While 2019 marks a year of change at CinemaCon, the official convention for the National Association of Theatre Owners brings with it, everything is as expected, somewhat reassuringly so, when entering the Caesars Palace ballroom/convention wing. The initial long escalator ride up to the main floor leads one to the big archway of conjoined LED screens that has more or less remained the same since 2015--that is, of course, except for the changing rotation of images and schedule information that is updated every year.
Similarly comforting is the Christie-sponsored screen that sits slightly diagonally opposite the archway showcasing various trailers and Access-produced profile packages on those being honored on the convention-closing Big Screen Achievement Awards on Thursday night.
Also expected is the continuing trend of large standees and displays designed for selfies and--above all--social media posting/free promotion. Not only film studios are following the trend; even charities are getting in the act, as seen in the final display below.
As that trend continues, so does a more disturbing one that I noted last year: that of a lack of major studio releases' teaser or one-sheet posters or even rough mock-ups being premiered in the many displays lining the labyrinthine main hallways. The closest thing to qualify is this half-hearted promo for Disney's animated sequel Frozen II, consisting of the film's logo and a snowflake only a few steps removed from being basic clip art.
A couple of indie distributors, Lionsgate's Roadside Attractions division and Amazon Studios, offered long-range previews in the form of single-poster rundowns.
For me, the most interesting display is one that showed how far things have come since the panic of two years ago with the rise of third-party movie subscription services: a big display for MoviePass rival Sinemia, which is actually sponsoring one of the official parties this week.
Winning the award for biggest film display was Universal, commandeering the choice display just inside the convention welcome arch, for The Secret Life of Pets 2.
The one distributor that by far has the largest hallway presence is the recently christened/revived United Artists, consisting of MGM, Annapurna, and Orion.
However, someone at UA needed to proofread, for the escalator panel promoting Richard Linklater's long-delayed Where'd You Go, Bernadette? misspelled its Oscar-winning leading lady's last name.
United Artists Releasing's misspelled
Where'd You Go, Bernadette? escalator panel
(photo by Michael Dequina)
Per tradition, a certain stretch of the hallways is devoted to displaying various autographed posters and memorabilia items up for silent auction to benefit Variety, the Children's Charity.
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 Heather Lewandoski and the entire team at Rogers & Cowan for all their helpful and generous assistance at the convention, as well as Mitch Neuhauser and the CinemaCon crew)
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