“We are still here”: 5 theater owners in battle to bring the public back to cinemas

Are cinemas still relevant? If you ask five different exhibitors and you will hear five versions of the same answer: yes, but it is complicated.

I love the theatrical cinematographic experience! It is something that I liked since I was a child and I hate seeing the theaters who fight and the owners are doing everything possible to keep the audience.

The pandemic wounded the theatrical industry and not even the 2023 strikes helped. And although the occasional box office phenomenon as Top Gun: Maverick OR Barbenheimer Reignis the magic, almost every week they look like a coin launch. 2025 was to be a clean blackboard, without interruptions.

Instead, the year began 5% behind 2024 and a disconcerting 38% discount from 2019. However, there is a cautious optimism. Theater owners do not give up – and have ideas.

While Hollywood descends into cinema in Las Vegas, Variety interviewed five theatrical leaders from all over the country and the globe. Here’s what they had to say about how industry can – and must – evolve.

Eduardo Acuna, CEO of Regal (420 offices globally)
For Acuna, they are the foundations that count even more … good popcorn, clean bathrooms and the right staff. But it is a balancing act.

“This is what keeps me awake at night,” he admits. “You can have the tastiest hot dog, and the Wiener will be very expensive. Or you can have the Sicating Hot Dog of 20 cents and save costs, but nobody will buy it because it has a horrible flavor. I would prefer to sell two hot dogs with a lower margin.”

Acuna also sounds the alarm on abbreviated theatrical windows. “We are training customers to know that the movies will arrive at home very early. Windows should be at least 45 to 60 days … I lose sleep for it.”

As for what might surprise us this year? His bet is Lilo & Stitch. “Family films behave much better than we give them credit and families are starving from content.”

Christopher Escobar, owner of Plaza and Tara Theatres (Atlanta, Ga)
In the independent space, Escobar is not waiting for the successes that save him. He rests on the past to build the future.

“Most of the things paid for the bills were repertoire titles,” he says. “We have 5,000 people per year who come to Horror Rocky photo show… 2001, Lawrence of Arabia, Splendor – These are huge shots. “

It is critical of the theatrical efforts of Netflix and frustrated by the performance of the public to present itself for the original films. “People speak that they want less restarted, but at the same time, people in large part [don’t] Put their money where their mouth is. “

Oh, and don’t get it started on the reclining places in the cinemas: “Are you there to make a nap or sit and pay attention to the thing in front of you? They tend to be disgusting because they take a lot of food on the sides. And they are noisy”.

Alejandro Ramírez Magaña, CEO of Cinépolis (335 sites globally)
Ramírez Magaña is optimistic, but with reserves.

“When we had Oppenheimer AND BarbieThey were fantastic. But it is better that the industry has more films that perform really well than a few that are exceptionally well, “he says.

It is encouraged by the recovery of theatrical windows and underlines the importance of maintaining the premium for cinema: “The food must be really good – on an equal footing or rather restaurants. For pizza, we make the dough from scratch and also sauces”.

And while his theaters limit advertising and trailers to 15 minutes at most, it is clear on one thing: “Going beyond 17-18 is too much. That’s where to start doing customers who complain or arrive late”.

Mike Barstow, executive vice -president of ACX Cinemas (7 Midwest offices)
Barstow sees opportunities in density, non -drought. More choices, the better.

“The idea that films cannot compete or cannibalize each other is relatively new and has been denied,” he says. “The public wants a choice. It is based on the spot.”

Barstow theaters leaning to be HUB of the community – complete restaurants, arcades, sports bars – all designed to balance against the box office. And they are becoming creative with concessions. “We are seeing people experiment with Oreo Popcorn, loaded Nachos and Popcorn Cheetos.”

Your bet for the greatest success of the year? Wicked: forever. “When you have that marketing support behind a film, it opens a completely new world of what is possible.”

Chris Johnson, CEO of Classic Cinemas (16 offices in Illinois and Wisconsin)
Johnson wants fewer Russian mountains and greater reliability in the release calendar. “I hope to have a boring consistency instead of wild peaks and drought,” he says.

For Johnson, the volume counts more than the size. “I will take six films that are reasonably making a giant movie that creates a vacuum cleaner. The better it is.”

However, he feels the inflation tight, from staff to supplies. But refuses to make the customer pay.

“We make free top -ups on any article of any size, even if you get the combination for children. There is an elasticity of the question. You cannot continue to drive the prices even if your costs increase … most of the time, I don’t do it [pass it on]. You lose trust. “

His dormant choice? Jurassic World Rebirth. “It’s in summer. Has Scarlett Johansson.”

So … is the theatrical experience dying?
Not according to people who still manage the projectors. If anything, they are adapting faster than ever, updating the food, rethinking the prices, relying on the events of the community and yes, trying to keep the popcorn fresh.

It is no longer a successful savior. These are consistency, creativity and staying in contact with what makes cinema special.

As Acuna says: “We must be the best in customer service and offer the best experience. The dirty bathrooms are the worst thing you can do; if someone comes and your theater has a dirty bath, that person may never come back.”

The message from the border? Theaters are still fighting. But they need support from studies, streamers and the public willing to present themselves.