John Fithian: Last News

CinemaCon launches Monday at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, the second in-person gathering of theater owners and Hollywood studios since August, and Covid. That edition was shadowed by the Delta Variant, ongoing theater closures and shifting release dates. Now the picture is significantly brighter. Domestic attendance at the confab, including a full complement of studio heads, is at a pre-pandemic level (international still a bit softer given challenges in some markets). Moviegoing is on the rise and the release sked looks full and fixed. NATO President & CEO John Fithian and MPA Chairman-CEO Charles Rivkin fielded questions from Deadline on the evolving post-Covid landscape and relationship between the two camps. (Some responses are condensed and edited for clarity.)

Sony Pictures Classics art heist caper The Duke, Neon’s tender Petite Maman, and Charlotte from Good Deed Films, an animated biopic with mature themes, open an eclectic specialty weekend ready to draw older crowds if they’re ready to return.

Cineplex president and CEO and 35-year exhibition vet Ellis Jacob will receive the 2022 NATO Marquee Award at this year’s CinemaCon, which runs April 25-28 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

Every week that goes by, we are confronted with more news that seems to spell doom for the theatrical experience in the United States. Whether it’s an uptick in COVID-19 cases that forces more shutdowns, studios moving films to 2021, or theaters closing their doors due to lack of business, there seems to be a never-ending stream of bad news facing cinemas as they try to recover.

There’s a new public enemy No. 1 among theater owners and some Hollywood studio executives: Andrew Cuomo.