Boxoffice Pro - August 2023

$6.95 / August 2023
CONCESSIONS
IN 2023
Exhibitors Innovate in the World of F&B
The Official Magazine of the National Association of Theatre Owners

August 2023
Wide Releases 64 Long-range Forecast 70 Event Cinema Calender 74
INDUSTRY
CONTENTS
50
Precious Mettle
Director Guy Nattiv Brings
the Iron Lady of Israel to
the Big Screen in Golda
12
The Value of a Movie Ticket
What Drives Consumers to
Big-Screen Entertainment?
28
Finding a Balance
38
Rhapsody in Blue
“Look What Pandemic-Era beyond the bag or bucket Director and Angel you’ll Manuel find Soto the
Concessions
world of
Sales
popcorn
Can Teach
is surprisingly
Finally Gets His
complex”
Shot at the
Us About Customer Behavior Big Screen with Warner Bros.’
Everything about Popcorn–p72
Superhero Caper Blue Beetle
44
Raising Shell
Director Jeff Rowe Brings
Passion and Nostalgia to
Teenage Mutant Ninja
Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
Nov/Dec 2022
01

CONTENTS
INDUSTRY THEATER ON SCREEN
8
9
12
18
NATO
Hollywood’s Five Key Takeaways
from the Box Office Year to Date
Charity Spotlight
A Recap of Industry-Wide Charity
Initiatives
The Value of a Movie Ticket
What Drives Consumers to Big-Screen
Entertainment?
Indie Influencers
Marketing Magic: Branding Helps
Cinemas Stand Out from the Pack
“The new in-house
custom-built app with
food and beverage (F&B)
ordering capabilities plays
a significant role within
Cinergy’s digital strategy.”
Boost: Cinergy
Entertainment, p. 18
24
28
30
32
Concessions & Entertainment
Guide
The Latest Concessions Products and
Technologies
Finding a Balance
What Pandemic-Era Concessions
Sales Can Teach Us About Customer
Behavior
Part of the Family
NAC Honors Marianne Abiaad at Its
2023 Convention
Boost: Cinergy Entertainment
How Cinergy Uses Marketing
Techniques and Tools to Drive
Attendance
38
44
50
54
56
Rhapsody in Blue
Director Angel Manuel Soto Finally
Gets His Shot at the Big Screen
with Warner Bros.’ Superhero Caper
Blue Beetle
Raising Shell
Director Jeff Rowe Brings Passion
and Nostalgia to Teenage Mutant
Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
Precious Mettle
Director Guy Nattiv Brings the
Iron Lady of Israel to the Big Screen
in Golda
Event Cinema Calendar
A Sampling of Event Cinema
Programming Hitting the Big
Screen in 2023
Booking Guide
02 August 2023

THE FEATURES
YOU NEED
THE OPTIONS
YOU WANT
THE COMPANY
YOU TRUST
When it comes to concessions,
it comes from Cretors.
SINCE 1885
Contact Shelly Olesen at 847.616.6901 or visit www.cretors.com

BOXOFFICE MEDIA
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BOXOFFICE PRO
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ANALYSTS
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CONTRIBUTORS
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ADVERTISING
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BOXOFFICE PRO 2023
PUBLISHING SCHEDULE
Winter 2023
January–February Issue
Giants of Exhibition 2023
March–April Issue
CinemaCon 2023
May–June Issue
CineEurope 2023
July Issue
NAC Concessions Expo 2023
August Issue
CinéShow 2023
September Issue
Geneva Convention 2023
October Issue
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November–December Issue
CORRECTION
In an earlier print run of 2023’s
“Giants of Exhibition: Europe,”
Cineplexx was incorrectly
listed as being part of a
multinational circuit. This is not
the case; Cineplexx is a cinema
company, based in Vienna,
owned by the Langhammer
Family Foundation (majority) and
Christof Papousek. Boxoffice Pro
deeply regrets this error.
Boxoffice Pro (ISSN 0006-8527), Volume 160, Number 5, August 2023. Boxoffice Pro is published by Box
Office Media LLC, 63 Copps Hill Road, Ridgefield, CT USA 06877.
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(Jan–Dec 2021) 2,566 / Print - 2,101 / Digital - 465
04 August 2023

EXECUTIVE LETTER
WALKING IN
MEMPHIS
The cinema industry grinds
to a halt without a robust
film slate—and if anyone had
any doubts about that, well,
the last three years have
brought you up to speed.
At long last, we’re in the midst of
a summer chock-full of movies:
not just action/adventure tentpoles, but
dramas, R-rated comedies, animated
films—the works! The cinema industry
grinds to a halt without a robust film
slate—and if anyone had any doubts
about that, well, the last three years have
brought you up to speed.
But, as they say, it takes a village
to raise a billion-dollar box office. Our
village would be nothing without the
vendors and suppliers who pour their
time, their energy, and their passion for
the industry into making moviegoing a
cherished pastime for billions worldwide.
If you’re reading these words, you may
already know two of our profile subjects
for this issue: Marianne and George
Abiaad of Royal Corporation, which supplies
most of the chains in North America
with many of the day-to-day items that
keep theaters running. The Abiaads
themselves are an integral part of making
the cinema community feel like a community—if
you’ve been to a trade show,
you’ve probably seen one or both of them,
kids in tow, catching up with clients who
have, over the years, become friends.
Marianne Abiaad receives the
Bert Nathan Award at this year’s NAC
Concession and Hospitality Expo, where
leaders from the food side of the cinema
business (as well as sports arenas, colleges
and universities, amusement
parks, and more) gather each year for
a trade show, site tours, educational
programming—and to eat some really
good food. This year, the show is in
Memphis, Tennessee, home to Malco
Theatres, the eighth-largest exhibitor in
North America. Malco’s SVP Larry Etter—
currently the director of education at the
National Association of Concessionaires,
formerly its president—can be found in
the pages of this issue sharing insights
from a study on customer behavior as it
relates specifically to concessions sales.
Our very first concessions buyers guide,
meanwhile, was created to serve as a practical
guide for those on the hunt for F&B.
Another vendor you’ll see in this issue
is Boxoffice Pro’s parent company, The
Boxoffice Company, with whom we have
partnered for a brand-new column called
“Boost.” In each issue, we’ll be highlighting
an exhibitor’s digital marketing strategy,
starting with Cinergy Entertainment, a
pioneer in the cinema entertainment
center space. Marketing is also the focus
of this issue’s Indie Influencers column,
created in collaboration with Spotlight
Cinema Networks.
And, yes, there are movies in this issue,
too—interviews with the directors of
Warner Bros.’ Blue Beetle, Bleecker Street’s
Golda, and Paramount’s Teenage Mutant
Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.
From the entire team at Boxoffice Pro,
we hope you close out summer 2023 with
a bang.
Rebecca Pahle
Deputy Editor, Boxoffice Pro
August 2023
05

Join Us!
Where Hollywood
Meets the Heartland
Be a part of the Midwest’s largest convention
for exhibitors, vendors & studios.
September 26-28, 2023 | Grand Geneva Resort & Spa | Lake Geneva, WI
Save the
Date!
Sept. 26-28
Screenings | Seminars | Awards | Trade Show | Variety Charity Golf Outing
Presented by
2023 Geneva Convention
September 26-28, 2023 | Grand Geneva Resort & Spa | Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
Register at GenevaConvention.com or call 262-532-0017
Official Media Sponsor

NATO 8 | Charity Spotlight 9 | Cinema Foundation Report 12 | Indie Influencers 18
INDUSTRY
“What makes you different? Why do people want to
come to your theater? It’s about building that loyalty.”
Indie Influencers, p. 18
August 2023
07

Industry NATO
MOVIEGOERS WANT
ORIGINALITY
The truth is now undeniable
that movies gain more
momentum when they are
launched in theaters first.
Hollywood’s Five Key Takeaways from the Box
Office Year to Date
BY PHIL CONTRINO
As I write this article, 2023’s domestic
box office is up an impressive 27
percent over 2022. We are on a roll, thanks
to an incredible first half. The good
news is that the release slate looks even
stronger through the end of the year.
There are lessons to be learned from
the first six months of 2023. Here are a few
of the biggest:
When Movies Go from Streaming to
Theatrical, Everyone Wins
Five of the top 50 domestic grossers of
2023 were originally slated to go direct
to streaming: Evil Dead Rise, Air, 80 for
Brady, Magic Mike’s Last Dance, and The
Boogeyman. Combined, they have earned
over $200 million at the domestic box
office. That is a huge boost not only to the
overall marketplace, but to the ability of
each of those films to stand out when they
land on streaming.
All distributors with streaming services
are now operating with the flexible
mindset that there will be more theatrical
hits once pegged as streaming-only plays.
The truth is now undeniable that movies
gain more momentum when they are
launched in theaters first.
Video Game Adaptations Can Match
Superhero Films at the Box Office
The 1993 live-action Super Mario Bros. has
long been highlighted as an example of
what didn’t work in bringing video games
to the big screen, but this year’s Universal/
Illumination animated adaptation has
now cracked the genre wide open. With
a global haul of $1.3 billion and counting—$570
million-plus domestically— The
Super Mario Bros. Movie brought families
back in a big way for some much-needed
light-hearted escapism.
When you combine The Super Mario
Bros. Movie’s haul with a few other
recent video game–based hits—the two
Sonic films and Uncharted—the global
tally reaches nearly $2.5 billion. That’s
staggering, and I believe the genre is only
getting warmed up. There is an almost
endless supply of lucrative I.P. in the
video game world, and the studios are
rushing to tap into it.
Mid-Range Movies Are Back
John Wick: Chapter 4 and Creed III
proved yet again that it doesn’t take a
$200 million production budget to create
a blockbuster. Both films tapped into
loyal fan bases and gave them exactly
what they were looking for, together
providing more than $340 million in
domestic box office.
Two totally different movies—Cocaine
Bear and A Man Called Otto—both finished
with solid U.S. hauls of $64 million
earlier this year. They each knew their
audience and succeeded at connecting.
Making sure that movies like these
continue to succeed is essential to the
future health of this industry, and we are
definitely headed in the right direction.
Why Aren’t There More Movies
Appealing to Faith-Based Audiences?
When it opened in late February,
Lionsgate’s Jesus Revolution posted a
solid $15 million debut and capped its
domestic run at $52 million. The following
month, Angel Studios orchestrated a wellorganized
marketing campaign to get His
Only Son up to $12.1 million domestically.
We know that faith-based audiences
come out in droves, but there need to be
more options that appeal to them. This is
an audience that is still underserved.
Moviegoers Want Originality
Naysayers routinely label sequels and
reboots as lacking in originality. I have
never understood why movie franchises
are on the receiving end of so much snark
when nobody ever questions when a popular
television show launches a second
season. What’s the difference? Giving
people more of the characters they love is
a very good thing.
The top 10 of 2023 so far may be dominated
by sequels and reboots, but you can
look at all of them and find ways that they
surprised fans and challenged expectations.
Most recently, Spider-Man: Across the
Spider-Verse completely shook up what
is possible in animation both in terms of
visuals and storytelling. It again shot down
that lazy trope that younger audiences
can’t be bothered to put down their phones.
A generation that has grown up with every
piece of entertainment at its fingertips
craves originality, and when they are given
something uniquely different, challenging,
and satisfying, the payoff is massive.
Phil Contrino is the Director of Media and
Research, NATO.

INDUSTRY CHARITY SPOTLIGHT
CHARITY
SPOTLIGHT
“This year alone more than
970 pediatric patients
and their families from the
Royal Hospital for Children
have already visited the
MediCinema.”
The Raising Me Foundation, a
nonprofit organization that empowers
children and parents united through
transracial adoption or interracial families,
hosted private screenings of Disney’s
The Little Mermaid on opening weekend
at the Larry H. Miller Megaplex Theatres
at The District in South Jordan, Utah. The
auditorium transformed into an “under
the sea” experience for the occasion. Said
the Larry H. Miller Family Foundation in
a statement: “We are pleased to sponsor
The Little Mermaid screening event at
Larry H. Miller Megaplex Theatres and
recognize the importance of fostering
community and belonging for (Black,
Indigenous, and people of color) children
and their families.”
Studio Movie Grill (SMG) has expanded
offerings for its legacy Special Needs
Screening program, which is free for all
family members of guests with special
needs. Screenings start at noon, with a
summer lineup that includes Guardians
of the Galaxy Vol. 3, The Little Mermaid,
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,
Elemental, Indiana Jones and the Dial
of Destiny, and Teenage Mutant Ninja
Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.
The team at SMG’s Seminole, Florida
location, led by general manager Lori
Woody, hosted Memorial Day weekend
dog adoptions with FLUFF Animal
Rescue (From Lonely & Unloved to
Forever Family). Through community
awareness, assistance, education, and
rescue, FLUFF Animal Rescue aims to
confront animal overpopulation and
shelter overcrowding.
Showcase Cinemas Celebrates 75
Years of Support for the Jimmy Fund
Showcase Cinemas celebrates 75 years
of support for the Jimmy Fund with its
annual Round Up for Good campaign.
Starting in mid-May and running
through the end of July, Showcase
Cinemas invited moviegoers to donate
their change or an amount of their choice
when making purchases on the Showcase
website or in-person at the theater.
A limited-edition Jimmy Fund popcorn
tub will also go on sale at all Showcase
Cinemas locations on August 1. The
Showcase Cinemas fundraiser serves
as the Jimmy Fund’s longest-running
campaign and has raised more than $13M
to benefit adult and pediatric cancer
care and research at Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute in Boston.
“I know I speak for the entire Showcase
Cinemas organization when I say we
are extremely proud to be celebrating 75
years of support for the Jimmy Fund this
year, as the organization’s longest-running
campaign partner,” said Mark
Malinowski, vice president of global
marketing for Showcase Cinemas.
Larry Lucchino, chairman of the
Jimmy Fund and trustee of the Dana-
Farber Cancer Institute, added, “We’re
excited for movie audiences to show
their support for the Jimmy Fund once
again this summer through the Showcase
Cinemas collection drive. This year’s
campaign makes it easier to support the
cause, with a digital collection taking
place on Showcase’s website. Through
the Jimmy Fund’s longest-running fundraising
campaign, we are one step closer
to conquering this miserable disease.”
MediCinema Partners with the
Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity
to Deliver Twice-Weekly Film
Screenings
MediCinema, which hosts movie screenings
for patients in hospitals and health
facilities across the U.K., has reaffirmed
its partnership with the Glasgow
Children’s Hospital Charity, which will
allow MediCinema to continue providing
twice-weekly film screenings to pediatric
patients at the Royal Hospital for Children,
Scotland’s largest pediatric hospital.
This year alone more than 970 pediatric
patients and their families from
the Royal Hospital for Children have
already visited the MediCinema, says
MediCinema CEO Colin Lawrence. “It’s
thanks to our close working relationship
with the Glasgow Children’s Hospital
Charity that we’re able to impact the lives
of so many young patients, helping them
to cope with their time in hospital.”
Adds Kirsten Watson, CEO of Glasgow
Children’s Hospital Charity: “For 14 years,
Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity has
given children in hospital the chance to
experience the magic of the movies with
MediCinema. Our funding has helped
thousands of children during long, difficult
hospital stays, and given children
experiences that they will never forget.
We are delighted to fund another year of
screenings.”
August 2023
09

INDUSTRY CHARITY SPOTLIGHT
Motion Picture Club Hosts Inaugural
‘Summer in the City’ Gala
Thursday, June 8, saw the Motion Picture
Club, a nonprofit group that has been
connecting cinema professionals from
New York and beyond for 84 years, host
its first-ever “Summer in the City” gala at
the City Winery in Manhattan. A special
screening of Focus Features’ Asteroid
City at the Cinema 123 was followed by a
cocktail party and reception in honor of
two Reading International executives who
have had an outsize impact on the cinema
industry, particularly in New York: president
and CEO Ellen Cotter and president
of U.S. Cinemas Robert Smerling.
Funds generously donated at the event
will go to support several charities with
which the MPC has a long-standing relationship:
the Will Rogers Motion Picture
Pioneers Foundation, Variety – the
Children’s Charity of New York, Variety
Boys and Girls Club of Boyle Heights, and
the Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens.
Representatives from Variety – the
Children’s Charity of New York were on
hand to present a custom adaptive bike
to Victoria, a young, hospitalized refugee
from Ukraine.
Funds generously donated at
the event will go to support
several charities with which
the MPC has a long-standing
relationship: the Will Rogers
Motion Picture Pioneers
Foundation, Variety – the
Children’s Charity of New York,
Variety Boys and Girls Club of
Boyle Heights, and the Variety
Boys & Girls Club of Queens.
Upcoming Events
August 5
varietywi.org
Join Variety’s Wisconsin chapter for its
annual Family Summer Picnic, taking
place at West Bend, Wisconsin’s Blue
Lotus, an accessible nature retreat center.
Children with physical or developmental
special needs and their family members,
and those who are registered with
Variety – the Children’s Charity of
Wisconsin, may attend.
August 14
varietywi.org
Blue Mound Golf and Country Club in
Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, hosts Variety of
Wisconsin’s 2023 Golf Classic. Lunch and
an afternoon of golfing will be followed by
a cocktail and dinner reception.
Aug 22–24
varietyofgeorgia.org
Following the ShowSouth Awards Dinner,
Variety – the Children’s Charity of Georgia
kicks off three days of fun, fellowship, and
philanthropy. The fun begins on Tuesday,
August 22, with the Variety After Party &
Silent Auction at Lake Lanier Islands in
10 August 2023

