By George Robbins
Movie theaters just haven’t had any luck these past few months since the pandemic began back in March and it isn’t getting any easier. Many privately owned theaters have already opened their doors to the public in order to try and drum up some kind of business. Most chain theaters won’t be opened up again, however, until the middle of July so there are still a large number of theaters that are shut down to the public. Those that have opened up are in nothing but trouble at this point anyway due to the fact they have no new movies to show anybody. This means that many theaters have no choice but to pull out classic movies that they know people may want to see in order to bring in customers. This is made even more difficult by the fact that they now have limitations they must follow as well.
Movie theaters must follow the new health guidelines that have been put into place, so they must regulate how many people are in their theaters at all times. Capacity limits have made it necessary that theaters have had to make adjustments that force people to be separated from one another. This means that even if they manage to draw crowds in to watch movies they have available, there won’t even be a lot of them allowed in the theater at once. This kind of limits the amount of money they can bring in and they must try and fill every seat that they can. Thus, the second problem they face soon becomes apparent and that is the fact that people are worried about going back out to such a public place.
In order to try and rebuild consumer confidence in their businesses, movie theater owners made the decision to play old movies that they know would draw people back into their theaters. This is why movies such as ‘Jaws‘ and ‘Jurassic Park‘ are being brought back out in an effort to get people out of the house and into theaters. People are looking for a reason to escape from their homes at this point and this is the perfect opportunity for them to do so, at least in their minds. There weren’t even that many theaters opened this past weekend, with only a couple hundred nationwide. Not every state is allowing them to be opened at the moment even if they say they are ready to open their doors, which is another reason numbers are kind of low.
Despite overall numbers being low due to the lack of customers and a lack of opened theaters, the box office still had something to report this past weekend. ‘Jurassic Park’ topped the Box Office charts this past weekend, even over 27 years after its initial release with ‘Jaws’ following right behind it. At over $500,000 this past Father’s Day Weekend, ‘Jurassic Park’ may not have record numbers, but it is far more than what was listed over the past few months. We normally expect millions, but taking into account everything else that has been said at this point, this isn’t too terrible for theaters. It isn’t all that great either, but it shows that people really do just want to get out of the house at this point and going to the movies is a good outlet for it.
By George Robbins
Discussions may still be in the works as far as casting is concerned, but there are already plans that have been established for what will be happening in the DCEU, at least for ‘The Flash’ movie. As of now there are not many films that are well liked by the DC fan base due to countless conflicting ideas over the direction of the movies. This has resulted in DCEU films having numerous reshoots which end up ruining the tone and plot of the films according to critics. This is something that people are currently trying to rectify with the upcoming movies that are considered a part of the DC Extended Universe. ‘Wonder Woman 1984‘ is the next film meant to release to theaters, but due to the virus it was delayed to some time later this year.
No one is sure of what direction this franchise of films is heading in at this point because of how the studio is going about making the films. It makes sense to say that the upcoming Wonder Woman takes place in the same universe as all of the other films thus far, but it’s the films that are coming out after it that make it all confusing. As of now, some time next year we will be getting ‘The Batman’ as long as filming is able to resume in the near future. Hopefully not too long after that we will get ‘The Flash’ movie which is where all of this talk about Michael Keaton possibly having a role in it is leading to.
Michael Keaton is well known for playing in the Tim Burton Batman films ‘Batman‘ and ‘Batman Returns‘ as the caped crusader as he fights against villains like Joker, Penguin, and Catwoman. These two films are the first big budget live action films that helped start the superhero movie craze that is now its own type of genre in the movie industry. The upcoming movie ‘The Flash’ supposedly has a plot set up where Barry Allen, The Flash, goes back in time to save his mother. This event creates an event known as Flashpoint in the comic book universe where it creates an alternate reality as a result and the multiverse becomes a reality known to the characters. What we will be seeing in the film will probably be something similar that gives us an introduction to the multiverse in the DCEU.
