Cinemark Theatres

Credits

Descriptions by
Charles Loftus IV, MattBr, TheLogoFan2004 and AlmightyKingPrawn

Video captures courtesy of
FT Depot, Preshow69, The Hall of Advertising, Random youtube crap, Puffin, Mr Blue Bot 5 and AlmightyKingPrawn

Background

Cinemark USA, Inc. is an American movie theatre chain owned by Cinemark Holdings, Inc. that started operations in 1984, and since then has operated theaters with hundreds of locations throughout the United States and Latin America (through Cinemark International) and previously operated in Europe, Canada, and Taiwan. It is headquartered in Plano, Texas in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. It is the largest movie theatre chain in Brazil with a 30% market share. Cinemark operates theaters under several brands in the US, including its flagship Cinemark, Century Theatres, Tinseltown USA, CinéArts, and Rave Cinemas.

1st Opening (Front Row Joe) (1988-1989)

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Visuals: The Cinemark symbol from 1988 flips sideways from the right side of the screen, until the triangle pointed red film strip touches it. Three rings zoom in and the symbol shines. The logo then slides to the left corner of the screen. The laser beams carve Cinemark Theaters. Then, Front Row Joe's cue begins introducing Joe, Elton, and Clyde.

Trivia: The Front Row Joe campaign is popular enough that its trailers are one of only three logos to have their own page on TV Tropes, as opposed to being described on the Vanity Plate page. Here is said page. The other two logos with separate pages on TV Tropes are the AMC Theatres "We Make Movies Better" intro and Cartoon Network's "CN City" bumpers.

Technique: Mostly smooth traditional cel animation, with some aspects of the Cinemark logo being in CGI. All animation was produced in San Antonio by Willming Reams, Inc., shot in 35mm on a Cinetron-controlled Oxberry Master Series Animation Stand.

Audio: An upbeat jazz/jump blues/doo-wop tune in a fast pace starts, then the Cat Ushers sing. The music was recorded in Austin and mixed for Dolby Stereo by Skywalker Sound.

Audio Trivia: The head usher was the lead singer in the first three Joe trailers. For the 4th trailer, it was decided to have Joe sing.

Availability: Was used at Cinemark theaters during the period.

2nd Opening (Clyde Gets His!) (1989-1990)

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Visuals: There is the Cinemark logo atop the Box Office. The screen then pans down to see a large car, and at the back is Front Row Joe. He hops out and grabs his ticket, and the ushers sing the rules for going to the theatre. Later on, the Peavey logo appears on the screen, and a laser outlines it, it then flips away, revealing the Cinemark logo. Joe clicks his fingers again and the ushers sing "Doo-wah!"

Coming Soon Variant: The Cat Ushers dance against and blue-violet background, then shine their flashlights in unison to bring up the text "Coming Soon" or "Now Showing" in all capitals. "To This Theatre" writes itself in underneath is script font. The "Coming Soon" text is in yellow, and "To This Theatre" is in black.

Now Showing Variant: One cat ushers throws a light switch, another turns on a projector, the third raises a curtain, then all three appear and "Now Showing At This Theatre" appears via the same effects as the "Coming Soon" version. The "Now Showing" text is red, and "At This Theatre" remains black. The cat ushers briefly sing to close out the trailer.

Technique: Same as the 1st opening.

Audio: A jazz theme for the singing part, and the voices of the ushers. A synth laser zap is heard for the Peavey part.

Availability: Was used at Cinemark theatres in 1989.

3rd Opening (Let's Party, Let's Rock!) (1990-1991)

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Visuals: Against a backdrop of a red starburst, a blue filmstrip-themed medallion appears with a white light shining across it. After the light pans from right to center, a "Front Row Joe" production card appears containing Joe's face atop a purple box on a light blue background. The background explodes, from which the cat ushers from the first two trailers jump out to begin singing about Cinemark's policies set to the usual animation (which includes a bit which mentions bargain matinees and senior discounts against a pink background with a shadowed outline of Joe dancing). As the animation ends, the medallion reforms from Joe's shirt and the Cinemark logo (in purple) slides out and back into position atop the ribbon. The logo slides out to reveal Joe, followed by a shadowed spotlight revealing the ushers once again. All give a closing smile, then the text and medallion each shine once before everything fades out.

