The movie business has never been healthier, except that attendance in North America is down 12 percent so far this year compared to last. There was a plea for fewer R-rated movies, followed by chest-thumping from Universal Pictures about its crude comedy “Ted.”
And sitting in a darkened theater, attendees were told, has never been more enjoyable, unless you are attending CinemaCon, where you will be harshly advised to refrain from using your phone to illegally record movies. (Theater chain executives need to be reminded of this?)
Studios approach this convention, attended by about 5,000 people, as a crucial opportunity to get out their pom-poms and promote coming releases; if theater owners like what they see, it can help secure additional auditoriums during the gridlocked summer and holiday seasons. Studios enlist stars to help woo the theatrical troops — who fly in from spots like Kansas City and Knoxville — as Brad Pitt did on Monday night on behalf of his June release, “World War Z.”
For the National Association of Theater Owners, CinemaCon is an opportunity to discuss new audio technology, brainstorm about how to fight camcorder pirates and sample the latest and greatest in popped corn. This year, John Fithian, president and chief executive of that trade organization, also used the spotlight to complain about a glut of R-rated films.
He said attendance had suffered this year because of “the weight of too many R-rated movies.”
“Make more family-friendly films and fewer R-rated titles,” Mr. Fithian said. “Americans have stated their choice.”
Appearing with Christopher J. Dodd, chairman of the Motion Picture Association of America, Mr. Fithian also unveiled minor tweaks to the way ratings for individual films are advertised. The labels will include more thorough descriptions of why a movie received a certain rating. Theaters will also begin running a ratings-related public service announcement.
Mr. Fithian’s criticism of R-rated movies comes after the school shootings last year in Newtown, Conn., and shootings last summer at a movie theater in Aurora, Colo.
After Mr. Fithian was Adam Fogelson, chairman of Universal Pictures. He began his presentation with an off-color scene from the R-rated “Ted” and then unveiled clips from two coming films that will be rated R. “2 Guns” is about undercover agents set up by the mob; “Kick-Ass 2” stars the young Chloë Grace Moritz as an (extremely) foul-mouthed crime fighter.
Mr. Fogelson also discussed lighter films planned for the summer, like a sequel to “Despicable Me” and the crime comedy “R.I.P.D.,” about undead police officers working for the Rest in Peace Department.
Article source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/17/business/media/theater-owners-call-for-fewer-r-rated-movies.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
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