Boxoffice Podcast

In this week’s episode of the Boxoffice Podcast, co-hosts Russ Fischer, Daniel Loria, Rebecca Pahle, and Shawn Robbins talk about Godzilla vs. Kong staying afloat in its second week at the box office. The group also discuss new release dates for several films on the 2021 slate, including several Tom Cruise titles. Closing the episode, the hosts discuss the dissolution of Pacific Theaters and Arclight Cinemas - the iconic California theater chain that was forced to permanently close its doors due to the pandemic.    

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Episode Resources:

• Pacific/Arclight Circuit Permanently Closes All Locations
• Godzilla vs Kong Weekend Box Office Report
• Paramount Moves Back Top Gun: Maverick, Mission: Impossible 7; Announces New Star Trek Movie, Bee Gees Biopic

What to Listen For

• 00:00 Intro
• 02:13 Godzilla vs Kong stands strong at $70 million domestic
• 03:50 Can Demon Slayer make it big in the US?
• 06:02 New release calendar for the 2021 slate
• 13:35 Pacific and Arclight theaters will be permanently closing
• 18:08 What could happen to Cinerama Dome?
• 23:05 Will any of these theaters return in some capacity? 

In this week’s episode of the Boxoffice Podcast, co-hosts Russ Fischer, Daniel Loria, and Shawn Robbins discuss Godzilla vs. Kong’s big opening weekend at the domestic box office, exceeding expectations and lifting hopes for cinemas as audiences begin to return to the movies. The hosts also look at the film’s overseas results, and why the overseas box office still paints an incomplete picture for movies scheduled in the coming weeks. 

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Episode Resources:

• Weekend Box Office: Godzilla vs. Kong

What to Listen For

• 00:00 Intro
• 01:05 Vaccination roll-outs
• 02:27 Godzilla vs. Kong domestic opening weekend numbers
• 08:55 The way out of this pandemic is at a global scale
• 10:38 Quick update on the reopening of some major global markets
• 12:17 Statistics on IMAX and premium large format screenings
• 14:30 Overall sentiment of going to the movies is shifting
• 16:23 What to expect from the Oscars this year?
• 18:35 The role of sports in movie marketing campaigns

In this week’s episode of the Boxoffice Podcast, co-hosts Daniel Loria, Rebecca Pahle, and Shawn Robbins talk about Godzilla vs. Kong’s successful international opening weekend and the schedule changes that have occurred over the last week. In the feature segment, Rebecca and Daniel chat with artist and consultant Sadia Pineda Hameed on her Diversity and Inclusion Toolkit—a thorough guide to creating a more welcoming space for all types of cinema audiences. 

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Episode Resources:

• Dismantling Structural Inequality In Your Cinema Toolkit
• Inclusive Cinema 
• Sadia Pineda Hameed

What to Listen For

• 00:00 Intro
• 02:00 Recalling Disney’s release date shuffles last week
• 02:40 Nobody ranking number 1 on its opening weekend
• 03:51 Godzilla vs. Kong international opening
• 05:44 Viewers would opt for premium experience when going back to cinemas
• 07:11 Highlights from watching Godzilla vs Kong
• 09:10 Possible scheduling changes due to rising COVID cases?
• 12:33 Diversity and Inclusion Toolkit by Sadia Pineda Hameed
• 15:40 Putting together the Diversity and Inclusion Toolkit
• 17:56 Individual efforts for change in bigger chains
• 21:05 The importance of implementing a generalized outreach
• 23:32 Reinventing cinemas to be more diverse and inclusive
• 27:14 Equal treatment for all types of audiences in the cinematic spaces

The Boxoffice Podcast enters its second year with a full house, as co-hosts Russ Fischer, Daniel Loria, Rebecca Pahle, and Shawn Robbins break down some major news: the reopening of Regal locations in the U.S., Cineworld/Regal’s agreement with Warner Bros. on a reduced theatrical exclusivity window, and Disney pushing Black Widow and Cruella day-and-date and removing Pixar’s Luca from the domestic theatrical release calendar entirely. In the feature segment, co-hosts Rebecca and Daniel discuss the highlights and key takeaways of Boxoffice PRO’s Giants of Exhibition LIVE session, which welcomed executives from four major circuits to share their thoughts on the exhibition industry.

