National Association of Theatre Owners explained
National Association of Theatre Owners |
Abbreviation: | NATO |
Founders: | --> |
Defunct: | --> |
Merger: | Theater Owners of America and the Allied States Association of Motion Picture Exhibitors |
Type: | Trade organization |
Vat Id: | (for European organizations) --> |
Focus: | --> |
Headquarters: | Washington, D.C. |
Location Country: | United States |
Region Served: | Worldwide |
Product: | --> |
Method: | --> |
Field: | --> |
Languages: | --> |
Owners: | --> |
Leader Title: | President and CEO |
Leader Name: | Michael O'Leary |
Board Of Directors: | 20 members |
Key People: | Bob Bagby, Chairman Mike Bowers, Vice Chairman Joe Masher Bo Chambliss |
Publication: | --> |
Parent Organisation: | --> |
Former Name: | --> |
The National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) is an American trade organization whose members are the owners of movie theaters. Most of the worldwide major theater chains' operators are members, as are hundreds of independent theater operators; collectively, they account for the operation of over 35,000 motion picture screens in all 50 U.S. states and over 33,000 screens in 100 other countries.
NATO was founded in 1965 by the merger of the largest movie theater trade organizations, the Theater Owners of America and the Allied States Association of Motion Picture Exhibitors.[1]
The long-running official magazine of NATO is Boxoffice; between 2001 and 2007, they also published In Focus.[2]
History
As the motion picture industry became larger, movie production companies began consolidating and controlling distribution.[3] The largest producer, Famous Players–Lasky, joined and later merged with the largest distributor, Paramount (eventually becoming Paramount Pictures), and together they began block-booking in 1917, forcing theaters to buy mediocre films to get the good ones. Theaters banded together to bargain for better pricing, with 26 of the largest combining into First National Exhibitors Circuit—which went on to become a producer and distributor in its own right, before being bought by Warner Bros. By 1921, Paramount already owned 300 theaters, and other producers were catching up. Studios soon contracted with each other to keep first-runs inside the affiliated network, using this access to coerce independents into selling out.
In 1921, the first predecessor of NATO was founded, the largely affiliated Motion Picture Theater Owners of America (MPTOA), soon followed by the independent Allied States Association of Motion Picture Exhibitors (Allied), Unaffiliated Independent Motion Picture Exhibitors of America, National Independent Theatre Exhibitors, and more, to demand better pricing and access to first-runs. Unlike the others, the MPTOA embraced affiliated theaters, and soon became the largest organization.
During World War II, many theaters joined the new War Activities Committee, after the war becoming the Theatre Activities Committee and soon American Theatre Association (ATA), which strongly supported United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc., the antitrust case against all of the major studios. A plan to merge with MPTOA, which strongly supported the studios, ran into friction, with many affiliated theaters leaving the ATA over its stance; conversely Allied, the largest purely-independent group, refused to join over the presence of affiliates. The merger went ahead in 1947, minus affiliates of Loews, RKO, and Warner Bros., and they became the Theater Owners of America (TOA) with about 10,000 theaters.[3]
After divestiture in the fallout of the 1948 Paramount decision, many formerly-affiliated theaters ended up joining either TOA or Allied. During the post-war period, theater revenue collapsed as television became widespread, even as film rental became more expensive, and thousands of theaters closed, particularly in city centers hard hit by suburban flight.[4] Finally, in 1966 TOA and Allied merged into the National Association of Theatre Owners, largely based on TOA's structure but headed by Marshall Fine, former Allied chairman.
The 1970s were difficult for NATO; although the blockbuster The Godfather revitalized theater-going and revenue, in 1975 a new National Independent Theatre Exhibitors (NITE) came together to challenge NATO,[5] [6] eventually numbering almost a thousand theaters, and governance reforms were pushed by members as well. When the reforms stalled, the entire California and Illinois chapters pulled out in 1977, along with many small chains around the nation. After 1980, many of the requested reforms were finally implemented, including a full-time president and a full-time lobbyist in Washington, as well as moving its headquarters from New York to Los Angeles; by the end of the decade, NITE had folded back into NATO, leaving only one dominant organization.[5]
The 1980s saw a relaxation of antitrust regulation and subsequent purchasing of many chains by distributors and large conglomerates, including 120 theaters by Paramount and Warner;[7] by the end of the decade, consolidation left the top 10 owners in control of 55 percent of the industry. In the 1990s, theater growth exploded, and by 1999, movie screens peaked at 36,448, the vast majority of which were affiliated with NATO.[4]
Events
CinemaCon
As ShoWest, the convention was formerly one of four major worldwide annual events owned by the Film Group unit of Nielsen Business Media before being sold in 2011 to e5 Global Media and operated exclusively by NATO.
