Boutique cinema chain Everyman Media Group PLC (AIM:EMAN) has its work cut out for it at its upcoming interim earnings call.
The group returned to profit in 2022 after bruising losses in 2021, but concerns are still rife in showbusiness, particularly with ongoing Hollywood strikes casting a shadow over pending releases.
Coupled with cash-strapped Brits amid the cost-of-living crisis and ongoing inflationary pressures – not to mention Cineworld’s Chapter 11 – and Everyman is far from out of the woods.
Furthermore, Everyman’s reporting period falls outside of the billion-dollar blockbuster Barbenheimer weekend, leaving the burden of admission volumes to the likes of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Super Mario Bros., John Wick 4 and Fast X.
Prior to Barbie, Super Mario Bros. was the highest-grossing film of 2023.
In a trading update posted on 18 August, Everyman reported interim revenues of £38.3 million, slightly down from £40.7 million in the same period in 2022, while EBITDA was £5.8 million, £1.7 million lower than the same period last year.
Three new venues opened in the reporting period, so stakeholders will be keen to see what their footfall was like.
Most importantly will be forward guidance. Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour is the most hotly anticipated release, and is tipped to be the saviour of an otherwise lacklustre fall lineup. Particularly with Dune: Part Two delayed due to Hollywood strikes.
Results are due on Wednesday, 27 September.