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Episode Resources:

• Disney Moves Black Widow, Cruella Day-and-Date, Pushes Luca Exclusively to Disney Plus
• Regal to Begin Phased Reopening on April 2; Cineworld Strikes Deal to Play Warner Bros. Films Under Shortened Window Starting 2022
• Giants of Exhibition 2021

What to Listen For

• 00:00 Intro
• 01:05 Regal Cinemas to reopen, makes a deal with Warner Bros.
• 02:03 Cineworld with Warner Bros. to screen films under 30-45 day theatrical exclusivity window
• 05:39 Disney surprises us with another shift on its movie release schedule
• 09:33 Shang-Chi to premier on labor day weekend
• 11:35 Is Black Widow already past its prime?
• 13:47 Black Widow might struggle to maximize its theatrical potential
• 16:24 July might be the big return to movie-going
• 19:50 Regal on its operation and sanitation strategies
• 22:55 Cinemark’s efforts to drive business recovery 
• 24:40 The digital disruption happening in the industry
• 25:33 Cineplex at better marketing of new content
• 27:26 Take away from the Giants of Exhibition live session

This week on The Boxoffice Podcast, co-hosts Shawn Robbins and Rebecca Pahle talk about the weekend’s box office numbers and Avatar returning to the number one spot at the global box office. In the feature segment, co-hosts Rebecca and Daniel Loria discuss an interview with Landmark Theatres’ President and COO Paul Serwitz on the realities of specialty cinemas opening at limited capacity. 

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Episode Resources:

• Landmark Theatres
• New York City Reopens 
• Avatar Surpasses Avengers: Endgame in Global Box Office

What to Listen For

• 00:00 Intro
• 00:52 Box office numbers over the weekend
• 03:09 Avatar is back on top due a re-release in China
• 05:31 LA and NYC have finally reopened
• 09:06 Cinemark opened its first cinema in Los Angeles County
• 09:46 Quad Cinema opened its doors in New York City
• 12:27 Landmark’s Paul Serwitz on getting the right content to bring back viewers
• 15:09 The challenges of opening at 25% seating capacity
• 20:23 Decreased capacity means a lot for specialty markets
• 23:14 Specialty films are dealing with shortened theatrical window

This week on The Boxoffice Podcast, co-hosts Russ Fischer, Rebecca Pahle, and Jesse Rifkin discuss the latest changes to the release calendar and why big movies may come to theaters earlier than expected. In the feature segment, Rebecca and Russ interview the Lume Cinema’s James Anderson Brown and Anthony Hughes to talk about the theater’s tiered re-opening process in the U.K.

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Episode Resources:

• Lume Cinema
• Support The Lume Cinema

What to Listen For

• 00:00 Intro
• 01:03 Latest updates on some much-awaited films
• 06:13 Lume Cinema: A quick look back
• 07:53 It started as an independent cinema 13 years ago
• 10:03 Getting the community involved and invested
• 12:50 Will programming change?
• 16:57 A change in terms of how studios deal with theaters
• 20:15 Lume Cinema’s reopening plans 
• 25:07 Crowdfunding efforts receives positive response

This week on The Boxoffice Podcast, co-hosts Daniel Loria, Rebecca Pahle, and Shawn Robbins bring some positive news: New York City theaters are reopening at limited capacity, and Tom and Jerry exceeded industry expectations on its opening weekend. Further, they break down last week’s Paramount Investor Day presentation and what it means for a shortened theatrical window.

