Boxoffice Podcast

Daniel Loria, Rebecca Pahle, Russ Fischer, and Chad Kennerk are on this week’s panel to discuss the biggest films coming to theaters in 2025. Our quarter-by-quarter breakdown includes analysis on the most important movies and holiday weekends for exhibition, as well as our picks for potential break-outs at the box office.

Give us your feedback on our podcast by accessing this survey: https://forms.gle/CcuvaXCEpgPLQ6d18 

What to Listen For

00:00 Intro

00:29 Bold Predictions for 2025 Box Office

01:55 Renovation Trends in Theaters

03:45 Fewer Screens, Enhanced Experiences

05:21 Q1 Highlights: Captain America Brave New World

08:16 Valentine's Day Releases: Paddington in Peru and Horror Counterprogramming

10:47 Disney’s Snow White Live-Action Discussion

13:22 Universal’s Dogman and Family Audiences

15:20 Ryan Coogler’s Sinners: Expectations and Mystery

17:50 Q2 Preview: Thunderbolts and Memorial Day Releases

21:13 Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning Analysis

24:30 Minecraft Movie Potential in April

27:20 How To Train Your Dragon Live-Action and Pixar’s Elio Head-to-Head

30:33 Universal Studios’ Themed Land and Dragon Franchise

33:00 Karate Kid Legends: Uniting Generations

35:12 Lionsgate’s Ballerina and Reshoots

37:55 28 Years Later: Anticipation for Zombie Sequel

41:00 Megan 2.0 and F1 Movie Counterprogramming

44:30 July Highlights: Jurassic World Rebirth and Superman: Legacy

48:20 Fantastic Four First Steps Analysis

52:00 Smurfs Musical Movie: Box Office Potential

54:50 Q4 Preview: Wicked Part Two and Zootopia 2

57:20 Avatar: Fire and Ash Release and Expectations

01:04:30 Michael Jackson Biopic: Challenges and Opportunities

01:08:50 Tron Ares and Sci-Fi Sequels

Daniel Loria, Russ Fischer, Rebecca Pahle, and Chad Kennerk review all the biggest stories, trends, hits, and misses from 2024 at the box office.

Give us your feedback on our podcast by accessing this survey: https://forms.gle/CcuvaXCEpgPLQ6d18 

What to Listen For

00:00 Intro

00:23 Sony Acquires Alamo Drafthouse

01:00 2024 in Review: Theatrical Exhibition

02:14 Inside Out 2: Box Office Record and Impact

04:51 Disney's Rebound in Theatrical Releases

07:00 Success of 20th Century Studios Titles

09:02 Marketing Strategies for Moana 2

10:20 Analysis of Bad Boys Ride or Die

12:15 Deadpool and Wolverine’s Box Office Performance

13:44 Universal’s Marketing Success with Wicked

16:11 Challenges of Splitting Wicked into Two Movies

18:00 Moana 2 as the Box Office Surprise of the Year

20:50 Rise of Specialty Distributors like Neon and A24

22:15 Box Office Disappointment: Joker Folie à Deux

24:30 Dune Part 2 and Its Viral Marketing Success

27:00 Expansion of Concessions and Collectibles in Theaters

30:20 Movie Marketing Trends: Theatrical Collectibles

33:42 Rise of Cinema Entertainment Centers

37:00 Personal Favorite Movies of 2024

38:44 Top Performances of the Year

41:00 Memorable Moviegoing Experiences

44:50 2024’s Social Relevance in Cinema

47:20 Movies that Defined the Year

48:17 Outro and Next Week’s Preview

Daniel Loria and Rebecca Pahle go over the latest headlines in theatrical exhibitions and preview the Christmas season box office. In the feature segment, the Cinema Foundation’s Executive Director, Bryan Braunlich, joins to talk about plans for the @ the Movies campaign—bringing four moviegoing—themed events to cinemas nationwide in 2025 to encourage habitual moviegoing.

