'Dune' ditches 2020, while AMC commits to staying open [View all]
Source: Associated Press
Dune ditches 2020, while AMC commits to staying open
By LINDSEY BAHR
October 6, 2020
The 2020 theatrical release calendar is getting even slimmer in the wake of the announcement that Regal cinemas are temporarily closing, although AMC, North Americas largest theater chain, says it will remain open.
Warner Bros. said late Monday that its sci-fi pic Dune will now open in October 2021, instead of this December. The studio also pushed back The Batman to March 2022 and moved up its Matrix sequel to Dec. 2021.
AMC Entertainment reiterated its commitment to stay open and cited a slew of upcoming new releases that it will be playing, including this weekends new films The War With Grandpa, with Robert De Niro, and Yellow Rose. Roughly 80% of its U.S. locations are currently open.
With the recent exit of the next James Bond film, that leaves a mere handful of big films set to still open in 2020: Pixars Soul, on Nov. 20, Universals The Croods: A New Age, on Nov. 25, Disneys Death on the Nile, on Dec. 18 and Warner Bros. Wonder Woman 1984, at Christmas. Its an extra hit to the ailing theatrical industry, which endured six months of closures and has had a difficult time restarting business during the pandemic with key markets like New York still closed and an ever-changing release calendar.
Business has been so shaky that on Monday Cineworld Group Plc said it would temporarily close its 536 Regal cinema locations in the U.S. and 127 Cineworld and Picturehouse venues in the U.K. on Thursday. And last week leading groups representing movie theaters, movie studios and directors issued a dire plea to Congress for financial help for cinemas. They said nearly 70% of small and mid-size theaters could face bankruptcy or closure without assistance.
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