Boxoffice Podcast


‘Poor Things’ Hopes to Ignite the Specialty Market; Beyoncé’s Theatrical Renaissance

Episode 206 – November 30, 2023

In this episode of the Boxoffice Podcast, co-hosts Rebecca Pahle, Shawn Robbins, and Chad Kennerk discuss last weekend’s box office—dominated by the concert film Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé–before looking ahead with updated forecasts on some of the biggest releases of December. In our feature segment, Pahle speaks with Frank Rodriguez, formerly of Searchlight Pictures, about Searchlight’s philosophy towards theatrical distribution and its new film Poor Things, out in limited release this weekend.

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Last 5 Episodes

Thanksgiving Recap

Episode 205 – November 30, 2023

In this episode of the Boxoffice Podcast, co-hosts Rebecca Pahle, Daniel Loria, and Chad Kennerk discuss the Thanksgiving Frame, including the surprise performance of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and Disney’s struggle to capture holiday moviegoers with their latest animated musical Wish.

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Who Are the Winners and Losers of Thanksgiving 2023?; Interview with Dir. Francis Lawrence of Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Episode 204 – November 23, 2023

In this episode of the Boxoffice Podcast, co-hosts Rebecca Pahle and Daniel Loria go over release date changes and the latest updates from Canadian exhibitor Cineplex before diving into Thanksgiving 2023: Will any holdovers be able to hang on? What new releases will break through over the long holiday weekend? Then, in our feature segment, Boxoffice Pro’s Chad Kennerk interviews Francis Lawrence, director of Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

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What is the Future of the MCU?; Warner Bros. Makes Controversial Decision to Shelve Completed Film

Episode 203 – November 16, 2023

In this week’s episode of the Boxoffice Podcast, co-hosts Rebecca Pahle, Shawn Robbins, and Russ Fischer discuss what’s come up during a heavy week of news: the end of the SAG/AFTRA strike, Warner Bros.’ controversial decision to shelve the film Coyote vs Acme, and what the latest round of schedule changes–and Captain Marvel’s disappointing debut box office–means for the MCU.

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Will THE MARVELS Give the MCU Its Worst Opening Weekend? Plus, How the Mahoning Drive-In Theater Became a Mecca For Horror Fans

Episode 202 – November 09, 2023

In this week’s episode of the Boxoffice Podcast, co-hosts Rebecca Pahle, Shawn Robbins, and Chad Kennerk discuss a slow week at the box office, as the Gen Z nostalgia-driven Five Nights at Freddy’s tops the box office for the second week running. Looking ahead, Robbins talks concerns for THE MARVEL’s opening weekend and TROLLS BAND TOGETHER’s international run in advance of its domestic debut on 11/17. In the feature segment, spooky season continues as Kennerk speaks to Virgil Cardamone of the Mahoning Drive-In Theater, where an event-based approach to screenings has made them a bucket list destination for horror fans.

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Five Nights at Freddy’s Kills It at the Box Office; Showcase Cinemas’ Rebecca Stein on the Evolution of Movie Marketing

Episode 201 – November 02, 2023

In this week’s episode of the Boxoffice Podcast, co-hosts Rebecca Pahle, Russ Fischer, and Chad Kennerk break down the latest updates on the SAG/AFTRA strike and a number of release date changes before analyzing the outsized box office success of Five Nights at Freddy’s. In the feature segment, Rebecca interviews with Showcase Cinemas’ Rebecca Stein, doing a deep dive on events, influencers, and the evolution of in-cinema marketing.

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Previous episodes

‘Poor Things’ Hopes to Ignite the Specialty Market; Beyoncé’s Theatrical Renaissance

In this episode of the Boxoffice Podcast, co-hosts Rebecca Pahle, Shawn Robbins, and Chad Kennerk discuss last weekend’s box office—dominated by the concert film Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé–before looking ahead with updated forecasts on some of the biggest releases of December. In our feature segment, Pahle speaks with Frank Rodriguez, formerly of Searchlight Pictures, about Searchlight’s philosophy towards theatrical distribution and its new film Poor Things, out in limited release this weekend.

In this episode of the Boxoffice Podcast, co-hosts Rebecca Pahle, Shawn Robbins, and Chad Kennerk discuss last weekend’s box office—dominated by the concert film Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé–before looking ahead with updated forecasts on some of the biggest releases of December. In our feature segment, Pahle speaks with Frank Rodriguez, formerly of Searchlight Pictures, about Searchlight’s philosophy towards theatrical distribution and its new film Poor Things, out in limited release this weekend.

Give us your feedback on our podcast by accessing this survey: https://forms.gle/CcuvaXCEpgPLQ6d18 

Episode Resources:

What to Listen For

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 02:30 Weekend box office top films
  • 10:40 Searchlight Pictures’ Poor Things  
  • 13:12 Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron
  • 15:08 Major releases in the holiday season
  • 20:04 Searchlight Pictures’ early years
  • 29:00 What was your cinema growing up?
  • 31:16 Film availability 
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‘Poor Things’ Hopes to Ignite the Specialty Market; Beyoncé’s Theatrical Renaissance
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Thanksgiving Recap
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Who Are the Winners and Losers of Thanksgiving 2023?; Interview with Dir. Francis Lawrence of Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
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What is the Future of the MCU?; Warner Bros. Makes Controversial Decision to Shelve Completed Film
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Will THE MARVELS Give the MCU Its Worst Opening Weekend? Plus, How the Mahoning Drive-In Theater Became a Mecca For Horror Fans
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Five Nights at Freddy’s Kills It at the Box Office; Showcase Cinemas’ Rebecca Stein on the Evolution of Movie Marketing
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Swift and Scorsese; Comscore Senior Media Analyst Paul Dergarabedian [Sponsored by Cinionic]
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Taylor Swift’s Blockbuster Weekend; Looking Ahead to ShowEast 2023 [Sponsored by Cinionic]
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Countdown to Swift; Documentary ONLY IN THEATERS Pays Tribute to the Laemmle Legacy
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Beyonce Comes to Cinemas, Bobbie Bagby Ford on B&B Theatres’ Spirit of Innovation
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INDIE FOCUS: Lessons from Sequel September; Rich Daughtridge of the ICA on Movie Marketing for Indie Cinemas [Sponsored by Spotlight Cinema Networks]
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Looking Back on National Cinema Day with NATO’s Cinema Foundation and the UKCA
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Dumb Money Director Craig Gillespie
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Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour at the Movies and the Missed Opportunity of EXORSWIFT | Santikos CEO Tim Handren
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Antoine Fuqua on The Equalizer 3
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Fall Preview; ShowSouth 2023: Interview with NCG Cinemas’ Jeff Geiger
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BLUE BEETLE Director Angel Manuel Soto
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Billion Dollar Barbie | Inside the Box Office Success of SOUND OF FREEDOM
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Ongoing Strike Leads to Release Date Changes for Sony; Bringing Movie Magic to Cinema Deserts with Eileen Baptistin Level
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Barbenheimer Breaks Records | Interview with Royal Corp.’s George and Marianne Abiaad
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