Boxoffice Podcast

Latest Episodes:

2021 Year in Review: The Biggest Stories, Surprises, and Disappointments at the Movies Dec 30, 2021

Show notes

In this week’s episode of The Boxoffice Podcast, Daniel Loria & Rebecca Pahle wrap up the biggest stories, surprises, and disappointments from an eventful 2021 in theatrical exhibition.

Daniel and Rebecca also recap a busy Christmas weekend at the box office—with Spider-Man: No Way Home crossing $1 billion in ticket sales and Sing 2 upsetting The Matrix: Resurrections for second place in North America.

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Episode Resources

What to Listen For

00:00 Introduction
01:51 Recent closures & restrictions around the world and what the stats are saying
07:03 Why Spider-Man & Matrix felt new this time around VS previous titles of 2020
11:55 Rebecca & Daniel’s favorite movies they watched in 2021
17:37 Recapping the landmark releases of 2021
19:46 Biggest movie disappointments of 2021
21:15 Reminiscing on the biggest plot-twists in the cinema industry this past year

Christmas Box Office Preview & Indie Focus with Greg Laemmle Dec 23, 2021

Show notes

In this week’s episode of The Boxoffice Podcast, Daniel Loria, Rebecca Pahle, and Shawn Robbins discuss the historic opening weekend for Spider-Man: No Way Home, what we can expect from the Christmas box office, as well as new releases like Sing 2 and The Matrix Resurrections.

In our feature segment Rebecca Pahle interviews Greg Laemmle, president of Laemmle Theaters, a Southern California-based chain of independent cinemas that has been around since the 1930’s. Greg shares how they’ve been able to adapt through the years, and what changes he thinks we can expect in the near future.

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Episode Resources:

What to Listen For

00:00 Intro
01:58 Spider-Man: No Way Home opens to $260m domestically, what does this mean for the industry?
08:12 How Spider-Man: No Way Home is a reflection of Sony’s commitment to theatrical distribution & exhibition despite new restrictions around the world
12:12 Update on the Cineworld & Cineplex legal situation
14:01 A new law was passed in NYC requiring cinemas to have open caption showtimes in at least 25% of their screenings for any title that runs in cinemas
15:02 What’s coming up for the Christmas box office & what you can expect
20:14 Rebecca’s interview with Greg Laemmle

Spider-Man No Way Home Swings into Theaters to Save the Holiday Movie Season Dec 16, 2021

Show notes

In this week’s episode of The Boxoffice Podcast, Russ Fischer, Daniel Loria, and Shawn Robbins discuss their outlook for Spider-Man No Way Home’s box office debut. The trio also looks at other releases in theaters this weekend, including Guillermo Del Toro’s Nightmare Alley, and breaks down the underwhelming performance of Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story at the box office.

In the feature segment, Daniel Loria speaks to Cheryl Wannell, the Chief Executive Officer at SAWA - Global Cinema Advertising, about the organization’s efforts during the pandemic to help its members across the sector to get back on track and bring major advertisers back to the pre-show.

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Episode Resources:

What to Listen For

00:00 Intro
01:16 Spider-Man No Way Home is not slowing down
04:44 The evolution of Spider-Man in theaters
07:36 Box office forecast for Spider-Man No Way Home
11:00 A new era of superhero franchise
12:30 Guillermo del Toro’s Nightmare Alley
16:17 West Side Story opens to $10.5M
19:26 Additional box office numbers this week
25:43 Cinema advertising has been a bumpy road for recovery
28:12 Where is cinema advertising in 2021?
29:57 Stories of resiliency and innovation
31:09 SAWA’s global efforts to help drive cinema advertising
35:02 Are we at a 2019 box office level?

Red Rocket Director Sean Baker on His New Film and The Importance of Theatrical Exclusivity for Specialty Film Dec 09, 2021

Show notes

In this week’s episode of The Boxoffice Podcast, Rebecca Pahle and Jesse Rifkin discuss a quiet post-Thanksgiving weekend, which saw Disney’s Encanto maintain its top placement amid a slate of specialty releases.

In the feature segment, Daniel Loria speaks to director Sean Baker about his latest film, Red Rocket, a dark comedy film that follows the life of a washout porn star and his ticket back into the porn industry through an intrigued teenage girl.

