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Several Chicago aldermen are calling for the city to mandate proof of vaccination for people visiting public indoor settings, a move already adopted in other cities like New York. The aldermen said they were writing in support of Chicago requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination “for persons visiting public indoor settings like restaurants, bars, movie theaters, gyms and concert halls,” according to a copy of the letter sent Thursday. New York City, New Orleans, San Francisco and Puerto Rico have issued such requirements, they noted.

The teens were attending a showing of the film at the Regal Edwards Corona Crossings the film when gunshots rang out around 11.45pm Monday Cops said that the woman, 18, died at the scene and the man, 19, was taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries An employee found the teens after the movie- The Forever Purge - ended Cops have found no witnesses or surveillance camera footage indicating a possible suspect, or the weapon that fired the shots Officials added that six tickets had been sold for the movie showing and asked potential witnesses to come forward

Now that coronavirus vaccines are starting to roll out in the US and abroad, many people may be dreaming of the day when they can travel, shop and go to the movies again. But in order to do those activities, you may eventually need something in addition to the vaccine: a vaccine passport application. Several companies and technology groups have begun developing smartphone apps or systems for individuals to upload details of their Covid-19 tests and vaccinations, creating digital credentials that could be shown in order to enter concert venues, stadiums, movie theaters, offices, or even countries. The Common Trust...

Due to the pandemic, thousands of cinemas in North America have been dark for the better part of nine months, while those that have reopened are operating at dramatically reduced capacity. Mid-December is usually a launching pad for yuletide-fueled holiday blockbusters. That isn't the case this year as Hollywood and theater owners grapple with the ongoing COVID-19 crisis and a virtual nine-month standstill in moviegoing that will result in the worst showing for domestic ticket sales in at least four decades. Case in point: There were no new wide releases at the North American box office over the Dec. 11-13...

When Warner Bros. announced that “Wonder Woman 1984” would land on the streaming service HBO Max on Christmas, the same time it debuts in theaters, many expected it to be an isolated case in response to an unprecedented pandemic. Instead, the studio will deploy a similar release strategy for the next 12 months. In a surprising break from industry standards, Warner Bros.’ entire 2021 slate — a list of films that includes “The Matrix 4,” Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune” remake, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical adaptation of “In the Heights,” “Sopranos” prequel “The Many Saints of Newark” and “The Suicide Squad” — will...

The weekend before Thanksgiving is one of the most desired release dates. It’s been home to entries in the Harry Potter, Twilight, and Hunger Games franchises; in 2019, “Frozen II” opened to $130 million. This year, weekend grosses won’t pass $7 million and only “Freaky” made more than $1 million. These numbers cap a week of bad-to-worse news for theaters. Announcements from Universal codifed its Premium VOD plans, which suggest that the new maximum window, likely adapted by other distributors, is five weekends after opening. Warner Bros. placed “Wonder Woman 1984” on HBO Max for 30 days, along with theaters...

Movie theater executives don’t usually quote Winston Churchill on earnings calls. But during his company’s most recent quarterly report to analysts, AMC chief Adam Aron dusted off one of the prime minister’s most famous speeches to describe the financial cataclysm engulfing the exhibition industry and the resilient spirit he hopes will rise up to meet the challenge. “We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills,” Aron said. A touch melodramatic? Perhaps, but Aron is correct in noting that cinemas...

"If we shut this down, this will not be a reversible process," says the 'Wonder Woman 1984' director. Director Patty Jenkins has warned that the future of cinema-going is in peril amid the coronavirus pandemic. "If we shut this down, this will not be a reversible process," she told news agency Reuters in an interview from her home in Los Angeles. "We could lose movie theater-going forever." Jenkins, whose Wonder Woman 1984 has been delayed three times due to the coronavirus pandemic, is among top Hollywood names who have appealed to the government for financial help for cinemas. "While theater...

Leaders of the nation’s movie theater business, which has been hammered by the COVID-19 pandemic, are urging Congress to provide bailout funds so the industry can survive. The letter urges Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, and House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy to redirect unallocated funds from the CARES Act to proposals that help businesses that have suffered the steepest revenue drops due to the pandemic. The National Association of Theatre Owners, the Directors Guild of America, the Motion Picture Association and more than 70 directors, producers, and writers signed the letter....

A long time ago in a pre-COVID universe far, far away, blockbusters opened around the globe simultaneously or nearly so. In 1975, “Jaws” set the blueprint. Concentrate marketing. Open wide. Pack them in. Since then, Hollywood has turned opening weekends into an all-out assault. Staggered rollouts still happen, of course, but the biggest films are dropped like carpet bombs. Anything less risks losing the attention of moviegoers. Global debuts north of $300 million became commonplace. Last year, “Avengers: Endgame” made well north of $1 billion in a couple days. A long time ago in a pre-COVID universe far, far away,...

