CinemaCon 2019 preview

Tomorrow, Monday, April 1 marks the first day of CinemaCon, the annual convention of the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO), in Las Vegas. 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. After a packed 2018 edition that saw the the convention struggling to fit in the many studios that opted to formally participate, 2019 finds the event in a bit of flux, much like the film exhibition industry as a whole following the mega-merger of the Walt Disney Studios and 20^th Century Fox. The departure of the latter already leaving an empty spot in the schedule in what had been its traditional week-capping spot on Thursday morning, the convention suffered a further blow with Sony Pictures announcing in January that it is opting not to put on a presentation this year. That decision has appeared to, if not completely set off, then at least partially influence a bit of a domino effect, with Focus Features then opting to abandon what had been an annual luncheon slot. With the Will Rogers Motion Pictures Pioneers Foundation also deciding to move its Pioneer of the Year dinner gala from being a midweek staple of the convention to being its own separate event in Los Angeles, yet another hole materialized in the schedule. So this year finds a couple of indies picking up the slack and getting thrust onto the main stage in the massive Colosseum in Caesars Palace: Amazon Studios, which like Focus had traditionally held a luncheon, screens its celebrated Sundance acquisition Late Night, with presumably at least a passing glance at the rest of its slate; and, in the most unexpected move, the big opening night slot is being given to CinemaCon newcomers NEON, who will be screening their Scottish country music drama Wild Rose, which the distributors picked up at this past fall's Toronto International Film Festival. While the big studios that are returning will certainly be doing their best to grab exhibitors' and the media's attention--and, in the case of the bigger-than-ever Disney, more attention and scrutiny will certainly be paid as its game plan with its newly acquired division of Fox should be come at least a little more clear--there is an unusual air of uncertainty, and thus a larger sense of excitement, about how exactly this year will play out.

Here's the scheduled daily rundown of the studio presentations:

• Monday, April 1 - NEON
• Tuesday, April 2 - STXfilms; Warner Bros.
• Wednesday, April 3 - Universal; Walt Disney Studios; Amazon Studios
• Thursday, April 4 - Paramount; 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. 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 2019!

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

The Movie Report wants to attend all your film special events for coverage! Please send any and all invitations to this address. Thanks!

F3Stage Review: Purely misguided imagination robs Charlie and the Chocolate Factory of all magic

If there were a literary property just about ready-made for stage musical treatment, it's Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. A perennial favorite for young and old alike since its publication, its whimsical comic fantasy and relatable, rootable underdog story would alone offer ample ingredients for an effectively escapist entertainment. That's not even counting that a proven musical template is already long set, in the form of Mel Smith's beloved 1971 feature film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. But not for nothing did a seemingly surefire success become one of the biggest disasters of the 2017 Broadway season, for somehow, some way director Jack O'Brien and his team manage to completely drain all the magic from this tale--which makes this monstrosity, now running at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood, a true feat of pure imagination in the absolutely worst way.

From what I can tell, that wasn't always the case with this show, which premiered in London's West End in 2013 under the direction of Sam Mendes. While receiving mixed reviews, one unanimous point of praise was the appropriately elaborate scenic design. Creative overhauls and director changes made in the transfer over the Atlantic are hardly uncommon for productions that are believed to have underachieved in their original form, but O'Brien's biggest apparent "fix" once brought on board was to run in the completely opposite direction visually, scaling back the production to the point of minimalism. If a bit disappointing from the initial curtain raise, such a direction makes at least some kind of dramatic sense in act one, with scenic designer Mark Thompson's (who also, improbably, designed the Mendes version) rather spartan set pieces--a house, a candy store--reflecting the drab everyday of poor, young Charlie Bucket (Rueby Wood on opening night; he alternates with Henry Boshart and Collin Jeffery), who spends his days in the crowded home he shares with his widowed mom and all four of his grandparents dreaming up inventions and hoping to win a golden ticket to visit renowned candy maker Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. In a departure from the different adaptations of Dahl's story, Wonka (Noah Weisberg, trying to lend the proceedings some energy) has a literal presence outside of the factory here, in disguise as the owner of the candy shop that Charlie frequents. This adjustment, nor some half-hearted (not to mention incongruous, given all the nods, primarily in the very cheap prices, to this being set way in the past) attempts to "modernize" the tale by throwing in pandering references to social media and computer hacking, has no discernible narrative impact on the slog that is act one, which librettist David Greig structures as a repetitive series of news reports/song numbers that introduce the winners of the Golden Ticket contest one by one: gluttonous Augustus Gloop (Matt Wood), spoiled Veruca Salt (Jessica Cohen, a talented ballet dancer), gum-chewing Violet Beauregarde (Brynn Williams), and the aptly named Mike Teavee (Daniel Quadrino). The routine rhythm would be somewhat forgiven by a memorable score, but the team of Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman are far from their Hairspray glory days here, serving up a slate of sleepwalking songs whose utterly forgettable melodies and lyrics are underscored by the show's inclusion of a few of Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley's evergreen compositions from Willy Wonka, such as the emblematic "Pure Imagination" and the Sammy Davis Jr. standard "The Candy Man." (One can't help but feel that, given the production involvement of film rights holders Warner Bros., the show would've been better off as a top-to-bottom adaptation of Willy Wonka; perhaps that would've been less--yes--imaginative, but it probably would've at least been more enjoyable.)

