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Observations From CincemaCon 2013

Posted on April 19, 2013 by Daniel Arriola

Cinemacon 2013 marked the National Association of Theatre Owners’ third annual convention, a four-day summit at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, and Bravo Design, Inc.’s first. And despite a sluggish first-quarter at the box office, one of the biggest takeaways from the conference is that 2013 will be another huge year for the movie industry. To back up just a tiny bit, 2012 was a record breaking year for the box office with domestic revenue at an unprecedented $10.8 billion and worldwide numbers at around $35 billion. And though 2013 has started off with a slow first-quarter at an estimated $1.75 billion in domestic box office receipts, we’re confident that this year will be one for the records.

At CincemaCon, each major motion picture studio was allotted time to present their slate of upcoming movies, including blockbusters and a few potential over-achievers. Movie stars and filmmakers accompany studio executives on-stage to present a trailer, extended footage or sometimes a full screening. It’s clear from the footage shown that it should be a massive summer and rest of 2013 at the box office.

Disney will open Iron Man 3 unchallenged on May 3rd, followed by Warner Bros. which will continue another successful year with The Great Gatsby on May 10th. The rest of the year looks just as strong. A few of the following films may cross a billion dollars such as The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, but the rest are just as likely to please both audiences and studios.

Star Trek Into Darkness – May 17th (Paramount)
The Hangover Part III – May 24th (Warner Bros.)
Epic – May 24th (Fox)
After Earth – May 31st (Sony)
Man of Steel – June 14th (Warner Bros.)
Monsters University – June 21st (Disney)
World War Z – June 21st (Paramount)
The Heat – June 28th (Fox)
White House Down – June 28th (Sony)
The Lone Ranger – July 3rd (Disney)
Despicable Me 2 – July 3rd (Universal)
Pacific Rim – July 12th (Warner Bros.)
Grown Ups 2 – July 12th (Sony)
Turbo – July 17th (Fox-Dreamworks)
R.I.P.D. – July 19th (Universal)
The Wolverine – July 26th (Fox)
The Smurfs 2 – July 31st (Sony)
Elysium – August 9th (Sony)
Prisoners – September 20th (Warner Bros.)
Gravity – October 4th (Warner Bros.)
Captain Phillips – October 11th (Sony)
Thor: The Dark World – November 8th (Disney)
The Counselor – November 15th (Fox)
The Wolf of Wall Street – November 15th (Paramount)
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire – November 22nd (Lionsgate)
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug – December 13th (Warner Bros.)
American Hustle – December 13th (Sony)
Monuments Men – December 18th (Sony)

CinemaCon attendees were treated to full screenings of Michael Bay’s Pain and Gain (a little long but surprisingly very entertaining), Fox’s comedy The Heat, starring Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy (a hilarious pairing, well worth seeing), and Disney-Pixar’s Monsters University (another successful Pixar film with the usual mix of great storytelling, excellent animation, humor and warm-and-fuzzies). All of the films were screened with Dolby Atmos, the latest in sound technology, which you can feel not only in your ears but throughout the rest of your body as well. You can’t get this level of surround sound at home.

One of the most intriguing panel discussions at CinemaCon concerned the Chinese market. The importance of the worldwide box office to a film’s success is nothing new, but China is a unique and ever-growing piece of the international pie. It is now the second biggest consumer of films behind the U.S. and on pace to become the biggest box office in the world by 2020, but the market is very complex as outlined by Peter Y.F. Chan of Ernst & Young.

China is no longer just a producer of inexpensive products but a major consumer of global goods. The state-run China Film Group places complex regulations on film studios looking to release movies in the Chinese market and even when an edited version of the film is released, the percentage of revenue studios are allowed are much lower than in other markets. Historically speaking, the average Chinese consumer is extremely price sensitive and hasn’t grown accustomed to paying for content across the board.

