Member News Category: Box Office

Release Schedule

Variety: ‘Freaky Friday 2’ Set for Theaters in 2025; Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis Reunite in Behind-the-Scenes Look as Filming Kicks Off

Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis are finally back together on set as Disney has released a first behind-the-scenes look at the production of “Freaky Friday 2,” which is officially now filming. Lohan and Curtis are reprising their roles of Anna and Tess Coleman, respectively.

Disney has not yet announced plot details for the follow-up to the 2003 comedy favorite, but the studio has now confirmed “Freaky Friday 2” will open in movie theaters in 2025. Rumors the sequel might be exclusively for Disney+ are not true. The original film grossed $160 million in theaters worldwide.

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The Hollywood Reporter: New Yorgos Lanthimos Movie ‘Bugonia’ Gets 2025 Release Date

Bugonia, Yorgos Lanthimos’ next film to star Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons, will be released wide in the U.S. on Nov. 7, 2025, Focus Features said on Tuesday.

Universal Pictures will release Bugonia internationally, excluding Korea, where CJ ENM will handle the local release. The film, written by Will Tracy, follows two conspiracy-obsessed men who kidnap the high-powered CEO of a major company, convinced that she is an alien intent on destroying planet Earth.

Bugonia sees Lanthimos leave his recent home of Searchlight Pictures, which has released many of his films, including the Oscar winners Poor Things and The Favourtie as well as the upcoming Kinds of Kindness. Lanthimos’ latest movie is based on the South Korean sci-fi comedy, Save the Green Planet!, written and directed by Jang Joon-Hwan and produced by Sidus.

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Variety: ‘Nobody 2’ With Bob Odenkirk Lands ‘The Night Comes for Us’ Director Timo Tjahjanto, Filming to Start Late Summer

Bob Odenkirk is back for more “Nobody” — this time with a different director.

The sequel to the 2021 action thriller will be helmed by Timo Tjahjanto, the Indonesian director known for “The Night Comes for Us” and “May the Devil Take You,” as well as the horror thrillers “V/H/S/2” and “V/H/S/94.” Tjahjanto is also one half of the filmmaking duo the Mo Brothers, alongside Kimo Stamboel. Together, they have written and directed the films “Macabre,” “Killers” and “Headshot.”

From Universal Pictures, “Nobody 2” will begin production in August. It’s set to premiere Aug. 15, 2025. Sources say Connie Nielsen will return as Becca Mansell, the wife to Odenkirk’s lead. No other casting has been announced.

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Distribution

Variety: Paramount Global Co-CEOs Have Hired Bankers to Evaluate Asset Sales, Tell Employees They’ve Identified Areas for Job Cuts

Paramount Global‘s trio of co-CEOs provided an update Tuesday at a town hall for the company’s more than 20,000 employees on where things stand with their plan to cut costs, boost revenue and pare down debt after a potential merger with Skydance was called off.

The three execs — George Cheeks, president and CEO of CBS; Chris McCarthy, president and CEO, Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios and Paramount Media Networks; and Brian Robbins, president and CEO of Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon — were installed as co-CEOs after Bob Bakish’s dismissal in late April.

At the June 25 town hall, which kicked off at 10 a.m. Pacific at the Paramount Theatre on the studio’s lot in L.A., the execs addressed a key topic of concern among the rank and file: layoffs and other measures aimed at achieving $500 million in annualized costs, which the trio laid out at the June 4 annual shareholder meeting. According to the co-CEOs, since then, they have made progress to eliminate duplicative job functions, with work well under way across corporate functions like legal and corporate marketing, sources tell Variety.

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Academy Awards

Variety: Academy CEO Bill Kramer Gets Contract Extension Through Oscars 100th Birthday

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences CEO Bill Kramer has had his contract renewed and will continue to lead the organization behind the Oscars through July 2028, taking him through the Academy’s centennial. His contract was up for renewal in 2025, but the organization said it was approved one year early “due to [Kramer’s] exceptional leadership and significant contributions.”

“Bill is a dynamic and transformational leader, and the Board of Governors agrees he is the ideal person to continue to broaden the Academy’s reach and impact on our international film community and successfully guide the organization into our next 100 years,” said Academy President Janet Yang in a statement.

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Exhibition

Screen Daily: Seven talking points from CineEurope 2024

Premium large format is our present and future
Premium large-format cinema (PLF) is not a new topic for the annual CineEurope trade convention in Barcelona. But there is no doubt that 2024 represented a breakthrough year in terms of the focus and emphasis – a reflection of the increasing slice of the box office revenue pie that PLF has been delivering globally.

