Boxoffice Podcast

In this week’s episode of The Boxoffice Podcast, Daniel Loria, Rebecca Pahle, and Shawn Robbins discuss the historic opening weekend for Spider-Man: No Way Home, what we can expect from the Christmas box office, as well as new releases like Sing 2 and The Matrix Resurrections.

In our feature segment Rebecca Pahle interviews Greg Laemmle, president of Laemmle Theaters, a Southern California-based chain of independent cinemas that has been around since the 1930’s. Greg shares how they’ve been able to adapt through the years, and what changes he thinks we can expect in the near future.

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

Episode Resources:

• Omicron Introduces New Wave of Restrictions for Cinemas Across Several Markets
• Weekend Box Office Forecast: Spider-Man: No Way Home Aims for Possible $100M+ 2nd Frame as Sing 2 Tracks to Upset The Matrix Resurrections as Top Christmas Debut

What to Listen For

• 00:00 Intro
• 01:58 Spider-Man: No Way Home opens to $260m domestically, what does this mean for the industry?
• 08:12 How Spider-Man: No Way Home is a reflection of Sony’s commitment to theatrical distribution & exhibition despite new restrictions around the world
• 12:12 Update on the Cineworld & Cineplex legal situation
• 14:01 A new law was passed in NYC requiring cinemas to have open caption showtimes in at least 25% of their screenings for any title that runs in cinemas
• 15:02 What’s coming up for the Christmas box office & what you can expect
• 20:14 Rebecca’s interview with Greg Laemmle

In this week’s episode of The Boxoffice Podcast, Russ Fischer, Daniel Loria, and Shawn Robbins discuss their outlook for Spider-Man No Way Home’s box office debut. The trio also looks at other releases in theaters this weekend, including Guillermo Del Toro’s Nightmare Alley, and breaks down the underwhelming performance of Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story at the box office. 

In the feature segment, Daniel Loria speaks to Cheryl Wannell, the Chief Executive Officer at SAWA - Global Cinema Advertising, about the organization’s efforts during the pandemic to help its members across the sector to get back on track and bring major advertisers back to the pre-show. 

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

Episode Resources:

• SAWA
• Spider-Man: A Box Office History

What to Listen For

• 00:00 Intro
• 01:16 Spider-Man No Way Home is not slowing down
• 04:44 The evolution of Spider-Man in theaters
• 07:36 Box office forecast for Spider-Man No Way Home
• 11:00 A new era of superhero franchise
• 12:30 Guillermo del Toro’s Nightmare Alley
• 16:17 West Side Story opens to $10.5M 
• 19:26 Additional box office numbers this week
• 25:43 Cinema advertising has been a bumpy road for recovery
• 28:12 Where is cinema advertising in 2021?
• 29:57 Stories of resiliency and innovation
• 31:09 SAWA’s global efforts to help drive cinema advertising
• 35:02 Are we at a 2019 box office level?

In this week’s episode of The Boxoffice Podcast, Rebecca Pahle and Jesse Rifkin discuss a quiet post-Thanksgiving weekend, which saw Disney’s Encanto maintain its top placement amid a slate of specialty releases. 

In the feature segment, Daniel Loria speaks to director Sean Baker about his latest film, Red Rocket, a dark comedy film that follows the life of a washout porn star and his ticket back into the porn industry through an intrigued teenage girl.

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

Episode Resources:

• Encanto Remains No. 1 w/ $12.7M Over Slow Post-Thanksgiving Frame

What to Listen For

• 00:00 Intro
• 01:01 Special screenings for West Side Story and The Tragedy of Macbeth
• 02:38 Encanto maintained its top spot
• 07:03 Funaimation’s Sword Art Online Progressive debuts at the tenth spot 
• 10:13 New specialty titles 
• 13:06 Awards season
• 15:27 Red Rocket is a dark comedy film
• 17:12 When was Red Rocket conceptualized?
• 21:37 A realistic teenager intrigued by the idea of prostitution
• 26:29 Is there a parallel between the adult industry and theatrical distribution
• 29:58 Helping films to find their own audience
• 31:34 Releasing a dark comedy film during the recovery period

In this week’s episode of The Boxoffice Podcast, Daniel Loria, Rebecca Pahle, and Shawn Robbins discuss Spider-Man: No Way Home’s pre-sales numbers and its positively looking box office debut predictions. 

