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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

‘The Marksman’ captures top spot with $2 million, bleak times for movie theatres

Pray for movie theatres, since there don’t seem to be any respite from the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The Marksman,” a Liam Neeson thriller from Open Road, held onto first place for the second weekend in a row, grossing just over $2 million. The film has grossed $61 million after 10 days of release.

That performance allows the movie to retain its box office crown, but that kind of distinction isn’t worth what it was in pre-pandemic times, particularly with movie theatres closed indefinitely in major markets like New York City and Los Angeles.

Indeed, the exhibition landscape is a wasteland and with the vaccine rollout hampered by a lack of, you know, vaccines, help could be in short supply.

There’s little that portends a rapid recovery for a sector of the economy that’s been decimated by the public health crisis.

Last week, MGM yielded to the inevitable and pushed the release of its James Bond sequel, “No Time to Die,” from April to Oct. 8.

The film was initially intended to debut in spring of 2020 before COVID-19 upended daily life.

Bond’s move prompted a flurry of release date shifts, with the likes of “Morbius,” “Ghostbusters Afterlife,” “Cinderella,” and “A Quiet Place Part II” all moving to later in the year in the hopes of outrunning a pandemic that keeps killing people at an alarming rate.

At the same time, Adam Aron, CEO of AMC, the dangerously leveraged exhibitor that has teetered on the verge of financial ruin for much of coronavirus, sat for a lengthy profile with the New York Times, in which he sought to reassure Wall Street that the theatre chain would renegotiate its debt and recapitalise (again) in order to ride out the plague.

Closed signs are seen on an AMC Theatre during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in New York City, U.S., April 29, 2020. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

There’s a lot more track for Aron and his exhibition brethren to tackle before COVID is behind them.

Here’s how the rest of the pack fared. DreamWorks Animation’s “The Croods: A New Age” grossed $1.8 million in its ninth week of release, pushing its domestic haul to $41.8 million.

Internationally, film took in $1.6 million in 17 territories, bringing its global total to $139.8 million.

Warner Bros.’ “Wonder Woman 1984” netted $1.6 million domestically.

The superhero sequel debuted simultaneously on HBO Max in an effort to drive subscribers to the WarnerMedia streaming service. Internationally, “Wonder Woman 1984” picked up $2.1 million. The film’s global haul stands at $148 million.

Sony Pictures’ “Monster Hunter,” a film adaptation of a popular video game, grossed $820,000 and has a domestic gross of $10.2 million.

Universal’s “News of the World,” a Western with Tom Hanks that is also available on PVOD, earned $810,000.

The film has grossed $9.6 million domestically after five weeks of release.

Lionsgate’s “Fatale,” a psychological thriller with Hilary Swank, grossed $415,000. It has a domestic gross of $5.3 million after just over a month in theatres.

Focus Features’ “Promising Young Woman” took in $400,000, pushing its gross to $4 million.

Both “The Croods” sequel and “Promising Young Woman” are available on PVOD, part of parent studio Universal’s deal with exhibitors to release movies in theaters in return for allowing them to debut on-demand within weeks of their big screen bows.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT PHENOMENAL LAGOS

3 theatres in Lagos now open to public

Lagos State Government on Tuesday says its three theatres located in Epe, Igando and Badagry are now in full operation under public-private partnership management.

The state Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs Uzamat Akinbile-Yusuf, disclosed this during the 2020 Assocation of Nigerian Journalists and Writers of Tourism (ANJET) seminar on Tuesday in Lagos.

The theme of the seminar was, “Tourism and Rural Development” and the sub theme “Post COVID-19: Recovery Strategies for Hospitality and Tourism Sector in Nigeria”.

Akinbile-Yusuf, represented by Adamma Oni, a Deputy Director in the ministry, said that individuals willing to use the facilities would be obliged to do so as the state was committed to boosting domestic tourism.

The commissioner explained that the theater in Oregon, which was burnt during the recent EndSARS protests was under renovation.

