Page 40 - Discover Winter 2021

NICFLIX b y N ic B a r t a

by Nic Barta

With the movie industry in a fairly turbulent state right now, I figured I’d inform
everyone on how the movie industry is shifting things around and planning for the

future. As of the time of this writing, several more productions have been pushed back
to next year, to 2022, and even to 2023. According to Entertainment Weekly, Warner
Bros. has moved a large chunk of their highly-anticipated films to later dates. Most
notably, The Batman has been moved to March 4, 2022. It’s previous release date of

October 21st 2021 has been given to Denis Villeneuve’s remake of Dune. In addition,
007 No Time to Die has been moved once again to April 2021, and the latest Fast and
Furious movie has been moved to May 2021.

These release date shifts have caused numerous smaller theaters and chains
to shut down until these bigger releases finally come around. According to Variety,
Cineworld has confirmed that they are temporarily suspending operations at its U.S.
and U.K. theaters. This includes all of its 536 Regal theaters in the U.S., and its 127 in the

U.K. More than 70 directors, writers and producers signed a letter to Congress, asking
for relief legislation for theaters last September. As of this writing, there has been no
real progress toward any sort of relief for movie theaters, and the majority of them will
remain closed for the foreseeable future.

Despite the hectic nature of the entertainment industry right now, I do have faith,
and believe that theaters will reopen in the near future. While streaming has recently
become the go-to medium for entertainment, few things can compare to seeing and

enjoying a good movie on a big screen with high quality sound… with strangers who are
enjoying it just as much as you are. I have wonderful memories of going to midnight
premieres of Harry Potter, Avengers, and other big name films at movie theaters with
so many fans; the experience is truly special. Theaters allow us to escape, and can help

to expand our minds and imaginations. We use them to inspire us, entertain us, and
connect with others, even if it’s on a subconscious level. The theaters will be back. All
good things take time.

Despite the delays, there are still a handful of films slated to come out as of right
now. Of course, things could still change. But hopefully some of these films will hit the
cinemas soon. Here’s a small, optimistic preview of this coming winter:

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