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Episode Resources:

Encanto Remains No. 1 w/ $12.7M Over Slow Post-Thanksgiving Frame

What to Listen For

00:00 Intro
01:01 Special screenings for West Side Story and The Tragedy of Macbeth
02:38 Encanto maintained its top spot
07:03 Funaimation’s Sword Art Online Progressive debuts at the tenth spot
10:13 New specialty titles
13:06 Awards season
15:27 Red Rocket is a dark comedy film
17:12 When was Red Rocket conceptualized?
21:37 A realistic teenager intrigued by the idea of prostitution
26:29 Is there a parallel between the adult industry and theatrical distribution
29:58 Helping films to find their own audience
31:34 Releasing a dark comedy film during the recovery period

Spider-Man Predictions and an Interview with Will Rogers' Incoming President Heather Morgan Dec 02, 2021

Show notes

In this week’s episode of The Boxoffice Podcast, Daniel Loria, Rebecca Pahle, and Shawn Robbins discuss Spider-Man: No Way Home’s pre-sales numbers and its positively looking box office debut predictions.

In the feature segment, Pahle speaks with Heather Morgan, who as of January 1, 2022 will become the first female president of the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation. She speaks about her own personal relationship with moviegoing and the future evolution of Will Rogers.

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What to Listen For

00:00 Intro
02:18 Spider-Man: No Way Home pre sales tickets
04:25 It’s time for a pre-debut forecast
06:59 Potential of Spider-Man for holiday moviegoing
08:26 Macro figures from the the Thanksgiving weekend
09:53 Encanto’s international numbers
11:44 Are family audiences finally coming back to theaters?
14:41 Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City opened to the low expectation side
19:11 The Will Rogers Pioneers Assistance Fund
21:37 Putting together the executive board
23:41 Financial literacy and money management
26:30 Background with volunteering and charitable work
28:28 Growing up, what’s the nearest theater?
31:52 Staying on the right strategic course
34:09 All businesses need an effective marketing

INDIE FOCUS: State of the Art House 2021, Presented by Spotlight Cinema Networks Nov 25, 2021

Show notes

In this week’s episode of The Boxoffice Podcast, Daniel Loria, Rebecca Pahle, and Shawn Robbins discuss weekend box office numbers and predictions for the Thanksgiving weekend’s new titles.

In this week’s Indie Focus feature, Rebecca and Daniel present some of the key insights from Boxoffice LIVE Sessions’ State of the Art House webinar, featuring expertise from Paul Serwitz (President and COO, Landmark Theatres), Tori Baker (President & CEO, Salt Lake Film Society), Dylan Skolnick (Co-Director, Cinema Arts Centre), Barbara Twist (Director of Partnerships, Vidiots Foundation), and Barak Epstein (President, Aviation Cinemas / Texas Theatre).

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Episode Resources:

What to Listen For

00:00 Intro
03:42 Ghostbusters Afterlife opens to $44M domestically
06:12 King Richard debuts at $5.7M
08:17 No Time to Die remains theatrically exclusive
11:16 Latest weekend box office titles
14:28 What to expect during the Thanksgiving weekend?
15:18 Expectations for House of Gucci
18:30 Resident Evil: Welcome to the Raccoon City
21:15 Arthouse theaters stay innovative throughout the pandemic
23:12 Drivers that lead audiences back into theaters
26:25 Title availability compromises the theatrical business
29:00 Netflix and Amazon’s pull on high quality films
31:13 Streaming is a way to gauge what content works
35:00 Marketing arthouses make for a title
37:47 Streamers are not targeting box office numbers
42:39 Creating a welcoming atmosphere for different communities
44:58 There’s still a great need to diversify the audience

UK's This Way Up Conference Targets Independent Exhibitors Nov 18, 2021

Show notes

In this week’s episode of The Boxoffice Podcast, Daniel Loria and Jesse Rifkin discuss the weekend’s box office results and the biggest headlines from the movie theater industry. Cineworld shows signs of recovery as Cinemark registers its best performance for a Netflix title at the box office in their circuit.

In the feature segment, Rebecca talks to Film Hub NI Manager Hugh Odling Smee about the upcoming This Way Up Conference 2021 and the UK film industry’s tremendous effort to bring independent cinemas together to discuss relevant topics including accessibility, diversity, and inclusion.