Although difficult to develop, Chan recommends forming domestic partnerships or joint ventures to tap into local expertise to better understand Chinese culture, its sensitivities as well as assist in navigating through the difficult regulatory landscape. With over 350 million online video viewers, Chan recommends considering a digital distribution model as the Chinese become more open to paying for content on the small screen.

As marketers who frequently work with major motion picture studios to aid in the release and advertising of their films, CinemaCon was a valuable experience in getting the perspective of theatre owners and also considering solutions for connecting them with regular and passive moviegoers. Each market is unique, making it imperative to understand local communities and determine what mix of films, theatre technology and general atmosphere will attract moviegoers. If you are a theatre owner looking to grow your audience contact us here.

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Hotel Transylvania and Won’t Back Down

Posted on September 28, 2012 by skulkaew

Dracula (Adam Sandler) is the owner and operator of Hotel Transylvania, a high-end resort for monsters to get away from all things dangerous, namely pitchfork-wielding humans. And on the eve of his daughter Mavis’ 118^th (Selena Gomez) birthday, he has invited some of the world’s most infamous monsters including Frankenstein’s monster and his bride, Eunice (Kevin James and Fran Drescher); Wayne and Wanda Werewolf (Steve Buscemi and Molly Shannon); Murray the Mummy (Cee Lo Green); Griffin the Invisible Man (David Spade); Bigfoot; the Blob and more to come celebrate. When an oblivious American backpacker, Jonathan (Adam Samberg), stumbles upon the hotel and takes a shine to Mavis, it’s up to Dracula to protect and rescue her from falling in love with him before it’s too late.

Nick Pinkerton of The Village Voice writes, “In Hotel Transylvania, a comic Dracula still kills. The character design is uniformly delightful, and some of the biggest laughs come from simply hitting the audience unawares with irresistibly hysterical establishing shots.”

Rating: PG // Genre: Animation, Comedy, Family // Runtime: 1 hr. 31 min. // Starring: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez and Steve Buscemi // Directed by: Genndy Tartakovsky // Written by: Peter Baynham, Robert Smigel, Todd Durham, Dan Hageman and Kevin Hageman // Produced by: Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation // Distributed by: Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Releasing

Won’t Back Down chronicles the journey of two determined women, a struggling working class mother (Maggie Gyllenhaal) and a veteran teacher (Viola Davis), who will stop at nothing to transform their children’s failing inner city school that staffs inadequate teachers who regularly pass students who cannot read or write just to get rid of them. And against all odds and a countless number of obstacles, they risk everything to make a difference in the education and futures of their children.

Rex Reed of The New York Observer describes Won’t Back Down as a “film that deserves to be seen, savored, debated and given serious attention.”

Rating: PG // Genre: Drama // Runtime: N/A // Starring: Viola Davis, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Holly Hunter // Directed by: Daniel Barnz // Written by: Brin Hill, Daniel Barnz // Produced by: Walden Media and Gran Via Productions // Distributed by: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

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Total Recall and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days

Posted on August 3, 2012 by skulkaew

In Total Recall, a factory worker, Douglas Quaid (Colin Farrell), begins to suspect that he’s a spy after visiting Rekall – a company that provides its clients with implanted fake memories of a life they would like to have led. When his own procedure goes horribly wrong, Quaid becomes a hunted man. Finding himself on the run from the police – controlled by Chancellor Cohaagen (Bryan Cranston), the leader of the free world – Quaid teams up with a rebel fighter (Jessica Biel) to find the head of the underground resistance (Bill Nighy) and stop Cohaagen.

James Berardinelli of Reelviews.net writse, “No one can fault Len Wiseman’s vision. His grim world is vividly represented via some of the most effectively splashy CGI I have recently seen. There’s a George Lucas-like attention to detail.” The HSX predicts that Total Recall will open up at $29M domestically.

