Meet the Specialty Distributor That Brings ‘Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey,’ the Metropolitan Opera, Faith-Based Series and More to Multiplexes
variety.comCynthia Littleton Business Editor When Ray Nutt took the reins of Fathom Events as CEO in 2017, the first thing he decided to change was the nomenclature used to describe the titles that the company distributes to hundreds of theaters around the U.S. “Alternative content” was the short-hand description used for the projects handled by the Denver-based distributor that is owned by the nation’s three largest exhibition chains: AMC Entertainment, Regal Cinemas and Cinemark.
Nutt, a veteran exhibition and cable TV executive, explains in the latest episode of Variety‘s “Strictly Business” podcast that the wording was too vague, in his view. “We started to transition into what we’re calling now ‘event cinema,’ ” Nutt says.
He points to developments in technology and production hardware that has lowered the barrier of entry to producing high-end content.
But getting it distributed in multipexes around the country is still a high bar. Fathom Events offers one-stop-shopping for indie producers who have content that makes sense for the big screen but doesn’t warrant a massive wide release plan.
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