Moviegoing is our Mission
In a note published on social media, Tom Cruise expressed his gratitude for the strong opening of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning during what turned out to be a record-setting Memorial Day weekend at the box office. Read Tom’s full note below:
[Left to Right: Phoenix Theatres’ Jordan Hohman, Cinema United’s Phil Contrino, and Phoenix Theatres’ Cory Jacobson]
Detroit-based Phoenix Theatres opened their ninth location and first theatre in beautiful Clarksville, Tennessee at the Governor’s Square Mall on May 22nd—just in time for a historic Memorial Day weekend at the box office. Phoenix Theatres now operates 79 screens in five states: Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Ohio, and Tennessee. At this new location, Dolby provided all the cinema servers, sound processors, loudspeakers, and new digital amplifiers in every auditorium. Dolby ATMOS is installed in five of the 10 screens at Governor’s Square, and an impressive 25% of Phoenix’s screens are in ATMOS-equipped auditoriums.
The team at Phoenix—led by owner Cory Jacobson—turned the opening into a true communal event for local residents: the Montgomery Central High School marching band performed the Mission: Impossible theme; Anthony Cafaro, Co-President and Owner of The Cafaro Company, spoke about the importance of having a movie theatre at the mall; Mike Rainey, Chairman of the Clarksville Area Chamber of Commerce, touted valuable how the cinema is to the community; and movie fans of all ages were treated to a buffet dinner from mall neighbor Dave & Busters and four free screenings to pick from (Lilo & Stitch, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Top Gun: Maverick, and the original Star Trek film.)
“It’s safe to say that this is the largest turnout we’ve had for a ribbon cutting,” said Rainey to applause from the more than 200 people gathered. “As you walk through the theatre tonight, you are going to realize the investment that Phoenix Theatres has put into Clarksville. It goes a long way toward helping us enhance the quality of life for our community.”
“Movie theatres in the past were synonymous with big jazzy entrances, adding an element of showmanship to moviegoing,” said Cory Jacobson when discussing how he landed on the design for this location. “Our new theatre at Governor’s Square Mall needed to develop a character all its own and now features a new glass entranceway that enhances the size of the new lobby.”
“We wanted to do something truly spectacular and enhance the cinema experience to a new level,” added Jordan Hohman, Vice President of Project Development for Phoenix Theatres.
Derek Almada will serve as General Manager of the Governor’s Square Mall location. He was promoted from Phoenix’s Dubuque, Iowa location after working with the company for a year and a half. In a heartfelt speech at the opening, Almada thanked his girlfriend for moving to Tennessee with him, and he promised the best possible moviegoing experience to the excited customers in attendance.
“Millions of moviegoers this holiday weekend proved once again that going to the cinema is a true American pastime,” said Michael O’Leary, President and CEO of Cinema United. “Records aside, it’s clear that movie theaters are cultural and economic hubs in cities and towns of all sizes, uniting communities across the country in the singular thrill of seeing a movie on the big screen. This weekend is just the start of what will be a great summer for movie fans around the world.”
From Variety, as of Sunday evening:
It’s a Memorial Day weekend for the box office record books.
Movie theaters across the country were jamming as “Lilo & Stitch” and Tom Cruise’s “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” fueled the largest Memorial Day holiday in history — and established several other benchmarks in the process.
Families turned out in force for Disney’s live-action “Lilo & Stitch” remake, which collected a blockbuster $145.5 million in its opening weekend and an estimated $183 million through Monday. Those ticket sales defied projections and cemented a Memorial Day opening weekend record, overtaking a different Cruise tentpole, 2022’s “Top Gun: Maverick,” with $126 million over the weekend and $160 million through the four days. “Lilo & Stitch” also secured the second-largest start across any four-day holiday weekend, behind only 2018’s “Black Panther,” which amassed $242 million over Presidents’ Day.
