IN
THE WINDOW
Fri, 5/15/20 WIDE
C Amy Adams, Gary Oldman
D Joe Wright
NR · Cri/Dra/Mys
FREE GUY
Fri, 7/3/20 WIDE
C Ryan Reynolds
D Shawn Levy
NR · Com/Act
SEPTEMBER 2019
107

BOOKING GUIDE
FOX SEARCHLIGHT
212-556-2400
LUCY IN THE SKY
Fri, 10/4/19 WIDE
C Natalie Portman, Jon Hamm
D Noah Hawley
R · SF
JOJO RABBIT
Fri, 10/18/19 WIDE
C Roman Griffin Davis,
Thomasin McKenzie
D Taika Waititi
NR · Com
A HIDDEN LIFE
Fri, 12/13/19 WIDE
C August Diehl, Valerie Pachner
D Terrence Malick
PG-13 · Dra/War
GREENWICH
ENTERTAINMENT
LINDA RONSTADT:
THE SOUND OF MY VOICE
Fri, 9/6/19 LTD
C Linda Ronstadt
D Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman
PG-13 · Doc
GUNPOWDER & SKY
kg@gunpowdersky.com
VILLAINS
Fri, 9/20/19 LTD
C Bill Skarsgård, Maika Monroe
D Dan Berk, Robert Olsen
R · Thr/Com
IFC FILMS
bookings@ifcfilms.com
DEPRAVED
Fri, 9/13/19 LTD
C David Call, Joshua Leonard
D Larry Fessenden
NR · Hor
THE SOUND OF SILENCE
Fri, 9/13/19 LTD
C Peter Sarsgaard, Rashida Jones
D Michael Tyburski
NR · Dra
LORO
Fri, 9/20/19 LTD
C Toni Servillo, Elena Sofia Ricci
D Paolo Sorrentino
NR · Dra/Bio
THE DAY SHALL COME
Fri, 9/27/19 LTD
C Marchánt Davis, Anna Kendrick
D Chris Morris
NR · Com
GREENER GRASS
Fri, 10/18/19 LTD
C Jocelyn DeBoer, Dawn Luebbe
D Jocelyn DeBoer, Dawn Luebbe
NR · Com
KINO LORBER
CHAINED FOR LIFE
Wed, 9/11/19 LTD
C Jess Weixler, Adam Pearson
D Aaron Schimberg
NR · Com
ANTHROPOCENE:
THE HUMAN EPOCH
Wed, 9/25/19 LTD
C Alicia Vikander
D Jennifer Baichwal, Nicholas de
Pencier, Edward Burtynsky
NR · Doc
LIONSGATE
310-309-8400
RAMBO: LAST BLOOD
Fri, 9/20/19 WIDE
C Sylvester Stallone, Paz Vega
D Adrian Grunberg
R · Act
JEXI
Fri, 10/11/19 WIDE
C Adam DeVine, Rose Byrne
D Jon Lucas, Scott Moore
NR · Com
MIDWAY
Fri, 11/8/19 WIDE
C Woody Harrelson, Patrick Wilson
D Roland Emmerich
NR · Act/Dra/War
KNIVES OUT
Fri, 11/27/19 WIDE
C Daniel Craig, Chris Evans
D Rian Johnson
NR · Dra/Sus
BOMBSHELL
Fri, 12/20/19 WIDE
C Charlize Theron, Margot Robbie
D Jay Roach
NR · Dra/Bio
RUN
Fri, 1/24/20 WIDE
C Sarah Paulson, Kiera Allen
D Aneesh Chaganty
NR · Sus
LAS PILDORAS DE MI NOVIO
Fri, 2/21/20 WIDE
C Jaime Camil, Sandra Echeverría
D Diego Kaplan
NR · Com
I STILL BELIEVE
Fri, 3/20/20 WIDE
C K.J. Apa, Gary Sinise
D Jon Erwin, Andrew Erwin
NR · Dra
UNTITLED JANELLE MONÁE
FILM
Fri, 4/24/20 WIDE
C Janelle Monáe
D Gerard Bush, Christopher Renz
NR
UNTITLED SAW FILM
Fri, 5/15/20 WIDE
C Chris Rock, Samuel L. Jackson
D Darren Lynn Bousman
NR · Hor
BARB AND STAR GO TO
VISTA DEL MAR
Fri, 7/31/20 WIDE
C Kristen Wiig, Annie Mumolo
D Josh Greenbaum
NR · Com
MAGNOLIA PICTURES
212-379-9704
Neal Block
nblock@magpictures.com
MISTER AMERICA
Fri, 10/11/19 LTD.
