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Disney and Paramount Push Back Release Dates for Upcoming Films

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  • Disney has made major changes to its film release schedule, leaving “Mulan,” which was supposed to hit theaters in a month, with an unknown date. Their changes also involve pushing upcoming “Avatar” and “Star Wars” sequels back a year.
  • Likewise, Paramount also shook up their calendar. “A Quiet Place II” and “Top Gun: Maverick,” which were supposed to come out in September and December respectively, are now shelved until 2021.
  • This comes as AMC delayed its opening for a third time, now opting to let audiences back in mid-late August instead of in July. With this slew of movies now being further delayed, it is unclear if AMC will have to postpone its plans yet again.

Disney’s Delays

If the summer box office wasn’t already dead on arrival, it certainly is now. Both Disney and Paramount have shuffled their release schedules, tossing some pictures miles down the road, and blockbusters like “Mulan” into the complete unknown. 

The postponement of “Mulan” is the biggest blow to movie theaters right now. Previously slated to hit screens on August 21, it now has no release date, as Disney does not want to keep assigning dates to films it knows may likely need to be pushed again. This comes just a few days after Warner Brothers also decided to delay “Tenet” indefinitely. The two films would have been the first big blockbusters for audiences to see once theaters opened back up after closing because of the pandemic. 

“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 Disney spokesperson told Deadline

Wes Anderson’s “The French Dispatch,” which was going to be a fall release, has also been pushed back to an unknown date. Disney has also opted to further delay major franchises, including its upcoming “Avatar” and “Star Wars” movies each by a year. Now, new “Avatar” sequels will be released in December every other year between 2022 and 2028. The new “Star Wars” films will hit screens in those off-years. 

Other delayed Disney projects include “The Personal History of David Copperfield,” which will now come out on August 28; “Death on the Nile,” which will hit theaters on October 23; “Black Widow,” which releases on November 6, “Antlers,” which will debut on February 19, 2021; “The Last Duel,” which will arrive October 15, 2021; and an untitled live action movie will be coming out on December 16, 2021. 

Paramount Pushes Big Projects

Disney is not the only studio making major changes to their release schedule. Paramount also shook up their calendar, moving “A Quiet Place II” from this September to April 23, 2021. “Top Gun: Maverick” is also getting bumped to next year, with a release date set for July 2, 2021 as opposed to this Christmas. 

Paramount additionally announced that a new “Jackass” movie is getting pushed to September 2021 while “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” is moving to April 2022. “The Tiger’s Apprentice” is getting delayed a full year, going from February 11, 2022 to February 10, 2023.

“We truly believe that there is no movie-viewing experience like the one enjoyed in theatres,” Paramount’s president of domestic distribution Chris Aronson, and president of international theatrical distribution Mark Viane told Variety. “We are committed to the theatrical experience and our exhibition partners, and want to stress that we are confident that, when the time comes, audiences everywhere will once again enjoy the singular joy of seeing Paramount films on the big screen.”

Sony joined Disney and Paramount in these schedule shifts by nudging the latest Tom Holland-led “Spider-Man” movie by one month to December 2021.

AMC Postpones Reopening

These hold ups come as movie theaters are suffering from mass pandemic closures. Major chains have announced their plans to reopen, but have been forced to change them. On Thursday, AMC, the largest chain in the United States, delayed its opening for a third time. 

AMC now plans to open its doors in “mid to late August” instead of in July. When they made this announcement, “Mulan” was expected to be released in August. Now that its release is unclear, AMC may be forced to push their reopening once more. Right now, there would be little new content for theatergoers to see in August. 

New York and Los Angeles, the biggest movie markets in the country, also have yet to announce their intent to reopen theaters. While New York is walking through its phases of reopening, Los Angeles is facing the potential of a second lockdown. This could further jeopardize the movie theater industry. 

See what others are saying: (Deadline) (Variety) (Wall Street Journal)

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Max to Agrees to “Properly” Credit Writers and Directors After Facing Backlash For Lumping Them in As “Creators”

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The company said the credits were laid out incorrectly due to “an oversight in the technical transition from HBO Max to Max.”


After film and television writers slammed Max for crediting all writers, producers, and directors as general “creators” on its platform, the company said it will be adjusting its credits display.

“We agree that the talent behind the content on Max deserve their work to be properly recognized,” the streaming service said in a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter. 

Max — the new rebrand of HBO Max that incorporates Discovery content — launched on Tuesday to much criticism. Amid glitches and app-switching confusion, the biggest backlash it faced was over the choice to lump creative roles into one credit section called “creators.” As one viral tweet noted, if a user were to select the film “Raging Bull,” the service’s display would not specifically credit Martin Scorsese as the director, rather, his name would be included at random with half a dozen other people, including writers and producers. 

The decision was condemned by many in the industry who argued it minimizes writers and directors by not properly giving them credit where it is due. Especially amid the ongoing writers’ strike, and with directors and actors starting negotiations with studios, some took it as a slap in the face. 

“The studios don’t want anyone to know our names,” writer Christina Strain tweeted. “It’s easier to pay us nothing if we’re faceless.”

