All posts tagged: Theaters

To Get a Comedy Into Theaters, Hide the Comedy

To Get a Comedy Into Theaters, Hide the Comedy

Published by José Betancourt

The best way to sneak a comedy into theaters these days, it seems, is to make it a crime drama. Over Your Dead Body is billed as the latest effort from the director Jorma Taccone—a surprising name to be attached, considering his filmography. His previous features are Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping and MacGruber, two of the better comedies released in the 2010s (back when such things still regularly appeared in cinemas). But that résumé sits somewhat uncomfortably against a poster with five stone-faced actors wielding guns and knives—announcing a rather grim-looking thriller in which blood will be shed and tough life lessons learned. What a riot. Taccone’s film is certainly much more serious than the spoofy, anarchic projects he’s made in the past, including his work as a writer on Saturday Night Live. But it’s still, at its core, an attempt at a riotous black comedy, one indebted to obvious masters of the form such as the Coen brothers and the more horror-adjacent auteur Sam Raimi. Over Your Dead Body is a remake of …

Sony Movie Chief Tom Rothman Tells Theaters to “Get Off the Ad Crack”

Sony Movie Chief Tom Rothman Tells Theaters to “Get Off the Ad Crack”

Published by Daniella Wilson

There’s no one more famous than Tom Rothman when it comes to getting theater owners fired up at CinemaCon, the annual gathering of theater owners in Las Vegas. The chairman of Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group has used profanities more than once when taking aim at the perceived enemies of the theatrical experience who make it far too easy for consumers to watch a movie at home. “Netflix, my ass,” is one of his more notorious quips. But his comments at this year’s edition of CinemaCon took a surprise turn April 13 when he instead took issue with cinema operators and the consumer experience they provide, or lack thereof. “What I’m about to say, I say as a lifelong defender of movie theaters. But I urge you all now to make some hard choices for the long term rather than the short term health of your business,” aid Rothman. “Now is your own Olympic moment with three immediate goals.” First, Rothman called on circuits to enforce windows. While that comment drew loud applause, the clapping soon …

Watching a 7.5-Hour Movie in Theaters Made Me More Hopeful About Our Collective Brain Rot

Watching a 7.5-Hour Movie in Theaters Made Me More Hopeful About Our Collective Brain Rot

Published by skeptic

There are a few ways to wrap your head around watching a seven-and-a-half-hour movie. When I was a kid I used to mark time in “Roseannes,” where 30 minutes would equal one Roseanne—the run time of the sitcom. My junior hockey games were two Roseannes. The drive to my uncle’s was 12. A seven-and-a-half-hour movie is 15 Roseannes, or a flight from New York City to Paris in an economy seat with no headrest. It’s a long time to sit and watch a movie, or do anything, these days. But that didn’t stop 250-plus people from doing it on a recent early-spring Saturday in Manhattan. Sátántango, Hungarian filmmaker Béla Tarr’s 1994 miserabilist epic about a failed Hungarian farming collective, clocks in at 439 minutes. The centerpiece of Film at Lincoln Center’s Farewell to Béla Tarr program this week (the director died in January, age 70), the film is something of a holy rite for hardcore cinephiles. It is rarely screened, and rarely seen. Sitting still and watching a black-and-white movie for 7.5 hours is the …

Staying alive: How L.A.’s big 3 theaters plan to do it

Staying alive: How L.A.’s big 3 theaters plan to do it

Published by Sam Flores

You can tell a lot about a leader by the way he or she communicates. In conversations with the artistic directors of Pasadena Playhouse, Geffen Playhouse and Center Theatre Group last month, I encountered three talented and hardworking practical idealists confronting the same problem: how to make theater a vital part of the cultural life of Los Angeles in a period of grave economic, political and technological turmoil. The challenge of figuring out a workable business model as production and personnel costs rise while old revenue streams dry up is bad enough. But the quagmire is made worse by the question of what audiences want in an age of abundant at-home entertainment options, tighter budgets and general fatigue from the merciless grind of modern life. No one has to remind Pasadena Playhouse’s Danny Feldman, Geffen Playhouse’s Tarell Alvin McCraney or CTG’s Snehal Desai about the seemingly impossible nature of the situation before them. But the way they address their herculean assignments reveals the priorities and guiding principles of their artistic visions. Feldman, who as producing …

Sundance Film Festival Sets Dates, Theaters for First Colorado Edition in 2027

Sundance Film Festival Sets Dates, Theaters for First Colorado Edition in 2027

Published by Sam Flores

The Sundance Film Festival may be starting anew in Boulder, Colorado, next year, but it’s sticking with its late January time frame. Festival organizers on Tuesday said the 2027 festival will begin Jan. 21 and run through Jan. 31. They also revealed over a dozen key venues including 11 theaters where premieres will be held. Some of the official theaters will include the Boulder High School auditorium, the Casey Middle School auditorium, the Cinemark Century Boulder, the Boulder Theater and several University of Colorado Boulder locations like the Macky Auditorium Concert Hall and the Roe Green Theatre. Sundance Film Festival and public programming director Eugene Hernandez said they’re working closely with the Colorado community. “Nestled at the base of Colorado’s iconic Flatirons, venues across the city and CU Boulder’s campus provide an ideal setting for festivalgoers from across the world to come together, revel in art, spark conversation, and create unforgettable memories,” Hernandez said in a statement. Last month the nation’s premier independent film festival wrapped its final edition in its longtime home of Park …