Instead of featuring mainly as a topic in panel discussions, in sponsor reels and on the tradeshow floor, as was previously the case, this year the message came from studio leaders loud and clear in the slate presentations at CineEurope. The official convention of UNIC, the International Union of Cinemas, ends today (June 20) with an awards ceremony honouring achievements in exhibition and distribution.

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Academy Awards

Variety: Academy CEO Bill Kramer on Oscars’ Future, ‘Exploring’ Gender-Neutral Acting Categories and Upcoming ABC Negotiations

The Oscars will turn 100 in 2028.

But with dwindling ratings for its telecast, to say nothing of the existential problems facing the movie business, will the show be around for another 100 years? It’s falling to Bill Kramer, the CEO of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organization behind the awards, to figure out a way for the Oscars to stay relevant and financially secure.

“The Academy sits in two worlds: the film industry and the nonprofit arts and culture sector,” Kramer says. “And both are undergoing radical shifts in their business models right now. We need to diversify our support to ensure we thrive for the next century.”

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Advertising

Marketing Brew: Movie theater ad spend is climbing: report

The data, which spans almost 4,000 movie theaters across the country, found that advertisers spent $42 million on cinema ads in the first quarter of 2024, an uptick from the $33 million spent a year prior, Vivvix found. Three sectors dominated that ad spend: public transportation, hotels, and resorts; communications; and insurance.

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Box Office

CNBC: Family films led by ‘Inside Out 2’ could reignite the box office

[Chris] Johnson said he feels “reenergized” after the opening performance of “Inside Out 2.”

The film tallied another $22.2 million on Monday, 14% of its weekend and the second-best Monday ever for a Pixar film.

While it was clear there was an appetite for the sequel, Johnson noted that it benefited from the recent releases of Paramount’s “IF,” which opened to $33 million, and Sony’s “The Garfield Movie,” which opened to $24 million.

Families that attended screenings of these films would have seen posters and cardboard cutouts marketing the approaching release of “Inside Out 2” and likely saw a trailer for the film as part of the theater’s coming attractions reel.

″‘Inside Out 2’ was certainly it’s own entity and was going to do well,” Johnson said. “But I think those lead-ins helped. I think the momentum of the box office and the similar genre does [have an] impact and I can’t wait for that to roll into ‘Despicable Me 4.’”

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[SUBSCRIPTION] The Wrap: Latino Audiences Are the Secret to ‘Godzilla x Kong,’ ‘Bad Boys 4’ and ‘Inside Out 2’ Box Office Boom

Latino and Hispanic moviegoers are helping propel big-budget movies to box office success — a welcome shot in the arm as the 2024 box office struggles to come back to life following a pandemic and two crippling labor strikes.

Recent tentpole releases like “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” and “Inside Out 2” (fresh off a record-breaking opening weekend) have all seen significant numbers of Latino and Hispanic moviegoers. They are disproportionally higher ticket buyers than other demographic groups because they tend to go to movies in larger groups of family and friends, according to research from management consultant McKinsey.

Case in point: “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” the latest and now most successful entry in the MonsterVerse franchise at $571 million worldwide, counted on Latinos and Hispanics for 35% of its audience, just behind Caucasians at 36%, with Asian/other at 18% and Black viewers at 17%. The film played well across the board, with men making up 62% of ticket buyers, but the Hispanic and Latino audience was a defining factor in some areas, according to data from Warner Bros.

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Exhibition

NATO Celebrates CineEurope 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.”

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Domestic Box Office

Associated Press: An emotional win for theaters, Hollywood: ‘Inside Out 2’ scores massive $155 million opening

On the ground, theater owners saw their cineplexes come to life this weekend.

“It has been magical,” said Jeff Whipple, a vice president for Megaplex Theaters. “We have seen literally generations of families brought together for this movie.”

Megaplex Theaters operates 15 locations and 173 screens in Utah and Southern Nevada. And the energy was palpable, Whipple said. Not only have families been hanging around after the showtimes to discuss the film; They’ve also been scoping out what’s coming next with kids taking pictures of the “Despicable Me 4” posters and displays and dads taking note of the “Deadpool & Wolverine” date.

“I think word is going to spread on this film and help draw people into theaters throughout the summer,” Whipple said.

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[SUBSCRIPTION] The Hot Button: THB #546: What Inside Out 2’s Numbers Do Mean

The first thing that I take away from this opening of Inside Out 2 – wherever it eventually lands – is that Disney created a theatrical opportunity from what was once meant to go to Disney+ and proved that the classic windowing model is clearly the best option in success.

The theatrical market will be as large or limited as the distributors make it.