C Tim Heidecker,
Gregg Turkington
D Eric Notarnicola
R · Com
CUNNINGHAM 3D
Fri, 10/11/19 LTD.
D Alla Kovgan
NR · Doc
MYCINEMA
480-430-7017
ZEROVILLE
Fri, 9/20/19 LTD.
C James Franco, Megan Fox
D James Franco
NR · Com/Dra
COMING UP FOR AIR
Fri, 9/20/19 LTD.
C Deborah Staples, Chase Yi
D Robert Cicchini
NR · Dra/Fam
RIGHT BEFORE YOUR EYES
Fri, 9/20/19 LTD.
C Brian O’Halloran,
Brian Anthony Wilson
D David Vincent Bobb
NR · Dra
AMITYVILLE:
A NEW GENERATION
Fri, 10/28/19 LTD.
C Ross Partridge, Julia Nickson
D John Murlowski
R · Hor
AMITYVILLE:
IT’S ABOUT TIME
Fri, 10/28/19 LTD.
C Stephen Macht,
Shawn Weatherly
D Tony Randel
R · Hor
AMITYVILLE:
THE EVIL ESCAPES
Fri, 10/28/19 LTD.
C Patty Duke, Jane Wyatt
D Sandor Stern
NR · Hor
NEON
hal@neonrated.com
MONOS
Fri, 9/13/19 LTD.
C Julianne Nicholson, Moisés Arias
D Alejandro Landes
R · Thr/Dra
PARASITE
Fri, 10/11/19 LTD.
C Song Kang-ho, Chang Hyae-jin
D Bong Joon Ho
NR · Com/Dra/Thr
THE LODGE
Fri, 11/15/19 LTD.
C Riley Keough, Richard Armitage
D Severin Fiala, Veronika Franz
NR · Hor
PORTRAIT OF A LADY
ON FIRE
Fri, 12/6/19 LTD.
C Noémie Merlant, Adèle Haenel
D Céline Sciamma
NR · Dra/Rom
CLEMENCY
Fri, 12/27/19 LTD.
C Alfre Woodard, Aldis Hodge
D Chinoye Chukwu
NR · Dra
108 SEPTEMBER 2019

1091
Richard Matson
323-540-5476
rmatson@theorchard.com
SISTER AIMEE
Fri, 9/27/19 LTD.
C Anna Margaret
Hollyman, Michael Mosley
D Samantha Buck,
Marie Schlingmann
NR · Dra
MIDNIGHT FAMILY
Fri, 11/15/19 LTD.
D Luke Lorentzen
NR · Doc
OSCILLOSCOPE
LABORATORIES
212-219-4029
MS. PURPLE
Fri, 9/6/19 LTD
C Tiffany Chu, Teddy Lee
D Justin Chon
NR · Dra
MIDNIGHT TRAVELER
Fri, 9/18/19 LTD
D Hassan Fazili
NR · Doc
PARAMOUNT
323-956-5000
GEMINI MAN
Fri, 10/11/19 WIDE
C Will Smith,
Mary Elizabeth Winstead
D Ang Lee
PG-13 · Act/Thr
IMAX/Dolby Vis/Atmos
TERMINATOR: DARK FATE
Fri, 11/1/19 WIDE
C Arnold Schwarzenegger,
Linda Hamilton
D Tim Miller
NR · Act/SF
Dolby Vis/Atmos · IMAX
PLAYING WITH FIRE
Fri, 11/8/19 WIDE
C John Cena, Keegan-Michael Key
D Andy Fickman
NR · Com
LIKE A BOSS
Fri, 1/10/20 WIDE
C Tiffany Haddish, Rose Byrne
D Miguel Arteta
NR · Com
THE RHYTHM SECTION
Fri, 1/31/20 WIDE
C Blake Lively
D Reed Morano
NR · Thr
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG
Fri, 2/14/20 WIDE
C Ben Schwartz, Jim Carrey
D Jeff Fowler
NR · Ani/Adv/Com
MONSTER PROBLEMS
Fri, 3/6/20 WIDE
NR · Adv
A QUIET PLACE PART II
Fri, 3/20/20 WIDE
NR · Hor/Thr
THE LOVEBIRDS
Fri, 4/3/20 WIDE
NR · Rom/Com
THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE
Fri, 5/22/20 WIDE
NR · Ani
TOP GUN: MAVERICK
Fri, 6/26/20 WIDE
C Tom Cruise, Miles Teller
D Joseph Kosinski
NR · Act/Adv
RUMBLE
Fri, 7/31/20 WIDE
NR · Ani
INFINITE
Fri, 8/7/20 WIDE
NR · SF
SPELL
Fri, 8/28/20 WIDE
NR · Hor/Thr
ROADSIDE
ATTRACTIONS
323-882-8490
JUDY
Fri, 9/27/19 WIDE
C Renee Zellweger
D Rupert Goold
PG-13 · Bio · Dolby Atmos
THE LAST FULL MEASURE
Fri, 10/25/19 WIDE
Dolby Stereo
SAMUEL GOLDWYN
FILMS
SUPER SIZE ME 2:
HOLY CHICKEN!