Coming Soon/Now Showing Variant: The Cat Ushers sing to introduce other features against a purple background, after which a gray medallion and purple ribbon zoom back to fill the screen. The appropriate text slides into place and flashes. For "Now Showing" the ribbon is blue against a red light, and the text has a green outline. For "Coming Soon" the ribbon is pink, the light is orange and the outline is red.

Technique: Same as the 1st opening.

Audio: An upbeat jazz-rock song, with the Cat Ushers providing lyrics throughout.

4th Opening (We're Gonna Party) (1991-1992)

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Visuals: Against a black background, a series of flimstrips bearing the "Front Row Joe" title card from the previous trailer appears, which then speed across the center of the screen in the manner of a roller coaster-accompanied by searchlights of various colors-before reaching the Cinemark Theaters logo from before. Once the filmstrips move past the center of the medallion, a new group of female cat ushers appears and begin singing to introduce Front Row Joe. Joe takes over signing duties for the rest of the animation, until bumping into Popcorn Penny. As they enter the theater, Elton falls onto a green valentine heart against a purple spotlight while dressed as Cupid, and shoots a love arrow which transitions to the Cinemark logo re-forming (now a red/gold medallion against a green background). The Cinemark Theatres text pans into position via an orange light effect, then the whole logo flashes once before fading out.

Coming Attractions Variant: A green filmstrip slides across a purple background, before revealing the female ushers who sing to introduce to previews. After this, they slide out and a medallion with the text "Coming Soon" appears. The filmstrip zaps against it, lighting up both the medallion and text which turn green and yellow respectively while the filmstrip is transformed into a red ribbon. The white outline of the text then slides upward until it disappears and flashes against the main text. The logo then fades out.

Now Showing Variant: A green filmstrip appears trailing toward the same medallion with a black shadow across the "Now Showing" text. The ushers emerge through a hole in the filmstrip and sing to introduce currently playing features. The medallion zooms to fill the screen, removing the filmstrip as it does. The text flashes to turn blue followed by the same outline effect as before.

Technique: Largely cel animation, with prominent slit-scan animation at certain points, produced by Willming Reams Animation.

Audio: Another jazz-rock tune with Joe and the female ushers providing vocals. Popcorn Penny also sings one line of lyrics as she's introduced.

5th Opening (1992-1995)

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Visuals: Instead of a single long policy trailer being shown before every movie, three 45-second openings are used interchangeably.

• Hottest Ticket In Town: A red outline of the Cinemark medallion appears against a party-esque background before being encased within an orange border, which then zooms rapidly at the screen and transitions to the usual animation and song. As it ends, the orange box reappears and forms the medallion (now a purple ribbon with pink "filmstrips"). The Cinemark text (this time pink) slides into place via a green light effect, now slanted toward the center-right of the screen. Several fireworks appear before the logo fades out.
• You Got A Date: The Cinemark Medallion logo (now all purple) appears on a multi-colored light background. The logo tilts to the bottom of the screen, then a white light appears across the medallion's ring to produce Front Row Joe, who begins singing to another animated piece. After which, the now-green ribbon slides through a purple tube until reattaching itself to the ring, at which point the full medallion re-centers itself against a larger ring. The Cinemark Theaters text slides into its usual place, then the logos fades out.
• Pinball: The screen fades into a CGI pinball machine, which releases its ball. The ball rolls across a multi-colored track, stopping when it reaches the center. The ball then begins hitting various film reels, revealing first the male ushers, then the female ushers, and finally Front Row Joe, who once again begins singing to an animation describing Cinemark's policies and services. As it ends, we get an aerial view of the pinball machine, revealing itself to actually be the Cinemark medallion logo. The logo is now multi-colored with blue and purple lights shining through the sprocket holes on the filmstrip ribbon. The now-pink Cinemark text flies into position alongside the ball, which then crashes through an unseen glass barrier to bring out the gold ring which slides into place as the logo fades out.