Buford, Georgia. The next day, after the
ShowSouth trade show, Phil Zacheretti
will receive the 2023 Mac McAfee Big
Heart Award at the Variety chapter’s
annual dinner to honor individuals for
their commitment to Variety and the local
Georgia community. Finally, tee off at the
52nd Variety Golf Tournament, taking
place on August 24 at the Lake Lanier
Islands golf course.
August 24
varietyiowa.com
Variety of Iowa holds its first of two menonly
events in Iowa at the Powder River
Ranch in Cumming, Iowa. The evening
includes beverage sampling, a steak
dinner, an auction, raffles, and a swag bag
for each guest.
August 24
varietyofillinois.com
Variety’s Illinois chapter holds its annual
Variety of IL Golf Classic this August at
the Village Greens in Woodridge, Illinois.
Enjoy 18 holes with a BBQ dinner, a bar,
premium silent auction, and more.
August 27
variety-detroit.com
Mark your calendars for the return of
Variety of Detroit’s SHINE Fashion Show.
The children of Variety will rock the
runway in the latest fashions, with proceeds
benefiting at-need children in the
Detroit area.
August 30–31
varietytexas.org
Variety – the Children’s Charity of Texas’s
annual Texan of the Year Gala and Golf
Fundraiser takes place over two days
this August: the Texan of the Year Gala
at the Renaissance Dallas Addison on
Wednesday, August 30, and the Al Webster
Memorial Golf Tournament on Thursday,
August 31, at the Dallas Cowboys Golf Club.
September 18
variety-detroit.com
Variety – the Children’s Charity of Detroit
is hosting the 20th annual Paul W. Smith
Golf Classic at the Indianwood Golf &
Country Club in Lake Orion, Michigan.
September 19
varietytn.org
Tony Vitello, head coach for the University
of Tennessee’s baseball program, will be
the special guest at Variety – the Children’s
Charity of Eastern Tennessee’s annual golf
tournament, taking place this September.
September 20
varietyiowa.com
Gather your friends, colleagues, and
clients for eastern Iowa’s men-only
stag event in support of Variety – the
Children’s Charity’s Iowa chapter. The
evening includes beverage sampling, a
steak dinner, silent auction, raffle, entertainment,
and a gift for each guest.
September 26
varietybuffalo.org
Grab a ticket to Variety of Buffalo and
Western NY’s Drawing Party, to be held at
the Variety Club in Lancaster, N.Y., and
you could win a 1970 Mustang Fastback.
Tickets are one for $20, three for $50, or
seven for $100; winner need not be present
at the event to win.
September 28
varietyiowa.com
The Legacy Golf Club south of Des
Moines, Iowa, will host 2023’s Miller Lite
Golf Invitational. Participants will enjoy
lunch and dinner, games on the course,
complimentary gifts, flight prizes, and
hole-in-one opportunities.
September 30
varietywi.org
Variety of Wisconsin and Aspire Therapy
are hosting their third annual Inclusive
Fall Festival at Elver Park in Madison,
Wisconsin. Augmentative and alternative
communication (AAC) specialists will be
on hand to provide information on communication
devices—and, of course, there
will be loads of fun events, including
carnival games, sensory activities, prizes,
photo ops, and more.
October 13
varietypittsburgh.org
Variety’s Pittsburgh chapter hosts its
annual gala at Acrisure Stadium. Deb
Rice-Johnson, CEO of Diversified
Businesses and chief growth officer at
health insurance organization Highmark,
will receive the 2023 Catherine Variety
Sheridan Humanitarian Award.
October 14
varietyphila.org
Variety’s Delaware Valley chapter is once
again hosting its annual Fall Fest, featuring
a sensory-friendly trick-or-treat trail,
live music, pumpkin decorating, hayrides,
and special performances from members
of the Methacton Community Theater in
full fall costume.
August 2023
11

Industry CINEMA FOUNDATION REPORT
THE VALUE
OF A MOVIE
TICKET
What Drives Consumers to
Big-Screen Entertainment?
For The Cinema Foundation’s full study on movie
ticket value, visit thecinemafoundation.org.
Over the years, when pressed about rising
movie ticket prices, the industry has pointed
out that going to a movie theater is one of the least
expensive out-of-home entertainment options. It’s a
reasonable conclusion: Few would deny that seeing a
movie is more affordable than music concerts, sporting
events, amusement parks, or live theater. As such,
the argument goes, the affordability of theatrical
means that seeing a movie also offers the greatest
value. But less expensive doesn’t guarantee increased
value to the consumer.
The overarching goal of this study is to test that
idea—to see if consumers, first, recognize the price
differences between seeing a movie and other available
entertainment options, and second, if they feel
that going to the movie theater delivers more bang
for their buck. The second part of the study identifies
those components of the moviegoing experience
that offer the greatest value. It then looks at price
sensitivity and how it impacts consumers’ decisions
about concessions, if and when they choose to see a
film during the week, and whether they choose to see
a film in a premium or standard format.
12 August 2023

August 2023
13

Industry CINEMA FOUNDATION REPORT
OUT-OF-HOME
ENTERTAINMENT ACTIVITIES
Consumers agree that moviegoing is a lower-cost
out-of-home option relative to other entertainment
choices. At the same time, they perceive going to
the movies as providing high value. This is true for
all demographics, including older women who have
been slower to return to theaters post-pandemic.
When asked to rank the five entertainment options
included in this study, seeing a movie in a theater
placed highest among all respondents. Furthermore,
in a forced choice where people could only choose
one of these events to participate in, going to the
movies was the top choice. Not surprisingly, the
combination of affordability and high value means
that moviegoing is the most recession-proof option
in the study. Consumers are likelier to abandon the
other out-of-home entertainment options.
SEEING A MOVIE IN A THEATER
REMAINS VERY POPULAR
SEEING A MOVIE IN A THEATER IS
TOPS IN ALL DEMOGRAPHICS
Roughly 85 percent of respondents see a movie in a theater, with
65 percent saying they go at least a few times a year. None of the
other out-of-home activities approach that level of frequency.
The charts below show the percentage of people participating in these
activities, broken out by demographic. Across the board, in all demos,
seeing a movie outpaces the other four activities. That’s also true for
women over 35, the least active demo for going to a theater.
Movie theater
34% 31% 20% 7% 8%
Music concert
Movie theater
W

CONSUMERS EXPECT TO PAY
LESS FOR MOVIES
40
When asked how much they would expect to spend—just for
themselves—seeing a movie in a theater was perceived as
the least expensive option. While respondents agreed that
the other four activities can run north of $60, the majority of
respondents said that seeing a movie costs less than $30,
with most saying they would expect to spend $10–$19.
30
20
10
0

Industry CINEMA FOUNDATION REPORT
MOVIEGOING EXPERIENCE
We know there is price sensitivity when it comes to
moviegoing. Study after study has demonstrated
that. The same holds in this study, with 30 percent
of theatergoers saying that price is an important
factor in their decision to see a film. And yet, because
people place a high value on seeing a movie in a
theater, people still go. They do so by adjusting their
experience accordingly. For example, 96 percent
buy concessions, and the majority say they share
their food and drink. Theatergoers also adjust their
experience based on when they go to the theater
and the type of screening they attend. While most
theatergoers go to the movies over the weekend,
many people go midweek and on discount Tuesdays.
Those looking for a high-end experience take
advantage of the growing premium large-format
screens, with 13 percent saying they choose PLF
exclusively, and another 72 percent saying they do
so depending on the movie.
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU
SAW A MOVIE IN A THEATER?
Among the 1,600 respondents in the survey, 1,109 are
active moviegoers, while 491 either watch movies
exclusively at home or don’t watch movies at all. Those 491
were excluded from the remainder of the study.
Past week
Past month
Several months ago
Only watch movies at home
Don’t watch movies
55
317
360
432
436
IS PRICE A FACTOR IN YOUR
DECISION TO SEE A MOVIE
IN A THEATER?
Price sensitivity exists in the marketplace—
even among active moviegoers. On one end,
30 percent say price is a significant factor in
their decision to see a movie. On the other, 25
percent say it’s not a factor at all. In between,
46 percent say price is a minor factor.
GOING TO THE MOVIES
BRINGS FAMILY AND
FRIENDS TOGETHER
When asked if seeing a movie is a reasonably
priced option that brings friends and family
together, 80 percent of theatergoers agree
with the statement. This confirms the strong
value proposition for families and groups of
moviegoers.
MOVIEGOERS AGREE:
MOVIES ARE BETTER WITH
CONCESSIONS
The majority of moviegoers (60%) buy
concessions every time they see a movie in
a theater, while 4 percent never buy food
or drinks. Another 36 percent buy food and
drinks on occasion.
6%
2%
4%
30%
46%
11%
42%
36%
60%
38%
25%
A big factor Minor factor No factor at all
Strongly agree
Neither agree or disagree
Somewhat agree
Every time Sometimes Never
Somewhat disagree
Somewhat agree
16 August 2023

WHY MOVIEGOERS LOVE
CONCESSIONS
Among those that occasionally buy concessions (N: 402),
the largest driver of that decision is whether they’re
hungry for a snack during the movie. But there are other
reasons as well. Finances can impact the decision, with
38 percent saying they buy food if they have the funds
or the rewards points to do so. Another 36 percent buy
food if they have someone to share it with. For some, the
decision depends on the offerings. 34 percent said they
buy food if there are unique food offerings.
If I'm hungry
If I have the money or rewards points
If I have someone to share it with
If the theater offers unique food choices
If the lines are short
38%
36%
34%
32%
50%
RESTAURANT-STYLE OFFERINGS AT
THE THEATER
With more and more theaters offering restaurant-style foods (burgers,
fries, salads), we wanted to know how many theatergoers have
purchased these items and, among those who have, what they think
of the quality.
NOT ALL PEOPLE GO TO THE MOVIES
ON THE WEEKEND
When asked when they are most likely to see a movie in a theater,
nearly 60 percent said they go on the weekends. But there’s a
significant group of people who most frequently go to the theater
midweek. A sizable number (15%) say they will most likely see a movie
on discount Tuesdays.
Have you purchased restaurant-style food at a theater?
49% 40% 11%
38% 28% 9% 10% 15%
Yes No Not offered
Weekends at night Weekends during the day Midweek at night
Midweek during the day
Discount Tuesdays
How would you describe the quality of this food?
2%
38% 38% 22%
As good as a restaurant Nearly as good
Not as good, but would buy again Not good, won’t buy again
THE RISE OF PLF
Premium large format’s enormous popularity keeps on growing. PLF
screens are frequently the first to sell out. As this data shows, there is an
avid fan base, with 13 percent saying they always choose PLF. Another 72
percent select PLF based on the movie. In other words, the PLF experience
has touched a wide swath of filmgoers. More importantly, it is an
important option for those seeking a higher-end moviegoing experience.
67% 42%
of moviegoers feel that there is a
wide assortment of movie types
and genres to see. Only 15 percent
say all the movies feel the same.
of moviegoers say they have
become more interested and
excited about going to the
movies in recent months. That’s
more than 3x as many who said
they feel less excited about
going to a theater.
38% 28% 9% 10% 15%
Weekends at night Weekends during the day Midweek at night
Midweek during the day
Discount Tuesdays
August 2023
17

INDUSTRY INDIE INFLUENCERS
INDIE INFLUENCERS
Brought to you by
As the cinema industry emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic,
Boxoffice Pro and Spotlight Cinema Networks are partnering
to profile movie theaters and influential industry figures from
across the country to ask them to share their first-person
accounts of bringing the movies back to the big screen.
MARKETING MAGIC
Branding Helps Cinemas
Stand Out from the Pack
BY REBECCA PAHLE
Though the last few years have
challenged the cinema exhibition
industry in many substantial ways, we’ve
also seen it create opportunity: opportunity
for innovation, creativity, and
disruption of the status quo. It happened
with the conversation around theatrical
exclusivity windows; an often acrimonious
debate that had been raging for
decades was forced to a head by external
circumstances, and studios and exhibitors
reached a compromise that—judging
by the record-breaking box office successes
of films like Top Gun: Maverick
and Past Lives—has, rather than bringing
the industry to its knees, made it even
stronger.
The same is true with cinema marketing.
That is, marketing not of studio
content but of cinemas themselves—a
practice that, argues cinema marketing
expert Danielle Hawthorne, founder of
MoviCo Media, was far too rare in the
days before the pandemic. Exhibitors can
“no longer simply rely on studio content to
drive engagement and build a loyal customer
base—loyal fans that keep coming
back to your theater.”
Exhibitors like Texas-based Flix
Brewhouse, founded in 2011, have risen
to the challenge, promoting themselves
as an experiential destination in addition
to sharing the studio-created clips and
trailers that draw people to cinemas.
“Flix means fun to our guests,” says
CEO Chance Robertson. “Our brand
identity is all about keeping it festive,
connecting with our local community,
and not being afraid to experiment.” At
Flix, that “spirit of experimentation
and creativity extends to how we tie our
offerings beyond the screen to everything
we do.” That might be custom menu items
tied to repertory and tentpole releases.
A pink beer created for Barbie or an
Italian-themed menu for an anniversary
screening of The Godfather solidifies Flix
as a destination for great movies and
interesting culinary experiences.
There’s no one-size-fits-all marketing
plan—and while brand cohesion is important,
it shouldn’t come at the expense of
experimenting and finding new ways to
reach customers where they are. This is
particularly true of social media, which—
with new platforms popping up and user
demographics shifting—can be difficult
to pin down. Flix Brewhouse’s Robertson
recommends not limiting yourself. “Based
on analytics, we know the movies and
communication styles that will resonate
most with our Facebook, Instagram, and
18
August 2023

August 2023
19

INDUSTRY INDIE INFLUENCERS
TikTok followers. A bifurcated approach
also gives moviegoers a reason to follow
us on multiple platforms and allows them
to engage with content that reflects their
interests.”
Effective branding is “about understanding
your differentiators,” says
Hawthorne. “What makes you different?
Why do people want to come to your
theater? It’s about building that loyalty.
And part of that is creating content that
aligns with those loyalties.”
MoviCo Media, an exclusive preshow
content partner of Spotlight Cinema
Networks, focuses on delivering entertaining
content, including red carpet
footage and interviews with celebrities
promoting their upcoming releases.
Spotlight Cinema Networks’ CineLife
Preshow programming has the sort of
content moviegoers are interested in.
Per its president, Michael Sakin, the
CineLife Preshow “contains less advertising
and features short films, movie
content, or even extended running times
for premium ads.” A differentiator for
the Preshow—aside from fewer ads—is
that its packages are highly customizable.
There are two different types of
preshow formats, both of them designed
in partnership with Cinema Concepts
and delivered via Spotlight’s technology
partner, Storming Images. Both change
monthly, keeping content fresh for
repeat moviegoers, and contain a blend of
short films, movie trivia, advertisements,
music, and custom exhibitor messaging.
The distinction comes down to tone: the
Dine-In/Luxury Preshow caters more
to dine-in/luxury cinemas, with red
carpet premieres and exclusive celebrity
interviews from highly anticipated new
releases, while the Art House Preshow
caters to a more cinephile crowd, with
film interviews, award-winning festival
short films, and archival footage from the
American Film Institute (AFI), another of
Spotlight’s exclusive content partners.
As exhibitors know, moviegoing begets
moviegoing, and by promoting upcoming
films to audiences that are in their target
demographics, theaters go a long way
toward creating or boosting habitual
moviegoing. For Flix Brewhouse, which
plays the blockbuster films audiences
flock to see, “There’s a lot to communicate
about this jam-packed summer
movie schedule,” says Robertson. “We’re
keenly focused on ensuring the Flix guest
knows what is coming well before it goes
on sale. While making the most of presale
opportunities is essential, buy-in happens
well before tickets hit our website.” For
other cinemas, attendees may be more
interested in “those indie films that don’t
necessarily get the love and attention that
“What makes you different?
Why do people want to come
to your theater? It’s about
building that loyalty.”
20
August 2023

they should be getting. There are a lot of
audience members out there who want to
hear from those artists,” says Hawthorne.
Both groups can discover movies interesting
to them from the CineLife Preshow.
Beyond that, Spotlight Cinema
Networks welcomes exhibitor feedback
and collaboration with exhibitors to
ensure the onscreen experience fits
their brand identity. Says Sakin: “We are
always willing to customize the experience
as long as it’s more entertaining for
moviegoers.”
This summer has been packed with
the sorts of highly anticipated releases,
big and small and everything in between,
that the cinema community has been
dreaming of. But the moviegoers of 2023
demand a high level of quality across the
board, not just in the films they’re coming
to see. Says Robertson: “Flix is and will
always remain focused on the understanding
that people choose their out-ofhome
entertainment carefully, and it’s our
job to make it worth their while. We have
an obligation, now more than ever, to
deliver not only a memorable experience
but one that creates value.”
Why work with Proctor Companies?
Beautiful designs, fast ROI, big per caps.
When it comes to designing
and building concession stands,
kitchens, and bars that are durable,
efficient, and profitable, nobody
beats Proctor Companies.
Want to maximize your revenue?
Give us a call!
800-221-3699
www.proctorco.com
NEED PARTS OR EQUIPMENT?
Our mission is to get you what
you need, when you need it!
Contact Liz Davis, our 20-year
customer service veteran at
sales@proctorco.com.
Wheeling_CSR_Half BO.indd 1
August 2023
5/14/23 6:38 PM
21