Fri, 9/13/19 WIDE
D Morgan Spurlock
NR · Doc
PARADISE HILLS
Fri, 11/1/19 LTD
C Emma Roberts,
Danielle Macdonald
D Alice Waddington
NR · Dan/SF/Thr
SONY
212-833-8500
ZOMBIELAND: DOUBLE TAP
Fri, 10/18/19 WIDE
C Emma Stone, Woody Harrelson
D Ruben Fleischer
NR · Act/Hor/Com
Dolby Vis/Atmos
BLACK AND BLUE
Fri, 10/25/19 WIDE
C Naomie Harris, Tyrese Gibson
D Deon Taylor
NR · Act/Cri
CHARLIE’S ANGELS
Fri, 11/15/19 WIDE
C Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott
D Elizabeth Banks
NR · Act/Com
Dolby Vis/Atmos
A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN
THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Fri, 11/22/19 WIDE
C Tom Hanks
D Marielle Heller
NR · Dra
JUMANJI: THE NEXT LEVEL
Fri, 12/13/19 WIDE
C Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black
D Jake Kasdan
NR · Com/Act/Adv
IMAX/Dolby Vis/Atmos
LITTLE WOMEN
Fri, 12/25/19 WIDE
C Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson
D Greta Gerwig
PG · Dra
GRUDGE
Fri, 1/3/20 WIDE
D Nicolas Pesce
NR · Hor
MILLER/LORD PRODUCED
SPA MOVIE
Fri, 1/10/20 WIDE
NR · Ani
BAD BOYS FOR LIFE
Fri, 1/17/20 WIDE
NR · Act
PETER RABBIT 2
Fri, 2/7/20 WIDE
NR · Ani
BLUMHOUSE FANTASY
ISLAND HORROR
Fri, 2/14/20 WIDE
D Jeff Wadlow
NR · Hor
BLOODSHOT
Fri, 2/21/20 WIDE
NR · Act · Dolby Atmos
UNTITLED SPA ANIMATED
FRANCHISE
Fri, 4/3/20 WIDE
NR · Ani
FATHERHOOD
Fri, 4/3/20 WIDE
C Kevin Hart, Melody Hurd
D Pail Weitz
NR · Dra
UNTITLED AFFIRM FILMS
COACH PROJECT
Fri, 4/10/20 WIDE
NR
GREYHOUND
Fri, 5/8/20 WIDE
C Tom Hanks
D Aaron Schneider
NR · Dra/War
GHOSTBUSTERS 2020
Fri, 7/10/20 WIDE
C Paul Rudd
NR · Hor/Com/SF
UNTITLED SONY ANIMATION
FILM
Fri, 7/24/20 WIDE
NR · Ani
SONY/MARVEL MORBIUS
Fri, 7/31/20 WIDE
NR · Act/Thr/SF
ESCAPE ROOM 2
Fri, 8/14/20 WIDE
NR · Hor/Thr
SEPTEMBER 2019
109

BOOKING GUIDE
CATS
Fri, 12/20/19 WIDE
C James Corden, Judi Dench
D Tom Hooper
NR · Mus
1917
Fri, 12/25/19 WIDE
C George McKay,
Dean-Charles Chapman
D Sam Mendes
NR · Dra/War
UNIVERSAL
CATS
DEC. 20, 2019
TAYLOR SWIFT
UNTITLED BLUMHOUSE
PRODUCTIONS
Fri, 1/3/20 WIDE
NR · Hor
SONY PICTURES
CLASSICS
Tom Prassis
212-833-4981
WHERE’S MY ROY COHN?
