As Tenet Opens in Cinemas, More Major Films are Being Shelved

09/03/20 • 42 min

In today’s episode, Russ, Daniel, Rebecca, and Shawn discuss California’s safer economy blueprint at 25% capacity in select counties, successful films pre-COVID, international film festivals, and Paramount and Disney’s list of releases pushed back in 2021.

Listen in to find out how Tenet is driving the recovery efforts of exhibitors.

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What to Listen For

[00:01:31] Tenet opened internationally with a promising start.
[00:02:45] Tom Cruise helped promote Tenet by posting a video of himself watching the film in a theater on social media.
[00:04:07] Which movie star can convince you to watch a film.
[00:06:11] California governor released a safer economy blueprint where in some counties can allow theaters to open at 25% capacity.
[00:09:17] 62% more or less of the domestic market is open.
[00:10:20] Disney is still waiting on reopening plans of major circuits.
[00:12:18] Can there be a new film that might have a 2nd and 3rd weekend better than its opening week?
[00:15:09] Paramount mostly vacated their 2020 releases.
[00:19:21] The Personal History of David Copperfield was released on 1,360 screens over the weekend.
[00:22:14] In this recovery effort, the word of mouth promotes movie-going experience watching the film and going to the cinemas.
[00:23:12] Frank Rodriguez, head of distribution at Searchlight said they are completely committed to theatrical and didn't venture into the PVOD space.
[00:25:06] Nomad Land which is well received on the critic circuit.
[00:25:39] Venice and Toronto International Film Festival are actually having physical film festivals in September.
[00:27:08] What does the festival season look like this year?
[00:30:42] What movies have broken through the cultural conversation in 2020?
[00:31:21] Farewell to Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman.
[00:33:34] Hamilton and The Host have made some noise in 2020.
[00:36:43] Bad Boys For Life and Invisible Man were shown pre COVID and grossed well.
[00:37:28] Movies now have bigger opportunities to perform after release because there aren't many new films being released.
[00:39:16] It's all about the fact that films will have longer screens, gross figures can't be compared.
[00:42:12] Tenet can screen for weeks.
[00:44:31] It makes sense to delay Kingsman's release in February.

Listen in to find out how Tenet is driving the recovery efforts of exhibitors.

Subscribe to the Boxoffice Pro Magazine

https://www.boxofficepro.com/subscribe/

What to Listen For

[00:01:31] Tenet opened internationally with a promising start.
[00:02:45] Tom Cruise helped promote Tenet by posting a video of himself watching the film in a theater on social media.
[00:04:07] Which movie star can convince you to watch a film.
[00:06:11] California governor released a safer economy blueprint where in some counties can allow theaters to open at 25% capacity.
[00:09:17] 62% more or less of the domestic market is open.
[00:10:20] Disney is still waiting on reopening plans of major circuits.
[00:12:18] Can there be a new film that might have a 2nd and 3rd weekend better than its opening week?
[00:15:09] Paramount mostly vacated their 2020 releases.
[00:19:21] The Personal History of David Copperfield was released on 1,360 screens over the weekend.
[00:22:14] In this recovery effort, the word of mouth promotes movie-going experience watching the film and going to the cinemas.
[00:23:12] Frank Rodriguez, head of distribution at Searchlight said they are completely committed to theatrical and didn't venture into the PVOD space.
[00:25:06] Nomad Land which is well received on the critic circuit.
[00:25:39] Venice and Toronto International Film Festival are actually having physical film festivals in September.
[00:27:08] What does the festival season look like this year?
[00:30:42] What movies have broken through the cultural conversation in 2020?
[00:31:21] Farewell to Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman.
[00:33:34] Hamilton and The Host have made some noise in 2020.
[00:36:43] Bad Boys For Life and Invisible Man were shown pre COVID and grossed well.
[00:37:28] Movies now have bigger opportunities to perform after release because there aren't many new films being released.
[00:39:16] It's all about the fact that films will have longer screens, gross figures can't be compared.
[00:42:12] Tenet can screen for weeks.
[00:44:31] It makes sense to delay Kingsman's release in February.

Previous Episode

Third Weekend of Reopening: In-Theater Mask Wearing Enforcement

In today’s episode, Russ, Daniel, and Rebecca discuss reopening progress in China and UK, guidelines and safety protocols being implemented, and stringent mask-wearing in auditoriums.

Tune in for more local and global reopening updates.

** The Boxoffice Podcast is moving to Thursdays starting September 1st, 2020 **

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https://www.boxofficepro.com/subscribe/

What to Listen For

[00:01:37] China experienced $100 million plus new title launch.
[00:03:44] Unhinged has rolled out in the global box office.
[00:05:48] Majority of screens in the UK have opened up on July 4.
[00:06:58] UK's Cinema First launched the Love Cinema Campaign.
[00:08:14] Cinema First is concerned about how safe moviegoers feel during the reopening.
[00:11:13] Wearing of masks or face covering is essential when moving around in common areas, hallways, and lobbies.
[00:14:09] Guidelines that either meet or exceed CDC provisions.
[00:17:42] Potential risk factors in any activity: distance, dose of potential virus, and duration.
[00:20:21] As we become comfortable with the safety protocols, we become less vigilant about the protective measures.
[00:22:30] How thorough theaters are with in-theater mask enforcement?
[00:27:30] No published study yet that links an outbreak to cinemas.
[00:30:36] Make sure standards and protocols are adhered to for the future of the industry.
[00:32:13] A lot of air filtration systems in US theaters are at par with the most stringent retail systems.
[00:34:11] Not everyone knows the difference between different exhibitor auditoriums.

Next Episode

Tenet’s Domestic Debut

In today’s episode, Russ, Daniel, and Shawn discuss Tenet’s opening week in local theaters, controversy surrounding Disney’s Mulan, and why new wide releases are important to the industry’s recovery efforts.

Tune in to see how Tenet’s release is impacting the industry!

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https://www.boxofficepro.com/subscribe/

What to Listen For

[00:01:09] How was your movie going experience?
[00:01:39] Casinos are operating at reduced capacity in New York, no regular basic timeframe for cinemas to reopen.
[00:02:20] Tenet is nearing a $115 million benchmark after two weekends in the global box office.
[00:06:23] The directing style and artistry of Christopher Nolan.
[00:07:43] Mulan released on Disney Plus.
[00:09:10] Tenet might become a blueprint for Wonder Woman and many other movies in the future.
[00:12:08] Tenet can't play in drive-ins where indoor theaters aren't open.
[00:13:58] Nolan's films do well with adults about 25 years old and older.
[00:15:13] The impact of COVID-19 to the entertainment and media industry.
[00:17:28] The controversy surrounding Mulan and its lead star.
[00:20:30] Mulan will open on China and Russia, Tenet is nearing its third weekend globally.
[00:21:35] One more new wide release in the US market to further help the industry recover.
[00:23:05] Communicating to audiences that theaters are already opening remains a challenge.
[00:24:20] The future of theaters isn't dependent on how Tenet performs.
[00:25:40] Lesser promotional ads for new movies play a big part in the effectiveness of word-of-mouth and audience outreach.