It’s Easy to Go Green with PCI!
• Free of Fluorochemicals
(PFAS)
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• Chain of Custody
Forestry Certifications
Environmentally Friendly and 100% Biodegrable Leak Proof Popcorn Bags
PCI is committed to manufacturing a variety of products for your eco friendly packaging needs.
Contact us to see how we can be your green packaging partner.
TM
Manufactured in the USA
9832 EVERGREEN INDUSTRIAL DRIVE | ST. LOUIS, MO 63123 | WWW.PACKAGINGCONCEPTSINC.COM | 314.329.9700 TEL | info@packagingconceptsic.com
Transform the way you
serve popcorn!
Discover the Ready Series! Save on labor, and offer customers
convenience with the best popcorn vending machines.
Explore your options today at gmpopcorn.com/ReadySeries.
800-543-0862 | gmpopcorn.com
22 August 2023

Concessions & Entertainment Guide 24 | Concessions Research Study 28 | NAC Bert Nathan Award 30
THEATER
“By integrating F&B ordering into the app, we streamline the
ordering process, reduce wait times, and provide a seamless and
convenient experience for our customers.”
Boost: Cinergy Entertainment, p. 32
August 2023
23

THEATER CONCESSIONS & ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE
CONCESSIONS &
ENTERTAINMENT
GUIDE
NAC Showcases the Latest Movie
Theater Products and Technologies
Betson Enterprises
betson.com
Today’s consumers are more selective than ever when choosing
entertainment options. Betson can help your brand stand out
with additional enhancements to drive foot traffic and revenue.
An arcade game room with a prize redemption center is a strategic
investment that has proven successful for many theater
owners. With guidance from Betson, customers have seen significant
returns on their investment. Comprehensive financial
programs, excellent customer service, and ongoing wellness and
educational programs help keep exhibitor knowledge and games
up to date.
The Boxoffice Company
Boost Food & Beverage
company.boxoffice.com
The cinema experience begins the moment moviegoers buy their
tickets online. Why not include the popcorn too? The Boxoffice
Company’s Boost Food & Beverage solution streamlines the purchasing
process, so concessions are just a tap away. This whitelabel
product adheres to your brand and lets your customers
tailor their experience, whether they’d prefer to pick up concessions
at the kiosk or have them delivered to their seats. Want to
know more? Drop us a line at sales@boxoffice.com to get started.
24 August 2023

C. Cretors and Company
Mach 5 Emergency Repair Kit
cretors.com
Stop unnecessary downtime with the Mach 5 Emergency Repair
Kit. It holds 29 of the most common spare parts for Mach 5 poppers
starting with serial number 1905XXX. The Repair Kit comes
in a durable orange toolbox, with photo decals easily identifying
parts for repairs and reorder. In as few as three uses, the Repair
Kit pays for itself by having parts on hand. With an easy swapout,
the machine is operational immediately, increasing profits
and decreasing service costs.
Entertainment Supply & Technologies
ensutec.com
As a certified installer for Imax and all major brands of cinema
technology, Entertainment Supply & Technologies (ES&T) offers
clients turnkey services for the creation of a cutting-edge and
luxurious moviegoing experience. Integrated FF&E services
also include concession casework, food-service equipment,
menu boards, lighting, wall draperies, and flooring. Through
an extended, secure supply chain, the firm offers complete
operational support with industrial and janitorial supplies, food
service and concession equipment replacement parts, digital
lamps, and projector filters.
Gold Medal Products Co.
Ready Series Popcorn Vending Machines
gmpopcorn.com/ReadySeries
Great Western Products
CESH Flavored Syrups
gwpcservice@pfgc.com
When operators want to save on labor and offer customers convenience,
the solution is the Ready Series Popcorn Vending Machines.
Customers simply fill their cups or bags with just the push of
a button—no scooping necessary. With four models available,
there’s a fit for large and small venues. Units can hold anywhere
from 11 to 75 gallons of popcorn! Cashless payment systems are
available on select models. Give your customers a fresh and unique
popcorn experience they will enjoy.
Great Western Products, a division of Mountain Manufacturing
LLC, is pleased to offer CESH Flavored Syrups, which come
in a wide variety of flavors with consistent quality. Made with
pure cane sugar and all-natural flavors, CESH Flavored Syrups
enhance beverages and more. Customize hot and cold coffee
and tea experiences, invent cocktails and mocktail creations,
thirst-quenching soda flavors, and craft milkshakes. CESH
Flavored Syrups work in harmony with most beverages across a
wide range of flavor profiles.
August 2023
25

THEATER CONCESSIONS & ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE
Jacro/TAPOS
TAPOS
jacro.com
Miller’s Gourmet Popcorn LLC
Popcorn
millersgourmetpopcorn.com
Jacro’s fully integrated cinema software and POS system is
designed for circuits and independent cinemas. TAPOS adds
value through automated newsletters, which target specific
moviegoer segments and help to drive repeat business. Included
are F&B with advanced inventory, employee management,
custom data analytics and reporting, accounting, loyalty and
membership, CRM, donations, online food sales, enterprise head
office, cloud access, website, and mobile apps. For over 25 years,
Jacro has been an expert in driving box office revenue.
Founded in 2020 by Miller Theatres, an independently owned
movie theater near Kansas City, Missouri, Miller’s Gourmet
Popcorn is “Movie Theatre Made” gourmet popcorn, glazed nuts,
and fudge. With a selection of over 55 delicious hand-crafted
flavors, Miller’s Gourmet uses real, high-quality ingredients and
provides an experience for moviegoers the minute they walk
through the door. Impress guests, increase profits, and make
your concessions part of the conversation. Available services
include custom labeling, direct shipping, and so much more.
Packaging Concepts Inc.
Bagasse Plates and Bowls
packagingconcepts.com
New for 2023, as part of an ever-growing line of concession
packaging from Packaging Concepts Inc. (PCI), comes a stock line
of Bagasse eco-friendly 10 x 10-inch square plates and 7 x 7-inch
(32 oz.) square bowls. These are the perfect solution for both hot
and cold foods. PET-domed lids are available for both items as
well. As movie exhibitors continue to increase their concession
offerings, PCI is there to assist with design, graphics, and delivery
of quality concession packaging at an economical cost.
Paradigm Design
paradigmae.com
Paradigm Design is a nationwide full-service architectural and
engineering firm with offices in Michigan and Arizona. Paradigm
Design’s passion for creativity, combined with extensive experience
in both public and private sector projects, has earned
national recognition. With both architecture and engineering
teams working together seamlessly in-house, Paradigm Design is
able to work quickly to expedite solutions to unforeseen project
questions. Their passion for creative solutions ensures that each
project is completed on time, on brand, and on budget.
26 August 2023

PIM Brands Inc.
Sun-Maid Milk Chocolate Raisins
sunmaid.com
Sun-Maid Milk Chocolate Raisins have been a movie favorite for
almost 30 years. Made with plump and wholesome Californiagrown
Sun-Maid Thompson seedless select raisins, drenched in
pure milk chocolate, Sun-Maid is always a movie favorite. Now
available in a new 5 oz. peg bag.
Proctor Companies
proctorco.com
For over 50 years, Proctor Companies has been the leading
supplier of concession stands, box offices, and food and beverage
systems for the cinema and family entertainment center
industries. Proctor specializes in design-and-build services,
custom millwork, kitchen and bar equipment, furniture, parts,
and supplies, providing excellent customer service from start to
finish. Give Proctor Companies a call at (800) 221-3699 to discuss
your next project.
QubicaAMF
Fly’n Ducks
qubicaamf.com
Put real bowling entertainment anywhere. Fly’n Ducks packages
the excitement of duckpin bowling into a much smaller footprint.
It’s the perfect complimentary attraction for F&B-heavy businesses
like cinemas, bars, and restaurants because it brings in more
guests and extends dwell time. Fly’n Ducks delivers just the right
challenge level for guests of all skill levels. It’s bowling reimagined
to meet the needs of today’s operators and consumers. Fly’n Ducks
is the fastest-growing bowling format in the nation.
Zinc USA
zincstoreusa.com
Zinc has been developing custom popcorn and drink solutions
for cinema tie-ins since 2012. Their work includes all the major
studios—Disney, Warner Bros. Universal, DreamWorks, Sony,
and Paramount, featuring items from movies like Minions, Super
Mario, and Dungeons and Dragons, to name only a few. Zinc can
help you generate revenue by selling custom-made products. Ask
them how you can triple your investment. Impress your guests,
increase your profits, and make these great items part of your
everyday offering.
August 2023
27

THEATER CONCESSIONS RESEARCH STUDY
FINDING
A BALANCE
What Pandemic-Era
Concessions Sales Can Teach
Us About Customer Behavior
BY REBECCA PAHLE
The industry has seen a lot of
changes in the past few years: fluctuations
in theatrical exclusivity windows,
supply lines, film availability, and so
much more. But for many major chains
across the U.S. one point of information,
at least, has been consistent: People love
their movie theater concessions.
It’s been a common refrain in earnings
calls from publicly traded cinema chains:
Per capita revenue for food and beverage
sales has been largely exceeding prepandemic
levels. AMC, in its Q1 2023
earnings report, reported a $7.99 per
patron F&B spend for its U.S. theaters—an
all-time record for the country’s largest
cinema chain and a substantial jump
from a pre-pandemic average of $5.60. At
Marcus Theatres, concessions per caps
went up 5 percent between Q1 2022 and
Q1 2023—in part because of inflation,
says CFO and treasurer Chad Paris, but
also because more customers are buying
concessions—and customers who buy
concessions are buying more of them.
In the five to six months after cinemas
reopened, says Larry Etter, senior vice
president at Malco Theatres, concessions
per caps skyrocketed—lines were shorter,
and “only the most honest and loyal
patrons returned” to the cinema. Then,
more general audiences began coming
back to the movies—but inflation and a
supply chain in disarray caused cinemas
to raise their concessions prices, which
naturally bumped up per caps again.
“However, now that the grosses and
attendance have increased in the past six
months, per capitas have leveled out or
even ebbed,” says Etter—but “per caps are
still higher across the board over 2019.”
At Malco, Etter has observed this
change firsthand. Shortly after Malco’s
cinemas began opening in August 2022,
per caps nearly doubled from what they
were pre-pandemic: this despite prices
that had been slashed by 30 percent
and a menu that had been reduced to
five key categories (one size of beverage,
popcorn, candy, hot dogs, and nachos).
AMC, in its Q1 2023 earnings
report, reported a $7.99 per
patron F&B spend for its U.S.
theaters—an all-time record for
the country’s largest cinema
chain and a substantial jump
from a pre-pandemic average
of $5.60.
28 August 2023

“Historically, the per caps should have
dropped by at least 25 percent. After
speaking to other colleagues and peers,
they reported similar data. So the question
arose: Why are concessions per
caps increasing?”
To find answers, Etter began gathering
data and empirical observations,
his conclusions coming together in a
study for the Kemmons Wilson School
of Hospitality and Resort Management
at the University of Memphis, created in
collaboration with LeRoy Conway III and
Mehri Ahmadzadegan. The study, though
specifically geared toward the pandemic
era, provides insight into the behavior
and attitudes of customers when it comes
to concessions purchases in general.
Three aspects of consumer behavior—honesty,
or whether a customer is
sneaking in food vs. purchasing it; loyalty,
or whether the customer is a regular
moviegoer; and risk awareness, or the
customer’s perception of how safe the
cinema is—were analyzed among 569
respondents, with the goal of seeing
how or if these traits (combined with
demographic data) had an impact on
purchasing behavior.
Unsurprisingly, survey respondents
overwhelmingly felt theaters were safer
than other public spaces, such as restaurants,
stores, or churches. They tended to
go to the cinema more than the average
American—based on pre-pandemic
numbers—and for the most part believed
it was unethical to smuggle food into
theaters. Of the respondents, 99.1 percent
said they buy concessions on every visit.
“Results showed that loyal, honest
patrons will support the exhibition
industry if movies are shown,” says Etter.
Customers want comfortable seats and a
high quality of video and sound quality
when they go to the movies, but “on the
food and beverage side, keep it simple.”
The success of Malco’s five-item menu
prompted them to reassess their prepandemic
offerings; when it was time to
go back to a full menu, they pared things
down to 12 core items. In the world of
concessions, hand-held food is key, notes
Etter: that can be burgers and chicken
tenders, or it can be—in a theater that
caters to a more upscale demographic—a
cheese assortment.
Further, the majority of the study’s
respondents were female, albeit not overwhelmingly—approximately
58 percent
“Historically, the per caps
should have dropped by
at least 25 percent. After
speaking to other colleagues
and peers, they reported
similar data. So the question
arose: Why are concessions
per caps increasing?”
female vs. 42 percent male—among
respondents who listed their gender.
“Women prefer [having] choices,” says
Etter of the survey, but “that doesn’t
mean they’re going to buy” outside a
core of menu items. Thus, he advises,
slim your menu down, but not by too
much. “A couple of other things stuck
out for sure,” he adds. “Convenience and
lines: We’ve always known that to be
true. Research pre-Covid [said] that if a
line has more than six people in it, specifically
in a movie theater, [customers]
will forego the line and go straight to
their seats.” Advancements in the cinema
industry—among them the widespread
adoption of reserved seating and mobile
ordering,” has cut down on wait time. “In
all fairness, we’re in the snack business.
It’s spontaneous.”
Convenience, speed, and the right balance
of products on the menu: All of these
contribute to higher concessions sales,
even when other factors—like a pandemic,
a light movie slate, or inflation—might
otherwise keep people from splurging.
Now, after the pandemic, “people expect
to pay high prices in the entertainment
and leisure channel. They are not so price
sensitive as in the past,” Etter explains.
While they’re willing to spend more
money to treat themselves, they may do
so less often than before—driving per
caps higher as general sales, potentially,
decline. Though rising per caps can help
operators understand the growth patterns
of their business, they do not negate the
need for research and strategic thinking
when assembling concessions menus.
August 2023
29

