Three years after brutal Covid shutdowns, spring is in the air for cinemas with the box office blossoming and the economics of streaming looking muddy.
Traditional studios are re-committing to theatrical, with Apple and Amazon on board. That’s the view from the perch of John Fithian, longtime president and CEO of the National Association of Theatre Owners, taking a final bow next week in Las Vegas at CinemaCon, the industry’s biggest annual event.
He will formally pass the baton to Michael O’Leary on May 1. “John did an amazing job of leading this industry through an existential threat. It is my hope that this is the last existential threat for some time.
If not, I have John’s number,” says O’Leary, who spent years lobbying and leading government affairs in D.C. including for the MPA and 21st Century Fox. “Michael and I have known each other since 2005.
Read more on deadline.com