The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Disney sends ‘Frozen 2’ to streaming for housebound families
NEW YORK » The Walt Disney Co. released “Frozen 2” on Disney Plus several months early to give families cooped up by the coronavirus a welcome distraction — and give its streaming service a boost.
Disney announced that “Frozen 2” began streaming on Disney Plus Sunday, three months earlier than expected.
Most upcoming new releases have been postponed due to the virus, including Disney’s own lineup. “Mulan” had been set to hit theaters next week. Few March or April movies remain on the calendar.
“Frozen 2,” which opened on Nov. 22, had already completed its theatrical run and hit video-on-demand on Feb. 25.
Academy of Country Music postpones awards show
NEW YORK » The show won’t go on for the Academy of Country Music, after all.
The academy said Sunday that it was postponing its annual awards show, which was to be held April 5 at the MGM Garden Arena in Las Vegas and televised on CBS, because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The plan now is to hold the show in September, at a date and venue to be determined.
The academy “went to great lengths to find a safe solution for the show to go on,” said Damon Whiteside, academy CEO.
The decision to postpone came after “constant conversations” with everyone involved, he said.
AMC Theaters to limit attendance to 50 people per showing
NEW YORK » AMC Theaters, the largest movie chain in North America, will limit attendance at all screenings to 50 people to adhere to the CDC’S latest social distancing guidelines.
AMC has the AMC Fairgrounds 10 in Muhlenberg Township.
Cinemas in New York City and Los Angeles on Sunday were ordered closed by those cities’ mayors. Many art house theaters nationwide have also shuttered.
But the largest chains in North America have tried to keep their doors open. Over the weekend, the chains began to limit theater capacity to 50%. They have pledged to thoroughly clean theaters in between showings.
AMC said in any theaters smaller than 100 seats, it wouldn’t fill them more than half.
Regal, Cinemark and R/C Theatres, which has the R/C Reading Movies 11 and Imax, did not respond to messages Monday.
According to the corporate office of the Fox Berkshire in Wyomissing, that theater also will be following the CDC guidelines.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.
The vast majority of people recover from the new virus.
According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover.