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CINEWORLD ANNOUNCES REOPENING PLANS…
…AND INKS WARNER DEAL
…AS DISNEY GOES FOR MORE PREMIUM RELEASES…
WINTER ARRIVES TO WARM RESPONSE
AND SKY SNAPS UP AWARDS HOPEFUL
SOTHCOTT’S NEMESIS ARRIVES…
…AS STUDIO AIMS TO BE BRIT CRIME HOME
TAKE BACK CONTROLS…
WINDMILL STARTS TURNING
EASY AS ABC FOR NETWORK
ANDERSON SPECIAL IS GO
EUREKA UNVEILS JUNE TITLES…
…WITH SOME CLOSE ENCOUNTERS
LINE OF DUTY RULES
AT THE MOVIES
TWEET OF THE WEEK
TRAILERS OF THE WEEK
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The landscape has shifted again, with a raft of announcements this week affecting not just the return to some semblance of normality across theatrical and home entertainment as cinemas look to reopen their doors, but also long-term issues such as windows. Chief among the announcements was the news from Cineworld. For the exhibitor has announced its reopening plans in the US under the Regal banner, with more on the UK too, as well as, even more intriguingly, unveiling a deal it has inked with Warner taking in both territories. And the latter is a fascinating look at where the business could be heading going forward. The reopening of Cineworld’s sites on both sides of the Atlantic is straightforward in itself – April 2 for a limited number of its outlets for Warner’s Godzilla Vs Kong, opening more two weeks later and in May in the UK “in line with government guidance” – The UK is its second biggest market after America. As Cineworld’s ceo Mooky Greidinger said: “We have long-awaited this moment when we can welcome audiences back to our Regal theatres and restore our essential role within the communities we serve. With the health and safety of our customers, staff, and communities as our top priority, we continue to take all the necessary precautions and abide by our CinemaSafe guidelines to confidently provide a safe and comfortable experience. With capacity restrictions expanding to 50 per cent or more across most US states, we will be able to operate profitably in our biggest markets. We will also be monitoring developments closely in the U.K. and across Europe as we set to gradually reopen across the world in line with local government guidance.”
Meanwhile, the deals with Warner are separate for the UK and US. For these shores, as the announcement outlined: “Warner Bros. and Cineworld have agreed to an exclusive theatrical window of 31 days prior to PVOD, and an extended window of 45 days for films that open to an agreed upon box-office threshold.” The deal in the US, officially beginning next year (the major has already announced its big releases will all be appearing day and date on its HBO Max svod service this year) will see Warner films opening at Cineworld’s US sites and playing with an exclusive 45 day period (with “certain provisions”). The windows guarantee exclusivity for Warner titles while they are playing in Cineworld cinemas, but give Warner the scope to do what it likes afterwards. Cineworld ceo Mooky Greidinger said: “We are very happy for the agreement with Warner Bros. This agreement shows the studio's commitment to the theatrical business and we see this agreement as an important milestone in our 100-year relationship with Warner Bros."
Also announcing this week was Disney, which, if online chatter is anything to go by, angered many exhibitors with its mixed release strategy after announcing a revised slate for 2021 and beyond. It is following the simultaneous theatrical and premium access video on demand route for some of its summer tentpoles, with the live action Cruella and Marvel title Black Widow both offered as pvod or theatrical releases in most territories on May 28 and July 9. “Today’s announcement reflects our focus on providing consumer choice and serving the evolving preferences of audiences. By leveraging a flexible distribution strategy in a dynamic marketplace that is beginning to recover from the global pandemic, we will continue to employ the best options to deliver The Walt Disney Company’s unparalleled storytelling to fans and families around the world,” said Kareem Daniel, Chairman, Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution.
Also from Disney, seeing as we’re on the subject, the company’s Disney+ svod service launched its latest Marvel offering, The Falcon And The Winter Soldier little more than a week ago, with the media giant revealing that the opener was its most watched series premiere ever. It success was global too, over the three day-weekend (Friday March 19 to Sunday March 22) it was the most watched premiere and also the most popular title on the service, outdoing such biggies as the debut of the second series of The Mandalorian and the first WandaVision episode. Many analysts and US trade magazines pointed out that actual figures weren’t revealed, as Deadline noted: “No viewership numbers were provided whatsoever. Disney+ did not provide any degree of viewers for Falcon and the Winter Soldier specifically in regards to WandaVision‘s weekend premiere or The Mandalorian‘s season 1 or 2’s weekend premieres. The streaming service only mentioned that Falcon, WandaVision and season 2 of Mandalorian are the streaming service’s top three most watched weekend premieres.”
