But attendees on Tuesday got a peek at the hard knuckles behind those smiles — on both sides — as strained negotiations broke into public over how Walt Disney Studios and the AMC theater chain should split ticket revenue.

Disney, now arguably home to the biggest brands in moviedom (Pixar, Lucasfilm and Marvel among them) is seeking improved terms; movie studios do this from time to time, and Disney has not revised its contracts in years. It has already secured new deals covering more than half of the nation’s theaters.

But AMC Entertainment, the second-largest theater chain in North America behind Regal, is balking and halted advance ticket sales for “Iron Man 3” to show its resolve. “We hope to reach agreement and get tickets on sale as soon as possible so it doesn’t affect opening weekend,” AMC said in a statement.

A Disney spokesman declined to comment. Disney was scheduled to make its CinemaCon presentation on Wednesday.

That such a dispute would become public is unusual, but this may be a bit of a tempest in a teapot: AMC, acquired last year by a Chinese company, is not boycotting “Iron Man 3” altogether. That would be a dumb business move: “Iron Man 3,” set to arrive on May 3, is expected to be one of the biggest hits of the year.

Studios and theater owners split ticket sales according to complex formulas. As much as 75 percent of a movie’s opening-weekend revenue may go to the studio, but in later weeks the percentage typically becomes much more favorable to theaters.

CinemaCon 2013 has otherwise been a convivial affair, with exhibitors especially impressed with what they saw on Tuesday from Warner Brothers. Jeff Robinov, Warner’s movie chief, unveiled footage from upcoming films like “The Great Gatsby” and “Man of Steel” in a lively presentation that was a dramatic improvement from the stilted one he gave last year.

Mr. Robinov notably took time out of his speech to make nice with Legendary Pictures, a major movie production company and financier that has at times had a testy relationship with Warner. Speaking of “42,” the Legendary movie about Jackie Robinson that became an unexpected hit for Warner last weekend, Mr. Robinov said, “You made an amazing movie. You guys did an awesome job.”

Article source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/18/business/media/disney-amc-theaters-dispute-breaks-into-public.html?partner=rss&emc=rss