Cue the Credits: A Year with Fathom Entertainment

From Sandworms on Arrakis, an adventure too weird for words, the courageous story behind the man who made us all believe he could fly, and exploring the miracle of the Eucharist, 2024 marked a significant milestone in our history. We, alongside you, were captivated by the iconic classics, nostalgic animation, groundbreaking theatrical experiences, and inspiring stories that made this year another record-breaking year for Fathom [1].

We laughed, cried, loved, and rediscovered the magic of the movies, continuing our focus on special engagements. While the film industry was still recovering from the booms and bust of last year, with blockbuster films such as Deadpool & Wolverine, Dune: Part Two, Wicked, and Inside Out 2 dominating the box office, the resurgence of legacy films became the star this year for moviegoers, who enjoyed seeing their favorite movies on the big screen. With the credits about to roll on this incredible year, we wanted to celebrate the timeless tradition of retrospective and spotlight the amazing moments that made this year so special. So, sit back, relax, and as Doc reminded us again in Back to the Future Part II: where we’re going, we don’t need roads!

Celebrated Classics

2024 marked 20 years of re-releasing classics to theatres nationwide. Fathom’s Big Screen Classics started somewhere over the rainbow for The Wizard of Oz’s 85^th anniversary. The yellow brick road kicked off a series filled with the bona fide fashionista Miss Piggy and burn book confessions. L.B. Jefferies taught us a thing or two about spying on our neighbors, we returned to a quiet little redneck mountain town and reunited with Irving Berlin’s music for a very White Christmas celebration. Bringing these classics to the big screen is in our DNA, and we loved seeing all the wonderful memories each of you shared on our socials about this year’s Big Screen Classics.

Additionally, The Fellowship of the Ring embarked on their epic journey to destroy the ring in the fires of Mount Doom, with Frodo’s adventure uniting families, fans, and new viewers to Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. We had a close encounter with extraterrestrials near Devils Tower and got lost in David Lean’s masterpiece Lawrence of Arabia to celebrate Columbia Pictures’ 100^th anniversary.

Even Marty McFly and Doc returned to the big screen in Back to the Future Part II, which saw a host of DeLoreans and time-traveling cosplayers make their way to theatres nationwide to celebrate its 35th anniversary.

Keanu Reeves came back in style with the 25^th anniversary of The Matrix and the 10^th anniversary of John Wick, reminding us all why you don’t f**K with Baba Yaga’s dog. David Lynch’s Dune brought the spectacular journey through the wonders of space and the mysteries of the Arrakis spice trade to the big screen. Jigsaw celebrated his 20^th anniversary with an unrated theatrical release of Saw that tested even the bravest of hearts, sparking interesting debates over just how bloody this version of the film would be.

Overall, the demand, passion, and community created around classic films was felt this year and we could not be more thankful for the memories we created along the way.

Nostalgic Animation

Radish spirits, Gundams, the silver-haired men, and a return to the Pink Palace Apartments filled our imaginations and reignited audience’s love for classic animation. Coraline soared to new heights as it became our highest grossing film of all time, recording $34 million at the box office. The constant support and overwhelming love for stop-motion animation warmed our hearts and permeated into our socials, where our digital team had fun creating viral moments and sharing your fits for the screenings.

Studio Ghibli Fest reintroduced viewers to the collective works of Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, whisking us away into the artistry and immersive realism of their films. We were mesmerized by the watercolor-like aesthetic of The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, we reunited with Howl and Sophie for their 20th anniversary, and revisited the Valley of the Wind with Princess Nausicaä for her 40th anniversary.

We celebrated the wonderful life of manga artist Akira Toriyama with a world English dub premiere of the first three episodes of Dragon Ball Daima, which united anime fans nationwide. Got lost in the rich world of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete, explored Gurren Lagann, and joined the fight in Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Freedom.

Animation continues to be one of our most cherished fan bases, and we look forward to bringing even more of your favorites to the big screen in 2025.

Theatrical Firsts

It’s hard to imagine a historic 20^th birthday without an incredible lineup of theatrical firsts. The Chosen Season 4 was the first time an entire television series was released in theatres, grossing over $32 million at the box office. The rich story not only stays true to the authenticity of the bible but adds a fresh perspective that restores faith through the drama.

Tim Moriarty, Jim Wahlberg, and Stefan Slovak brought a compelling film about the transformative power of the Eucharist and its significance to Catholicism in Jesus Thirsts: The Miracle of the Eucharist. The theatrical first saw an overwhelming amount of support for the screenings, and our YouTube segment Fathom This! premiered an incredible interview with Jim Wahlberg, who stated that his favorite theatrical experience was seeing Dirty Harry on the big screen.

The Childlike Emperess made her long-awaited return to the silver screen alongside Bilbo Bagins, Ben Linus, and Dr. Emmett Brown in Man and Witch: The Dance of a Thousand Steps. Christopher Reeve’s story touched our hearts as we rediscovered the man who made us all believe he could fly in the documentary Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story, which won six Critics Choice Awards®! We went back to Ashdown where Pooh, Tigger, and Owl went on a murderous rampage in search of Christopher Robin in Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2.

Sam Wrench’s powerful concert film Andrea Bocelli 30: The Celebration brought audiences worldwide to his Tuscan hometown for a three-day concert celebrating his legacy. Speaking of concert theatrical experiences, Brandon Lake and Phil Wickham shared their intimate story and unforgettable journey during their Summer Worship Nights concerts. Joel and Luke Smallbone, the brothers behind Unsung Hero, dazzled screens across the nation with their for King + Country A Drummer Boy Christmas concert.

Overall, the amount of support these titles got in 2024 reminded us of why we love bringing theatrical firsts to moviegoers.

Bye-Bye Events, Hello Entertainment!

That’s right, we’ve swapped events and replaced it with something more encompassing of what we do. While Fathom Entertainment won’t take shape until the start of the New Year, we were hard at work behind the scenes molding a new face that speaks to our message. Fathom Entertainment truly embodies our mission statement, bringing a variety of films, tv series, concerts, and theatrical experiences to fans nationwide and sometimes worldwide.

Cheers to 2024!

With iconic classics, nostalgic animation, theatrical experiences, and inspiring stories, this year has been one for the books. Our continued growth and commitment to bringing something for everyone to screens globally has helped reunite people with the movie theatre. We look forward to bringing even more special releases in 2025 and sharing those moments with you.

Happy New Year from all of us at Fathom Entertainment. Sign up for our newsletter to keep up to date with all our events.