The world’s largest movie theater chain revealed that it expects its financial report for the first quarter of 2020, during which the COVID lockdowns began, to show a loss of up to $2.4 billion. The announcement also said publicly that management has “substantial doubt” that AMC can “continue as a going concern for a reasonable period of time.” – The Hollywood Reporter
Category: media
Judgment Of Movies Now Includes Backstories Of Their Creators
“Discomfort has now become an essential part of pop culture connoisseurship, and it has forced audiences to become much more sophisticated as they decide what, if anything, is worth salvaging in the films, music and novels they most cherish, by people they find morally flawed.” – Washington Post
Hollywood Unions And Studios Finally Agree On COVID Safety Guidelines For Restarting Production
A 22-page white paper with dozens of requirements and recommendations, delivered to Govs. Gavin Newsom (CA) and Andrew Cuomo (NY) as well as the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, was drawn up by a 50-member committee with representatives of studios, the trade guilds, and the unions SAG-AFTRA, IATSE, DGA, and the Teamsters. – Variety
On TV, Cops Are The Main Characters. It Shapes How We See Them
“TV has long had a police’s-eye perspective that helps shape the way viewers see the world, prioritizing the victories and struggles of police over communities being policed. Order, a police imposed status quo, is good; disruption is bad. There are many, many reasons why a cop’s point of view has become the default way to frame national unrest, including institutional and systemic racism, the capitalist urge to prioritize property over human life, and a political system that benefits those already in power. But TV plays a role, too.” – New York Magazine
Women Making TV Shouldn’t Be A Surprise, And Yet
Yay women doing TV! Also, having to “yay” this means it’s not going that well with the whole ending of inequality thing. “The good news: The number of women working behind the scenes in television is growing. The bad news: It still ain’t great.” – Los Angeles Times
The Telluride Film Festival Says It’s Going On As Planned
OK, that’s nice and optimistic, but “Telluride organizers promised that safety would be paramount. ‘We are not ignorant of the devastation facing the world,’ festival organizers wrote. ‘We feel the fear and distress too. This is why we are committed to observing all guidance as suggested by the consensus of voices of the scientific community with whom we are consulting now.'” – Los Angeles Times
The ‘Yesterday’ Writing Credit Kerfuffle Is Exactly How The Film Industry Works
In other words, it doesn’t work very well for writers. The Writers Guild of Great Britain: “‘Things are stacked up, not necessarily in favour of the writer.’ It added that funding, which is much easier to get for a film with an established name onboard, makes it even harder for new writers to break through.” – The Guardian (UK)
Dealing With A Streaming Film Release During The Pandemic Isn’t Ideal For Cast Or Crew
When directors, cast, and crew make decisions about a movie like High Note, they’re aimed at the big screen. So this weekend’s on-demand streaming release is a bit of a technical let-down, even if the content offers some lighter fare than reality right now. Director Nisha Ganatra:”The movie was shot anamorphic and widescreen, so it’s really a big-screen experience. All of the sound engineers made the concert scenes to feel like you’re right there. … I definitely need people to turn up the sound system and not just watch it on the iPad!” – Los Angeles Times
Unions Have A Say In Hollywood’s Potential Return To Work
California Governor Gavin Newsom announced more than a week ago that counties could set reopening plans for the entertainment industry. That hasn’t happened because Hollywood’s various unions are pretty clear that the industry won’t get to shortchange safety. But “the high-wire act for the unions is that while they have a great deal of power, they also have members who’ve been idle for months and are itching to get back to work.” – Los Angeles Times
In The UK, Indie Film Houses Aren’t Planning To Open Until September
What’s the point, they say, when social distancing restrictions would mean they wouldn’t survive more than three months anyway? – BBC