I'm in Georgia:

New image theaters went out of business.

AMC is now suggesting a July 30th or 31st opening at best.

Regal is also now suggesting a 30th or 31st opening at best.

CMX is not open and no dates given.

Studio movie grill is starting to reopen. Marietta is the only open so far, to my knowledge.

Marcus theaters/Movie Tavern: The Roswell location is open showing reruns of old school family movies.

I would think that the movie theater industry is going to be in pretty bad shape

Regal and AMC are slated for July 31st, in time for Tenet August 12th, IF it does not change. It is interesting about CMX, I couldn't find info on them either, you would think they would follow suit. Only time will tell. I'm in FL and all theaters except drive ins are still closed.

The studio of Tenet stated the movie will not open if NYC and CA theaters remain closed. If theaters in other states do open, they can show Russell Crowe's "Unhinged" which opens July 31. And it would make sense for the studios to release both "The Hunt" and Vin Diesel's action pic both of which played and were cut short when theaters closed. Disney should also release "Hamilton" in theaters for those of us not wanting to stream it on the small screen

Hm, not seeing anything for New Image Theaters which seems to be a cleaning service in CA. CMX is doing a chapter 11 which is just a reorganization. They also own Cobb Theaters and Cinebistro.

CMX Files Chapter 11 Amid Theater Shutdowns
The bankruptcy filing came shortly before a hearing in a suit seeking a court order that would compel CMX to close its acquisition of Star Cinema Grill.
April 28, 2020

CMX Cinemas, the eighth-largest U.S. movie theater operator, has filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy only a month after it called off its proposed acquisition of Texas chain Star Cinema Grill.

CMX cited the economic crisis precipitated by the coronavirus pandemic that has shuttered theaters throughout the U.S.

“We are in a state of complete uncertainty as to when we can re-open our theaters and when our customers will feel safe and secure in returning to them given that there is presently no vaccine against the virus,” the U.S. subsidiary of Mexico’s Cinemex said in a statement. “We cannot forecast when — if ever — customer numbers will return to pre-crisis levels.”

The acquisition of SCG, which operates dine-in theaters, would have made CMX the seventh-largest U.S. theater chain. In terminating the deal, CMX said on March 26 that “in light of COVID-19 related fallout” it was not required to close the transaction.

The Chapter 11 filing came shortly before a hearing in SCG’s lawsuit seeking a court order that would compel CMX to close the deal. CMX has asked the bankruptcy court to impose an automatic stay on those proceedings.

“In a Chapter 11 it is hard to see how CMX could be compelled to go through with the SCG acquisition,” Celluloid Junkie noted.

Since entering the U.S. market in 2017, CMX has built a chain with more than 3,000 screens in 104 U.S. cities. In announcing the deal on March 16, it said the SCG acquisition was a “perfect fit” and would bolster its “robust expansion plans in the U.S.”

SCG filed its suit April 2, alleging CMX was using the coronavirus crisis as a pretext for backing out of the deal.

“Far from being unforeseen, the potential impact of the coronavirus was a significant factor discussed by the parties during their negotiation of the agreement,” the suit said. “There is no doubt that Cinemex entered into the agreement with its eyes wide open to the pandemic and its potential effects.”
[www.cfo.com]

Owner of CMX Cinemas Files for Bankruptcy Protection
Miami-based movie theater chain hurt by coronavirus pandemic says it needs concessions from studios and landlords
By Becky Yerak
April 26, 2020 7:02 pm ET

The owner of theater chain CMX Cinemas has filed for bankruptcy protection, saying it needs breathing room from movie studios and landlords because of the economic crisis triggered by the coronavirus pandemic.

Cinemex Holdings USA Inc, which has 41 CMX Cinemas locations in 12 states, filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Saturday in US Bankruptcy Court in Miami, where it is based.
[www.wsj.com]

Owner of CMX Cinemas files for bankruptcy, hopes to get help from landlords

The company has a luxury dine-in theater at Brickell City Centre
TRD MIAMI / April 27, 2020 03:30 PM

The owner of the movie theater chain CMX Cinemas filed for bankruptcy due to the financial impacts of coronavirus.

Miami-based Cinemex Holdings USA filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Saturday in Miami. The company is owned by Mexico-based Grupo Cinemex SA de CV, which controls CMX Cinemas with 41 locations in the Midwest, Northeast and the South, including one at Brickell City Centre in Miami, according to its website. It also acquired Cobb Theatres in 2017, and has locations at CinéBistro at Dolphin Mall and CityPlace Doral.

