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HMV SET AS NON-ESSENTIAL RETAIL OPENS AGAIN
RETAILER UNVEILS ITS PANDEMIC MEASURES…
…AND OWNER LOOKS FORWARD TO CENTENTARY CELEBRATIONS
BARB & STAR GO TO STORES
ZERO’S A HERO…
STUDIOCANAL INKS ROMULUS DEAL
RED LETTER DAY
THE FINAL CUT
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
AT THE MOVIES
TWEET OF THE WEEK
TRAILERS OF THE WEEK
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Monday April 12, is the day the country moves another step closer to something resembling normality as, with the vaccination programme proceeding as planned, non-essential retail opens. And this, of course, means hmv stores will be flinging open their doors once more. Well, not the entire chain of course, as Scottish and Northern Irish stores are still waiting for the OK from their respective authorities, but 93 stores taking in England and Wales will be open again. What’s more the opening of stores in the two territories marks the first time the entertainment retailer has been able to welcome customers into its stores in 2021, which is its centenary year on the high street. While its 100th birthday celebrations can now start in earnest, the retailer confirmed that it had seen orders on the online store “boosted” during the pandemic, but was fully expecting to see its customers embracing the concept of in-store browsing, as well as picking up copies of the latest releases.
As with its reopening post the first lockdowns in 2020, the retailer is fully prepared for the experience of looking after customers in a post-pandemic world; both the retailer and sister Fopp chain are ensuring their customers can feel safe and secure. Its measures include hmv List And Leave, which, as the retailer explained “enables customers to drop off a list of the items they wish to purchase (whether Blu-ray or DVDs, vinyl, CDs, books or merchandise) and a member of the hmv team will select the items from the shelves and have goods collected, packed and ready for collection”. There’s also Ring And Reserve, which, as the name suggests, enables customers to call up, reserve copies and pick them up later. The retailer added: “The hmv and Fopp team members will also suggest recommendations based on customers’ tastes to make for a truly tailored experience.” There’s also click and collect and in its reopening statement, the retailer further outlined its safety issues: “Staff across the business have undertaken training in how to maintain social distancing for customers while they are in the store, as well as instruction on hygiene, the use of PPE equipment and till processes that will shorten queues and make for a more efficient in-store experience. Till screens and social distancing signage have been installed across the whole estate, and hand sanitiser will be available for all to use before handling products.” The statement further added: “Any undamaged returned items (where customers have ordered in error for example) will be quarantined for 72 hours before being they are returned to the shop floor. In addition to the personal shopping services, hmv has put in place a number of measures, including Social distancing measures throughout each store, with clear two-metre floor markings; Personalised service with a limit on the number of customers in-store at any one time; Appropriate PPE equipment will be made available for all colleagues in line with government guidelines; Screens at all open service areas; Enhanced cleaning processes across store.”
The owner of the entertainment retail giant Doug Putman spoke about the retailer’s return to the frontline of retailing, he said: “The British high street has had a tough start to 2021, but as the country slowly gets back to normal, we’re confident that shoppers will return to supporting physical retail. For millions of customers, browsing in-store is something that can’t be replaced, and we’ve put measures in place across the estate to ensure that they can take their time discovering our massive range of entertainment and merchandise while social distancing. We’re expecting people to purchase some of the incredible new releases we’ve seen during the latest lockdown. This year marks hmv’s 100th birthday, and we’re setting ourselves up to be here for the next 100 years. Over the coming months, customers will start to see exclusive new merchandise and special editions arrive in their local hmv stores.”
One of the first releases customers will be able to pick up in hmv stores is one of Monday’s biggies, the eagerly-awaited Barb & Star Go To Vista Del Mar. The title us due from Lionsgate, whose marketing executive Charlotte Pooler said: “On Monday, we are thrilled to whisk audiences away to Florida from the comfort of their own home with the release of Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar! This fun and heart-felt comedy is co-written and co-stars the geniuses behind Bridesmaids, Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, alongside heart-throb Jamie Dornan. The film was adored by critics and audiences alike over its PVOD release, securing four five-star reviews. Our DVD is jam-packed with hysterical extras and special features, guaranteed to delight fans of the cast and genre. We are supporting the release with a media spend across Facebook, Instagram and Amazon as well as a thorough PR campaign consisting of reviews, features and competitions. We are confident that our targeted campaign will drive awareness, excitement and intent for the release of this hilarious film…which everyone needs a bit of right now!”
Also arriving in stores on Monday is a TV-related release from Studiocanal in the shape of zerozerozero, the acclaimed series fresh from its much talked about run on Sky Atlantic, where it earned plaudits. The company’s Nicola Browning said: “Monday sees the release of the incredibly addictive crime thriller, zerozerozero, on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital. Based on the novel by Roberto Saviano, this fast-paced series directed by Stefano Sollima (Gomorrah) and Janus Metz (True Detective) follows the buyers, sellers and brokers who drive the frenzied and lethal world of international drug trafficking. With outstanding performances from Gabriel Byrne, Andrea Riseborough and Dane DeHann, this critically acclaimed show appeals to fans of Narcos, Breaking Bad and the best of HBO. We’re supporting the release with PR, search, social and working with Mogwai who composed the impressive soundtrack. This one is not to be missed!”
