Outlook not improving for U.S. movie theaters

NEW YOK » About three quarters of the country’s movie theaters are open, but Americans are not going back in significant numbers in the COVID-era, even with new films coming into the marketplace weekly.

The biggest movies continue to limp along. According to studio estimates Sunday, Warner Bros.’ “Tenet” earned $4.7 million in its third weekend from nearly 2,930 locations, Disney’s “The New Mutants” added $1.6 million in its fourth weekend, “Unhinged” brought in $1.3 million and Sony’s rom-com “The Broken Hearts Gallery” picked up an additional $800,000 in its second frame.

And newcomers aren’t faring any better. The faith-based “Infidel,” which stars Jim Caviezel, did the best with $1.5 million from just over 1,700 theaters.

This weekend also saw the limited release of two adult dramas, IFC’s “The Nest,” with Jude Law and Carrie Coon, and Bleecker Street’s “The Secrets We Keep,” with Noomi Rapace. Both played in under 500 theaters across the country and neither got much more than $200 per location.

Bob Dylan offers new ‘Theme Time Radio Hour’ about whiskey

MINNEAPOLIS » With his Never Ending Tour temporarily grounded and his compelling new album “Rough and Rowdy Ways” in stores, Bob Dylan is resurrecting his “Theme Time Radio Hour” on SiriusXM.

On Monday, he broadcast a new episode in the series in which he delivered 100 shows from 2006-09. Each featured a theme – baseball, weather, presidents, etc. – with songs and commentary about the particular topic.

The new episode was about whiskey, inspired by the bard’s own brand, Heaven’s Door, which he introduced in 2018.

Instead of the usual hourlong program, Dylan delivered a double shot – two hours – of songs, poems, recipes and chatter about whiskey.