In the feature segment, Pahle speaks with Heather Morgan, who as of January 1, 2022 will become the first female president of the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation. She speaks about her own personal relationship with moviegoing and the future evolution of Will Rogers.

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

What to Listen For

• 00:00 Intro
• 02:18 Spider-Man: No Way Home pre sales tickets
• 04:25 It’s time for a  pre-debut forecast
• 06:59 Potential of Spider-Man for holiday moviegoing
• 08:26 Macro figures from the the Thanksgiving weekend
• 09:53 Encanto’s international numbers
• 11:44 Are family audiences finally coming back to theaters?
• 14:41 Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City opened to the low expectation side
• 19:11 The Will Rogers Pioneers Assistance Fund
• 21:37 Putting together the executive board 
• 23:41 Financial literacy and money management
• 26:30 Background with volunteering and charitable work
• 28:28 Growing up, what’s the nearest theater?
• 31:52 Staying on the right strategic course
• 34:09 All businesses need an effective marketing

In this week’s episode of The Boxoffice Podcast, Daniel Loria, Rebecca Pahle, and Shawn Robbins discuss weekend box office numbers and predictions for the Thanksgiving weekend’s new titles.

In this week’s Indie Focus feature, Rebecca and Daniel present some of the key insights from Boxoffice LIVE Sessions’ State of the Art House webinar, featuring expertise from Paul Serwitz (President and COO, Landmark Theatres), Tori Baker (President & CEO, Salt Lake Film Society), Dylan Skolnick (Co-Director, Cinema Arts Centre), Barbara Twist (Director of Partnerships, Vidiots Foundation), and Barak Epstein (President, Aviation Cinemas / Texas Theatre).

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

Episode Resources:

• FULL VIDEO: Boxoffice LIVE Sessions - State of the Art House 2021
• Thanksgiving Box Office Forecast: Will Holiday Moviegoers Feast On Encanto, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, House of Gucci, and Resident Evil?  
• Cinematic Enchantment: Disney Reunites with Lin-Manual Miranda for Animated Musical Encanto  
• Interview with Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City Writer-Director Johannes Roberts
• Ryusuke Hamaguchi on Adapting Haruki Murakami’s Drive My Car  
• Weekend Box Office Recap: Ghostbusters: Afterlife Opens to $44M 
• Interview with Ghostbusters: Afterlife Director Jason Reitman
• No Time to Die Becomes Top Studio Title of 2020-2021 at the Global Box Office
• This Week on the Box Office Podcast: L.A.’s Iconic Vidiots Plans Its Return In Late 2021
• This Week on The Boxoffice Podcast: Sundance at the Art House with The Texas Theatre
• Paul Serwitz on the Reopening of NYC Cinemas
• Art Houses Fight On: Salt Lake Film Society Launches @homeArts

What to Listen For

• 00:00 Intro
• 03:42 Ghostbusters Afterlife opens to $44M domestically
• 06:12 King Richard debuts at $5.7M
• 08:17 No Time to Die remains theatrically exclusive
• 11:16 Latest weekend box office titles
• 14:28 What to expect during the Thanksgiving weekend?
• 15:18 Expectations for House of Gucci
• 18:30 Resident Evil: Welcome to the Raccoon City
• 21:15 Arthouse theaters stay innovative throughout the pandemic
• 23:12 Drivers that lead audiences back into theaters
• 26:25 Title availability compromises the theatrical business
• 29:00 Netflix and Amazon’s pull on high quality films
• 31:13 Streaming is a way to gauge what content works
• 35:00 Marketing arthouses make for a title
• 37:47 Streamers are not targeting box office numbers
• 42:39 Creating a welcoming atmosphere for different communities
• 44:58 There’s still a great need to diversify the audience

In this week’s episode of The Boxoffice Podcast, Daniel Loria and Jesse Rifkin discuss the weekend’s box office results and the biggest headlines from the movie theater industry. Cineworld shows signs of recovery as Cinemark registers its best performance for a Netflix title at the box office in their circuit. 

