Month: June 2024

“NATO is excited to celebrate the kickoff of CineEurope as the summer box office begins to build momentum,” said Michael O’Leary, NATO’s President & CEO.

“Led by the visionary team at UNIC, CineEurope continues to be an essential event that brings together exhibition, distribution, and the creative community to build the future of the cinematic experience. CineEurope is a yearly opportunity to celebrate the importance of the international box office to the overall strength of our global industry. Movies from around the world continue to cross borders and succeed at the box office, which creates the significant cultural and economic impact our industry has.

We at NATO look forward to continuing our vital collaboration with UNIC and our partners across Europe on behalf of the dedicated people who operate cinemas around the world.“

Read CineEurope’s Press Release below:

CELEBRATING EUROPEAN CINEMA AT CINEEUROPE 2024

CineEurope 2024, Barcelona: 17 June 2024 – Phil Clapp and Laura Houlgatte, President and CEO respectively of the European cinema trade grouping UNIC, welcomed delegates at the opening ceremony of this year’s CineEurope.

Welcoming delegates at the opening ceremony to this year’s event – also UNIC’s annual convention – both highlighted the strong performance of the European cinema sector in 2023.

European cinema admissions grew by approximately 21.6 per cent, reaching 986 million visits across the region and the box office also experienced substantial growth, increasing by 23.7 per cent to an estimated €7.2 billion.

Laura Houlgatte highlighted the local titles that played a vital role in the success of the European cinema sector in 2023. Italian titles grossed €121 million in 2023, twice as much as in 2022 and in Romania four domestic releases made it to the top 10 for the first time. Worthy of particular mention were Astérix & Obélix: L’Empire du Milieu, C’è ancora domani and Alibi.com 2.

Phil Clapp highlighted the contributions made by US studios, underscoring the global reach and impact of their films. Barbie and Oppenheimer were celebrated as an unprecedented double bill which drove audiences in millions to European cinemas. This led to an exceptional summer for the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Poland, the UK, Spain and Italy amongst other countries. Also of note was that The Super Mario Bros. Movie crossed the billion-dollar mark globally. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, Fast X, Guardians of the Galaxy and Wonka, to name but a few, also helped make 2023 a success. When it came to event cinema, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour set a new record for the highest global opening weekend for a concert film, earning $128 million. 

Laura Houlgatte discussed the impact of the 2023 strikes on the release schedule, particularly affecting the final months of 2023 and the first half of 2024. On a more positive note, Gower Street Analytics, the leading global box office forecaster, has predicted global box office revenues of $32.3 billion, an increase from their initial projection of $31.5 billion at the beginning of the year. She also welcomed the great weekend results of Pixar’s Inside Out 2 which shattered all expectations, delivering $295 million globally. 

Phil Clapp also emphasised the continuing commitment of cinemas to invest and innovate. He highlighted the crucial need for a diverse range of high-quality content, from international blockbusters to arthouse titles, event cinema productions, family comedies, child-friendly animations, and genre films like horror and science fiction. Local, European, and international films are all essential to this successful mix.

Phil Clapp also stressed the importance of ensuring that titles were well-marketed, with everyone in the industry playing a role. He re-affirmed that cinemas remain the best way for audiences to experience films, provide the industry with a robust theatrical window to maximise revenues and minimise film theft, and offer the creative community an unparalleled opportunity to showcase their work on the big screen to enthusiastic film fans.

Phil Clapp also updated the audience on the Women’s Cinema Leadership Mentoring Programme, now in its seventh year with 14 new mentees and mentors. The speakers wished the participants well and thanked IMAX, Barco, and Vista Group for supporting UNIC’s vision of a diverse and inclusive cinema industry.

Today’s speech also celebrated the “Giants of Exhibition”, the top 50 European cinema operators by screen count, published by UNIC and Boxoffice Pro. In addition, Phil Clapp and Laura Houlgatte thanked Gruvi, the new strategic advisor of the UNIC People Programme, which is aimed at helping exhibitors recruit and retain talents.

