Saturday, October 10, 2020

Closed!

 One more Covid-19 casualty. 


Regal shut down all of its theatres yesterday.   The pipeline of new movies is pretty dry and moviegoers are not returning to theatres - in areas where they are open.  The New York Times reported October 5: 

A little more than a month after movie theater chains restarted operations in the United States, some are starting to shut back down.

On Monday, Cineworld, the parent company of Regal Cinemas, the second largest theater chain in the country, announced that it would temporarily close its 663 theaters in the United States and Britain this week.

Late last week, MGM/Universal announced that it was delaying the release of the new James Bond film, “No Time to Die,” until next year, the latest in a slew of big-budget movies that have been moved out of 2020 by Hollywood studios. And Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet,” whose Labor Day weekend release was intended to herald the return of movie theaters, continues to struggle at the U.S. box office, at least in part because audiences are wary of theaters.

 For instance, Warner Bros. is postponing releasing the remake of “Dune,” once scheduled for December, until Oct. 1, 2021, according to two people familiar with the studio’s plans who spoke on condition of anonymity because they had not been made public. Warner Bros. declined to comment.

“If the studios continue postponing all their releases, the movie theaters aren’t going to be there for those postponed releases,” John Fithian, chief executive of the National Association of Theatre Owners, said in an interview. “...

 Mr. Fithian also pointed to the government-mandated closure of theaters in New York State, home to a crucial box office market because of its size and cultural influence, as a major reason that releases were being delayed and chains were suffering financially....

 This past weekend, 2,931 U.S. movie theaters were open, about 57 percent of the country’s total. They generated a mere $12 million in box office receipts. The box office totals from the same weekend a year ago reached $150 million, buoyed by the release of “Joker,” which alone earned $96.2 million..... Rest of article.

Ouch.  Since Wonder Woman 1984 got pushed back, here is Wonder Woman 1975.

29 comments:

Anonymous said...

Movie theaters are so 1950.

Jacksun said...

Netflix and its competitors were brought to the fore by Covid. Much of that market will never return. Can bing watch much cheaper at home. The only reason left for the theatres that I can see is so that guys still need a place to take a date.

Anonymous said...

Carter was hotter in her day.
Her daughter even more so .

Anonymous said...

Movie theaters and the studios did it to themselves. Crappy/overpriced food, a plethora of commercials, and consistently boring movies will result in the premium ones (reserved seating, food/drink service, etc.) surviving and the rest being repurposed into air-conditioned self-storage facilities.

Anonymous said...

Hopefully it will shut down Hollywood. Their dirty, vile, filthy, trashy movies aren’t worth watching!

Anonymous said...

The great news is that the self-centered narcissists in Hollywood are getting less of our money. Karma.

Anonymous said...

But where will I go to get a $12.00 tub of Popcorn and an $8.00 diet coke?

I won't even mention a $6.00 candy bar. I guess I did.

Anonymous said...

I care because????

Anonymous said...

Pricing is a part of it, but the entire experience just isn’t worth it these days.

Anonymous said...

6:44, you do know Netflix was a thing before Covid right?

Anonymous said...

unless it’s “superhero”, people under 21 are more likely to watch twitch and see people play video games. in two years expect only one or two movie theater complexes in the metro..

Anonymous said...

Sour, sour, sour grapes and anonymous keeps interjecting! Sorry for those that worked in local theaters that were attempting to stay off the government dole. Kids/adults trying to help themselves, parents with spending money or bills or trying to avoid student loans. The people on the street and your economy is hurting anonymous.

Anonymous said...

nobody with a brain want's to pay money to swallow the pozzed load hollywood is offering these days.

Anonymous said...

Nobody wants to go sit in a dark room full of strangers anymore.

Anonymous said...

Personally I love going to the movies, but I don’t share the vitriol for California like most here. The next one on the list was the new James Bond but it keeps moving back. Sad deal.

Anonymous said...

I would hate to be in the cinema business right now. I recently saw a 50 inch 4K TV for under $500. As home TV's and sound systems get better and better and streaming services put out new content it is a tough decision to go out, pay for over-priced tickets, food, etc. and then be stuck in the row in front of a couple that just had to bring their kid and his friend because their sitter plans fell through. In fact, the experience is a bigger deal than the price!

Anonymous said...

No one is forcing you guys to buy junk food when you go to the movies. If you can't go an hour and a half without stuffing your face, maybe you should focus your $8 on a gym membership.

Anonymous said...

Is the Regal theater in Flowood the only one in the Jackson area?

Anonymous said...

9:24 pm - the fair is in town until Monday. I'm sure you can satisfy you $8.00 diet coke itch there.

Anonymous said...

If their other theaters are anything like the one in Flowood, the main reason for their closing is their clientele. They ruin everything.

Anonymous said...

Olivia Newton John looked hot as hell wearing her black leather outfit when "Grease" played at Meadowbrook Cinema Six for almost nine months back during the late 1970's.

But back then, a tub of hot buttered popcorn only cost about $1.75.
A coke about .50 cents.

(Plus we could sneak in beer . . . and the North State Street Krystal, Pasquales Pizza and El Burrito were within walking distance of the movie theater.)

Yep, fond Geezer memories for sure !



Anonymous said...

OK...I read a thousand words of Kingfish's drivel and never did learn where the theater shown in the article is located. Am I supposed to guess?

Anonymous said...

And now that there is no new material theaters are showing material that has been shown over and over again on TV, then charging 2020 prices. A good manager would cut off theaters that can't return their costs and use only the number of screens that can show new material. But the business of movie theaters requires multiple screens showing. Regal has the right idea -- stay shut until there is enough for all. Of course, that necessarily won't mean any better quality...

Anonymous said...

Now what do I do with my bonus points?

Anonymous said...

I hope all of the movie theaters fold up!! Over priced everything, some asshole always kicking the back of your seat, inconsiderate assholes on bright ass cellphones during the movie and this whole new reserved seating thing is for shit!! Last two times I went to my assigned/reserved seat there was somebody sitting in them and they wouldn't move. Like I said, I hope this pandemic folds them all up like a cheap suit. Good riddance!!!

Anonymous said...

" Over priced everything, some asshole always kicking the back of your seat,"

Yep,

Memories of the old Jackson Mall Cinema when the latest James Bond 007 movie "Live and Let Die" premiered during the early/mid 1970's. A Black dude started kicking seats just to piss off some White kids.

The White kids had a reserve company on his left flank.

He was asked to stop kicking the seats, but he didn't.

The reserves then bombarded him with popcorn.

After his afro hair-do had a pound of buttered popcorn stuck in it, all hell broke loose.

LOL

But back then . . . no one was shot or "cut". Hell, the cops didn't even have to be called.
The staff ended the fracas, and all enjoyed 007.

Kingfish said...

Been three times since they reopened. Tinseltown was selling tickets for $5 each so it wasn't too bad.

It sounds like we have an Oscar the grouch in the audience. The knees in the back doesn't happen anymore since they went to the recliners. You have a problem with reserved seating? Best thing they've done in the theaters in a long time. All you had to do was go tell management someone was in your seat. I did last year and made a whole theatre full of people move as they were in the wrong one. You just like to gripe.

Anonymous said...

The pussyfication of America continues as we now buy reserved seating at the picture show and go tattle to the flashlight-guy when somebody is in our seat.

If only mom were still curbside to pick us up when the movie and cartoon ended.

Anonymous said...

Lynda Carter was smart enough to leave Hollywood & marry a Politician...where the REAL money is.


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