Give us your feedback on our podcast by accessing this survey: https://forms.gle/CcuvaXCEpgPLQ6d18 

What to Listen For

00:00 Intro

00:20 Discussion on Cinema Activations and Promotions

01:00 Christmas Box Office Preview Overview

02:17 Weekend Box Office Recap: Craven the Hunter and Lord of the Rings Anime

06:28 Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Box Office Forecast

07:57 Mufasa: The Lion King Prequel Expectations

09:03 Overview of Christmas Day Releases

09:33 Focus Features’ Nosferatu and Searchlight’s A Complete Unknown

11:28 Tracking and Projections for Nosferatu and A Complete Unknown

12:42 Amazon MGM’s The Fire Inside Biopic Discussion

14:18 Marketing Strategies for Christmas Releases

15:15 Amazon MGM and CinemaCon Updates

16:55 Wicked’s Sing-Along Screenings Announcement

18:21 Fathom Events Rebranding as Fathom Entertainment

20:27 UK Audience Development Initiative Escapes

22:52 Cinema Foundation’s At the Movies Campaign Overview

25:00 January National Popcorn Day Plans

28:52 Sneak Peek Saturday: Summer 2025 Previews

34:26 August Date Night at the Movies Details

37:12 November Family Day at the Movies Plans

In this week’s episode of the Boxoffice Podcast, co-hosts Daniel Loria, Rebecca Pahle and Chad Kennerk cover the latest exhibition news, including the announcement of CinemaCon's NATO Marquee Award, which is set to honor Cinemark CEO Sean Gamble, and NATO's rebranded National Cinema Day into the campaign At the Movies. In the feature segment, Daniel sits down with Nickel Boys director RaMell Ross to explore the challenges of adapting a celebrated novel and the significance of the theatrical experience.

Give us your feedback on our podcast by accessing this survey: https://forms.gle/CcuvaXCEpgPLQ6d18 

What to Listen For

00:00 Intro

01:03 Catching up

02:06 

06:27 Timothée Chalamet’s appearance on ESPN

07:32 Paul Mezcal on SNL

08:15 CinemaCon 2025, National Cinema Day

14:02 New theater openings

15:28 Focus Feature’s Sarcophagus replica

21:40 Nickel Boys feature debut

24:05 Conceptualizing the Nickel Boys film

27:07 Production basis with a specific vision

31:06 Emotional connection to the audience

35:10 The first person perspective

38:30 Theatrical experience as a film maker

39:50 Iconic childhood theater

In this week’s episode of the Boxoffice Podcast, brought to you by One Ultra Screens, co-hosts Daniel Loria and Chad Kennerk discuss the highest-earning Thanksgiving weekend frame of all time, driven by Disney's Moana 2, Universal's Wicked, and Paramount's Gladiator II. Exhibitors including AMC, Regal, and Cinemark all reported record-breaking holiday weekends. In the feature segment, Daniel speaks to Ernesto Acevedo-Muñoz, a professor of cinema studies at the University of Colorado Boulder, about the evolution of Broadway adaptations, highlighting the rise and fall of the Hollywood musical and the recent success of Wicked, the highest-grossing Broadway adaptation of all-time.

Give us your feedback on our podcast by accessing this survey: https://forms.gle/CcuvaXCEpgPLQ6d18 