“Another move from studios to diminish the role of writers, directors, actors and other craftspeople. Miss me wit this nonsense,” Jorge Rivera, the Vice-Chair of the Writers Guild’s Latinx Writers Committee, added. 

In a statement, Directors Guild President Lesli Linka Glatter said that Warner Bros. Discovery’s choice to “collapse” these roles into one credit “while we are in negotiations with them is a grave insult to our members and our union.”

“The DGA will not stand for it,” Glatter continued.

WGA West President Meredith Stiehm claimed the move was “a credits violation,” as well as an insult “to the artists that make the films and TV shows that make their corporation billions.”

On Wednesday, Max said it would rework its crediting. 

“We will correct the credits, which were altered due to an oversight in the technical transition from HBO Max to Max and we apologize for this mistake,” the platform said.

See what others are saying: (Gizmodo) (The Hollywood Reporter) (The Los Angeles Times)

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A Quarter of Young British Men Support Andrew Tate’s Thoughts on Women

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U.K. residents at large, however, do not view him favorably.


Even under house arrest in Romania, misogynist influencer Andrew Tate still holds substantial sway over young men. 

According to data from YouGov that was obtained by The Independent, 26% of U.K. men between 18 and 29 years old who know of Tate agree with his views on women. That figure was largely the same for men between 30 and 39, as 28% agreed with Tate’s opinions on the subject. 

Men in their 30s were slightly more likely to agree with Tate on his thoughts about masculinity. Three out of ten supported those views, compared to just a quarter of men 18 to 29.

Those statistics only include the thoughts of men who have heard of Tate, but per YouGov, most have. In the 18 to 29 group, 93% were familiar with him, and 86% of men in their 30s knew of him. 

The U.K. at large was less aware of Tate, with just 63% of British adults having heard of him. Of that group, only 6% held a positive view of him. 

Tate has faced substantial backlash for his sexist rhetoric over the years. In the past, he said that men should have “authority” over their wives or girlfriends, and that women should “bear some responsibility” for being raped. He was previously banned from Twitter over his extremist views on women but has since been allowed back on the platform. 

He is currently being investigated in Romania for organized crime and human trafficking. He was arrested and held in custody in December but was released to house arrest earlier this year. No formal charges have been filed against him yet and he has maintained his innocence. 

Tate currently boasts a Twitter following of 6.7 million. It has grown significantly since he was enveloped in legal controversy, and many of his supporters have demanded his release. 

See what others are saying: (The Independent) (Glamour U.K.)

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Involved in “Near Catastrophic” Paparazzi Chase

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“While being a public figure comes with a level of interest from the public, it should never come at the cost of anyone’s safety,” a spokesperson for the couple said.


“Aggressive” Paparazzi Chase Couple in New York

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were involved in a “near catastrophic” paparazzi car chase Tuesday night in New York City, according to a spokesperson for the couple.

In a statement, the spokesperson described the photographers as “highly aggressive.”

“While being a public figure comes with a level of interest from the public, it should never come at the cost of anyone’s safety,” the statement added.

“This relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers,” it continued. 

Details of the incident are still emerging, but BBC News reported that there are claims the chase involved roughly six cars driving recklessly by running red lights, driving on the sidewalk, carrying out blocking moves, going backward on a one-way road, and taking pictures while driving. 

The chase happened after Harry and Meghan were leaving the Women of Vision Awards with Meghan’s mother, Doria. They did not want photographers to learn where they were staying and attempted to avoid them in what turned into a 75-minute chase on a main road in Manhattan’s Upper East Side. They eventually ducked into a New York Police Department Precinct to hide out before getting into a different vehicle.

The NYPD released a statement confirming that they assisted in protecting the couple as “numerous photographers” hindered their transport. Officials said they made it to their destination and there were no collisions, injuries, or arrests. 

The couple’s spokesperson is asking the public to not share or post footage of the incident. 

“Dissemination of these images, given the ways in which they were obtained, encourages a highly intrusive practice that is dangerous to all in involved,” the spokesperson said. 

Memories of Princess Diana

The chase evokes the brutal press hounding Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, was subjected to throughout her life. The paparazzi’s obsession with her ultimately resulted in her death in 1997, when she was killed in a car crash after being chased by photographers in Paris. 

Since marrying Meghan and later bowing out of the Royal Family, Harry has made it explicitly clear that he fears those events could happen again. Meghan has been the subject of endless tabloid scrutiny, enduring racism and harassment from the press. Part of the reason they left the Royal Family was to keep their family protected from such attacks.

Mayor Eric Adams brought up Diana’s tragic passing while speaking about Tuesday night’s chase. 

“I don’t think there’s many of us who don’t recall how [Harry’s] mom died,” Adams said while speaking to reporters. “And it would be horrific to lose an innocent bystander during a chase like this and something to have happened to them as well…I think that was a bit reckless and irresponsible.” 

Adams also questioned whether or not he believes a chase could go on for two hours in a city as congested as New York, but noted that even a 10-minute chase would be dangerous. He said he will be briefed on the exact timeline and details later. 

See what others are saying: (BBC News) (Associated Press) (Yahoo News)

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