It has one location on Manhattan’s Upper East Side and three locations in the Chicago area.

By filing for bankruptcy, the company hopes to gain concessions from landlords and movie studios, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The Brickell City Centre CMX theater is an anchor for the shopping center developed by Swire Properties. CMX opened the theater in 2017 and spent more than $15 million building out its Brickell location, Jaime Rionda, executive vice president of development, previously told The Real Deal.

Cinemex attempted to buy the Boca Raton-based luxury theater iPic last year after it declared bankruptcy, but was ultimately unsuccessful, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Cinemex also agreed to buy Houston-based Star Cinema Grill in March, but Cinemex allegedly backed out of the deal, according to a lawsuit filed by Star Cinema Grill in Texas. Cinemex said it was able to back out of buying theaters due to coronavirus.

CMX Cinemas had planned to open new locations at Wrigleyville in Chicago; American Dream Mall in East Rutherford, New Jersey; and Coastland Center in Naples, Florida this year, according to its website.

Cinemex Holdings USA has $100 million to $500 million in both assets and liabilities, according to the bankruptcy filing. Its largest unsecured creditors are four banks: BBVA Bancomer, Scotia Bank, HSBC Mexico, and SABCapital, the bankruptcy filing showed.

The company’s real estate affiliate Cinemex USA Real Estate Holdings Inc. also filed for bankruptcy.

[therealdeal.com]

A small chain, Goodrich Quality Theaters did go through a quick bankruptcy.

Goodrich Quality Theaters will reopen after being bought out of bankruptcy
Updated Jul 17, 2020 12:09 PM;

KENTWOOD, MI -- Movie lovers can return to their old favorite theaters this summer as Goodrich Quality Theaters has announced it will reopen 12 Michigan locations at the end of the month.

The Kentwood-based movie chain declared bankruptcy in February but was recently purchased by a New York management and realty group.

Mason Asset Management and Namdar Realty Group purchased substantially all of the assets, including the majority of the movie theaters, according to the press release.

There are plans to reopen 22 theaters across the Midwest including 12 in Michigan, seven in Indiana, two in Missouri, and one in Illinois.

Pending COVID-19 restrictions, theaters will open on July 31 at the earliest, according to the press release.

“One thing that you can expect right away is a reduction in concession prices, and in most cases, ticket prices. We have built our other theater operations on the promise of value and will continue to make that a hallmark of the New GQT operations,” said Jake McSparin, VP of Theater Operations.

Court records from the bankruptcy filing showed Goodrich Quality Theaters owed $30 million to three banks. Company President Robert Goodrich, whose father started the chain in 1930, said he spent a lot of money upgrading theater seats.

“I never anticipated this occurring, and yet it has, and I’m trying to wrestle with it,” he said in an interview with MLive.

[www.mlive.com]

Looking to be a coin flip. CA, TX, NY, and FL are the top 4 states with number of theaters. Some are saying be 2021 before they reopen. I can see a "soft" reopen of theaters, but not in CA and NY and hence no Tenet and Mulan in August. Too much money riding on them.

These charts show why studios are likely to delay ‘Tenet’ and ‘Mulan’ again
Published Thu, Jul 16 2020
Sarah Whitten

Movie theaters shut down when Covid-19 cases were topping 20,000 a day in March. Now, they are trying to reopen when cases are over 60,000 a day.

Movie theater operators are feeling the pressure to reopen as rent costs pile up. The hope for AMC, Regal, Cinemark and others is that they will be able to resume business by the end of July, but that depends on whether studios keep their current movie release schedule.

Currently, less than 17% of the 5,440 movie theater locations in the U.S. are open, according to data from Comscore. However, that number could change if more states rollback reopening plans amid growing numbers of Covid-19 cases.

The 915 theaters that are currently open are a combination of drive-in locations and independent cinemas. These theaters are showing library titles like “Star Wars,” “Jaws,” “Back to the Future” and “Black Panther.” But those films will only tide over audiences for a few weeks. Without fresh blockbuster content, movie theaters won’t be able to stay open for long.

For months studios have shuffled and reshuffled their film release schedules as cases in the U.S. have continued to spike. The release dates of Warner Bros.′ “Tenet” and Disney’s “Mulan” are being used as an anchor for movie theaters for reopening.

