Marcus Theatres, the Midwest-based movie theater chain that is the fourth-largest circuit in America, had quietly not screened A24 movies for several months over film terms the theater deemed “economically unviable,” but that standoff has officially come to an end, IndieWire has learned.
While Marcus Theatres played “Backrooms” to great success, the indie distributor’s other summer titles, including “The Invite,” “Tony,” and most recently “Onslaught” did not play in their theaters, and it was up in the air as to whether “Primetime” would play in the venues next weekend as planned. The last A24 movie to be advertised through Marcus was “The Death of Robin Hood” this June.
On Thursday, a Marcus Theatres spokesperson told IndieWire they are “pleased to share that they and A24 have come to terms that are mutually agreeable.” Additionally, “Primetime” tickets will go on sale at Marcus Theatres imminently.
As IndieWire was originally reporting this story, the Marcus rep earlier described A24’s film terms as “economically unviable” before a deal was ultimately reached. As A24’s output and theatrical success has grown in recent years with films like “Backrooms” and “Marty Supreme,” so too have its terms, even as it remains an independent distributor releasing specialized titles.
However, a similar disagreement currently remains between A24 and Harkins Theatres, which is a Southwestern chain with 33 locations. IndieWire confirmed A24 does not currently have a deal with Harkins either, but that talks are ongoing. Harkins did not respond to multiple requests for comment, but told the local outlet Arizona Family, “Unfortunately, we were not able to secure mutually agreeable terms with A24 to present their films at this time. We are disappointed that this is the outcome and we apologize for the inconvenience this may cause our guests.”
Marcus Theatres is one of the partners with the AAA24 membership, which provides tickets to A24 titles. In many cases, Marcus is one of the only options to many theater-goers in the Midwest, so anyone who has been a member has been left out of luck. A24 had not experienced any issues with member complaints as yet, but the films’ absence has been a discussion topic on Reddit and other forums as the problem has persisted.
It’s possible that “Tony,” “The Invite,” and “Onslaught,” all films that opened in limited release initially and are more specialized releases than “Backrooms” or “Primetime,” may not have played at Marcus or Harkins regardless. Marcus tends to get more of its business through family-friendly title, though the chain has played and advertised many films this summer from Neon, Sony Pictures Classics, Magnolia, and others.
While “Backrooms” is poised to surpass $400 million globally this summer, titles like “The Invite” and “Tony” haven’t exactly been small. Olivia Wilde’s comedy “The Invite” has earned $55.6 million worldwide, and “Tony,” the Anthony Bourdain biopic, has made $17.8 million.
