phil@cinemaunited.org, Author at Cinema United

May 15, 2025

Cinema United Attends North Central Exhibition Industry Event

(Cinema United’s Todd Halstead with Fridley Theatres’ Russell Vannorsdel. Photo Credit: Roger Humphries)

This week, theatre owners and operators, vendors and industry friends and partners convened in Omaha for the 2025 North Central NATO Convention, where attendees had the opportunity to meet and discuss a range of topics centered on the health and continued viability of the moviegoing experience — not to mention partake in a whole lot of good Midwestern fun, including a steak fry hosted by Bill and Colleen Barstow at their ACX Cinema, a silent auction and casino night. Cinema United’s Todd Halstead, Director of Government Relations and Independent Theatre Owner Engagement, and Andrew Stewart, Chief Communications Officer, were on hand as well. The three-day convention featured screenings from Angel Studios and Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Special thanks are extended to Russell Vannorsdel, President of Fridley Theatres, who served as Convention Chair, and Dale Haider, Treasurer of North Central NATO, for their exceptional efforts in organizing the event.

May 8, 2025

Cinema United Releases Statement on Proposal to Support Hollywood and Exhibition

“We are encouraged by recent efforts to bolster the American filmed entertainment industry, including proposals to assist the people who operate theatres in towns of all sizes across the country to create the great movie houses of the next generation,” said Michael O’Leary, President and CEO of Cinema United. “It is important to recognize that theatrical exhibition is not a Hollywood industry, but a Main Street industry, and proposals that support and promote the hard work being done by theatre owners will have a positive and meaningful impact in communities across this nation. We are committed to working with the administration, Congress and all interested parties who recognize and share the goal of ensuring that our local theatres retain both their economic and cultural significance, and we thank them for their leadership.”

May 7, 2025

Headlines Newsletter, May 7, 2025

Tariffs

Variety: Jon Voight Gives First Interview on Trump’s Bombshell Hollywood Tariff Proposal: We Can’t Let Hollywood ‘Go Down the Drain Like Detroit’ (EXCLUSIVE)

“This shouldn’t be political. I don’t know the political identities of the people we’ve talked to. We’ve talked to a lot of people here. I don’t distinguish them on their party affiliation. And If we can come up with [a plan that can be executed], he’ll back us. He wants us to be the Hollywood of old,” Voight adds. “If we all come together, I believe we have a bright future.”

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Distribution

The Hollywood Reporter: Bob Iger Says Disney’s Film Slate in Next 18 Months Is Its Best Since 2019Other films Iger singled out for having his attention and endorsement are Pixar’s Elio (June) and The Fantastic Four: First Steps (July), as well as Tron: Ares, Zootopia 2, and Avatar 3: Fire and Ash coming later in 2025.“That’s quite a lineup,” Iger said. But he wasn’t done yet.In 2026, Disney will put out a new Avengers film, its Mandalorian movie, another Toy Story and the live-action Moana. It’s “as strong as any slate that I’ve seen in a long time, since — well in 2019 I think was our best year — the strongest I’ve seen since then.”

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May 6, 2025

Headlines Newsletter, May 6, 2025

Domestic Box Office

Variety: Can Summer Set a Post-COVID Box Office Record With Help From ‘Superman,’ Marvel and ‘Jurassic World: Rebirth’?

“We’ve gone from guarded cynicism to flat-out optimism,” O’Meara says. “We’re all feeling like it’ll be a good summer.”

Summer movie season, which runs from May through August, kicks off the most profitable stretch for the movie business. Historically, the four-month period has accounted for $4 billion, or around 40% of the annual box office, as studios deliver new installments in their biggest properties. But in the post-pandemic era, domestic revenues have reached those heights only once, during the boom times of 2023’s “Barbenheimer.” This year, though, industry analysts believe the summer frame has the potential to be the strongest since the great COVID reset.

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Release Schedule

Variety: ‘Practical Magic 2,’ Starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman, Sets Fall 2026 Release Date

“Practical Magic 2,” a follow-up to the 1998 fantasy comedy, will cast a theatrical spell next fall. The witchy sequel, starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman, is set to debut on Sept. 18, 2026.

Bullock and Kidman are reprising their roles as sisters Sally and Gillian Owens, who descend from a long line of witches. In the original movie, they find themselves fighting off a curse that kills the men they fall in love with. It’s unclear where the second film will pick up.

April 28, 2025

Headlines Newsletter, April 28, 2025

Release Schedule

Deadline: Sony’s Screen Gems Sets Fall Theatrical Release For ‘Sisu’ Sequel

Sony Pictures’ Screen Gems is releasing a sequel to Jalmari Helander’s gritty World War II action movie Sisu, with the Finnish filmmaker returning to write and direct. A November 21 theatrical release this year has been set.Why doesn’t Lionsgate, which acquired U.S. on the film out of 2022’s TIFF Midnight Madness, handle the sequel? Essentially Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions’ Stage 6 Films sold domestic and kept the rest of the world (except Finland) on the first movie which made $14M global, $7.2M of that stateside. Stage 6 opted to keep global on part two.

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Deadline: James L. Brooks’ ‘Ella McCay’ Heads To December

Disney has moved James L. Brooks’ dramedy Ella McCay from Sept. 19 to Dec. 12.That puts the Woody Harrelson, Jamie Lee Curtis, Emma Mackey, Ayo Edebiri, Rebecca Hall and Albert Brooks movie in a better position during awards season. If you go too soon sometimes, you could get forgotten. Not to mention, September and October is very crowded with two-to-four wide entries dated each week, many targeting similar adult audiences.Ella McCay follow an idealistic young politician (Mackey) who juggles familial issues and a challenging work life while preparing to take over the job of her mentor, the state’s longtime incumbent governor.

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