CinemaCon 2018 preview

Tomorrow, Monday, April 23 marks the first day of CinemaCon, the annual convention of the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO). The four-day conference is perhaps best known for the lavish presentations thrown by film distributors large and smaller, showcasing the upcoming releases--and, more often than not, talent behind and/or featured in said releases--on their slate. The 2018 edition boasts the most packed lineup of studios participating to date, and I will once again be in attendance the entire week to cover and comment on all of the sneak peeks and special guest appearances. Here's the scheduled daily rundown of the studio presentations:

• Monday, April 23 - Sony Pictures
• Tuesday, April 24 - Walt Disney Studios; Warner Bros.; STXfilms
• Wednesday, April 25 - Entertainment Studios; Universal; Focus Features; Paramount
• Thursday, April 26 - 20^th Century Fox; Amazon Studios; Lionsgate

But as I say every year since I've been comprehensively covering what was then named ShoWest back in 2001, this event is about more than just the product that is projected on cinemas' screens, but all issues pertaining to the exhibition industry, from the latest and greatest in audio, projection, and presentation technologies and concession stand offerings in the massive trade show and demonstration suites; to strategies and ongoing business concerns for theatre owners. On that latter point, what should be the big hot button issue tackled in NATO president John Fithian's Tuesday morning "State of the Industry" speech is rise of third-party subscription services such as MoviePass; also sure to be addressed is the continued pressure from day-and-date streaming services. All of the business talk will culminate with the Thursday evening tradition of the Big Screen Achievement Awards, honoring numerous luminaries for their contributions in front of and behind the camera on upcoming releases.

Stay tuned here and on my Twitter and Instagram all week for ongoing coverage of all the goings-on at CinemaCon 2018!

(Very special thanks to Rogers & Cowan for all their helpful and generous assistance at the convention.)

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