$MCS

Domestic Box Office Poised for Continued Momentum After May Beat, B. Riley Says

Domestic box office performance in May was stronger than expected, likely boding well for this month, with AMC Entertainment (AMC), Cinemark (CNK), and Marcus (MCS) seen as beneficiaries, B. Riley Securities said Monday.Preliminary figures for last month show box office collections of $1.06 billion, up 9% year over year and ahead of the brokerage's $890 million forecast."We believe it was ahead of market expectations, providing added confidence in near-term estimates and the summer slate," B. Riley Managing Director Drew Crum said in a note to clients. "A stronger June slate headlined by 'Toy Story 5,' plus an easier comp, suggests further positive momentum is plausible."B. Riley sees AMC, Cinemark and Marcus among the beneficiaries, according to the note.AMC shares were up nearly 14% in Monday afternoon trade, while Cinemark jumped 11%. Marcus rose 3.6%.The latest box office performance reflects carryover from April movies like Amazon (AMZN) MGM-distributed film "Project Hail Mary," and "Michael," as well as a solid sequel debut for "The Devil Wears Prada 2," and a strong opening weekend for A24's YouTube-inspired horror phenomenon "Backrooms," B. Riley said.The brokerage expects May box office performance to be issued this week, including a global total from Imax (IMAX) and separately a figure from Cineplex offering a read on the Canadian market, according to the note.B. Riley projects June domestic box office collections at $1 billion, which would mark a 20% annual gain amid an easier prior-year comparison and other upcoming high-profile titles like Amazon MGM's "Masters of the Universe" and Paramount's (PSKY) "Scary Movie."Box office performance will potentially be offset by the FIFA World Cup 2026, which kicks off June 11, according to the brokerage.Price: $1.96, Change: $+0.23, Percent Change: +13.01%