Screendollars

This week's newsletter begins with the results of our 2020 Film Industry Survey. More than 350 of our readers provided their perspective on the current state of affairs in the industry and on what future may hold, particularly in the area of theatrical releasing. It's the perfect time to gather this feedback, while in the midst of theatre shutdowns and everyone is considering its impact on the movie business.

Our industry news roundup begins with analysis of the release strategy at Warner Bros. for Tenet. Much is riding on this film, currently scheduled for a July 17th release, since it would be the first major studio film to hit theatres after re-opening from the coronavirus shutdown. We report on "a day in the life" of one Texas theatre as its welcomes moviegoers back after re-opening. We highlight a story about the financial returns for straight to VOD film releasing. Our news summary concludes with coverage of a draft report written by a film industry task force on the details of how to re-start film production, both in Hollywood and around the country.

This week's Gower Street column tracks US theatre re-openings, reported on a state-by-state basis, both in terms of overall numbers of locations and percentages of screens.  While state and local regulations dictate the timeline and rules for re-opening, a general momentum towards re-opening is building.

In the Hollywood Report, Martin Grove explains the tradition of Hollywood summer blockbusters, past and present. Once upon a time (in Hollywood), major summer films were released on or around Memorial Day.  That tradition changed somewhat over the last 15-20 years with a series of box office successes opening earlier in May or even in April.  Due to this year's unusual circumstances , Hollywood's hopes are riding on a series of late summer releases beginning in July.

We conclude with our film data tables: an expanding list of films now scheduled for theatrical release through the end of 2020, announcements of studio release changes, recent MPAA's film ratings, a list of major film releases premiering on VOD, Virtual Cinema and Streaming platforms, and notable trailers that dropped on-line this week.