Boxoffice Podcast

Latest Episodes:

'GKIDS' The Boy and the Heron Surprises at the Box Office Dec 14, 2023

Show notes

In this episode of the Boxoffice Podcast, co-hosts Rebecca Pahle, Daniel Loria, and Chad Kennerk discuss last weekend’s box office—and how a slim slate is leaving room for international releases, like #1 finisher The Boy and the Heron and Godzilla Minus One, to draw in audiences. The trio also discusses this year’s Golden Globe nominations and Disney’s decisions to bring three of its pandemic-era Pixar films to theaters.

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Weekend Box Office: THE BOY AND THE HERON Flies, RENAISSANCE: A FILM BY BEYONCÉ Tumbles to 6th

What to Listen For

00:00 Intro
01:07 Soul, Turning Red, and Luca will have special theatrical release
05:49 Golden Globes nominations
11:04 Weekend box office top 5
18:09 Beyoncé’s Renaissance theater release
19:14 Films that made it at the top 10
23:54 Dad movies during the holidays
25:27 Deranged Robert Pattinson performance

‘Poor Things’ Hopes to Ignite the Specialty Market; Beyoncé’s Theatrical Renaissance Dec 07, 2023

Show notes

In this episode of the Boxoffice Podcast, co-hosts Rebecca Pahle, Shawn Robbins, and Chad Kennerk discuss last weekend’s box office—dominated by the concert film Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé–before looking ahead with updated forecasts on some of the biggest releases of December. In our feature segment, Pahle speaks with Frank Rodriguez, formerly of Searchlight Pictures, about Searchlight’s philosophy towards theatrical distribution and its new film Poor Things, out in limited release this weekend.

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Episode Resources:

What to Listen For

00:00 Intro
02:30 Weekend box office top films
10:40 Searchlight Pictures’ Poor Things
13:12 Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron
15:08 Major releases in the holiday season
20:04 Searchlight Pictures’ early years
29:00 What was your cinema growing up?
31:16 Film availability

Thanksgiving Recap Nov 30, 2023

Show notes

In this episode of the Boxoffice Podcast, co-hosts Rebecca Pahle, Daniel Loria, and Chad Kennerk discuss the Thanksgiving Frame, including the surprise performance of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and Disney’s struggle to capture holiday moviegoers with their latest animated musical Wish.

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Episode Resources:

What to Listen For

00:00 Intro
01:16 What movie did you watch?
03:32 Weekend box office numbers
08:28 The downside of putting movies on Disney+
11:57 Wish international numbers
13:15 Disney’s 100 year marketing campaign
14:26 More weekend box office numbers
16:21 Amazon MGM’s Saltburn
18:46 Five Nights at Freddy’s
20:59 Lionsgate’s Silent Night
22:04 Angel Studios’ The Shift
23:29 Renaissance from Beyoncé
26:02 Most watch movies this year

Who Are the Winners and Losers of Thanksgiving 2023?; Interview with Dir. Francis Lawrence of Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Nov 23, 2023

Show notes

In this episode of the Boxoffice Podcast, co-hosts Rebecca Pahle and Daniel Loria go over release date changes and the latest updates from Canadian exhibitor Cineplex before diving into Thanksgiving 2023: Will any holdovers be able to hang on? What new releases will break through over the long holiday weekend? Then, in our feature segment, Boxoffice Pro’s Chad Kennerk interviews Francis Lawrence, director of Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

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Episode Resources:

What to Listen For

00:00 Intro
01:04 MCU schedule switching
03:30 Diversification strategy of Cineplex
06:41 Weekend box office numbers
17:07 Napoleon theatrical release
19:32 Disney’s Wish
21:49 Holdover potential
26:24 The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
28:39 Bringing back the The Hunger Games world
29:30 Career built on adaptations
30:53 Production stories, bonding experiences
33:00 Community in a fandom
34:35 Working with IMAX
36:40 Technology and visual effects
38:10 Favorite theatrical experience

What is the Future of the MCU?; Warner Bros. Makes Controversial Decision to Shelve Completed Film Nov 16, 2023

Show notes

In this week’s episode of the Boxoffice Podcast, co-hosts Rebecca Pahle, Shawn Robbins, and Russ Fischer discuss what’s come up during a heavy week of news: the end of the SAG/AFTRA strike, Warner Bros.’ controversial decision to shelve the film Coyote vs Acme, and what the latest round of schedule changes–and Captain Marvel’s disappointing debut box office–means for the MCU.