For the major movie theaters, the aim is to open between two to four weeks ahead of these releases, allowing enough time for employees to be retrained and to get customers used to new safety measures like social distancing and wearing masks. That’s why when “Tenet” and “Mulan” departed their mid-July release dates for August, movie theaters also postponed reopenings. Fear is growing that these titles, and more, will be delayed by studios again.
A spike in coronavirus cases

On Wednesday, the United States reported 67,417 new cases of the coronavirus, setting a fresh record for new cases reported in a single day, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University. Over the past seven days, the U.S. has reported an average of more than 62,000 new cases per day, up 21% compared with the seven-day average a week ago.

The sharp uptick in new cases has led a number of state governors to scale back reopening plans, either freezing restrictions where they are, or reimplementing new restrictions. Health experts have warned consumers against returning to movie theaters during the pandemic, calling it “too much of a risk” since it puts strangers in close proximity to one another.

Currently, the states that have kept their indoor cinemas closed represent 24.5% of all U.S. theaters, according to Comscore data.

Among those states is California, which has the largest number of theaters with 518, but has only 28 theaters that are able to make revenue during this time. New York, which has the third-largest number of theaters with 292, is also one of the states that is not permitting theaters to reopen.

Some movie theaters have said they can operate with as little as 10% attendance, but that isn’t a sustainable business model for the long term. The majority of business occurs on weekends and consumers won’t easily shift away from that habit.

Texas and Florida are the states with the second- and fourth-largest number of movie theaters. Both states have experienced massive spikes in the number of reported coronavirus cases in recent weeks, but aren’t banning theaters. However, if the virus worsens, they could be forced to place new restrictions on businesses. This has already happened to bars in both states.

“I don’t see theaters opening in our largest states for the rest of the year,” Michael Pachter, analyst at Wedbush, said. “And once Florida and Texas get religion, they will close everywhere.”

Even if theaters open, it doesn’t mean that moviegoers will flock there. According to a survey in mid-July conducted by Morning Consult, a global data intelligence company, only around 20% of consumers feel comfortable going to the movies right now.

States also are capping capacity at 25% to 66% of their prior levels. Analysts says this could convince studios to hold off on releasing new films until more people are able to attend.

Click here for the rest of this long article with some charts, [www.cnbc.com]

Tenet's Release Date Might Be In Doubt (Again)
Industry insiders and increasing rumors are pointing to another delay.

By David Wolinsky on July 16, 2020 at 1:11PM PDT

Director Christopher Nolan has long been an outspoken advocate for all films, its culture, and also the future of his upcoming new film Tenet. Nolan has steadfastly been pushing for Tenet to be released in theaters this summer and to be viewed by audiences first on the big screen, but the realities of COVID-19 have possibly pushed this release date further back and into the realm of wishful thinking. Although August 12 is still the current, expected, release date, Vulture is now reporting there is growing skepticism Tenet will be released this summer at all.

Citing a report from movie-industry analyst Eric Handler, Vulture is speculating that what could do Tenet in is a lack of theaters able to stay open amidst doubts over safety to see movies out in public--and the movie being pulled can only harm theaters further. An anonymous high-ranking executive told Vulture, "The theaters are going to lose the biggest if Tenet doesn't come out next month… They're going to spend $100 million on face masks and [disinfection] sprays. Then the theaters aren't going to open in August? They're most at risk."

Further fanning the flames of uncertainty is the fact that industry pundits like Richard Rushfield, who runs the popular entertainment newsletter The Ankler, aren't sure if movie theaters are even able to deliver pre-COVID audience numbers right now. "Between now and the end of the year, 50 percent loss is probably the best-case scenario." Rushfield told Vulture. He estimated that 80 percent is a more likely, realistic number to expect.

Tenet was originally planned for release in theaters July 17, then July 31, and recently shifted to August 12. The movie, which was written and directed by Nolan, stars Robert Pattinson, John David Washington, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Martin Donovan, Kenneth Branagh, and Elizabeth Debicki, and Michael Caine. Despite all the attention the movie has garnered, and even a trailer being released, not much about its story or plot is yet known.
[www.gamespot.com]

And then there is this from Spain.

Barcelona Movie Theaters Closed Again Amid COVID-19 Spike

By Bruce Haring
July 19, 2020 11:02am

The Catalan regional government is urging nearly 4 million residents of metropolitan Barcelona to stay home unless absolutely necessary, banning gatherings of over 10 people and shutting cinemas, theaters and nightclubs.

