Paramount Wants to Get Moviegoers Back to Theaters. Here’s What It Has on Deck

Paramount Pictures' president of domestic distribution spoke Thursday about focusing on the long-term health of the movie business.
He called on the industry to explore new ticket pricing options as theater admissions decline and ticket prices continue to inflate.
"We can't create any friction that prevents audiences from coming to see our movies in your theaters," Chris Aronson said at CinemaCon in Vegas.

Paramount Pictures is upping the theatrics.

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Chris Aronson, president of domestic distribution for the studio, demonstrated as much Thursday, kicking off Paramount's studio presentation at CinemaCon by rising through the stage through a sewer grate.

Aronson, donning an orange eye mask a la Michelangelo from "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" and carrying a pizza box, told an audience at Caesar's Palace in Vegas that studios and exhibitors need to focus "on the long-term health of our business" rather than short-term gains.

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"We've got a lot of work to do to get us to where we need to be," he said. "We can't create any friction that prevents audiences from coming to see our movies in your theaters. Let's listen to the consumer and give them the experience that they want and the one that they deserve."

Aronson poked fun at AMC's in-theater marketing featuring Nicole Kidman, as well as the theater owner's dynamic pricing model, which it launched in February, calling on the industry to explore new ticket pricing options as theater admissions decline and ticket prices continue to inflate.

"Let's work together to get it right," Aronson said. "Pave the way for more moviegoers to come to see our movies. And, of course, we want to keep up our end of the bargain, which means delivering you unparalleled big screen entertainment."