Once (spoiler alert, but not really, given the title) Charlie himself wins the final golden ticket and the long-awaited tour of the chocolate factory finally begins after intermission, one hopes the production finally comes to life in act two. Alas, the show only becomes more baffling. While Wonka's troupe of minions, the Oompa Loompas, are admittedly brought to diminutive life in a clever way, the benefit of the doubt given to Thompson's otherwise restrained design in the first act is rescinded, for instead of upping the spectacle and selling the magic of Wonka, the stage becomes even more bare, with whatever physical sets being more cheap (it's hard to muster up the same enthusiasm, much less awe, as the characters when seeing the high school drama level manifestation of the Chocolate Room, never mind its iconic chocolate waterfall), and often the backdrop being literally blank, without even the most simplest of images projected onto it. When the stultifying simplicity reaches its most insulting nadir when the contest winners and their companions are forced to navigate an invisible maze for one overlong scene, it's difficult to not think that O'Brien's entire angle for this assignment is as a dare to make audiences exercise their own imaginations to the breaking point.

That's actually a more charitable conclusion, for he and Greig ultimately feel like they're outright trolling the audience, in particular the families to which this is being sold. Dahl's work has always had a dark edge that flirted with the macabre, but he never got as outright morbid and downright mean as O'Brien and Greig do here. The factory-set portion of the story is characterized by how Charlie's fellow winners are comically done in by their vices, but it's hard for anyone, much less kids, to get a laugh when a horrified parent has their child's innards splattered all over him or, even more shockingly, another child is literally torn to pieces on stage--which prompted a clearly disturbed cry by a young patron seated behind me on opening night. Pure imagination, yes, but also pure nightmare fuel in a most bitter tasting piece of Chocolate.

The First National Tour cast of
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
(photo by Joan Marcus)

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is now playing at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood in a limited engagement through Sunday, April 14; the First National Tour then continues on to other cities throughout the year, including a return to Southern California at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa from Tuesday, May 28 through Sunday, June 9.

Buy the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Original Broadway Cast album CD here.
Buy the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Original London Cast album MP3 here.
Buy the Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory Blu-ray here.
Buy the Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory DVD here.

(Special thanks to Hollywood Pantages Theatre)

The Movie Report wants to attend and cover all your live stage productions! Please send any and all invitations to this address. Thanks!

The Movie Report #1013, March 29, 2019

#1013, March 29, 2019

MOVIES:

• The Beach Bum
  
• The Burial of Kojo
  
• Dumbo
  
• Furie
  
• Kesari (Saffron)
  
• Super Deluxe
  

The Movie Report wants to attend and cover all your film events and press junkets! Please send any and all invitations to this address. Thanks!

The Movie Report #1012, March 22, 2019

#1012, March 22, 2019

MOVIES:

• Dragged Across Concrete
  
• Hotel Mumbai
  
• Us
  

The Movie Report wants to attend and cover all your film events and press junkets! Please send any and all invitations to this address. Thanks!

