Blockbuster movies you need to see when NSW cinemas reopen
There will be plenty to watch in NSW cinemas over the next few months as restrictions ease and a slew of blockbusters are released. SEE WHAT’S COMING SOON
Entertainment
Don't miss out on the headlines from Entertainment. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Wonder Woman has hung up her magic lasso — for now — but heavyweight Hollywood director Christopher Nolan is standing his ground.
Having agreed to delay the release of his hotly-anticipated espionage thriller, Tenet, by two weeks — to July 30 — Nolan is “resolute”, according to industry observers.
Only a major escalation of the COVID-19 crisis in the US would prise what Warner’s chairman Toby Emmerich has described as “a global tentpole of jaw-dropping size, scope and scale,” from its new slot.
Disney’s fearless female warrior, Mulan, is also preparing to enter the fray.
The studio’s live action remake of its animated 1998 classic is scheduled to open in cinemas across the globe on June 23, making it the first Hollywood blockbuster to test the new theatrical environment.
“There’s no doubt about it, the whole industry is looking for one big tentpole to kick it all off,” says Stephen Basil-Jones, executive vice president of Sony Pictures Releasing in Australia, New Zealand and Northern Asia and deputy chairman of the MPDAA.
“Usually, when you are setting dates, there are some key parameters. But right now, there is so much movement, it’s so fluid, you’re not sure what the competition is doing or that where you go is going to be the right place.”
That explains why August is pretty much a blank slate when it comes to big-budget productions — long-delayed X-Men spin-off The New Mutants (August 27) notwithstanding.
Warner Bros has pushed Wonder Woman 1984’s release back nearly two months, to October 2.
MORE ENTERTAINMENT:
Josh Reynolds’ ex: ‘60 Minutes made me look fat’
Eyebrow queen on ‘affair’ rumours with celeb hairdresser
Paramount has bumped Antoine Fuqua’s sci-fi thriller, Infinite, with Mark Wahlberg, to next year.
“(Tenet) is the last man standing,” says Basil-Jones.
Nolan’s film which is reported to have cost more than $US200 million. It needs to take $US450-500 million at the box office just to break even. No wonder its competitors are biding their time.
“This is an indiscriminate virus which is not going to let a film release date get in its way,” says Mike Baard, managing director of Universal Pictures International
Smaller, upscale films represent less of a financial gamble, which is why an art house chain such as Palace Cinemas, which has a seven per cent share of the market, is well placed to take advantage of the easing of government restrictions once NSW cinemas can open their doors from July 1.
“Our audience love a great blockbuster but they also love a more indie perspective and I think that works well for us,” says Palace CEO Benjamin Zeccola.
Among the half a dozen films on its slate for the opening weekend are the critically acclaimed Icelandic revenge thriller A White, White Day and Bellbird, a beautifully observed Kiwi drama about a taciturn dairy farmer and his mismatched son.
Elisabeth Moss and Cate Blanchett deliver two attention-grabbing performances in the weeks that follow in Shirley, an unconventional biopic about horror writer Shirley Jackson (July 9), and Where’d You Go Bernadette, about a middle-aged woman who disappears without a trace (July 16).
“In some respects, (the first couple of weeks is) getting things operating again, getting everyone used to the staggered session times, (the new) seating (arrangements) and contactless exchanges,” says Basil-Jones.
“By the time Tenet and Mulan open, the cinemas will be used to the processes and will able to be able to handle the crowds really well.”
“To me it’s not about opening individual sites, it’s about reopening as an industry and it’s being staged,’’ says Zeccola.
He points out that the new social distancing measures mean Palace cinemas can only operate at between 15-25 per cent of capacity. The JobKeeper scheme and renegotiated rental agreements make this economically viable.
WHAT’S SHOWING
SHIRLEY (CTC)
An unconventional biopic in which Elisabeth Moss possesses gothic horror writer Shirley Jackson with the help of a pair of thick glasses. All hell breaks loose when a two newlyweds interrupt her daily routine. July 9
MULAN (PG)
For now, Disney is sticking to its July 23 release date for this live-action remake of its animated classic, starring Chinese American actor Liu Yifei as the reluctant female warrior. Watch this spot
A QUIET PLACE PART II (M)
Paramount has delayed Mark Wahlberg’s sci-fi thriller Infinite until 2021. But it still has the sequel to this terrifying post-apocalyptic thriller slated for September 3.
TENET (CTC)
Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi thriller was to have been the first Hollywood blockbuster to test the post-COVID-19 market. But this week, Warner Bros pushed its release back by two weeks. July 30
WONDER WOMAN 1984 (CTC)
Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman will have to wait to square off against the Kristen Wiig’s supervillain, the Cheetah. Warner Bros have bumped her second outing to October.
IRRESISTIBLE (M)
Steve Carell’s stars in this political comedy, written
and directed by the Daily Show’s Jon Stewart. September 3
THE KING OF STATEN ISLAND (MA15+)
Judd Apatow (Knocked Up, 40-Year-Old Virgin) employs Pete Davidson’s blunt, awkward style of delivery to poignant effect in this coming-of-age comedy. July 16
THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD (PG)
This fresh-yet-faithful take on Dickens’ classic, starring Dev Patel, opened the week cinemas closed down. Tilda Swinton steals every one of her scenes as Copperfield’s donkey-obsessed aunt, Betsey Trotwood. July 2
BABYTEETH (M)
A seriously ill teenager falls for a small-time drug dealer in this Australian coming-of-age dramedy, which stars Little Women’s Eliza Scanlen. July 23
THE BURNT ORANGE HERESY (MA15+)
An elegant thriller set in the Italian art world. Stars Elizabeth Debicki and Mick Jagger, in his first non-cameo feature film role in almost 20 years. July 23