Over 12 weeks since its premiere on local movie charts, the much-anticipated “Bob Marley One Love” film now ranks third for record attendance. Despite this achievement, cinema operator Palace Amusement Company Limited is considering ending its run soon.
The Paramount biopic on the legendary Bob Marley has attracted approximately 81,574 viewers across Palace cinemas, particularly at the Carib 5 theatre in Cross Roads, St Andrew. It trails behind the 2018 and 2022 “Black Panther” blockbusters in attendance.
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“We are very pleased with the film’s performance,” said a Palace senior director. “Despite mixed reviews, it has met expectations, and we hope for another release next month.”
While the movie has generated significant business, including a world premiere attended by international celebrities, financial details remain undisclosed. “We believe this may be its final run, though we’ll keep it available through the Labour Day holiday, hoping for a slight boost in attendance,” the director added.
The film has achieved record receipts estimated at US$100,000 and has become one of the island’s biggest opening day successes, according to Paramount. Since its February 14 release, the one-hour, 47-minute film has grossed over US$177 million worldwide, ranking as the ninth highest-grossing film of 2024 in the US. Its production costs exceeded US$70 million.
Palace Amusement is steadily recovering from the pandemic’s financial impact and recent Hollywood writers’ strikes. “We’re not yet back to 100%, but normality is returning. Writers anticipate full industry recovery by 2025 and are working on developing quality films,” the director noted.
The cinema operator is optimistic about the summer lineup, including films like “Garfield” and “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” in May, “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” “Inside Out 2,” and “A Quiet Place” in June, and “Despicable Me 4,” “Twisters 2,” and “Deadpool and Wolverine” in July. These releases are expected to support Palace’s path to full recovery, helping pay down debt and increase revenue streams.
“We had a strong run with ‘One Love,’ but recent releases, mostly horrors, haven’t been big sellers in this market. Our patrons prefer action films. Despite a slow last month, we see signs of improvement,” the director stated. “We’re also working on introducing 4DX technology and hope to announce developments soon.”
Palace remains hopeful, believing that quality films will draw audiences. “We remind our patrons that we not only show movies but also rent our space for corporate events, launches, birthday parties, and other activities. We encourage them to take advantage of these offerings,” the director concluded.
For the nine-month period ending March 31, 2024, Palace reported over $1.1 billion in revenues and $123.4 million in profit—$120 million more than the same period last year. Of this, $410.8 million in revenue and $16.6 million in profit were earned in the last three months.