F3PR: Henry Golding to receive CinemaCon Male Star of Tomorrow Award

PRESS RELEASE

HENRY GOLDING TO RECEIVE CINEMACON®
MALE STAR OF TOMORROW AWARD

Universal Pictures to release Last Christmas
in North America on November 15, 2019

WASHINGTON D.C. (March 20, 2019) – Henry Golding will receive this year’s “CinemaCon® Male Star of Tomorrow Award,” Mitch Neuhauser, Managing Director of CinemaCon, announced today. CinemaCon, the official convention of NATO, will be held April 1-4, 2019 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Golding will be presented with this special honor at the “CinemaCon Big Screen Achievement Awards” ceremony taking place on the evening of Thursday, April 4, at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, hosted by the Coca-Cola Company, the official presenting sponsor of CinemaCon.

“In just a little over a year, Henry Golding has proven that he has what it takes to be a leading man on the big screen,” noted Neuhauser. “From Crazy Rich Asians, to A Simple Favor, and the upcoming Last Christmas, Bush and Monsoon, Golding will continue to entertain movie audiences around the world, and we are thrilled to honor him as this year’s ‘Male Star of Tomorrow.’”

Golding will next star in Last Christmas, to be released by Universal Pictures on November 15, 2019. A romantic comedy inspired by a George Michael beat and written by Academy Award Award® winner Emma Thompson (Sense and Sensibility, Bridget Jones’s Baby) and playwright Bryony Kimmings, Last Christmas, is directed by Paul Feig (A Simple Favor, Spy, Bridesmaids) and stars Golding along with Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones) and Thompson.

In Bush, from director Guy Ritchie, Golding stars opposite Oscar® winner Matthew McConaughey, Charlie Hunnam, Colin Farrell and Hugh Grant as a ruthless Vietnamese gangster named Dry Eyes who’s attempting to wrest control of London’s lucrative drug trade. Bush is scheduled for release next year.

Golding also stars in the upcoming drama Monsoon, from director Hong Khaou (Lilting), as Kit, a British-Vietnamese man who returns to Saigon 30 years after his family fled during America’s war in Vietnam.

Golding first appeared on the big screen when he was selected to star as Nick Young in the mega-hit Crazy Rich Asians. He quickly solidified his position as a leading man with his role of Sean in Paul Feig’s A Simple Favor, starring opposite Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively. This past year Golding became the first Asian actor to grace the GQ Man of the Year cover. He made Variety’s 10 Actors to Watch and was featured on the cover of Vanity Fair’s Hollywood issue.

About Last Christmas

Kate (Emilia Clarke) harumphs around London, a bundle of bad decisions accompanied by the jangle of bells on her shoes, another irritating consequence from her job as an elf in a year-round Christmas shop. Tom (Henry Golding) seems too good to be true when he walks into her life and starts to see through so many of Kate’s barriers. As London transforms into the most wonderful time of the year, nothing should work for these two. But sometimes, you gotta let the snow fall where it may, you gotta listen to your heart … and you gotta have faith.

Last Christmas features the music of George Michael, including the bittersweet holiday classic of the film’s title. The film will also premiere brand new unreleased material by the legendary Grammy-winning artist, who sold more than 115 million albums and recorded 10 No. 1 singles over the course of his iconic career.

Last Christmas is directed by Paul Feig and is produced by Feig and Jessie Henderson for his Feigco Entertainment, and by BAFTA winner David Livingstone for Calamity Films, and by Oscar® winner Emma Thompson, who wrote the screenplay with playwright Bryony Kimmings.

About CinemaCon

CinemaCon will attract upwards of 6,000 motion picture professionals from all facets of the industry--from exhibition and distribution, to the equipment and concession areas--all on hand to celebrate the moviegoing experience and the cinema industry. From exclusive Hollywood product presentations highlighting a slate of upcoming films, to must-see premiere feature screenings, to the biggest stars, producers and directors, CinemaCon will help jumpstart the excitement and buzz that surrounds the summer season at the box office.

Additional information on CinemaCon, the Official Convention of NATO, can be found at www.cinemacon.com.

About NATO

The National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) is the largest exhibition trade organization in the world, representing more than 33,393 movie screens in all 50 states, and additional cinemas in 94 countries worldwide. NATO’s membership includes the largest cinema chains in the world and hundreds of independent theatre owners, too.

The Movie Report wants to attend all your film special events! Please send any and all invitations to this address. Thanks!