And there were more big announcements too, this time from Sky, which has landed Oscar and BAFTA hopeful Promising Young Woman as an exclusive to its Sky Cinema and associated Now TV offering. The Carey Mulligan starrer, directed by first-timer Emerald Fennell, has BAFTA and Oscar nods for Best Picture among its haul of six and five nominations respectively for each of the key ceremonies. The Universal and Focus title will appear exclusive on Sky Cinema and Now from April 16, the latest exclusive the ambitious television and now streaming giant has snapped up. This led to the slightly bizarre sight of scores of people who have already seen the film (by awards screener, we’re hoping) saying that a film that they’d watched at home should be seen on the big screen. The film is still available as a pre-order item on services such as Amazon Prime; we asked for comment on whether it would be getting a trade-wide release, but have yet to receive a reply. Meanwhile, back at Sky, Sarah Wright, Director of Sky Cinema and Acquisitions at Sky UK & Ireland says: “Promising Young Woman’ is an outstanding debut by a very exciting filmmaker, deservedly receiving plaudits across the industry and we can’t wait to share it exclusively with Sky Cinema customers.”
Forthcoming releases and Monday March 29 sees the bow of the latest from the home entertainment friendly UK producer (and regular Raygun reader) Jonathan Sothcott and his new Shogun Films production outfit. And both Sothcott and UK distributor Bulldog are pleased with the way the title is shaping up. The company’s Phil Hoile said: ““We’re really pleased with the reaction we’ve had for Nemesis from retailers and the strong support we’ve been able to get for the title both for the physical and digital releases on Monday. We’re also really enthused by the reaction online over the past few weeks too. From Billy Murray to Nick Moran, Frank Harper and Bruce Payne, there’s a host of faces in the film that this audience love to see on screen and they won’t be disappointed – Nemesis delivers an intense twist on the modern British gangster film.”
Producer Jonathan Sothcott also outlined some of the reaction to the film and, more intriguingly, outlined some of his plans for the Shogun Films outfit. He told The Raygun: “My new venture Shogun Films is off to a strong start with Nemesis which has won widespread acclaim from grass roots press and we’ve built a decent buzz online. The quality cast and slightly elevated genre story has clearly resonated with our audience and I hope that will be reflected in a strong week one. I want to build Shogun into a brand that feels like a club for that audience and we’re releasing a soundtrack CD and a making of book, and our theme song by Talia Dean hit the number one spot on the iTunes soundtrack chart the day it was released. We’re hard at work on our next one, action-packed revenge movie Renegades starring Lee Majors, Danny Trejo, Patsy Kensit and Ian Ogilvy and are in prep on youth crime drama Knifer, written and directed by Dave Beton and based on his own-best-selling book (under his Ronnie Thompson pseudonym). We’ve taken our first step towards becoming Britain’s first bona fide factory for action/crime thrillers and the future feels bright.”
Monday March 29 is a busy day for 101 Films, with not one but two releases from the independent highlighting both its new release and classic films strategies. The first is Take Back, a new thriller starring real-lie ass-kicking couple Gillian White and Michael Jai White. The company’s Tim Scaping said; “The latest 101 Films co-production, with more in the pipeline, Take Back is an adrenaline-fuelled, martial arts action thriller starring Gillian White - the first film of its type to feature a black female lead. Also starring Michael Jai White and Mickey Rourke, the film centres on a seemingly unassuming woman who is thrust into the media limelight when footage of her taking out an armed criminal goes viral. As unwelcome elements of her past re-surface she must take on an evil gang of human traffickers when they kidnap her stepdaughter. Take Back is available on DVD and across digital platforms from Monday March 29, and is a very exciting release for 101 Films, given the film's star power and unrelenting action.”
Next up is another addition to one of the company’s sub-imprints, released under the Red Label banner. Outlining the ripe for rediscovery title, 101 Films’ Tim Scaping said: “Something of a hidden gem, and starring Michael Caine in his prime, The Black Windmill is long-overdue a UK Blu-ray release, so we're delighted to be adding it to the ever-expanding 101 Films Red Label range. Directed by Don Siegel, the film also stars the great Donald Pleasence, and benefits from an outstanding Roy Budd score. Somewhat overlooked upon its original release, we're confident that our Blu-ray release will give this underrated and under-seen British spy thriller a new and appreciative audience.”