She said that her ministry wass making several efforts to reposition Lagos tourism and market it to tourists both indigenous and foreign.

“I am glad to inform this gathering that our theatres in different parts of the state are now under public-private partnership and the operation for this has commenced.

“This, we believe, will enable the ministry focus on other priority areas that will aid the growth and development of tourism in the state.

“In the same vein, the much talked about Lagos Creative Academy for the up-skilling of professionals in the creative sector has commenced.

“We are now at the recruitment stage which, hopefully by the end of December, would have been perfected, both online and physical classes would be available at the Academy,” she said.

She said that the disbursement of the N1billion approved by Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu as seed capital for investment in the tourism and hospitality sectors has started.

“The ministry has equally designed an eligibility form for qualified and interested practitioners as a condition that must be met before approaching Lagos State Employment Trust Fund, LSETF for the seed capital.

” The form is accessible on tsp.lagosstate.gov.ng.

” I want to appreciate the leadership of ANJET who did not limit themselves to news reporting alone but also considered it necessary to lend their voice to topical issues as it affects the growth and development of the tourism and hospitality sector in Nigeria.

“As a bridge between the public and tourism stakeholders, I want to implore ANJET to continue to champion the interest of the masses, provide constructive criticism where necessary and remain unbiased in your reportage,” she said.

The keynote speaker, Dr Wasiu Babalola, Chairman, Institute of Hospitality, United Kingdom and Nigeria, advocated for the creation of sole ministry of tourism or culture to ensure proper preservation of nation’s historical and cultural heritage.

Babalola said this was important because attention had been shifted from the two sectors which happened to be the greatest employer of labour in the country.

He said if a separate ministry of tourism or culture was established, major policies would be created that would facilitate the growth of the sectors.

He advised the Federal Government to ensure that all hotels across the country were uniformly classified and create annual calendar of tourism activities for publicity.

” For tourism and culture sub-sectors to thrive better in this country, we need a separate ministry of tourism or culture, this will ensure absolute focus on the promotion and marketing of our historical and cultural heritages,” he said.

Earlier, Mr Omololu Olumuyiwa, ANJET President, said the seminar comes up annually in furtherance of ANJET’s commitment toward developmental journalism, promotion and marketing of Nigeria tourism which informed the choice of the theme.

“For us as a major stakeholder in the travel industry, the seminar is part of our contribution to deepening discourse and development of the sector and creating a platform for the various players across board to network and promote their businesses at the forum,” he said.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Movie theatres outside New York City to reopen at 25% capacity

Movie theatres outside of New York City will be allowed to reopen on Oct. 23 after a months-long hiatus spurred by the coronavirus, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Saturday.

Theatres will be required to cap capacity at 25% with a maximum of 50 people per screen, and only in counties that have a positivity rate below 2 per cent on the 14-day-average and no cluster areas, Cuomo said.

Moviegoers will be required to wear masks except when seated and eating or drinking. Theatres will be required to meet enhanced standards for air filtration and ventilation.

The governor announced the move at a Saturday briefing where he said New York was making progress in tackling COVID-19 “clusters” in certain areas of the state, including Brooklyn and Queens in New York City.

“The strategy is working,” Cuomo said, pointing to decreasing positivity rates in so-called “red zones.” “Not just the micro clusters, the whole statewide strategy is working.”

Cuomo has come under pressure from cinema operators for not allowing theatres to reopen sooner.

Last week, the executive committee of the Global Cinema Federation, which represents cinema operators and other industry leaders worldwide, sent a letter to the Democratic governor asking him to reverse his decision to keep theatres closed.

Cinema operators are buckling under the financial strain of the pandemic.

Attendance at the world’s largest movie theatre chain, AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc , has slumped 85 per cent compared to last year since its cinemas reopened after lockdowns were eased in some states, the company said.

