Emagine Entertainment Chairman Paul Glantz discussed James Bond, coronavirus, and local theater competition

Daniel Craig as James Bond 007 in "No Time to Die" — Daniel Craig will return this year as James Bond, Agent 007, in "No Time to Die." © 2020 Danjaq, MGM, United Artists, All Rights Reserved. USA (Used with permission)

Like clockwork for a proper James Bond movie-release year, the official game day spot for No Time to Die came on with the 2020 Super Bowl. Advance ticket sales in anticipation of an April 10 opening here in the United States went online about a week ago. [1-3]

Daniel Craig was scheduled to host Saturday Night Live as part of marketing initiatives designed to build excitement. [4-6]

Then last Wednesday, MGM, United Artists, and 007 producers Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli announced “that after careful consideration and thorough evaluation of the global theatrical marketplace, the release of No Time to Die will be postponed until November 2020.” [7]

Coronavirus appears to have struck James Bond. [8-11]

The near- if not long-term impact on this motion picture icon shines further light on growing concern about the public health implications of continuing to go out and about to almost any place with the advent of COVID-19. And it exaccerbates an impact already close to home here in Washtenaw County and elsewhere in Michigan with the Goodrich Quality Theaters bankruptcy filing in late February. [12-14]

Given the importance of our own Emagine Theatre as popular entertainment attraction here in Saline, we connected with its corporate chair, Paul Glantz for perspective.

Saline Journal: “Starting with the big picture news — were you surprised by the announcement that the premier of =No Time to Die= is being delayed?’

Paul Glantz: “No. It is not unprecedented for studios to move the release date of their films. [15]

In this case, given the overwhelming affinity for this particular franchise in Asia, it is quite reasonable that UA would want to ensure that they optimize world-wide box office receipts. With China’s theatres still closed, I would have made the same decision. [16]

Saline Journal: “What sort of ballpark financial impact would you estimate is being felt by 007 film producers with this decision?” [17]

Paul Glantz: “I think the cost of delaying the release, at this point, is nominal relative to the risk that box office revenues could be severely constrained by a lack of theatre availability in Asia.”

Saline Journal: “Could you describe some of the ‘moving pieces’ impacted for Emagine Theatres when news hit your desk? Do you typically have a ‘Plan B’ for such things?”

Paul Glantz: “Well, we had some advance ticket sales. So there are logistics we will incur to ensure that all those guests who bought tickets for the April release receive refunds for the tickets they purchased.

Beyond that, we are well accustomed to a constantly changing playing field of films. Every Monday, we are making decisions about which films to hold, which auditoriums to set aside for the respective films (based on our estimate of next week’s demand) and which films are dropped.

As you know, nature abhors a vacuum. That’s why it is no surprise that the film, My Spy, was moved to April 17. [18]

Saline Journal: “As you know, Goodrich Quality Theaters has filed for bankruptcy protection. Could you share your thinking on this in terms of competition in Washtenaw County, your recent expansion in Canton, and plans for Saline?” [19]

Paul Glantz: “Goodrich was essentially a non-factor in Canton of recent. Our theatre in Canton served over one million guests in 2018 while we estimate Goodrich served about 120,000 patrons during the same timeframe.

We did not predicate our move into Washtenaw County on the belief that Goodrich was failing and we never anticipated taking one-third of its box office receipts (which is what has transpired).

We love the Saline market and we thought that our product offering would be of value to the marketplace. Our expectations have been exceeded by the tremendous outpouring of support that we have enjoyed in the community. We are deeply grateful for that support.

Saline Journal: “The No Time to Die decision has underscored that a very wide variety of businesses can be affected by global supply chain disruptions. Do you expect James Bond to simply serve as merely another ‘face’ for that, or ‘lead’ others to follow suit? [20]

Paul Glantz: “We live in an era of immense change and constant uncertainty. As a businessman, it is my job to play the hand we are dealt from day-to-day while maintaining our focus on serving our guests. My crystal ball has always been cloudy, but I believe if we hold the interests of our guests above all else, we will be fine.”

Saline Journal: “One year from today, what will US movie theaters look like post-coronavirus outbreak? How will attendance numbers and the experience itself be different?

Paul Glantz: “I’m not a public health expert, but I believe that the risk of COVID-19 mortality in the US will prove to have been greatly overblown with the passage of time.

Notwithstanding the aforementioned, if there is a meaningful health emergency in the communities we serve, we have invested in heavy duty ‘disinfectant bombs’ that we will deploy in all of our venues to ensure that each and every surface of our facilities remains free of pathogens.

A year from today, we plan to be serving as many guests, or more, than we serve today. The 2021 line-up of feature films is spectacular. [21]

Saline Journal: “As of today, what would you like the City of Saline — and all communities in which Emagine Entertainment has a brick-and-mortar presence — to know about the future of your investment here?

Paul Glantz: “We will continue to reinvest in the business and we remain committed to serving our guests by providing each and every one of them with an exemplary out-of-home entertainment experience.

We will always strive to be a place of hospitality for our guests. [22]

Beyond what Mr Glantz himself had to say in terms of characterizing the Emagine Entertainment investment in communities of which it is an integral part, Saline Journal continues to note substantial commitments that go beyond what’s shown inside its theaters. [23]

For example, now many years after making Saline Area Social Service a benefactor at its grand opening here, Emagine Entertainment continues to support that organization with, most recently, the contribution of a commercial refrigerator — “which will allow us the extra space to distribute more produce, dairy, and meats and fish to our clients,” Executive Director Anne Cummings told us. [24]

In terms of the long term interests and promise of Saline Michigan, these last points portend a bigger community interest impact than Bond, COVID-19, or most other “breaking” news items.

References