Movie theater chain Alamo Drafthouse has temporarily closed all six locations in Dallas and two venues in Omaha, citing the lack of new major movies to draw crowds. “Due to a lack of upcoming major studio films, some of our franchise locations have opted to temporarily close until a consistent schedule of new releases resumes.
Movies
On its face, it seems that the upcoming awards season is built for the streamers to take by storm. Netflix looks to have a minimum of 16 awards players in various categories while Amazon is fielding a half-dozen. Apple TV Plus and Hulu are also bulking up for a big push as well. With Walt
“Mosul,” an action film that plunges viewers into the fight between a renegade police unit and the ISIS fighters who have destroyed their homes, has been purchased by Netflix. The deal comes over a year after “Mosul” made its debut at the 2019 edition of the Venice Film Festival. That’s partly a testament to how
Halloween and politics are just two of the major themes onscreen in a month that offers a flood of brand-new movies on streaming services and VOD. October naturally brings its share of pre-Halloween horror movies, even when movie theaters are closed (and also a Halloween-themed Netflix comedy, “Hubie Halloween”). Hulu released Clive Barker adaptation “Books
For months, potential blockbusters like “No Time to Die,” “Black Widow” and “Fast & Furious 9” have abandoned their planned theatrical release dates — then abandoned them again, and again. There’s been nary a week in 2020 that hasn’t seen the delay of at least one major film. And in most instances, postponing a tentpole
A couple of years ago, Taraji P. Henson was searching — and struggling — to find a therapist for herself and her son. “It was hard finding therapists who were culturally competent,” the actress told ‘Marie Claire” editor-in-chief Sally Holmes. “It’s not that they don’t exist. But pooling them together and finding them is quite
A great horror film is timeless, but also reflects the era when it was made. Scary movies have been with us for 100 years now, with each decade introducing themes that reflected new concerns for hapless humans. While awards voters and highbrow critics often look down on horror films, the public loves them because few
The idea of a U.S. film festival sticking to its dates in 2020 with a fully programmed, all-physical, non-virtual slate of screenings? It might seem beyond possibility, but then, the suspension of disbelief is particularly accentuated at L.A.’s annual Beyond Fest, which programs “genre” films every fall at the American Cinematheque’s Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood.
Kosovo has selected Visar Morina’s “Exil” as its official entry in the International Feature Film category of the 93rd Academy Awards, while Georgia has chosen Dea Kulumbegashvili’s “Beginning.” It follows submissions by Bhutan, Taiwan, Ukraine, Bosnia, Ivory Coast, Luxembourg, Poland and Switzerland. “Exil” had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in the World
Many editors will use a director’s shaky hand-held footage and use quick, short cuts to create tension and suspense in the thriller genre, but not Phillip Fowler. For Blumhouse’s new anthology series airing on Prime Video, Fowler collaborated with director Veena Sud for “The Lie.” Sud had written much of the tension and tone within
Film producer Gene Corman, who frequently collaborated with his older brother Roger Corman, died at his home on Sept. 28. He was 93. Roger Corman confirmed Gene Corman’s passing and said, “My brother was a great man, both as a producer and as a family man.” Gene Corman was born in Detroit in 1927, 17
Bleecker Street has bought North American rights to Harry Macqueen’s romantic drama “Supernova,” starring Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci. The film, produced by Quiddity Films and The Bureau, will be released in the U.K. in November by Studiocanal. “Supernova” premiered in September at the San Sebastian Film Festival. Firth and Tucci portray partners of 20
With a background in documentary filmmaking, Diane Paragas strove to make her narrative feature debut, “Yellow Rose,” which revolves around a 17-year-old Filipina American immigrant who dreams of becoming a country singer, look as natural as possible — particularly when those dreams are shaken. Played by Eva Noblezada (Tony-nominated for her role in the 2017
Disney’s president of film production Sean Bailey defended the controversial credits for the new live-action “Mulan” film, which thanked Chinese government entities directly involved in perpetuating human rights abuses in Xinjiang, as being part of “standard practice across the film industry worldwide,” according to a letter addressed to and posted online by prominent British politician
In a big win for non-binary representation in entertainment, the dramatic independent film “Under My Skin” will make its world premiere at London’s Raindance Film Festival on Oct. 29. Liv Hewson (“Bombshell”, “Santa Clarita Diet”, pronouns they/them) stars as Denny, a free-spirited artist, who falls for a straight-laced, corporate lawyer named Ryan, played by Alex
