It’s time once again for movie theater owners, from the smallest family-owned arthouse to the multinational chains, to gather in Las Vegas for CinemaCon, the trade show held by the National Association of Theater Owners where studios bring out their distribution chiefs and biggest stars to offer sneak peeks at the films to come this year.
Along with serving as a chance for networking, vendor deals and marketing of upcoming films, CinemaCon also serves as a pep rally for the industry. Every year, big-name execs like NATO CEO John Fithian and Sony Pictures’ Tom Rothman take the stage at Caesars Palace to extoll the bright future for movie exhibition and to denounce the naysayers who claim the industry will soon be rendered extinct.