F3PR: Graham King to receive CinemaCon International Filmmaker of the Year Award

PRESS RELEASE

GRAHAM KING TO RECEIVE
CINEMACON® INTERNATIONAL FILMMAKER
OF THE YEAR AWARD

Bohemian Rhapsody has earned
over $874 million worldwide

WASHINGTON D.C. (March 19, 2019) – Graham King will receive this year’s “CinemaCon® International Filmmaker of the Year Award.” Mitch Neuhauser, Managing Director of CinemaCon, announced today. CinemaCon, the official convention of NATO, will be held April 1-4, 2019 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. King will be presented with this special honor at the International Day Luncheon taking place on Monday, April 1, 2019.

“With over 20 years of bringing films to audiences around the world, Graham King has continued to produce not only blockbuster releases but films that have been heralded by critics, film groups and audiences alike,” noted Neuhauser. “With the astounding success of Bohemian Rhapsody, a passion project which took nearly 10 years to bring to the big screen, King continues to show his dedication to bringing audiences worldwide films that entertain, empower and intrigue.”

Oscar®-winning producer Graham King has produced or executive produced more than 45 films, grossing $1.4 billion at the domestic box office and over $3.6 billion worldwide. His films have been nominated for 66 Academy Awards®, 40 Golden Globe Awards, and 59 BAFTA Awards. He most recently produced the global phenomenon Bohemian Rhapsody, starring Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury. The film has been recognized with several awards and nominations including, seven BAFTA nominations and two Golden Globe wins, including one for Best Motion Picture Drama. Additionally, the film was the most-winning film at this year’s Academy Awards® winning four out of the five categories it was nominated in. With an impressive box-office total of over $874 million globally to-date, Bohemian Rhapsody marks King’s 10th film to cross $200 million worldwide.

Previously the President and CEO of Initial Entertainment Group, which he founded in 1995, King has served as an executive producer on such films as Traffic and Ali. He received his first Best Picture Academy Award nomination and won a Best Film BAFTA Award for The Aviator, and, in addition, has previously won a Best Picture Oscar® as a producer for The Departed. King’s other producing credits include the blockbuster films Tomb Raider and World War Z, the award-winning Argo, Hugo, Rango, and films such as The Town and Gangs of New York, among many others.

About CinemaCon

CinemaCon will attract upwards of 6,000 motion picture professionals from all facets of the industry--from exhibition and distribution, to the equipment and concession areas--all on hand to celebrate the moviegoing experience and the cinema industry. From exclusive Hollywood product presentations highlighting a slate of upcoming films, to must-see premiere feature screenings, to the biggest stars, producers and directors, CinemaCon will help jumpstart the excitement and buzz that surrounds the summer season at the box office.

Additional information on CinemaCon, the Official Convention of NATO, can be found at www.cinemacon.com.

About NATO

The National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) is the largest exhibition trade organization in the world, representing more than 33,393 movie screens in all 50 states, and additional cinemas in 94 countries worldwide. NATO’s membership includes the largest cinema chains in the world and hundreds of independent theatre owners, too.

The Movie Report wants to attend all your film special events! Please send any and all invitations to this address. Thanks!

F3PR: Octavia Spencer to receive CinemaCon Spotlight Award

PRESS RELEASE

OCTAVIA SPENCER TO RECEIVE
CINEMACON® DIRECTORS OF THE YEAR AWARD

Universal Pictures to release Ma
on May 31, 2019

WASHINGTON D.C. (March 18, 2019) – Oscar® winner Octavia Spencer will receive this year’s “CinemaCon® Spotlight Award.” Mitch Neuhauser, Managing Director of CinemaCon, announced the award today. CinemaCon, the official convention of NATO, will be held April 1-4, 2019 at Caesars Palace Las Vegas Hotel and Casino. Spencer will be presented with this special honor at the “CinemaCon Big Screen Achievement Awards” ceremony taking place on the evening of Thursday, April 4, at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, hosted by the Coca-Cola Company, the official presenting sponsor of CinemaCon.

“From the moment she appeared on screen as Minny Jackson in The Help, Octavia Spencer put Hollywood and movie audiences on-notice, leaving no doubt she would become one of Hollywood’s most sought-after talents,” Neuhauser said. “With her upcoming performance in the thriller Ma, Spencer will prove once again that there is no role or genre that she cannot conquer, and we are honored to be able to present her with this year’s ‘CinemaCon Spotlight Award.’”