THEATER NAC BERT NATHAN AWARD
PART OF THE FAMILY
NAC Honors Marianne Abiaad at Its 2023 Convention
BY REBECCA PAHLE
Attendees at this year’s NAC
Concession and Hospitality Expo
will see a familiar face on Wednesday, July
16, when Marianne Abiaad is set to accept
this year’s Bert Nathan Award. Named
after a former president of the NAC, or the
National Association of Concessionaires,
the Bert Nathan Award is given to
someone who’s shown leadership and
accomplishment in the theater concessions
industry. Abiaad—and her husband
George, who together with Marianne won
the prestigious Ben Marcus Humanitarian
Award at the Geneva Convention in 2019—
haa done that and far more.
Marianne and George Abiaad are
the co-owners of Royal Corporation,
which provides myriad everyday
products—paper towels, janitorial supplies,
garbage bags, hand sanitizer—to most of
the cinemas in the United States. (“Close
to 90%,” says George.) They don’t, strictly
speaking, need new customers, and if they
did there wouldn’t be that many more to
get. But Royal Corporation and the Abiaads
still attend “pretty much every single
event or convention that has to do with the
movie theater industry,” says Marianne,
who estimates that before their eldest child
was born they were on the road some 200-
odd days out of the year.
“We go to these trade shows mainly
[to] support the industry and [as an]
affirmation of our commitment,” says
Marianne. “Especially after Covid. It was
wonderful to see people face to face.” At
the Royal Corporation booth on the trade
show floor, you might find one or more
of the Abiaads’ three children, who “grew
up in this industry,” she says. “They have
[an] extended family, all these aunts and
uncles. According to them, the really cool
ones [are the ones who] come with candy
and all that amazing cool stuff you can
get at the theater. But really, we’ve had so
many people in the industry that are truly
family to us and our kids.” That’s all the
more important, she says, because she and
George are immigrants, and their relatives,
even those who live in the U.S., are not
always easy to visit.
Marianne and George were both born
in Lebanon. Historically, says George, the
country has been “the Switzerland of the
Middle East. The culture was a culture
of tolerance, liberalism, free capitalism.”
The couple didn’t know each other back
in Lebanon—in fact, George only met
Marianne when he took a trip back to his
home country after immigrating to the
United States—but they both have fond
memories of going to the movies there.
Their first memories of going to the cinema
involve different locations, but the same
chain: Empire Cinemas, which started in
Lebanon and is now one of the leading
chains in the Middle East, with locations
in Lebanon, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,
and Iraq. (A young George was taken by
older cousins to see The Sound of Music;
Marianne saw E.T.) The Abiaads now count
themselves as good friends of the Haddad
family, which has shepherded Empire
Cinemas ever since its creation in 1919.
In 1975, the Lebanese Civil War began.
Because of it, says George, “there is no
family in Lebanon that has not suffered
major losses in life and property.” The
war would go on for more than a decade,
with roughly 800,000 fleeing the country
by 1990. One of them was George, who
came to the United States to pursue his
studies. His parents followed, and his
father became gravely ill, necessitating a
shift in George’s life plan. Namely: He had
to earn money, and fast. He started with
night shifts doing janitorial work; then
his analytical skills (he’d studied math
and logic) nudged him in the direction of
starting his own janitorial business. After
three or four years of “drastic” growth for
the company, George saw another opportunity
ripe for the taking. In the cleaning
business, George explains, “there was a
disconnect between the operator,” most of
30 August 2023

them immigrants, “and the supplier.” As
a supplier, he could improve on the status
quo, building a business that took the time
to pay personal attention to its clients and
their specific needs.
In 1985, Royal Corporation was born.
Just under a decade later, in 1994, George
met Marianne on his sole return trip to
Lebanon. A long-distance relationship followed,
and then marriage, with Marianne
moving to America and getting her master’s
degree in graphic design. Marianne
began working at Royal Corporation,
initially planning to help out for a short
period of time. But she fell in love with
the business—not so much the products,
but the relationships she was building
with Royal’s client base—many of them
from movie theaters.
“Time just flies. It’s amazing, just to
blink and it’s like, ‘what happened?’” says
Marianne. Clients they worked with who
were theater managers now hold executive
positions in the same companies.
Royal itself grew to have five locations,
with corporate headquarters in Southern
California. “It feels like we are all growing
up together in this industry, you know?
It feels like a big, giant family, the movie
theater industry. It’s wonderful in so
many ways. It’s big, but at the same time
small,” with its members “staying connected
in so many ways.”
That connection became virtual-only
in 2020, when the pandemic shut down
the theater industry in the U.S. and most
parts of the world. Marianne and George—
running a company that provides, among
other things, cleaning and sanitation
equipment to most of the industry—kept
busy, to put it lightly. The Abiaads sent
out care packages of masks and cleaning
supplies. They collaborated with cinemas
on health programs, which “were up to
par to withstand the Covid issue and
beyond,” says George. He would joke with
friends that the safest place to be during
the pandemic was a cinema. “Better than
hospitals—go to a movie theater!”
Meanwhile, companies within the
cinema space were shifting gears to make
safety-related products—like popcorn
supplier C. Cretors & Co., which found
itself selling hand sanitizer stands and
protective shields—and companies from
outside the cinema space were trying to sell
unproven products to desperate exhibitors.
“All industries and markets were invaded
by the quick-buck trader that came in and
“It feels like we are all growing
up together in this industry,
you know? It feels like a big,
giant family, the movie theater
industry. It’s wonderful in so
many ways.”
wanted to garner resources and then maximize
profits,” says George. Royal’s take was
different. They researched products extensively,
making sure they could put their
name behind anything they recommended.
They encouraged people not to spend
money—at least not thoughtlessly, based
on the promises of a salesman who, after
things had died down, could scuttle away
to scam people in another line of work.
“We’re in it for the long haul. We’ve been in
this industry for [more than] three decades
now!” says Marianne. Adds George, “We
have 35-, 38-year partnerships. And it’s not
only with the circuit, but with the people.”
Some of those people from the cinema
industry—a lot of people from the
cinema industry—were in Las Vegas for
CinemaCon in April. So, naturally, were
the Abiaads. They’ll be at the NAC Expo
in Memphis, with Marianne receiving
her second award from the group; in
2019, she won the Krystal La Reese-Gaule
Membership Award, given to the NAC
member who sponsored the most new
members in a year (she recruited seven).
“Each convention is a little bit different,”
she says. “CinemaCon is where you see
everybody, and the schedules are very
crazy. NAC is where you have the more
one-on-one [conversations], a little more
time to connect on that level.”
Those years spent building relationships
bore fruit for the Abiaads. Per George,
they’ve been approached many times in
the last 15 years by companies wanting to
buy Royal—and, in January of this year,
they were acquired by a company called
Envoy Solutions. It won’t mean anything
for the day-to-day business, George
says. “It will not diminish the high level of
white glove service and the high level of
customer interface” that’s made them so
successful. With Envoy, “We have muscle
and resources behind us that allows us to
facilitate the growth that was launched
and pushed during Covid.”
As that growth continues, you can bet
the Abiaads will be on the trade show
circuit, catching up with clients who have
become friends. “It’s amazing to see how
many people have impacted our lives in so
many amazing ways and at the most unexpected
times,” says Marianne. “People who
took chances! Really, how Royal started is
people who are in the industry—or second
or third generations. Generations have
taken these chances and shaped who we
are and what we do.”
August 2023
31

THEATER BOOST
BOOST: CINERGY
ENTERTAINMENT
Sponsored by:
The movies are back and better than ever. Now, how to get
people back to the cinema in droves? Boxoffice Pro partners
with The Boxoffice Company for a new series, “Boost,” where
we’ll be digging into case studies on the many ways exhibitors
use marketing techniques and tools to drive attendance. First
up is Cinergy Entertainment, a pioneer in the fast-expanding
world of cinema entertainment centers, in which movies are
combined with food, games, and other attractions to form outof-home
entertainment hubs.
32 August 2023

Hey, if Google,
TikTok, and IMDb
can count on us,
your theater can too.
Scan the QR code
to find out more.
August 2023
33

THEATER BOOST
INTERVIEW WITH
TRACI HOEY,
V.P. OF MARKETING,
CINERGY ENTERTAINMENT
What does 2023 look like for Cinergy
in terms of growth and expansion?
Building upon the success of the two
dine-in concepts opened last year,
Cinergy is continuing to explore opportunities
to enhance the entertainment
experience across its locations. Presently,
the company is focused on expanding
two of its existing venues in the Midland
and Odessa markets [both in Texas],
demonstrating its commitment to the
community and to broadening its offerings
in key markets. These expansions
will encompass the introduction of new
attractions, upgraded facilities, and innovative
entertainment options, all aimed at
further captivating and engaging customers.
Odessa’s expansion will include
an outdoor entertainment area featuring
pickleball, reservable cabanas, and an
entertainment stage with a large LED
screen. Midland’s expansion will feature
18 lanes of boutique bowling, including
private lanes, technologically advanced
mini-golf, Top Golf swing suites, and a
new bar featuring self-serve craft beer and
cocktails.
Knowing your moviegoers is an
integral part of marketing to them.
How do you leverage your loyalty
program to best reach your customers?
Cinergy leverages its loyalty program,
Elite, as a key tool to connect with and
market to our customers. Through our
loyalty program, we collect valuable
data on our customers’ preferences,
movie-watching habits, and spending
patterns. This data enables us to personalize
marketing campaigns, offer targeted
promotions, and provide special rewards
and incentives to our loyal customers.
By understanding our moviegoers, we
can create more relevant and engaging
experiences that cater to their specific
interests and preferences. Cinergy offers
special VIP free screenings to [loyalty]
members, rolling out the red carpet
and offering a free event with special
giveaways once a month. [We also treat
customers to] “surprise and delight” gifts
and offers, including free popcorn, game
cards, and more.
“The new in-house
custom-built app with
food and beverage (F&B)
ordering capabilities plays
a significant role within
Cinergy’s digital strategy.”
34 August 2023

What about people coming to a
Cinergy location for the first time?
How does Cinergy use digital tools
like SEO and reputation management
to attract and retain new moviegoers?
To attract and retain new moviegoers
outside of our usual visitor base, Cinergy
uses digital tools such as search engine
optimization (SEO) and reputation management
with The Boxoffice Company.
We optimize our online presence by
employing SEO strategies to improve our
visibility in search engine results, ensuring
that potential customers can easily
find us. Additionally, we actively manage
our online reputation by monitoring
and responding to customer reviews and
feedback, providing excellent customer
service, and addressing any concerns
promptly. This proactive approach helps
us attract new moviegoers by building a
positive online presence and reputation.
You are about to roll out a new app
with F&B ordering capabilities.
What role will it play within your
digital strategy?
The new in-house custom-built app
with food and beverage (F&B) ordering
capabilities plays a significant role within
Cinergy’s digital strategy. The app aims
to enhance the overall moviegoing experience
by allowing customers to conveniently
browse movie showtimes, select
seats, manage their loyalty account, and
order food and beverages from the comfort
of their mobile devices. By integrating
F&B ordering into the app, we streamline
the ordering process, reduce wait times,
and provide a seamless and convenient
experience for our customers. This digital
solution not only improves customer
satisfaction but also helps increase F&B
sales, drive customer loyalty, and capture
valuable data for future marketing efforts.
The events of the last few years have
led many exhibitors to think outside
the box in terms of programming.
What are some special events
or programming that have been
successful in attracting moviegoers
to a Cinergy location?
Cinergy has seen success with event
programming such as Box Office Binge
day, [when customers get a day of
unlimited screenings and popcorn for
$15]; themed breakfast events; late-night
slasher series; summer movie series;
and sensory friendly screenings. These
initiatives create unique experiences and
provide alternative content options to
cater to diverse audience interests, ensuring
a unique moviegoing experience.
Since dine-in is a big part of
Cinergy, let’s talk about themed
menus built around movie titles. Do
you use them? Have there been any
that have worked particularly well?
Themed menus are indeed a popular
and successful strategy at Cinergy. We
frequently design and offer special menus
that align with specific movie releases
or genres. These themed menus feature
creatively named dishes and beverages
inspired by the movie’s theme, characters,
or settings. By combining the cinematic
experience with culinary delights, we
create an immersive and engaging experience
for our guests. Some themed menus
have resonated particularly well with our
customers, such as superhero-themed
drinks or our slasher movie series specials
or festive menu offerings for the
holidays. These themed menus not only
enhance the moviegoing experience but
also generate excitement and encourage
customers to explore different food and
beverage options at Cinergy.
August 2023
35

2K | 4K | 3D | Xenon | RGB pure laser | PLF | HFR cinema | Remote monitoring software | Cinema sound
We love cinema like
popcorn loves butter
Technology that loves cinema
christiedigital.com/love-cinema

Blue Beetle 38 | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem 44 | Golda 50
ON SCREEN
“We approached it by wanting to create a unique place
where people from all around the world could say,
‘This reminds me a little bit of home.’”
Blue Beetle, p. 38
August 2023
37

on screen BLUE BEETLE
RHAPSODY
IN
BLUE
38 August 2023

Director Angel Manuel Soto Finally Gets His Shot at the
Big Screen with Warner Bros.’ Superhero Caper Blue Beetle
BY DANIEL LORIA
August 2023
39

on screen BLUE BEETLE
Everything was going right
for Angel Manuel Soto after
the premiere of his last
film, Charm City Kings, at
the 2020 Sundance Film
Festival. The movie received
raucous approval from
audiences and picked up a
Special Jury Prize in Park City, and Sony
Pictures Classics planned an April 2020
theatrical release at more than 1,000 locations
in North America—a reflection of the
distributor’s belief in the independent film.
The Covid-19 pandemic, however, had
other plans. Charm City Kings lost its theatrical
release date and was instead sold
to HBO Max, where it became a streaming-only
debut in the fall of 2020. Dejected,
Soto was left to wait for some future time
when one of his films would receive a wide
theatrical release. That moment will finally
come on August 18, when Warner Bros. will
release his latest film, Blue Beetle, as part
of its rebooted DC Comics series of films.
Blue Beetle tells the story of Jaime
Reyes, a Mexican American teenager
living in the fictional Palmera City, who
accidentally stumbles upon his own
superhero identity after a chance encounter
with an ancient scarab relic. Featuring
a diverse cast of Latin American actors,
Soto’s take on this lesser-known DC
Comics superhero is primed to be one of
the late summer’s biggest studio releases.
Boxoffice Pro spoke with the filmmaker
about his journey from microbudget independents
to big-budget studio tentpoles,
and how his own indie roots shaped his
vision for the upcoming film.
Before we chat about Blue Beetle, I
want to talk about your breakthrough
feature, Charm City Kings, a hit at
Sundance that was picked up for
theatrical distribution. What was that
experience like for you?
It was very special to me to be able to
make Charm City Kings. Sony Pictures
Classics picked it up for theatrical release.
We had this plan of going to 1,300 theaters.
It was the biggest thing that I had done at
the time. The speculation and the excitement
from the studio were overwhelming,
in a positive way. After Sundance and
the hype that came out of that premiere,
everything seemed like it was heading
in the right direction. I got engaged.
Everything was going according to plan.
Then the pandemic hits. Nobody knew
what was happening. It was originally
going to come out in April, then we
pushed it to August. When it became clear
that the pandemic wasn’t going anywhere—that
it was only intensifying—a lot
of studios started selling titles to streaming
services. And that’s how HBO Max got
their hands on my movie and opted to do
an October streaming release of the film.
It was a little disappointing at first. We
spent a lot of time creating a cinematic
experience for audiences to enjoy in a
theater. At our premiere in Sundance, it felt
like the audience was watching a basketball
game. People were so excited, they were
standing and clapping and yelling. The
programmers had no idea what was going
on. I was hoping to see that collective
experience going on in theaters across
the country. I was disappointed, but there
wasn’t anything anyone could do about
it. I don’t mean to undermine the impact
the pandemic had on people’s lives, all the
people that we lost during the pandemic.
I’m glad the movie got picked up and [HBO]
gave it a lot of love, dedicating the time and
effort to create a great marketing strategy
for it. In the end, I was very happy with how
they treated the film. I think it was the most
streamed movie on HBO Max that October.
Ultimately, the relationship with HBO
Max came out of that situation.
It was a blessing in disguise. It led me to
create a relationship with HBO Max and
Warner Bros. That relationship, along
with the reception of Charm City Kings,
is what got me noticed by DC Studios.
They reached out to talk about a couple of
projects, and that’s when they pitched the
story of Jaime Reyes as Blue Beetle.
Were you convinced by the idea when
you first heard the pitch?
My first reaction off the bat was, no
disrespect to anybody, but I didn’t have
much interest in brown-washing the story
of Spider-Man. First of all, we already
have Miles Morales, so I didn’t really see
any need in repeating the story. To my
surprise, I received this script from Gareth
Dunnet-Alcocer, a Mexican screenwriter
who is so knowledgeable about the conditions
and situations of the world and who
has a great sense of humor and heart. All
those adjectives I just used were things he
had incorporated into the script. That’s
why it drew me in. It wasn’t your typical
Mexican postcard that audiences have
“When we started doing all
the concept art, building the
story and world building and
setting up the stakes and
making it look good, they
realized this movie was
bigger than HBO Max.”
40 August 2023