The government edict came Friday, emptying Barcelona’s streets by Saturday as COVID-19 cases severely spiked in the Spanish region.

Businesses were lamenting the lack of customers, and many owners speculated on whether they’d be able to survive the second round of closings, which are destroying the normally busy tourist season, a time when many hoped to recoup on the previous shutdown.

The new restrictions come just about a month after Spain ended its first lockdown, which saw the nation’s borders closed. More than 24,000 people have died in Spain from the coronavirus.
[deadline.com]

Damn! According to a Disney financial analyst, theaters may not open until mid 2021. But again, if both NYC and CA theaters reopen this year, then the big films will open. Google: Movie theaters may not open until 2021 for the article.

Tenet is not going to be released after all.

Delayed again. I can see Mulan still being released since it's just a remake. It would allow for a "soft" reopen in states that allow theaters and to see if people are going to come back.

Christopher Nolan’s ‘Tenet’ Delays August Release

Warner Bros. has removed “Tenet” from its release calendar, delivering a big blow on the exhibition industry at a time when movie theaters had hoped to peg their re-opening to the late summer debut of Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi thriller.

Though necessary given the mass uncertainty over when cinemas across the globe can safely reopen, the decision further complicates Hollywood’s already bumpy plan to revive moviegoing. “Tenet” was originally scheduled to debut on July 17 but was pushed back twice until Aug. 12. It’s unclear when it will now welcome audiences, but the studio plans to announce a new release date “imminently.”

“We will share a new 2020 release date imminently for ‘Tenet,’ Christopher Nolan’s wholly original and mind-blowing feature,” said Warner Bros. chairman Toby Emmerich in a statement. “Our goals throughout this process have been to ensure the highest odds of success for our films while also being ready to support our theater partners with new content as soon as they could safely reopen.”

In a surprise move, Warner Bros. may release “Tenet” overseas before it opens in North America. Though the U.S. and Canada remains the biggest moviegoing market in the world, international cinemas look to be ahead of America in their plans to reopen. Sources at the studio stress they will have to be flexible with its plans to unveil “Tenet,” suggesting the film won’t have a traditional rollout.

“We are not treating ‘Tenet’ like a traditional global day-and-date release, and our upcoming marketing and distribution plans will reflect that,” Emmerich said.

“Tenet,” which stars John David Washington and Robert Pattinson, is intentionally shrouded in secrecy — and a staggered rollout could raise concerns about piracy and spoilers in a way that could impact demand to see the film. However, it would be welcome news for exhibitors in Europe and Asia, two robust film markets that haven’t had a new Hollywood movie to entice audiences in months. In their plans to reopen, movie theater owners recently expressed concern to Variety that the global box office has all but been “forgotten” by U.S. studios. Previous films from Nolan have earned more than 50% of box office revenues from theaters overseas, and major tentpoles can generate as much as two-thirds of ticket sales from international venues.

But “Tenet” faces a unique caveat in China, the world’s second-largest movie market. Currently, its exhibitors cannot screen movies that exceed two hours in length. “Tenet” runs at just over 2 hours and 30 minutes. Unless the country eases up on that restriction, there’s no sense of when it will be able play in China.

Warner Bros. also announced that “The Conjuring 3” has been postponed to June 4, 2021. The eighth entry in the studio’s horror franchise was schedule to debut in theaters on Sept. 11. However, “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It” was supposed to have additional shoots in April. Since film production hasn’t been able to resume, it wouldn’t be ready in time for its target release date.
Rest of article here, [variety.com]

Film Studios' First Theatrical Releases After COVID Disruption

(Excludes films distributed by specialty labels)
Studio Film Release
20th Century - The Empty Man - Aug 7
Sony - The Broken Hearts Gallery - Aug 7
Disney - Mulan - Aug 21
Lionsgate - Antebellum - Aug 21
United Artists - Bill & Ted Face the Music - Aug 28
Paramount - A Quiet Place Part II - Sep 4
Warner Bros -. Wonder Woman 1984 - Oct 2
Universal - Candyman - Oct 16

Here's the only thing on New Image. we have a theater near us and they have completely closed and taken all their signage down and their website is also down.

[www.tonetoatl.com]

Oh, New Vision, not image. Hm, website is even no more. Not seeing anything mentioning filing for bankruptcy. Seem to have just disappeared in the middle of the night. They came about in 2017 when AMC bought Carmike and had to divest some of the theaters to satisfy the DOJ. Appears an investment firm used some ex-Carmike execs and other industry people to run the company for them.

