Category: Movie Theaters

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Broadway Movie Theaters Movies

AMC tells ‘Wicked’ theater–goers not to sing: ‘silence is golden. No talking. No texting’

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After what feels like a billion years of gossip and press about it, part one of the movie version of Wicked finally comes out this Friday, November 22. AMC Theaters is not only anticipating a big crowd to come out and see the long-awaited adaptation, but they’re anticipating a big crowd of theater kids being the ones to show up. Now, we theater kids/former theater kids are not exactly known for being demure and mindful, especially when it comes to having a chance to burst into show tunes in public. Most of us know, however, the golden rule when seeing a live performance, which is that the show is on the stage, not in the audience. As such, AMC has issued a reminder to anyone who plans on seeing Wicked in theaters: It doesn’t matter how much gravity you defy; do not sing along.

According to AMC, movie-goers aren’t allowed to sing along to the Wicked songs at any point during the film. In fact, much like talking, singing of any kind is prohibited inside the theater at all times. In a short Wicked-themed preshow advisory video, AMC says: “At AMC Theaters, silence is golden. No talking. No texting. No singing. No wailing. No Flirting. And absolutely no name-calling. Enjoy the magic of movies.”

Speaking to IndyStar, AMC spokesperson Ryan Noonan explained that this has been the theater’s “long-standing policy” to prevent “disruptive behavior.” However, they wanted to emphasize these rules especially now before the musical debuts in theaters with time-honored songs like “Defying Gravity” and “Popular.”

“The WICKED preshow spot incorporates the themes of the film as a fun, engaging reminder to moviegoers to not disrupt the experience for those around them as they enjoy the show,” Noonan’s statement sent to the outlet read.

AMC’s policy reminder sparked debate online with many people arguing for and against the no-singing rule while others admitted they may not be able to stop themselves from singing. On TikTok, comedy band Lewberger Music posted a video addressing the controversy. “Did you hear there’s going to be strict rules about the Wicked movie?” the group sang.

“Several people have made waves about what they’ll do if people sing during the film which raises some questions about contemporary movie theater etiquette because they didn’t buy tickets to hear some rando, they want to hear Ariana Grande,” the band continued. “You better not sing during the gosh darn movie.”

The Lewberger Music group pointed out that Regal Cinemas and Alamo Drafthouse have added sing-along showings to their screening list in the past. However, neither have done so for Wicked. In the band’s opinion, theaters should be hosting “rowdy” Wicked shows for fans to sing as aloud as they please without bothering guests who bought tickets to only hear the movie stars.

One viewer agreed sing-alongs were a great solution. “They should do a sing along version and have those showings…that way I can go to both,” they commented.

A second person said: “As someone who hasn’t had the opportunity to see it on stage, I agree with this so much! Let me experience it for the first time hearing them, then I’ll go to a sing-along screening.”

“I literally won’t be able to stop myself,” another added, while a fourth disagreed: “I don’t get people who want to hear themselves over the performances. This goes for concerts too. I’ve never understood it! And I’m a singer! If I want to sing I do it on stage or in my car,” one opinionated person commented on TikTok.”

One woman stubbornly confessed: “I’m singing quietly to myself and no one can stop me…it’s not like they could hear me over the movie.”

[From The Independent via Yahoo]

Anyone who is rolling their eyes at this kind of warning clearly does not understand the enthusiasm that certain musicals attract, lol. Let’s just say that no one was issuing any warnings when they did that awful adaptation of Cats a few years ago, but I bet plenty of people had to stop themselves from singing along to the Rent movie. I think having singalong screenings is absolutely the way to go. Give audiences a chance to Rocky Horror this sh-t or belt out how much nobody in all of Oz is ever going to bring us down. I guarantee that having those types of dedicated screenings is going to make audiences forget about any production/cast-related dramas and tell all of the rest of their on-the-fence theater kid friends to go see it.

That said, I am absolutely one of those people who side-eyed Ariana Grande’s casting as Galinda and questioned why a movie that just shows the first act of the musical needs to be longer than the actual full-length musical’s runtime. I watched that cringy clip of Ariana singing “Popular” that’s circulating online, but also have seen really good reviews for it on social media. I have no idea if it’s going to be as good as some of the online hype is, but, hey, at least we’re merely hours away from being able to find out for ourselves.