HIGHEST-
GROSSING
FILMS IN
THE DCEU
Numbers reflect
domestic grosses
1.
Wonder Woman
(2017)
$412.5M
2.
Aquaman (2018)
$335.0M
3.
Batman v Superman:
Dawn of Justice (2016)
$330.3M
4.
Suicide Squad (2016)
$325.1M
5.
Man of Steel (2013)
$291.0M
been conditioned to consume; this had
something to say. His screenplay focused
on all the right things, and he treated this
origin story in a different way. He had that
Latin American sensibility.
If I understand correctly, this
movie was originally meant to be a
streaming-only release on HBO Max.
When did the decision come down
to take it to theaters?
Very early on. [For a time] there had been
that whole mandate at Warner Bros. to
release things on HBO Max. When we
started doing all the concept art, building
the story and world building and setting
up the stakes and making it look good,
they realized this movie was bigger than
HBO Max. That was good for us to hear
because you can release anything on
HBO Max any day down the line, but
there are certain projects that are meant
to be experienced in a collective environment
and watched on the big screen.
Luckily, we were able to develop and
produce a movie that we believe
satisfies those expectations.
The decision to go theatrical came
before we entered preproduction, as
we were doing the director’s pass at the
script. We were talking to concept artists
like Shane Baxley. We even started working
super early on the design of the suit
with [costume designer] Mayes Rubeo
and developed some of the storyboard
work and previsualization for the action
sequences very early on. What was helpful
was that as we developed how that world
August 2023
41

on screen BLUE BEETLE
was going to look before we even went into
production, that’s when they noticed the
film had a scale that transcended TV. They
announced we were going theatrical before
we even arrived in Atlanta and Puerto Rico
to prep and shoot the movie. By that point,
everybody understood the assignment—
that we were going to shoot this movie on
a grand scale so that the whole world could
enjoy it collectively in a theater.
You mentioned Atlanta and Puerto
Rico. I know there are also aspects of
Palmera City, the fictional setting of
the film, that incorporate aspects of El
Paso, Texas.
We went to El Paso to see the skylines
and architecture and to get a sense of the
people and what it’s like to be inside a
family unit in El Paso. It’s a wonderful city.
We met the muralist Cimi and brought
him over to do some of the mural work for
Palmera City. We wanted to get as much
of El Paso as we could, to represent the
things we felt we could incorporate into
this made-up city where our new iteration
of Blue Beetle was going to exist. We didn’t
want a Palmera City that didn’t have the
DNA of El Paso.
Above: Bruna Marquezine, Xolo
Maridueña, and Angel Manuel
Soto at CinemaCon's Warner Bros.
studio presentation
“We approached it by
wanting to create a unique
place where people from all
around the world could say,
‘This reminds me a little bit
of home.’”
We wanted to create a city that infused
different Latino cultures, where there’s
not one predominant group. Whether you
live in your native country or you’re in the
diaspora, there’s something that connects
us in these types of cities. All the A-list
superheroes in DC Comics have their own
fictional cities: Superman has Metropolis,
Batman has Gotham, and the Flash has
Central City. We wanted to give our hero
his own city, too. We didn’t want it to be
another replica of a gray, post-industrial
city. I wanted to bring the vibrancy of
places like Mexico City, Puerto Rico, and
downtown Miami to Palmera City. We
incorporated a mixture of architecture
and flora and fauna to create a fictional
city with a little bit of a tropical flavor.
We also thought of having workingclass
neighborhoods outside Palmera
City, the way regular metropolitan areas
do. So we created a neighborhood called
Edge Keys, with a little bit of a Segundo
Barrio flow that you would find in
places like Hialeah, on the outskirts of
Miami. We approached it by wanting to
create a unique place where people from
all around the world could say, “This
reminds me a little bit of home.” Of course,
42
August 2023

you’re never going to get it perfect. But
I feel we did the best we could in being
inclusive within all the cultures that compose
the Latin American experience.
You’ve spent most of your career
making independent features. How
much of an adjustment was that,
working with so many additional
resources?
I come at every project—whether it’s big
or small—with the same awe, wonder,
respect, and devotion to the craft and art
of filmmaking. It’s something that I love so
much and that means a lot to me. Working
in this medium allows me to put food on
the table, provide for my family, and help
my family back home. So whether big or
small, I take it very seriously.
Going from microbudget movies l
ike my first film, La Granja, or a smallerbudget
movie like Charm City Kings, to
making that big jump into this one—I
have to be equally prepared. That’s the
only way you avoid any hiccups along the
way and navigate the unique challenges
that come with a big-budget movie.
I was blessed to have a cast and crew
who were devoted to making the best
movie possible, starting with our heads of
departments, who were really big allies in
being able to communicate and translate
my vision and elevate my vision to a point
of execution, being able to be taken care
of so I could focus on everything else that
matters. I had really strong support from
my VFX team, making sure we were able to
execute a lot of the heavy demands of the
visual effects shots. We have something
like 1,600 VFX shots in this movie, and I
wanted to treat them in a way that wasn’t
so heavily dependent on green screen, gray
pajamas, or blind performances and CGI.
Right off the bat, we made the decision
to make a coming-of-age story about a
young boy assuming his responsibility
and becoming who he’s supposed to
become, pursuing his destiny and purpose
in life, with an emphasis on his
family life and with a lot of humor and
heart. It just happens to have superhero
elements in it. Given the sensibilities of
the indie approach in my other films, we
looked to make a movie that felt intimate
and relatable. That’s why it was important
for us to use practical locations, [real]
suits, and lighting—it helped us not be
dependent on VFX.
By doing so, it allowed us to experiment
with the structure of a superhero
origin story of a lesser-known character.
We wanted audiences to not just follow
our movie, but to connect with it as well.
We took a lot of inspiration from how
Latin American cinema deals with character
and plot, so by the time the action
starts, you’re very familiar with the family
at the core of the first film. I call it the first
film because we designed our story as the
first part of a saga. Although it’s a movie
with its own three-act structure, in the
character arc of our hero, this is his first
act. By the end of our movie, he’s ready to
go into the new world.
“We wanted to give our hero
his own city, too. We didn’t
want it to be another replica
of a gray, post-industrial city.
I wanted to bring the vibrancy
of places like Mexico City,
Puerto Rico, and downtown
Miami to Palmera City.”
AT THE MOVIES
WITH ANGEL
MANUEL SOTO
I was born, raised, and grew
up my whole life in Puerto Rico.
I’ve only been working in L.A. for
around seven years. I spent more
than 30 years living in the island.
There are so many movie theaters
I could name, but the one that I
frequented a lot—the one where
I saw movies that made me want
to be a director—is the Caribbean
Cinemas Fine Arts movie theater in
Miramar, in the municipality of San
Juan. They remodeled it, and now
it’s a little bit bougie, but back in
the day it was super small. It had
grit; you could smell the history.
They didn’t have big auditoriums
back then, but that’s where you
could go see a movie by Pedro
Almodóvar. They were showing all
these international movies that
helped me fall in love with this
medium. I remember watching
Requiem for a Dream and Pi there.
That’s also where I saw Following
and Memento. All the films that
wouldn’t get a wide release in
Puerto Rico, that’s where they
played—and it was my sanctuary.
It was my holy place. I knew I
could go there and be inspired.
I learned so much by watching
movies there that I still think about
it fondly. That’s where we had the
premiere of my first movie.
It’s where I learned that you
don’t need that much money
to create a visceral story that
connects with audiences around
the world, moves hearts, and has
an emotional hook that we can
all connect with, learn from, and
debate with. That, for me, is the
beauty of cinema.
August 2023
43

ON SCREEN TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: MUTANT MAYHEM
RAISING
SHELL
44
August 2023

Director Jeff Rowe Brings
Passion and Nostalgia to
Teenage Mutant Ninja
Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
BY CHAD KENNERK
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
have been cultural icons for nearly
40 years. Brothers Leonardo, Michelangelo,
Donatello, and Raphael, along with
their sensei, Master Splinter, have been
protecting New York City from evil since
1984. Whether following the Turtles in
comic books, on TV, in video games, or
at the movies, kids of the late 1980s and
early ’90s likely spent quality time with the
fearsome fighting team. It all began with
a joke illustration between creators and
then-struggling artists, Kevin Eastman and
Peter Laird. Once the Turtles were successful
in comics, Playmates Toys expressed
an interest in creating a line of Turtle toys,
complete with an animated TV series that
would serve as marketing to youngsters.
The comic was toned down for TV, and the
series established each turtle’s signature
color. Turtlemania ensued, and in 1990 the
Turtles hit the big screen with a live-action
film. On a reported budget of $13.5M, the
film turned in over $200M at the worldwide
box office and cemented TMNT
as a film franchise. Five more theatrical
releases eventually followed, bringing the
total box office to more than $1.14B.
One of the most memorable moments
of this year’s CinemaCon was the opening
of Paramount’s presentation, where
a group of turtle-clad break-dancers
kicked off the show, and the president
of domestic distribution at Paramount,
Chris Aronson, emerged from an onstage
sewer with a box of pizza for the audience.
The energy of that CinemaCon performance
perfectly captured the vibe of the
newest iteration of TMNT. Directed by
Jeff Rowe (The Mitchells vs. the Machines),
Paramount Pictures’ Teenage Mutant
Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is a new
and vibrantly animated coming-of-age
take on the young future “heroes in a half
shell.” In advance of its August 2 release,
Boxoffice Pro talks ’90s nostalgia and
bringing the ninja teens back to the big
screen with director Jeff Rowe.
How did this project come to you?
In a dream. [Laughs.] I went through a lot
of interviews and talked to a lot of people.
I think Nickelodeon was inspired by my
passion. I think Point Grey [Productions]
and I connected over our love of telling
real stories about authentic characters.
We both come from a place of wanting
things to be grounded and feel human.
I think that was when the sparks flew
and we’re like, “Yes, we should do this
together. This would be great.” I was starting
Turtles while we were finishing up
the mix on The Mitchells vs. the Machines.
So there was a couple months of overlap,
but it worked out. I was able to import
the skills I had learned from one [project]
straight into the next.
Prior to this project, what was your
personal experience of the Turtles?
They are truly the first thing that I ever
loved. They taught me to be a fan of
something. I’m 36, about to be 37, so the
’89 TV series and those original live-action
movies were straight over home plate,
like made for me. It was at the height
of Turtlemania and the toys were hard
to find. I remember my dad, on like a
Saturday, drove me around to four different
Toys “R” Us [stores], because we were
trying to find [TMNT action figures] Tokka
and Rahzar. They weren’t anywhere, and
then we found one that they hadn’t put
on the shelf. We were like, “Can we buy
this?!” It was one of the more exciting
days of my childhood. I really loved the
characters, and I loved the world. I really
loved those toys and how much thought
went into them. They’re very artful. Like
there’s “Surfer Mike” and he’s got a starfish
stuck to him and a bunch of seaweed
hanging off him. The toys had jokes built
into them. Mondo Gecko had a roller
skate on his tail. I think even when I was
4 or 5 years old, I knew that someone
cared about these and put love into them.
It made me care about them and think
about them as characters. It’s been really
nice to revisit that.
The action figures all had a pretty
robust set of accessories, which if
memory serves, you could store in
their shells.
One hundred percent! Or the pizza shooter,
it was like a tank that shot pizzas. In
my first meeting with Point Grey, I was
describing it to them: “You know the
August 2023
45

ON SCREEN TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: MUTANT MAYHEM
totem in Inception? That only you know
the weight of and is so personal to you?
Those little plastic pizza discs are like my
Inception totem.” I remember them so well.
Were there any specific aspects of
Turtles lore that you wanted to ensure
were in this version of the story?
It does kind of come back to those toys. I
remember that the back of the box had
like 20 different mutants. They were each
a different cool type of animal with a
cool design. We had this artist, Woodrow
White, who designed all the characters
and mutants for the film. He did an amazing
drawing of Bebop and Rocksteady. We
were like, “Whoa, those are really cool.
Mondo Gecko’s not going to be in the
movie, but should we have Woodrow draw
one? Just to see what that would look
like?” Then he would draw one, and it
was like, “OK, shit, we have to put Mondo
Gecko in the movie. Oh, man, his Ray
Fillet drawing is amazing. Let’s put that
in there.” I really wanted there to be a lot
of mutants, because I think that visually
they’re so asymmetrical and weird looking
and funny. I hadn’t seen an animated
movie turn the amp to 11 on having that
many cool-looking designs. Later in the
process, we wrote a bunch of mutants into
the movie and ended up calling it Mutant
Mayhem. But yeah, that variety of characters:
I think we knew we wanted it to have
a lot of characters and a lot of cool visual
touchstones.
Speaking of visuals, this film is unlike
any other version of TMNT animation
that’s come before. Given that
the Turtles’ namesakes are Italian
Renaissance artists, can you talk
about the approach to the animation?
How did you arrive at the look and
feel of the film?
There was a time in the late ’80s, early
’90s with Toxic Crusaders, the Garbage Pail
Kids, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and
“Creepy Crawlers,” where gross was an aesthetic.
As a kid, I was there for it. I loved it.
I think the impulse sometimes is to make
things look slick and take the weird edges
off and make everything symmetrical. So
much of our nostalgia comes from those
weird, imperfect designs. We knew we
wanted to honor that and the historical
weirdness of the franchise. We’re telling
a story about teenagers, voiced by teenagers
for the first time ever—which seems
insane to say out loud, but they somehow
never did it. They can’t be super muscular;
they can’t be giant, hulking, turtle
monstrosities. They need to feel lanky and
awkward. They’re still growing into their
bodies, like authentic teens. In the way
that Spider-Verse made a movie look like
a living comic book, we were like, “Well,
what’s our inspiration? Turtles has been a
live-action movie, comic books. It’s been
so many different things, which one do
we honor?” What we landed on was teen
drawings. The way you draw when you’re
a teenager. When you don’t know how
to draw yet, and you haven’t had formal
training. You’re just like, “I’m going to
draw a fighter jet. It’s going to be so cool.
I’m going to draw every little bolt on it,
and it’ll be perfect.” But the perspective
is all wrong and you can see both wings
at the same time. It’s super messed up,
but there’s so much passion. It’s like your
passion is betrayed by your utter inability
to do what you’re trying to do. That
functions as this beautiful metaphor for
the characters in the film. It’s an origin
story. They’re not heroes yet. They’ve got
a lot of confidence, but they’ve got a lot to
learn. The story started reflecting the art
style and vice versa.
Many of the artists and animators
also worked with you on The Mitchells
vs. the Machines. What has that
collaborative process been like,
bringing “Turtle power” to life?
A lot of them had no prior knowledge of
Ninja Turtles. They were like, “Is that a
problem?” And I’d be like, “No, that’s a
great thing! It means you’re not bringing
any preconceived notions; you’re never
self-editing to make it feel like something
in the past.” It was a good path to creating
something new. But generally, I am really
picky about who I hire. I try to only hire
people whose work I absolutely adore and
then just let them go loose and try not to
micromanage. If they’re making artwork
that I love, and I ask them to make artwork
for this movie, it will end up being
artwork for this movie that I love. It was
such a dedicated, passionate team. They
really gave their all to it. It feels like when
you’re a kid and you’re getting away with
something. “The studio’s letting us make
it look this weird? What?! OK.” I can’t
believe we just have lines shooting off the
characters and that they’re so misshapen.
There’s been a giddy excitement to it.
46 August 2023

The trailer harks back to ’90s hip-hop
with “Can I Kick It?” by A Tribe Called
Quest. Trent Reznor and Atticus
Ross are also scoring the film. How
important is music to the story?
I would say music has always been a
hugely important part of the film. When
we screened it for the first time, it was a
completely different story. The feedback
from most people was, “Man, the music
in it is great. The story’s busted, we’ve got
to fix that, but the music is rad.” It gave
us a tone to start making visual decisions
around. This collection of songs, which
was predominantly late ’80s, early ’90s
hip-hop, started becoming a collection
of songs with visuals. Then that started
becoming a tone and a vibe and these
weird esoteric things, but it really feels
like a part of the DNA of the film. I hope at
the end of the day, all our effort feels laid
back and off the cuff. Even the style of
dialogue and the way the characters talk
over each other; we really want it to feel
like a good time, and the soundtrack is a
part of that.
“It feels like when you’re a kid
and you’re getting away with
something. The studio’s letting
us make it look this weird?
What?! OK. I can’t believe we
just have lines shooting off the
characters and that they’re
so misshapen. There’s been a
giddy excitement to it.”
What were sessions in the booth like?
Initially, we wrote the script in the way
you write a comedy. There are setups and
payoffs and a rhythm. Then we recorded
the kids individually, and it always felt
kind of stiff. When we edited it together,
it was fine and it functioned, but it didn’t
feel new, and it didn’t feel fresh, and
it didn’t feel alive. Then Seth [Rogen,
screenwriter, producer, and voice of
Bebop] was like, “We have to record them
ensemble.” And we’re like, “We can’t do
that. It’s an audio nightmare. We can’t
have them all talking in a room overlapping.
What are you, crazy?” He was like,
“Find a way to do it.” So we found a way to
do it and it was an audio nightmare. I’m
sure the sound people on our film want to
kill us, but we went into that first session
with all four of them together. Shamon
Brown Jr., who plays Michelangelo, was
in Chicago for the first few records. Brady
Noon, who plays Raphael, was in New
Jersey. So we also got them all physically
together and around each other for the
first time. It was like lightning in a bottle.
August 2023
47

