Latest news with #B&BTheatres
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
A 270-degree movie screen that wraps around the walls has opened in Shakopee
Marcus Theatres unveiled its Screen X theater in Minnesota earlier this month. The 270-degree screen debuted with the opening of Thunderbolts* at Southbridge Crossing Cinema in Shakopee. Screen X, which aims to create a more immersive theater experience, expands films beyond the front-of-theater screen, putting the action on the side walls of the theater as well. The company, which is separate from Marcus Theatres, works with studios to identify scenes that would benefit from the extended screen on a film-by-film basis, Pamela Henson, Marcus Theatres' Director of Media and Communications, said during a media unveiling. Around the country, Screen X is currently available at select theaters from B&B Theatres, Regal Cinemas, Cinemark, and Marcus Theatres, with AMC planning to open some this summer, per the Hollywood Reporter. However, the only one in Minnesota outside of Southbridge Crossing Cinema is at B&B Theatres Bloomington 13 at the Mall of America. Starting with Thunderbolts*, there are a handful of features and concert films that will be available in Screen X through the end of the year. First up will be Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning and the live-action How to Train Your Dragon. Later in the year, 28 Years Later, Predator: Badlands, Jurassic World Rebirth, F1, and Wicked: For Good, will be available in Screen X, among other movies.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Students display broadcast skills at MSSU for Southern Media Showcase
JOPLIN, Mo. — Some of the broadcast minds of tomorrow are honored at Missouri Southern. Wednesday, the annual Southern Media Showcase on campus. It's put on every year by Missouri Southern's communication department and highlights the works of hundreds of high school students throughout the region. Students display broadcast skills at MSSU for Southern Media Showcase Golden Lion Award: Jocelyn Wengert Golden Lion Award: Nina Nguyen Ones that focused on television and radio broadcast, music videos, podcasts, print journalism, and social media. High school kids also got to experience some of the many broadcast features available to MSSU students. 'But I also like to make it a learning experience for them, so we bring in experts from the field. And so we have had — had a sports broadcaster talk to them. We had Mike Olmstead who spoke to them about storytelling and producing videos. And then our keynote speaker is Paul Farnsworth with B&B Theatres, who's talking about, you know, social media marketing and being creative,' said Lisa Olliges, KGCS GM. The day ended with the annual awards ceremony. You can check out the list of winners here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Yahoo
Memorial set up for 5-year-old killed in Lexington home explosion
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A memorial has recently been set up in Lexington, Missouri, for 5-year-old Alistair, who died last week in a home explosion. 'It's going to be heartbreaking to not see him with her,' Grandmother Camillia Lamb said about Alistair and his big sister. His maternal grandmother reached out to FOX4 to share more about his life and the heartbreak her side of his family is experiencing. Two men charged in connection to 'major' drug bust in Kansas City Lamb says Alistair loved Spiderman and was looking forward to the Easter Bunny's upcoming visit. 'I just want people to know that he was here. He mattered. He mattered in this world,' maternal grandmother, Camilila Lamb shared with FOX4. Lamb says she was watching her two grandchildren Alistair and Cami just days prior to the fatal explosion. 'Lil' Alistair would come to me and say, 'Nana, I miss my mom.'' I would say 'I know you do. I miss her too. She's in heaven with Jesus now and she's with Pop-Pop.'' Lil' Cami was named after, her grandmother, Camillia Lamb. There's a five year difference between she and her younger brother, Alistair. 'She's a very proud big brother to him,' she added. Lamb says she is in shock, adding what took place hasn't yet set in. Liberty-based B&B Theatres responds to 'Minecraft' social media trend 'That he's gone,' she said about Alistair. 'It's devastating to see (Cami) like that. Her hair has been singed and just burns,' she said talking about Cami, after seeing her the night of the explosion at a local hospital. She says lil' Cami lived with her for over four years. She claims, now, she's been unable to see Cami in the hospital in Kansas City. 'I just hope and pray I get to see my granddaughter again,' she said. 'She lost her real father. Her biologic father died just months before she was born. Her mother passed away when she was nine. Her Pop-Pop passed away just recently, and now her little brother.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Independent
02-04-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Give us at least 45 days before films go to streaming platforms, say theater owners
