The 2020 theatrical release calendar is getting even slimmer in the wake of the announcement that Regal cinemas are temporarily closing, although AMC, North America’s largest theater chain, says it will remain open.
Warner Bros. said late Monday that its sci-fi pic “Dune” will now open in October 2021, instead of this December. The studio also pushed back “The Batman” to March 2022 and moved up its “Matrix” sequel to Dec. 2021.
Read the full story
With the previews about to start, a trickle of masked moviegoers made their way into one of the first U.S. screenings of “Tenet” at the Bow Tie Majestic 6 in downtown Stamford, Connecticut. They took their seats Tuesday night, eyeing the empty seats between each other and a little giddy at being back at the movies for the first time in many months.
Philip Scarante and Andy Flores, both 25, went every Tuesday religiously before theaters closed in March. “It’s just our thing,” Scarante said. Seeing Nolan’s latest mind-bending spectacle later on a smaller screen held no appeal. They sat down in center seats, up close.
Read the full story
Olivia de Havilland, the doe-eyed actress beloved to millions as the sainted Melanie Wilkes of “Gone With the Wind,” but also a two-time Oscar winner and an off-screen fighter who challenged and unchained Hollywood’s contract system, died Sunday at her home in Paris. She was 104.
Havilland, the sister of fellow Oscar winner Joan Fontaine, died peacefully of natural causes, said New York-based publicist Lisa Goldberg.
Read the full story
by Jack Coyle NEW YORK, New York (AP) — A long time ago in a pre-COVID universe far, far away, blockbusters opened around the globe simultaneously or nearly so. In 1975, “Jaws” set the blueprint. Concentrate marketing. Open wide. Pack them in. Since then, Hollywood has turned opening weekends into an all-out assault. Staggered rollouts still happen, of course, but the biggest films are dropped like carpet bombs. Anything less risks losing the attention of moviegoers. Global debuts north of $300 million became commonplace. Last year, “Avengers: Endgame” made well north of $1 billion in a couple days. Hollywood has now gone more than four months without a major theatrical release. While some films have found new streaming homes, the biggest upcoming ones — “Tenet,” “Mulan,” “A Quiet Place Part II” — remain idled like jumbo jets on the tarmac. The leading chains are still shuttered. Recent coronavirus spikes have forced release dates to shuffle and chains to postpone reopening to August. Now, movie houses say that despite far from ideal circumstances, it’s time for new movies. Four months of near zero revenue has brought the $50 billion annual business to its knees. While the beleaguered restaurant industry still has takeout and airlines continue…
Read the full story
by Jordan J. Ballor I saw Incredibles 2 over the Father’s Day weekend, and just like its predecessor, there’s a lot to ponder beneath the surface of this animated film. In the real world we’ve had to wait 14 years, but the sequel picks up basically where the original left off. As the Rev. Jerry Zandstra wrote of the original, “litigiousness and mediocrity are some of the biggest obstacles in our culture. The propensity to settle every dispute by legal action undermines values, such as trust and forgiveness, that are essential to the maintenance of genuine community. Fear of rewarding or achieving excellence discourages human persons from fulfilling God-given potential.” In the sequel, superheroes are still illegal, for reasons of both litigiousness and social anxiety over “supers,” that is, those who have super abilities. Incredibles 2 has a lot to do with the virtues of a system that allows individuals to find out what they can do well and how those abilities can serve others for their good. In this, it is true to the stewardship mandate at the heart of all superhero tales: with great power comes great responsibility. Or as Jesus puts it, to those whom much is given, much is expected. But the issues…
Read the full story
by Ray Nothstine It was nearly 50 years ago that an infamous incident finished off the hopes of returning another Kennedy brother to the White House. A film about “Chappaquiddick,” released this month, offers more than a historical retrospective. It reminds us of important truths that lay beneath the tumultuous world of political intrigue. The movie revisits the details: The late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy drove his car off the Dike Bridge on Chappaquiddick Island, Massachusetts, resulting in the death of Mary Jo Kopechne, a 28-year-old political consultant who had worked on Robert Kennedy’s 1968 presidential campaign. Kopechne drowned – or, in the opinion of the diver who recovered her body, probably was trapped in an air pocket in the shallow water and later suffocated. In fact, there is a line in the film where the diver suggests he might have saved her if he had been notified in time. Kennedy, of course, escaped the car but did not report his involvement to authorities until after the scene was discovered by police 10 hours later. Over the decades since, plenty has been said particularly on the political right, about Kennedy’s direct involvement in the abandonment and death of Kopechne. Much of it…
Read the full story
Netflix, the global streaming giant that has dramatically changed the TV industry and clashed with movie theater owners, may be ready to move onto the big screen in a new and surprising way — by owning cinemas.
Read the full story
“12 STRONG” – 3 stars – Chris Hemsworth, Michael Shannon, Michael Pena, Trevante Rhodes, William Fichtner; R (war violence and language throughout); in general release Once it gets past a few early stumbles, Nicolai Fuglsig’s “12 Strong” shapes up to be a dramatic and exciting war film. Based on the book “Horse Soldiers” by Doug Stanton, “12 Strong” tells the story of the first American troops to fight in Afghanistan after 9/11.
Read the full story
“I didn’t want a movie that felt like homework,” producer Mickey Liddell told LifeZette in an exclusive interview about his upcoming film “Forever My Girl,” which hits theaters on Friday. The movie is in the vein of Liddell’s earlier work, through his company LD Entertainment, in that it harkens back to old-school Hollywood work that aims to entertain and inspire. Liddell’s filmography includes everything from the biblical epic “Risen” to true-story dramas like “The Zookeeper’s Wife.”
Read the full story
With 2017 coming to a close, movie buffs are looking forward to 2018. Although there are tons of movies set to be released in the new year, a few films have garnered more fan attention compared to others.
Read the full story
Thanksgiving overflows with traditions shared by households around the country — from extended families flying in to see loved ones to carving the delicious and well-prepared turkey to watching football after an incredible meal. One Thanksgiving tradition shared by some, but perhaps not as discussed as much as some others, is getting the family out of…
Read the full story
Spy comedy “Kingsman: The Golden Circle” dominated North American box offices on its debut weekend, industry figures showed Monday. It ousted horror hit “It”, which had held the crown for two weeks. With a star-studded cast featuring Colin Firth, Channing Tatum, Halle Berry and even Elton John, “Kingsman” raked in $39 million for the weekend, according…
Read the full story
Increasingly political celebrities and lackluster content and the traditional box office. Audience members are instead turning to streaming platforms — or skipping much of today’s artistic endeavors altogether. However, there is still a good amount of strong content hitting theaters today. This content includes no political sucker punches and is as strong as anything to ever…
Read the full story
Summer attendance at the box office has hit a 25-year low. This year’s total gross numbers have fallen by over six percent from last year, and this past Labor Day weekend had the worst box office numbers in 17 years. Movie theater chains are watching their stock values drop. Everybody in the industry is sweating and…
Read the full story