It is not the weather. It is a choice that creates the circumstances by way of the action of the people who market and distribute films.

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Release Calendar

The Hollywood Reporter: Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘Megalopolis’ Lands at Lionsgate for Fall Release

After much speculation over its fate, Megalopolis is officially headed to North American movie theaters.

Lionsgate has picked up the Francis Ford Coppola feature, and is planning a September 27, 2024 release.

Megalopolis bowed at Cannes last month after a dramatic backstory surrounding its making. After decades in development, Coppola put part of his personal fortune into the $120 million project, which stars Adam Driver as a man obsessed with creating utopian city.

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Exhibition

Variety: Theater Owners Chief on Box Office Downturn, Alamo Drafthouse Sale and Bringing Audiences Back to the Movies: ‘We’re Still Looking for a Catalyst’

[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.

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Release Window

CNBC: ‘Inside Out 2’ arrives in theaters and could hit a 100-day run. Here’s why that’s increasingly rare

“A sufficient window is important not only to exhibitors, but also to our studio partners, as it’s necessary to deliver the full promotional and financial benefits of a film’s theatrical release, which continue to meaningfully enhance a film’s lifetime value across all distribution channels, including streaming,” said Sean Gamble, president and CEO of Cinemark.

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Release Calendar

Deadline: Warner Bros Pushes Up Release Date For ‘Trap,’ Dates Four Other Projects

Warner Bros. announced on Thursday that Trap, the latest thriller from two-time Oscar nominee M. Night Shyamalan, will go earlier, moving up a week from August 9 to August 2nd.

At the same time, the studio unveiled release dates for four untitled projects. An UNTITLED NL/ATOMIC MONSTER/BLUMHOUSE EVENT FILM will open on April 17, 2026, while an UNTITLED WB EVENT FILM will debut March 26, 2027. An UNTITLED WPBA/LOCKSMITH FILM will unspool on July 23, 2027, with an UNTITLED WB FAMILY SEQUEL releasing December 17, 2027.

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Distribution

Variety: Shari Redstone Ends Talks With Skydance About Paramount Merger: Report

After more than six months of on-again-off-again talks, Shari Redstone has ended negotations with David Ellison‘s Skydance Media about a prospective merger with Paramount Global, per a Wall Street Journal report.

Redstone, Paramount Global’s controlling shareholder through National Amusements Inc., is instead looking to pursue deals with parties interested in acquiring NAI, per the Journal.

Reps for Skydance declined to comment. An NAI spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

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Exhibition

[SUBSCRIPTION] The Ankler: An Exhibitor Fires Back at the Gloom

I’ve written a lotof late about the serious doubts I get when I look at Team Studios and consider whether they’ll be able to muddle their way through this rough patch and find that bright, better tomorrow. But for all one can get caught up in our foibles and see film’s future through that lens, out there among the moviegoers, the view isn’t quite so gloomy.
… 
[Greg Marcus:] There isn’t a substitution for theatrical. The customers want it. As you pointed out, it’s a $33 billion industry. Someone’s going to fill that demand, someone is going to deliver that. Frankly, with the studios, the content producers should want it, because it’s another ticket to another means of driving revenue.

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IATSE

The Hollywood Reporter: IATSE Labor Negotiations to Resume June 24

Labor negotiations covering tens of thousands of members of IATSE who work under two separate contracts are set to resume on June 24, the crew union announced on Monday.

The union and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers have agreed to meet for four bargaining sessions between June 24 and 27, IATSE added in a statement to its members. Those discussions will cover both the Basic Agreement (a contract spanning 13 West Coast Locals and approximately 50,000 crew members) and the Area Standards Agreement (which encompasses 23 Locals and about 20,000 workers).

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Technology

Variety: Pixar’s ‘Inside Out 2′ to Get HDR Release in Select Cinemas

Pixar’s 2016 Oscar winner “Inside Out” had a dazzling look from the glow of emotions such as Amy Poehler’s Joy to the colorful Islands of Personality to the darkness of the Memory Dump or bleakness of Abstract Thought. Now, as the studio prepares for the June 14 release of  “Inside Out 2,” Disney/Pixar is rendering a version of the movie in high dynamic range—providing the filmmakers expanded contrast and luminance in telling the story, which revisits the world inside “Headquarters.”

This version will play in a limited number of cinemas worldwide that are equipped with certified HDR-capable direct view displays, meaning cinema auditoriums with LED displays rather than traditional theatrical projection systems.

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Distribution

The Hollywood Reporter: Paramount Leaders Unveil “Shared Vision” Amid Takeover Offer

Paramount Global’s new trio of co-CEOs laid out their vision for the Hollywood studio as the controlling shareholder, Shari Redstone, mulls a sweetened takeover offer from a buyer consortium led by Skydance and RedBird Capital.