What to Listen For

• 00:00 Intro
• 00:20 Highest-Earning Thanksgiving Weekend Overview
• 01:07 Wicked Becomes Highest-Grossing Broadway Adaptation
• 01:50 Thanksgiving Movie Experiences: Moana 2 and Gladiator II
• 03:38 Denzel Washington’s Performance in Gladiator II
• 06:17 Thanksgiving Box Office Records Analysis
• 07:15 Moana 2 Breaks Multiple Box Office Records
• 09:41 International Performance of Moana 2
• 10:47 Wicked’s Sophomore Frame Performance and Global Numbers
• 11:47 Gladiator II: Domestic and International Highlights
• 12:07 Record Attendance for AMC Theaters
• 13:04 Regal’s Thanksgiving Records and Merchandising Success
• 14:00 Cinemark Achieves Best Food & Beverage Revenue Day
• 15:14 Thanksgiving Box Office Recovery Analysis
• 16:21 Feature Segment with Ernesto Munoz Begins
• 17:01 History of the Broadway-to-Hollywood Pipeline
• 22:47 Evolution of the Movie Musical in the 1930s
• 27:34 MGM’s Role in Shaping Musicals in the 1940s
• 30:00 Broadway Adaptations and 1950s Hollywood Musicals
• 32:27 West Side Story as a Turning Point
• 35:00 Decline of Hollywood Musicals in the Late 1960s
• 37:50 Cabaret’s Influence in the 1970s
• 40:00 Rock Musicals: Hair and Jesus Christ Superstar
• 44:00 Revival of the Musical in the Early 2000s
• 45:22 Why Wicked Works as a Movie
• 47:00 Anticipation for Wicked Part Two
• 50:22 Modern Musical Success Stories and Future Prospects

In this week’s episode of the Boxoffice Podcast, co-hosts Daniel Loria, Rebecca Pahle and Chad Kennerk discuss the latest exhibition news, including the successful record-breaking opening weekends of Wicked and Gladiator II. In the sponsored segment, Daniel and Malcolm MacMillan, the Managing Director UK and EVP Exhibitor Relations, Boost Products and Services at The Boxoffice Company, discuss the importance of TikTok for exhibitors, noting its 67% user base aged 18-34. In the feature segment, Daniel and Chad are joined by Albert Lawrence to discuss the limited and platform releases in the month of December from major distributors.

Give us your feedback on our podcast by accessing this survey: https://forms.gle/CcuvaXCEpgPLQ6d18 

What to Listen For

• 00:00 Intro
• 01:15 Importance of Social Media for Film Discovery
• 03:40 Wicked’s Record-Breaking Opening Weekend
• 07:42 Interview with Universal’s Jim Orr on Wicked
• 10:53 Gladiator II Box Office Performance
• 14:02 Demographics Breakdown for Wicked and Gladiator II
• 16:15 Regional Box Office Trends for Gladiator II
• 18:21 Malcolm McMillan on TikTok Strategy for Cinemas
• 21:26 Moana 2 UK Premiere Insights
• 24:13 Importance of Honesty in TikTok Content Creation
• 27:20 December Limited Releases: Overview and Discussion
• 31:35 Highlights of September 5 and Nickel Boys
• 34:51 Anticipation for Y2K and Night Bitch
• 37:04 Nostalgia Marketing in Recent Films
• 40:25 Upcoming December Wide Releases: Sonic 3 and Mufasa
• 43:43 A24’s Baby Girl: Return of the Erotic Thriller
• 47:01 Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu and Cinematic Style
• 50:07 Boxing Biopic: The Fire Inside
• 52:20 Robbie Williams Biopic and Creative Risks
• 54:40 Bob Dylan’s A Complete Unknown

Boxoffice Pro’s Daniel Loria, Rebecca Pahle, and Chad Kennerk cover the marketing campaigns leading up to this weekend’s launch of Universal’s Wicked and Paramount’s Gladiator II. In our feature segment, Flix Brewhouse’s CRO, Chris Randleman, joins to discuss the box office prospects of the remaining 2024 theatrical slate.

