Gower Street’s Chief Analyst Thomas Beranek featured in the latest issue of Germany’s CINEMA magazine. The new December issue, which hit the stands late last week (Nov. 21), included a feature article on the the upcoming “blockbuster winter” following strike-impacted weaker months in cinemas earlier in the year. CINEMA journalist Carolin Streckmann spoke to Thomas about the box office potential of an incredibly busy December release schedule.
The article focuses on titles including MOANA 2, WICKED, KRAVEN THE HUNTER, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE WAR OF THE ROHIRRIM, MUFASA: THE LION KING, SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3 and local German comedy THE NICKNAME (DER SPITZNAME), which are all launching in German cinemas (and most in markets around the world) between the end of November and the close of the year. It posits that this blockbuster period is something cinemas need urgently following a weaker rest of year (latest Gower Street figures show Germany is currently tracking approximately -14% behind 2023 with the past three months once again posted heavy year-on-year drops after positive results from June-August.
Thomas first discussed the year to date and how the impact of the 2023 Actors’ and Writers’ strikes had effectively stalled continuing post-pandemic growth due to production delays. He explains how this slow-down in post-pandemic recovery was expected and forecast in our 2024 Global box office projection and that a recent downward revisions in that projection are almost solely due to a weak year in China rather than the rest of the world.
The article then moves on to the strong slate finishing out the year, kicking off with GLADIATOR II and then moving into the roster of titles listed above. He suggests that it should be a bigger winter season at the box office than seen in recent years thanks to the diversity of titles on offer.
Thomas finishes by looking ahead to 2025, which already has scheduled an “interesting mix” of titles for all demographics prior to the expected big finish of the third AVATAR film, AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH. Naming just a few of the impressive 2025 line-up he highlighted new franchise offering in the JURASSIC WORLD and JOHN WICK (BALLERINA) stories; the Michael Jackson musical biopic; promising reboots and remakes including KARATE KID: LEGENDS, TRON: ARES, THE RUNNING MAN, and THE NAKED GUN; new films from both the Marvel and DC comic-book stables; female-skewing titles including BRIDGET JONES: MAD ABOUT THE BOY and A BIG BOLD BEAUTIFUL JOURNEY, starring Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell; as well as the huge offering of family titles including ZOOTOPIA 2, ELIO, A MINECRAFT MOVIE, LILO & STITCH, SNOW WHITE, HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, and PADDINGTON IN PERU (which debuts in Germany, along with much of the rest of the world, in January having started its roll-out in UK/Ireland and some other markets in November this year).
The full article (in German) is featured below:
