{"id":64518,"date":"2015-11-10T23:28:28","date_gmt":"2015-11-11T05:28:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=64518"},"modified":"2015-11-10T23:28:28","modified_gmt":"2015-11-11T05:28:28","slug":"cineplex-expected-to-reap-benefits-from-the-force-of-star-wars-other-big-hits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2015\/11\/10\/cineplex-expected-to-reap-benefits-from-the-force-of-star-wars-other-big-hits\/","title":{"rendered":"Cineplex expected to reap benefits from The Force of \u2018Star Wars,\u2019 other big hits"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Cineplex<\/a>
Cineplex logo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

TORONTO \u2013 If it isn\u2019t a superhero or a dinosaur, there\u2019s a growing chance moviegoers aren\u2019t buying tickets.<\/p>\n

More than ever before, blockbusters \u2013 like the latest entry in the \u201cMinions\u201d franchise and megahit \u201cJurassic World\u201d \u2013 are devouring box-office ticket sales at the expense of other films.<\/p>\n

And the shift is expected to only intensify heading into the holiday season, as audiences prepare for \u201cStar Wars: Episode VII \u2013 The Force Awakens,\u201d billed to be one of the top-grossing films in Hollywood history.<\/p>\n

Advance ticket sales for \u201cStar Wars\u201d have already shattered previous records, which has the head of theatre chain Cineplex Inc. predicting that attendance will soar to near historical levels for the company.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the highest we\u2019ve ever had \u2013 by far,\u201d Cineplex\u2019s chief executive Ellis Jacob said of presales, though he declined to provide actual numbers.<\/p>\n

The pending release of \u201cStar Wars\u201d comes at a time when Cineplex is already riding high on a handful of huge hits.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, the company reported that advance ticket sales for \u201cAvengers: Age of Ultron\u201d raked in more than $4 million, smashing the record previously held by \u201cHarry Potter: Deathly Hallows Pt. 2.\u201d<\/p>\n

To respond to \u201cStar Wars\u201d demand, Cineplex is adding extra blocks of advance tickets for the film, due on Dec. 18.<\/p>\n

But as the company rushes to pack theatres full of dedicated fans, that means other movies are losing a spotlight in the run-up to awards season.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a trend that has been playing out for most of this year.<\/p>\n

In the first nine months of 2015, the Top Five grossing films represented 26.1 per cent of ticket sales \u2013 versus 19.5 per cent in the same window of 2014 \u2013 as movies like \u201cJurassic World\u201d and \u201cThe Avengers\u201d overshadowed mid-sized titles like \u201cMagic Mike XXL,\u201d \u201cVacation\u201d and \u201cBlack Mass,\u201d which generated plenty of attention but only lukewarm attendance.<\/p>\n

Over the next seven weeks, a barrage of major Hollywood movies will charge into theatres, including the final installment in the \u201cHunger Games\u201d series and Quentin Tarantino\u2019s \u201cThe Hateful Eight.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think our problem is there\u2019s going to be too many movies,\u201d said Jacob.<\/p>\n

Like most North American movie chains, Cineplex has been dealing with outsized hits and deep misses all year long, a sign that moviegoers are shifting the way they view movies, as the popularity of Netflix and other video streaming services alter the industry.<\/p>\n

In the second quarter, which marked the start of summer movie season, a trio of Hollywood smashes dominated the exhibitor\u2019s box office, with \u201cThe Avengers: Age of Ultron,\u201d \u201cJurassic World\u201d and \u201cFurious 7,\u201d representing 43.5 per cent of box-office revenue.<\/p>\n

The impact on the final half of summer movie season was less pronounced, with nearly 30 per cent of the box office coming from \u201cMinions,\u201d the latest \u201cMission: Impossible\u201d installment and \u201cAnt-Man.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cineplex Inc. (CGX) said attendance during the third quarter was up 7.6 per cent to 19.4 million patrons from a year ago.<\/p>\n

Revenue jumped 9.8 per cent to a record $328.2 million as more people bought premium-priced tickets for its VIP cinemas and the Imax screen.<\/p>\n

The Toronto-based company\u2019s net income was up 34.7 per cent, rising to $21.4 million or 34 cents per share from $15.9 million or 25 cents per share.<\/p>\n

Concession revenue per person was up 5.9 per cent to $5.38 from $5.08, while box office revenue per patron declined 0.8 per cent to $9.09 from $9.16.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

TORONTO \u2013 If it isn\u2019t a superhero or a dinosaur, there\u2019s a growing chance moviegoers aren\u2019t buying tickets. More than …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":64519,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,106],"tags":[35],"class_list":["post-64518","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","category-hollywood","tag-original","mauthors-david-friend","mauthors-the-canadian-press"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64518","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=64518"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64518\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/64519"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64518"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=64518"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=64518"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}