Month: March 2020

Disney joins the growing number of studios releasing films early digitally as theaters remain shuttered nationwide in light of the coronavirus pandemic. Disney and Pixar’s “Onward” will be available to buy digitally and on Movies Anywhere for $19.99 beginning on Friday at 5 p.m. PT. It hits Disney Plus on April 3 in the U.S.

Movie theater chain Cineworld Group, which also owns specialty exhibitor Picturehouse, has come under fire for letting go many of its staff and reducing the wages of others in the U.K. following the closure of all their British cinemas due to the coronavirus pandemic. Staff employed on a casual basis – on so-called “zero-hours contracts,”

As studios and distributors continue to pull the theatrical releases of their films, and cinemas nationwide close their doors to the public, what becomes of film criticism in the time of coronavirus? Like many of the U.K.’s film and TV workers, most critics work on a freelance basis and with most major theater chains shuttered

March 20, 2020 3:59AM PT Chinese actor Gao Yunxiang was this week acquitted in Australia of multiple rape and sexual assault charges. Producer, Wang Jing was similarly found not guilty on seven counts of sexual assault and attempted sexual assault. The cases sprang from accusations made in March 2018 that the two men had gone

South African producers are demanding an “urgent all-industry response” to the threat posed by coronavirus, with a leading industry body calling for a coordinated plan from broadcasters and government agencies to address the potential economic fallout of the global pandemic on the local film and TV biz. The Independent Producers Organization (IPO) sounded the alarm

Australian director Baz Luhrmann says that now is not the moment to be resuming production on his untitled “Elvis” project. The film was halted since last week, when actor Tom Hanks was diagnosed with the corovavirus. In a tweet on Friday afternoon Luhrmann said: “I’m sure it will come as no surprise that this is

Longtime TV and film editor Susan Kesler died Thursday, March 19, following a brief battle with ovarian peritoneal cancer. She was 60. Kesler started out in the business as an apprentice editor on “The Love Boat” and “Dynasty,” two of the most popular TV shows in the late 1980s. Her career blossomed to include working

March 19, 2020 11:37PM PT An innovative veterinarian practicing integrative care sets out to revolutionize his industry’s practices in this satisfying documentary. Terminally ill pets and their desperate, distressed caretakers are those that seek Dr. Marty Goldstein’s miraculous help. Yet his unconventional philosophies and radical therapeutic methods are shown in a fairly conventional, albeit deeply

SAG-AFTRA’s national headquarters in Los Angeles has been closed due to minimize the risk of exposure to the coronavirus. Gabrielle Cartereis, president of SAG-AFTRA, notified the 160,000 members of the performers union of the closure of the offices in the mid-Wilshire district in a message sent Friday night. “The safety of our members and staff

March 19, 2020 11:57PM PT The Taiwan International Documentary Festival, one of the leading documentary film festivals in East Asia has been called off for this year. Organizers blamed the coronavirus outbreak. Its 12th edition had been scheduled to take place May 1-10, 2020. Organizers said that it would be “Postponed to Spring 2021.” “Under

When it comes to film festivals, everyone follows Cannes’ lead, which is why it’s curious that the influential French event, originally scheduled to unspool from May 12-23 this year, waited more than a full week after the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic — and two weeks after the French government banned

As the nation’s movie theaters continue to shutter due to the coronavirus pandemic, Warner Bros. has given Ben Affleck’s drama “The Way Back” an early video on demand release on March 24. The studio announced the move late Thursday afternoon with a $19.99 price. “The Way Back” is the seventh title that was in current

In today’s film news roundup, Oscilloscope Laboratories and Kino Lorber are offering digital viewing alternatives in response to the coronavirus pandemic, and the DGA Health Plan has announced that participants won’t be charged for telemedicine/telepsychology visits. DIGITAL VIEWING Oscilloscope Laboratories has unveiled a 10-film promotion — dubbed Circle of Quarantine — in order to offer

Over the last 73 years, the Cannes Film Festival has often been billed as the world’s biggest and most glamorous celebration of the movies. But this year, it was poised to make history. Director and activist Spike Lee had been selected as the first black president of the festival’s jury. Several of Lee’s films —

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is hunkering down to figure out what’s next for the Oscars in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. “The Academy is focused on helping our staff, our members, and the industry safely navigate through this global health and economic crisis,” an Academy spokesperson said in a statement

March 19, 2020 2:00PM PT As movie theaters continue to shutter due to the coronavirus pandemic, Lionsgate and Kingdom Story Company will release the faith-based drama “I Still Believe” on premium VOD early, beginning on March 27. “The theatrical experience is core to our business, and exhibitors are our integral partners and allies,” Lionsgate Motion

U.K. media businesses affected by the coronavirus pandemic can expect no relief from insurance companies unless the disease is specifically covered in their contracts. The U.K. government’s failure to issue a diktat to businesses — including cinemas and theaters — to shut down, and instead advising people to simply “avoid” social venues, has caused widespread