Redstone addressed the investors as the meeting began, indicating the company’s most important goal was “driving value for all our shareholders,” which would come by reducing overall debt to strengthen the balance sheet and continue to invest in “best-in-class content.”

Redstone also addressed the new leadership structure at the studio with three co-CEOs. “While we recognize that this is not a traditional management structure, we are confident that it will enable them to move quickly to implement best practices throughout the company to drive improved performance,” Redstone added.

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Box Office

Entertainment Weekly: Summer movies aren’t dead: Why experts aren’t panicking (yet) about this season’s weak box office

“People are going to be amazed at what happens to this industry in the next couple of years after so many tough setbacks,” Bagby says. “I wish that these first six months would’ve been better, of course. But we’re coming back, baby. We’re coming back.”

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Creative Community

IndieWire: Denis Villeneuve Thinks We Need Movies That ‘Fully Embrace the Power of the Theater’

“Culture is more than ever fundamental for the health of our democracy, and cinema being the most powerful art form ever created,” he said. “I know I’m biased, I’m sorry. And we must take care of our film industry. Make it grow and make it flourish. We will all benefit from it.”

Turning sentimental, he said, “As human beings, we need to share emotional journeys together. My job as a director is trying to make decent movies, good movies, if I can.”

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Distribution

Deadline: Skydance Sweetens Offer For Paramount Global

David Ellison’s Skydance has sweetened its offer to acquire Paramount Global, Deadline has learned, in an attempt to make it more palatable to the company’s Class B stockholders.

Shareholders have trashed the outlines of a previous deal and threatened to sue. Ellison’s original offer was to buy out Par’s controlling shareholder Shari Redstone for a significant premium, resulting in a windfall for her, and then merge Skydance into Paramount keeping the combined company public. Stockholders wanted to be bought out at a premium as well.

Skydance, backed by Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison and Gerry Cardinale’s RedBird Capital, sweetened the offer once late last month — offering to buy out a certain number of Class A voting shares from stockholders other than Redstone — as an exclusive monthlong negotiating period with Par ended. That still left owners of the Class B non-voting stock, who are the majority of shareholders, furious.

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Deadline: Sony Pictures Boss Tony Vinciquerra Skirts Paramount Deal Talk But Says Investment Focus Is “More IP, More Product, More Library To Sell,” Not Streaming

“We are looking for strategic investments … that complement our strategy. We are not going to go outside the strategy that has been enormously successful for us over the past several years,” he said. “We will not make investments that don’t complement our core strategy, and our strategy is to have more IP, more product, more library to sell. We’re not going to get into other businesses. We’re not going to get into a general entertainment streaming service. We’re not going to be operating other businesses that are outside the strategy that we have defined.”

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Release Window

[SUBSCRIPTION] Bloomberg: Disney Is Banking On Sequels to Help Get Pixar Back on Track

The first major test of Morris’ strategy is the release of Inside Out 2 on June 14. The movie is a sequel to the 2015 coming-of-age film about the personified emotions of Joy, Disgust, Fear, Anger and Sadness, who direct the thoughts and actions of a young girl. Inside Out grossed $859 million at the box office and won the Academy Award for best animated feature. Pixar is confident enough in the sequel that it’s giving Inside Out 2 a run of about 100 days in theaters—an extraordinarily generous amount of breathing room in the Age of Streaming, when some films are released in cinemas and online simultaneously. Pixar is also releasing a television series based on Inside Out.

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Release Calendar

Deadline: A24 Dates Fall & Holiday Slate With ‘The Front Room’, ‘A Different Man’, ‘We Live In Time’, ‘Heretic’ & ‘Baby Girl’

The theatrical late Q3 and Q4 schedule is getting booked up as A24 has dated five releases as follows:

On Sept. 6, going wide, is The Eggers Brothers’ psychological horror movie The Front Room. The movie follows a woman’s mother-in-law who movies and proves to be the house guest from hell. Sound familiar? Brandy Norwood and Kathryn Hunter star. The pic joins wide entries, Warner Bros’ Beetlejuice Beetlejuice 2024 AD and an Angel Studios’ theatrical release.

On Sept. 20, in limited release, it’s the Aaron Schimberg directed A Different Man, starring Sebastian Stan, Renate Reinsve and Adam Pearson. The movie which made its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival follows Edward, an aspiring actor, undergoes a radical procedure to drastically transform his appearance. But his new dream face quickly turns into an obsession with reclaiming what once was.

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