Spencer will next star in Ma, to be released by Universal Pictures on May 31, 2019. Sue Ann (Spencer) is a loner who keeps to herself in her quiet Ohio town. One day, she is asked by Maggie (Diana Silvers), a teenager new to town, to buy some booze for her and her friends. Seeing the chance to make some unsuspecting friends of her own, Sue Ann, offers the kids the chance to avoid drinking and driving by hanging out in the basement of her home. But there are some house rules: One of the kids has to stay sober. Don’t curse. Never go upstairs. And call her “Ma.” But as Ma’s hospitality starts to curdle into obsession, what began as a teenage dream turns into a terrorizing nightmare. Ma also stars Juliette Lewis, Luke Evans, McKaley Miller, Missi Pyle, Corey Fogelmanis, Gianni Paolo and Dante Brown. Directed by Tate Taylor, Ma, is written by Scotty Landes and is produced by Jason Blum for his Blumhouse Productions, and by Taylor and John Norris.

In addition to Ma, Spencer will star in several upcoming film projects including, The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle with Robert Downey, Jr., Oscar® winners Rami Malek and Emma Thompson, and Antonio Banderas and Selena Gomez; the animated Onward, with Chris Pratt, Tom Holland and Julia Louis-Dreyfus; and Spencer will soon begin production on The Witches, Robert Zemeckis’ adaptation of the Roald Dahl classic, which also stars Oscar® winner Anne Hathaway. Spencer recently starred in Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water, for which she received Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Academy Award® nominations. Her previous film credits include Instant Family; Hidden Figures, for which she received Academy Award®, SAG Awards, Golden Globe and NAACP Image Award nominations; Gifted; the Divergent franchise; Zootopia; The Help, for which she won the Academy Award®, BAFTA Award, Golden Globe Award, SAG Award and Broadcast Film Critic’s Choice Award; Fruitvale Station, and Get on Up, just to name a few. She recently served as an executive producer on Green Book, which won the Oscar® for Best Picture, and she is set to produce the upcoming film Coffee Will Make You Black, which stars Gabrielle Union.

About CinemaCon

CinemaCon will attract upwards of 6,000 motion picture professionals from all facets of the industry--from exhibition and distribution, to the equipment and concession areas--all on hand to celebrate the moviegoing experience and the cinema industry. From exclusive Hollywood product presentations highlighting a slate of upcoming films, to must-see premiere feature screenings, to the biggest stars, producers and directors, CinemaCon will help jumpstart the excitement and buzz that surrounds the summer season at the box office.

Additional information on CinemaCon, the Official Convention of NATO, can be found at www.cinemacon.com.

About NATO

The National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) is the largest exhibition trade organization in the world, representing more than 33,393 movie screens in all 50 states, and additional cinemas in 94 countries worldwide. NATO’s membership includes the largest cinema chains in the world and hundreds of independent theatre owners, too.

The Movie Report wants to attend all your film special events! Please send any and all invitations to this address. Thanks!

F3PR: Kaitlyn Dever & Beanie Feldstein to receive CinemaCon Female Stars of Tomorrow Award

PRESS RELEASE

KAITLYN DEVER & BEANIE FELDSTEIN TO RECEIVE
CINEMACON® FEMALE STARS
OF TOMORROW AWARD

Dever & Feldstein star in Booksmart,
to be released by United Artists Releasing
on May 24, 2019

WASHINGTON D.C. (March 15, 2019) – Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein will receive this year’s “CinemaCon® Female Stars of Tomorrow Award.” Mitch Neuhauser, Managing Director of CinemaCon, announced the award today. CinemaCon, the official convention of NATO, will be held April 1-4, 2019 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Dever and Feldstein will be presented with this special honor at the “CinemaCon Big Screen Achievement Awards” ceremony taking place on the evening of Thursday, April 4, at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, hosted by the Coca-Cola Company, the official presenting sponsor of CinemaCon.

“Based on the outstanding reviews of Booksmart out of SXSW, both Dever and Feldstein are poised to break out with their hilarious portrayal of two high school girls that set out to make some memories in the final night before graduation’” noted Neuhauser. “We are thrilled to be able to honor these two young talents with this year’s ‘Female Stars of Tomorrow Award.’”

Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein will star in Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut Booksmart to be released on May 24, 2019 by United Artists Releasing. Told from a wildly original, fresh and modern perspective, Booksmart is an unfiltered comedy about high school friendships and the bonds we create that last a lifetime. Booksmart is produced by Annapurna and Gloria Sanchez, the female-focused production banner wing of Gary Sanchez Productions.

