Movie theaters prep for July reopening with summer blockbusters
Summer blockbuster season at the movies has started earlier and earlier over the years since “Jaws” ruled on land, sea and screen. But this year, it is hoping to resurface in July.
The planned reopening of chain venues in Pittsburgh, with greenphase restrictions in place due to COVID-19, will roll out to coincide with the first in-theater releases we’ve seen since closings began in March.
As the week began, AMC, the world’s largest movie theater chain, announced losses of more than $2 billion during the COVID19 lockdown but also said it expects “to be fully open globally in July,” CNN reported.
AMC did not provide a specific date for reopening, but Pennsylvania entered the green phase on June 5, when entertainment venues were allowed to open with 50% occupancy, among other restrictions.
Cinemark, which has several theaters in Western Pennsylvania, will “fully reopen” by July 10, according to the Associated Press.
Locally, the AMC Waterfront website continues to say: “This theater is temporarily closed in accordance with local, state and federal guidelines. It will reopen when those guidelines allow.”
The Tull Family Theater in Sewickley, which like most arthouse and community theaters also has gone virtual during the pandemic, has announced July 3 as a tentative reopening date. The Tull’s website says to watch for a video a few days before opening that will walk patrons through what to expect as the enter the new normal of theater-going.
As the Tull theater works out the logistics of adhering to the guidelines for reopening, it is busy with its virtual screening room programs, including the Science on Screen series addressing diversity in the sciences. The film “Picture a Scientist,” available through June 26, includes a live YouTube Q&A with the film’s directors and three starring scientists, 8-9 p.m. on Wednesday, moderated by Molly Webster of Radiolab. Viewers will be able to submit questions once the event begins.
Row House Cinema in Lawrenceville expects to reopen its doors in July to coincide with the pitter patter of little paws in a new Cats Fest film. The “Quarantine Cat Film Fest” will have its virtual cinema debut June 19, featuring the best of more than 1,100 cat videos submitted from around the world. Tickets purchased in advance at Row House Online benefit the Lawrenceville theater.
A few days after AMC Theatres announced it is planning next month to reopen its 1,000 theaters around the world, Sony Pictures on Wednesday said it will send out “the first major studio wide release of the summer” for in-theaters viewing only.
The rom-com “The Broken Hearts Gallery,” due out July 10, is executive-produced by Selena Gomez and stars Geraldine
Viswanathan of HBO’s “Bad Education” and the TBS series “Miracle Workers.” The cast includes Phillipa Soo of “Hamilton” and Bernadette Peters.
“The Broken Hearts Gallery” will be followed into theaters by two of the most anticipated movie releases of the summer of 2020: Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” on
July 17 and Disney’s live-action “Mulan” on July 24.
“Tenet” stars John David Washington and Robert Pattinson on a mission to “reverse the flow of time” and save the world.
With a July 1 release date, Russell Crowe’s psychological thriller “Unhinged” could be a test case, but it is unclear how that will work with the lockdown still in place at most U.S. theaters.
Most movies that were due for summer release have either moved their dates to winter or next year, or they have been released on streaming services.
Universal’s “Trolls World Tour” was due in theaters on March 11 but released instead as a premium video on demand on digital platforms.
Universal later said that the “Trolls” sequel broke records for the biggest PVOD debut, according to The Hollywood Reporter, and several studios quickly pushed intheater releases such as “The Way Back,” “Emma,” “Scoob!” and “Invisible Man” to on-demand.
AMC websites have featured digital rentals during the COVID-19 lockdown, but that first move by Universal did not go over well — The chain has said it will no longer play any Universal films in its theaters.