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Episode Resources:

• Tom and Jerry opening weekend
• Paramount shortens their theatrical exclusivity window

What to Listen For

• 00:00 Intro
• 00:52 The New York City theater reopening
• 02:27 Tom and Jerry opens at 14.1M dollars
• 05:35 On March 5th, AMC to open 13 locations, Showcase with three cinemas
• 07:08 The future of NYC recovery efforts
• 10:02 Paramount’s new title release schedules
• 12:48 Black Widow’s long-range forecast
• 16:22 Theatrical windows shifting from studio to studio 
• 18:26 Will exhibitors accept film offers from streaming companies?
• 19:13 Exhibitors should market themselves in the community
• 22:38 The Paramount Investor Day presentation take-away

This week on The Boxoffice Podcast, co-hosts Daniel Loria and Rebecca Pahle break down some exciting news: New reopening dates for theaters in New York City, the U.K., and Quebec. In the podcast’s main feature, they speak to Allison Weiland and Steven Dahlmeier of Sioux Falls, South Dakota’s State Theatre, a nearly century-old movie palace, closed in the 1990s, that’s been given a new life mid-pandemic.

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Episode Resources:

• The State Theatre
• Images of the Past: Sioux Falls State Theatre
• Giants of Exhibition 2021
• Navigating Shifting Career Landscapes in Exhibition

What to Listen For

• 00:00 Intro
• 00:50 New York City theaters will reopen soon!
• 04:24 UK has given a timeline on when cinemas can reopen
• 06:30 Slow response from audiences this week
• 08:54 State Theatre: a brief history
• 10:14 State Theatre in reopened in December 2020 and continues its restoration efforts
• 13:39 What’s in Sioux Falls, South Dakota?
• 16:00 Programming details for the theater
• 17:43 What sets State Theatre apart from other local theaters
• 19:52 Capacity restrictions in South Dakota
• 20:52 Marketing strategies to sustain movie going
• 22:50 People are coming in not knowing what they will see
• 26:27 What else needs to be done with the theater?
• 28:06 People have been coming with their families
• 28:56 Register to the Boxoffice Live Sessions!

This week on The Boxoffice Podcast, co-hosts Russ Fischer and Daniel Loria speak to The Texas Theatre's Barak Epstein on the legendary cinema's return from Covid closures and its recent participation in the Sundance Film Festival's satellite screens program.

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Episode Resources:

• The Texas Theatre
• Sundance Film Festival 2021 Satellite Screens
• The Texas Theatre’s Youtube Channel

What to Listen For

• 00:00 Intro
• 01:00 Huge box office weekend during the Chinese Lunar New Year 2021
• 02:30 Recovery update for cinemas across the globe
• 04:27 The closures of Cinemex theaters in Mexico
• 05:28 Judas and the Black Messiah opens in 2nd place
• 09:35 Are family audiences finally coming back to the cinemas?
• 11:24 Sundance Film Festival satelite screens
• 12:18 The Texas Theatre: a brief history
• 19:12 Theater upgrades including a new auditorium on the 2nd floor
• 21:53 Big investments during the October 2020 re-opening 
• 24:00 Partnership with the Sundance Film Festival
• 27:32 Three Texas films and the Sundance Film Festival created a lot buzz
• 30:37 Oak Cliff Festival and other regional neighborhood film festivals

This week, Daniel and Rebecca talk to guests Brandon Jones and Luke Parker Bowles about their efforts to revive The Bradley Cinema through their ownership group, Cinema Lab. Originally a single-screen theater in Bradley Beach, New Jersey dating back to the earliest days of commercial exhibition, The Bradley is being converted to a three-screen cinema with a live performance space slated to re-open in Summer 2021. Brandon and Luke discuss The Bradley’s history, its recent transformation, and the important role independent cinemas play in their communities. 

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Episode Resources:

• The Bradley’s Kickstarter Campaign 

What to Listen For

• 00:00 Intro.
• 00:46 Super Bowl trailer recap.
• 06:10 Cinema Lab’s The Bradley Cinema.
• 10:26 The struggles of community cinemas during the pandemic.
• 13:22 Considering financial viability while reviving community cinemas.
• 17:33 Gaining community support through a successful crowdfunding campaign.
• 21:47 Streaming won’t give you the moviegoing experience theaters can offer.
• 29:48 Challenges cinema marketers face during the pandemic
• 33:27 The Bradley to reopen as a three-screen theater in summer