In addition to Booksmart, Dever stars on the big screen this summer in the Sundance breakout Them That Follow, and on the small screen in the leading role in the limited series Unbelievable, based on a true story of a young woman charged with lying about her rape. Last year, Dever had supporting roles in The Front Runner, Beautiful Boy, and Outside In. Along with her breakout role in Short Term 12, Dever’s additional film credits include Detroit, Men, Women & Children, Laggies, The Spectacular Now, J. Edgar, and Bad Teacher. On the small screen Dever has starred for seven seasons on Last Man Standing, and has appeared on such shows as Justified, The Mentalist, Modern Family, and Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Feldstein rose to prominence starring opposite Saoirse Ronan in Greta Gerwig’s Oscar nominated film Lady Bird and has starred in such films as Whitney Cummings’s The Female Brain,”= and Nicholas Stoller’s Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising. In addition to Booksmart, she can be seen later this year in Caitlin Moran’s comedic coming of age story, How To Build A Girl, directed by Coky Giedroyc; and in the FX original comedy series What We Do in the Shadows, directed by Taika Waititi and Jermaine Clement. On the stage, Feldstein made her Broadway debut in the Tony Award winning musical Hello, Dolly! portraying Minnie Fay. Up next Feldstein will go into production for the film adaptation of The Humans play for A24.

About CinemaCon

CinemaCon will attract upwards of 6,000 motion picture professionals from all facets of the industry--from exhibition and distribution, to the equipment and concession areas--all on hand to celebrate the moviegoing experience and the cinema industry. From exclusive Hollywood product presentations highlighting a slate of upcoming films, to must-see premiere feature screenings, to the biggest stars, producers and directors, CinemaCon will help jumpstart the excitement and buzz that surrounds the summer season at the box office.

Additional information on CinemaCon, the Official Convention of NATO, can be found at www.cinemacon.com.

About NATO

The National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) is the largest exhibition trade organization in the world, representing more than 33,393 movie screens in all 50 states, and additional cinemas in 94 countries worldwide. NATO’s membership includes the largest cinema chains in the world and hundreds of independent theatre owners, too.

The Movie Report wants to attend all your film special events! Please send any and all invitations to this address. Thanks!

The Movie Report #1011, March 15, 2019

#1011, March 15, 2019

MOVIES:

• The Aftermath
  
• Badla (Revenge)
  
• Captive State
  
• Five Feet Apart
  
• The Highwaymen
  
• The Mustang
  
• Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase
  
• No Manches Frida 2: Paraiso Destruido (WTF Frida 2: Paradise Destroyed)
  
• Superpower Dogs
  
• Wonder Park
  
• Yardie
  

The Movie Report wants to attend and cover all your film events and press junkets! Please send any and all invitations to this address. Thanks!

F3PR: Anthony & Joe Russo to receive CinemaCon Directors of the Year Award

PRESS RELEASE

ANTHONY & JOE RUSSO TO RECEIVE
CINEMACON® DIRECTORS OF THE YEAR AWARD

Marvel Studios's Avengers: Endgame
in theatres April 26, 2019

WASHINGTON D.C. (March 13, 2019) – Anthony and Joe Russo will receive this year’s CinemaCon® Directors of the Year Award. Mitch Neuhauser, Managing Director of CinemaCon, announced the award today. CinemaCon, the official convention of NATO, will be held April 1-4, 2019 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The Russo brothers will be presented with this special honor at the CinemaCon Big Screen Achievement Awards ceremony taking place on the evening of Thursday, April 4, at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, hosted by the Coca-Cola Company, the official presenting sponsor of CinemaCon.

“From the very beginning with Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Anthony and Joe Russo have proven they have a story to tell and have brought the Marvel Cinematic Universe to levels others could only have dreamed of,” noted Neuhauser. “With the impending release of Avengers: Endgame, they are sure to continue their critical and box office success as they thrill, surprise and entertain audiences around the globe.”

