27 replies to this topic

[G-man]

Apparently due to the underwhelming performance of Nolan’s Tenet in the US Domestic Box Office, studios are pushing back the release dates of three of five films I was looking forward to for the rest of the year.

No Time To Die – the new James Bond film – still seems set for a Nov 20 release.
Death on the Nile has been pushed back to Dec 18.
Dune – thus far is still set for a Dec 18 release.
Wonder Woman 1984 has been pushed back to Dec 25.
Black Widow has been pushed back to May 7, 2021

I can understand the caution about releasing the films until everything is absolutely “safe,” but I confess some disappointments with the delays, and worry about whether Dune will release on the day it is currently scheduled.

Given that Dune might potentially pull a Black Panther and dominate the box office for weeks on end (conditions permitting), thus the new dates are not doing either Death on the Nile or Wonder Woman 1984 any favors, albeit, they might be successful as counter-programming.

/s/

Gloriosus
the G-man Himself

Edited by G-man, 25 September 2020 - 10:52 AM.

[Virgil Vox]

I'm curious how much of Tenet's poor box office was due to COVID-19 and how much was due to the movie itself. I must admit that the marketing didn't grab me and I didn't feel a strong desire to see the movie.

If Bond stays at Nov. 20 it will be interesting to see how it performs since it is a known property, there is plenty of interest in it, and it is Craig's last Bond film.

[Doppleganger]

Agreed the trailer I saw for tenet made me think it was a low budget indie film with an incredibly vague premise.

[zarkon]

Virgil Vox, on 26 September 2020 - 08:07 PM, said:

I'm curious how much of Tenet's poor box office was due to COVID-19 and how much was due to the movie itself. I must admit that the marketing didn't grab me and I didn't feel a strong desire to see the movie.

If Bond stays at Nov. 20 it will be interesting to see how it performs since it is a known property, there is plenty of interest in it, and it is Craig's last Bond film.

I think it was the movie itself.  I watched this a number of weeks ago when theaters cracked open a bit in my area.

Besides being quite a long movie, the story line didn't grab me that much.

However, I think it created a lot of confusion, especially when current time and future time or maybe it was past time, were all converging on the screen at the same time.

You have things moving forward and backward in time at the same time on the screen.   Makes my head spin remembering watching it  

Visually, pretty cool look to the movie, but it felt more like a movie for the special effects guys to show off their stuff than focus on the story itself.

By the time it was over, and it is a long movie, I felt very neutral.   I found the grandeur and  expanse of the movie off the charts.

My personal best benefit was it was the first movie I could watch in a theater on a very hot day in Florida during this pandemic and the air conditioning for several hours was glorious    

And I also agree that when it popped out, and one of the first big ones out there, the average movie patron was unlikely to venture out to be an early adopter like myself.

If my only option to see any movie was on a weekend night where more humans would share space, I probably would not have gone.

I had the luxury of just retiring before this virus hit, so any theater that has an afternoon movie to see, I am all over it as long as it looks interesting.

Their A/C beats mine at home any day  

Edited by zarkon, 27 September 2020 - 10:13 AM.

[G-man]

In fairness, if you leave out the timey-wimey stuff, Tenet's plot boils down to a James Bondian style story, complete with rescuing a wife and child from a cruel villain of a husband and father.

That said, it's just as well that the storyline was so straightforward as the timey-wimey bits very much complicates the telling, demanding that audiences pay attention and think about things.  IOW, it's not your typical popcorn thriller.

That, in itself, may not have had such an impact during normal circumstances, but with COVID-19 ... it probably did help.

BTW, cinema a/c is so much better than what I have at home, that it too was a relief, in addition to the distraction the movie provided

/s/

Gloriosus
the G-man Himself

Edited by G-man, 27 September 2020 - 12:39 PM.

[Christopher]

Air conditioning in enclosed spaces has been linked to cases of COVID infection, as it can concentrate and recirculate the virus. What you need is good ventilation and an exchange of air with the outside. I'm not sure any current theater is equipped for that, aside from drive-ins.

[G-man]

And people die of heat prostation if they cannot cool their body temperatures, this is particularly true of those older people who do not have access to air conditioning.  In particular, no air conditioning in a hot and humid environment can keep people from getting a good night's sleep, and will adversely affect their health, rendering them even more vulnerable to COVID-19.

Let's face it:  life is full of risks.  All one can do is decide which risk is worth taking.

Crossing the street is a risk, which is why we're supposed to 1) cross in a crosswalk, 2) when we have the light, and 3) after we have looked both ways to assure the coast is clear.  Of course, even if all these precautions are taken, a pedestrian can still be struck by a car whose driver is in a hurry and isn't paying attention.

/s/

Gloriosus
the G-man Himself

Edited by G-man, 27 September 2020 - 02:07 PM.

[Christopher]

G-man, on 27 September 2020 - 02:04 PM, said:

Let's face it:  life is full of risks.  All one can do is decide which risk is worth taking.

You're not just risking yourself in this case, though. You're risking the lives of the most vulnerable people around you. And over a movie, for pity's sake. Not even a good one, judging from the reviews of what's been out there lately.

[zarkon]

If you actually go to a movie today, there is likely to be just a handful of people inside the big dark black box and no one is risking anyone's life or health.

