Boxoffice Podcast

In this week’s episode of The Boxoffice Podcast, co-hosts Russ Fischer, Daniel Loria, and Rebecca Pahle talk about the top five box office titles of this past weekend, with The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard topping the charts in its first weekend of release. Updates on Arclight/Pacific’s closure is followed by the episode’s main feature: a conversation between Loria and UNIC and UKCA’s Phil Clapp on the status of U.K. cinemas as they emerge from their second round of closures.

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Episode Resources:

• CinemaCon 2021

What to Listen For

• 00:00 Intro
• 01:36 The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard opens at 11.6M weekend gross
• 03:54 Pacific Theaters filed for Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy code
• 07:13 The Beatles: Get Back will debut as a 3-part series on Disney Plus
• 08:52 Hotel Transylvania: Transformania is moved to debut on October 1st
• 11:20 UK cinemas were able to reopen mid-May
• 13:27 Safeguarding and welcoming of audiences were properly handled
• 16:44 There’s a form of general business support from the government
• 21:03 The movie industry is huge ecosystem that includes hourly-wage earners
• 23:42 Social distancing and 50% capacity limits are still being implemented
• 28:42 Ensuring that the foundations are in place and continuously helping small theaters
• 31:52 CinemaCon registration is open!

In this week’s episode of The Boxoffice Podcast, co-hosts Russ Fischer, Daniel Loria, Rebecca Pahle, and Shawn Robbins talk about the disappointing opening weekend for In the Heights, Peter Rabbit 2 not pulling in as many family moviegoers as expected, and lessons learned from the first half of 2021.

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What to Listen For

• 00:00 Intro
• 01:35 A Quiet Place Part II crosses $100M mark
• 02:44 In the Heights’ disappointing opening weekend
• 07:48 With a title with a diverse cast, there was a struggle with promotion
• 11:24 Female audience over 30-35 remains the most cautious in going back to the cinemas 
• 15:45 The staying power for family films didn’t help Peter Rabbit 2
• 18:43 How does a shorter window or lack of exclusivity impact the word of mouth?
• 22:43 How long will it take for moviegoers to fully come back?
• 24:40 Recovery of the cinema is directly tied to vaccination efforts
• 26:27 Even when the US market recovers, it may not mean the same for the international market
• 28:44 LA theaters are doing well selling tickets   
• 29:54 Which titles will become niche performers?

In this week’s episode of The Boxoffice Podcast, co-hosts Daniel Loria and Rebecca Pahle discuss this week’s box office numbers with The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It taking the top spot as A Quiet Place Part II dropped to second place. A trio of family titles round out the top five movies in the domestic market, potentially setting the stage for a strong debut for Sony’s Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway.

Chris Hamel, president of the Gateway Film Center in Columbus, Ohio joins the podcast in the debut edition of our new monthly segment, Indie Focus, presented by Spotlight Cinema Networks. Chris discusses the internal and external challenges of operating an independent theater during the pandemic and shares his optimism on an eventual recovery for the movie theater industry. 

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Episode Resources:

• Spotlight Cinema Networks
• Gateway Film Center

What to Listen For

• 00:00 Intro
• 01:26 It was a battle of the horror sequels in the box office weekend
• 06:02 Cruella drops on its second week, Untamed joins top 5 films
• 11:36 The Gateway Film Center is focused on artists and filmmakers
• 13:21 Earned the trust of legacy art leaders and built meaningful relationships
• 15:14 Gateway hosts events and serves as a venue for film festivals and screenings
• 17:49 Understanding the proper health measures required to be a responsible exhibitor
• 20:31 Concession offered were limited based on safety protocols
• 25:12 The curatorial aspect is forming a trust and bond with the audience  
• 29:10 Appealing to national brands while maintaining good relationships with local venues

In this week’s episode of The Boxoffice Podcast, co-hosts Russ Fischer, Rebecca Pahle, and Shawn Robbins discuss how Memorial Day box office marks a turning point for domestic exhibition, the implications of Amazon purchasing MGM, and the steep second week drop of F9 in China.

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Episode Resources:

• Amazon Enters Into Agreement to Acquire MGM
• The Biggest Movies Coming to Theaters Memorial Day Weekend and June 

What to Listen For

• 00:00 Intro
• 02:30 Amazon purchases MGM for $8.45 billion dollars
• 07:40 The theatrical release predictions for No Time to Die and future Bond movies
• 09:25 Boss Baby: Family Business will open on July 2 as day-and-date
• 15:30 Expectations for A Quiet Place Part II opening on limited seating capacity still
• 16:51 Progressive box office openings with several titles lined up for release
• 19:15 F9 drops to 85% on its 2nd week in the Chinese theaters
• 23:05 Cruella’s box office debut
• 25:33 Disney’s attempt to re-invent old movies

In this week’s episode of The Boxoffice Podcast, co-hosts Daniel Loria and Rebecca Pahle discuss promising signs at the overseas box office—including a great reopening weekend in the UK and the first $100 million-plus of the pandemic with F9’s debut in China.

