Theater Owners Chief Warns Studios Against Relying on Blockbusters: ‘A Variety of Movies’ Is ‘Critical’ for Box Office
variety.comRebecca Rubin Senior Film and Media Reporter Michael O’Leary, the new president and CEO of the National Association of Theater Owners, is encouraging Hollywood to think smaller.
Don’t get him wrong — he loves Marvel, “Mission: Impossible” and “Fast & Furious” as much as the next exhibitor. But O’Leary is urging the major studios to prioritize more than just the tentpole properties that prop up the box office.
He believes that a “variety of movies that appeal to moviegoers is critical.” “It is not enough to rely solely on blockbusters — we must have a strong and vibrant market for movies with smaller or medium-sized budgets,” he said on Tuesday morning at CinemaCon, the exhibition trade show held annually in Las Vegas.
This is the first CinemaCon for O’Leary, who joined NATO in 2023 from the video game trade organization Entertainment Software Association.
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