Technique: "Hottest Ticket In Town" is mostly 2D cel animation, "You Got A Date" contains a mixture of cel-animated and 2D/CG hybrid shots, and "Pinball" places the cel animation in a CGI environment. Produced by Willming Reams Animation.

Audio: For "Hottest Ticket In Town", a Latin-rock tune. For "You Got A Date", an electric rock theme. For "Pinball", a new jazz-rock piece. All feature Front Row Joe, the ushers, and sometimes Popcorn Penny splitting the vocals.

6th Opening (1995-1997)

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Visuals: A voiceless animated piece featuring Front Row Joe driving on a black/purple road in a movie-themed car on his way to a Cinemark theatre. The car's built-in text-only GPS indicates when he's approaching another character ("Perfect Movie Date" for Popcorn Penny, "Major Snacks Ahead" for Elton, and "Warning! Annoying Talker! Cellular Phone! Crying Baby!!" for Clyde). A seat flies out of the car to seat Penny, Elton jumps into the backseat with movie treats in hand, while Clyde and his infant charge (son?) are bypassed as his phone flies out of his hand and hits him on the head. Finally, the GPS reads "Showtime! Showtime!" Joe pushes a red button and all three seats fly out of the car and into the theater as a curtain unfolds to reveal a purple clapperboard surrounded by golden film reels. "Cinemark Theatres" (now in a pink script font) writes itself in as the medallion (now a pink ribbon and neon orange ring) spins into place behind the text. A pair of purple and green searchlights appear on either side of the logo. The clapperboard closes shut, then the trailer fades out.

Technique: CGI with superimposed cel-animated characters, produced by Willming Reams.

Audio: An instrumental electronic jazz piece, with various sound effects placed throughout.

7th Opening (Starstruck) (1997-early 1999)

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Visuals: An outline of the Cinemark medallion appears on a purple background. On top of it are three smaller medallion-shaped stands marked "Front Row Joe", "Popcorn Penny" and "Elton" respectively. As the camera tilts to the right, three lights (yellow-white-yellow) appear. The lights dissolve, revealing the aforementioned characters. Joe once more begins singing to the animated sequence which involves himself and Elton traveling across various movie environments (a western, a horror, and an obvious parody of Toy Story) in search of a disappeared "Starstruck" Popcorn Penny. Various theater policies are given out as Joe and Elton advance across their journey, with various forms of Clyde appearing throughout. The ushers also appear as ghosts in the horror segment. Finally as a curtain opens, Joe and Elton jump into the Cinemark auditorium, reuniting with Penny. The camera turns toward the screen as Elton leaps into a bucket of popcorn. On the screen is the usual ribbon, now purple with orange streaks. A now-silver medallion ring flies onto the screen, accompanied by a trail of fire. The fire moves to encase the entire ring as the two pieces meet and attach themselves. Once they meet, the ring turns gold and displays a multi-colored light effect as the single word "Cinemark" (in a pink script font) unfolds above the ring. The completed logo briefly holds before fading out.

Technique: CGI with superimposed computer-colored 2D animation, produced by Willming Reams.

Audio: A piano rock theme with Joe on lead vocals, which changes tone as the setting moves between movie locations.

8th Opening (November 1998-2004)

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Visuals: The sequence opens with a man's hand turning a series of gears. As he pulls the lever, the camera shifts upward to reveal a couple waltzing in fancy dress. The screen then pans left to view a jazz band performing, the front-most performer's trumpet zooms in and we travel inside it. The trumpet reveals a series of fans and moves out to reveal a Greek statue against a modern cityscape. The metallic birds fly away as the screen zooms upward and starfighters fly into view. The scene transitions to space battle as various starships hover around a model of the planet Saturn (with another statue below it, positioned as if holding the planet despite not actually doing so). Saturn dissolves as we again pan upward, then one starfighter explodes as it flies toward the center of the screen. We again transition to the entrance of an old-Hollywood style Cinemark Theater, zooming up until we see the then-new Cinemark logo. A white flash of light appears which dissolves away from the theater and onto the Cinemark logo against a black background. The logo flashes, and a series of spotlights write in the slogan "The Best Seat in Town" with thin lines above and below the text. A purple aroura is seen behind the logo, which holds for a few seconds before fading out.