ON SCREEN TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: MUTANT MAYHEM
The way they talked over each other, the
way they interjected. Seth and I started
rewriting scenes in the session. One of
them would say something funny, and we
would be like, “Drill down on that. Talk
more about that. Donnie, defend why you
like the third Mission: Impossible movie
the best, and then everyone else make
fun of him for it.” There would be a lot of
things like that, which then pushed the
work into edit, where we would have hours
of these things to sort through and shape
into a cohesive arc for the scene. The
really amazing thing is, Seth has a lot of
experience doing that in live-action: in the
Apatow comedies and the stuff he’s done
with Nick Stoller. It’s a lot of improv on set,
and then finding the scene and rewriting
it as you go. But you’re limited to cameras
and [camera] coverage. Sometimes there’s
things you just can’t cut to. The line [of
dialogue] is great, but you don’t have that
[coverage]. With animation, it’s just the
voice. We can put any line from any place
anywhere next to each other and then put
the pictures to it later. So it was this really
methodical, laborious redrafting of something
that then hopefully feels completely
loose and improvisational.
That sounds daunting. During the
process, did you feel that you were
starting to find the arc of the film?
We did a couple of scenes, and then in
future records it became easier to know,
“We’re going to use this, we won’t use
this.” Then what we would write in the
script would set us up for better sessions.
It became this learning feedback loop. It
was a really organically grown process
that led to the end result.
You mentioned bringing skills directly
from your last project, The Mitchells
vs. the Machines, into this project.
Were there any skills you developed
on this film that you’ll take into your
next project?
I feel like I was lucky to receive a masterclass
in directing actors from Seth and
from those [recording] sessions. I really
learned a lot, and I think it will forever
change the way I approach a script and
recording characters. Also, the value of
letting inspiring people inspire you. Not
trying to control departments or reach
outcomes, but literally letting some
really, really talented people go for it, and
then pushing them to go further. It led to
results that I’m really happy with. And
everyone seems happy. People are a little
burned out, but sometimes at the end of
[other projects], it’s like catastrophic.
[On this project] everyone still had some
gas in the tank, in a good way.
Seth Rogen was on hand at
CinemaCon to deliver an exclusive
look at the film. What was that
collaboration like?
We have a similar taste. I also have
to recognize the fact that my taste is
48 August 2023

probably partly shaped by the things that
he made, so of course we have the same
taste, because he made my taste! I think
we care about the same things. When
we got into a rhythm of, “Can this be
better? Can that be better?” I think, to the
annoyance of everyone else on the production,
we were just like, “Well, let’s just
completely change this.” We never wanted
it to be dangerous to say an idea out loud,
or to say, “I don’t think this story point is
working.” It was a very safe, collaborative
environment to bring those things up.
Then if they did [come up], we would
work really hard to fix them, to make sure
that what was getting on-screen was the
best version possible.
What can you share about this
iteration of the “cowabunga” crew?
They are the same characters you have
always known and loved, but they are
also so fresh and so unique and so
endearing. It’s hard not to love them.
You want to hang out with them and
watch them go on this journey. I think
“O.G.” fans like me will really love it.
People who came into the Turtles during
the 2012 series and during [the 2018
series] “Rise” [of the Teenage Mutant
Ninja Turtles], I think they will find a lot
to love in this as well. I would say, see it
on a big screen. See it on the biggest,
best screen that you can find. It’s really
theatrical and cinematic. I think it’s worth
experiencing in that way. Also, just to
laugh in a room of people. The movie’s
really funny and it’s just so much more
fun to laugh with 300 strangers. There’s a
lot of work we put into the color and the
lighting and things that just look great
on a big screen. Also, the sound; between
Trent and Atticus’s score and our sound
designer Mark Mangini—who did Mad
Max: Fury Road and Dune, he’s an incredible
sound designer—it’s going to sound
great. It’s going to look great. I hope
people like it.
JEFF ROWE AT
THE MOVIES
Do you have a favorite
moviegoing memory?
When I saw Jurassic Park. I
must have been 7 years old.
I loved dinosaurs more than
anything in the world. All the
toys were out beforehand.
It was in the media. I was
so hyped for this film. This
was made for me. I was so
excited to see it. Then 30
seconds into the opening,
I’m crying, covering my eyes,
saying, “Dad, I want to go
home. This is too scary.”
But it made an impression
on me. I think after that I
wanted to be involved in
movies for the rest of my life.
What’s your go-to item at
the concession stand?
Give me the popcorn. It
probably used to be Sour
Patch Kids, but now it’s
popcorn and sparkling
water. That’s my life now.
You can’t go wrong with
popcorn. I think this movie’s
going to make me want a
slice of pizza, though.
Come on theater chains,
stock up!
“See it on the biggest,
best screen that you can
find. It’s really theatrical and
cinematic. I think it’s worth
experiencing in that way.”
August 2023
49

ON SCREEN GOLDA
PRECIOUS
METTLE
Director Guy Nattiv Brings the Iron
Lady of Israel to the Big Screen in Golda
BY CHAD KENNERK
50 August 2023

In October of 1973, a coalition of
Arab states led by Egypt and Syria
launched a surprise attack against Israel
on the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur.
Israel’s first female prime minister, Golda
Meir, found herself at the center of the
conflict. Golda takes audiences into the
war room and psyche of the controversial
figure behind the difficult decisions Israel
faced during 10 days of the Yom Kippur
War. An intimate story of a global event,
the film is directed by Academy Award–
winning filmmaker Guy Nattiv (Skin) and
stars an unrecognizable Helen Mirren as
Meir. Bleecker Street Media is partnering
with Fathom Events on a premiere
event two days prior to the nationwide
release on August 25. In advance of the
U.S. premiere, director Nattiv spoke with
Boxoffice Pro about the ground-breaking
leader, the devastating Yom Kippur
War, and opening the 40th Jerusalem
Film Festival.
What did the project look like when it
first came to you?
In the beginning it was an Amazon project.
It was a massive war film, kind of
like Fury, but also the story of a soldier.
I said, “Guys, this is a script that needs
to be stripped down.” I felt that it was
like other war movies that we’ve seen
before. Less is more. If you can make it
like Das Boot, if you can contain it in the
war room, focusing on her psyche, that
will be more unique in terms of getting
under the skin and understanding what
she went through. Luckily or not, Amazon
dropped the project and we had to shrink
everything, making it more minimalistic.
The budget was cut [by] a third or more.
Then [screenwriter] Nicholas Martin and
I started scrapping stuff and making it
more contained. Nicholas knew that 10
years ago, all the protocols [declassified
documents] from the war rooms in the
Yom Kippur War were released. So we
actually used the voices and the recordings
and the [documents] from those war
rooms [in the script]. I spoke to Golda’s
press secretary, Meron Medzini, the
only one who’s still alive. He’s 90 and an
amazing man, so sharp. He told me what
she went through—all the cancer treatments
[Meir was being treated secretly
for lymphoma]. It’s called a handkerchief
operation. They took her at 2 a.m. to the
hospital to get radiology treatments. Then
she went back, and nobody knew about
it. All of that came to me as a project, with
Helen Mirren already loosely attached
when I came on board.
What was your initial meeting with
Helen Mirren like?
She read the script and said, “I want to
meet Guy.” It was a pandemic, so we had
a Zoom call, and she said, “You know
what? I’ll just come to your home and let’s
talk.” She was here in L.A. and came with
a coffee one morning while the kids were
playing. It was very emotional for me. She
said, “You know, I’m not Jewish. How
do you feel about it?” I said, “Listen, it’s
about the vibe for me. It’s about the soul.
If you get it, if you have what it takes.”
She was amazing. Helen was in Israel
when she was in her 20s. She toured the
country, and she had an Israeli boyfriend.
All of this was before the Yom Kippur
War. So she knew a lot about Israel. From
there, Embankment Films and Bleecker
Street came on board. Suddenly, we found
ourselves in London shooting in the pandemic.
It was kind of amazing. So that’s
how it came all together. My inspiration
was Downfall [2004, about Hitler’s last
days] in terms of cinematic approach, as
well as Das Boot and [other] one-location
movies. And Coppola’s The Conversation,
because it uses a lot of sound devices for
narrative.
There’s a real sense of that research in
the film; everything feels very genuine
and rooted.
The approach was not to make a biopic
about Golda; that was not the goal.
Because for that, you’d need a 16-hour
miniseries. You cannot contain that in
an hour and a half. In an hour and a half,
you can have this older woman basically
collapsing with her commanders in a
dreadful war that no one expected.
One of the opening shots reveals
that visually—that this is the story
of the war through Golda’s eyes at
a certain moment in time, with the
camera inviting the audience into her
perspective and experience. What do
you hope audiences experience on
this journey with Golda?
Nobody knew anything about Golda; she
was this nice auntie who smoked. Nobody
knew anything about how she felt about
what she went through. But she was one
of the only leaders that actually took
August 2023
51

ON SCREEN GOLDA
responsibility and said, “It’s me.” Show
me a leader that will say, “It’s on me, it’s
my mistake.” [She was] an old-school
leader like Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon
Peres. These people had values in a way,
and a different approach than what we see
today. When I dove into Golda’s behindthe-scenes
life, I wanted to bring it to the
knowledge of not only the Israeli people,
but also the older American audience
that really grew up with a shallow kind of
perspective of her. I wanted to go under
her skin to show the bits and pieces that
really built her—the shame, the blame,
the humor, the relationship with [personal
assistant] Lou Kaddar, and how she
stayed strong in front of her dysfunctional
commanders. As well as the fact that
she was not really a soldier. She didn’t
understand anything about war; she was
“I wanted to go under her
skin to show the bits and
pieces that really built
her—the shame, the blame,
the humor, the relationship
with [personal assistant]
Lou Kaddar, and how she
stayed strong in front of her
dysfunctional commanders.”
more of a stateswoman. For me, it was like
opening a door to the stuff that we didn’t
know about her. All those little details, or
those truths, all came out. It’s a portrait of
a woman in a man’s world.
You were born in 1973, the year of the
Yom Kippur War. Has making this film
illuminated anything for you about
that time, or shifted your perspective?
There’s a very famous song in Israel: “We
are the ’73 generation. You promised
us peace when we grew up, that there
wouldn’t be any war. But you lied. You
promised us a dove with an olive branch,
but you lied.” It’s a very famous song
about the 1973 babies. My mother ran with
me to the shelter, and my father went
to the war. I grew up on all these heroic
stories, but the more I read, the more
[declassified documents] that came out, I
understand that there was nothing heroic
about this war. I don’t want to say it was
the Vietnam of Israel, because we didn’t
fight in another country, but the devastation
of losing so many soldiers over
this territory that we needed to give back,
Sinai, that’s something that we will never
forget. I grew up with that knowledge, and
then I discovered a different one. For me,
it was important to show that Golda was
not the only one responsible for what happened,
because it’s easy to say, “Oh, she’s
a woman. We will never have a woman
prime minister again. It’s not going to
happen. Look what happened in the Yom
Kippur War, it’s on her.” But it’s not only
on her. It’s the whole of the commanders,
the old chiefs.
The film conveys the sense of being
in a bunker and in the trenches with
Golda, trapped in her circumstances,
and in the smoke from her cigarettes.
How did you arrive at the visual look
of the film? How did you decide when
to open up her world, as with the
scenes on the rooftop?
For me, the smoke was a metaphor for
these people who couldn’t see even one
meter ahead of them. The smoke that
blinds you. You cannot really see the
truth. The truth was the lack of information
and the fuckups with [government]
intelligence. The smoke that chokes
them in their own bunker. It was kind of a
metaphor of a dysfunctional society that
smokes themselves to death. That actually
comes from the real thing, because
52 August 2023

that’s what they did. They just smoke and
smoke and smoke and drink black coffee,
not even eating. I tried to have that as a
metaphor, [along with] the claustrophobic
feeling that the only air she can have is
on the roof, which actually looks over the
landscape of Tel Aviv in the ’70s. And the
very, very far away war that you can see
from there. That’s the only escape that
she has, but otherwise she’s locked in four
walls and those concrete corridors. That
was really important for me to enhance.
Golda sees a flock of birds on the
rooftop. What role do birds play in the
story?
It’s called a freedom bird, which comes [to
Israel] at a specific time of the year. They
symbolize freedom and the soul. These
are for me the soldiers that die in the war.
The flock of birds that she sees in the sky
symbolizes the soldiers.
What was your collaboration with
Helen like, leading up to and during
the shoot?
Helen has this motto that she repeated:
“Be on time and don’t be an asshole.”
Other than the fact that she’s a genius
and one of the best actors of our time,
she is the kindest person. I had the most
amazing time. It’s really hard to work
with anyone after that, because the level
of collaboration is so cool. She told me,
“Guy, listen, don’t be afraid to tell me stuff.”
And I did. We had some discussions about
not walking too fast, because Golda was
very slow, like a turtle. It drove people
mad. The way she walked, the way she
smoked, the way she spoke, everything
was like staccato; it was flat. Helen is very
fast and she’s very energetic. I pulled her
back and I said, “No, be slower.” It was
amazing working with her. We became so
close. At some point, because I didn’t eat
and I wasn’t sleeping, I was in front of a
monitor and suddenly I felt these warm
hands on my back. I looked up and I saw
Golda. She said, “Guy dear, I’m going to
go Golda on you, Do you eat well? Do you
sleep? I’m really worried about you.” I
didn’t see Helen as Helen throughout the
whole shoot because she came in at 4 a.m.
for make-up. I came at 7 a.m. and I saw
her as Golda. [At the end of the day], when
I went back to the hotel, she was taking
off the makeup—for three hours. For 35
days. I didn’t see her as Helen. I adore
this woman and I want to work with her
again and again and again. She’s so good.
She understands everything quickly;
everything is just flawless. And the range
that she has: She can be super dramatic
and fierce, and then soft and smiley, and
then funny. She’s also [constantly] trying
stuff, almost like a juggler.
Golda is opening the 40th Jerusalem
Film Festival in July. What is this
moment like for you and why is it
important for audiences to come
together to see this story?
There are only two [open-air venues] like
this at film festivals: There’s the Locarno
Film Festival, with the Piazza Grande
outside, and in Jerusalem it’s called the
Sultan’s Pool. It’s a giant amphitheater
with 6,000 people under the sky and a
giant screen. It’s beautiful, like the old
city of Jerusalem [itself]. It’s so symbolic
to screen Golda there at this specific
time, the 50th anniversary of the Yom
Kippur War in Israel. We’re going to have
all the veterans of the war that fought
and lost their friends, and their families.
We’re going to have Golda’s family, the
grandkids. Helen is coming; hopefully
Liev Schreiber will come. All the Israeli
actors will be there. It’s one second from
Golda’s original house and two seconds
from Golda’s grave, which is on Mount
Zion. So for me, it’s going to be the most
emotional [screening]. The Jerusalem
Film Festival was also the first one that
gave me a chance as a student. I brought
my films there, and later on my features.
It’s kind of full circle. We’re going to have
a moment of silence to remember the
ones who lost their lives—3,000 to 4,000
soldiers in this war.
“It’s so symbolic to screen
Golda there at this specific
time, the 50th anniversary of
the Yom Kippur War in Israel.
We’re going to have all the
veterans of the war that
fought and lost their friends,
and their families. We’re
going to have Golda’s family,
the grandkids.”
GUY NATTIV
AT THE MOVIES
Do you have a favorite
moviegoing memory?
My dad used to take me to
films. I was a little too young
[for some of them], but it
affected me tremendously.
I remember he took me
to Brian De Palma’s The
Untouchables, Scorsese’s
Goodfellas, Jean de
Florette, and I think a Jean-
Luc Godard film. He took me
to all these grown-up films,
auteur films, art house films.
Those were the moments
that shaped me as a
filmmaker. He’s really had an
influence on my childhood.
That’s what I want to do
with my kids.
August 2023
53