M-Appeal has struck several theatrical deals for Norwegian title “Sisters: The Summer We Found Our Superpowers,” including distribution in South Korea, Sweden, Belgium and The Netherlands. The film is described as “an inspiring and empowering story about sisterhood.” In South Korea, AK Entertainment will distribute the film and is planning a theatrical release in spring
Angelina Jolie and Christoph Waltz are in talks to star in “Every Note Played,” an adaptation of Lisa Genova’s contemporary romance novel. STX Films has acquired global rights to the movie. Jolie will play Karina, the ex-wife of an accomplished concert pianist named Richard (portrayed by Waltz). He has suffered many losses, including the estrangement
The Guild of Music Supervisors (GMS) has announced the full agenda for its third annual event and film festival in partnership with Mondo.NYC. Among those participating are Bryan Cosgrove, head of creative music licensing for TikTok, and Sam Hayflitch from Viacom and +1 The Vote. “Mr. SOUL!” and “Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President” will
“Enfant Terrible,” which received the Cannes 2020 label, is set to start its international journey with its first distribution deals announced as it joins the international festival circuit. The film, directed by Oskar Roehler, is about the life of German director Rainer Werner Fassbinder. The German film, which received its local festival premiere at the
Newen Group, the Paris-based international production and distribution company owned by French’s biggest TV network TF1 Group, is rebranding its distribution activities and rejigging its structure under the banner Newen Connect. The new organization, which will be spearheaded by Rodolphe Buet, will bring together Newen Distribution, TF1 Studio and Reel One Intl. to streamline their
The debut of Russian rock ’n’ roll saga “Tsoi,” based on the life of the iconic rebel singer-songwriter Viktor Tsoi, who died in 1990, has triggered a rights dispute with the performer’s heirs over the use of his name and image. The Warsaw Film Festival is scheduled to screen “Tsoi” in its international competition on
Blumhouse Television is developing a seven-part Indian anthology series with executive producer Dina Dattani (“The Ashram,” “Brahman Naman”). Each feature-length episode will explore the themes and mythology set against the backdrop of local Indian festivals, with the project specifically targeting the Indian audience. The U.S. studio previously enjoyed success in India with genre fare such
Highly anticipated theatrical titles “Coolie No 1,” with Varun Dhawan, and “Chhalaang,” starring Rajkummar Rao, are amongst films across five Indian languages that will bow directly on Amazon Prime Video India, bypassing cinemas. The films were due to release over the summer, but the spread of the coronavirus pandemic saw Indian cinemas shutter in March.
“The War with Grandpa” opens with a feisty encounter between Robert De Niro and a supermarket scanner. The supermarket has eliminated all its cashiers, and De Niro’s Ed, a senior citizen who wants to check out his cart full of groceries, can’t get the beeping, Siri-voiced scanner to cooperate, which leaves him testy in all
Simon Hewlett, Universal Pictures’ president of international marketing, will be leaving the company in 2021, Variety has learned. His impending exit comes after Universal began assessing its marketing and distribution structures this year with a goal of integrating its domestic and international teams into one global organization based out of its Los Angeles headquarters. That
Kaitlyn Dever will star as Zoe Murphy in the upcoming film adaptation of Tony award-winning musical “Dear Evan Hansen.” But filming during a pandemic certainly hasn’t been business as usual. “I don’t go anywhere. I don’t even go to stores. I wear a mask in rehearsals. Everyone’s wearing a mask everyone keeps their distance,” Dever,
Hollywood studio executive William Bernstein, a co-founder of Orion Pictures who also worked for United Artists and Paramount Pictures, died Wednesday. He was 87. Longtime associate Mike Medavoy confirmed Bernstein’s death, first reported by The Hollywood Reporter. “He was a brilliant guy, just very very smart,” Medavoy said. Bernstein, Medavoy, Arthur Krim, Robert Benjamin and
As moviegoers hurried into the Cineworld Leicester Square cinema in London on Thursday evening, eager to catch final screenings before what could be a six-month closure, some staff couldn’t believe the beeline of customers before them. “I wasn’t expecting all these people,” says one slightly stunned front-of-house employee from behind a mask, glancing nervously over
Pixar’s “Soul” is skipping theaters and will debut exclusively on Disney Plus in time for Christmas. The animated family film will launch on the streaming service on Dec. 25. In international markets where Disney Plus isn’t available, “Soul” will be released theatrically on a yet-to-be determined date. “Soul” was initially slated to release in June,
Writer Simon Rich, who counts Seth Rogen (for “An American Pickle”) and Lorne Michaels (for “Miracle Workers” and “Man Seeking Woman”) among his collaborators and Seth Meyers and John Mulaney among his friends, hasn’t had trouble staying productive during the pandemic. “It’s much easier to be a fiction writer than a feature director right now,”