In the feature segment, distribution veteran Bob Berney, CEO of Picturehouse and the former head of marketing and distribution at Amazon Studios, joins Daniel to talk about the current state of theatrical distribution. Berney shares his insights on the current volatility in the market as streaming companies make a play for big movies and major franchises at the multiplex, while specialty players learn to adapt to a market without the influence of the film festival circuit.  

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Episode Resources:

• Picturehouse
• Amazon Enters Into Agreement to Acquire MGM
• The Sound of Silence: A Quiet Place Part II Sound Editors Speak Up  
• Spiral Adds $4.5M in Quiet Domestic Weekend, F9 Shines in Overseas Debut
• F9 Sets New Pandemic Box Office Benchmark with Overseas Debut    
• Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway Takes Top Spot in the Return of UK Cinemas  

What to Listen For

• 00:00 Intro
• 01:07 The UK market reopens
• 04:44 F9 opens big in China
• 07:51 The long-term impact of shortened theatrical exclusivity window
• 10:58 F9’s performance in other overseas markets
• 13:31 High stakes for the domestic market over Memorial Day weekend
• 18:25 Seeing where we are at with recovery efforts
• 20:42 Picturehouse CEO Bob Berney
• 27:14 The role of new films in the recovery effort from the pandemic
• 31:06 Independent films need word of mouth
• 34:54 The missing piece that will connect indie films to audiences
• 41:26 Metrics of success for streaming platforms
• 42:36 Survival of the theatrical experience with renewed competition from streamers 

In this week’s episode of The Boxoffice Podcast, co-hosts Daniel Loria, Rebecca Pahle, and Shawn Robbins talk about potential mega mergers among media conglomerates—and why it’s too early to discern their potential impact on the entertainment industry. The hosts also delve into the box office potential of Disney’s Jungle Cruise and Paramount’s A Quiet Place Part II as the long-term future of the theatrical exclusivity window comes into focus.

In the feature segment, we share highlights from the Boxoffice Live Sessions webinar with the organizers of Cinema Week, a campaign designed to engage audiences with the moviegoing experience running from June 22-27.

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Episode Resources:

• Long Range Box Office Forecast: Summer Preview
• Cinema Week
• Boxoffice Live Sessions
• Disney Commits to 45-Day Exclusivity Window for a Pair of Upcoming Titles 

What to Listen For

• 00:00 Intro
• 01:20 WarnerMedia spinning off of AT&T
• 06:04 Speculation about MGM to be acquired by a steaming platform
• 08:40 Cineworld has signed deals with Universal and Disney
• 09:56 Free Guy and Shang-Chi going under a 45-day window, Jungle Cruise going day-and-date
• 13:30 Does Jungle Cruise have the potential to become a franchise?
• 15:24 Disney on franchising movies and shows
• 16:25 Opening weekend for Spiral
• 22:20 Cinema Week: a six-day event designed to re-engage moviegoers
• 23:39 Brandon Jones (FilmFrog Marketing) on Cinema Week 
• 26:09 Attend the next live webinar on May 25th, 9am PST
• 26:40 Melissa Boudreau on what exhibitors do to re-engage moviegoers
• 28:50 Exhibitors need to rethink their marketing approach
• 29:20 Rich Daughtridge on exhibitors to get creative with community engagement and brand promotion

In this week’s episode of the Boxoffice Podcast, co-hosts Daniel Loria and Rebecca Pahle discuss a few key points from AMC’s recent earnings call, Zack Synder’s Army of the Dead landing a week-long exclusive theatrical run before it’s Netflix debut, and Cinemark signing an agreement with major studios. 

In the main segment, Mitchel Berger, Senior Vice President, Global Commerce at Funimation talks about the rise of anime popularity not just in North America but across other territories and how this new wave of culture has helped in the theatrical recovery efforts.  

