Movie Theater Trade Group’s Rebrand Looks to the Future After Box Office Struggles

[Harold Hallikainen]

Movie Theater Trade Group’s Rebrand Looks to the Future After Box Office Struggles

https://www.movieguide.org/news-arti...ma-united.html

NATO no more. The theater organization rebranded as the movie industry moves forward.

The new name, Cinema United, is a far cry from the National Association of Theatre Owners or NATO, which many confused with the governmental agency NATO (the North Atlantic Treaty Organization).

“It can be a little complicated having the same name as a multinational military alliance,” Cinema United president and CEO Michael O’Leary explained. “We felt that it was time to look at our name and do a rebrand.”

According to AP News, the organization represents more than 32,000 movie screens across the U.S. and over 30,000 screens in 88 countries.

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The group also unveiled a new moto: “Moviegoing is Our Mission.”

“We’ve had a challenging four or five years,” O’Leary said. “But with each passing day, we put those challenges in the rearview mirror a little bit more. Our focus right now is on the future. I think that we stand on the precipice of the next great era of cinema.”

Movie theater attendance has been in decline in recent years, first because of the COVID pandemic and, more recently, because of the 2023 industry strikes and streaming’s boom. In 2024, the domestic box office’s $8.7 billion take marked a 3.3% decrease from 2023 and a shocking 23.5% drop since 2019.

But Cinema United will keep its focus on the future.

“Cinema United is a celebration of who we are as an industry, but more importantly, where we’re headed,” O’Leary said. “The people we represent are constantly innovating and creating unparalleled experiences for fans who love movies on the big screen. Their passion, energy and commitment are the real power behind the Cinema United brand.”

“Cinema United will remind people of the magic of seeing a movie on the big screen,” added Bob Bagby, B&B Theaters CEO and chairman of the organization’s executive board. “Our industry is fully dedicated to ensuring that the theatrical experience remains the premier entertainment option for millions of fans around the world.”

READ MORE: ARE THEATERS RECOVERING FROM LAST YEAR’S STRIKES?

[Mike Blakesley]

I think this is a good thing. It'll focus some positive attention on the industry and we can get rid of the "NATO" logo which does indeed cause confusion, and/or jokes.

Every year it's the same thing - I get discouraged at this time of year because things are slow. When I get to thinking the bottom is dropping out, I just think back only 3 months ago when we were having sellout after sellout with "Moana 2." Things always pick back up. I'm glad "CU" will be promoting the positive angle.

[Tim Androes]

i wanna be first....CU At The Movies

[Tony Bandiera Jr]

While I agree that NATO was not the best acronym for the reasons they acknowledge...seriously, "Cinema United" was the best they could come up with?

It's better than Cinema United National Theatres, but this is so lackluster of a switch it is appalling. (I picture Patrick Stewart saying "I am appalled." in his signature Picard intonation.)

For an industry whose sole purpose is to provide imaginative entertainment, they really need to come up with a new name that doesn't sound like some mail-in ersatz University.

This is a lesson in branding done WRONG, without any real thought or creativity. Maybe we, for the rest of this thread, can suggest better names......

[Tony Bandiera Jr]

i wanna be first....CU At The Movies

I think a theatre chain used that in the 80's..I thought it was United Artists, but they used "Escape to the Movies":

[Ryan Gallagher]

I can’t wait to see Cinemas United vs Manchester United on the pitch. ;-)

[Mike Blakesley]

Maybe we, for the rest of this thread, can suggest better names......

When I first heard they were going to rename the organization, I started thinking about what I would name it if I was in charge. I couldn't really come up with anything. I always thought they should drop the "national" since they are a worldwide organization, but the word "association" is kind of stodgy, too.

I agree they really needed something more hip, but with the amount of money it takes to rebrand anything, we are probably stuck with Cinema United for the next 20 or 30 years.

[Bobby Henderson]

I've always thought the "NATO" brand was an obvious problem. But I don't know what purpose doing a name change serves at this particular time when there are more urgent concerns.

The executives and other "deciders" in the cinema industry need to be trying as hard as they can to convince the Hollywood movie studios that their business model isn't going to work without a theatrical platform. Changing a trade organization's name does little for that effort. The shitty situation movie studios have handed to cinemas simply cannot be sustained. Theaters are going to keep closing. Some parts of the US have already turned into cinema deserts, where people have to drive a half hour or more to find the nearest theater. That situation will spread if movie studios keep up current practices. If enough theaters close the entire platform will collapse due to supporting businesses ending production lines of industry-specific goods -such as cinema quality digital projectors.

A movie that doesn't have any sort of theatrical release is a TV show. Plain and simple. Without cinemas those movie studios will just be TV production companies selling content to broadcast networks or streaming services. Forget retail discs; that platform is sadly dying, thanks to more movie studio idiocy.

[Mark Gulbrandsen]

Well, if they don't start releasing some decent movies pretty soon, even this industry associan name change isn't going to matter!! Except for a handful of movies, last year was pretty dreary, and lots of theaters are also staying dreary.

[Mike Blakesley]

Summer of 2026 looks quite good. There's going to be a "Mandalorian" movie (Star Wars universe). I just wish the "mainstream" would start embracing original movies again. All they seem to come out for is sequels. How do we make a non-sequel (or non-superhero) movie into an "event" again?

There seems to be a huge amount of buzz for "Minecraft" next week, so that's a positive.