Thompson on Hollywood

Eastward Ho! How Marvel's 'Iron Man 3' Met China UPDATE

Features

UPDATE: As new "Iron Man 3" scenes were added for specifically Chinese audiences upon the boffo film's release, the re-release of Quentin Tarantino's "Django Unchained," featuring three minutes cut from the original (including nudity scenes), is flopping in China. The film originally hit Chinese theaters April 11, and was pulled within "minutes of its opening screenings... without official explanation," per Deadline.

By Jacob Combs
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May 13, 2013 12:48 PM
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CinemaCon Heavyweight Panel Debates Windows, Social Media, State of Industry

Box Office

It's easy to look at the Hollywood studios and national theater chains as old sticks-in-the-mud who are refusing to change with the times, but truth is, a lot of smart folks are trying to get ahead of the game--in order to beat out their rivals.

By Anne Thompson
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April 26, 2013 9:04 PM
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2012 Box Office: China Beats Japan as Second Market, Global Ticket Sales Up, Also Older Moviegoers

Box Office

MPAA chief Chris Dodd and NATO head John Fithian met with the press on a conference call Thursday as they revealed moviegoing stats for 2012. "The last few years have brought a whirlwind of change and challenge," said Dodd. "We are adapting to make sure our consumers and moviegoers are coming back for more at cinemas and at home." The Senator went out of his way to embrace the idea that teen moviegoers, who are still down from 2009 and 2010 levels, are welcome to consume content in any way that they want.

By Anne Thompson
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March 21, 2013 7:08 PM
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CinemaCon Assembles Theater Owners for Annual Vegas Confab, Gives Harrison Ford Lifetime Achievement Award

Box Office

CinemaCon, The National Association of Theatre Owners annual confab in Las Vegas, will be host some 5000 exhibitors from April 15-18, 2013 at Caesars Palace. NATO represents more than 30,000 American movie screens and more cinemas in 57 countries worldwide, from the giant theater chains to mom and pops. It has not been a strong year for theaters thus far; many are struggling.

By Anne Thompson
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March 11, 2013 1:33 PM
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Prisoner Garth Drabinsky Returns to Work on Day-Parole

News

Garth Drabinsky, the Canadian entertainment mogul whose acquisition of American movie theaters in the 1980s sparked the consolidation of exhibition that continues to this day, has been granted day-parole after serving 17 months of a five-year prison sentence in Ontario. The 63-year old Drabinsky, a larger-than-life impresario who also produced movies and Broadway shows as well as restoring theaters, had been convicted along with partner Myron Gottlieb of fraud in relation to the loss of hundreds of millions of investors' money at their public company Livent. That included fleecing former uber-agent Michael Ovitz by cooking the Livent books before selling him the comnpany, which he eventually had to take into bankruptcy.

By Tom Brueggemann
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February 21, 2013 4:13 PM
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'Hobbit' to Play in 48 FPS on 450 Screens--For Starters

News

Finally, Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" will screen in its original 48 FPS version in only about 450 of its approximate 4,000 release locations on December 14. That was not the original plan. Warner Bros. distribution president Dan Fellman tells TOH! that the majority of the higher frame rate screenings will happen in or near most major and mid-sized cities.

By Anne Thompson and Beth Hanna
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November 7, 2012 1:47 PM
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Film Society of Lincoln Center Theaters Reopen After Storm

News

When digital manager Eugene Hernandez returned to work at the Film Society of Lincoln Center Wednesday, there was power but it took considerable effort to get all systems up and ready so that their theaters could reopen Thursday.

By Anne Thompson
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November 1, 2012 2:41 PM
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CinemaCon Announces 2013 Dates

News

Next year's theater convention CinemaCon will take place on April 14-18, 2013, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The largest gathering of cinema owners and operators from around the world, the convention is on track to bring in 5,000 motion picture professional attendees in its upcoming installment.

By Anne Thompson and Beth Hanna
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September 26, 2012 2:08 PM
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'Dark Knight Rises' Opening Clouded by Brutal Theater-Shooting Spree; Ignites Larger Debate UPDATED

News

"There's a storm coming," Catwoman whispers in Bruce Wayne's ear in "The Dark Knight Rises." A gunman firing into the crowd inside a Thursday midnight show of the film at a Colorado movie theater, killing 12 and wounding some 22, will yield a firestorm of debate in this presidential election year. Shortly after the start of the film...

By Anne Thompson
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July 20, 2012 1:14 PM
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Michael Moore Built a Movie Theater – and a Film Festival – and Invites You to Come

News

Here's the full invitation that Michael Moore sent to his email list--explaining why he runs one of the highest-grossing indie theaters in America--and inviting us to this summer's Traverse City Film Festival.