Anthony and Joe Russo made their Marvel cinematic directorial debut with the critically acclaimed Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which grossed more than $713 million worldwide. They followed the film with Marvel Studios’s Captain America: Civil War, which grossed $1.15 billion at the worldwide box office. Last year, the duo helmed Marvel Studios’s Avengers: Infinity War, which broke box-office records in its opening weekend crossing the $1 billion mark worldwide in just 11 days before going on to gross over $2 billion. Their next directorial effort is the fourth installment of the Avengers franchise, Avengers: Endgame, which is set for release by Marvel Studios on April 26, 2019.

Born a year apart in Cleveland, Ohio, the brothers embarked on their film careers after graduating high school. In 1994, they used credit cards and student loans to finance their experimental comedy Pieces. They shot the film with the help of friends and family in and around Cleveland. Screened at both Slamdance and the American Film Institute festivals, the film caught the eye of filmmaker, Steven Soderbergh, who asked to produce the brothers’ second film Welcome to Collinwood, with his producing partner, George Clooney. They followed that up by directing the pilot for Lucky, which led to Arrested Development for which they won an Emmy® Award for Best Directing. The brothers also directed the pilots and served as executive producers on Community and Happy Endings.

About CinemaCon

CinemaCon will attract upwards of 6,000 motion picture professionals from all facets of the industry--from exhibition and distribution, to the equipment and concession areas--all on hand to celebrate the moviegoing experience and the cinema industry. From exclusive Hollywood product presentations highlighting a slate of upcoming films, to must-see premiere feature screenings, to the biggest stars, producers and directors, CinemaCon will help jumpstart the excitement and buzz that surrounds the summer season at the box office.

Additional information on CinemaCon, the Official Convention of NATO, can be found at www.cinemacon.com.

About NATO

The National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) is the largest exhibition trade organization in the world, representing more than 33,393 movie screens in all 50 states, and additional cinemas in 94 countries worldwide. NATO’s membership includes the largest cinema chains in the world and hundreds of independent theatre owners, too.

The Movie Report wants to attend all your film special events! Please send any and all invitations to this address. Thanks!

F3PR: David Harbour to receive CinemaCon Action Star of the Year Award

PRESS RELEASE

DAVID HARBOUR TO RECEIVE
CINEMACON® ACTION STAR
OF THE YEAR AWARD

Lionsgate to release Hellboy
on April 12, 2019

WASHINGTON D.C. (March 11, 2019) – David Harbour will receive this year’s “CinemaCon® Action Star of the Year Award.” Mitch Neuhauser, Managing Director of CinemaCon, announced the award today. CinemaCon, the official convention of NATO, will be held April 1-4, 2019 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Harbour will be presented with this special honor at the “CinemaCon Big Screen Achievement Awards” ceremony taking place on the evening of Thursday, April 4, at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, hosted by the Coca-Cola Company, the official presenting sponsor of CinemaCon.

“With an impressive resume spanning film, television and stage, David Harbour is sure to bring his own unique performance to the Mike Mignola-created character of Hellboy,” noted Neuhauser. “We could not be more excited to honor this versatile actor with the ‘CinemaCon Action Star of the Year Award.’”

Hellboy is back, and he’s on fire. From the pages of Mike Mignola’s seminal work, this action packed story sees the legendary half-demon superhero (David Harbour, Stranger Things) called to the English countryside to battle a trio of rampaging giants. There he discovers The Blood Queen, Nimue (Milla Jovovich, Resident Evil series), a resurrected ancient sorceress thirsting to avenge a past betrayal. Suddenly caught in a clash between the supernatural and the human, Hellboy is now hell-bent on stopping Nimue without triggering the end of the world. Hellboy also features Ian McShane (John Wick), Daniel Dae Kim (Hawaii Five-0 and Lost), and Sasha Lane (American Honey).

An Emmy and Golden Globe nominee and SAG and Critic’s Choice Award winner for his role as Chief Jim Hopper on Stranger Things, Harbour has appeared on the small screen in such series as Manhattan, The Newsroom, State of Affairs, Rake, and Pan Am. On the big screen his credits include Human Affairs, Sleepless, Suicide Squad, Black Mass, The Equalizer, A Walk Among Tombstones, Parkland, End of Watch, Revolutionary Road, Thin Ice, Brokeback Mountain, The Green Hornet, Quantum of Solace, W./E., and Between Us. On the stage, Harbour was a Tony nominee for the revival of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, and has also appeared in such productions as Fifth of July, Glengarry Glen Ross, The Merchant of Venice, The Invention of Love, and The Coast of Utopia. Harbour recently wrapped production on the Netflix action film Dhaka, opposite Chris Hemsworth.