In closing the joint speech, Laura Houlgatte emphasised that the principal mission of UNIC is representing the views of cinema exhibition with European lawmakers in Brussels. She highlighted the recent election of a new European Parliament and the imminent appointment of a new European Commission. She expressed eagerness to engage with European policy-makers and convey the needs and priorities of the cinema industry to ensure its continued growth and success.

The International Union of Cinemas (UNIC)

The International Union of Cinemas/Union Internationale des Cinémas (UNIC) represents the interests of cinema trade associations and cinema operators covering 39 countries in Europe and neighbouring regions.

CineEurope

CineEurope 2024 is taking place 17-20 June at the Centre Convencions Internacional Barcelona (CCIB) in Barcelona, Spain. CineEurope is the longest running and most successful European convention and trade show for major, regional, and independent cinema professionals. CineEurope will feature exclusive screenings and product presentations of upcoming films, sponsored events, timely and informative seminars, and the CineEurope Trade Show. CineEurope is the Official Convention of the International Union of Cinemas/Union Internationale des Cinémas (UNIC).

The Film Expo Group

The Film Expo Group is the premier organiser of events in the motion picture industry. The Film Expo Group produces CineEurope, held in Barcelona; ShowEast, held in Miami; and CineAsia, held in Bangkok.

Michael O’Leary, the president of the National Association of Theater Owners, knows that the cinema operators he represents through his trade group have been through a lot. But he also believes that things are turning around, noting the recent success of “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” and a number of potential hits, such as “Inside Out 2,” “Despicable Me 4” and “Deadpool & Wolverine” that are scheduled to open in the coming days and weeks. If the box office can build momentum, O’Leary thinks the perception will change and the financial sector will give his organization’s members the support they need to improve their venues and grow their businesses.

…

[Variety:] What do you think the biggest challenge facing the movie business is right now?

[Michael O’Leary:] That depends on who you talk to. At [the exhibition industry conference] CinemaCon, I frequently heard that there’s not enough capital in the system. Our business is consumer facing and in a post-pandemic world, we need to provide our customers with the amazing experience that they deserve. A lot of our members have done an amazing job of developing their properties and adding things to everything they already were offering, but we want to do even more. We have exciting ideas about how to improve the experience, but the money has not been there. And this is all happening during an economic downturn with inflation, so the costs of running these theaters has not gotten any cheaper. There’s just less discretionary income for these improvements. So our message to bankers and investors has been that the future is bright for this sector, but you need to get behind us.

READ FULL INTERVIEW

On June 11, 2024, NATO of Michigan hosted its annual Legislator Reception in Lansing. Over twenty legislators and staff from the House of Representatives and Senate met with theatre owners from across the state to discuss the pressing issues facing the exhibition industry, at home and across the country. The event also featured a presentation from the Michigan Film & Digital Media Office.

Exhibitors can find more information about the regional unit and register for future Legislator Receptions on the new NATO of Michigan website.

The Independent Theatre Owners Coalition (ITOC) recently hosted an informative webinar focused on helping movie theaters boost their marketing efforts using influencers and social media. Attendees got to hear from top industry influencers and cinema marketing executives who shared valuable strategies to increase visibility and attract more patrons.

Last month’s ITOC Connect webinar featured a conversation between Harry Medved of NATO and The Cinema Foundation and special guest Gabriella Gomez, founder of the Department of Influence. Gabriella shared insights into her journey as a leading influencer and gave tips for exhibitors to engage with influencers on platforms like TikTok. She emphasized how movie theaters can either become influencers themselves or work effectively with outside influencers to drive engagement and ticket sales.

Presentations followed from Haleigh Oetting, Director of Social Media for B&B Theatres, and Andrew Brooks, Chief Marketing Officer for Santikos Entertainment. Haleigh discussed the success of B&B Theatres’ Brand Ambassador Program and the significant impact of influencer marketing on their campaigns. Andrew shared tips on creating engaging content and showcased successful campaigns that Santikos executed to add fun and excitement for their moviegoing audiences.

If you missed the live session, the recording is now available.