In the feature segment, Rebecca talks to Film Hub NI Manager Hugh Odling Smee about the upcoming This Way Up Conference 2021 and the UK film industry’s tremendous effort to bring independent cinemas together to discuss relevant topics including accessibility, diversity, and inclusion. 

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

Episode Resources:

• THIS WAY UP Event Registration
• Cineworld Returns to Profitability in October
• Red Notice Becomes Cinemark’s Highest-Earning Netflix Title
• Heather Morgan Named New President of Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers
• Sponsor: Boost your cinema

What to Listen For

• 00:00 Intro
• 02:12 Cineworld exceeds its 2019 figures
• 03:26 Cinemark’s best performing Netflix title, Red Notice
• 05:37 Will Rogers’ names its first female president
• 06:23 Eternals stays on the top spot in its second week
• 08:43 New title releases this weekend
• 10:52 Upcoming film releases next week
• 14:14 Bringing independent cinemas together to discuss multiple issues
• 16:55 Huge focus on film criticism 
• 20:16 The issue on accessibility
• 23:15 Awareness around being more transparent about the industry’s best practices
• 26:24 Diversity and inclusion is a work on progress for many organizations
• 27:08 Online and offline access to the TWU Conference 2021

In this week’s episode of The Boxoffice Podcast, co-hosts Daniel Loria and Rebecca Pahle covers AMC’s partnership with Disney+ and a new retail popcorn venture, Marcus Theater’s earnings call, and the current top 5 films in the box office, with Eternals taking the top spot on its opening weekend.

In the feature segment, Rebecca talks to the top executives at Studio Movie Grill, Ted Low, Ted Croft, and Tearlach Hutcheson, about the efforts put in place to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy and the dine-in movie theater chain’s relentless endeavors to maintain the unique experience for every guest.

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

Episode Resources:

• Studio Movie Grill

What to Listen For

• 00:00 Intro
• 01:10 AMC partners with Disney+ and enters the retails popcorn market
• 06:11 Marcus Theaters quarterly earnings call
• 07:15 Eternals opens to $71M domestically
• 10:42 Dune came in 2nd this week
• 10:55 Films taking the top spot this week
• 16:42 Titles to look forward to in December
• 20:34 Getting out of Chapter 11 Bankruptcy 
• 22:50 Unfortunate timing during the pandemic
• 23:54 Latest approach to SMG programming
• 25:14 Looking at high touch and low touch opportunities
• 28:39 Focus on guest experience and opportunistic growth
• 31:21 The SMG story is not done

In this week’s episode of The Boxoffice Podcast, co-hosts Daniel Loria and Rebecca Pahle recap a quiet Halloween weekend at the box office and discuss important attendance milestones from the month of October. As the Winter approaches, they talk about the potential of event cinema engagements to breakout at the box office in off-peak periods. 

In the feature segment, Daniel talks to Alamo Drafthouse’s Tim League on their successful recovery from Chapter 11 bankruptcy as the iconic dine-in chain opens their first New York City location and looks to continue expanding. 

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

Episode Resources:

• Cinemark Delivers Best COVID-Era Box Office Performance in Month of October
• WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Dune Wins Halloween Frame w/ $15.53M; My Hero Academia Debuts in 4th ($6.4M); Last Night in Soho ($4.22M) & Antlers ($4.2M) Disappoint
• AMC’s October Revenue was Highest Since Pandemic
• Kinepolis Announces Quarterly Earnings, Touts Across-the-Board Attendance Increase
• Christmas With The Chosen: The Messengers Sets Fathom Events Pre-Sales Record in First 12 Hours
• Iconic Events Releasing Partners with Netflix to Bring The Mitchells vs the Machines to Movie Theaters Nationwide on November 20-21
• Long Range Box Office Forecast: Ghostbusters: Afterlife Outlook, Eternals Tracking Softens, and More Updates
• Alamo Drafthouse