Renamed CinemaCon in 2011, the convention is NATO's only official convention of theater owners controlled by the organization itself. The first gathering took place in March 2011 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada, with the second held April 23–26, 2012, at the same venue.[8]
CinemaCon is now a stand-alone movie theater industry trade show or exposition originally established by NATO in 1975, usually held in Las Vegas in March.[9]
On March 11, 2020, NATO canceled CinemaCon 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[10]
ShoWest Convention 1976
ShoWest Convention 1978
ShoWest Convention 1979
- Jane Fonda – Female Star of the Year Award
- Jon Voight –Male Star of the Year Award
- Sylvester Stallone – Star of the Year Award
- Michael Douglas – Star/Producer of the Year Award
ShoWest Convention 1981
- George Hamilton – Showman of the Year Award
ShoWest Convention 1982
- Steven Spielberg – Director of the Year Award
- Frank Marshall – Producer of the Year Award
- Pia Zadora – Young Star of the Year Award
- Chuck Norris – Action Star of the Year Award
- Rich Little – Entertainer of the Year Award
- Clint Eastwood – Male Star of the Decade Award
- Lori Singer – Newcomer of the Year Award
- Sean Connery – Worldwide Star of the Year Award
ShoWest Convention 1983
ShoWest Convention 1984
- Lori Singer – Breakthrough Performer of the Year Award
- Sylvester Stallone – Star of Stars Award
- Charlton Heston – Lifetime Achievement Award
ShoWest Convention 1985
- Kelly LeBrock – Female Star of Tomorrow Award
- Eric Stoltz – Male Star of Tomorrow Award
- Arnold Schwarzenegger – International Star of the Year Award
- Eddie Murphy – Star of the Year Award
ShoWest Convention 1986
ShoWest Convention 1987
- Leonard Nimoy – Director of the Year Award
- Paul Hogan – Male Star of the Year Award
- Tom Cruise – Box Office Star of the Year Award
ShoWest Convention 1988
- Bette Midler – Female Star of the Year Award
- Don Johnson – Male Star of the Year Award
ShoWest Convention 1989
ShoWest Convention 1990
- Tim Burton – Director of the Year Award
- Winona Ryder – Female Star of Tomorrow Award
- Anjelica Huston – Female Star of the Year Award
- Johnny Depp – Male Star of Tomorrow Award
- Jeff Bridges – Male Star of the Year Award
- Joel Silver – Producer of the Year Award
ShoWest Convention 1991
ShoWest Convention 1992
- Lawrence Kasdan – Director of the Year Award
- Jodie Foster – Female Star of the Year Award
- Nicole Kidman – Female Star of Tomorrow Award
- Stephen Dorff – Male Star of Tomorrow Award
- Patrick Swayze – Male Star of the Year Award
- Brian Grazer – Producer of the Year Award
- John Singleton – Screenwriter of the Year Award
- John Singleton – Directorial Debut of the Year Award
- Chuck Norris – International Box Office Star of the Year Award
- Oliver Stone – Meritorious Achievement Award
- Cuba Gooding, Jr. – Newcomer of the Year Award
- Eddie Murphy – Star of the Decade Award
ShoWest Convention 1993
- Clint Eastwood – Director of the Year Award
- Juliette Lewis – Female Star of Tomorrow Award
- Whoopi Goldberg – Female Star of the Year Award
- Brad Pitt – Male Star of Tomorrow Award
- Mel Gibson – Male Star of the Year Award
- Mace Neufeld & Robert Rehme – Producer of the Year Award
- Richard Friedenberg – Screenwriter of the Year Award
- Arnold Schwarzenegger – International Star of the Decade Award
- George Kennedy – Special Award of Merit
- Jack Lemmon & Walter Matthau – Lifetime Achievement Award
ShoWest Convention 1994
- Steven Spielberg – Director of the Year Award
- Tia Carrere – Female Star of Tomorrow Award
- Michelle Pfeiffer – Female Star of the Year Award
- Chris O'Donnell – Male Star of Tomorrow Award
- Robin Williams – Male Star of the Year Award
- Arnold Kopelson – Producer of the Year Award
- Steven Zaillian – Screenwriter of the Year Award
- Elijah Wood – Young Star of the Year Award
- Harrison Ford – Box Office Star of the Century Award
- Kirk Douglas – Lifetime Achievement Award
ShoWest Convention 1995
- Robert Zemeckis – Director of the Year Award
- Julia Ormond – Female Star of Tomorrow Award
- Demi Moore – Female Star of the Year Award
- Martin Lawrence & Will Smith – Male Star of Tomorrow Award
- Tom Hanks – Male Star of the Year Award