Meanwhile, older audiences showed up to watch Paramount and Skydance’s “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning,” which earned a series-best $63 million over the weekend and an estimated $77 million through Monday’s holiday. This eighth installment just narrowly beat 2018’s “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” ($61 million) to score the top debut of the 29-year-old franchise.
…
Thanks to effective counterprogramming — and a huge assist by holdovers like “Final Destination Bloodlines,” “Thunderbolts*” and “Sinners” — this weekend delivered the best collective Memorial Day weekend haul with $322 million across all films. It’s been more than a decade since this many people went to the movies over the holiday frame; the prior record was established in 2013 with $314 million across all films, led by “Fast & Furious 6,” “The Hangover Part III” and “Star Trek Into Darkness.”
[Left to right: Cinema United’s Harry Medved with THE LOT’s Courtney Timlen]
Cinema United staff recently visited the California-based luxury cinema chain THE LOT at its Liberty Station theatre-restaurant complex in San Diego, as they were getting ready for the summer season with brisk presales for Lilo & Stitch, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, among other titles.
“We do particularly well here with family-friendly films,” THE LOT Liberty Station General Manager Courtney Timlen told Cinema United’s Harry Medved. “It can turn into a full-day outing where families can escape to the movies for a shared cinematic adventure in our auditoriums and then savor their time together at our outdoor restaurant, ZENTRL Kitchen + Bar.” Timlen, a proud graduate of San Diego State University, has been with the theatre chain for more than seven years.
The Liberty Station arts district and marketplace were built on the grounds of the former San Diego Naval Training Center and THE LOT rehabilitated the center’s 1940s era Luce Auditorium, which showcased the latest Hollywood features, along with training movies, for the new recruits. The Luce’s original oak stage, where Bob Hope and Jack Benny once provided the live wartime entertainment, is on view in the lobby along with a beautiful photo-mural of the original 2,200-seat theatre.
Today THE LOT Liberty Station takes advantage of balmy San Diego weather by inviting their moviegoers outdoors for a wide variety of innovative dishes & beverages at their open-air ZENTRL Kitchen + Bar, an expansive 5,00-square-foot lounge, bar and coffee island with a giant video wall and sliding glass walls looking out onto the plaza. The menu pulls together Mexican and Asian-inspired cuisine, with breakfast specialties like Croissant Chilando and Matcha Pancakes, and lunch and dinner bowls filled with Chicken Teriyaki and Citrus Lime Salmon. The same offerings are available via seat-side service within their six state-of-the-art auditoriums.
The luxury cinema chain boasts 30 screens at 4 locations throughout the Golden State (San Ramon, Newport Beach, La Jolla, and San Diego’s Liberty Station). Additionally, every year THE LOT hosts 600 public events and 400 private events. “It’s important to make every part of the moviegoing experience memorable,” says Daniel Fastlicht, Food and Beverage Manager for THE LOT. “We want our customers to feel like they’ve experienced something unique and exciting.”
(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.
“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.”
| 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.” |
| 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.” |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
Following on the massive opening weekend for Sinners, director Ryan Coogler penned an open letter to fans thanking them for helping make the movie a success.
“I had the gift of the opportunity of making a film inspired by my family and my ancestry but it was always a film that we wanted to make for audiences, in theaters,” Coogler writes. “We always had our minds on you, the audience, and felt a deep responsibility to entertain you, and move you in the way only cinema can. I believe in cinema. I believe in the theatrical experience. I believe it is a necessary pillar of society. It’s why me and so many of my colleagues have dedicated our lives to the craft. We don’t get to do what we do if you don’t show up.”
The National Association of Theatre Owners is now Cinema United. Founded in 1948, Cinema United is the largest exhibition trade organization in the world, representing more than 31,000 movie screens in all 50 states, and more than 30,000 screens in 80 countries worldwide. Its membership includes theatres of all sizes, from the largest cinema chains to one-screen theatres in cities and towns around the world.