About CinemaCon

CinemaCon will attract upwards of 6,000 motion picture professionals from all facets of the industry--from exhibition and distribution, to the equipment and concession areas--all on hand to celebrate the moviegoing experience and the cinema industry. From exclusive Hollywood product presentations highlighting a slate of upcoming films, to must-see premiere feature screenings, to the biggest stars, producers and directors, CinemaCon will help jumpstart the excitement and buzz that surrounds the summer season at the box office.

Additional information on CinemaCon, the Official Convention of NATO, can be found at www.cinemacon.com.

About NATO

The National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) is the largest exhibition trade organization in the world, representing more than 33,393 movie screens in all 50 states, and additional cinemas in 94 countries worldwide. NATO’s membership includes the largest cinema chains in the world and hundreds of independent theatre owners, too.

The Movie Report wants to attend all your film special events! Please send any and all invitations to this address. Thanks!

F3PR: Anthony Bloom to receive CinemaCon Career Achievement in Exhibition Award

PRESS RELEASE

ANTHONY BLOOM TO RECEIVE
CINEMACON® LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

WASHINGTON D.C. (March 8, 2019) – Anthony Bloom, Chairman Cineworld Group plc, will receive this year’s “Lifetime Achievement Award.” Mitch Neuhauser, Managing Director of CinemaCon, announced the award today. CinemaCon, the official convention of NATO, will be held April 1-4, 2019 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Bloom will be presented with this honor at CinemaCon’s opening night festivities on Monday, April 1, 2019.

“In leading Cineworld to the deal with Cinema City Holding in 2014 and then in 2018, the purchase of Regal Entertainment, Anthony Bloom was part of an incredible statement about the future of the motion theatre industry,” noted Neuhauser. “He has made great contributions towards making Cineworld Group one of the world’s leading and most important entertainment companies, responsible for providing hours of endless enjoyment and wonder to moviegoers of all ages and cultures around the globe. We take great pleasure in honoring Mr. Bloom for what is truly a lifetime of achievements.”

Anthony Bloom is an international private equity investor and one of the founding shareholders of Cineworld Group plc, a company of which he has been Chairman since its inception in 1996. Cineworld Group plc is the world’s second largest cinema chain, with 9,538 screens across 793 cinemas in 10 countries including the US and the UK. Prior to his move to London in 1988, Bloom was Chairman and Chief Executive of The Premier Group, one of South Africa’s biggest diversified industrial enterprises. In South Africa, he was a member of the Board of Directors of Barclays Bank, Liberty Life Association and South African Breweries.

He was educated at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, Harvard Law School and the Stanford Graduate School of Business. In 2002, he was awarded the Degree of Doctor of Law honoris causa by the University of Witwatersrand in recognition of his contribution towards the establishment of a non-racial society in South Africa. He is a member of the Dean’s Advisory Board of the Harvard Law School, and is a director on a number of boards including the London Symphony Orchestra, Techoserve Inc. and several other companies associated with his investment portfolio.

About CinemaCon

CinemaCon will attract upwards of 6,000 motion picture professionals from all facets of the industry--from exhibition and distribution, to the equipment and concession areas--all on hand to celebrate the moviegoing experience and the cinema industry. From exclusive Hollywood product presentations highlighting a slate of upcoming films, to must-see premiere feature screenings, to the biggest stars, producers and directors, CinemaCon will help jumpstart the excitement and buzz that surrounds the summer season at the box office.

Additional information on CinemaCon, the Official Convention of NATO, can be found at www.cinemacon.com.

About NATO

The National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) is the largest exhibition trade organization in the world, representing more than 33,393 movie screens in all 50 states, and additional cinemas in 94 countries worldwide. NATO’s membership includes the largest cinema chains in the world and hundreds of independent theatre owners, too.

The Movie Report wants to attend all your film special events! Please send any and all invitations to this address. Thanks!

The Movie Report #1010, March 8, 2019

#1010, March 8, 2019

MOVIES:

• Carol Danvers
  
• Gloria Bell
  
• Hotel by the River
  
• The Kid
  
• Triple Frontier
  
• The Wedding Guest
  

The Movie Report wants to attend and cover all your film events and press junkets! Please send any and all invitations to this address. Thanks!