Refresh for updates Universal today continued its theme from CinemaCon 2021 of spotlighting the work of cinema workers and connecting them with their favorite stars. It’s a stylish way to pay homage to exhibitors, especially after the industry was brought to its knees from 2020 to early 2021 due to Covid.
Universal Motion Picture Entertainment Group chief Donna Langley was first on stage and quipped, “I’m sure there’s a drinking game involved when a studio executive comes onstage and says ‘The magic of the movie.'”
“My faith in theater has never wavered,” Langley said.
“Cinema will always be the cornerstone of our business; Cheers to that,” she continued.
“We remain committed to bringing you compelling content to bring people back to the back office,” added Langley.
“We are all here to celebrate great films from the best talent in our industry. Theater will always be the cornerstone of our business,” she added.
“Original stories and seeing us on the big screen will stand the test of time,” said Jim Orr, head of Uni Domestic Distribution, who took the stage at Langley.
Orr offered a Field of Dreams quote – “if you build it, they will come, if you stop building it, they won’t.” The studio has 25 films in theaters this year, 10 more than any other studio. Uni’s extensive presentation will cover everything from Jurassic to Minions, original comedies, personal films, horror titles and the occasional musical.
“If we limit what we put in theaters, our audience will shrink. We need an industry that creates and influences culture every weekend. Personal stories, original ideas and our reflection on the big screen will stand the test of time,” Orr said.
Jordan Peele’s Nope was the first picture on stage today, with Anthony Fykes, co-owner of Next Act Cinema, the first black-owned theater in the Baltimore area to share time with the Oscar-winning filmmaker.
Anthony Fykes told Peele how important his canon Get Out and Us was to his African American audience. “I love that you keep coming up with original stories…but you always do something new out here,” the theater owner said.
“I’m always drawn to my favorite movie that I haven’t seen before,” Peele said. “My plan is to bring these new ideas and nightmares to the big screen.”
Peele added, “We’re here to ensure the big screen continues to be the best place to experience movies.”
Peele couldn’t make it five years ago when he got an award for Get Out because of a sandstorm. “I know it sounds like a bad excuse, but it’s true. It was crazy.”
what is nope While a trailer has already been released, we see that Aliens are haunted siblings played by Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer. There’s cowboys and clouds with something killing flickering, galloping horses, skies and a hint of metal probes – whatever it is, they’re coming back.
“Do you think whatever killed Pops is out there?” Palmer asks her brother as their ranch and desert home are rocked by sandstorms and…waterfalls. A UFO appears at the end of the trailer, which may reveal what all the environmental issues are about.
Halloween Kills’ Jamie Lee Curtis was next, promptly receiving huge cheers as she took the stage. She joked, “Two people got up?! Okay, anyway, it’s only been 44 fucking years. I’m fine. I’m sure. It’s good. It’s really nice to be back.” She dubbed the next Halloween “Laurie Strode’s Last Stand.” She championed the theatrical cinematic experience and soulful affinity many get from watching a movie side by side. To underscore her point, she roared over how her latest art house hit Everything Everywhere All at Once is making waves theatrically. Curtis was paired with Emily and Mikaela Silerio, guest attendants, of the Alamo Drafthouse in Stone Oak, San Antonio, Texas.
Valerie Lucas, Operations Manager, Marcus Theaters, Oakdale, Minnesota, shared the spotlight with M3GAN star Allison Williams.
The Blumhouse image follows a robot whose inventor “devised a perfect toy that would protect a child from any feeling of loneliness or sadness.” A regenerative android that looks like a girl and becomes part of the family where everything goes well until it doesn’t anymore. The ominous footage shows her freshening up and being told to shut down. Scary dolls never like that. Then blood squirts and you are no longer happy. Introducing the film, Get Out star Williams said, “I have no idea how I ended up in these films because I’m too scared to see all the other films” in this genre.
A dramatic clip from Beast showed star Idris Elba being pounced on and off with his family in the jungle by what looks like the biggest lion you’ve ever seen. The audience loved it.
Easter Sunday’s star and EP, Jo Koy, came out ahead of his session and wowed the entire Colosseum with his stand-up teeth. He noted Jamie Lee Curtis’ potty mouth and how he was 50 but wore his 18-year-old son’s pants to be fashionable. “But I don’t have my son’s balls. I have 50 year old eggs.”
He says Steven Spielberg caught his act first and invited the comedian to tell his story, a universal “we all laugh at the same shit.” With the help of Bao Kue, the general manager of Regal LA Live, he threw sweatshirts into the crowd. Easter Sunday looks like a great summer crossover title, reminiscent of My Big Fat Greek Wedding and Crazy Rich Asians, featuring the comedian with his family, his relatives quarreling and getting together around the dinner table.
Universal knows how to wow older audiences (remember 2009’s “It’s Complicated?”), and the studio, which champions diverse fare, has a rom-com you can’t see on a streamer , and this is Ticket to Paradise on October 21 with George Clooney and Julia Roberts. The duo played a divorced couple who travel to Bali to prevent their daughter’s marriage; essentially stopping them from making the same mistake they made 25 years ago. What’s her game plan in the trailer? To try to convince her daughter that they are okay with the marriage and then get her to end it herself. But in paradise, Clooney and Roberts’ character fall in love… it looks like… again.
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