In the final episode of The Boxoffice Podcast’s Daily CinemaCon Edition, co-hosts Daniel Loria and Rebecca Pahle go over Thursday’s series of events as the convention comes to a close. A day that included a major filmmaker slamming day-and-date releases, Tom Cruise riding a motorcycle off a cliff, and studio presentations from Lionsgate and Paramount.
This week’s series of episodes ends with a pair of interviews with representatives of independent exhibition, Independent Cinema Alliance president Rich Daughtridge and United Drive-in Theatre Owners Association president John Vincent.
Listen to a full recap of the day’s events by subscribing on any major platform or visiting podcast.boxofficepro.com
Paramount’s studio presentation opened the morning with action-packed sequences from two Tom Cruise movies, Top Gun Maverick and the next installment of the Mission: Impossible franchise. Chris Aronson, the studio’s head of domestic distribution, came on stage to introduce the footage, which included the first 13 minutes of the Top Gun sequel and the debut of the film’s latest trailer. It was followed by a behind-the-scenes featurette detailing Tom Cruise’s newest iconic stunt from the upcoming Mission: Impossible film. Paramount’s presentation concluded with a screening of Clifford the Big Red Dog, introduced by Aronson as a title that the studio is looking forward to bringing to theaters.
Lionsgate closed the week’s studio presentation with a preview of its 2021 and 2022 slate. The studio showcased a trio of faith-based titles that will be coming to theaters in the fall and winter. It also screened footage from American Underdog, a sports biopic about the life of former NFL quarterback Kurt Warner, scheduled for release on Christmas Day.
Highlights of Lionsgate’s 2022 slate include read footage from Moonfall, a disaster film directed by Roland Emmerich scheduled for February, and The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, starring Nicolas Cage as himself, dated for April.
Paramount’s Aronson was also in attendance in the afternoon’s industry luncheon panel alongside Marcus Theatres CEO Rolando Rodriguez, Cinemark CEO Mark Zoradi, and filmmaker Patty Jenkins. The conversation featured pointed remarks on the industry’s challenges coming out of the pandemic. Patty Jenkins addressed the decision of opening Wonder Woman 1984 simultaneously to the home, calling it “a heartbreaking experience.”
“I’m not a fan of day-and-date, and I hope to avoid it forever,” stated the filmmaker, expressing her strong preference of maintaining an exclusive theatrical window for all her upcoming films.
“I don’t understand why we’re talking about throwing [the big-screen experience] away for 700 different streaming services that there’s no room for in the marketplace. It’s crazy to me,” said Jenkins. “One studio should plant a flag and make a huge move just for the theatrical experience, and the filmmakers will go there as a result.”
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