Hm, looks like some locations found out back in June they were no more and others only finding out about it a week or so ago. Looks like management told the landlords, here's the keys, good luck. Wonder how much if any money the investment company had in it, or if it was mostly bank loans they had taken out and the banks are just screwed. They didn't seem to want to give it a go at all. Just wrote it off as an investment that didn't work out and don't see things changing any time soon.

So here in Atlanta that would be Stonecrest and Movies 400. One of the last standees I did for Marketforce was Lego Batman, Dec 2018 at Stonecrest. That standee about kicked my butt. It was humongous and had some intricate parts. Even though I had done one before it with a friend so knew how it went together, still took almost 4 hrs.

Things keep changing by the day. Don't see why they're delaying Mulan, it's a remake. There's no spoiler or anything like with Tenet. Plus with it being the only major movie out, it could run for months and slowly draw people back in. Now without even it, why bother to open the theaters. Plus with no production occurring, they are pushing movies back that aren't coming out for 7-8 yrs. Just crazy.

Disney delays ‘Mulan’ indefinitely, Star Wars and Avatar movies pushed back a year
Published Thu, Jul 23 20205:00 PM EDT

Disney is making some major changes to its release calendar that include delaying “Mulan” from its Aug. 21 release indefinitely and pushing back the debuts of future Star Wars and Avatar movies by a year.

On Thursday, the company said that theater closures and production shutdowns during the global coronavirus pandemic caused it to make a number of adjustments to its slate.

“Over the last few months, it’s become clear that nothing can be set in stone when it comes to how we release films during this global health crisis, and today that means pausing our release plans for ‘Mulan’ as we assess how we can most effectively bring this film to audiences around the world,” a Walt Disney Studios spokesperson said in a statement Thursday.

Disney shares fell slightly in after-hours trading and were down nearly 1%.

“Mulan” is currently listed as unset, meaning its release is delayed indefinitely. This is the fourth time that the live-action film has been delayed since March.

With “Mulan” vacating its August release date, there are now no Hollywood blockbuster releases set for the month. “Tenet” moved out from its August debut on Monday and has yet to announce a new release date. AT&T CEO John Stankey has promised movie theater owners that Christopher Nolan’s spy thriller will have a theatrical release.

“New Mutants” a 20th Century Fox feature in the X-Men franchise that has been delayed for the last three years, appears to still be on the calendar for Aug. 28, but depending on if movie theaters reopen next month, the film could be pushed again or be delegated to a video on-demand release.

A number of smaller, independent features are set for release in theaters. However, major theater chains like AMC may not be open to show them. Earlier Thursday, AMC announced that it has pushed back its reopening plans to mid-August after “Tenet” left the calendar. It is unclear how it will react to “Mulan” leaving as well.

AMC, like other major movie theater chains, has been closed since mid-March, awaiting a slowdown in coronavirus cases and new content from Hollywood. AMC, in particular, had been very vocal about how the pandemic could push it into bankruptcy.

Earlier this month, the exhibitor was able to reach a debt agreement that should help it remain solvent through 2021.

“Theaters will again be forced to reassess their target opening dates,” Shawn Robbins, chief analyst at Boxoffice.com, said. “Archival titles can only get the market so far while the summer weather is conducive to the current drive-in boom. Studios need theaters to be open, and theaters need studios to release new product. Anytime one side of that equation budges, the other has little choice but to follow suit in this current world of uncertainty.”

Additional slate changes include:

“The Personal History of David Copperfield” moving to Aug. 28
“Death on the Nile” is now debuting on Oct. 23
“The Empty Man” will arrive on Dec. 4
“The French Dispatch” is unset
“Antlers” is now dated Feb. 19, 2021
“The Last Duel” will arrive Oct. 15, 2021
An untitled Disney Live Action film will take the place of “Avatar 2” on Dec. 16, 2021.
“Avatar 2” pushed to Dec. 16, 2022
Untitled Star Wars moved to Dec. 22, 2023
“Avatar 3” now dated Dec. 20, 2024
Untitled Star Wars redated to Dec. 19, 2025
“Avatar 4” will arrive Dec. 18, 2026
Untitled Star Wars moved to Dec. 17, 2027
“Avatar 5” now slated for Dec. 22, 2028
[www.cnbc.com]

The answer is "China". They anticipate a huge box office over there since they really didn't get the 1st one and this one is apparently closer to the story told over there. If/when theaters in China are allowed to open you'll see them try and push this out somehow.