Technique: CGI and live-action, among other effects, by creative director Scott Wilson at production company Mars Enterprise in Dallas, Texas.

Audio: A series of soundtracks matching the theme of whatever's on screen, segueing into a triumphant orchestral theme with a single string note holding over the final logo. Composed by Lee H. Martin. Now-deceased voiceover artist Mark Elliott says "Cinemark. The Best Seat in Town." over the completed logo.

9th Opening (20th anniversary trailer) (2004-2005?)

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Visuals: The sequence opens on a shot of a limousine pulling up towards a Cinemark cinema location filled with anticipating fans and a red carpet. Front Row Joe (now in CGI) emerges from the limo, and we get an extended drawn-out sequence of Joe greeting his admirers (with a flash-frame effect near the beginning) until we pan up to a Coca-Cola sign followed by the Cinemark logo marquee. This fades into a shot of Joe inside the theater holding a Coke cup, as several sparkles appear behind Joe a fly out to reveal Cinemark's 20th anniversary logo. This holds as the trailer fades out.

Technique: Live-action with superimposed CGI, produced by Cinema Concepts.

Audio: A celebratory fanfare as befitting the anniversary, with a narrator announcing the milestone and welcoming the moviegoers when the logo becomes present.

10th Opening (Late for Showtime) (March 4, 2004-2008)

Visuals: On a Cancun beach, Front Row Joe lays back on a beach chair with a Cinemark-branded umbrella behind it, drinking a Coca-Cola can. Joe briefly glimpses at his watch, and then performs a wild take as the watch reveals it's almost time for his show. Popcorn Penny is at a theater's box office when Clyde approaches her with a "click-click" sign. Joe leaves the beach with his belongings and enters a small striped tent. Joe emerges from the back wearing a red coat in a red convertible, and the tent collapses to reveal a cat with a towel over her. Penny is unamused by Clyde throwing a drink near a trashcan, so she melts Clyde with laser eyes and throws him in a trashcan, and a cat usher opens a door for her. Joe is still in his convertible, followed by a first-person shot of him driving away from the beach. Joe stops at a city traffic light as an old lady crosses the street. A Coca-Cola billboard and the smell of a popcorn cart get Joe's attention, but the convertible soon drives him away. Penny finds her seat next to Clyde, who prepares to smoke. A cat's butt hits Clyde and he swallows his cigarette and steam comes out of his ears; Penny points him to an anti-smoking sign. The sight of a candy store makes Joe lick his lips. Penny finds Elton using a cellphone near an anti-cellphone sign and flicks it out of his hand; the cellphone chatters as it moves below their seats. Joe arrives at the Cinemark theater and enters a door the usher holds for him. Joe grabs his concessions and enters the auditorium, as a mother takes her crying baby to the lobby. Joe then zips up to Penny as her expression slowly changes from bothered to satisfied. The theater screen show the Cinemark logo slowly zooming in while the letters between the "C", "M", and "K" wipe in from right to left. After the front row characters disappear from a vertically panning shot, the trailer cuts out.

Trivia: According to this contemporary article from Animation Magazine, the logo takes inspiration from Chuck Jones and Tex Avery and had a strict five week deadline to make.

Technique: Digital 2D animation produced by Happy Trails Animation and SmithGroup Communications. The animation overall looks brighter and rougher than the earlier Front Row Joe openings.

Audio: A variety of musical cues (composed by Cal Scott) and sound effects coinciding with the situations.

Availability: This trailer was seen on select Cinemark locations in the US as well as Cinemark locations in South and Central America.

