Cinemark CEO Predicts Eventually More Theatrical Movie Volume Than Ever Before

Cinemark's CEO is predicting that there will eventually be even more theatrical movie volume than ever before. During an investor call, Sean Gamble gave his read on the future of the movie business. A lot of executives have been gesturing towards a return to theaters. But, audiences have been hesitant to re-enter movie houses at the rate that they did in 2019. (After all, there is still a pandemic going on.) However, the pressure to get people back to big event releases can be felt all around the entertainment landscape. Look no further than Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav championing Superman movies and a possible Harry Potter reboot in their earnings call yesterday. Clearly, at the executive level, there's a push for this kind of entertainment. It remains to be seen if audiences will follow in kind. Check out what Gamble had to say in the Deadline report down below.

"We have high confidence in the ongoing recovery of content and box office as delays caused by Covid fully subside, and studios derive increasing promotional and financial value from theatrical," Gamble claimed. "We see studios leaning more heavily back into theatrical."

"We remain highly optimistic about the future of theatrical exhibition and Cinemark," Gamble added. "Consumer behavior over the past year validates that moviegoing enthusiasm remains strong and vibrant across all categories of films and audiences. Quarter after quarter, genre by genre, we've seen long-standing records broken and films performing at levels comparable to, or better than, pre-pandemic expectations."

Universal Pledges to Move Forward With Cinemark

Back in 2020, the studio made it's intentions clear: "Universal's century-long partnership with exhibition is rooted in the theatrical experience, and we are more committed than ever for audiences to experience our movies on the big screen," explained Donna Langley, Chairman, UFEG. "Mark Zoradi and the team at Cinemark have been outstanding partners, and Peter Levinsohn [Vice Chairman & Chief Distribution Officer, UFEG] has done a remarkable job on the studio's behalf in making deals that give us the confidence to release our movies in the marketplace, keep the content pipeline moving, and provide consumers with the optionality that they are looking for."

"We are extremely pleased to further enhance our strong partnership with Universal as we evolve the exclusive theatrical window," added Mark Zoradi, Cinemark CEO. "We believe a more dynamic theatrical window, whereby movie theaters continue to provide an event-sized launching platform for films that maximize box office and bolsters the success of subsequent distribution channels, is in the shared best interests of studios, exhibitors and, most importantly, moviegoers."

Do you think theaters are going to come roaring back? Let us know down in the comments!