Wow, game changer. AMC is going to allow VOD after only 17 days, which would be 3 weekends, but is going to get a cut of VOD revenue. Maybe AMC is hedging it's bets in case people don't come back to theaters.

AMC strikes historic deal with Universal, shortening number of days films need to run in theaters before going digital
Published Tue, Jul 28 20204:30 PM EDT

The feud between AMC Theaters and Universal Pictures, which started over the video on-demand release of “Trolls: World Tour” in March, is over.

On Tuesday, the two companies announced an agreement that would see AMC show Universal films on the big screen once more and grant Universal a smaller theatrical window so it could make its titles available on-demand sooner.

As part of the deal, Universal and Focus Features must play movies in cinemas for at least three weekends, or 17 days, before releasing those films on premium video on-demand platforms. Previously, theaters would have the exclusive rights to films for 90 days.

“AMC will also share in these new revenue streams that will come to the movie ecosystem from premium video on demand,” Adam Aron, CEO of AMC, said in a statement.

Neither company disclosed the full terms of the deal, stating that it was confidential.

“The theatrical experience continues to be the cornerstone of our business,” Donna Langley, chairman of Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, in a statement Tuesday. “The partnership we’ve forged with AMC is driven by our collective desire to ensure a thriving future for the film distribution ecosystem and to meet consumer demand with flexibility and optionality.”

Historic deal

The agreement between AMC and Universal is truly historic. For decades movie theaters have held tightly to the 90-day theatrical window, not even budging it for Netflix when it first sought Oscar contention.

The exclusivity of having films go to theaters for a prolonged period of time builds demand and excitement, which translates to ticket sales. There is huge value in being the only place where moviegoers can catch the latest titles and it’s something that up until now has been carefully guarded.

It is unclear if other theaters will follow suit and offer these kinds of deals to studios or if studios will seek out a similar deal with AMC. The National Association of Theatre Owners declined to comment, but in the past, it has been protective of the status quo.

“This presents a significant evolution of the exhibitor-studio relationship, but one that seems to acknowledge compromises on both sides in an effort to keep things harmonious,” Shawn Robbins, chief analyst at Boxoffice.com, said. “The ability for a major theater chain to reap some benefits from PVOD releases could offset some of the loss of a long theatrical window, but the expectation here is that Universal still recognizes the importance of those longer runs for films doing well at the box office.”

However, Robbins said, if a film underperforms theatrically, has more leeway to push the film to other platforms. Often a film that is poorly received by the public will be dropped from theaters, or given less prominent showtimes, and would wait around to be released on home video.

“If managed smartly, this could be a win-win type of precedent for many players, but it’s something we’ll have to see unfold in the coming years and reassess at a later point in time,” Robbins said.

snip ...
The deal with Universal could help AMC recover lost revenue. The movie chain has been shuttered for months and it’s likely future revenue will be limited as attendance will be capped to prevent the spread of coronavirus at theaters when they reopen.

[www.cnbc.com]

Breaking news on Disney's earning call, Mulan is going VOD.

‘Mulan’ Moves to Disney+, Though Theatrical Dates Are Still Planned for Open Markets
Kate Erbland 8/4/2020

Niki Caro’s “Mulan” has found a new home, sort of. After being pushed off its originally planned March 27 release date in mid-March due to burgeoning fears about the global pandemic, Disney eventually opted to lock the live-action “Mulan” in for a July 24 release date, later pushing even further back to an August 21 date. But as theaters continue to struggle in some of the country’s biggest markets, a traditional summer release date has proven to be impossible.

As announced on today’s Disney third quarter earnings call, the film will now head to streaming service Disney+ on September 4, but will also be available in theaters (mostly international markets, including China) that are open by that time. During the call, CEO Bob Chapek said it was important for the company to find new ways to distribute their films during the pandemic and that in “in the U.S., Canada, New Zealand, and number of countries, we will be offering on Disney+, the epic ‘Mulan’ on premium access beginning September 4, the price point being $29.99 in the U.S.”

That mention of a price point indicates that the film will not simply be available to stream for subscribers, unlike other previously planned theatrical releases that found a streaming home on Disney+, such as the critically maligned “Artemis Fowl,” directed by Kenneth Branagh, and the much-hyped “Hamilton” Broadway performance recording. Viewers will need to subscribe to Disney+ and then pony up the additional “premium access” payment to view the film.

