(photo by Michael Dequina)
Much like how the world has settled into a sense of normalcy about as close to pre-pandemic as is about possible, so, it appears, has CinemaCon, the official convention for the National Association of Theatre Owners. Even if the 2022 edition, which was held in the traditional April timeframe after a scaled down event in summer of 2021 and one cancelled outright in 2020, was fairly close to "typical" in appearance and form, on first glance, this year's deviations look to be nearly negligible.
I say "nearly," for the escalator ride up to the dedicated ballroom/convention wing of Caesars Palace still bears some residue of the scale down: that is, the sides of the escalators, to the main convention headquarters floor and all upper levels, such a prime spot for studios to advertise upcoming releases in all conventions up to 2019, remain bare this year. Perhaps studios will loosen up those tightened belts for next year's edition.
Riding up the bare CinemaCon escalatorsto the main floor
(time lapse animated photo by Michael Dequina)
But once arriving on the main floor, it was clear this was decidedly business as more usual than last year. While the familiar CinemaCon archway is still in its lower tech, static, manually updated form and not the 2015-2019 incarnation made up of conjoined LED screens that rotated various images and displayed schedule information, the absence of one wrinkle from 2022 (and, I presume, 2021, which I did not attend) was a massive indicator of progress: the absence of a "Wellness Check-In" station where all attendees had to report to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test. Curiously, though, a more positive addition last year, a CinemaCon merchandise stand, is also absent this year.
With those two additions gone, the main lobby truly feels more like home. Standard signs denote main registration booths and the press room, and the Christie-sponsored screen that sits diagonally opposite the archway is again playing trailers for upcoming releases. One of the most prime studio advertising spots, the floor of the escalator landing, is also active and as large and attention-grabbing as ever. This year's occupant? Paramount, touting this June's Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (due out June 9).
That title was also, expectedly, one of the films going for the ongoing trend in lobby displays, oversized standees ripe for the selfie-taking. Other titles hoping for a bit of free social media publicity were Disney's Marvel trilogy capper Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (May 5), the live action remake of The Little Mermaid (May 26), and Pixar animated comedy Elemental (June 16); Paramount's seven-quel Mission: Impossible -- Dead Reckoning Part One (July 14) and animated reboot Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (August 4); Universal's sequel pair of Fast X (May 19) and Trolls Band Together (November 17).
Warner Bros., however, was the clear winner as far as selfie-ready displays were concerned. In support of Barbie (July 21), one could pose inside a replica doll box; and the actual costume of the DC superhero Blue Beetle (August 18) was on display in the hallway.
A regular presence on the Colosseum stage in recent years, Neon opted out of making a formal presentation at this year's convention, but its presence was felt in the hallways, with big, elongated posters touting the dominatrix thriller Sanctuary (May 19), the SXSW award-winning horror It Lives Inside, and the remastered reissue of Park Chan-Wook's original Oldboy.
In the lightbox display battle, it was a tie. Sharing the honors for the longest multi-panel display for a film was Lionsgate, for its raunchy SXSW comedy favorite that will be screening here in its entirety at the end of the week, Joy Ride (July 7); and Sony, touting the eagerly awaited animated sequel Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (June 2).
Speaking of Sony, they once again have the most high tech display, but one that serves a purpose beyond mere promotion. In support of the feature adaptation of Gran Turismo (August), playable set-ups of the video game take up a corner of the hallway, but not just for attendees' bemusement: it is also a contest to win tickets to the film's world premiere this summer.
Indies again have their fair share of lightbox display space. In a savvy move by distributor GVN Releasing, they secured a few multi-panel displays for the Chris Spencer-directed Vegas-set comedy Back on the Strip, which features an ensemble cast including Wesley Snipes, Bill Bellamy, Spence Moore II, and Tiffany Haddish. An award of some sort should probably be given be given to Blue Fox Entertainment, which has again has big presence with posters spread around for a number of off-the-general-radar titles, such as French imports Rise (June 2) and A Cat's Life, the drama Mending the Line, and the animated feature The Inventor. Less widespread, but landing a prominent spot near the main entrance archway is the faith-focused distributor Angel Studios, touting the films David, The Shift (January 2024), and Sound of Freedom (summer).
The most unusual display for me was actually the largest lightbox installation of all this year, for, of all things, Snapchat.
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 2023!
(Very special thanks to Heather Lewandoski and the CinemaCon PR team for all their helpful and generous assistance at the convention, as well as Mitch Neuhauser and the CinemaCon crew and John Fithian, Jackie Brenneman, and the National Association of Theatre Owners)
The Movie Report wants to attend all your film special events! Please send any and all invitations to this address. Thanks!
via Buy a Me a Coffee!
