Despite the naysayers, cinema’s outlook continues to gradually improve as it recovers from the pandemic, video streaming competition and interrupted movie flow from Hollywood labor strikes. The key favorable trends are wide-release film output expected to return to pre-pandemic levels next year, the children’s demographic embraces movie-going (children's blockbuster … [Read more...] about Kids Demographic Saving Cinema
cinema distribution
Serious Thrust Trips Up ‘Running Man’
“The Running Man” is a rare example of a film suffering declining audience interest the more that its marketing campaign rolls out. Starring up-and-comer leading man Glen Powell, the dystopian drama got knocked for being too serious , which hews close to its source Stephen King novel, a dark thriller. The 1987 film adaptation with the identical title starring Arnold … [Read more...] about Serious Thrust Trips Up ‘Running Man’
‘Lilo’ Propelled by Merchandise Boom
Walt Disney Studios bet that live-action kids film “Lilo & Stitch,” which opened to blockbuster boxoffice, was worth a remake. The original generates a billion dollars a year in licensed merchandise sales stemming from the 2002 all-animated film of the same name. “Last year alone, 'Lilo & Stitch' consumer products generated an estimated $2.5 billion-plus, … [Read more...] about ‘Lilo’ Propelled by Merchandise Boom
F-Bombs, Family Films Save 2024 Cinema
R-rated, restricted-audience films and gooey all-family films propped up domestic cinema boxoffice in 2024. “Venturing into R-rated territory for the first time paid off in spades as Disney and Marvel’s ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ — the third installment in Ryan Reynold’s doozy-of-a comic-book-franchise became the top-grossing R-rated film of all time — while Pixar and … [Read more...] about F-Bombs, Family Films Save 2024 Cinema
‘Terrifier 3’ Success Boosts Unrated Films
Low-budget horror flick “Terrifier 3” (website screen grab above) cracks open the door wider for unrated films to play mainstream theaters, after grossing a solid $37 million in its first 11 days in cinemas. “It is well on its way to becoming the top-grossing unrated film of all time domestically against a minuscule budget of $2 million and barely any marketing spend,” notes … [Read more...] about ‘Terrifier 3’ Success Boosts Unrated Films
Rereleases Pile Into Cinemas
Theatrical rereleases are multiplying, driven by nostalgia, consumers’ desire to get out-of-home and gaps in release schedules after Hollywood labor strikes. And audiences are flocking to cinemas to see them. Later this week, 2009 music-school drama "Whiplash" gets a rerelease (Miles Teller, left, and J. K. Simmons pictured above). The stop-motion Laika Studios film … [Read more...] about Rereleases Pile Into Cinemas
‘Twisters’ Storming Mid-America, 4DX
Tornado yarn “Twisters” surpassed audience tracking estimates by a wide margin, playing exceptionally well in middle America and the Southeast (where real twisters are a menace!) and on big-screen cinema. Universal Pictures collected a sizeable $81.2 million in domestic boxoffice July 19-21, as “Twisters" surpassed prerelease tracking estimates by 60% (the estimate was $50 … [Read more...] about ‘Twisters’ Storming Mid-America, 4DX
Coppola Wants to Prove Hollywood Wrong on ‘Megalopolis’
Filmmaker extraordinaire Frances Ford Coppola is struggling with placating puzzled film critics, marketing an esoteric film to wide audiences and struggling for industry sales for his “Megalopolis.” The $120 million self-financed social commentary epic is in competition at the Cannes Film Festival in France, where Coppola hopes those problems will be solved by critical acclaim … [Read more...] about Coppola Wants to Prove Hollywood Wrong on ‘Megalopolis’
Marketing Often Exceeds Film Costs
Deadline.com’s annual rankings of film profitability highlights one of oddities of the movie biz. How much one spends on making “the product” — meaning film production cost — frequently has little bearing on profitability and is sometime dwarfed by basic marketing expenses. Universal Pictures spent just $20 million to make cheapie horror film “Five Nights at Freddy’s” but … [Read more...] about Marketing Often Exceeds Film Costs
Cinema Ascends, But Still Off-Peak
Domestic boxoffice climbed a healthy 21% in 2023, though that’s still 15% below pre-pandemic levels, in a pattern experienced around the world. Universal Pictures became the top-grossing distributor (major studio), snapping Walt Disney Studio’s seven-year reign. Disney was torpedoed by late-year underperformance of cinema adaptations from its Marvel comics … [Read more...] about Cinema Ascends, But Still Off-Peak