Following the theatrical release of AMC Theatres Distribution concert pics Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour and Renaissance: A Film by Beyonce, the Nikkole Denson-Randolph led distribution team has hired Stephanie Terifay in the newly created position of VP, Distribution. Terifay will be responsible for engaging the music industry to develop future projects, tailoring distribution strategies
Executives
Cineworld Group, the world’s second largest theater circuit, said today it’s completed its executive team following the 2023 appointment of CEO Eduardo Acuna after the company emerged from bankruptcy. Thomas Song of Dine Brands and Aimbridge Hospitality joined as CFO last December. Since then, Cineworld has tapped former Warner Bros. Discovery executive Ben Hill as
EXCLUSIVE: Sound of Freedom distributor Angel Studios says nearly 84% of the tickets furnished by “pay-it-forward” buyers who wanted other patrons to see the movie for free were ultimately redeemed. With Jim Caviezel starring as real-life anti-child-trafficking activist Tim Ballard, the film became a left-field box office smash in 2023, outdoing mega-budget Hollywood titles like
Eduardo Acuna, who’s kept a low profile since taking the top job at Cineworld last summer, took a bow in NYC this week to showcase the world’s largest 4DX auditorium at the renovated Regal Times Square. The exhibitor partnered with CJ 4DPLEX, a cinema tech innovator of cutting-edge formats like this one that uses immersive
With Apple and Amazon Studios embracing theatrical distribution to enhance their content on streaming, is Netflix far behind? Despite the streamer dipping its toes in the water with a $15 million-grossing limited release of Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery during Thanksgiving 2022, and a hot title in the July 3 release of Eddie Murphy’s
Cinemark CEO Sean Gamble said Apple and Amazon, two behemoths of the tech world but newcomers to the wide-release movie business, are so far “very pleased” with their results. During a conference call with Wall Street analysts to discuss third-quarter results, the major exhibitor boss said Cinemark’s conversations with the two tech firms indicate they
Lionsgate Motion Picture Group executive Helen Lee-Kim has inked a new long-term deal as President, International. The news comes before Lionsgate takes over the world this holiday season with the highly anticipated prequel, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes on Nov. 17, which was cleared for a SAG-AFTRA interim agreement; one of
Entertainment Corporate Communications pro Brooke Robertson has been upped to Paramount Pictures’ Head of Global Communications and Media Relations. She will report to Paramount Pictures President and CEO Brian Robbins. Previously, Robertson was the Melrose lot’s SVP, Global Communications and Media Relations, overseeing media relations, executive communications, and daily operations of the global comms team. From 2019 to 2021,
IFC Films is beefing up its depleted leadership ranks, naming Nicole Weis VP of Distribution. Judy Woloshen also joins as VP of Public Relations, managing national publicity efforts across IFC’s three film brands (IFC, RJLE Films, Shudder). Weis, who will manage theatrical rollout for the film group’s slate, was previously VP of sales and distribution
Giant theater chain AMC Entertainment has promoted Ellen Copaken to SVP Marketing, effective immediately. She was also appointed to sit on the company’s management executive committee. Copaken joined AMC in February of as VP, Growth Strategy, and led the exhibitor’s AMC Perfectly Popcorn launch in more than 2,600 Walmart stores (and Walmart.com) ), delivering “sales
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema said CEO Shelli Taylor is retiring in August and named president Michael Kustermann as its new chief executive. The fast-growing dine-in chain, that’s been hugely successful luring post-pandemic moviegoers back to theaters, said its board of directors, including Taylor and executive chairman Tim League, selected Kustermann as Taylor steps down, effective August
What was it W. B. Yeats wrote, that line Joan Didion lifted and twisted in her essay “Slouching Towards Bethlehem,” about West Coast chaos in 1967? Things fall apart; the center cannot hold. That’s how it felt on Thursday, a few minutes before lunch with some seasoned film executive-friends at the Academy Museum (Salad Niçoise
As Regal parent Cineworld prepares to exit Chapter 11 this month, rumors are heating up over who will emerge as the giant theater chain’s new chief executive, with reports Monday pointing to Eduardo Acuna of Cinepolis. Longtime Cineworld CEO Moody Greidinger has a consulting contract during a transition period but isn’t likely to stay in
The National Association of Theatre Owners VP & Chief Communications Officer Patrick Corcoran is departing after 24-plus years. The news comes in the wake of NATO CEO and President John Fithian retiring after a 24-year run at the exhibition trade org. Together with Fithian, Corcoran, known for being a straight-shooter with the press, has had
