BREAKING… EXCLUSIVE: CinemaCon underway now in Las Vegas gives the impression that the Hollywood 
studios are buddy-buddy with the movie exhibitors. But there’s a frenemies drama unfolding there. I’ve learned that a number of movie theater circuits are refusing to put tickets on sale for Iron Man 3 even though its one of this summer’s most anticipated hits when it opens May 3rd. That because Disney decided to leverage the film in order to renegotiate the studio’s future terms with the chains beginning with this humongous Marvel blockbuster. I’m told that AMC, one of the America’s largest exhibitors, is among those holding out even though the Robert Downey Jr movie opens wide in North America in just 17 days. Distributors tell me Disney hasn’t negotiated its terms with the movie chains in several years – not even for Summer 2012′s huge tentpole The Avengers – so the studio thinks it’s due for a new overall deal on future Disney titles. Those include not just Marvel sequels but also LucasFilm‘s new Star Wars series as well as Pixar toons. The result is that a number of circuits are refusing to put IM3 tickets on sale until there is an accord. That’s why Disney right now is in Las Vegas bargaining with the exhibition community, some of whose chains are pushing back. Ticket presales are increasingly important to blockbuster opening weekends. (Interestingly, AMC held Marvel movie marathons as part of the Disney hype machine before that pic opened. And scheduled Iron Man marathons for May 2nd this time, too.) When will the impasse be broken? My sources among distributors and exhibitors expect a fast resolution to this impasse “because these things always get worked out” especially with the clock ticking. Indeed it’s not unusual for Hollywood studios to renegotiate their terms on the eve of the release of a hot movie. And it doesn't get much hotter than Iron Man 3 which is projected to earn a staggering $125+ million during its premiere 3-day non-holiday weekend.
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