- James Cameron – Producer of the Year Award
- Paul Attanasio – Screenwriter of the Year Award
- Mara Wilson – Young Star of the Year Award
- Jim Carrey – Comedy Star of the Year Award
- Christina Ricci – Star of the Year Award
- Faye Dunaway – Lifetime Achievement Award
ShoWest Convention 1996
- Mel Gibson – Director of the Year Award
- Cameron Diaz – Female Star of Tomorrow Award
- Sandra Bullock – Female Star of the Year Award
- Greg Kinnear – Male Star of Tomorrow Award
- John Travolta – Male Star of the Year Award
- James G. Robinson – Producer of the Year Award
- Edward Burns – Screenwriter of the Year Award
- Jonathan Taylor Thomas – Young Star of the Year Award
- John Lasseter – Outstanding Achievement Award
- Sophia Loren – Lifetime Achievement Award
ShoWest Convention 1997
ShoWest Convention 1998
ShoWest Convention 1999
- Will Smith – Actor of the Year Award
- Meg Ryan – Actress of the Year Award
- John Madden – Director of the Year Award
- Heather Graham – Female Star of Tomorrow Award
- Giovanni Ribisi – Male Star of Tomorrow Award
- Jerry Bruckheimer – Producer of the Year Award
- Bobby Farrelly & Peter Farrelly – Screenwriter of the Year Award
- William H. Macy – Supporting Actor of the Year Award
- Catherine Zeta-Jones – Supporting Actress of the Year Award
- Tom Hanks – Box Office Star of the Decade Award
- Adam Sandler – Comedy Star of the Year Award
- Sean Connery – Lifetime Achievement Award
ShoWest Convention 2000
ShoWest Convention 2001
ShoWest Convention 2002
- Ron Howard – Director of the Year Award
- Naomi Watts – Female Star of Tomorrow Award
- Jennifer Lopez – Female Star of the Year Award
- Jean-Pierre Jeunet – International Filmmaker of the Year Award
- Josh Hartnett – Male Star of Tomorrow Award
- Will Smith – Male Star of the Year Award
- Douglas Wick – Producer of the Year Award
- Julian Fellowes – Screenwriter of the Year Award
- Marisa Tomei – Supporting Actress of the Year Award
- Chris Tucker – Comedy Star of the Year Award
- Nicole Kidman – Distinguished Decade of Achievement in Film Award
- Steven Spielberg – Lifetime Achievement Award
ShoWest Convention 2003
- Sam Mendes – Director of the Year Award
- Alison Lohman – Female Star of Tomorrow Award
- Diane Lane – Female Star of the Year Award
- Fernando Meirelles – International Achievement in Filmmaking Award
- LL Cool J – Male Star of Tomorrow Award
- Adam Sandler – Male Star of the Year Award
- David Heyman – Producer of the Year Award
- Antwone Fisher – Screenwriter of the Year Award
- Christopher Walken – Supporting Actor of the Year Award
- Catherine Zeta-Jones – Supporting Actress of the Year Award
- Chris Wedge – Animation Director of the Year Award
- Brian Grazer – Lifetime Achievement Award
ShoWest Convention 2004
- Jennifer Garner – Female Star of Tomorrow Award
- Halle Berry – Female Star of the Year Award
- Niki Caro – International Filmmaker of the Year Award
- Ryan Gosling – Male Star of Tomorrow Award
- Jude Law – Male Star of the Year Award
- John Davis – Producer of the Year Award
- Djimon Hounsou – Supporting Actor of the Year Award
- Andrew Stanton – Animation Director of the Year Award
- Jack Black – Comedy Star of the Year Award
- Drew Barrymore & Gwyneth Paltrow – Distinguished Decade of Achievement in Film Award
- Lawrence Gordon – Lifetime Achievement Award
ShoWest Convention 2005
- Rob Cohen – Director of the Year Award
- Jessica Biel – Female Star of Tomorrow Award
- Jennifer Aniston – Female Star of the Year Award
- Danny Boyle – International Filmmaker of the Year Award
- Hayden Christensen – Male Star of Tomorrow Award
- Matt Damon – Male Star of the Year Award
- Rachel McAdams – Supporting Actress of the Year Award
- Catalina Sandino Moreno – International Star of the Year Award
- George Lucas – Galactic Achievement Award
ShoWest Convention 2006
ShoWest Convention 2007
ShoWest Convention 2008
ShoWest Convention 2009
ShoWest Convention 2010
ShoWest Convention 2011
ShoWest Convention 2014
Other conventions
The remaining Nielsen Media event properties include CineEurope held in Barcelona, Spain in June, CineAsia held in early December in varying locations throughout Southeast Asia, and ShowEast, held in late October or early November in the Southeastern United States, usually somewhere in the Miami-Dade area.