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Episode Resources:

• Cinemark Confirms Exclusive Theatrical Window for Netflix’s Army of the Dead
• Funimation’s Mitchel Berger on Demon Slayer’s Success at the Box Office

What to Listen For

• 00:00 Intro
• 02:08 Insights on AMC’s earnings call
• 04:00 Snyder’s Army of the Dead’s week-long exclusive theatrical run before Netflix debut
• 07:58 Cinemark signed an agreement with Universal, Warner Bros., Disney, Paramount, and Sony to distribute titles
• 10:47 AMC, Cinemark, and Marcus: vaccines is the strong factor for recovery efforts
• 12:17 Wrath of Man opens at $8.1M gross 
• 16:20 Demon Slayer stays at the 2nd place on its third box office week
• 18:22 Funimation relies on a deeply connected anime fan base
• 21:28 Streaming services allowed exponential growth of new anime fans
• 23:34 Demon Slayer continues to bring in moviegoers in different territories
• 26:38 The future role of anime might have in the box office

In this week’s episode of the Boxoffice Podcast, co-hosts Russ Fischer, Daniel Loria, and Rebecca Pahle talk about the latest updates on Demon Slayer’s second week and title changes on some big films. In the main segment, the group shares some of the very interesting insights from exhibition representatives during the Boxoffice Barometer live session.

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Episode Resources:

• Cinemas in France Allowed to Reopen
• Demon Slayer Captures No. 1 Spot

What to Listen For

• 00:00 Intro
• 00:56 Demon Slayer continues to top box office despite a drop in its second week
• 03:28 Black Widow is set to open on July 9
• 04:14 Marvel’s video campaign on visiting movie theaters again
• 08:38 French cinemas to open at 35% capacity
• 09:48 The future of private cinema rentals
• 11:44 The Boxoffice Barometer concept
• 13:42 Barometer winners for each individual category
• 14:56 Feature article topics for the next Boxoffice Pro magazine issue
• 15:58 Tony Adamson on private cinema rental micro cinema trend
• 18:40 Micro-cinemas remains essential for independent and mid-sized theaters
• 19:38 Santikos Entertainment has been offering private screenings
• 21:57 Should exhibitors consider remodeling to cater to more private screenings?  
• 23:30 Marcus Theaters are pushing for private rentals
• 26:02 Cinépolis USA on post COVID scenario for private rentals 
• 28:45 Private cinema rentals have become pricier
• 30:19 B&B Theatres: People will still go for private rentals even at a higher rate
• 33:22 Have you tried the private rental viewing?

In this week’s episode of the Boxoffice Podcast, co-hosts Daniel Loria, Rebecca Pahle, and Shawn Robbins share their impressions of this year’s Academy Awards: a great shout-out in the pre-show but were movie theaters snubbed during the main broadcast? The panel also also looks at a record weekend at the pandemic box office with the debuts of Mortal Kombat and Demon Slayer. Mortal Kombat delivered the highest opening weekend for an R-rated movie during the pandemic and Demon Slayer emerged as a surprise crossover hit at the box office. What does Demon Slayer’s success tell us about the future potential of anime titles at the box office?

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Episode Resources:

• The Big Screen is Back
• Cinema Week
• Demon Slayer at the Box Office
• Weekend Box Office Results

What to Listen For

• 00:00 Intro
• 02:45 Sony announces additional release date changes
• 04:15 Cinema Week
• 06.20 Oscars Recap
• 07:45 The Big Screen is Back and a Successful Pre-Show
• 09:15 Were Movie Theaters Snubbed During the Main Broadcast?
• 14:00 Trailer Releases During the Oscars
• 16:30 Weekend Box Office Analysis
• 17:00 Mortal Kombat Tops the Box Office
• 18:00 Demon Slayers Surprises at the Box Office
• 19.40: Can the Market Build on this Momentum?
• 21:00 The Future Potential of Anime at the Box Office
• 23.10: Anime Breaking Through to the Mainstream
• 24.15 What’s Your Favorite Anime Title?

In this week’s episode of the Boxoffice Podcast, co-hosts Russ Fischer and Rebecca Pahle talk about recent box office updates on Godzilla vs. Kong and the early release of F9 in China. In the feature segment, Daniel Loria and Rebecca Pahle chat with Moses Babatope, the Group Executive Director at Filmhouse Cinemas and Co-Founder and Managing Director of FilmOne Entertainment—an independent entertainment company focused on the distribution and production of film within and outside the Nigerian territory. They discuss the evolution of the local exhibition landscape both before and during the pandemic, with an emphasis on how local content and robust social media marketing has helped keep theaters afloat.

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Episode Resources:

• Nigeria Box Office Year Book - 2020
• How The Fate of Alakada Succeeded in Nigeria
• Godzilla vs. Kong Crosses $300M Overseas

What to Listen For

• 00:00 Intro
• 01:39 Godzilla vs. Kong is still topping domestic and international box office
• 03:43 Updates on some movie titles release dates
• 05:52 International piracy concerns on F9’s early release in China
• 10:27 The state of the Nigerian exhibition market the past years
• 14:40 Despite 70%+ drop in box office, new cinema are screening films
• 17:16 Marketing Nollywood films in Nigeria
• 20:25 How The Fate of Alakada found success in Nigeria
• 23:22 Piracy becoming an issue because of title release delays