Boutique independent label Second Run has another of its impeccably selected and finely tuned and honed releases on Monday March 29 with the release of another award-winning title. Here’s the company’s Chris Barwick on I Was At Home But… He said: “Second Run is delighted to be releasing Angela Schanelec's Berlin-award winner I Was At Home But... to Blu-ray in the UK. Schanelec is one of the most distinctive voices in current cinema, and we have long been wanting to release some of her films. We have a reputation and an ethos for championing great modern filmmakers, and our catalogue boasts works by Pedro Costa, Yorgos Lanthimos, Albert Serra, Tsai Ming-Liang, Denis Côté, Miguel Gomes, Apichatpong Weerasethakul... and now Angela Schanelec. Her film I Was At Home But... is a beautiful, elusive, bittersweet drama that we're sure will be a wonderful discovery for many.”
“There’s no question we had to come up with solutions and get creative because we didn’t have much money. That’s what Roger Corman was the master of. Every department from the director and producer on down to the the electricians, the grips, the art department, props, hair and make up had to be creative. Roger was not going to spend a lot of money, he knew what he wanted to spend. We didn't have that luxury of throwing money at it which you do sometimes on bigger budgets. It really teaches you a lot.” So says Hollywood uber-producer Hunt Lowry, recalling his early days working for low budget indie producer Roger Corman, the king of B-movies and more. Lowry was talking to The Raygun’s Tim Murray, who secured an interview with the producer for the booklet accompanying the Monday March 29 88 Films release of Corman’s Humanoids From The Deep, the latest trashy gem given a new lease of life by the company. The film looks a treat and is a call-back to the heyday of the VHS era, in keeping with the company’s ethos, and marks the latest booklet The Raygun has contributed to…
Meanwhile, 88 Films has updated on its further plans too, which include more and more greats mined (and licensed) from major studios and small independent production outfits alike. The company’s Richard Elliott said: “We have Urban Legends Trilogy boxset coming out on April 19 in the same collectors boxset format as I Know What You Did Last Summer Trilogy which sold out almost immediately so this time we’ve upped the print run to 5000 units and included and extra disc of bonus features. We anticipate this selling very strongly too. We seem to be carving out a bit of niche for collectors Blu-ray boxset of 90s/00s films with DTV sequels after also release a Hollowman 1 and 2 and the Ananconda Quadrilogy a while back. A week later on April 26 we’re releasing a personal favourite of mind from my childhood, Short Circuit 2 in a collector’s rigid slip set with loads of new bonus features and an 80 page perfect-bound book, poster and artcards. We’re limiting this to 3000 units. Johnny 5 is well and truly alive and now on Blu-ray for the first time! On May 3 we have a truly seminal Jackie Chan classic, Snake In The Eagle’s Shadow, making its UK Blu-ray premiere, this has loads of new features again and collectible packaging and will make a lot of our Jackie Chan fanbase very, very happy indeed.”
Busy times for Network Releasing, with the company outlining its April releases to The Raygun, while the company’s video on demand service is also looking at ways to further involve punters with special events. For its April releases, the company has announced a bunch of titles, including addition to its British Film Collection and, as outlined by the company’s Juan Veloza, more for its ABC Television archive. He said: “Our April releases lead with two series from the ABC Television archive library. To coincide with Easter, Journey Of A Lifetime follows a young couple touring magnificent Middle Eastern historic sites in the 1960s. Unusually shot in 35mm colour film the series has been beautifully remastered in HD by our in-house restoration team. Following its digital release via our own streaming service and due to popular demand, classic ABC’s police drama Dial 999 arrives on DVD.”
The company has also pulled together a treat for Gerry Anderson fans to mark the great man’s birthda and the first ever International Gerry Amderson Day. On April 14 it is hosting a night of Anderson-related entertianment, including a raft of his greatest hits with loads of extras as a watch along event. It costs just £4.99 and has exclusive content put together in collaboration with Anderson Entertainment. Network’s Juan Veloza said: “We are thrilled to be joining forces with Anderson Entertainment in celebrating Gerry Anderson’s birthday on April 14, with the specially curated Gerry Anderson Night In. Exclusive to our streaming platform watch.networkonair.com, viewers will be transported through decades of Gerry Anderson hits, bespoke content, previously unheard audio, retro ads, and more! The Night In will be available to rent and buy from that day however fans will be invited to share their views and experience via Facebook and Twitter on a watchalong night event from 7pm.”
