Warner Bros International Director of Russian and Chinese Markets: “We’ve all learned to live with uncertainty” – CinemaCon

The delay in the international theater system will continue as the war between Russia and Ukraine continues and more than half of Chinese theaters are closed due to the latest anti-covid campaign.

Andrew Cripps, president of international film distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures, said Russia, currently boycotted by the studios, accounts for about 5% of the average annual international box office, which is higher or lower depending on the year. War “This is a tragedy that is happening. In the past couple of years, we’ve all learned to live in uncertainty. Including theaters that are closing all over the world. “There is another reason and we have to hope there is a solution,” he told CinemaCon.

“I don’t know, is it a ceasefire and a withdrawal? I just don’t know now. The only thing is, Hollywood releases aren’t online at all. “I just hope I can reach a position and a time where I can bring the product back to the country.” In Budapest, where he prepares Duna: Part II.

Warner Bros did it Batman From Russia in early March, at the eleventh hour after the invasion of Ukraine. Cripps said piracy of these and other films is a problem in both Russia and China, where Shanghai is on lockdown, Beijing is on high alert and 57% of cinemas are closed.

He said Korea, one of the busiest international markets for two years, also experienced a significant slowdown. “People have stopped going to the movies,” she said. Japan has been strong with local successes, as have Australia and the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, “but we want to make everything better.”

The industry is also opposed to short window / streaming competition. “I’m nervous because the windows in the theater are getting shorter,” Vilenev said. “They have to come back as long as possible.” The audience “has to feel something unique, it’s part of the conversation, a spirit of the times, a moment,” he said. “We have to go back to longer windows.”

NATO’s main aversion to “The End of the Tunnel, the Beginning of the Light” for cinemas; John Fitian, Charlie Rivkin, Talk Biz Rebound, Piracy, Streaming – CinemaCon Q&A

The panel was part of a roundtable of international directors at CinemaCon, led by Deadline International Box Office editor Nancy Tartallion. Dune Producer Parent and Vileneuv received international film directors of the year awards.

Global cash registers, including North America, reached $ 6.7 billion this year, up from $ 4.3 billion for the same period in 2021. International accounts are $ 5 billion, up 26%. That’s too much, but from a low base, the industry is still waiting to return to pre-Kovida levels.

CinemaCon, the trade fair industry confab, will take place on Thursday in Las Vegas.