April 2025 didn’t exactly start out as we envisioned, but there were still a lot of forced smiles and optimism at CinemaCon in Las Vegas at the beginning of the month, followed by more of the same the following week at NAB. How much fun, “excitement” can the film/show industry stand? It started with Cinema United’s (new name for National Association of Theater Owners, or NATO) CEO Mike O’Leary drawing a weak line in the sand, saying that a 45-day theatrical window was the absolute minimum they needed to ensure a film’s box-office success and meet consumers’ demands.
Sure, industry observer Stephen Follows has recently noted that the traditional theatrical industry continues to shrink along with broadcast TV, while streaming is just hitting its stride, using cinemas primarily as a way to build buzz, qualify for awards, and maximize viewer reach/revenue.
Speaking to the “hometown” issue, MPA’s (Motion Picture Association’s) Charles Rivkin encouraged studios/filmmakers to bring production back to the US despite the uncertainty of political fog. In a recent report, Follows noted the UK and EU film/show production industries were experiencing a record boom—up 31%—largely due to the US streaming firms’ global project commitment, which is good for local studios and creative/production teams but tough for mid-budget projects and indies.
Because of hybrid distribution, AI-driven production, and industry reinvention, which Follows emphasized is well underway, we took a closer look at these areas at NAB this past week.
As you would expect, you couldn’t turn around on the show floor without bumping into some company that didn’t have the definitive AI-enabled solution. Most of the folks didn’t know what flavor of AI they were using—OpenAI, Microsoft, AWS, IBM, Cohere, Meta, H2O.ai, Palantir, DeepSeek…—but they had the answer. The problem was hardware or software folks were suddenly not certain exactly when the stuff would be delivered and what the cost will be.
More important, there is a sharp disagreement as to how much AI is too much. Ask the AI peddlers and they’ll say, while appealing to studios, that they can do it all, better, quicker… and less expensively. Talk to the reputable hardware/software firms that support the tens of thousands of creatives around the world, and they’ll say just enough to get rid of the tedious, boring stuff.
We spent our time with the latter because we think only people can deliver emotion-packed creativity. Of course, NAB was supposed to be a time you could see the stuff, ask when it will be delivered, and inquire as to how much it will cost. Cost suddenly became a “soft” subject. After all, someone got the dumb idea that “tariffs are a beautiful thing,” and no one talked about cost. But the industry will get past this—it always has!