D. Barry Reardon, former longtime Warner Bros. President of Sales and Distribution, has died at 92. The exec known as “The Dean of Distribution” among industry peers and filmmakers passed May 27 in Vero Beach, FL. Reardon was the head of theatrical distribution at Warner Bros from 1978-99, and was known for breaking the mold
AMC Entertainment chief executive Adam Aron said a booming box office and sharp pivot to theatrical by studios and streamers makes him “as relaxed and confident about AMC future as I possibly can be.” Speaking with Deadline at CinemaCon in Las Vegas on Tuesday, Aron indicated the icing on the cake would be a judge’s
The death of MGM distribution chief Erik Lomis on Wednesday has shocked many around Hollywood. More than just being a sage to filmmakers and executives about the motion picture business, Lomis was known for his generosity fundraising with the Will Rogers Institute, cultivating others’ careers, and even being a mentor to many in their personal
The head of the VC firm that invested several hundred million dollars in A24 a year ago says the indie producer-distributor’s “extraordinary” momentum could lead to a large international business and potential acquisitions. As is their wont, A24 executives are not talking publicly, but Stripes partner Ken Fox did speak with Deadline soon after the
The National Association of Theatre Owners on Thursday said it has appointed Michael P. O’Leary president and CEO of the association beginning May 1. He takes over for outgoing NATO boss John Fithian, who announced his retirement in October after working with the exhibitor trade org for three decades. “On behalf of NATO’s Executive Board
After more than a two decades run as the Boss of trade org the National Association of Theatre Owners, John Fithian is retiring, effective May 1, 2023. Technically, Fithian counts 30 years working for NATO, having begun working with the org as a former attorney at Washington DC’s Patton Boggs, LLC. NATO’s Executive Board has
Anne-Marie Ross (née Boysen), whose career in international film distribution at Lionsgate and Pantelion spanned more than two decades, died September 9 after a near-two-year battle with advanced-stage cancer caused by a rare gene mutation. She was 49. Ross began her career at Lionsgate in 2001, reporting to Nick Meyer, now the President of Film
Widespread optimism months ago that domestic box office might readily return to pre-Covid levels has given way to a new sense of pragmatism about the movie business. This year’s tally will far surpass last year’s $4.5 billion haul, but it will certainly fall billions short of 2019’s $11.4 billion in receipts, and all bets are
In an encouraging sign for specialized product, Sony/3000 Pictures/Hello Sunshine’s Where the Crawdads Sing has crossed the $100 million benchmark globally. Getting there on Tuesday, the feature adaptation of the Delia Owens novel sits at $78.8M domestic and $21.5M from the international box office. Crawdads initially released domestically in mid-July with $17M; a good win
AMC Entertainment CEO and newly anointed chairman Adam Aron is having a moment with shareholders — that army of retail investors he said in June numbered approximately 4.1 million and own more than 80% of the stock. Some of them found it hard to access the company’s annual meeting Thursday, which was held in person
Despite Disney’s experimentation with releasing movies like Black Widow and Jungle Cruise day-and-date in theaters and in the home on the PVOD tier of their streaming service Disney+ Premier, Imax CEO Rich Gelfond doesn’t believe the model will be the new normal moving forward. “Every studio has seen the same data that Disney has seen. What Disney did
AMC Entertainment Wednesday said it’s expanded the role of CEO Adam Aron to include chairman of the board, and selected Ambassador Philip Lader to serve as lead director. As previously announced, current non-executive chairman of the board, Lin Zhang, and Mao Jun (John) Zeng, both of Wanda, are stepping down as AMC directors following Wanda’s
EXCLUSIVE: Alamo Drafthouse Cinema has hired industry veteran Kevin Holloway as Head Film Buyer. The news comes in the wake of the cineaste chain arising out of bankruptcy and opening a new location in El Paso, TX. Plans for new theaters in Manhattan, Staten Island, St. Louis, and Washington D.C. are scheduled for this year.
Cliff Marks is retiring as president of NationalCinemedia on July 1 but will continue to work with the big movie theater advertising network as a consultant in a multi-year deal, the company announced Wednesday. The 19-year NCM veteran joined from ESPN and was an original member of the leadership team in 2002 when it was
AMC Entertainment has 4.1 million individual shareholders, the company disclosed Wednesday, as it heads towards an annual meeting in late July where all of them will be eligible to show up and vote on whatever’s on the agenda after spending months pumping up the stock on investing chat rooms. “The number of investors who want
Imax CEO Rich Gelfond earned $6.9 million last year, down slightly from $7.1 million in 2019 as the pandemic shuttered theaters and Imax screens around the world. The package included base pay of $1.2 million and a stock award valued at $5.5 million. Imax, while hard hit like the rest of the industry, was able