Can AI Save Theaters? | Mind Matters

Can AI Save Theaters? | Mind Matters

Published by Jenni Sidey

Over the weekend, something unexpected happened. Iron Lung, an independent film created by YouTuber Markiplier, gave Disney’s Send Help a run for its money. On Friday, Markiplier’s film took the lead as the number one movie in America and held that position right up to the very end. Send Help did take the number one slot by Sunday, but barely. Challenging the old guard in theaters is not a new phenomenon. Recently, Angel Studios’ David also secured the number two spot, raking in $22 million during opening weekend. But this is the first time that an independent film produced by a single YouTuber with no studio assistance whatsoever has challenged the big dogs. And the fact that the Mouse has walked away from this weekend with egg on its face despite being number one gives me more vindictive pleasure than I can possibly describe. It’s just like that movie, Rocky. Sure, Apollo Creed won, but nobody cared. Rocky Balboa went the distance, and Iron Lung has done the same. But this news is also timely. And as I learned about the neck-and-neck race between Iron Lung and Send …

‘Time Hoppers’ movie a first for Muslims on the animated big screen

‘Time Hoppers’ movie a first for Muslims on the animated big screen

Published by Sam Flores

(RNS) — An animated film made by and for Muslims will hit hundreds of U.S. and Canadian movie theaters this weekend, marking a milestone for Muslim children’s representation on the big screen.  The movie, “Time Hoppers: The Silk Road,” follows four gifted students who travel back in time on a mission to protect historical Muslim scientists from an evil, time-bending alchemist. It marks the first major theatrical release of an animated feature by Muslim creators. Co-writer and director Flordeliza Dayrit told Religion News Service that the film showcases the rich history of Muslim innovators who have shaped the world but are not often given screen time.  “A lot of times you see Muslims in the media, especially in Hollywood, as bad guys, as villains,” Dayrit said. “With ‘Time Hoppers,’ we want to make sure Muslim kids are the superheroes of the movie.” Produced by Milo Productions, a Canadian children’s media company, and distributed by Fathom Entertainment, “Time Hoppers” will be shown at over 650 theaters across the two countries starting on Saturday and Sunday (Feb. …

We Found Two Theaters With Sold-Out ‘Melania’ Opening Day Screenings

We Found Two Theaters With Sold-Out ‘Melania’ Opening Day Screenings

Published by skeptic

Friday is the general release of the documentary Melania, a film about President Donald Trump’s third wife and first lady of the United States. A WIRED analysis shows that there are still plenty of seats available, unless you live near the AMC Classic Indian River 24 in Vero Beach, Florida. Or the AMC Independence Commons 20 in Independence, Missouri. Melania was produced by Amazon MGM Studios and directed by Brett Ratner, who is well known for both his Rush Hour series (another sequel of which is currently in production at Trump’s request) and for being accused of sexual misconduct by six different women. Ratner, who has previously denied the sexual misconduct allegations, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The trailer for Melania appears to largely feature the first lady traipsing around various grand rooms in sunglasses. There are many close-ups of her high-heel-clad feet walking on: rugs, hardwood floors, pavement, stairs, and so on. Her iconic boater hat—the one that hides her eyes—also makes an appearance. Both Trump and the production studio …

Melania documentary pulled from South African theaters for ‘political reasons’

Melania documentary pulled from South African theaters for ‘political reasons’

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Melania, the mysterious and controversial documentary about the First Lady, has been pulled from South African theaters days before its global release. The film — which follows Melania Trump over the 20 days leading up to her husband’s inauguration, as she prepares to transition back to the White House — is scheduled for a worldwide theatrical release on Friday in almost 30 countries. That number, however, has dropped by one after the film’s South African distributor Filmfinity made the last-minute decision Wednesday to cancel its theatrical run for “political reasons,” sources told Deadline. Meanwhile, Thobashan Govindarajulu, the head of sales and marketing for Filmfinity, told The New York Times the move was “based on recent developments” but declined to specify. Govindarajulu insisted it “was our decision” and that the company was neither pressured nor asked to remove the film. open image …

Do ‘People Have the Appetite’ for Movie Theaters?

Do ‘People Have the Appetite’ for Movie Theaters?

Published by Daniella Wilson

Do people still have an appetite to attend movie theaters? That’s a question Leonardo DiCaprio is pondering.  In a Saturday interview with The Times, the One Battle After Another star discussed the shifting film landscape, which he noted is “changing at a lightning speed.” He further pointed out the modern demand of streaming and how it has impacted the moviegoing experience.  “We’re looking at a huge transition. First, documentaries disappeared from cinemas. Now, dramas only get finite time and people wait to see it on streamers. I don’t know,” DiCaprio said. “Do people still have the appetite? Or will cinemas become silos — like jazz bars?” Despite much change in the film industry, the Oscar winner added that he hopes filmmakers will continue to bring projects onto the silver screen. “I just hope enough people, who are real visionaries, get opportunities to do unique things in the future that are seen in the cinema,” he said. “But that remains to be seen.” DiCaprio recently shared his opinion on artificial intelligence, arguing that it could be …