John Fithian, the CEO and president of National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) who guided members through a conveyor belt of existential threats to the exhibition sector, will retire as the top US cinema lobbyist on May 1, 2023.
Fithian has served NATO for 30 years. Popular with his constituents, distributors and reporters on the trade beat, he continues to work with the industry to steer theatre owners through the pandemic and address ongoing issues such as co-existing alongside streamers and the preservation of the theatrical release window.
NATO’s executive board has begun a search process for Fithian’s successor. The group is the largest exhibition trade organisation in the world and represents more than 35,000 screens in all 50 states, and more than 32,000 additional screens in 101 countries worldwide.
Launching CinemaCon
Fithian initially worked with NATO as outside counsel in 1992 and joined the group as president in 2000. In 2010-2011 he played a key role in the launch on CinemaCon, exhibition’s annual Las Vegas convention.
When the industry grappled with the transition to digital cinema Fithian and his colleagues collaborated with the studios to establish guidelines and voiced the need for technical standards. The talks resulted in the establishment of virtual print fees, whereby distributors assumed the bulk of conversion costs given the savings they would make in print costs.
In the early stages of the pandemic in 2020 US cinemas were forced to close their doors and in some cases did not reopen until a year later. NATO developed safety protocols with epidemiologists as cinemas sought to reopen. It also lobbied state and local governments on re-opening and on tax and grant relief for exhibitors of all sizes, and lobbied the federal government to protect tax benefits and create a grant programme for smaller and mid-size companies.
Protecting windows
Throughout his tenure the NATO executive has aligned himself with protecting theatrical release windows, working year-round and using his annual platform at CinemaCon to advocate for exhibition’s unique selling point and the role of windows in mitigating the effects of piracy.
The policy has been of paramount importance to the group over the past decade as the rise of streaming forced exhibitors and the industry at large to reassess their business models. The issue came into even sharper focus during the pandemic, when windows were slashed from 75 days or more to around 30 days.
In April Fithian sounded a pragmatic note on co-existing with streamers, telling reporters at CinemaCon: ”[Co-CEO] Ted Sarandos knows movies and television probably better than anyone else in Hollywood…our door is open for bigger, broader plays of Netflix movies if that’s the way they want to go.”
Last week the streamer announced it had struck an unprecedented deal with the top three North American circuits – AMC, Cineworld-owned Regal and Cinemark – on an exclusive one-week theatrical release for Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery starting on November 23 for Thanksgiving, one month before the film hits the service. While Cinemark has carried Netflix theatrical releases before, this marks the first time all three exhibitors are on board. A similar theatrical run has been set in the UK with Vue International and Cineworld, and the film will play in other countries.
Under the auspices of NATO’s donor-supported charitable non-profit The Cinema Foundation headed by Jackie Brenneman, US audiences sampled their first National Cinema Day over Labor Day weekend in September, when tickets at participating venues cost $3.
Colleagues pay respect
“It is nearly impossible to sum up a career of three decades in a few sentences,” said Fithian. “I will leave that to others. But my highest goal was always to leave this organisation and this industry stronger and more effective than I found it – and more importantly – to ensure that it remains strong and effective after I am gone. The professional and experienced staff I leave behind and the culture of service we have built together is a legacy to be proud of.”
“John’s impact on the movie theater industry is profound and lasting,” said NATO chairman Rolando Rodriguez. “Whether in Hollywood, Washington DC, or internationally, NATO’s reach and effectiveness as an advocate for the movie theater industry has grown and sharpened under John’s leadership. We have big shoes to fill, and we offer John our profoundest thanks for all his years of service.”
In a statement issued on Monday evening Motion Picture Association chairman and CEO Charles Rivkin said, “John Fithian’s name has been synonymous with movie theatre owners for decades. For more than 20 years, John has led the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) with a unique blend of business acumen, passion and creativity.
”Since joining the Motion Picture Association (MPA) in 2017, it’s been my personal privilege to work closely with John on so many issues important to our inter-connected industries. He has become a trusted partner and friend, and I will miss him when he retires next year. While it’s difficult to imagine NATO without John at the helm, I have every confidence that the NATO team will select an impressive successor, and I look forward to continuing the productive relationship that has always existed between our two great organisations.”
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