Sony Pictures Chief Tom Rothman Declares Moviegoing Is Back at Lumière Summit

Moviegoing has returned because movies are culturally relevant again, Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group Chairman and CEO Tom Rothman declared Monday during a keynote conversation at the Lumière Summit in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, France. The gathering, hosted by the French government, convened film and content industry leaders from more than 60 countries near Nice.

“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” Powers Historic Summer Box Office

Since its July 31 release, Spider-Man: Brand New Day has generated a staggering $2.4 billion at the global box office, including $923 million domestically. Addressing the film’s performance, Rothman quipped, First of all, I can’t be wrong all the time. It’s against the law of averages.

On a more serious note, he added, For a result like that to happen, everything has to work perfectly. Rothman credited an incredibly talented team, highlighting star Tom Holland, who has been our partner in this for over a decade now, as well as the support of Disney and Marvel.

Why Audiences Connected: A “Super-Person” Story

Explaining the film’s worldwide resonance, Rothman told Variety Co-Editor in Chief Cynthia Littleton that Brand New Day is not so much a superhero film, but ‘super-person’ film. The reason that movie has resonated all around the world is because it’s about a lonely guy… It’s like yeah, it’s about friendship. It’s very human. It’s very emotional. He continued, It’s got plenty of whiz-bang, but that’s not what the secret is. The secret is it’s a relatable story that almost everybody has related to.

The film was built around the emotional life of Peter Parker following the narrative reset at the end of 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Broad Summer Slate Signals Industry Recovery

Rothman pointed to Universal Pictures’ The Odyssey, Focus Features’ Obsession, and Disney’s Toy Story 5 as proof that audiences will flock to theaters for the right properties. For the first time since the dual blows of COVID-19 shutdowns and the 2023 writers and actors strikes, the industry has enjoyed a steady rollout of strong films across diverse genres — not limited to superheroes.

Referring to the summit’s opening session, where French President Emmanuel Macron and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung unveiled a $1.16 billion entertainment industry financing partnership, Rothman joked, We had three presidents today: The president of France, the president of Korea. And you have Mr. Clooney, the president of Hollywood — gesturing to George Clooney, seated in the front row.

Reports of Theatrical’s Death “Greatly Exaggerated”

Alluding to Mark Twain, Rothman said this summer demonstrated that the death of the theatrical business has been greatly exaggerated. Movies were cool, he stated. They became cultural again… because they were culturally significant.

He singled out Obsession, a low-budget horror film reportedly made for $700,000 that has earned nearly $510 million globally. It’s a misnomer that young people won’t go to movies, Rothman said of the film’s success.

Sony Missed on “Obsession,” But Congratulates Focus Features

Sony Pictures was outbid for Curry Barker’s Obsession by a couple million dollars by Universal’s Focus Features, which reportedly paid $14 million for the rights. I was outraged, Rothman joshed. I would like to have that moment back. I congratulate the worthy opposition.

Global Strategy: Specificity Drives Universality

Discussing Sony’s global film business, Rothman noted that Netflix was brave enough at the time to finance the animated musical K-Pop Demon Hunters, which has become the streamer’s most-viewed film ever. That is a deeply Korean, culturally relevant film, he said.

The key to a globally resonant film or series, according to Rothman, is cultural specificity. Specificity leads to universality, he said. I have seen it many times in my career. He cited Sony’s growing Japanese anime business as another example: and it does great.

Stories are the things that… become our cultural heritage, said Rothman.

Rothman’s Tenure at Sony Pictures

Rothman joined Sony Pictures in 2013 as chairman of TriStar Pictures, was promoted to chairman of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group in February 2015, and assumed the chairman/CEO role in 2021. He previously led Fox Filmed Entertainment from 2000 to 2012.