Photos credit: Getty, IMAGO/David Jones/Avalon, Eric Kowalsky/MEGA/Wenn/Avalon

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Daniel Craig Movie Theaters Movies

Daniel Craig wants Knives Out 3 to get a wider theatrical release

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Daniel Craig’s latest film Queer, directed by Luca Guadagnino and adapted from a book by William S. Burroughs, debuted at the Venice Film Festival two months (and a lifetime) ago. Before the premiere, I thought Daniel was supposed to be a major contender this awards season, but it feels like he disappeared after Venice, no? I mean, Angelina Jolie started her Maria campaign in Venice and she has been go-go-go ever since. Maybe the plan all along was to wait for Daniel to give a big push closer to the release, which brings us to his new Variety cover story. Daniel and costar Drew Starkey pose on the cover with the headline “The Year’s Most Provocative Movie” printed over one of the most un-provocative photos ever taken, but I digress. During the interview, Daniel is asked about the next Knives Out installment, and Daniel confirmed that he very much wants Netflix to give the film a wider theatrical release than Glass Onion got in 2022:

Daniel Craig knows the “Knives Out” franchise belongs in movie theaters, so he’s hoping Netflix will give the upcoming third installment, officially titled “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery,” a theatrical release that lasts more than just one week. That’s how long Netflix put 2022’s “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” in theaters for, which seemingly is not Craig’s preference. The actor told Variety during an interview for its “Queer” cover story that “Knives Out 3” deserves a more robust theatrical rollout.

“You know I do,” Craig said when asked if he thinks “Wake Up Dead Man” should play in theaters for longer than one week. “Hopefully, Netflix will push it out a bit, and people will get to see it. The people I speak to — the fans, I suppose — all they want to do is take their families and go see it at the cinemas. That’s all they want to do. Hopefully we can give them that experience.”

The first “Knives Out” movie was released by Lionsgate in 2019 and became a word-of-mouth smash hit over the holiday movie season with $312 million at the worldwide box office. Writer-director Rian Johnson also picked up an Oscar nomination for best original screenplay. Netflix ultimately struck a deal with Johnson to develop two “Knives Out” sequels, the first of which played for just one week in theaters across the country.

While Netflix gave “Glass Onion” a one-week theatrical release, it did strike deals at the time with the country’s largest theater chains — AMC Theaters, Regal Cinemas and Cinemark — in order to put the “Knives Out” sequel in 600 theaters. That remains the widest release Netflix has ever done. Notably, the sequel was the first Netflix movie to screen in AMC and Regal locations, as the two exhibitors had long refused the streamer’s films because Netflix would not adhere to more traditional theatrical windows. “Glass Onion” remains the only time Netflix did such a wide release for one of its films. It’s unclear if the streamer intends to do the same for “Wake Up Dead Man.”

Johnson once again wrote and directed the third “Knives Out” movie, which once again features Craig as the detective Benoit Blanc. The new supporting cast includes Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack and Thomas Haden Church. Plot details remain under wraps. Netflix will release “Wake Up Dead Man” in 2025.

[From Variety]

I don’t know anything about the plot of this new movie, but I’m telling you now: Glenn Close did it. She’s the murderer, without question. Sorry to spoil it, but the filmmakers did that themselves when they cast her. And Andrew Scott is just there to fool you until an hour and a half into the story. As for what kind of theatrical release it gets, good luck, Daniel! Apple TV didn’t give a hoot what George Clooney and Brad Pitt thought when it came to Wolfs (though there’s a legit argument that had to do with that particular movie itself). But still, I wouldn’t expect much more from Netflix, unless they’re possibly thinking of Wake Up Dead Man as an awards contender. Oh my stars, wouldn’t it be sublime if Glenn Close FINALLY won her Oscar for a Knives Out film!! Let’s reconvene for the 2026 Academy Awards to see if I called it. In the meantime, Queer is set for a limited theatrical release on November 27.

Note by Celebitchy: this story was written before the election was called

Photos credit: Rian Johnson for Netflix, Abaca Press/INSTARimages, IPA/INSTARimages

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Alcohol Movie Theaters Movies

The $31 AMC ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ vodka gummy worm drink went viral

the-$31-amc-‘beetlejuice-beetlejuice’-vodka-gummy-worm-drink-went-viral




Beetlejuice Beetlejuice opened in theaters last weekend. Mr. Rosie and I saw it on Sunday. I don’t want to spoil anything, so I’ll give my quick thoughts on it below, keeping them as vague as possible.

