By George Robbins
Movie theaters have unfortunately been shut down for the most part since the middle of March when the pandemic first began. Within the recent weeks, theaters have begun the process of truly reopening their doors to the public. However, things are not going to be the same as they were when theaters were opened before the pandemic began. Theaters now have a strict set of rules and regulations that they have to follow in order to even open up their doors again. This has resulted in rules like limited capacity coming into effect and it makes things difficult for theater companies from this point on.
Due to the continued threat of the virus that we have seen, theaters had to keep pushing back their opening dates. Now that there is at least a better handle on the virus, we are seeing more public businesses reopen. This has given movie theater companies like AMC a good window of opportunity to open their doors even if it isn’t everywhere like they originally wanted. That isn’t of course without its risks as we still have the aforementioned rules that still need to be followed in order to protect those that do want to get out of the house. Now that some places have theaters open, the movie industry is also going to be seeing a nice return as people want to see new content.
While theaters have been shut down, people have had no choice but to stay home and watch movies because they just couldn’t go anywhere else. This has given streaming services a chance to make a killing because people were stuck at home for so long with nothing to do. Streaming services have dominated the market within recent months and it has created a lot of buzz in the movie industry because of how they affect the market. Watching movies from home is a lot more comfortable for people and they are given more free-range mobility in their own homes. This has created a big opportunity window for consumer product companies as well because with people at home, they could spend their time and money on something else.
One of the biggest markets to gain a surge due to this streaming from home phenomenon is the food market. More specifically it is the part of the market that sells goods related to going to a movie theater. There is actually a reason why theaters sell food at theaters as people usually tend to eat while watching movies. Among the foods available is perhaps the most pervasive type of food, popcorn. Popcorn has been associated with movie theaters for a countless number of years and it is very much associated with watching movies as well. This is why microwave popcorn companies have been making a killing as of late because while people are watching films at home, they are binge eating popcorn, thus reportedly raising market sales for those companies.
By George Robbins
Now that studios are back in the development phase for their movie making processes’ they are going to be busy again. One of the biggest reasons why they will be so busy is because even though there are many ongoing projects, there are new projects in the works as well. Movie makers weren’t just sitting at home twiddling their thumbs while waiting for the lock-down to end. They were at home thinking about how they want to make movies moving forward and what they will be able to do moving forward with these movies. So now that productions have started again, new productions are beginning to take form as well.
Among the newer films that are starting to be worked on is the next film to enter the ‘Scream‘ franchise, ‘Scream 5.’ This franchise is one that began at the tail-end of 1996 and it has been pervasive ever since, moving along with society. Every movie in the franchise followed the story of Sydney Prescott, played by Neve Campbell, and her fight against a serial killer that never leaves her alone. This is a part of the meta-commentary that is seen through the film because it is supposed to be something of a parody on other horror films. Many tropes from other horror movies are often discussed at length in these films and they follow beats that are similar to other films.
All of the meta-commentary seen throughout the films was Wes Craven’s idea to try and poke fun at other horror movies. Not only to do this, but to also show the flaws that other movies possess as it will show people what they maybe wouldn’t notice on their own. This was meant to be a way to make the movie original in its own way and for the most part, it succeeded with only the third film not doing so well critically. The movies would even go on to spawn a television series that lasted for awhile. Now that talk of a fifth entry for the franchise has taken hold, there are a lot of people with renewed interest in the franchise. There was even more talk after it was confirmed that David Arquette and Courtney Cox would return as Dewey Riley and Gale Weathers, respectively, with Neve Campbell in talks to return.
Needless to say, Arquette has been excited recently knowing that he will be making a return and that he will get to be a part of the franchise again. Recently he has talked at length about wanting to return for multiple new installments as well as reasons for why the third entry didn’t do very well. Unfortunately, the man responsible for making the franchise, Wes Craven, passed away which means that this will be the first thing in the franchise that he hasn’t worked on. While the new directors have said that they will be doing their best to make the film the way Craven would have, everyone knows that it just won’t be the same. Arquette even acknowledged that filming the movie without Craven on set will be “bittersweet,” but it is an opportunity to feel like he is there with them again.