Fri, 9/20/19 LTD
D Matt Tyrnauer
NR · Doc
PAIN AND GLORY
Fri, 10/4/19 LTD
C Antonio Banderas,
Penélope Cruz
D Pedro Almodóvar
R · Dra
FRANKIE
Fri, 10/25/19 LTD
C Marisa Tomei, Brendan Gleeson
D Ira Sachs
NR · Dra
STX ENTERTAINMENT
310-742-2300
HUSTLERS
Fri, 9/13/19 WIDE
C Constance Wu, Jennifer Lopez
D Lorene Scafaria
R · Dra
THE COUNTDOWN
Fri, 10/25/19 WIDE
C Elizabeth Lail, Anne Winters
D Justin Dec
NR · Hor
21 BRIDGES
Fri, 11/22/19 WIDE
C Chadwick Boseman
D Brian Kirk
NR · Cri/Thr/Act
PLAYMOBILE: THE MOVIE
Fri, 12/6/19 WIDE
C Daniel Radcliffe, Jim Gaffigan
D Lino DiSalvo
NR · Ani
BRAHMS: THE BOY II
Fri, 12/6/19 WIDE
C Katie Holmes
NR · Hor/Thr
MY SPY
Fri, 1/10/19 WIDE
C Dave Bautista, Kristen Schaal
D Peter Segal
PG-13 · Com
THE GENTLEMEN
Fri, 1/24/19 WIDE
NR
UNCORK’D
ENTERTAINMENT
SEEDS
Fri, 9/24/19 LTD
C Trevor Long, Andrea Chen
D Owen Long
NR · Hor
UNITED ARTISTS
RELEASING
310-724-5678
Ask for Distribution
THE ADDAMS FAMILY
Fri, 10/11/19 WIDE
C Oscar Isaac, Charlize Theron
D Conrad Vernon
PG · Ani · Dolby Vis/Atmos
BAD TRIP
Fri, 10/25/19 WIDE
C Eric André, Lil Rel Howery
D Kitao Sakurai
NR · Com
NO TIME TO DIE
Fri, 4/8/20 WIDE
C Daniel Craig, Rami Malek
D Cary Joji Fukunaga
NR · Act/Thr
LEGALLY BLONDE 3
Fri, 5/8/20 WIDE
C Reese Witherspoon
NR · Com
BILL & TED FACE THE MUSIC
Fri, 8/21/20 WIDE
C Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter
D Dean Parisot
NR · Com/Adv
UNIVERSAL
818-777-1000
ABOMINABLE
Fri, 9/27/19 WIDE
C Chloe Bennet
D Jill Culton
NR · Ani · 3D/Dolby Atmos
LAST CHRISTMAS
Fri, 11/8/19 WIDE
C Emilia Clarke, Henry Golding
D Paul Feig
PG-13 · Rom/Com
QUEEN & SLIM
Fri, 11/27/19 WIDE
C Daniel Kaluuya,
Jodie Turner-Smith
D Melina Matsoukas
NR · Dra/Rom
BLACK CHRISTMAS
Fri, 12/13/19 WIDE
C Imogen Poots, Aleyse Shannon
D Sophia Takal
NR · Hor
THE VOYAGE OF DOCTOR
DOLITTLE
Fri, 1/17/20 WIDE
C Robert Downey Jr.,
Ralph Fiennes
D Stephen Gaghan
NR · Com
Dolby Vis/Atmos
THE TURNING
Fri, 1/24/20 WIDE
C Mackenzie Davis, Finn Wolfhard
D Floria Sigismondi
PG-13 · Thr
THE PHOTOGRAPH
Fri, 2/14/20 WIDE
C Issa Rae, Lakeith Stanfield
D Stella Meghie
NR · Rom
THE INVISIBLE MAN
Fri, 2/28/20 WIDE
C Elisabeth Moss, Storm Reid
D Leigh Whannell
NR · Hor
TROLLS WORLD TOUR
Fri, 4/17/20 WIDE
C Anna Kendrick
Justin Timberlake
D Walt Dohrn
NR · Ani
FAST & FURIOUS 9
Fri, 5/22/20 WIDE
C Vin Diesel, Charlize Theron
D Justin Lin
NR · Act/Adv
CANDYMAN
Fri, 6/12/20 WIDE
D Nia DaCosta
NR · Hor
110 SEPTEMBER 2019

UNTITLED JUDD APATOW/
PETE DAVIDSON COMEDY
Fri, 6/19/20 WIDE
D Judd Apatow
NR · Com
MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU
Fri, 7/3/20 WIDE
NR · Ani
UNTITLED NEXT PURGE
CHAPTER
Fri, 7/10/20 WIDE
NR · Hor
WARNER BROS.