The idea going into that movie is that the discovery of the multiverse will bring Keaton’s Batman into the spotlight and he can become a part of the DCEU. If all goes according to plan, then the events of ‘Batman Forever’ and ‘Batman & Robin’ will be thrown to the wayside and the stories will stay on their own as standalone films. The Michael Keaton Batman films will end up being a part of the lore for the DCEU, but there is no telling how much is actually taking place in the same universe anymore. With the introduction of the multiverse, things could end up becoming even more strange and muddled in the near future in regards to the Extended Universe. As with most future events, all we can do is wait and see how it turns out.
By George Robbins
Ever since the middle of March movies have had almost no choice whatsoever in regards to keeping their movies on the same scheduled release dates. They have had to take movies out of theaters and release them digitally sooner than they wanted to, move the dates of film premieres, or just release their films straight to VOD. This is continuing to be an issue as time goes on since it seems things will not go the way people intended as cases of the virus have only increased. Ever since the reopening of many businesses, the virus has started spreading again and it will only keep spreading at this point. Once all theaters reopen, they won’t be able to draw in large crowds, so it is also dangerous for studios to put films out that could have little box office return.
Among the studios that have released films thus far is Universal who have decided to release their newest films to VOD instead of having theatrical releases. This has resulted in backlash from theater companies such as AMC which is a reason why many studios are simply delaying their films’ release dates. This helps them find out whether it will even be safe to put their films in theaters because even if they get a lot of turn-out, it won’t be nearly as many people as under normal circumstances. With this in mind, there are many films that will not see releases until late this year or some time next year because studios want to make as much as they can off of their films.
It can’t really be helped that some studios are willing to take a loss given everything that is going on right now. Even though it would be considered a loss, it could still end up being better for them in the long run as they can possibly recoup and make more money than it took to make and market the film. The truth of the matter is that the movie industry is kind of volatile right now as no one knows how things will end up over the next couple of months with theaters. If turn out is high enough for a couple of films, then we are sure to see studios keeping their theatrical releases in place so they can try and make their films successes. However, if turn out ends up being low, we could see more movies going straight to digital.
Most recently announced to be coming to digital is the ‘SpongeBob: Sponge on the Run‘ movie that was supposed to release this year. It was speculated that the movie would end up going straight to digital, but there was no word on that until now. The movie was supposed to have a full theatrical release this year, but now it will be delayed until 2021 and it will go straight to VOD. It will also have a streaming run on CBS All Access which is the CBS station’s personal streaming service. The delay will put the movie’s release some time into early next year and along with all past seasons of the show, it will be available on CBS All Access.
By George Robbins
Out of all of the upcoming events that are now back on track thanks to businesses reopening following being shut down due to the pandemic, one is very enigmatic. This would be the upcoming release of Christopher Nolan’s new movie ‘Tenet.’ Most chain movie theaters, such as AMC, will be opened by the middle of July after having been closed since the middle of March. This allows the opportunity for people to go back out to the movies in order to get themselves out of the house, but not without having to follow new guidelines put in place. As of now, and even upon the first couple of weeks after the openings of these theaters, they won’t really have any new content to show to the public. Nolan has had plans to make ‘Tenet’ one of the first new films available to the public.
Originally, the release date for the film was set around the time that theaters were meant to be opening their doors to the public again by releasing on July 17th. However, amid growing concerns and spikes in new virus cases, many movies had delays put on them with many being pushed back relatively far. ‘Tenet’ was not pushed as far back as people thought it would be and only ended up being pushed back about two weeks so that the studio could make Nolan happy. So as of now the release date for his newest film is set for July 31st.
Nolan has sort of a penchant for coming up with new original films and directing them in a way that makes people marvel at what it is they see on the big screen. Just like the rest of his films before they are released, ‘Tenet’ is a film that is shrouded in nothing but mystery and it seems the trailers we have for the film only serve to make people even more confused. People shouldn’t feel like they are missing out by not knowing anything either, because not even some of the actors are entirely sure of what is going on in the movie. This has led to people searching for any kind of information they can in regards to the movie and the constant asking of questions to try and get new information out of Nolan.
