The Take-Away From CinemaCon: Studios Demand More, More, More | The Wrap Movies

At every turn, exhibitors were told they were living through a "3D Renaissance," with the studios trotting out the Da Vinci's of the art form George Lucas, Jeffrey Katzenberg and James Cameron to laud the theater owners for building digital basilicas for their films.

But here's the problem: Box office is down. Nearly 20 percent.

Moreover, that conversion cost many attendees hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Instead of acknowledging the worrisome fault lines, studio chiefs and filmmakers are asking for more, more, more from theater owners.

I'd guess the conversion to digital is unavoidable, but is this the right time to be pushing for that kind of investment from theater owners?

Read the full article here.

Calorie-Counting Rule to Leave Out Movie Theaters (New York Times)

The federal government on Friday released proposed rules requiring chain restaurants and other businesses that serve food to post calorie counts on menus and menu boards. But after objections from theater chains, the rules give a pass to those box-office snacks — even though a large popcorn and soda can contain as many calories as a typical person needs in a day.

...At some theaters, a large tub of popcorn with butter topping can contain nearly 1,500 calories. A large soda can contain 500 calories. Federal dietary guidelines say that the average person needs about 2,000 calories a day.

The reasoning behind letting movie theaters off the hook with this one is because their primary function isn't serving food. But considering it's a widely known fact that theaters make the vast majority of their profits from concessions, it seems like sense to include them. The overall goal is to help consumers make smarter decisions about food, and hiding the fact that going to the movies will mean you shouldn't eat anything else that day won't help. Thoughts?

Read the full article here.