When we first set out to celebrate those women holding leadership positions in the exhibition industry back in 2016, we found so few that the original headline of the piece was “Why So Few Women CEOs in Cinema?” We wisely chose to change the headline to “Celluloid Junkie’s Top 25 Women in Cinema Business – 2016” kicking off one of our most highly anticipated annual editorial features for the past eight years.
Since its debut the list has been expanded to 50 entries, and what’s more, it has become increasingly harder to narrow it down to just 50, as more women find their way into the exhibition business at all levels. To be sure, this is a great problem to have as an industry, though as a member of the team having to review all the amazing candidates, it’s an overwhelming challenge. In fact, this year we had a record number of nominations making it, by far, the most difficult selection process we’ve ever gone through.
Over time we’ve also tried to ensure that all regions of the world are represented on the list. We are, after all, a global business. Despite this we continue to struggle to find enough candidates in certain Asian territories, the Middle East, parts of Latin America and Africa. We’re not sure if there is a language barrier (which is entirely possible), though we are always surprised when exhibitors in these regions inform us they have no nominees. Perhaps we can get some guidance from Jane Hastings, who not only tops this year’s list but is also now the head of the Global Cinema Federation.
Of course, we aren’t foolproof and do make mistakes. Please feel free to forget the year we didn’t include Anne Fitzgerald, legal powerhouse and Cineplex’s former Chief Legal Officer and EVP Real Estate & Corporate Secretary, which wasn’t embarrassing in the slightest. It turns out everybody thought someone else would nominate her and in the end, nobody did.
And before anyone writes in, we are well aware that Chen Zhixi, the new CEO of Wanda Film, China’s largest cinema chain, is a woman, not to mention the company’s first female CEO. However, she began in February of this year, and the list covers achievements from the 2023 calendar year. This was the case for several nominees who began working in exhibition over the last year. Yet another positive sign for our industry.
Of course, this means we’ll likely have even more names to review at CJ for next year’s list. Not that you’ll find anyone here complaining about such a welcome trend.
In the meantime, if you want to hear from four of the deserving nominees on this year’s list, be sure to watch last week’s CJ Cinema Summit where we were joined by Clare Binns of Picturehouse in the UK, Nikkole Denson-Randolph of AMC in the U.S., Gisele Freitas of Barco in Brazil, Béatrice Tourvieille of Pathé in France.
People
Jane Hastings Tops CJ’s 2024 Top Women In Global Cinemas
After receiving more nominations than ever before, after lengthy deliberations with the selection committee, one publication delay and the highest-ever standard for candidates, Celluloid Junkie published the eighth edition of its Top Women In Global Cinema list.
Jane Hastings, the Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of EVT, topped this year’s list. Since 2017 she has helped grow the Australian company’s market cap to AUD $2 billion (USD $1.5 billion). Hastings oversees over 9,000 employees in Australia, Germany and New Zealand where the company operates 136 movie theatres comprising 1,173 auditoriums. Hastings aided in expanding and rebranding the company, which also owns bars, restaurants and hotels, from Event Hospitality & Entertainment to EVT (Entertainment. Ventures. Travel). EVT received the CinemaCon’s 2023 Global Achievement in Exhibition Award. As if that weren’t all enough, Hastings stepped into the role of Chair of the Global Cinema Federation in April.
This year’s list features 67 talented professionals from all over the world working in various fields in the exhibition industry.
Source: Celluloid Junkie
Box Office
2024 Global Box Office Mid-Year Report Card
As expected, theatrical box office was down against 2023 in most, though not all, countries during the January through June time frame. Last year’s dual labor strikes in Hollywood are partly to blame for a reduced release slate as are challenges from streaming services.
If there’s some good news to be found in the numbers in North America it’s that with 25% fewer wide releases in the first half of 2024, box office through June only dropped 19% year-over-year – from USD $4.54 billion in 2023 to USD $3.60 billion this year. China’s box office is also down 9% from last year to USD $3.4 billion (CNY 23.9 billion). Nearly 34% of theatrical revenue, USD $1.1 billion (CNY 8.1 billion) came during the eight day Lunar Near Year period.
In Asia, though trade bodies in Japan don’t release figures until the end of each year, South Korea has defied the odds and avoided a theatrical downturn in 2024 (so far) with ticket sales up a few percentage points. Meanwhile box office in India is up 3% through June. In Europe, attendance in France was down 7.2% while box office in the UK and Ireland was similarly off by 7%.
Source: Celluloid Junkie
Cinemas
Historic Pathé Palace Reopens In Paris
After a five-year hiatus, and just in time for the upcoming Summer Olympics, the iconic Pathé Palace cinema, formerly known as Gaumont-Capucines, has reopened its doors to Parisian moviegoers. Renown Italian architect Renzo Piano was in charge of making over the historic venue, which originally opened in 1927 as the Paramount Opera.
Located in the heart of Paris on Chaussée d’Antin the renovations included the same number of auditoriums, seven, but reduced the seating capacity of the cinema from over 2,100 to 880. The largest room seats 441, houses an 18-meter wide screen and is equipped with Dolby Vision + Atmos technology along with the ability to project 35mm and 70mm. The other six auditoriums are equipped with Samsung Onyx LED screens and Dolby Atmos sound.
Pathé has been transforming many of its refurbished cinemas into premium experiences and the Palace is no exception. There is a coat check, a 50 seat bar, a concession stand and even a concierge. There are even eight private co-working suites. All of these amenities come at a bit of a price, with regular movie tickets costing EUR €25 (USD $27.25). The monthly CinéCartes and CinéPass subscriptions will not be accepted.
The Pathé Palace will now also house the company’s headquarters, which had been located in the 8th arrondissement.
Source: Le Film Francais
Cinemas
Edinburgh Filmhouse Gets New Life With 25-Year Lease and Renovation Plans
The Edinburgh Filmhouse has taken a significant step towards its revival with the signing of a 25-year renewable lease for its iconic 88 Lothian Road location. Filmhouse (Edinburgh) Ltd., the charity behind the cinema’s resurrection, finalized the agreement with Caledonian Heritable, the building’s owners. This comes after the cinema’s abrupt closure in October 2022 when its parent company went into administration.
The lease agreement includes ambitious plans for the venue’s renovation and expansion including refurbishing the existing cinema and café bar, as well as adding a new fourth screen. The remodel is meant to enhance the Filmhouse’s capacity to offer a wider range of films and events to Edinburgh’s cinephiles, although the work is not expected to be completed before 2025.
Funds for the project come, in part, from a crowdfunding campaign which raised GBP £300,000 (USD $389,000) as well as an award of GBP £1.4 million (USD $1.82 million) from the UK Levelling Up Community Ownership Fund. The Edinburgh City Council recently kicked in another GBP £60,000 (USD $77,800) for the cause.
Source: Celluloid Junkie
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Celluloid Junkie is the leading online resource dedicated to the global film and cinema business. The Marquee is our newsletter focused on motion picture exhibition; keeping industry professionals informed of important news, the latest trends and insightful analysis