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Episode Resources:

What to Listen For

00:00 Intro
02:12 Cineworld exceeds its 2019 figures
03:26 Cinemark’s best performing Netflix title, Red Notice
05:37 Will Rogers’ names its first female president
06:23 Eternals stays on the top spot in its second week
08:43 New title releases this weekend
10:52 Upcoming film releases next week
14:14 Bringing independent cinemas together to discuss multiple issues
16:55 Huge focus on film criticism
20:16 The issue on accessibility
23:15 Awareness around being more transparent about the industry’s best practices
26:24 Diversity and inclusion is a work on progress for many organizations
27:08 Online and offline access to the TWU Conference 2021

Eternals Debuts in the Top Spot, CEO Ted Croft on the Continuing Story of Studio Movie Grill Nov 11, 2021

Show notes

In this week’s episode of The Boxoffice Podcast, co-hosts Daniel Loria and Rebecca Pahle covers AMC’s partnership with Disney+ and a new retail popcorn venture, Marcus Theater’s earnings call, and the current top 5 films in the box office, with Eternals taking the top spot on its opening weekend.

In the feature segment, Rebecca talks to the top executives at Studio Movie Grill, Ted Low, Ted Croft, and Tearlach Hutcheson, about the efforts put in place to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy and the dine-in movie theater chain’s relentless endeavors to maintain the unique experience for every guest.

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Episode Resources:

Studio Movie Grill

What to Listen For

00:00 Intro
01:10 AMC partners with Disney+ and enters the retails popcorn market
06:11 Marcus Theaters quarterly earnings call
07:15 Eternals opens to $71M domestically
10:42 Dune came in 2nd this week
10:55 Films taking the top spot this week
16:42 Titles to look forward to in December
20:34 Getting out of Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
22:50 Unfortunate timing during the pandemic
23:54 Latest approach to SMG programming
25:14 Looking at high touch and low touch opportunities
28:39 Focus on guest experience and opportunistic growth
31:21 The SMG story is not done

Tim League on Alamo Drafthouse's New NYC Location Nov 04, 2021

Show notes

In this week’s episode of The Boxoffice Podcast, co-hosts Daniel Loria and Rebecca Pahle recap a quiet Halloween weekend at the box office and discuss important attendance milestones from the month of October. As the Winter approaches, they talk about the potential of event cinema engagements to breakout at the box office in off-peak periods.

In the feature segment, Daniel talks to Alamo Drafthouse’s Tim League on their successful recovery from Chapter 11 bankruptcy as the iconic dine-in chain opens their first New York City location and looks to continue expanding.

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Episode Resources:

What to Listen For

00:00 Intro
02:07 Major chains record their highest grossing mark since the pandemic
04:22 The Mitchells vs. the Machines to play in theaters
07:24 Dune retains its top spot on its second weekend
09:41 Update on Halloween Kills and No Time To Die numbers
11:28 My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission opens at $6.4M
14:31 SearchLight’s unique approach for The French Dispatch
15:56 What to expect from the movie Eternals
20:53 Alamo Drafthouse coming out of bankruptcy
24:53 Keeping the audience engaged with the Alamo brand
23:03 Plans to open more branches
23:50 The hardest cinema to renovate and re-open
24:53 Integrating retail spaces in cinemas
26:42 Giving moviegoers another reason to keep going to the theaters
28:47 Creating a micro-community for the audience
30:13 Is cinema a dying industry?

Dune and The French Dispatch Find Their Audience; The (Any)Thing Cinema Launches Micro-Cinema Concept in Europe Oct 28, 2021

Show notes

In this week’s episode of The Boxoffice Podcast, co-hosts Russ Fischer, Daniel Loria, and Rebecca Pahle discuss Dune’s $41M opening weekend in North America and the success of Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch in limited release.

In the feature segment, Rebecca talks to Thomas van de Weerd of the (Any)Thing Micro-Cinema about their unique micro-cinema concept, where audiences get to decide which films to watch in a small collection of private auditoriums.

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Episode Resources:

The (Any)Thing Cinema

What to Listen For

00:00 Intro
02:10 New trailer for Uncharted
04:02 Dune opens at $41M, highest opening for Warner Bros. since pre-pandemic
08:48 International numbers for Dune
10:18 Halloween Kills drops in its 2nd week
13:04 Update on No Time To Die’s box office numbers
15:14 The French Dispatch opens at $1.3M
17:43 Promoting a film with limited release schedule
20:21 New films coming out next week
22:51 How it started for The (Any)Thing Cinema
26:00 Customers decide what movie to play at what time
29:23 Pricing strategy and accessibility
30:47 Why it’s named The (Any)Thing Cinema
32:11 Future expansion plans
33:32 Challenges that come with micro-cinema concept
34:43 Keeping movies available for as long as possible

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