Tom Rothman, chairman and CEO, Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, and the first Hollywood studio chief to take the stage at CinemaCom, came down hard on cinemas Monday, ticking off three key changes he thinks exhibition needs to make for the health of the industry.
Things are better, he acknowledged. “But admisission are clearly down from pre-covid and we all have urgent work to do. For our part, that means delivering a variety of great films to all kinds of audiences.”
“But you, my friends, have an urgent part to play,” he told exhibitors assembled at the Coloseum at Ceasars Palace in Las Vegas,” he said.
“Enforce longer windows even if that means you cannot play every film.”
“Get rid of the endless advertising and substantially shorten the long preshows that some — not all of you have … Get off the ad track.”
“And three, affordability is by far the hardest. Going to the movies must become affordable again.”
“Easy it’s not. It’s hard. And business I know has been tough. I am rooting for you because you have been wonderful.”
More to come