11th Opening (2008-2010s)

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Visuals: The sequence opens with Front Row Joe sliding onto the camera in front of the entrance to a Cinemark theatre, followed by a sequence of him buying tickets, purchasing concessions, and entering the auditorium. As he sits down is Popcorn Penny trapped within the film. Penny motions to Joe to join her, which he then does. The pair begin dancing (a la Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers) across the stage, accompanied by a backdrop of various movie concessions also "dancing". The Cinemark logo appears, and Joe and Penny stand on either side of it as the "scene" ends-and Joe wakes up back in his seat revealing the dance scene to have been a dream. Popcorn Penny is sitting to Joe's left and offers him some of her movie candy. The camera pans back to the screen displaying once again the Cinemark logo, stopping when the auditorium is fully visible. Joe turns back toward the audience, gives a thumbs up sign, then the frame fades out.

Technique: CGI by Straitjacket Design.

Audio: A generic cinema fanfare to start, then a jazz-esque tune during the dance scene, and then the cinema fanfare continues.

Legacy: This is the last Front Row Joe policy in North America, and the final ever appearance of Popcorn Penny.

12th Opening (2012?-2014?)

Visuals: An old man is operating a projector and a dog is playing around in the projector room. The old man pets the dog, then the projector operates and the Cinemark logo is shown in the theater screen. It might be how it goes, but it's unknown if this is an accurate description of how the logo played.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: Some soothing music.

Availability: It was shown in Cinemark theaters probably between 2012-2014. There is no footage of this logo existing online, thus, making it lost (and it's unknown if it will ever resurface).

Legacy: This is one of the rarest logos on this wiki.

13th Opening (Meeting) (2012)

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Visuals: There is the outside of a Cinemark. Then, there are two shots of a concession stand, with a man taking a bag of popcorn and a woman taking a cup of Coca-Cola. The man stares at a poster for a samurai movie titled "Tokyo" (with the Cinemark XD logo in the bottom left corner indicating that the fictional movie was shown in that format) when the woman bumps into him. Lines whoosh around them as the man catches the woman in an unintentionally romantic position, with the two of them looking into each other's eyes. The man's popcorn and the woman's Coke come to life and grow faces from the magic of the lines. The woman backs off and awkwardly shrugs, but gives him one final glance before entering the theater. The man enters the theater as well. Initially seated 4 seats apart, they move closer through flips so that they are two seats apart instead. The popcorn and Coke look at each other lovingly as they decide to move right next to each other. The popcorn and Coke bump into each other like a fist bump as the lines turn them back into inanimate objects. This startles the new couple, who smile at each other and let their hands touch. As they stare into each other's eyes, the screen zooms through them to see the white screen of the theater. The Cinemark logo fades in and out.

Variants:

• There is a variant where instead of staring at the poster for the "Tokyo" movie, the man is instead staring at a poster advertising Cinemark XD.
• A variant of the version with the alternate poster and theme was used in Latin American countries where, below the Cinemark logo at the end, black text framed by horizontal lines reads "Disfruta la experiencia" ("enjoy the experience").

Technique: CGI by Estilo and Mamut Lab. Here are some storyboards and concept art.

Audio: A calming theme with woodwinds, piano, harp, and bells (the xylophone-like instrument).

Audio Variant: The variant with the Cinemark XD poster has a different, more bombastic march-like theme with brass instruments, composed by FACILMUSIC.

Availability: Was used both domestically and in Latin America by Cinemark International.

14th Opening (2013-2015)