ON SCREEN EVENT CINEMA CALENDAR
EVENT CINEMA
CALENDAR
Updated through June 16, 2023.
Contact distributors for latest listings.
EXHIBITION ON SCREEN
HOPPER: AM AMERICAN LOVE
STORY
Available Now
Genre: Art
CÉZANNE: PORTRAITS OF A LIFE
Available Now
Genre: Art
MARY CASSATT: PAINTING THE
MODERN WOMAN
Available Now
Genre: Art
VERMEER - THE BLOCKBUSTER
EXHIBITION
Available Now
Genre: Art
The Blind
TOKYO STORIES
Available Now
Genre: Art
PISSARRO: FATHER OF
IMPRESSIONISM
Available Now
Genre: Art
FATHOM EVENTS
855-473-4612
MET SUMMER ENCORE: IL
TROVATORE
Aug. 2
Genre: Opera
PRINCESS MONONOKE – STUDIO
GHIBLI FEST 2023
Aug. 5-9
Genre: Anime
MET SUMMER ENCORE: IL
BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA
Aug. 9
Genre: Opera
DCI 2023: BIG, LOUD & LIVE
Aug. 10
Genre: Performing Arts
ENTER THE DRAGON 50TH
ANNIVERSARY PRESENTED BY
TCM
Aug. 13, Aug. 16
Genre: Classics
METS SUMMER ENCORE: EUGENE
ONEGIN
Aug. 16
Genre: Opera
RIFFTRAX LIVE: RAD
Aug. 17
Genre: Comedy
PORCO ROSSO – STUDIO GHIBLI
FEST 2023
Aug. 20, Aug. 22
Genre: Anime
THE WIND RISES 10TH
ANNIVERSARY – STUDIO GHIBLI
FEST 2023
Aug. 21, Aug. 23
Genre: Anime
GOLDA
Aug. 23
Genre: Premiere
RENEÉ FLEMING’S CITIES THAT
SING: PARIS
Aug. 26
Genre: Performing Arts
MULTIPLIED
Sept. 12
Genre: Inspiration
RENEÉ FLEMING’S CITIES THAT
SING: VENICE
Sept. 16
Genre: Performing Arts
RAIN MAN 35TH ANNIVERSARY
PRESENTED BY TCM
Sept. 17, Sept. 20
Genre: Classics
ROUTE 60: THE BIBLICAL
HIGHWAY
Sept. 18, Sept. 19
Genre: Inspiration
HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE –
STUDIO GHIBLI FEST 2023
Sept. 23-27
Genre: Anime
THE BLIND
Sept. 28-Oct. 5
Genre: Premiere
THE BIRDS 60TH ANNIVERSARY
PRESENTED BY TCM
Oct. 22, Oct. 25
Genre: Classics
SPIRITED AWAY – STUDIO GHIBLI
FEST 2023
Oct. 28-31, Nov. 1
Genre: Anime
SCARFACE 40TH ANNIVERSARY
PRESENTED BY TCM
Nov. 12, Nov. 15
Genre: Classics
A CHRISTMAS STORY 40TH
ANNIVERSARY PRESENTED BY TCM
Dec. 10, Dec. 13
Genre: Classics
ICONIC EVENTS
iconicreleasing.com
UFC 292: STERLING VS. O’MALLEY
Aug. 19
Genre: Sports
SATANIC HISPANICS
Sept. 14
Genre: Horror
MALIBU HORROR STORY
Sept. 29
Genre: Horror
UFC 294
Oct. 21
Genre: Sports
TRAFALGAR RELEASING
trafalgar-releasing.com
THE HIDING PLACE
Aug. 3
Genre: Theater
METALLICA: M72 WORLD TOUR
LIVE FROM ARLINGTON, TX – A
TWO NIGHT EVENT
Aug. 18, Aug. 20
Genre: Music
54 August 2023

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ON SCREEN BOOKING GUIDE
BOOKING
GUIDE
Release calendar for theatrical
distribution in North America
Release dates are updated through May 31, 2023.
Please consult distributors to confirm latest listings.
20TH CENTURY STUDIOS
310-369-1000
212-556-2400
A HAUNTING IN VENICE
Fri, 9/15/23 WIDE
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Cri/Dra
Specs: Imax
THE CREATOR
Fri, 9/29/23 WIDE
Stars: Gemma Chan, Allison Janney
Director: Gareth Edwards
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Rom/SF/Dra
Specs: Imax
KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF
THE APES
Fri, 5/24/24 WIDE
Rating: NR
Genre: SF
UNTITLED ALIEN EVENT MOVIE
Fri, 8/16/24 WIDE
Director: Fede Alvarez
Rating: NR
Genre: SF
AVATAR 3
Fri, 12/19/25 WIDE
Director: James Cameron
Rating: NR
Genre: Act/Fan/SF
AVATAR 4
Fri, 12/21/29 WIDE
Rating: NR
Genre: Act/Adv/SF
AVATAR 5
Fri, 12/19/31 WIDE
Rating: NR
A24
646-568-6015
TALK TO ME
Fri, 7/28/23 LTD
Stars: Sophie Wilde, Miranda Otto
Directors: Danny Philippou,
Michael Philippou
Rating: R
Genre: Hor
PROBLEMISTA
Fri, 8/4/23 LTD
Stars: Julio Torres, Tilda Swinton
Director: Julio Torres
Rating: R
Genre: Com
COHEN MEDIA GROUP
Justin DiPietro
justin@cohenmedia.net
BETWEEN TWO WORLDS
Fri, 8/11/23 LTD
Stars: Juliette Binoche,
Hélène Lampert
Director: Emmanuel Carrère
Rating: NR
Genre: Dra
DARK STAR PICTURES
KING ON SCREEN
Fri, 8/11/23 LTD
Director: Daphné Baiwir
Rating: NR
Genre: Doc
DISNEY
818-560-1000
Ask for Distributiom
HAUNTED MANSION
Fri, 7/28/23 WIDE
Stars: LaKeith Stanfield,
Tiffany Haddish
Director: Justin Simien
Rating: NR
Genre: Hor
Specs: Dolby Vis/Atmos
THE MARVELS
Wed, 11/10/23 WIDE
THE MARVELS
Wed, 11/10/23 WIDE
Stars: Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris
Director: Nia DaCosta
Rating: NR
Genre: Act/SF/Fan
Genre: Dolby Vis/Atmos
56 August 2023

AVENGERS: THE KANG DYNASTY
Fri, 5/1/26 WIDE
Director: Destin Daniel Cretton
Rating: NR
Genre: Act/Adv/SF
UNTITLED STAR WARS 2026
Fri, 5/22/26 WIDE
Rating: NR
UNTITLED STAR WARS 2
Fri, 12/18/26
Rating: NR
AVENGERS: SECRET WARS
Fri, 5/7/27
Rating: NR
FOCUS FEATURES
MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING 3
Fri, 9/8/23 WIDE
MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING 3
Fri, 9/8/23 WIDE
Stars: Nia Vardalos, John Corbett
Director: Nia Vardalos
Rating: NR
Genre: Com
WISH
Wed, 11/22/23 WIDE
Stars: Ariana DeBose, Chris Pine
Director: Chris Buck
Rating: NR
Genre: Ani
UNTITLED DISNEY 2023
Fri, 12/1/23 WIDE
Rating: NR
UNTITLED DISNEY 2024 1
Wed, 2/14/24 WIDE
Rating: NR
ELIO
Fri, 3/1/24 WIDE
Rating: NR
Genre: Ani
DISNEY’S SNOW WHITE
Fri, 3/22/24 WIDE
Rating: NR
Genre: Fan
UNTITLED DEADPOOL MOVIE
Fri, 5/3/24 WIDE
Stars: Ryan Reynolds,
Hugh Jackman
Director: Shawn Levy
Rating: NR
Genre: Act/Adv/SF
INSIDE OUT 2
Fri, 6/14/24 WIDE
Rating: NR
Genre: Ani
MUFASA: THE LION KING
Fri, 7/5/24 WIDE
Rating: NR
Genre: Ani
CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW
WORLD
Fri, 7/26/24 WIDE
Stars: Anthony Mackie, Harrison Ford
Director: Julius Onah
Rating: NR
Genre: Act/Adv/SF
UNTITLED DISNEY 2024 2
Fri, 9/6/24 WIDE
Rating: NR
THE AMATEUR
Fri, 11/8/24
Rating: NR
UNTITLED DISNEY ANIMATION
2024
Wed, 11/27/24 WIDE
Rating: NR
Genre: Ani
THUNDERBOLTS
Fri, 12/20/24 WIDE
Stars: David Harbour,
Hannah John-Kamen
Director: Jake Schreier
Rating: NR
Genre: Act/Adv/SF
BLADE
Fri, 2/14/25 WIDE
Stars: Mahershala Ali
Rating: NR
Genre: Act/Adv/SF
UNTITLED DISNEY 2025 1
Fri, 3/7/25 WIDE
Rating: NR
UNTITLED DISNEY 2025 2
Fri, 3/21/25 WIDE
Rating: NR
FANTASTIC FOUR
Fri, 5/2/25 WIDE
Director: Matt Shakman
Rating: NR
Genre: Act/Adv/SF
UNTITLED DISNEY 2025 3
Fri, 5/23/25 WIDE
Rating: NR
UNITITLED PIXAR
Fri, 6/13/25 WIDE
Rating: NR
Genre: Ani
MOANA
Fri, 6/27/25 WIDE
Stars: Dwayne Johnson
Rating: NR
Genre: Adv/Mus
UNTITLED DISNEY 2025 4
Fri, 7/25/25 WIDE
Rating: NR
Genre: Act/Adv/SF
UNTITLED DISNEY 2025 5
Fri, 8/8/25 WIDE
Rating: NR
UNTITLED DISNEY 2025 6
Fri, 11/7/25 WIDE
UNTITLED DISNEY ANIMATION
2025
Fri, 11/26/25 WIDE
Rating: NR
Genre: Ani
DRIVE-AWAY DOLLS
Fri, 9/22/23 WIDE
Stars: Margaret Qualley,
Geraldine Viswanathan
Director: Ethan Coen
Rating: NR
Genre: Com
THE HOLDOVERS
Fri, 11/10/23 LTD
Stars: Paul Giamatti,
Da’Vine Joy Randolph
Director: Alexander Payne
Rating: R
Genre: Com
GREENWICH ENTERTAINMENT
THE BEASTS
Fri, 7/28/23 LTD
Stars: Denis Ménochet, Marina Foïs
Director: Rodrigo Sorogoyen
Rating: NR
Genre: Dra/Thr
IFC FILMS
bookings@ifcfilms.com
WHAT COMES AROUND
Fri, 8/4/23 LTD
Stars: Grace Van Dien,
Summer Phoenix
Director: Amy Redford
Rating: NR
Genre: Thr
BIRTH/REBIRTH
Fri, 8/18/23 LTD
Stars: Judy Reyes, Marin Ireland
Director: Laura Moss
Rating: R
Genre: Hor
August 2023
57

ON SCREEN BOOKING GUIDE
KINO LORBER
Maxwell Wolkin
mwolkin@kinolorber.com
TOKYO POP (4K RESTORATION)
Fri, 8/4/23 LTD
Stars: Carrie Hamilton,
Diamond Yukai
Director: Fran Rubel Kuzui
Rating: R
Genre: Com
SCRAPPER
Fri, 8/25/23 LTD
Stars: Harris Dickinson,
Lola Campbell
Director: Charlotte Regan
Rating: NR
Genre: Com/Dra
RADICAL WOLFE
Fri, 9/15/23 LTD
Stars: Michael Lewis, Jann Wenner
Director: Richard Dewey
Rating: NR
Genre: Doc
LIONSGATE
310-309-8400
WHITE BIRD: A WONDER STORY
Fri, 8/18/23 LTD
Stars: Bryce Gheisar, Ariella Glaser
Director: Marc Forster
Rating: NR
Genre: Dra/Fam
EXPEND4BLES
Fri, 9/22/23 WIDE
Stars: Jason Statham,
Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson
Director: Scott Waugh
Rating: NR
Genre: Act
ORDINARY ANGELS
Fri, 10/13/23 WIDE
Stars: Hilary Swank, Alan Ritchson
Director: Jon Gunn
Rating: NR
Genre: Dra
UNTITLED SAW
Fri, 10/27/23 WIDE
Rating: NR
Genre: Hor
THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD
OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES
Fri, 11/17/23 WIDE
Director: Francis Lawrence
Rating: NR
Genre: Act
IMAGINARY
Fri, 2/2/24 WIDE
WHITE BIRD: A WONDER STORY
Fri, 8/18/23 LTD
UNTITLED DIRTY DANCING
SEQUEL
Fri, 2/9/24 WIDE
Stars: Jennifer Grey
Director: Jonathan Levine
Rating: NR
Genre: Dra/Rom
BALLERINA
Fri, 6/7/24 WIDE
Stars: Ana de Armas,
Anjelica Huston
Director: Len Wiseman
Rating: NR
Genre: Act
MAGNOLIA PICTURES
212-379-9704
Neal Block: nblock@magpictures.com
KOKOMO CITY
Fri, 7/28/23 WIDE
Director: D. Smith
Rating: NR
Genre: Doc
A COMPASSIONATE SPY
Fri, 8/4/23 WIDE
Director: Steve James
Rating: NR
Genre: Doc
MGM
310-724-5678
Ask for Distribution
CHALLENGERS
Fri, 8/11/23 WIDE
Stars: Zendaya, Josh O’Connor
Director: Luca Guadagnino
Rating: R
Genre: Dra
LANDSCAPE WITH INVISIBLE HAND
Fri, 8/18/23 WIDE
Stars: Asante Blackk, Kylie Rogers
Director: Cory Finley
Rating: R
Genre: SF/Dra
BOTTOMS
Fri, 8/25/23 LTD
Stars: Rachel Sennott, Ayo Edebiri
Director: Emma Seligman
Rating: R
Genre: Com
THE UNDERDOGGS
Fri, 10/20/23 WIDE
Stars: Snoop Dogg
Director: Charles Stone III
Rating: NR
Genre: Com
THE BOYS IN THE BOAT
Mon, 12/25/23 WIDE
Stars: Joel Edgerton,
Chris Diamantopoulos
Director: George Clooney
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Dra
OPEN ROAD FILMS /
BRIARCLIFF ENTERTAINMENT
THE HILL
Fri, 8/18/23 WIDE
Stars: Dennis Quaid, Colin Ford
Director: Jeff Celentano
Rating: PG
Genre: Dra
SIGHT
Fri, 10/27/23 LTD
Stars: Ben Wang, Greg Kinnear
Director: Andrew Hyatt
Rating: NR
Genre: Dra
PARAMOUNT
323-956-5000
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA
TURTLES: MUTANT MAYHEM
Fri, 8/2/23 WIDE
Stars: Micah Abbey,
Shamon Brown Jr
Director: Jeff Rowe
Rating: NR
Genre: Ani
PAW PATROL: THE MIGHTY
MOVIE
Fri, 9/29/23 WIDE
Stars: Taraji P. Henson, Kristen Bell
Director: Cal Brunker
Rating: NR
Genre: Ani
KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON
Fri, 10/6/23 LTD
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio,
Lily Gladstone
Director: Martin Scorsese
Rating: NR
Genre: Wes/Dra
Specs: Imax
BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE
Fri, 1/12/24 WIDE
Rating: NR
Genre: Bio
THE TIGER’S APPRENTICE
Fri, 1/19/24 WIDE
Stars: Henry Golding
Director: Raman Hui
Rating: NR
Genre: Ani
A QUIET PLACE: DAY ONE
Fri, 3/8/24 WIDE
Director: Michael Sarnoski
Rating: NR
Genre: Hor
58 August 2023

IF
Fri, 5/24/24 WIDE
Stars: John Krasinski, Ryan Reynolds
Director: John Krasinski
Rating: NR
Genre: Com/Fan
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 8
Fri, 6/28/24 WIDE
Stars: Tom Cruise
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Rating: NR
Genre: Act
TRANSFORMERS ONE
Fri, 7/19/24 WIDE
Rating: NR
Genre: Ani
UNTITLED GLADIATOR SEQUEL
Fri, 11/22/24 WIDE
Stars: Paul Mescal
Director: Ridley Scott
Rating: NR
Genre: Act/Dra
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3
Fri, 12/20/24 WIDE
Rating: NR
Genre: Act
THE SMURFS MOVIE
Fri, 2/14/24 WIDE
Stars: Rihanna
Director: Chris Miller
Rating: NR
Genre: Ani/Mus
THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE:
SEARCH FOR SQUAREPANTS
Fri, 5/23/25 WIDE
Rating: NR
Genre: Ani
UNTITLED AANG AVATAR FILM
Fri, 10/10/25 WIDE
Rating: NR
RLJE FILMS
SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL
Fri, 7/28/23 LTD
Stars: Nicolas Cage, Joel Kinnaman
Director: Yuval Adler
Rating: NR
Genre: Thr
THE DIVE
Fri, 8/25/23 LTD
Stars: Sophie Lowe, Louisa Kraus
Director: Max Erlenwein
Rating: NR
Genre: Thr
SAMUEL GOLDWYN FILMS
THE OUTLAW JOHNNY BLACK
Fri, 9/15/23 LTD
Stars: Michael Jai White,
Anika Noni Rose
Director: Michael Jai White
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Wes
SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES
212-556-2400
POOR THINGS
Fri, 9/8/23 LTD
Stars: Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe
Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
Rating: R
Genre: Rom/SF
NEXT GOAL WINS
Fri, 11/17/23 WIDE
Stars: Elisabeth Moss,
Michael Fassbender
Director: Taika Waititi
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Com
MAGAZINE DREAMS
Fri, 12/8/23 LTD
Stars: Jonathan Majors,
Haley Bennett
Director: Elijah Bynum
Rating: NR
Genre: Dra
SONY
212-833-8500
GRAN TURISMO
Fri, 8/11/23 WIDE
Stars: David Harbour, Orlando Bloom
Director: Neill Blomkamp
Rating: NR
Genre: Dra
Specs: Imax, Dolby Vis/Atmos
THE EQUALIZER 3
Fri, 9/1/23 WIDE
Stars: Denzel Washington,
Dakota Fanning
Director: Antoine Fuqua
Rating: NR
Genre: Act/Thr
Specs: Imax, Dolby Atmos
THE BOOK OF CLARENCE
Fri, 9/22/23 WIDE
Stars: LaKeith Stanfiel, Omar Sy
Director: Jeymes Samuel
Rating: NR
Genre: Adv/Dra
KRAVEN THE HUNTER
Fri, 10/6/23 WIDE
Stars: Aaron Taylor-Johnson,
Russell Crowe
Director: J.C. Chandor
Rating: NR
Genre: Act/Adv/SF
Specs: Imax
DUMB MONEY
Fri, 10/20/23 WIDE
Director: Craig Gillespie
Rating: NR
Genre: Com/Dra
JOURNEY TO BETHLEHEM
Fri, 11/10/23 WIDE
Rating: NR
Genre: Mus
THANKSGIVING
Fri, 11/17/23 WIDE
Stars: Patrick Dempsey,
Nell Verlaque
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: NR
Genre: Hor
NAPOLEON
Wed, 11/22/23 LTD
Stars: Joaquin Phoenix,
Vanessa Kirby
Director: Ridley Scott
Rating: NR
Genre: Dra/His
Specs: Imax
ANYONE BUT YOU
Fri, 12/15/23 WIDE
Stars: Sydney Sweeney, Glen Powell
Director: Will Gluck
Rating: NR
Genre: Rom/Com
GHOSTBUSTERS SEQUEL
Wed, 12/20/23 WIDE
Director: Gil Kenan
Rating: NR
EL MUERTO
Fri, 1/12/24 WIDE
Stars: Bad Bunny
Rating: NR
Genre: Act/Adv/Fan
Specs: Imax
MADAME WEB
Fri, 2/16/24 WIDE
Stars: Dakota Johnson
Director: S.J. Clarkson
Rating: NR
Genre: Act/Adv/Fan
Specs: Imax, Dolby Atmos
POOR THINGS
Fri, 9/8/23 LTD
August 2023
59