Sticking with Studiocanal and the company has inked a deal that will see it further strengthening its already vast pool of titles as it signed on the dotted line to acquire worldwide sales and distribution rights of the Romulus Film catalogue. The 40-plus titles in the catalogue include a wealth of classic titles, many homegrown hits, taking in everything from a raft of John Huston titles, including The African Queen, Moulin Rouge and Beath The Devil through to Laurence Olivier’s turn as Richard III, kitchen sink drama Room At The To and Philip Leacock’s Appointment In London. The deal will enable Studiocanal to add to its assorted imprints such as the Vintage Classics label, and help preserve the films thanks to its restoration work and subsequent theatrical and home entertainment releases. The Woolf family, which has been involved in the British film industry for some 100 years, and is still behind the Romulus name, is, as the announcement noted, currently looking at new production opportunities involving its properties as well as new stories to ttell.
The Studiocanal and Romulus deal was negotiation by Studiocanal head of home entertainment John Rodden, who said: “The Romulus library is a true treasure of film heritage and wonderfully complements our own iconic collection. We are delighted to partner with Romulus on these great films.” Juliette Hochart Studiocanal’s EVP Library expands “Studiocanal is proud to be a leader in the preservation, restoration and celebration of classic cinema, and our international and local sales teams look forward to bringing the Romulus Library to new audiences across the world.” Jonathan Woolf owner and Managing Director of Romulus adds “We are very pleased to be working with Studiocanal as our global distributor and also partner in the important ongoing work of upgrading and maintaining the technical quality of our library to ensure that our films continue to be shown to their best advantage around the world.“ Back to Monday releases and also arriving on April 12 is the second titl from fledgling imprint Saints and Sinners, Red Rage, the second of a trio of titles due from the company in April. The homegrown thriller features newcomers Fernanda Diniz and Jack Turner alongside more well known names. Commenting on the release, Saints and Savages' ceo, John Pavlakos was delighted with the announcement. He said "It's fantastic that we're able to release Red Rage in the UK. Diniz and Turner are great in the lead roles and there is fantastic British talent supporting them in the likes of Adam Deacon, Vas Blackwood, Ian Reddington and the iconic Steven Berkoff. This one's a wild trip!”
It's been one of the biggest underground horror hits of the past few years, with the word of mouth around One Cut Of The Dead, the zero budget zombie film that took more than $30 million worldwide and became an unlikely home entertainment hit, continuing to drive interest in the film. And now indie Third Window, one of the first distributors on a global scale to spot the potential for the film, is bringing a new special edition of the Japanese film to market. One Cut Of The Dead Hollywood Edition is liited to 2,000 pieces and features more than four hours’ worth of material, including the original film plus the new spin-off One Cut Of The Dead In Hollywood, which promises more zombies, more madness and more characters. Commenting on the release and its success so far, Third Window’s Adam Torel, one of the first people in the world to see the film’s potential despite its low budget, said: “With the news breaking of the French remake, the original limited edition going out of print and being able to secure the rights to the spin-off film 'One Cut of the Dead in Hollywood', it seemed like a perfect time for a new release. There are more and more people finding out about the film every day, and this edition contains over four hours of content between the original release, its extras and the spin-off film, so it's quite a jam-packed edition. After putting so many years into getting this film out there, I hope this special edition can help entice even more people to discover and become fans of the film!”
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“After a long period of lockdown, it’s great to see that such a large proportion of the public can’t wait to come back to the cinema. Our research has confirmed what we had hoped: after being at home on lockdown since December we are all keen to escape to the cinema to experience the magic that only comes from watching a film on the big screen. Cinemas across the UK are thrilled to be opening their doors again and safely welcoming back film fans and resuming the thriving culture of cinemagoing.”
Iain Jacob, chair of the industry-wide Cinema First group, on its survey that showed 59 per cent of consumers said cinema was their most missed out-of-homeactivity, ahead of pubs and behind only restaurants and visiting friends and family. Some 40 per cent were planning to return to cinemas within weeks, and 39 per cent within months.
AT THE MOVIES
Big news of the week concerns the next Indiana Jones film, the fifth and a return for Harrison Ford as the archaeologist adventurer. For a new addition to the franchise has been unveiled. And it’s the supremely talented Phoebe Waller-Bridge riding into another big blockbuster series. Little is known about what she’ll be doing, but that won’t prevent fevered speculation from film sites and, we’d wager, protests from fanboys too. The film is due next summer.
Steven Spielberg is not directing the next Indiana Jones film, although he will have a hand on the tiller in a production role. Instead he’s working on a story inspired by his young family life in Arizona in the later 1950s and early 1960s. This week it’s been announced that Paul Dano is joining the cast in a role inspired by by the director’s dad. He’ll join Michelle Williams as Ma Spielberg and Seth Rogen as his favourite uncle. As noted here recently, Michael B Jordan is set to add directing to his duties for the next instalment in the Creed franchise, currently intriguingly titles Creed 3. But now it’s been confirmed that the inspiration for the films, Rocky Balboa, aka Sylvester Stallone, will not be appearing in the third outing. He’s ducking out according to reports, although no reason has been given. The star, who has been involved with Rocky since he created the character more than 40 years ago, is said to be working on a new cut of the original as well as potentially developing a prequel series. Creed 3 is likely to land next year. TWEET OF THE WEEK
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TRAILERS OF THE WEEK
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