Rating: PG-13 // Genre: Action, Advernture, Sci-Fi // Runtime: 1 hr. 38 min. // Starring: Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale, Jessica Biel, Bokeem Woodbine, Bryan Cranston and Bill Nighy // Directed by: Len Wiseman // Written by: Kurt Wimmer and Mark Bomback (Screenplay), Philip K. Dick (Short Story / Inspiration), Ronald Shusett, Dan O’Bannon and Jon Povill // Produced by: Total Recall, Original Film, Rekall Productions // Distributed by: Columbia Pictures

Our second featured release is Diary of a Wimpy Kid Dog Days. The hero of the phenomenally successful book series, Greg Heffley, hatches a plan to pretend he has a job at a ritzy country club, but even that fails to keep him away from the season’s dog days, including embarrassing mishaps at a public pool and a camping trip that goes horribly wrong.

Francesca Steele of Skymovies writes, “It’s good to see cinema’s favorite high school underdog out of the classroom and yes, a little bit more grown-up. And, as was the case with this film’s two predecessors, the characters are unusually charming for a simple kid’s film.” The HSX predicts that Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days will open up at $18M domestically.

Rating: PG // Genre: Comedy, Family // Runtime: 1 hr. 34 min. // Starring: Zachary Gordon, Robert Capron and Devon Bostick // Directed by: David Bowers// Written by: Jeff Kinney (Book), Gabe Sachs, Maya Forbes and Wallace Wolodarsky (Screenplay) // Produced and Distributed by: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

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The Watch

Posted on July 27, 2012 by skulkaew

The Watch is set in the fictional Glenview, Ohio where Ben Stiller plays Evan, the manager at a local Costco and do-gooder known for organizing a slew of random self-help groups. When the night watchman at his store is killed, Evan decides to setup a neighborhood watch. It’s that call to arms that attracts blue-collar dad, Bob (Vince Vaughn), a police academy applicant, Franklin (Jonah Hill), and the recently divorced Jamarcus (Richard Ayoade). None too pleased with the deficient caliber of his crew; Evan takes them on late-night patrols, which eventually lead the group to their alien encounters.

Randy Myers of the San Jose Mercury News writes, “Everyone in the cast steps up to the plate and tags the bases convincingly. All are good, but it is Richard Ayoade who earns the most laughs.”

BoxOfficeGuru.com predicts that The Watch will open at around $22M.

Rating: R // Genre: Comedy, Sci-Fi // Runtime: 1 hr. 38 min. // Starring: Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill and Richard Ayoade // Directed by: Akiva Schaffer // Written by: Jared Stern, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg // Produced by: 21 Laps Entertainment and Twentieth Century Fox// Distributed by: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

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The Three Stooges

Posted on April 13, 2012 by skulkaew

The original Stooges were a vaudeville act whose physical shtick was characterized by aggressive but finely choreographed kicks, punches, snaps and falls, and they’re back. The Stooges, Larry (Sean Hayes), Moe (Chris Diamantopoulos), and Curly (Will Sasso), abandoned at birth at a Catholic orphanage, must now save the place from being closed in an economic turndown. They need $830,000 to save the kids and the nuns. The plot gets overcomplicated when a gorgeous rich woman (Sofia Vergara), offers to pay the Stooges what they need to off her nerd husband, so she can run off with his best friend (Craig Bierko).

Jaime N. Christley, of Slant Magazine, says, “the Farrelly brothers’ direction is downright classical, with clean lines and an old-Hollywood respect for professional-grade composition and longish takes, leaving plenty of room for some well-executed routines of bloodless combat.”

The Three Stooges will be released on April 13, 2012.

Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy
Runtime: 1 hr. 32 min.
Starring: Sean Hayes, Chris Diamantopoulos and Will Sasso
Directed by: Bobby Farrelly and Peter Farrelly
Written by: Mike Cerrone, Bobby Farrelly and Peter Farrelly
Distributed By: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
Produced By: Wessler Entertainment, C3 Entertainment Inc. and Conundrum Entertainment