ON SCREEN BOOKING GUIDE
SPIDER-MAN: BEYOND THE
SPIDER-VERSE
Fri, 3/29/24 WIDE
Stars: Oscar Isaac, Shameik Moore
Directors: Joaquim Dos Santos,
Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson
Rating: NR
Genre: Ani
Specs: Imax
MY EX-FRIENDS WEDDING
Fri, 5/10/24 WIDE
Stars: Ariana DeBose, Chloe Fineman
Director: Kay Cannon
Rating: NR
Genre: Com
GARFIELD
Fri, 5/24/24 WIDE
Stars: Chris Pratt, Samuel L. Jackson
Director: Mark Dindal
Rating: NR
Genre: Ani
KARATE KID
Fri, 6/7/24 WIDE
Rating: NR
Genre: Act
Specs: Dolby Atmos
HORRORSCOPE
Fri, 6/28/24 WIDE
Stars: Harriet Slater, Adain Bradley
Directors: Spenser Cohen,
Anna Halberg
Rating: NR
Genre: Hor
UNTITLED SONY/MARVEL
UNIVERSE
Fri, 11/8/24 WIDE
Rating: NR
Genre: Act/Adv/Fan
HAROLD AND THE PURPLE
CRAYON
Fri, 8/2/24 WIDE
Stars: Zachary Levi,
Zooey Deschanel
Director: Carlos Saldanha
Rating: PG
Genre: Fam
UNTITLED KENDRICK BROTHERS
FILM
Fri, 8/23/24 WIDE
Director: Alex Kendrick
Rating: NR
THEY LISTEN
Fri, 8/30/24 WIDE
Stars: John Cho,
Katherine Waterston
Director: Chris Weitz
Rating: NR
Genre: Hor
SONY PICTURES CLASSICS
Tom Prassis
212-833-4981
SHORTCOMINGS
Fri, 8/4/23 LTD
Stars: Justin H. Min, Sherry Cola
Director: Randall Park
Rating: NR
Genre: Com/Dra
STONECUTTER MEDIA
BOBCAT MORETTI
Fri, 8/4/23 LTD
Stars: Tim Realbuto, Vivica A. Fox
Director: Rob Margolies
Rating: R
Genre: Dra
STRAND RELEASING
MUTT
Fri, 8/18/23 LTD
Stars: Lio Mehiel, Cole Doman
Director: Vuk Lungulov-Klotz
Rating: NR
Genre: Dra
UNIVERSAL
818-777-1000
OPPENHEIMER
Fri, 7/21/23 WIDE
Stars: Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt
Director: Christopher Nolan
Rating: R
Genre: Dra/War
Specs: Imax, Dolby Vis/Atmos
THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE
DEMETER
Fri, 8/11/23 WIDE
Stars: Corey Hawkins,
Aisling Franciosi
Director: André Øvredal
Rating: R
Genre: Hor
STRAYS
Fri, 8/18/23 WIDE
Stars: Will Ferrell, Jamie Foxx
Director: Josh Greenbaum
Rating: R
Genre: Com
THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER
Fri, 10/13/23 WIDE
Stars: Ellen Burstyn, Leslie Odom Jr.
Director: David Gordon Green
Rating: NR
Genre: Hor
Specs: Imax
FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S
Fri, 10/27/23 WIDE
Stars: Josh Hutcherson,
Elizabeth Lail
Director: Emma Tammi
Rating: NR
Genre: Hor
TROLLS BAND TOGETHER
Fri, 11/17/23 WIDE
Stars: Anna Kendrick,
Justin Timberlake
Director: Walt Dohrn
Rating: NR
Genre: Ani
MIGRATION
Fri, 12/22/23 WIDE
Stars: Kumail Nanjiani,
Elizabeth Banks
Director: Benjamin Renner
Rating: PG
Genre: Ani
NIGHT SWIM
Fri, 1/5/24 WIDE
Stars: Wyatt Russell, Kerry Condon
Director: Bryce McGuire,
Rod Blackhurst
Rating: NR
Genre: Hor
UNTITLED UNIVERSAL EVENT FILM
2024 1
Wed, 2/14/24 WIDE
Rating: NR
THE FALL GUY
Fri, 3/1/24 WIDE
Stars: Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt
Director: David Leitch
Rating: NR
Genre: Act
KUNG FU PANDA 4
Fri, 3/8/24 WIDE
Rating: NR
Genre: Ani
UNTITLED UNIVERSAL EVENT FILM
2024 2
Fri, 4/5/24 WIDE
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: NR
Genre: Thr
UNTITLED UNIVERSAL EVENT FILM
2024 3
Fri, 4/19/24 WIDE
UNTITLED UNIVERSAL EVENT FILM
2024 4
Fri, 5/17/24 WIDE
Rating: NR
SHORTCOMINGS
Fri, 8/4/23 LTD
UNTITLED UNIVERSAL EVENT FILM
2024 5
Fri, 6/21/24 WIDE
Genre: NR
60 August 2023

DESPICABLE ME 4
Wed, 7/3/24 WIDE
Stars: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig
Director: Chris Renaud
Rating: NR
Genre: Ani
TWISTERS
Fri, 7/19/24 WIDE
Director: Lee Isaac Chung
Rating: NR
Genre: Act/Adv
SPEAK NO EVIL
Fri, 8/9/24 WIDE
Stars: James McAvoy
Director: James Watkins
Rating: NR
Genre: Hor
UNTITLED BLUMHOUSE
PRODUCTIONS PROJECT 2024 1
Fri, 9/13/24 WIDE
Rating: NR
Genre: Hor
UNTITLED MONKEYPAW
HORROR/THRILLER
Fri, 9/27/24 WIDE
Rating: NR
Genre: Hor/Thr
UNTITLED BLUMHOUSE
PRODUCTIONS PROJECT 2024 2
Fri, 10/18/24 WIDE
Rating: NR
Genre: Hor
WICKED PART 1
Wed, 11/27/24 WIDE
Stars: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo
Director: Jon M. Chu
Rating: NR
Genre: Mus
UNTITLED FOURTH FILM
DIRECTED BY JORDAN PEELE
Wed, 12/25/24 WIDE
Director: Jordan Peele
Rating: NR
M3GAN 2.0
Fri, 1/17/25 WIDE
Rating: NR
Genre: Thr/Hor
UNTITLED UNIVERSAL EVENT FILM
2025 1
Fri, 2/14/25 WIDE
Rating: NR
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON
Fri, 3/14/25 WIDE
Director: Dean DeBlois
Rating: NR
Genre: Act
UNTITLED UNIVERSAL EVENT FILM
2025 2
Fri, 4/11/25 WIDE
Rating: NR
STRAYS
Fri, 8/18/23 WIDE
UNTITLED BLUMHOUSE EVENT
FILM 2025 2
Fri, 4/18/25 WIDE
Rating: NR
UNTITLED UNIVERSAL EVENT FILM
2025 3
Fri, 6/13/25 WIDE
Rating: NR
UNTITLED UNIVERSAL EVENT FILM
2025 4
Wed, 7/2/25 WIDE
Rating: NR
UNTITLED UNIVERSAL ANIMATED
EVENT FILM 2025
Fri, 9/26/25 WIDE
Rating: NR
Genre: Ani
UNTITLED BLUMHOUSE EVENT
FILM 2025 2
Fri, 10/17/25 WIDE
Rating: NR
UNTITLED UNIVERSAL FAMILY
EVENT FILM 2025
Fri, 11/21/25 WIDE
Rating: NR
Genre: Fam
WICKED PART 2
Thr, 12/25/25 WIDE
Stars: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo
Director: Jon M. Chu
Rating: NR
Genre: Mus
VERTICAL ENTERTAINMENT
NATTY KNOCKS
Fri, 7/21/23 LTD
Stars: William Moseley, Danielle Harris
Director: Dwight Little
Rating: NR
Genre: Hor/Thr
SEE YOU ON VENUS
Fri, 7/21/23 LTD
Stars: Virginia Gardner, Alex Aiono
Director: Joaquin Llamas
Rating: NR
Genre: Dra/Rom
SUSIE SEARCHES
Fri, 7/28/23 LTD
Stars: Kiersey Clemons, Alex Wolff
Director: Sophie Kargman
Rating: NR
Genre: Com
THE POD GENERATION
Fri, 8/11/23 LTD
Stars: Emilia Clarke, Chiwetel Ejiofor
Director: Sophie Barthes
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Rom/Com/SF
WARNER BROS.
818-977-1850
BARBIE
Fri, 7/21/23 WIDE
Stars: Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling
Director: Greta Gerwig
Rating: NR
Genre: Com
Specs: Dolby Vis/Atmos
MEG 2: THE TRENCH
Fri, 8/4/23 WIDE
Stars: Jason Statham, Wu Jing
Director: Ben Wheatley
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Act
Specs: Dolby Vis/Atmos
BLUE BEETLE
Fri, 8/18/23 WIDE
Stars: Xolo Maridueña
Director: Angel Manuel Soto
Rating: NR
Genre: SF/Fan/Act
Specs: Imax, Dolby Vis/Atmos
THE NUN 2
Fri, 9/8/23 WIDE
Stars: Storm Reid
Director: Michael Chaves
Rating: NR
Genre: Hor
Specs: Imax
DUNE: PART TWO
Fri, 11/3/23 WIDE
Stars: Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Rating: NR
Genre: SF
Specs: Imax
WONKA
Fri, 12/15/23 WIDE
Stars: Timothée Chalamet
Director: Paul King
Rating: NR
Genre: Fan
Specs: Imax
August 2023
61

ON SCREEN BOOKING GUIDE
AQUAMAN AND THE LOST
KINGDOM
Fri, 12/20/23 WIDE
Stars: Jason Momoa, Patrick Wilson
Director: James Wan
Rating: NR
Genre: Act/SF/Fan
Specs: Imax, Dolby Vis/Atmos
THE COLOR PURPLE
Fri, 12/25/23 WIDE
Stars: Corey Hawkins,
Taraji P. Henson
Director: Blitz Bazawule
Rating: NR
Genre: Mus
THE WISE GUYS
Fri, 2/2/24 WIDE
Stars: Robert DeNiro, Debra Messing
Director: Barry Levinson
Rating: NR
Genre: Dra
GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW
EMPIRE
Fri, 3/15/24 WIDE
Director: Adam Wingard
Rating: NR
Genre: Act/SF
Specs: Imax
MICKEY 17
Fri, 3/29/24 WIDE
Stars: Robert Pattinson, Steven Yeun
Director: Bong Joon Ho
Rating: NR
Genre: Act/Dra/SF
THE LORD OF THE RINGS:
THE WAR OF THE ROHIRRIM
Fri, 4/12/24 WIDE
Director: Kenji Kamiyama
Rating: NR
Genre: Ani/Fan
FURIOSA
Fri, 5/24/24 WIDE
Stars: Anya Taylor-Joy,
Chris Hemsworth
Director: George Miller
Rating: NR
Genre: Act
THE WATCHERS
Fri, 6/7/24 WIDE
Director: Ishana Night Shyamalan
Rating: NR
Genre: Thr
UNTITLED DC EVENT FILM 2024
Fri, 6/21/24 WIDE
Rating: NR
UNTITLED NEW LINE HORROR
EVENT FILM 2024 1
Fri, 7/12/24 WIDE
Rating: NR
Genre: Hor
TRAP
Fri, 8/2/24 WIDE
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: NR
Genre: Thr
BEETLEUICE 2
Fri, 9/6/24 WIDE
Stars: Michael Keaton, Jenna Ortega
Rating: NR
Genre: Com
JOKER: FOLIE À DEUX
Fri, 10/4/24 WIDE
Stars: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: NR
Genre: Dra/Thr
UNTITLED WB EVENT FILM 2024
Fri, 11/8/24 WIDE
Rating: NR
UNTITLED NEW LINE EVENT FILM
2024 4
Fri, 12/20/24 WIDE
Rating: NR
MINECRAFT
Fri, 4/4/25 WIDE
Stars: Jason Momoa
Director: Jared Hess
Rating: NR
Genre: Ani
SUPERMAN: LEGACY
Fri, 7/25/25 WIDE
Director: James Gunn
Rating: NR
Genre: Act/Adv
THE BATMAN PART II
Fri, 10/3/25 WIDE
Stars: Robert Pattinson
Director: Matt Reeves
Rating: NR
Genre: Act/Thr
UNTITLED WB EVENT FILM 2025
Fri, 12/19/25 WIDE
WELL GO USA
ENTERTAINMENT
APORIA
Fri, 8/11/23 WIDE
Stars: Judy Greer, Edi Gathegi
Director: Jared Moshé
Rating: R
Genre: Dra/SF
62 August 2023

St. Jude patient
Kamryn
Big Screen. Bigger Cause.
When St. Jude opened in 1962, childhood cancer was considered incurable. Since then, St. Jude has
helped push the overall survival rate from 20% to more than 80%, and we won’t stop until no child
dies from cancer. But we can’t do it without your powerful partnership. By pairing movie exhibitors
with some of Hollywood’s brightest stars, St. Jude is harnessing the power of the silver screen to
accomplish a truly marvelous mission: Finding cures. Saving children. ®
For more information, please visit stjude.org/theaters
or email chance.weaver@alsac.stjude.org.
©2023 ALSAC/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (MCC-8340)

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Spotlight Cinema Networks 19
St Jude 63
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The Boxoffice Company 33, 55
Image Credits & Acknowledgments
Cover: Courtesy of Cinergy Entertainment Group
Page 1: Courtesy: Bleecker Street
Page 2: Courtesy of Cinergy Entertainment Group
Page 7: Courtesy Flix Brewhouse
Page 8: Courtesy llumination Entertainment & Universal Pictures
Page 10: Photo courtesy Larry H. Miller Megaplex Theatres
Page 11: Photo courtesy Motion Picture Club
Page 12-13: Adobe Stock
Page 18: Courtesy Flix Brewhouse
Page 20: Courtesy Flix Brewhouse
Page 21: Courtesy Flix Brewhouse
Page 23: Courtesy of Cinergy Entertainment Group
Page 24-27: All photos courtesy of their respective companies
Page 28-29: Adobe stock
Page 30-31: Photos courtesy Marianne and George Abiaad; by Phil Barron
Page 32: Courtesy of Cinergy Entertainment Group
Page 34-35: Courtesy of Cinergy Entertainment Group
Page 37: Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for CinemaCon
Page 39: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures/ & © DC Comics
Page 40: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures/ & © DC Comics
Page 41: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures/ & © DC Comics
Page 42: CinemaCon photo by Eric Charbonneau, courtesy Warner Bros
Page 43: Courtesy Caribbean Cinemas
Page 44-49: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures/ & © DC Comics
Page 49: Adobe stock
Page 50-53: Courtesy: Bleecker Street
Page 54: Courtesy Fathom Events
Page 56: Courtesy of Marvel Studios. 2023 MARVEL.
Page 57: Courtesy of Yannis Drakoulidis / Focus Features
Page 58: Courtesy Lionsgate
Page 59: Photo by Atsushi Nishijima. Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2023 20th Century Studios All Rights Reserved.
Page 60: Photo credit: Jon Pack. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics
Page 61: Chuck Zlotnick/Universal Pictures. © Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
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Patricia Martin
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64 August 2023

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