Welcome back Studio Coffee Folks! In spite of controversy surrounding them, online theaters truly exist thanks to coronavirus adaptations. That, and more ready for you here as the industry adjusts to the new norm.
Online theaters are a thing now
How many times through this crisis will we say “they can just do that?” At least once more as Kino Lorber announces on online movie theatre to sustain its indie cinemas while the physical ones are shut down. The platform, called Kino Marquee, sell tickets to online screening rooms which will take viewers to dedicated webpages featuring a given theater’s official branding. Just like the brick and mortars, movie runs will be affected by online attendance. Kino Marquee is also planning to split profits between distributors and exhibitors as it continues to feature indie films. The platform debuts with Bacurau, which is directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho and Juliano Dornelles and starring Sonia Braga and Udo Kier.
Online theaters featured include “New York’s Film at Lincoln Center, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Jacob Burns Film Center, Santa Barbara Film Festival’s Riviera Theater, The Frida Cinema in Santa Ana, Denver Film, Austin Film Society and Loft Cinema in Tuscon, Arizona and others.”
Kids lonely? Have Spider-Man swing by
Jake Johnson, who stars as Peter B. Parker in Sony’s Into the Spider-Verse, is offering to talk to your kids. He posted on Insta last Friday that he’s been getting tons of messages from parents watching with their kids during the quarantine (a very good choice), so to help them through the time when they’re not in school, he’s offered to record individual voice messages for anyone who wants them.
While it seems animals are immune to covid-19, minions are just as vulnerable as humans
Minions: The Rise of Gru is delayed. Animation house Illumination is hitting some coronavirus-related roadblocks as its team tries to finish the movie. The French-based studio is closing its doors temporarily, in coordination with the government’s push to self-isolate and move to work from home. Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri said this in an official statement:
“With this decision we are abiding by the French government’s guidelines and doing everything possible to slow the spread of the virus as we care for our artists and their families. This means we will be unable to finish Missions: The Rise of Gru in time for our planned global releases in late June and early July. While we all grapple with the enormity of this crisis, we must put the safety and protection of our employees above all. We look forward to finding a new release date for the return of Gru and the Minions.”
Lovebirds is leaving the nest, roosting with the ‘Flix instead
After coming down with cold feet (corona concerns will really getcha) The Lovebirds is skipping its theatrical release and moving straight to Netflix. While lots of big debuts seem to be rescheduling, this is the first to ditch the cinema trip entirely in lieu of non-studio streaming service premiere. The Lovebirds stars Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae and Michael Showalter directs. It marks the third for Paramount Pictures, which already delayed The Quiet Place Part II and Blue Story. No release date as of yet, but keep your eyes peeled. Lovebirds was originally slated for an April 3 debut.
The trailer for HBO’s latest is here, too
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9gnW8TAP2U
The friends with benefits premise is getting a Bonnie and Clyde twist (I think?) with HBO’s upcoming series, Run, starring Domhnall Gleeson and Merrit Wever. A little sweet, a little tense and a lot of “I’m not a hundred percent sure what’s going on,” in this trailer, but just enough to peak my interest. Based on HBO’s official synopsis, the old college lovebirds, Ruby and Billy, made a pact. If one of them texted the other ‘RUN’ and the other responded the same, they’d meet in Grand Central and travel across the country. Sounds innocent and cute, right? Well, no. Because who does that anymore? The answer is thieves, probably. Check it out when the series debuts on April 12 at 10:30.
