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Two movie chains refuse to extend Unplanned’s Canadian run despite sold-out venues
Despite the pro-life movie Unplanned’s “shocking” box office numbers during its Canadian debut, Canada’s biggest movie chains — Cineplex and Landmark — won’t be extending its weeklong run past Thursday.
It’s a decision Cary Solomon, who with Chuck Konzelman wrote, directed and produced Unplanned, finds “absurd” and “incomprehensible.”
“Cineplex and Landmark have decided that they are not going to keep showing the movie. Now I would ask you, what business that has a full house suddenly decides that they’re going to stop business?” Solomon told LifeSiteNews.
“So if this isn’t political, if this isn’t agenda motivated — I mean it’s absurd,” he said. “You’re in the movie business to sell tickets.”
LifeSiteNews contacted both chains and Cineplex declined comment, other than to point to the open letter by CEO Ellis Jacob defending the corporation’s decision to screen Unplanned for a week. Landmark did not respond by deadline...
Cineplex screened Unplanned in 14 venues for a week, and Landmark in seven, in the midst of a firestorm of controversy in which Canadian abortion advocates, media, and Liberal staffers and politicians warned the movie was dangerous propaganda.
Unplanned surpassed expectations, bringing in $352,000 in its opening weekend at 49 reported Canadian theatres, a trend that continued during the week. Box-office numbers were $95,000 Monday, $95,000 Tuesday and a whopping $112,000 on Wednesday, Konzelman told LifeSiteNews.
“The numbers are shocking,” Solomon said. “Every day we’re getting the same numbers, which is unbelievable. It basically means most of the theatres are maxing out.”
Unplanned had the second highest per-screen average in North America after Spiderman, McKelvie told LifeSiteNews, and he expects more independents will sign up next week when they see the box-office results.
“These numbers are really going to help,” he said.
While Cineplex and Landmark are not extending the run, they are allowing buyouts at their theatres, he said. In fact, all 1,300 seats in eight theatres at the Landmark Grand 10 in Kelowna have been purchased for an August 3 screening.
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