On a discussion about the movie and a question about what Robert Pattinson’s character’s name was, Nolan said, “We think he may be called Neil. You never really quite know what’s going on with these identities.” This leaves us with a guess as to whether this was just a joke or if the character has identities he uses to prevent enemy agents from identifying him. His character has also been described by Nolan as being “rascally” and he works within the “twilight world of operatives in different secret services.” So although he might be teaming up with John David Washington’s Protagonist, there is no telling what he will really do by the end of the film. The only thing that can be done now is wait for the film to release and hope we are one of the few people allowed in theaters.
By George Robbins
Warner Bros. DC Extended Universe, or DCEU, has already found a place for itself as a mainstay film franchise, even if most of the movies are not well liked. One of the characters that is supposed to be the most prominent is Batman, but it seems as though no one is quite sure who should have the role. After the terrible response by fans and critics following the release of 2017’s Justice League, no one was quite sure where most of the DCEU would go moving forward. Ben Affleck had the role of the caped crusader and was meant to star in the standalone film ‘The Batman’ following Justice League, but he eventually stepped away from it.
Affleck was meant to stay on ‘The Batman‘ project as a director but left the project altogether eventually. This opened up a massive gap in the roster that, for the DCEU to continue onward, needed to be filled by somebody. This is how we ended up with Robert Pattinson taking over the role as the Dark Knight and starring in the upcoming film. Although filming for the movie has temporarily halted due to the coronavirus pandemic, the movie still has an October 2021 release date. The question is how the film will fit in with the universe it is meant to be set in and if it is truly the same Batman from other films.
The last question is one that stems from news that Michael Keaton is in talks to reprise his role as Batman in the future film ‘The Flash.’ Most other characters from the ‘Justice League’ film have already had a standalone film and the upcoming ‘The Batman’ serves as the titular character’s film. Though it is not at all surprising that the character is going to appear in another film starring another Justice League member. What is surprising is the choice of casting and what this means for the DCEU moving forward. We will get to see a multiverse storyline that only The Flash can introduce to the universe we have already seen. We won’t really know the full extent of it until the film releases some time down the line.
As of now, it seems ‘The Flash’ will follow the Flashpoint storyline where Barry travels back in time to save his mother, thus creating an alternate universe. This is the film adaptation, so there are some creative liberties that will be taken in order to make the story original, but it includes Keaton’s Batman. If he were to return to the role, it is even speculated that he could play the part of a mentor in the new multiverse that this would establish. He could also play a part in an in-development ‘Batgirl’ film in the future as well. At this point it is just what is speculated, but hopefully he will join the cast and within the next couple of years we can see him reprise his role.
By George Robbins
The question on many people’s minds right now are when exactly businesses will end up reopening or even when they will be allowed to reopen. As of late many places are allowed to reopen their businesses in set phases based off which businesses are most at risk of causing the virus to spread. It differs per region, but it hasn’t changed the fact that amusement parks and other forms of entertainment are among one of the last phases no matter where you go. Even though they will be the last to open, it doesn’t mean that there is no plan on what they will do when they actually do reopen to the public. At least for Disney, it seems every single park has a plan in mind when it comes to reopening the gates to guests.
Other Disney Parks such as the ones at Walt Disney World and Disneyland in California have set their reopening dates around the same time on July 11th and July 17th respectively. They have come up with their own ways of dealing with the reopening and the health concerns moving forward such as only opening a couple of parks at a time. Also, they have developed a park pass system that will allow visitors to schedule visitation to the parks based on availability to reduce visitor capacity. There are still many other unknowns, but it shows that a plan is in place to allow people to return. That is why it is not all that surprising that Disneyland Paris will be opening in phases starting July 15th.
Disneyland Paris is not the first international Disney park to reopen following their closing earlier in the year with Shanghai Disneyland opening May 11th and Hong Kong Disneyland opening June 18th. In order to ensure that business can slightly return to normal and social distancing rules are being followed, there are health measures in place. Among those measures is the previously mentioned pass system, but also some shows and events will not be available for the foreseeable future. Their official announcement stated a “phased reopening of the resort starting with the Disneyland Park, Walt Disney Studios Park, Disney’s Newport Bay Club Hotel and Disney Village as of 15 July 2020.” Disney Parks will be continuing to open with the usual events being possibly brought back in later phases, but for now the public will be able to go to the parks again if they have reservations.
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