818-977-1850
IT CHAPTER TWO
Fri, 9/6/19 WIDE
C James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain
D Andy Muschietti
R · Hor · IMAX/Dolby Vis/Atmos
THE GOLDFINCH
Fri, 9/13/19 WIDE
C Ansel Elgort, Nicole Kidman
D John Crowley
R · Dra
JOKER
Fri, 10/4/19 WIDE
C Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro
D Todd Phillips
R · Act · IMAX/Dolby Vis/Atmos
MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN
Fri, 11/1/19 WIDE
C Edward Norton, Bruce Willis
D Edward Norton
R · Dra
DOCTOR SLEEP
Fri, 11/8/19 WIDE
C Ewan McGregor,
Rebecca Ferguson
D Mike Flanagan
R · Hor
THE GOOD LIAR
Fri, 11/15/19 WIDE
C Ian McKellen, Helen Mirren
D Bill Condon
NR · Dra
SUPERINTELLIGENCE
Fri, 12/20/19 WIDE
C Melissa McCarthy,
Bobby Cannavale
D Ben Falcone
PG · Act/Com
JUST MERCY
Fri, 12/25/19 LTD
C Brie Larson, Michael B. Jordan
D Destin Daniel Cretton
PG-13 · Dra
BIRDS OF PREY
Fri, 2/7/20 WIDE
C Margot Robbie,
Mary Elizabeth Winstead
D Cathy Yan
NR · Act/Adv
THE WAY BACK
Fri, 3/6/20 WIDE
NR
GODZILLA VS KONG
Fri, 3/13/20 WIDE
NR · SF/Act
UNTITLED DC FILM
Fri, 4/3/20 WIDE
NR · Act/Adv/SF
SCOOBY-DOO ANIMATED
FEATURE
Fri, 5/15/20 WIDE
NR · Com
WONDER WOMAN 1984
Fri, 6/5/20 WIDE
C Gal Gadot, Kristen Wiig
D Patty Jenkins
NR · Act/Adv/Fan
IMAX/3D
IN THE HEIGHTS
Fri, 6/26/20 WIDE
NR · Mus/Rom/Dra
TENET
Fri, 7/17/20 WIDE
Christopher Nolan
NR
CONJURING 3
Fri, 9/11/20 WIDE
NR · Hor
WELL GO USA
ENTERTAINMENT
FREAKS
Fri, 9/13/19 LTD
C Emile Hirsch, Bruce Dern
D Zach Lipovsky, Adam B. Stein
R · SF/Thr
FIRST LOVE
Fri, 9/27/19 LTD
C Masataka Kubota, Nao Omori
D Takashi Miike
NR · Act/Dra/Cri
OUR SPONSORS
Barco / Cinionic 3
Before the Movie
COVER FLAP, Back Cover A
The Boxoffice Company 10–11, 43, 79
Bright Star Systems 39
Cardinal Sound 112
The Coca-Cola Company 71
C. Cretors and Company 77
Dolphin Seating 87
Encore Performance Seating
Back Cover B
Enpar 106
FilmExpo 55
Geneva Convention 41
Gold Medal Products 23
HA Los Mares 53
Harkness Screens 9
Irwin Seating 15
LightSpeedDepth Q 112
Marcus Theatres 67
MOC Insurance 5
National CineMedia 33
Omniterm 51
Paradigm Design 49
Proctor Companies 17
Promotion in Motion 19
QSC 1
Ready Theatre Systems 17
Retriever Software 75
Screenvision Media
69, Inside front cover
Sensible Cinema 112
Sonic Equipment 13
Spotlight Cinema Networks 27
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital 103
Stadium Savers 37
Talisman Mills 21
Telescopic Seating Systems
Inside front cover
Ushio 7
Variety of Wisconsin 57
VIP Cinema Seating 65
SEPTEMBER 2019
111

MARKETPLACE
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for 3D Digital Cinema
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expanding Digital Cinema group. Seeking
minimum 8 years’ experience within hi-tech,
cinema or Pro A/V industry to drive strategic
growth. Field-based, travel throughout US
& Canada required. Apply: www.necdisplay.
