EXCLUSIVE: Chaotic times call for creative measures, and in the midst of a box office that’s been greatly impacted by the pandemic, not to mention the lack of major studio tentpoles, exhibition is thinking outside of the box to restore moviegoer confidence and encourage their return to the cinema. In a few words: Private watch
Hocus Pocus
There has been some concern by industry insiders that the family film may have gone the way of the dinosaurs during the pandemic, particularly as Disney has taken its marquee theatrical releases Mulan and Soul to Disney+. Some of those maneuvers stem from polling which shows that families aren’t entirely ready to head back to the box office
The town is still shell-shocked by yesterday’s news about Cineworld’s pending indefinite shutdown of its UK theaters this coming week. What we’re hearing now looks to be an expected partial shutdown of the U.S. No. 2 chain Regal. Cineworld tweeted out this morning the following statement, “We can confirm we are considering the temporary closure
Here’s something no one was really expecting at the weekend box office, especially during a depressed time when there aren’t any new major studio wide releases: Disney’s wide re-issue of 1993 cult classic witch comedy Hocus Pocus is doing rather well at 2,570 theaters on its way to what looks to be a $1.6M-$1.8M estimated weekend