Also announcing is Eureka, which has revealed the slate of titles due to its assorted imprints for June, here unveiled by the company’s national accounts manager Marcus Garwood. He said: “We are extremely proud to be bringing not one, not two, but three UK home entertainment debuts to film fans this June. German Director Robert Wiene and German actor Conrad Veidt (both of Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari fame) Team up again to deliver another early horror/thriller masterpiece in the shape of 1924’s The Hands Of Orlac. Based on a novel by medical-horror novelist Maurice Renard, it charts the mental disintegration of a concert pianist (Conrad Veidt) whose hands are amputated after a train crash, and replaced with the hands of an executed murderer. Released on our Masters Of Cinema imprint with a limited edition O-card slipcase which also contains a collectors booklet featuring new writing by Philip Kemp and Tim Lucas. Staying with Masters Of Cinema we now jump forward to 2003 with an atmospheric noir thriller from multi award-winning Hong Kong director, producer and writer Johnnie To (Mad Detective, Election, Drug War, Exiled). PTU (Police Tactical Unit) stars award-winning actor Simon Yam (Election, IP Man, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life) alongside Maggie Siu (Election, Eye In The Sky) and Suet Lam (Kung Fu Hustle, The Midnight After, IP Man) The film is set against a Hong Kong that never sleeps, where a stolen police gun triggers a suspenseful chain of events. Released as a limited edition O-card slipcase featuring new artwork by Grégory Sacré (Gokaiju), plus a collector’s booklet featuring new writing by David West (NEO Magazine).
Continuing with the Eureka June releases and the company’s Marcus Garwood said: “A film directed by and starring multi-award-winning Sammo Kam-Bo Hung (Project A, Lucky Stars, Zu Warriors From The Magic Mountain) is up next as we present 1980’s Encounter Of The Spooky Kind for the first time in the UK, from a brand new 2K restoration. A defining film in Hong Kong genre cinema, Encounter of the Spooky Kind blends kung fu, special effects, and Chinese folklore to invent a whole new sub-genre of Asian cinema, the jiangshi film, which only a few years later would spawn the iconic and hugely successful Mr. Vampire (also available from us here at Eureka Entertainment). The release is another must have for all martial arts fans and will be enrobed in a limited-edition O-card slipcase featuring new artwork by Darren Wheeling. Inside there’s a limited-edition reversible poster featuring the film’s original HK artwork, plus a limited-edition collector’s booklet featuring new writing by James Oliver.”
We’ll end with a May release and the sixth series of Line Of Duty, which kicked off on BBC on Sunday March 21, ahead of its home entertainment bow on May 17, has earned record viewing figures. Its overnight audience of almost 10 million viewers was the highest for almost three years – since the finale of Bodyguard – and the second highest since overnight figures began being recorded in 2014. It was the most watched Line Of Duty ever, ahead of the finale of the fifth series, which saw ratings leap by more than 1 million viewers during transmission. Commenting on the success, Acorn’s Helen Squire said: “We’re delighted that Line of Duty’s return to our screens achieved the highest viewing figures for a drama since 2018. Pre-orders are off to a great start and we can’t wait to bring this title to market at the end of the series run.
AT THE MOVIES
DC is ridiculously busy these days, with – in the. last week or two alone – the arrival on streaming and TV screens of the Zack Snyder extended cut of Justice League, Wonder Woman 1984 on home entertainment formats, the launch of The Suicide Squad trailer (see below) and further announcements as to forthcoming titles. The latter includes the news that The Flash, aka Barry Allen, will be getting a new dad for the next feature film outing, with Ron Livingston replacing Billy Crudup as the super-speedy character’s old man (who is still doing jail time). And over at another DC project, Black Adam, which will star Dwayne Johnson, it’s been revealed that a former Bond, Pierce Brosman, will be making his first superhero and comic book film appearance.
More from DC, as the stories keep on coming. First Warner has said that it has no plans to give the Justice League treatment to another of his slightly disappointing outings, Suicide Squad. Just as the trailer for the next film featuring the baddies doing goodie-things, bafflingly entitled The Suicide Squad, launches, the studio has said it will not be working on a director’s cut of David Ayer’s first Suicide Squad film. In stark terms, studio chief Ann Sarnoff said: “We won’t be developing David Ayer’s cut.”
One director who will be joining the DC Comics payroll is Emerald Fennell, the director who’s debut Promising Young Woman has picked up a raft of awards nods. The young helmer is working on a film featuring DC hero Zatanna, She started off life as a magician, before discovering she had magical alien powers of her own…
TWEET OF THE WEEK
Follow us on www.twitter.com/theraygun…
TRAILERS OF THE WEEK
There’s a killer Croc gag here…
Lockdown Wheatley
Due on Amazon…
And due on MUBI…
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