By George Robbins
Moving forward is a difficult thing for many studios to do nowadays, but they have managed to make do with what they’ve got. This is the reason why movies are being able to immediately get back to work even though the pandemic is still ongoing. Although the pandemic is still going strong, there have been new rules and regulations put in place to allow production crews to get back to the films they were making. This also allows many opportunities for the rest of the film industry as a whole as it eventually gives way for theaters to get some of their business back. Many movies that stopped part way through for their productions have been started back up again and this has given people a lot of work recently.
While the world was locked away behind closed doors at home, there were many people that continued to work as the rest of the world was shut down. Among those people were the writers who are responsible for the creation of entirely new ideas for movies and it gives studios something to do when they get the chance. Writers are not the only people that help a film get made as producers are also responsible for this and it is the reason why so many movies get made in the first place. So during the quarantine, it only makes sense that bored producers would look for something that they could make a movie out of. This is why we are now hearing about another film that is based upon a video game, ‘Firewatch.’
Video game movies are not often well-received by the public as they usually don’t do a great job at translating between the game and the big screen. There are, of course, some exceptions to the rule that people have been following over the years that all video game movies are bad. A vast majority of the ones that have already been made, however, have not been received well by the public and it has resulted in great failures for many movies. This comes from the disconnect that happens between the two mediums of a video game and a movie. Movies are something that people just watch to see a story while video games are interactive and let people play the story. This results in people just not really enjoying the film that much because they would rather play the game at home.
Things may actually end up working out for ‘Firewatch’ though because of the way that the story in that game is set up. While there are aspects of exploration found in the game, there are a lot of story elements that, if done correctly, could be well adapted to a movie format. For those who don’t know, in the game you play as a forest ranger in a lookout tower who is just trying to keep watch of the surrounding area to prevent hazards like a forest fire. Unfortunately, while much of the game is suspenseful and tense which draws in the player, the conclusion leaves much to be desired and it is critically regarded as the worst bit of the game. This is a topic up for debate though, since there was mixed criticism about the game’s ending. Let’s hope that whoever is working on the film can keep it in the same vein as the game and can give it a satisfying ending.
By George Robbins
Movie theaters all over the world have been doing their best to make up for the time that they lost when they were shut down. Not only to make up for lost time, but to also make up for lost revenue, they’ve taken to getting their doors opened up to the public. This has given them all a lot to think about because they have to follow whatever guidelines are in place in order to remain open. Therefore, we will be seeing theaters the world-over that have been changed in some way to reduce capacity and keep people separated from one another. No matter where the theater is, there is going to be something in place as a preventative measure in order to uphold the new standards that have been put into place.
Hollywood has been doing its best to also adapt to the situation the world has found itself in currently and they have been doing their best to uphold this. new rules on sets for movies that adhere to health and safety guidelines are making it a bit more difficult to get work done, but it is all within the realm of do-ability. This is what makes it even remotely possible that movies scheduled for release next year will still be able to make their deadlines. Production crews have been doing everything in their power to get their projects done which include making entire set pieces or moving to different locations for filming. This has allowed them the chance to continue working on films and if things work out with theaters, they will not have an issue showing those films by that point.
As stated, everything requires theaters to be open and at least functioning properly to some kind of official capacity to allow for future viewings. Movies will not have anywhere other than a digital VOD format to turn to if theaters can’t get up and functional in the coming months. Thus, theaters all over the world have been reopening in the proper capacity to follow the new standards. In the United States, theaters haven’t been so lucky because they have only been given the green light in some states. Without a go-ahead to reopen in all states, they are going to have an even more annoying time trying to get any kind of revenue. In the next couple of weeks, one big movie will be making its premiere and it could very much help theaters. This movie would be ‘Tenet‘ and it is a complete mystery, even to most of the people who worked on it.
‘Tenet’ is a film where no one really knows anything about it and this is what Warner Bros. and Christopher Nolan want. Nolan has been responsible for some mind-bending films over the years and this movie is no exception. It will actually be premiering all over the world in over 70 countries before it is shown in the United States. It seems that although it is being shown in so many other countries, those countries are trying to make the film more appealing in some way to a wider audience. The BBFC, or British Board of Film Classification, has decided to cut some parts of the film out before its official release in theaters because they wanted to ensure that it got the rating they wanted it to have. That rating would be a 12A which is pretty much equivalent to a PG-13 rating from the MPAA. This guarantee of a rating may actually end up working out to bring more crowds in, but it will probably annoy some other people.