com/careers
FOR SALE
VINTAGE TWO-SCREEN MOVIE THEATER,
484 seats with the iconic marquee characteristic
of old movie theaters with updated
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Serious inquiries only. For a Powerpoint
presentation and equipment list, email to
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HISTORIC CENTRAL ILLINOIS, 5-SCREEN
MOVIE THEATER. Many upgrades including
digital projection and new seats. Free municipal
and theater-owned parking. Serious
inquires contact Peter (217) 652-9700.
USED DIGITAL PROJECTORS AND SOUND
EQUIPMENT. 3 Solaria One Plus projectors
with NAS and projector base. 14 JBL stage
speakers, 12 JBL surround speakers. Processors
and monitors. Contact: boothmw@
chakerestheatres.com or call Mark at (937)
323-6447.
USED DIGITAL PROJECTORS, Five complete
booths including sound equipment. Three
years old. Contact seller at moviescope1000@
gmail.com.
BISTRO CHAIRS FOR SALE: (392) Red vinyl
and (328) gray vinyl seven year old Seating
Concepts Palermo style in-theatre bistro
chairs to be available in early Spring 2018. All
chairs equipped with tray tables. Some of
the seats will require covers/repairs. Please
contact mhooker@aztcorporation.com or
972-428-2943 for more information.
TWO BRAND NEW 3000 watts Christie Xenon
lamps for 35mm projectors. Contact: Atul
Desai 949-291-5700.
PREFERRED SEATING COMPANY, your
source for new, used and refurbished theater
and stadium seating. Buying and selling
used seating is our specialty. Call toll-free
866-922-0226 or visit our website www.‐preferred-seating.com.
18 SETS OF USED 35MM AUTOMATED
PROJECTION SYSTEM (comes with Projector,
Console, Automation Unit and Platter)
comprising of 10 sets of Christie and 8 sets
of Strong 35mm system available on ‘as is
where is’ basis in Singapore. Contact seller at
engthye_lim@cathay.com.sg
APPROXIMATELY 2,000 SEATS FOR SALE.
MOBILIARIO high-back rockers with cup
holders. Located in Connecticut. Contact
(203)758-2148.
6 PLEX EQUIPMENT PACKAGE. Six complete
booths digital projectors/sound, 72 speakers,
seats, screens/frames, concession equipment,
computers, led signs/marquees, safe/
misc equipment. Serious inquiries only. For
equipment list email contact@digitalequipmenttechnologies.com
or call 801-548-0108
or fax 801-281-0482.
www.depthq3d.com
CLASSIC GEM FOR SALE. Tiny, hand-made
storefront arts cinema, 99 seats, in historic
seaside community north of Boston. Ongoing
37 years. Profitable. Remarkable community
support. Original owners getting old. Contact
portmovies@aol.com
BE READY FOR YOUR NEXT DRIVE-IN OR
OPEN AIR CINEMA EVENT! Used inflatable
screens from 5m (16ft) to 27m (88ft) width for
sale. Contact Mr. Alexander Thye, info@moviescreens-technologies.com.
HELP WANTED
TRI STATE THEATRE SUPPLY in Memphis, TN
has openings for experienced Digital Cinema
Techs nationwide. Please send your resume to
include qualifications, certifications and salary
requirements to fred@tristatetheatre.com
THEATRE MANAGEMENT POSITIONS
AVAILABLE Pacific Northwest Theatre Company.
Previous management experience
required. Work weekends, evenings and
holidays. Send resume and salary history to
movietheatrejobs@gmail.com
POSITIONS AVAILABLE
The three-screen Stavros Niarchos Foundation
Parkway Film Center in Baltimore is seeking
an OPERATIONS DIRECTOR to oversee
all aspects of running the theater and concessions.
The Film Center, a partnership among
the Maryland Film Festival, Johns Hopkins
University and MICA will open in spring of
2017 and offer a broad range of the world’s
best art-house, independent, documentary,
and classic cinema. The full job description
and application instructions are found at mdfilmfest.com/about-the-festival/jobs.php.
112 SEPTEMBER 2019

CLASSIC AD FROM FEBRUARY 12, 1955