At most when I have gone, in a box that holds 300, there were 5 people.

A few times, I am the only one.

I am very happy most of the population wants to stay away and give me the best movie experience ever.

Tonight, I will be going to the anniversary showing of Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind.

This will be the first night time adventure for me, so we shall see if more humans invade my perfect dark space  

[G-man]

Thank you, Zarkon, and enjoy your experience.

/s/

Gloriosus
the G-man Himself

[RJDiogenes]

zarkon, on 29 September 2020 - 11:10 AM, said:

This will be the first night time adventure for me, so we shall see if more humans invade my perfect dark space      

There will be invaders, but they won't be human.  

[zarkon]

Just a follow up on Close Encounters.

It was a bit longer as some of the original parts that were removed has been added in, and somethings were changed a bit, but memory is fuzzy on the specific details  ;-(

Brain Fuzz gets me too much these days.

BUT, just for warm fuzzies, I was the ONLY person in the theater.  ;-)

And just moving through the lobby and else where, there were very few humans visible.

OF course this is during the week, and I think that speaks volumes.

Humans are creatures of habit, and the weekend is when they all head to the dark boxes to huddle together.

During the week is duh BOMB  ;-)  

Today, pretty good chance I will see Empire Strikes Back.     I sure am loving these old movies getting a showing in a theater again.  

Just not the same watching it on a big screen at home,  these are all in the XTreme boxes with extra sound stuff and fancy recliners etc  ;-)

WOOHOOOO

[RJDiogenes]

I wouldn't mind going to the movies so much if I could be the only one in the theater.  

Was this one of those re-releases sponsored by TCM?

[zarkon]

The releases I have seen so far are being sponsored by Fandango

And they get a few extra bucks for the deal as well.

I think I missed my shot for Empire Strikes Back, as they only had this run for a short bit, and my timing was off.

If they pop in a few old SciFi classics again, I will show up.

So far, at least during the week when I have gone, the theaters are still like ghost towns.

I suspect the weekends do much better.   I also found out that, when I went to see Close Encounters, the LAST show of the night was around 7PM, and most employees leave the building at 7:45  and a skeleton staff stick around to turn off the lights after the last movie is over.

Edited by zarkon, 01 October 2020 - 11:51 AM.

[Virgil Vox]

Well, No Time to Die has been pushed back five months.

It seems likely that the first half of 2021 might go by without any major movie releases, at least in the theaters.

[G-man]

Phooey.

I had been looking forward to that one.

Did you note when the tentative release date is?

/s/

Gloriosus
the G-man Himself

[G-man]

OK, I’ve found it:

No Time To Die (James Bond film) has been moved back from November 20, 2020 to April 2, 2021.
Dune has been moved back from December 18, 2020 to October 1, 2021.  Mind you, given the interviews that suggested the December 18, release date was going to involve a post-production “sprint” to finish the special effects, the delay might be for the best.

However, with the delay of the James Bond film, accounts have Regal Cinemas announcing that they were closing down their theaters again.

(sigh)  I had a suspicion that those two would have their respective releases pushed back.

So, December of 2020 is the earliest we can hope to see some blockbusters … maybe … unless they get delayed again.

Death on the Nile is due to screen on December 18, 2020.  
Wonder Woman 1984 is due to screen December 25, 2020.

/s/

Gloriosus
the G-man Himself

Edited by G-man, 06 October 2020 - 09:11 AM.

[FnlPrblm]

I admit, I have been getting the thought of going to a movie.  I saw the anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back and when I checked online for reservations (finding it was only a little over $5 and the original screening), I saw most of the showings with no one to 5 people in there.  It was on my birthday, but I decided in the end not to go.  I own the movie on dvd.  I really kind of want to see Bill and Ted's latest movie, but it wasn't showing at the Marcus Theaters on their $5 Tuesdays (and free popcorn).  I really just kind of miss my aunt who was my movie partner, who passed almost two years ago (this December).

[zarkon]

You missed a great opportunity  

I saw that movie again, and it was such a special treat to see it again on the BIG screen, felt like a little kid..

There was NOBODY there.

In fact, in several of these old releases, there was NOBODY there.

Now granted, I went during the week, but the staff told me even on the weekends, the number of bodies are few and far between.

Personally, I always hated weekends, due to too many humans who cannot behave.   During the week is golden.

My big favorite I just got to watch was Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind.  Spielberg got to add back in scenes he had to leave out, and it just felt so much more glorious.

I have also seen some of the few new releases, like Tenet, and same thing,  ghost town.   With Tenet being a new release, there was a total of 5 people in the big dark box.

Some of our movie chains have also tailored their hours to a small window, like 1 or 2 showings per day, at a 4-5 and 7ish time frame.  Each chain varies a bit.
We even have one that is closed Mon - Wed, so lots of variations.

With all of that, there is NO safety concerns from my experience.

GO FOR IT  

Edited by zarkon, 08 October 2020 - 09:26 AM.

[RJDiogenes]

FnlPrblm, on 07 October 2020 - 02:29 PM, said:

I really just kind of miss my aunt who was my movie partner, who passed almost two years ago (this December).  

I'm sorry to hear that. You should go to a movie in December for the sake of remembrance.