{"id":7998915,"date":"2026-04-13T14:58:45","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T21:58:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/?p=7998915"},"modified":"2026-04-13T15:30:20","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T22:30:20","slug":"angel-studiocanal-and-sony-pictures-classics-urge-theaters-to-broaden-their-horizons-at-cinemacon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/industry-news\/business\/angel-studiocanal-and-sony-pictures-classics-urge-theaters-to-broaden-their-horizons-at-cinemacon\/","title":{"rendered":"Angel, StudioCanal and Sony Pictures Classics Urge Theaters to Broaden Their Horizons at CinemaCon"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n

As part of what might become a new tradition at CinemaCon, Cinema United invited three film distributors outside of Hollywood’s mainstream — Angel, StudioCanal and Sony Pictures Classics — to present their upcoming films to theaters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Films released by these companies don’t just fill our screens. They build audiences, audiences that become voracious and curious and eager for something unique or exciting and fun, quirky, thought provoking, yes, maybe even edgy,” said Tori Baker, film producer and President\/CEO of the Salt Lake Film Society. “They deepen the love of motion pictures, and they tell stories that feel intimate and human and that’s personal, showing us a new way to see the world.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The presentation comes as movie theaters — particularly smaller chains and family-owned locations — are looking for ways to expand the types of films they offer to their customers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Cinema United CEO Michael O’Leary told TheWrap<\/a> that the addition of this presentation was not done in direct response to the potential Paramount-Warner Bros. merger, the ongoing consolidation in Hollywood threatens to reduce the number of films theaters have to screen right at a time when that volume has been rising, increasing optimism for a potential $10 billion domestic box office in 2026. <\/p>\n\n\n

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\n\t\t\tRead Next<\/strong>
\n\t\t\tCinema United Chief Michael O'Leary Talks CinemaCon, Mergers and Winning the Windowing Battle<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

With movies like Angel’s “David<\/a>” and Markiplier’s “Iron Lung” becoming recent breakout independent successes, theaters are becoming more open to screening films from outside the Hollywood system. Meanwhile, international films like Neon’s “No Other Choice” and GKids’ “Godzilla Minus One” are slowly developing a new generation of arthouse moviegoers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

During its time onstage, Angel presented a slate that shows its next steps in trying to expand beyond its core faith-based audience. While the studio still has films for that core audience like “Zero A.D.,” a biblical epic from “Sound of Freedom” director Alejandro Monteverde coming this Christmas, there’s also broader fare like a remake of the John Wayne western “Angel and the Badman”<\/a> starring Zachary Levi, Neal McDonough and Tommy Lee Jones, which will likely try to court older moviegoers when it hits theaters in October.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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