To celebrate the movie’s opening, several movie theater chains did one of those promotions where they sell tie-in merch in their concessions stands. For instance, Regal had popcorn containers in the shape of the Handbook for the Recently Deceased and Cinemark had drink containers shaped like Bob’s shrunken head. AMC took it one step further and sold a crazy 24 oz cocktail called the “Sandworm Slayer.” The Sandworm Slayer is blue and black raspberry juice mixed with vodka and topped with gummy worms. That may sound crazy, but that’s not the kicker here. The drink went viral because, depending on where you live, it costs somewhere between $21 and $31. Yes, $31! For that kind of cost, it better be Belvedere or Gray Goose in that drink, my goodness.

A Beetlejuice Beetlejuice promotional drink at AMC Theatres‘ is getting attention on social media for its seemingly exorbitant price. The concoction is the Sandworm Slayer, a specialty drink topped with some gummy worms.

“Naw Beetlejuice would’ve had to show up and bring me my drink for that price,” replied one commenter, while another snarked, “You could have bought 6 shares of AMC Theatres stock with that $31, not sure which one would have been worth the price.”

There is some context to this, however, which takes at least some of the fun out of it.

First, this is a 24-ounce cocktail made with blue and black raspberry juice and “premium vodka” (we’re skeptical about the “premium” part, but that’s what the press release says). So this is not just some blue soda.

Second, the usual price for the Sandworm Slayer is a hefty-but-more-reasonable $21. According to AMC’s internal research — yes, they researched this question! — the price at 92 percent of AMC locations is $21 plus tax. AMC notes the drink was apparently purchased in Illinois, which has some unique liquor pricing laws that we won’t bore you with, which bumped the drink’s price to $28.25, plus tax.

Thus, if you’re going to one of the 8 percent of AMC theaters that are located in Illinois and opt for the 24-ounce version of Sandworm Slayer, you can also get a vibrant drink in an ice-filled plastic cup for an all-in cost of around $31. (Given these are sold at AMC’s MacGuffins bar, one wonders if you can also add a generous tip — c’mon, let’s get this blue juice up to $40!)

Still, the resulting drink does look a bit less exciting than the promotional photo for the drink, but you can say that about everything:

AMC adds that the drink, “like so many of our movie-tie-in drinks, is wildly popular across the AMC circuit and sold very well during the weekend.” Indeed, chug a couple of these and you’ll forget how many times you said “Beetlejuice.”

Update: The viral $31 Sandworm Slayer was apparently purchased in California, not Illinois, so the plot thickens.

[From The Hollywood Reporter]

That is crazy! We’ve bought a few of the specialty merch things before, like a Slimer popcorn bowl for Ghostbusters: Afterlife and that cool Infinity Rings drink holder when Avengers: Endgame came out, but I would never pay that much money for an adult beverage at a movie theater, or, to be fair, anywhere else if I could avoid it. The drink also doesn’t look very appealing. That said, putting together some sort of drink like this one would be a cool little offering for a Halloween house party, like a punch with gummy worms in it or something spooky/creative like that.

As for the movie itself, it is absolutely batsh-t bonkers in the best way possible and you can tell that everyone in the cast was having an absolute blast filming it. Jenna Ortega fit right in and I really liked the more mature relationship between Lydia and Delia. While watching, I had made mental notes of certain clues that foreshadowed the plot twist, but assumed that it would culminate in a different way, so I completely didn’t see it coming. I also died laughing during the dream sequence in the church. There was one storyline that they could have cut out and saved for a third movie, but otherwise, we thought that it was a really fun, off-the-walls movie. It is more graphic than the first one, though, and not for kids under age 12 or 13.

This is what was in this fucked up thing pic.twitter.com/6cA4VgRMA8

— Andrew Woods (@JimJarmuschHair) September 8, 2024

Photos credit: Phil Lewis / Wenn / Avalon, Cat Morley / Avalon, James Warren / Bang Showbiz / Avalon

Categories
Movie Theaters Movies

Movie theaters want to bring back intermissions

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Auteurs want to have everything on their terms these days. They want their films to have movie-theater-only releases before showing up on streamers, but they’re also making the running times of these films increasingly longer. Then when movie theaters add intermissions at the request of their patrons (like many attempted for the 3.5 hour long Killers of the Flower Moon), film directors and distributors balk. “That wasn’t the vision!!” Something’s gotta give. The Hollywood Reporter spoke with various movie theaters who say that they and their movie-going customers are in favor of bringing back intermissions. Are you listening, Scorsese?