By George Robbins
The film industry lately has been trying to get back on track after having been closed for months due to the coronavirus pandemic which began in March. This industry wasn’t able to do anything until almost the end of May and many studios are still working on getting their crews back to work. More and more films are being worked on and many that have release schedules for next year will be able to relatively keep their release dates. So long as nothing else goes wrong, they will be able to continue moving along and they can make up for lost time. Unfortunately, one thing that really can’t be made up for is the fact that many films were delayed due to the shut down of theaters.
The mass shut downs of theaters has resulted in numerous studios not having any way whatsoever to show their newest movies other than Video on Demand, or VOD. Studios are not likely to release via this format unless they no longer see a theatrical release as being a viable option anymore. Therefore, while some films have released digitally right away, most films will not actually be doing this and will just wait for a time where a theatrical release is much more viable. Unfortunately, with theaters closed up and only just now starting to reopen, there is a lot of worry in the air in regards to what will happen next. Although they are only just starting to open up again, they will need new content to show to draw people in and studios are more than happy to give it to them.
One of the more inclined studios to actually have something to bring to the table which would give theaters some new content to show would be Warner Bros.. Warner is a massive multi-media company that specializes in film and television and many of the films we see in theaters nowadays are produced by the studio. Among the content that they are planning on releasing is a movie that has been on everyone’s mind as of late, ‘Tenet.’ This mysterious upcoming film has been hyped up because of the nature of the film as well as the fact that the date for it has kept moving back. Director Christopher Nolan’s insistence on the film being among, if not the first film(s) to release after the original theater closings has drawn even more attention to the film.
Even after the pandemic began, Warner Bros. were still marketing ‘Tenet’ to the general public as they felt that they would be able to show it on its original release date, July 17th. Unfortunately, another surge in the virus resulted in the date being pushed back into August and eventually pulled domestically altogether until they could figure out an appropriate date to launch the film. This ended up being September 3rd domestically, and so the film will finally get to see the light of day. Getting back to the marketing though, between that and the production costs, WB needs to make a lot of money if they are going to make anything on the film. As such, they have concluded that they want 63% of whatever the movie makes at the Box Office. Normally the take on films in theaters ends up being a 50/50 split or something close to it, but given all that has happened, this isn’t really all that surprising.
By George Robbins
Movie theaters are among one of the most discussed topics at the moment due to the reopening of other businesses as of late. The biggest reason for this is because many theaters are still not allowed to be opened back up again. Thus, theater owners aren’t exactly happy that they won’t be able to open back up to the public when they originally wanted to and they still have to wait. What is also being pointed out is the fact that although theaters are not allowed to open in many places, other public spaces are opened up. This is seen as hypocritical, so they aren’t exactly happy about the situation that is currently happening.
Many theaters are prepped to reopen their doors, but they just simply haven’t been given the green light yet because those businesses are seen as a risk. Theaters have had to put plans in place for when they reopen and they have all come up with plans that are in accordance with health and safety regulations. However, just like many venues, they are a closed in space that has a high risk of transmitting disease. While the argument can be made that other public places that have already been opened are just as risky, the fact remains that many see theaters reopening as a huge risk. One of the places that considers it a bad idea to open them just yet is New York.
New York was among the places that was hit the hardest from the onset of the pandemic and it has since been a source of a large number of infected individuals. This has made it difficult to reopen any kind of businesses whatsoever because of the high risk involved. Although parks have been reopened, they are considered a huge public space and so long as people are following the rules, they can stay opened. Many public spaces that have been reopened in New York are similar in that they can also be monitored correctly in order to see if people are following guidelines. Many enclosed venues, however, are not opened up as of yet and this includes movie theaters.
As such, theater owners aren’t exactly happy about not being able to open up their theaters in New York. As of now, it would appear that Governor Cuomo has no plan in place to reopen movie theaters in New York and theater owners aren’t happy with this. This lack of a plan isn’t necessarily surprising considering the fact that New York has been very strict in terms of what happens and how it happens within the past couple of months. Cuomo has said that even with theaters having limited capacity, the amount of people sitting in one spot for hours is too great a risk as the chance of exposure will definitely be higher. We will just have to wait and see at this point how long it will be before they decide whether it is safe enough to reopen theaters yet or if it isn’t.
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