What movies you can watch at cinemas when they reopen
Fire up the popcorn, break out the choc-tops, here’s how to get your big-screen fix when Hollywood cranks into gear again after the coronavirus shutdown
Movies
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Aussie movie fans desperate to get back to the big screen have some good news at last with cinemas due to open in coming weeks and studios finally locking in movie release dates.
After closing their doors when COVID-19-related lockdown measures banned public gatherings, the big movie chains are finalising their plans for reopening.
Hoyts cinemas confirmed they will reopen on July 2 and Village is expected to welcome the public back in early July, with a date to be finalised next week along with the safety measures and seating guidelines.
Independent cinemas are also working on plans to get back to business, with the Cinema Nova in Carlton stealing a march on the competition by opening June 22.
Many of these year’s blockbusters – including the latest Fast and Furious movie, Scarlett Johansson’s stand-alone Black Widow film, and Daniel Craig’s swan song as James Bond, No Time To Die, were postponed until later this year and even into 2021 – needing full cinemas to maximise returns on their big budgets.
Others such as the young adult fantasy drama Artemis Fowl, which releases on Disney+ this Friday, have pivoted to video on demand or streaming releases, taking advantage of movie fans stuck at home and desperate for new, quality content.
Without certainly about when cinemas could open – and under what conditions – studios have been reluctant to commit to new releases, but plans are now falling into place for a wide range of movies, from art-house dramas to action blockbusters.
Teen drama Waves will be among the first on July 9 and Babyteeth, the Aussie drama starring Ben Mendelsohn and Essie Davis that was a festival favourite last year, will follow on July 23.
The latest Disney live action movie based on their animated classics, Mulan, is also down for July 23, as is the Mick Jagger art-house release, Burnt Orange Heresy.
Also ready to roll are the comedies The High Note, with Dakota Johnson and Ice Cube on July 30 and Judd Apatow’s latest, The King Of Staten Island, starring Pete Davidson, on August 6.
The superhero movie craze shows no signs of abating, with Wonder Woman 1984 also set to debut on August 6, Gal Gadot set to return as the Amazon princess – and Disney’s much delayed The New Mutants should arrive on the 27th of that month.
But all eyes will be on Christopher Nolan’s hugely anticipated sci-fi blockbuster Tenet, starring John David Washington, Aussie Elizabeth Debicki and Robert Pattinson, which studios and cinemas alike hope will be the event movie to kickstart the industry again. It’s currently due to release on July 15 and while cinema champion Nolan is adamant it should be seen on the biggest screen possible, given the unrest and uncertainty in the US and other parts of the world – and the need for it to do big business to justify its $290 million price tag – it may yet move.