CinemaCon: Theater CEOs on 2026's 113-Film Slate
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- Marcus Corporation CEO Greg Marcus identified shortening theatrical windows as the industry's biggest obstacle, arguing that compressing the exclusive-to-theater period is 'training people to wait until it's at home for what they perceive as free.'
- B&B Theatres CEO Bob Bagby said the biggest obstacle is the lack of year-round film supply, noting that post-COVID Hollywood concentrates releases in summer and the holidays while January and other months leave theaters 'nothing big to keep people in the habit of going.'
- Harkins Theatres CEO Mike Bowers said the standout 2025 story was original films — specifically Warner Bros.' 'Sinners' — and flagged the pending Warner Bros.-Paramount sale as a concern, citing a historical pattern of consolidation leading to fewer wide releases.
- The Lot COO Daniel Fastlicht pushed back on variable blockbuster pricing, warning that charging 30-40% more for event films like 'Avengers' would likely hurt opening-weekend attendance, and described his chain's 'Girl Dinner' program — bundling a Caesar salad, penne pasta, and fries with rom-com screenings — as regularly selling out with 21- to 36-year-olds.
- The four operators — representing roughly 165 combined theater locations across 19 states — were speaking ahead of CinemaCon in Las Vegas, pointing to Hollywood's planned 113-film 2026 slate (the most of the post-pandemic era) as a potential turning point for domestic box office recovery.
- Harkins' Bowers called Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ryan Gosling, and Timothée Chalamet today's bankable stars and named Zendaya and Tom Holland 'the next generation,' while The Lot's Fastlicht highlighted Margot Robbie's four-quadrant appeal after 'Wuthering Heights.'
- B&B's Bagby said 15 minutes of pre-show trailers is the ideal, predicted 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' would be 2026's top grosser, and admitted that customer-preferred recliner seats are 'constantly needing to be replaced or repaired.'
Why it matters: With Hollywood releasing 113 films in 2026 — the most of the post-pandemic era — exhibitors are explicitly pressuring studios to fix year-round release patterns and theatrical windows, a structural change that will determine whether the industry's multi-billion-dollar post-pandemic investment in recliners, premium screens, and expanded food and beverage can translate into sustained attendance rather than another year of double-digit box office declines.