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Will THE MARVELS Give the MCU Its Worst Opening Weekend? Plus, How the Mahoning Drive-In Theater Became a Mecca For Horror Fans Nov 09, 2023

Show notes

In this week’s episode of the Boxoffice Podcast, co-hosts Rebecca Pahle, Shawn Robbins, and Chad Kennerk discuss a slow week at the box office, as the Gen Z nostalgia-driven Five Nights at Freddy’s tops the box office for the second week running. Looking ahead, Robbins talks concerns for THE MARVEL’s opening weekend and TROLLS BAND TOGETHER’s international run in advance of its domestic debut on 11/17. In the feature segment, spooky season continues as Kennerk speaks to Virgil Cardamone of the Mahoning Drive-In Theater, where an event-based approach to screenings has made them a bucket list destination for horror fans.

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What to Listen For

00:00 Intro
00:33 The Mahoning Drive-In
01:45 Third lowest box office weekend of 2023
03:02 Five Nights at Freddy’s box office numbers
05:55 Day-and-Date opening
09:31 Nostalgic movies
13:12 Added show times
14:58 Killers of the Flower Moon numbers drop
18:02 International box office numbers
20:37 The Marvels prediction
23:45 Preservation of drive-in culture
25:42 35 millimeter film fanatics
27:43 Going retro
29:43 Slight movement in the culture
34:11 Commitment of retro film
39:47 Breeding ground for creatives
41:23 Curated food and beverage experience
46:10 Plans for 2024

Five Nights at Freddy’s Kills It at the Box Office; Showcase Cinemas’ Rebecca Stein on the Evolution of Movie Marketing Nov 02, 2023

Show notes

In this week’s episode of the Boxoffice Podcast, co-hosts Rebecca Pahle, Russ Fischer, and Chad Kennerk break down the latest updates on the SAG/AFTRA strike and a number of release date changes before analyzing the outsized box office success of Five Nights at Freddy’s. In the feature segment, Rebecca interviews with Showcase Cinemas’ Rebecca Stein, doing a deep dive on events, influencers, and the evolution of in-cinema marketing.

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Weekend Box Office: FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S More Than Doubles Record for Top Halloween Weekend All Time

Swift and Scorsese; Comscore Senior Media Analyst Paul Dergarabedian [Sponsored by Cinionic] Oct 26, 2023

Show notes

In this week’s episode of the Boxoffice Podcast, co-hosts Russ Fischer, Shawn Robbins, and Chad Kennerk discuss the release of Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, the first place holdover of Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, the current state of the SAG/AFTRA strike, and review box office numbers: including the “What’s This?” surprise of 1993’s The Nightmare Before Christmas rounding out the top five. In the feature segment, Daniel Loria speaks with Comscore’s Senior Media Analyst Paul Dergarabedian

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Episode Resources:

What to Listen For

00:00 Intro
00:57 Boxoffice Podcast’s 200th episode
03:35 SAG-AFTRA update
05:42 Taylor Swift Eras Tour Concert Film leads box office
07:28 Weekend top 5 box office films
10:45 Effect of limited-time only films
13:17 Killers of the Flower Moon
20:40 Five Nights at Freddy’s
27:45 Start in cinema space
33:57 People are invested in box office movies
36:51 What makes the movie business exciting
42:11 Joining the industry for a living
48:22 Franchise trap
56:21 The halo effect of movie theaters on other business
59:30 Weekend wrap up podcast

Taylor Swift’s Blockbuster Weekend; Looking Ahead to ShowEast 2023 [Sponsored by Cinionic] Oct 19, 2023

Show notes

In this week’s episode of the Boxoffice Podcast, sponsored by Cinionic, a leader in the world of laser technology, hosts Rebecca Pahle and Russ Fischer break down the opening weekend success of Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour. In our feature segment, Pahle speaks with Ron Krueger II of Santikos Theaters, receiving the Salah M. Hassanein Award at next week’s ShowEast, about giving back to the cinema community. Pahle also speaks with Dan Huerta, technical services director at Cinionic, about the newest addition to its laser portfolio.

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Countdown to Swift; Documentary ONLY IN THEATERS Pays Tribute to the Laemmle Legacy Oct 12, 2023

Show notes

In this week’s episode of the Boxoffice Podcast, co-hosts Rebecca Pahle and Jesse Rifkin go over the latest in cinema news–including new NATO boardmembers–before diving into analysis of the debut performance of The Exoricst: Believer… and whether we can expect a $100M opening from Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour. In our feature segment, Pahle speaks to director Raphael Sbarge about his film ONLY IN THEATERS, which pays tribute to Laemmle Theatres and the key part it’s played in the evolution of arthouse cinema in the U.S. He’s joined by Greg Laemmle and Maggie Mackay; Maggie, a returning guest to the podcast, updates us on her L.A. video store/screening space Vidiots.

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