Give us your feedback on our podcast by accessing this survey: https://forms.gle/CcuvaXCEpgPLQ6d18 

What to Listen For

• 00:00 Intro
• 01:00 Introduction to Thanksgiving Box Office Season
• 03:00 Recent Moviegoing Experiences of the Hosts
• 06:00 Wicked Review and Audience Reaction
• 10:00 Gladiator II Early Box Office Predictions
• 12:00 Discussion on BarbHeimer Comparisons
• 15:00 AMC Theaters Renovation Updates
• 18:00 Alamo Drafthouse Promotions and Leadership Changes
• 20:00 Box Office Success of International Films
• 23:00 Forecast for Wicked and Gladiator II Box Office Performance
• 26:00 Moana 2 Predictions for Thanksgiving Weekend
• 28:00 Merchandise and Collectibles for Holiday Releases
• 31:00 December Releases: Sonic 3, Mufasa, and Niche Titles
• 34:00 Challenges with Screen Availability for Upcoming Films

In this week’s episode of the Boxoffice Podcast, co-hosts Daniel Loria, Rebecca Pahle and Chad Kennerk discuss the latest exhibition news, including AMC’s comprehensive Go Plan and a new Screen X location arriving at MJR Theatres. The trio then covers the latest box office, including a preview of the latest tracking for this weekend’s Red One and the Thanksgiving season releases of Wicked, Gladiator II, and Moana 2.

Give us your feedback on our podcast by accessing this survey: https://forms.gle/CcuvaXCEpgPLQ6d18

What to Listen For

• 00:00 Intro
• 01:00 Last Movies Seen by Hosts
• 04:00 AMC Theaters Announces Major Renovation Plans
• 08:00 MJR Digital Cinemas Adding ScreenX in Michigan
• 10:00 Discussion on AMC XL Mid-Tier Premium Format
• 13:00 Overview of Red One’s Theatrical Release
• 16:00 Red One Opening Weekend Box Office Projections
• 18:00 International Performance of Red One
• 21:00 Comparison of Red One to Fall Guy
• 23:00 Upcoming Thanksgiving Box Office Releases: Wicked, Gladiator 2, Moana 2
• 25:00 High Pre-Sales for Moana 2 and Mufasa

In this week’s episode of the Boxoffice Podcast, co-hosts Daniel Loria, Rebecca Pahle and Chad Kennerk discuss the upcoming November slate. They highlight a trio of anticipated strong openers around the Thanksgiving holiday corridor – Wicked, Gladiator II, and Moana 2 – and reflect on the titles they’re personally looking forward to during November.

Give us your feedback on our podcast by accessing this survey: https://forms.gle/CcuvaXCEpgPLQ6d18 

What to Listen For

• 00:00 Intro
• 01:00 November Movie Preview Overview
• 03:00 Discussion on Slow Start with "Here" from Sony
• 05:00 Anticipation for The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Lionsgate
• 08:00 A24's Heretic Starring Hugh Grant
• 11:00 Early Insights on Red One by Amazon/MGM
• 13:00 Forecast for Gladiator 2 by Paramount
• 15:00 Expectations for Wicked Part One by Universal
• 18:00 Anticipation for Moana 2 by Walt Disney Animation
• 21:00 Analysis of Thanksgiving Box Office Trends
• 24:00 Mufasa: The Lion King and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Release Discussion
• 27:00 Personal Movie Picks for November
• 29:00 Final Thoughts on Upcoming Releases

In this week’s episode of the Boxoffice Podcast, brought to you by Angel Studios, co-hosts Daniel Loria, Rebecca Pahle, and Chad Kennerk countdown the top 10 highest-grossing horror films of the last 10 years, adding some personal favorites and culturally significant horror titles beyond those on the list.

Give us your feedback on our podcast by accessing this survey: https://forms.gle/CcuvaXCEpgPLQ6d18 

What to Listen For

• 00:00 Intro
• 01:00 Top 10 Highest Grossing Horror Movies Discussion Begins
• 03:00 Rise of Blumhouse in the Horror Genre
• 04:00 Vincent Price Trivia and Influence in Horror
• 05:00 Impact of Five Nights at Freddy's
• 07:00 MCU Effect on Horror Films and Franchises
• 09:00 The Legacy of A Quiet Place
• 11:00 Jordan Peele’s Impact with Get Out and Us
• 14:00 Discussion on Hereditary and Midsommar
• 17:00 Soft & Quiet as a Hidden Horror Gem
• 20:00 Box Office Trends in Horror Films