With a budget of at least $200 million, “Mulan” is the most expensive live-action film ever directed by a female filmmaker, and its appeal to movie-loving Chinese audiences seems like the best way to earn back much of that cash. Taking it off the table theatrically was just too much of a gamble, and the studio must now hope that the delayed release date will still pay off when the film is finally released in open markets.

The film felt the effects of the growing pandemic early, as its Hollywood premiere took place on March 9 with heightened health-specific protocols in place. Three days later, the film was postponed.

Based on the Chinese folklore legend “The Ballad of Mulan,” the film stars Liu Yifei as the Chinese maiden who disguised herself as a male warrior to save her father. Unlike the beloved animated Disney tale, the film is not a musical and is built around a number of large-scale action setpieces. It also stars Donnie Yen, Jason Scott Lee, Yoson An, Gong Li, and Jet Li in supporting roles.

A number of other Disney properties have had to shift release dates in the wake of the pandemic, including “Black Widow” and a variety of other Marvel Cinematic Universe properties. Pixar’s “Soul,” which long staked out its own summer date, is now set for a November 20 date.
[www.indiewire.com]

So, the big question is - how many people will actually pay that to see a remake? Personally, I feel like it's ridiculously overpriced to view in my own home.

I totally agree. I did want to see it, but I won't for that price. I could have seen it free. I have Regal Unlimited..and since I got my membership for free it would not have cost me a penny.

@mfisherri wrote:

So, the big question is - how many people will actually pay that to see a remake? Personally, I feel like it's ridiculously overpriced to view in my own home.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/07/2020 02:21PM by cybersst.

A Wall St analysts believes theater patronage will not return to normal levels until late 2021 or early 2022. Cinemark theaters did a study stating 25% of patrons will return immediately followed by an increase to 50% thereafter. Not into streaming myself, but just hope patrons do not get too comfortable with it by the time the theaters reopen and in NY and does not appear to be anytime soon...looks like Verites went out of business. Wonder if Movie Measure and Certified will pick up the leftovers.

What makes you say VeriTes went out of business?

@Arch Stanton wrote:

A Wall St analysts believes theater patronage will not return to normal levels until late 2021 or early 2022. Cinemark theaters did a study stating 25% of patrons will return immediately followed by an increase to 50% thereafter. Not into streaming myself, but just hope patrons do not get too comfortable with it by the time the theaters reopen and in NY and does not appear to be anytime soon...looks like Verites went out of business. Wonder if Movie Measure and Certified will pick up the leftovers.

When I call their several phone numbers they are all disconnected. I sincerely hope they did not go out of business and I never heard back from my scheduler either when asking what is going on with Verities.

Well I wouldn't expect the phone lines to be open at the moment. I'm with VeriTes too, or at least was, if they did go out of business. I joined them late last year though and did not have a good long standing relationship with my scheduler. But I do have a friend who has been with them for over 10 years, I asked her to reach out to her scheduler, who she did hear from recently to see what's up. Hope that's not the case as they have been in business for along time. Certified has all but dropped trailer checking really, I have been with them over 7 years, and Movie Measure will hopefully survive I'm with them as well. Otherwise I'm really out of luck.

@Arch Stanton wrote:

When I call their several phone numbers they are all disconnected. I sincerely hope they did not go out of business and I never heard back from my scheduler either when asking what is going on with Verities.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/08/2020 07:22PM by cybersst.

Cybersst
Thank you for you posting and if your friend finds out anything, kindly post it. No response from my scheduler.

I will definitely pass it along. I would think they would let us know. They were kind enough to send a letter to help out with unemployment, I find it odd, that they would just up and close and not let any of us who are not in the "know" what has happened. I was certainly waiting for them as well as MM to come back for work. I reached out to my scheduler too and heard nothing, but my scheduler was not really good with communication. I did have another email I tried with a different person and have not heard back from them either. My friend has not heard anything as of yet.

@Arch Stanton wrote:

Cybersst
Thank you for you posting and if your friend finds out anything, kindly post it. No response from my scheduler.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/10/2020 09:50AM by cybersst.

