Chris Johnson
Member Profile
How has Cinema United membership been impactful to you and/or your business?Working together on important issues to improve the business environment is what it’s all about.
Government relations is an important part of any Trade Association, but the advocacy work Cinema United does on the Studio side, along with steering the narrative in the mainstream media, industry, and financial press, is very impactful. We need to sell our industry to all the outside stakeholders, like banks, developers, communities, and our guests, and Cinema United is a great vehicle to do so.
I also love the community; having the opportunity to learn from your fellow exhibitors and sharing ideas is key.
My dad and uncle owned the Tivoli building in Downers Grove, IL, that had a single-screen movie theatre, which they rented to a local operator who skipped town in the middle of the night. So in August 1978, my Dad and Stepmom became accidental exhibitors. Soon after, I started at the bottom, cleaning out the basement, and then moved up to usher, starting with my first movie, Star Trek: The Motion Picture. The rest is history.
Like Happy Gilmore, my happy place is when everything is going right: packed theatres, welcoming employees, and guests loving the escape. Nothing better than to see all the hard work paying off. My dream is to have a consistent slate of films of all genres, a collaborative relationship with distribution, and everyone enjoying the success of our wonderful industry.
Having my son Kyle introduce me for the Marquee award on stage at CinemaCon, the Caesars Colosseum is a pretty big room, and he did a fantastic job. It was an amazing honor and moment to share with my family, the Classic Cinemas team, and all my industry friends. I just lost my Dad and Stepmom, so it felt like the perfect tribute. Also, hanging out backstage with Hiro Matsuoka was a privilege.
Member Gallery
There are so many, but going to my first movie in Chicago to see “2001: A Space Odyssey” at McClurg Court with my Dad and two older siblings. This was before we were in the business, and I was too young to understand anything, but it was a spectacle, and I loved it! Afterwards, we went out for Ice Cream and discussed the movie, which I’m not 100% sure I understand yet. It was an epic experience!
I am a technology guy and love all the innovation, but I see the magic of cinema still focused on gathering strangers out of the home, offline, as a community. Laughing, crying, and being emotionally connected together as one.
The future will be incredible as we work beyond the legacy booking policies and have the freedom to program our screens to maximize our occupancy and best serve our guests. With the continued democratization of digital capture and tools, the number of content makers will steadily grow, thereby increasing the options and demand for exhibition to flourish.
