Matt Pollock becomes Co-Managing Director immediately and will work alongside Neuhauser before assuming leadership of the exhibition industry's premier annual convention in 2028.
CinemaCon is preparing for a major leadership change. Mitch Neuhauser, the longtime Managing Director who helped transform the annual gathering into the world's premier theatrical exhibition convention, will retire following CinemaCon 2028.
Neuhauser will officially retire June 30, 2028, bringing to a close a career in the exhibition industry that began more than four decades ago. Cinema United also announced that Matt Pollock will immediately become Co-Managing Director of CinemaCon, working alongside Neuhauser through the transition before taking over the lead position in 2028.
"It is impossible to overstate what Mitch means to Cinema United and the entire exhibition community. He is synonymous with CinemaCon, and it simply would not have become the spectacular event that it is without him," Cinema United President and CEO Michael O'Leary said.
"Mitch loves this industry, the people in exhibition and the studios, and the experience of seeing a movie in a theatre. His vision and leadership will be missed, but I want to join everyone in the entertainment industry in congratulating him on an amazing career."
For anyone who has attended CinemaCon, Neuhauser has been one of the convention's most familiar faces. His presence onstage has become part of the event, but his work behind the scenes has been equally important in organizing and shaping the annual gathering of theater owners, studios, filmmakers, technology companies and other members of the theatrical exhibition industry.
Neuhauser was also instrumental in bringing CinemaCon back in August 2021 as the movie theater industry began emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic. At a critical moment for theatrical exhibition, the convention gave exhibitors and studios an opportunity to gather again as the industry dealt with theater closures, changing release strategies and the pandemic-driven shift toward streaming.
FlickDirect was on the ground for CinemaCon's return in 2021, when Neuhauser opened the convention by addressing the difficult period the exhibition industry had endured and reaffirming the industry's commitment to the theatrical experience.
Neuhauser began his career in 1981 with Sunshine Group Worldwide, eventually becoming vice president following the company's acquisition in 1998. Beginning in 2001, he oversaw major industry events including ShowEast, Cinema Expo and CineAsia, and later ShoWest.
He joined what was then the National Association of Theatre Owners in 2009 and played a leading role in transforming ShoWest into CinemaCon in 2011. Under his leadership, the Las Vegas convention grew into a global event bringing together exhibitors and distributors from around the world.
Neuhauser also served on the Board of Directors of the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation and received Variety of Southern California's Heart of Show Business Award in 2018.
Reflecting on his decision to retire, Neuhauser described his 45 years in the business as "the dream of a lifetime," with the creation of CinemaCon in 2011 serving as a defining moment in his career.
"Our industry is unlike any other. We bring people together from all around the world, and that has inspired me across all these years," Neuhauser said.
He also expressed confidence in Pollock, whom he has worked with for nearly two decades, saying CinemaCon, Cinema United and the global theatrical industry will be "in great hands when the baton is passed in 2028."
O'Leary echoed that confidence in Pollock as Cinema United begins the nearly two-year transition.
"Matt is the perfect choice to assume this important role. He has all the qualities necessary to ensure that CinemaCon continues to grow and evolve into the future," O'Leary said. "Making him Co-Managing Director today illustrates the confidence that I, along with the entire exhibition industry, have in Matt. I am also pleased he will work closely with Mitch through this important transition."
The leadership change will unfold over the next two CinemaCon conventions, giving Pollock and Neuhauser time to work together before the transition is completed in 2028.
Before then, CinemaCon will return to Caesars Palace in Las Vegas from April 12-15, 2027, bringing studios, theater owners, and other members of the global exhibition community together once again. It will be one of Neuhauser's final two CinemaCon conventions before Pollock assumes leadership in 2028.
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