One of the more productive panels at CinemaCon 2024 was titled “Strength in the Middle: Working Together To Boost Mid-Budget Films.” The focus of the session was, as its title suggests, all about finding and programming smaller, modestly budgeted films to fill in the gaps between the more costly Hollywood studio blockbusters. From the outset, it was agreed by panelists that exhibitors can not survive solely on high-priced releases.

CinemaCon organizers put together a session with representatives from distribution and exhibition that included Brock Bagby, President and Chief Content, Programming & Development Officer at B&B Theatres, Lisa Bunnell, President of Distribution for Focus Features, Elissa Federoff, President of Distribution at NEON and Rebecca Stein the Vice President of Marketing & Partnerships at National Amusements.

The panel discussed the significance of mid-budget and specialty films in the theatrical marketplace, emphasizing their cultural and economic importance. There was a lot of talk about how to make such movies more successful when they hit theatres, specifically around the need for collaboration between all interested parties including talent, studios, and distributors.