EXCLUSIVE: After exhibition experienced the richer side of November with Disney’s Frozen 2 and Lionsgate/Media Rights Capital’s Knives Out, they can look forward to a snowfall of cash come the late December period.
Fandango reports today that in a recent poll of 1,000 participants, 93% of all moviegoers 18 and up plan to see at least 2 movies during the December holidays, while 34% plan to see as many as 4 movies. Two of the top leading titles in their top five are of course Disney’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker opening Dec. 20 and Sony’s Jumanji: The Next Level on Dec. 13.
Forecasts for Skywalker are north of $200M, and again, whether this pic overperforms will have to do with any last minute buzz among moviegoers, further propped by critics, that this 42 year-old sci-fi franchise wrap-up is a must-see. Jumanji: The Next Level is seeing a 3-day debut around $40M.
“People love going to the movies with family and friends over the holidays, and this season there is truly something for everyone,” says Fandango President Paul Yanover. “At Fandango, our teams are working hard during one of the busiest times of year to help fans discover and experience the greatest films, from blockbusters to indies and awards contenders, and find the best seats available.”
More encouraging signs from Fandango’s survey about year-end moviegoing:
- 86% of those polled say that going to the movies is their favorite holiday activity;
- 75% of millennials claim the new streaming services have increased their interest in seeing movies on the big screen;
- 78% concluded that Disney+’s The Mandalorian has made them more excited to see Rise of Skywalker;
- 71% say their favorite destination during the holidays is their hometown movie theater.
Among the top 5 pics they’ll be watching:
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
- Jumanji: The Next Level
- Little Women
- Bombshell
- Cats
The Fandango Movieclips network has clocked more than 19M video views for content related to these top five films. Over the last year, Movieclips has added 14.5M new subscribers for a total of 54M subscribers and averages 1B video views a month. Fandango’s total views on its YouTube channel have increased by 133% year-over-year while its Instagram account has 162% more followers than it did a year ago.
Another highlight for Fandango over the last year is that they expanded their theatrical footprint 33K-plus screens stateside, including recently-added RC Theatres, Showplace Cinemas, Phoenix Theatres MI, Cleveland Cinemas, Far Away Entertainment, Envision Cinemas, Santa Rosa Cinemas, Marquee Cinemas, El Capitan Theatre, Greater Huntington Theatres, Schulman Theatres, and several indie exhibitors.