Movie theaters are pushing back against the shrinking window between theatrical releases and home viewing. Cinema United, the trade organization representing theater owners, is advocating for a minimum 45-day exclusive theatrical run for all films. The group argues this move is crucial to revitalizing box office numbers, which continue to lag behind pre-pandemic figures. Speaking at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, Cinema United president and chief executive Michael O'Leary emphasized the negative impact of shorter theatrical windows. "Shorter windows reduce the number of people that head to the theater in the opening weeks of a release," O'Leary said, highlighting the industry's concern that early home availability cannibalizes potential theatrical revenue. The push for a longer exclusive window represents the latest effort by cinemas to adapt to changing viewing habits and draw audiences back to the big screen. "It hits the bottom line, and in many cases, undermines the ability of medium- or smaller-budget movies to build an audience or even get off the ground," he added. The issue has caused friction between theater owners and media companies in the past. It used to be standard practice that movies played in only in theaters for 90 days or more. The rise of streaming and the pandemic led media conglomerates to reduce that period. Today, a film can become available to stream at home - for a fee - as soon as 17 days. The time period varies for each title. In 2024, U.S. and Canadian box office receipts totaled $8.6 billion, 25 per cent below the pre-pandemic heights of $11.4 billion in 2019. Theater operators said their business would benefit from a consistent timeline, and they want studios to stop advertising the date a movie will be accessible at home while it is on the big screen. "One of the most important things is to not announce the streaming date while we're still playing the movie," said Bob Bagby, president and CEO of the B&B Theatres chain. "That confuses consumers." Hollywood studios have shortened theatrical windows to make money with at-home streaming rentals. They argue that many films have collected most of their box office dollars within a few weeks. Streaming service Netflix NFLX.O puts only a small number of its films in theaters for a short period. On Monday, Sony 6758.T film executive Tom Rothman told the CinemaCon crowd that "Sony will work with you" on setting windows and on pricing flexibility, though he offered no specifics. "If theaters and studios manage for the long term and do the right thing, the future will be grand," said Rothman, the chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment's Motion Picture Group.
NBC News
18-02-2025
- Entertainment
- NBC News
How crazy popcorn buckets became big business for movie theaters
For decades, popcorn has been a staple of the movie theater experience and exhibitors' bottom lines. Now, the receptacle it comes in is becoming just as important. As recently as three years ago, AMC Entertainment didn't sell any merchandise. Last year it hawked novelty popcorn buckets, drink sippers and T-shirts to the tune of about $65 million in revenue. 'It started with us in a big way with our own movie, 'Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour,' that we released in October of 2023 and we sold just an incredible number of popcorn buckets,' said AMC CEO Adam Aron. 'That sparked us to do it almost all the time … just literally every month.' Other theater chains like Cinemark, Marcus, Regal and B&B Theatres have also embraced popcorn buckets, using these specialty items to drive concession purchases, create a sense of urgency to see big movies on opening weekend and add value to the theatrical experience. 'Post-Covid, we realized that the eventizing of cinema has never really been as important as it is now,' said Paul Farnsworth, executive director of communication and content at B&B Theatres. 'We recognized during that time that the greatest casualty for our industry was people just fell out of the habit of going to movies.' Hollywood production issues led to fewer theatrical releases and smaller ticket sales in 2024, with box office receipts down 3.4% from 2023 to $8.74 billion. Farnsworth noted that unique popcorn buckets can add value to a customer's trip to the movies and creates a memory of the trip that can be taken home, propped up on a display shelf or repurposed for movie nights in. 'It is very good for the bottom line,' he said. 'The big value for us is that people come in and there's these fun things they get to take home and they're taking pictures with them in the theater. There's immense value in that.' For Cinemark, the proof of concept came with the release of 'Scream VI' in 2023. 'We made a 'Scream' popcorn bucket and it completely caught us by surprise,' said Sean Gamble, CEO of Cinemark. 