Spike Lee spoke out in late April against movie theaters re-opening amid the coronavirus pandemic, and now the Oscar winner tells Vanity Fair he most likely will not be going to movie theaters until there is a vaccine for the virus being distributed. Lee is releasing his new film, the Vietnam War drama “Da 5 Bloods,” straight to Netflix on June 12. The director was supposed to begin production this summer on an adaptation of the graphic novel “Prince of Cats” for Legendary Pictures, but Lee told Vanity Fair he doesn’t see filming on any Hollywood production happening anytime soon....

Fewer than half of Americans plan to go to concerts, movies, sports events and amusement parks when they reopen to the public until there is a proven coronavirus vaccine, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released on Tuesday. The Reuters/Ipsos poll surveyed 4,429 American adults from April 15 to 21, asking about their previous attendance at sports events and live concerts and their interest in attending if they reopened before a coronavirus vaccine is available. The poll questions noted a vaccine might not be available for more than a year. About four in 10 people who follow sports avidly and...

In an announcement today, California Gov. Gavin Newsom deemed movie theaters to be part of a stage 3 opening in the ultimate four-prong easing of COVID-19 at-home restrictions, meaning they’d be able to open “months, not weeks” in the future. Movie theaters would be part of phase of higher risk workplaces which require a close proximity to other people, including hair salons, nail salons, gyms, sporting events with live audiences and in-person religious services like churches and weddings. Movie theaters were allowed to reopen in Georgia on Monday and Texas is permitting cinemas to reopen on May 1, but the...

Among the many lasting cultural changes this pandemic is poised to bring about will be serious shifts in the entertainment industry. China started reopening its dormant movie theaters just as the U.S. box office “hit zero for the first time” last weekend. The lights were back on at only 5 percent of the country’s cinemas, and ticket sales were paltry. Now they’re dark again. As of Wednesday, more than 26,000 AMC employees were laid off or furloughed, including all 600 members of the China-owned theater chain’s corporate staff.Among the many lasting cultural changes this pandemic is poised to bring about...

On March 12, the London premiere of Mulan had just wrapped when the film’s director Niki Caro received the call everyone was anticipating. Executives in Los Angeles had made the decision to pull the Disney tentpole and were about to make the announcement, scuttling plans for a European junket that was had just kicked off. The move didn’t come as a surprise. After all, less than a day before, President Donald Trump announced a new ban on most travel from Europe, aimed at stopping the spread of the coronavirus. That travel ban torpedoed any plans to promote the $200 million...

Democrats go to the movies twice as much as Republicans, a new study finds. The statistic was among many tidbits included in a seven-year survey celebrating the 1,000th movie surveyed by industry leader PostTrak, the exit-polling service founded by Rentrak (now owned by Comscore) and Screen Engine. During that time period, Democrats frequented the movies far more than Republicans, or 12.4 percent versus 5.5 percent. Ditto for Independents (7.2 percent). The same also held true for ticket buyers who identified themselves as liberal and conservative (10.1 percent vs. 5 percent). Nearly 10 percent of moviegoers didn't state their political affiliation....

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Heading into the new year, box office analysts were bullish that 2019 would beat, or at least match, the record-breaking success of last season. Followups to “Avengers,” “Secret Life of Pets” and “Godzilla” combined with reboots of storied franchises such as “Men in Black” and “Shaft” would elevate ticket sales to new heights, theater owners and studio executives predicted. Alas, it was not to be. Sure, everyone showed up to “Avengers: Endgame” to bid goodbye to Iron Man, but many of those other sequels sputtered out. They were derivative, shoddily constructed, and poorly...

As Hollywood wraps up the all-important summer box office season this Labor Day weekend, a sobering reality has gripped the industry. The number of tickets sold in the United States and Canada this summer is projected to fall to the lowest level in a quarter-century. The results have put the squeeze on the nation’s top theater chains, whose stocks have taken a drubbing. AMC Theatres Chief Executive Adam Aron earlier this month called his company’s most recent quarter “simply a bust.” Such blunt language reflects some worrisome trends. Domestic box office revenue is expected to total $3.78 billion for the...

Five commando units trained for strikes, sabotage North Korea dispatched covert commando teams to the United States in the 1990s to attack nuclear power plants and major cities in a conflict, according to a declassified Defense Intelligence Agency report. The DIA report, dated Sept. 13, 2004, reveals that five units of covert commandos were trained for the attacks inside the country. According to the report, the “Reconnaissance Bureau, North Korea, had agents in place to attack American nuclear power plants.” The document states that the North Korean Ministry of People’s Armed Forces, the ministry in charge of the military, “established...

Tickets get costlier as movie chains seek to cash in on consumers' willingness to pay more for 3-D Major U.S. movie-theater chains, seeking to accelerate the surge in revenues fueled by such 3-D hits as "Avatar" and "Alice in Wonderland," are imposing some of the steepest increases in ticket prices in at least a decade. The new prices take effect Friday in many markets across the country in theaters owned by such major exhibitors as Regal Entertainment Group, Cinemark Holdings Inc. and AMC Entertainment Inc. The increases, in one case as much as 26%, vary from theater to theater, but...