Visuals: The sequence opens with a segmented globe appearing against a red background. The globe flies across the screen before centering itself and becoming the first "O" in "Technology". "Techn" then rotates upward and to the left until reaching the top of the globe. The entire word then slides out to reveal the words "A Movie Theatre" in all capitals. This text then flips out in the same direction to reveal to white boxes containing the red text "NOT the time" (top) and "NOT the place" (bottom). A white diagonal line is written in across the boxes before they flip to the right and zoom out. A cell phone slides into the left of the screen with the text "OMG LMAO" trailing after it. A sad face fades onto the phone screen, after which everything tilts leftward and flies onto the center of the screen. The screen briefly turns white before zooming out to reveal a human body which zooms out toward the center. The face has a target in place of its eyes/mouth/nose/etc (meant to form the letter "O") and the letters "Y" and "U" on either side. The body and letters then slide off the screen to the left as the text "Here at Cinemark, we want our customers to enjoy their movie-" flips into position. It then flips out as "FREE from distractions." flips in. This in turn shifts upward as "DO NOT" (using another human body with the "do not" sign plastered on their face representing the "O") shifts onto the center. The letters fade out, leaving only the body, which drops down as a "No Cell Phones" sign flies up to replace it. The sign briefly zooms in before zooming out as the Cinemark logo (accompanied by those of its subsidiary chains) zooms in. Underneath the logos is the text "If you have an emergency, step into the hallway. Otherwise...". All of this zooms in and out until the words "IT CAN WAIT!" fly in at the bottom. The logos holds before cutting out.

Variant: A later version exists, where the announcer's spiels are re-recorded, the Rave Theatres logo is added below the Cinemark logo, and the GEICO logo is on the lower right corner of the screen.

Technique: Computer graphics.

Audio: A generic guitar/drum sounder plays while an announcer explains Cinemark's theater policies.

15th Opening (Tuning the Light) (2015)

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Visuals: An orb explodes into multicolored light. The light gathers to form a tunnel. We then see the dome on a table that the light is erupting upwards from like a backyard firework. A female scientist stands by the table and adjusts some things. The light quickly returns to the dome, making the night sky visible. It then escapes the dome much more calmly to shine the Cinemark logo into the sky. A streak of light in the bottom right corner moves from left to right to form the white text "ILLUMINATED BY BARCO".

Technique: CGI by Jeff Wyner.

Audio: Various electrical noises, explosions, whooshes, and chimes.

16th Opening (Coca-Cola 3D) (2017-2022)

Visuals:

• 2017-2020: On a white background is "Welcome to Cinemark", with Century Theatres, CineArts, Tinseltown, and Rave Cinemas logos below. Several pieces of popcorn cover the screen. The popcorn falls down and ice cubes cover the screen. The screen is then drenched in Coca-Cola. A Coca-Cola branded straw drinks it all away, revealing a Cinemark popcorn bag and two Coca-Cola cups. "Enjoy The Show" and Cinemark and Coca-Cola logos below it appear.
• 2020-2022: This version starts out the same way as the previous one, but the straw reveals a different popcorn bag and Coca-Cola cup. The screen fades to the Coca-Cola and Cinemark logos on a black background separated by a vertical line, then a Cinemark Movie Club advertisement appears with "cinemark.com/movieclub" and App Store and Google Play buttons below.

Technique: CGI, slightly modified from a pre-show video originally produced for Carmike Cinemas in 2012.

Audio: Same as the Carmike Cinemas intro that it is reused from, but with two synth notes, one at the beginning and one at the end.

Availability: First seen on Cinemark showings of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.

17th Opening (Euphoria) (May 27, 2022-)

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Visuals: In slow-motion, a theater audience holding Coca-Cola cups react to an unseen scene with shocked expressions, which eventually turn into amazement. At regular speed, a young adult male holding a Coca-Cola cup and popcorn enters the theater as the audience applauds. "Don't miss the big moment." appears to the left of the man's face, then he orders some Cinemark concessions on his phone, and settles in with the crowd. Coca-Cola and Cinemark logos emerge from a small vertical line with a Coca-Cola copyright notice below.

Technique: Live-action, with computer graphics towards the end.

Audio: An audio sample of Vesti La Giubba is heard, which abruptly gets cut with a drinking sound and cheering sounds. Then, Vesti La Giubba resumes and an announcer says "don't miss the big moment." The guy says "wait, what?" The cheering sounds briefly stop and the announcer continues with "Have your coke and popcorn ready to go with snacks in a tap." (which was later changed to "Have your coke and popcorn ready to go with mobile ordering." sometime in 2023.) Then, the cheering sounds resume and the guy's friend asks "can you believe that?" The guy replies with "no."

Availability: First seen in front of Top Gun: Maverick and The Bob's Burgers Movie.