Did hear from my scheduler for verites. She says they are not out of business. They are just waiting for work. But have tried several times to call and email varoius people who work at verites and have gotten no response. Movie measure is still in business and the founder of that company is just waiting for work

That's weird because I emailed my scheduler with VeriTes multiple times and no response, so then Iemailed other people in the company and no response. So then a friend point blank asked her scheduler what was up and her scheduler would not answer, plus a person who worked at verites went over to Movie Measure.....

@wdean wrote:

Did hear from my scheduler for verites. She says they are not out of business. They are just waiting for work. But have tried several times to call and email varoius people who work at verites and have gotten no response. Movie measure is still in business and the founder of that company is just waiting for work

I had reached out to VeriTes on 5 separate ocassions with no response recently, to my scheduler and to others within the company, there are other people on this forum who reached out to their schedulers too, and no response. So that makes no sense at all that they would still still be in business and yet not respond to any of their contractors, plus one of the people I reached out to, has now left VeriTes for Movie Measure. Yet, when I reached out to Movie Measure with questions, they got back to me immediately answering all my questions without delay. So obviously Movie Measure is still around and ready to go when work is available. VeriTes on the hand their phone numbers are out of service, and no one replies to emails, that doesn't really happen when things are ok. It's really odd that only one person out of many contractors seems to have heard from someone.

Was there a website that you use to go to? It's really hard to find anything at all out about VeriTes. If you go to VeriTes.com it redirects you to [www.psbinsights.com]. As best I can figure out PSB is some marketing/consulting group and VeriTes is/was a subsidiary of it that was mostly a virtual company. PSB is than a subsidiary of WPP which is a huge worldwide marketing conglomerate.

So it wouldn't be surprising if VeriTes just went poof in the middle of the night. Even doing google searches, google doesn't want to give you any info. Keeps giving stuff that isn't VeriTes. Strange.

Whoa, found this, [theaterdispatch.com]
Appears to be a website one of the schedulers setup just for the area they are scheduling for. Found this on the website under assignments.

" Update…I have a new email address and I will email you soon. Stay tuned for more!!!
WE HAVE NO ASSIGNMENTS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE, but hopefully this will change soon!!! "

On the about me page is this. Even the schedulers are ICs that have to put up their own website. What kind of company doesn't even have a website? And where do you input the info. One strange company. I've heard of virtual companies before, but this is weird. Whole company seems to just be a handful of people working out of their spare bedrooms. They could at least try and pretend they are a real company.

" Lovie Lamette
Independent Field Dispatcher for VeriTES
Hello my name is Lovie Lamette and I am an Independent Field Dispatcher for VeriTES."

They were a real company with an actual website and had a page that was only active when it was time to input your info from assignments, they paid by paper checks that were not hand written and were printed from an actual payroll company, so what you found is shady. They were professional until recently, and all schedulers had email addresses from Verites. They company has been around for a very long time. So don't knock what you haven't worked for and don't know...I was contracted with them and did several checks before the shutdown. Lovie was a scheduler from VeriTes, maybe they worked from home, but they used VeriTes email address and not personal email address for work. They do not put up their own websites either, that is something she did, my scheduler did not do that.

@StandeeInstaller wrote:

Was there a website that you use to go to? It's really hard to find anything at all out about VeriTes. If you go to VeriTes.com it redirects you to [www.psbinsights.com]. As best I can figure out PSB is some marketing/consulting group and VeriTes is/was a subsidiary of it that was mostly a virtual company. PSB is than a subsidiary of WPP which is a huge worldwide marketing conglomerate.

So it wouldn't be surprising if VeriTes just went poof in the middle of the night. Even doing google searches, google doesn't want to give you any info. Keeps giving stuff that isn't VeriTes. Strange.

Whoa, found this, [theaterdispatch.com]
Appears to be a website one of the schedulers setup just for the area they are scheduling for. Found this on the website under assignments.

" Update…I have a new email address and I will email you soon. Stay tuned for more!!!
WE HAVE NO ASSIGNMENTS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE, but hopefully this will change soon!!! "

On the about me page is this. Even the schedulers are ICs that have to put up their own website. What kind of company doesn't even have a website? And where do you input the info. One strange company. I've heard of virtual companies before, but this is weird. Whole company seems to just be a handful of people working out of their spare bedrooms. They could at least try and pretend they are a real company.

" Lovie Lamette
Independent Field Dispatcher for VeriTES
Hello my name is Lovie Lamette and I am an Independent Field Dispatcher for VeriTES."

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/20/2020 11:13PM by cybersst.