What to Listen For

• 00:00 Intro
• 02:07 Major chains record their highest grossing mark since the pandemic
• 04:22 The Mitchells vs. the Machines to play in theaters
• 07:24 Dune retains its top spot on its second weekend
• 09:41 Update on Halloween Kills and No Time To Die numbers
• 11:28 My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission opens at $6.4M
• 14:31 SearchLight’s unique approach for The French Dispatch
• 15:56 What to expect from the movie Eternals 
• 20:53 Alamo Drafthouse coming out of bankruptcy
• 24:53 Keeping the audience engaged with the Alamo brand
• 23:03 Plans to open more branches
• 23:50 The hardest cinema to renovate and re-open
• 24:53 Integrating retail spaces in cinemas
• 26:42 Giving moviegoers another reason to keep going to the theaters
• 28:47 Creating a micro-community for the audience
• 30:13 Is cinema a dying industry?

In this week’s episode of The Boxoffice Podcast, co-hosts Russ Fischer, Daniel Loria, and Rebecca Pahle discuss Dune’s $41M opening weekend in North America and the success of Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch in limited release. 

In the feature segment, Rebecca talks to Thomas van de Weerd of the (Any)Thing Micro-Cinema about their unique micro-cinema concept, where audiences get to decide which films to watch in a small collection of private auditoriums. 

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

Episode Resources:

• The (Any)Thing Cinema

What to Listen For

• 00:00 Intro
• 02:10 New trailer for Uncharted
• 04:02 Dune opens at $41M, highest opening for Warner Bros. since pre-pandemic
• 08:48 International numbers for Dune
• 10:18 Halloween Kills drops in its 2nd week
• 13:04 Update on No Time To Die’s box office numbers
• 15:14 The French Dispatch opens at $1.3M
• 17:43 Promoting a film with limited release schedule
• 20:21 New films coming out next week
• 22:51 How it started for The (Any)Thing Cinema
• 26:00 Customers decide what movie to play at what time
• 29:23 Pricing strategy and accessibility
• 30:47 Why it’s named The (Any)Thing Cinema
• 32:11 Future expansion plans
• 33:32 Challenges that come with micro-cinema concept
• 34:43 Keeping movies available for as long as possible

In this week’s episode of The Boxoffice Podcast, co-hosts Russ Fischer, Daniel Loria, Rebecca Pahle, and Shawn Robbins discuss Halloween Kills box office numbers, the disappointing receipts of The Last Duel, the performance of the international market, Disney’s latest round of release date changes, and the forecast of several of this weekend’s new releases, including Dune and The French Dispatch.

In the Indie Focus segment, Rebecca talks to Mary D. Fisher Theatre's Patrick Schweiss about the theater’s efforts to give moviegoers a reason to keep coming to the theaters and their continuous efforts to get in front of as many audience members as possible while recovering from the pandemic.

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

Episode Resources:

• Mary D. Fisher Theatre
• Spotlight Cinema Networks

What to Listen For

• 00:00 Intro
• 01:43 3rd consecutive domestic weekend where box office reached over $100M gross
• 02:43 Halloween Kills had the highest opening for a day-and-date film of all time
• 04:02 Shawn’s prediction for Halloween Kills hits the mark
• 06:40 No Time To Die on its second week
• 10:27 AMC’s open captio roll-out
• 13:32 Disney’s release date changes, including the MCU
• 16:08 Other titles release date changes
• 20:45 The French Dispatch forecast
• 22:18 Update on new releases in the international market
• 24:40 The Batman starring Robert Pattinson
• 28:25 Turning the most untheatrical building into a theater
• 32:24 The cultural heart of Sedona
• 35:20 A blend of a year-round film festival
• 36:56 Giving people an intense movie experience they would want to talk about
• 39:06 Maintaining strong relationships with customers
• 43:40 Transition into and out of the pandemic