'This thing just had this huge uptake. We sold out of the thing immediately and we were basically selling them to people online afterwards.' Not just a movie theater snack Commemorative popcorn buckets have long been a part of theme park merchandising, driving revenue of the likes of Disney and Universal both domestically and internationally. However, U.S.-based movie theaters were late to adopt the trend. Marketing and merchandise company Zinc has been designing and manufacturing branded popcorn buckets and drink sippers for over a decade internationally, but turned its attention stateside in 2016. 'Theaters were reticent because the cups didn't fit in the holders,' said Rod Mason, vice president of business development at Zinc Group, one of the biggest players in the premium popcorn space. A shift came in 2019 with an R2-D2 popcorn bucket created for 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,' Mason said. 'AMC took a punt on it,' he explained. 'They took multiple tens of thousands of pieces. They sold through it in about three or four days at an incredibly high price. Nothing like that had ever been done before, and it was like 'OK, well, this works.'' A revamped version of the droid popcorn bucket was re-released for the 25th anniversary screenings of 'Star Wars: Episode 1 — A Phantom Menace.' The popcorn bucket and drink cup combo sold for $49.99. However, the true watershed moment for the niche market came nearly five years later with a now-infamous popcorn bucket in honor of 'Dune: Part Two,' released in last March. The bucket was modeled after the sandworms featured in the film but inspired crude comparisons to an adult product. 'The beauty of the 'Dune' bucket was it just wasn't intended to be viral,' Mason said. The $24.99 bucket sold out and found momentum on secondary markets. Receipts from eBay show these popcorn buckets sold for between $50 and $210 apiece on the reseller site. 'The popularity of the popcorn buckets on social media combined with the perception of limited supply of the popcorn buckets leads to a feeling of 'fear of missing out' among consumers who are driven to buy the buckets when [they] see them available,' said Lindsay Brookshier, content director at online Disney guide The 'Dune' bucket inspired 'Deadpool & Wolverine' actor and producer Ryan Reynolds to design a cheeky popcorn bucket for the release of his film. 'Years from now they will look back at 2024 as when the War of the Popcorn Buckets began,' Reynolds wrote on X to promote the concession container, which was shaped like Wolverine's head with its mouth wide open to house the popcorn. The $29.99 bucket was exclusively available at AMC and was released the same weekend as San Diego Comic-Con and the 'Deadpool & Wolverine' film release. More unique popcorn buckets to come Studios and theaters have been more proactive about working with companies like Zinc to create unique popcorn buckets for moviegoers. 'It's a very competitive business,' said Mason. 'Everyone is trying to outdo, and not just the companies like us, but also the companies that are buying it. They're trying to make sure that they have the coolest item ... that competition has been magnified over the last 12 months because there's so many eyes on this segment of the business.' And the movie industry is about to have an influx of blockbuster titles now that production delays from the pandemic and dual Hollywood strikes are in the rearview mirror. Following 'Captain America: Brave New World,' which debuted Friday, the 2025 calendar has 'Thunderbolts*,' ' Mission: Impossible: The Final Reckoning,' 'How to Train Your Dragon,' 'Jurassic World Rebirth,' 'Superman,' 'Fantastic Four: First Steps,' 'Wicked: For Good,' 'Zootopia 2,' and 'Avatar: Fire and Ash.' And 2026 has equally promising tie-ins for popcorn buckets with a 'Super Mario Bros.' sequel, 'Avengers: Doomsday,' 'The Mandalorian and Grogu,' 'Toy Story 5,' 'Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow,' 'Minions 3,' 'Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping,' 'Ice Age 6″ and 'Shrek 5.' 'We've missed out on a couple,' B&B's Farnsworth said. 'We didn't have that crazy 'Dune' one. But that was kind of one of the hinge points for us. It was like, 'Alright, we really have to pay attention.'' B&B, the fifth-largest cinema chain in America with 58 locations, still has to be very intentional about which products it offers and how many it purchases. Films like 'Wicked,' with a massive built-in audience craving merchandise, are a safer bet. But theaters have a very short window to sell the specialty items. 'Unlike our normal popcorn bags, which are evergreen, if you don't sell the [product], you're probably not going to sell them a month after the movie,' Farnsworth said. Meanwhile, AMC is investing more heavily. 'One of the big things that we're doing in 2025 is we're significantly increasing the quantities,' Aron said, noting that AMC was already placing orders for 100,000 units or more. 'We're buying, because there's no need for us to sell out on opening day. There's plenty of people coming to see that movie for weeks and weeks.'
