CinemaCon Takeaways: Theatrical Films Are Back – With Big Caveats for Mid-Size Movies 

WaxWord: Studios are filling the theater pipeline again in 2023, and now it’s up to audiences to show up

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From left, Vin Diesel, Rihanna and Seth Rogen at CinemaCon 2023 in Las Vegas. (Getty)

A memo seems to have gone out to all the studios and theater owners at CinemaCon this week to be relentlessly on message: Theaters are back! Movies do better on streaming once they’ve had a run in theaters! Theatrical is where movies belong! 

The streaming vs. theatrical debate swings back and forth like a pendulum. With the 2022 box office on the rebound and packed movie slates being presented to theater exhibitors in Las Vegas this week, it’s clear that the pendulum has swung back toward theaters for the moment as streaming services struggle.

David Zaslav himself, the CEO of Warner Bros.

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