American Movie Awards
In 1980, NATO initiated the American Movie Awards, held at the Wilshire Theater, Beverly Hills, California, and broadcast on NBC, with the winners selected based on voting by theater patrons.[11] Various legal difficulties prevented the awards from being presented in 1981, and the event was discontinued after the 1982 awards due to competition from other awards shows.
CinemaCon Awards 2011[12]
CinemaCon Awards 2012[12]
- Jennifer Garner – Female Star of the Year Award
- Jeremy Renner – Male Star of the Year Award
- Dwayne Johnson – Action Star of the Year Award
- Anna Faris – Comedy Star of the Year Award
- Chloë Grace Moretz – Female Star of Tomorrow Award
- Taylor Kitsch – Male Star of Tomorrow Award
- Josh Hutcherson – Breakthrough Performer of the Year Award
- Charlize Theron – Distinguished Decade of Achievement in Film Award
- Michelle Pfeiffer – Cinema Icon Award
- Sylvester Stallone – Career Achievement Award
- Judd Apatow – Award of Excellence in Filmmaking
- Timur Bekmambetov – International Filmmaker of the Year Award
- Universal Pictures International's Jack Ledwith – Passepartout Award
- Ted Pedas – NATO Marquee Award
- Delfin Fernandez – International Achievement in Exhibition Award
- Jeffrey Katzenberg – Pioneer of the Year
National Cinema Day
Cinema Foundation, the nonprofit arm of NATO, announced National Cinema Day for September 3, 2022, in which over 3,000 theaters would offer showings for .[13] National Cinema Day occurred again on August 27, 2023, in which 3,000 theaters offered showings for .[14] A similar event was held in the United Kingdom on 3rd September 2023, in which all cinema tickets were £3.
Average U.S. movie ticket price
NATO provides an annual average movie ticket price, in April, each year. In 2019, at $9.16, this stopped, due to Covid closures.[15] In 2022, box office receipts were 66 percent of 2019, yet attendance levels were 55 percent of 2019. In 2022, IndieWire concluded that average movie ticket prices rose, at least 20 percent, to $11, based on the 2022 second-quarter AMC Theatres earnings call which stated a 22 percent ticket revenue rise compared to the 2019 second-quarter.[16]
See also
External links
Notes and References
- News: Merger Approved by Theater Owners. The New York Times. September 9, 1965. 15.
- Web site: In Focus Magazine Archive . National Association of Theatre Owners . https://web.archive.org/web/20130302030028/http://www.natoonline.org/infocusarchive.htm . 2013-03-02.
- Web site: Register of the National Association of Theatre Owners, 1946-1978 . Brigham Young University .
- Web site: SIC 7832 MOTION PICTURE THEATERS, EXCEPT DRIVE-IN . Reference for Business: Encyclopedia of American Industries .
- Book: Overpeck, Deron . Out of the Dark: American Film Exhibition, Political Action and Industrial Change, 1966-1986 . 2007 . 9780549407348 .
- NITE slates Sept 23-24 Confab in Kansas City . Boxoffice . 18 . 107 . August 11, 1975 .
- United States of America v. Loew's Incorporated, et al. . 882 . F.2d . 29 . 2d Cir. . 1989 . http://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/882/29/207468/.
- http://www.cinemacon.com/ CinemaCon
- Web site: Nielsen Film Group. 2008-08-17. https://web.archive.org/web/20120801022333/http://www.showest.com/filmexpo/index.jsp. 2012-08-01. dead.
- Web site: Pedersen . Erik . D'Alessandro . Anthony . CinemaCon Canceled Amid Coronavirus Fears . Deadline . 12 March 2020 . March 11, 2020.
- Web site: IMDb.com. American MovieAwards: Awards Summary: Marquee. Internet Movie Database. 2008-08-17.
- http://www.cinemacon.com/media/press-release/2011/ "2011 Press Releases"
- Web site: Wilkinson . Alissa . September 1, 2022 . Why movie tickets will be $3 across America this Saturday . September 3, 2022 . Vox.
- Web site: Rubin . Rebecca . August 21, 2023 . National Cinema Day Returns With Movie Tickets Under $4 on Sunday . August 21, 2023 . Variety.
- Web site: Annual Average U.S. Ticket Price . . 28 January 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230113160955/https://www.natoonline.org/data/ticket-price/ . 2023-01-13 . 27 August 2013.
- News: Brueggemann . Tom . The Average Movie Ticket Price Is Now $11. Why Is That a Secret? . 28 January 2023 . . 4 October 2022 . en.