Longtime Cineplex president and CEO Ellis Jacob is set to receive the Legend of Cinema Award at CinemaCon 2026.
Michael O’Leary, president and CEO of Cinema United, the largest trade organization for exhibitors, announced the honor for Jacob coming ahead of the Canadian exhibition industry pioneer getting set to retire later this year. Head of Cineplex since 2003, he will also follow Martin Scorsese as the only two recipients of the prestigious award.
O’Leary told The Hollywood Reporter that Jacob has offered an essential voice for North American exhibitors as the major Hollywood studios have redefined the traditional 90-day theatrical window post-COVID and have also gone straight to their streaming platforms with movie releases.
“We need people like him (Jacob) who speak up and say, ‘this is what I think, or I don’t think this will work, or maybe we should try this.’ He’s a special person and I wish we had two or three of him,” O’Leary said.
Having long seen theatrical as the engine that drives Hollywood’s movie train, Jacob is suited to the Legend of Cinema Award as it recognizes individuals who have dedicated their careers to preserving and elevating the shared theatrical experience.
“I am deeply honored to receive the Legend of Cinema Award. I have spent my entire career believing in the power of moviegoing to bring people together. The theatrical experience has always held a unique place in our culture and I am truly humbled to be recognized with this award. I have been fortunate to work with inspiring partners across the exhibition community who share a commitment to ensuring that cinemas continue to thrive,” Jacob said in his own statement.
From 1987 to 1998, Jacob held positions within Cineplex Odeon, including COO. In 1999, he co-founded Galaxy Entertainment and before that represented Alliance Atlantis Communications as a consultant. Before the 2005 acquisition of Famous Players and the creation of Cineplex Entertainment, Jacob was president and CEO of Cineplex Galaxy.
Jacob also served as chair of Cinema United’s executive board from 2018 to 2020 and in 2022 received the CinemaCon Marque Award. Cineplex is the fourth largest circuit in North America, offering the Canadian exhibition veteran deep ties to the major Hollywood studios as major tentpole suppliers to his multiplexes and location-based entertainment venues that are part of the Cineplex circuit in Canada.
Jacob has also earned industry plaudits for using data from his Scene loyalty program to help target the right theaters and showtimes with international movie titles to reach diverse and multicultural audiences across Canada. “Six years ago, we’d never have placed some of these films. We put them in now and they do really well for us,” Jacob told THR earlier this month when releasing his fourth quarter financial results.
Jacob and the Cineplex leadership team took measures to survive the pandemic impacts and later content supply disruptions in the wake of the 2023 Hollywood actors and writers strikes, before more recently riding the industry’s box office recovery to restore the company’s fortunes.
CinemaCon, the official convention of Cinema United, will run from April 13 to 16 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
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