Paramount threatened fines over Killers of the Flower Moon: The art house cinema [The Lyric in Fort Collins, Colorado] … inserted an eight-minute break. It wasn’t long before a customer’s photo of an ad highlighting the intermission went viral and The Lyric received a call from Paramount, which is distributing the film, saying it had violated the booking contract and fines could be levied. “We didn’t know we had done anything wrong,” says Lyric manager Aaron Varnell, who recently added “chaos cultivator” to his title in a nod to challenging times.

Make it an event: In Long Beach, California, the Art Theatre — a single-screen theater built in 1925 — likewise hoped an intermission would lure more customers to see Killers of the Flower Moon on the big screen… “Our thinking was, we can really make this an event,” says Kerstin Kansteiner, who heads the board of the nonprofit theater. “It gives folks the opportunity to use the restroom, and it could also make for extra concession sales, which is literally how we pay our bills these days.” The idea was abandoned when Art’s film booker reached out to Paramount before the film opened and was told an intermission wasn’t allowed. “It was disappointing,” says Kansteiner. “We understand that directors have a vision and don’t want to take the viewer out of the film, but it’s problematic if you make a film that’s three hours and 26 minutes long.”

Movie theaters are struggling: Cinemas that survived the pandemic are still trying to find their footing during the streaming boom; as much as 15 percent of the moviegoing population hasn’t yet returned to theaters, according to data collected by Hollywood studios. This applies especially to older adults, the target audience for Killers of the Flower Moon and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, which runs three hours. These longer films mean fewer showtimes, too, which compounds concerns for cinemas when it comes to ticket sales.

Moviegoers want intermissions: [Vue Cinemas head Tim] Richards engineered a test in which Vue offered its U.K. customers the choice to see Killers of the Flower Moon in one uninterrupted viewing or with a 15-minute intermission (in Europe they’re known as “intervals” or “comfort breaks”). “It is the first time we’ve had an interval in decades,” Richards says. “Right off the bat, 30 percent of our customers chose to watch the movie with an interval even if it meant staying longer. And 85 percent said they would absolutely come back and watch a movie with an interval.” Vue was also asked to cease the breaks, but no fines were issued.

James Cameron said no to intermissions for Avatar: Late last year, some theaters had reached out about including an intermission with 20th Century’s Avatar: The Way of Water (three hours and 12 minutes) and said they were told no per the wishes of James Cameron, according to exhibition sources. “Imagine being immersed in the world of Avatar and having a sudden break. It would be hard to get back into the movie,” says one Hollywood studio executive not affiliated with the film.

‘I really needed to pee’: There’s evidence to back up the theory that intermissions could boost grosses for all involved. The Lyric saw a bigger turnout than usual on the second weekend of Killers of the Flower Moon — before word got out there were no more breaks during the film. Adds Varnell, “People said after, ‘I just kept waiting for the intermission. I really needed to pee.’”

[From Yahoo! Entertainment]

Oh reader, that Avatar comment did me in. “You can’t break the immersive experience!” What, are they worried that moviegoers running to the bathroom will be shocked to see non-blue people again? Please. Inevitably I think the purse (not to mention the bladder) will win out. If more people say they’ll go to movies with guaranteed intermissions, directors will magically find a way to adapt. Scorsese being such a film historian, I would think the transition wouldn’t be that difficult. Intermissions harken back to classic Hollywood. It’s retro!

Growing up in San Francisco I regularly went to the Castro Theatre to see vintage cinema. Not only did I survive, I thrived with each and every intermission. Even today I go to see rereleases of old films. During the intermission I relieve myself in the little girls room and return to the concession stand to purchase another tub of popcorn. The intermission system works! Embrace the wave, filmmakers. Or, you know, listen to Alexander Payne and learn to tighten your stories.

Photos credit: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon, Brock Wegner on Unspash and Eugene Lisyuk on Pexels