With the pandemic changing consumer behaviour globally, more viewers are being driven to digital video services as people spend more time at home due to restrictions on movement and a switch to working from home, which has shuttered theatres.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

AMC Entertainment to reopen 450 U.S. theatres July 15

AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc on Thursday said it planned to reopen theatres at about 450 locations in the U.S. on July 15 and expected returning to full seating capacity around Thanksgiving.

The world’s largest movie theatre operator also said it would reopen the remaining 150 theatres in the country in time for opening of Walt Disney Co’s “Mulan” on July 24 and Warner Bros.’ July 31 release of “Tenet”.

The company said it would adopt a four-phase approach to increasing limitations on the seating capacity, adding that social distancing would be enforced across all auditoriums.

In phase 1, beginning July 15, ticket availability in all AMC auditoriums will be capped at 30 per cent of the normal seating capacity and it will block every other row in non-recliner auditoriums.

This cap will be increased to 40 per cent of the seating capacity in phase 2 and 50 per cent in phase 3, which is expected to begin around the Labour Day weekend.

The company plans to operate at full capacity in Phase 4, expected around Thanksgiving.

AMC also said that as part of its health and sanitation programme, every auditorium would be cleaned between each show time along with a routine disinfection of all high-touch areas including door handles, stanchions, service counters, handrails, escalator rails, benches and restroom fixtures.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Amazon Prime premieres Bollywood films in theatres

Amazon Prime Video, Amazon’s streaming service, will screen several new Indian films originally meant for release in theatres this month, sparking protests from cinema owners as the novel coronavirus outbreak upends Bollywood.

India has been under a strict lockdown since March 25 to battle the virus, leaving about 9,500 theatres shut and depriving Bollywood of box-office revenue.

So producers of seven films, including two Bollywood movies starring A-listers, such as Amitabh Bachchan and Vidya Balan, will stream the movies directly on Amazon Prime Video following a deal, the company said in a statement on Friday.

“Gulabo Sitabo”, a family comedy with Bachchan and Ayushmann Khurrana, which was set for release in April, will now stream directly on Amazon Prime Video in June, as will “Shakuntala Devi”, a biopic of the Indian mathematician of the same name.

Two of India’s biggest cinema chains, Inox and PVR, which were meant to screen “Gulabo Sitabo”, bemoaned the decision.

“INOX will be constrained to examine its options, and reserves all rights, including taking retributive measures in dealing with such fair-weather friends,” Inox said in a statement.

The producers’ guild said the comments from Inox were “abrasive and unconstructive”.

PVR Chief Executive Kamal Gianchandani told the Indian Express on Thursday after Amazon announced it would stream “Gulabo Sitabo” that he was disappointed by the news.

The other five films in the Amazon deal were productions from the prolific southern-language film industry.

Streaming platforms like Amazon and Netflix had in the past signed deals with Indian studios for digital rights, but mainstream releases have always prioritised theatrical revenues first.

In China, regulators aim to protect the industry by enforcing rules to stop movies premiering online, in particular by strictly managing “theatrical window period” requirements, a period for movies to be screened in cinemas before they could be shown elsewhere.

But analysts said the Amazon deal in India was likely the beginning of a broader trend, as lingering fears of coronavirus infection and lower discretionary spending keep people away from multiplexes and single-screen cinemas.

“There will be a reset in the way that producers and studios think about their portfolios,” Vijay Subramaniam, director and head, Content, Amazon Prime Video, India, told Reuters in an interview.

Subramaniam said Amazon, which competes in India with Netflix and Disney’s Hotstar, did not see acquisition costs going up for the streaming platform.

Bollywood is a huge draw for India’s burgeoning online audiences, who – driven by cheap data and smartphones – are spending more time watching content online than ever before.

The media reported that more producers in Bollywood and the southern-language industry were in talks with streaming platforms for direct-to-digital releases.

Last month, theatre owners in the southern state of Tamil Nadu threatened to boycott well-known actor Suriya over his decision to stream his film on a digital platform.

That film, “Ponmagal Vandhal” is part of the seven-film slated that Amazon announced on Friday.