Showing posts with label The Batman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Batman. Show all posts

In Soviet-era flashback, Russia theatres turn to pirate screenings

8:32 AM

Posted by Fenil Seta

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The Oktyabr movie theater in Moscow. Ticket sales to see films in Russia were reported to have fallen by about half in March, compared with the same period last year.

THE TIMES OF INDIA (May 3, 2022)

Since the invasion of Ukraine, Hollywood’s biggest studios have stopped releasing movies in Russia, and Netflix has ceased service there. But recently, some of the companies’ films have started appearing in Russian movie theatres — illegally. The screenings are reminiscent of the Soviet era, when the only way to see most Western films was to get access to a pirated version. Whereas those movies made their way to Russians in the form of smuggled VHS tapes, today, cinemas in the country have a simpler, faster method: the internet. Numerous websites offer bootleg copies of movies that take minutes to download.

Some theatres in Russia are now openly screening pirated movies; others are being more careful, allowing private individuals to rent out spaces to show films, free or for a fee. One group, for example, rented out several screening rooms at a theatre in Yekaterinburg, then used social media to invite people to buy tickets to watch “The Batman.”

In Makhachkala, capital of the Dagestan region, a movie theatre is screening “Don't Look Up”; and in Chita, a city near the border with Mongolia, people can watch “Turning Red,” the animated film from Disney and Pixar.

These surreptitious screenings are the latest attempt by theatres in Russia to survive after US studios like Disney, Warner Bros and Paramount left the country in protest. Before the war in Ukraine, movies produced in the US made up about 70% of the Russian film market, according to state media.

But despite the attempts to draw viewers, Russians are barely going to the movies. Theatres saw ticket sales fall by about half in March, compared with the same period last year, according to the country’s Association of Theatre Owners.

Artem Komolyatov, 31, a video game producer in Moscow, noticed the shift when he and his wife went on a Friday date to the movies a few weeks ago. They chose “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” a film from American studio A24, which stopped releasing films in Russia in mid-April. “But, there were only three other people there besides us,” he said. “We went at 8pm (local time) on a weekend. Usually the theatre is full.”

Given the dearth of viewers and of content, the Association of Theatre Owners predicted that at least half the theaters in Russia would go out of business in the next two months.

Even if that prognosis is true, history has shown that films will reach audiences with or without legal channels. Decades ago, Soviet citizens gathered in empty office spaces, living rooms and cultural centers to view pirated copies of Western classics like “Rocky,” “The Terminator,” and “9 ½ Weeks” that had made their way behind the Iron Curtain.

(Crisp) Movie Review: THE BATMAN by FENIL SETA

11:36 AM

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The Batman impresses as it retains the elements associated with the superhero franchise and also stands out from Christopher Nolan’s series. Matt Reeves directs the film in his own style and a few moments are exceptional in the film. The long length is an issue at some places in the movie. Also, the climax could have been better and a little more nail biting. In fact, the underwhelming finale diminishes the impact to an extent. Speaking of performances, Robert Pattinson is excellent and makes great use of this golden opportunity. He’s sure to be whole-heartedly accepted as Batman from now on. Zoë Kravitz puts up a confident act. Andy Serkis and Jeffrey Wright are lovely. Colin Farrell is completely unrecognizable and does a fine job. Paul Dano (Edward Nashton) is terrific, to say the least. John Turturro (Carmine Falcone), Peter Sarsgaard (Gil Colson, DA) and Jayme Lawson (Bella Reál) also do well. All in all, The Batman is dark, entertaining fare. Watching it on the IMAX screen would be ideal.

My rating - *** ½ out of 5!

Fenil's Bollywood Talk # 715

11:07 AM

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JHUND VS THE BATMAN THIS FRIDAY

The box office got a huge boost last week with the release of Alia Bhatt-starrer Gangubai Kathiawadi. The hope was that it would collect Rs. 7-8 crore on day 1 at best but it managed to collect Rs. 9.75 crore and then jumped to Rs. 12.50 crore on Saturday and Rs. 15.25 crore on Sunday. It remained rock-steady on Monday as evening shows did very well due to the holiday on Tuesday. Tuesday, the day of Mahashivratri, obviously had encouraging collections. The first week collections are expected to be in the Rs. 63-66 crore range, which is incredible. If it holds well in the second week, it can even cross the Rs. 100 crore club.

Meanwhile, two significant films would be up for release this Friday. Jhund, starring Amitabh Bachchan, is directed by Nagraj Popatrao Manjule, of Sairat fame. The film is the story of an adamant teacher who teaches football to slum kids to keep them away from crime and drugs. The trailer has been appreciated and the film looks like a realistic saga. However, it also seems highly entertaining and that can be a plus point. The reviews are out and it has given some sort of a boost to the buzz. Nevertheless, the opening will be around Rs. 2 crore at best. It can grow dramatically on Saturday and Sunday if the public also enjoys the film as much as the critics. There are also talks that it’ll get a tax free status. This will benefit the film even more.

The other release is the Hollywood superhero actioner, The Batman. It is a reboot of this superhero franchise and stars Robert Pattinson in the role of the lead protagonist. In India, the film has generated some buzz even though the promotions are limited. The film was released today in IMAX and tomorrow, it’ll have a release in the non-IMAX format. The footfalls today are going to be huge as almost everywhere, all shows of The Batman are sold out. Tomorrow, once it has a full-fledged release, it might open at around Rs. 3-4 crore and has an outside chance of collecting Rs. 6 crore. The film has an issue of long length – it’s 176 minutes long. The reviews have to be positive for it to sustain. Coincidentally, Jhund is also nearly 3 hours long.

The other release of the week is Toolsidas Junior. It is a delayed film, produced by Ashutosh Gowariker and T-Series. It is also the last film of Rajiv Kapoor, who passed away in February 2021. Sanjay Dutt also stars in this film that is based on the game of pool. The trailer did catch some attention. However, the makers have not done any sort of promotion at all. Most of the moviegoers are not aware of it. Hence, it is expected to hardly get any screens. It’s collections would be disastrous, even if the film has good word of mouth.

Hollywood stops film releases in Russia after its invasion of Ukraine; music concerts cancelled

8:42 AM

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Hollywood bats for Ukraine

BOMBAY TIMES (March 2, 2022)

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, many production houses have halted their planned releases in the country. Hollywood studios Disney, Warner Bros, and Sony Pictures Entertainment said they would pause theatrical releases of upcoming films in Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine and the unfolding humanitarian crisis.

“Given the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and the tragic humanitarian crisis, we are pausing the release of theatrical films in Russia, including the upcoming Turning Red from Pixar,” a Disney spokesperson said in a statement, adding, “We will make future business decisions based on the evolving situation. In the meantime, given the scale of the emerging refugee crisis, we are working with our NGO partners to provide urgent aid to refugees.”

Within hours, Warner said it would pause this week’s release of The Batman in Russia. “In light of the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, Warner Media is pausing the release of its feature film The Batman in Russia. We will continue to monitor the situation as it evolves. We hope for a swift and peaceful resolution to this tragedy,” a spokesperson for the studio said in a statement.

After this, Sony followed suit. “Given the ongoing military action in Ukraine and the resulting uncertainty and humanitarian crisis unfolding in that region, we will be pausing our planned theatrical releases in Russia, including the upcoming release of Morbius,” the studio said in a statement referencing the SpiderMan spinoff slated for early April.

Over the weekend, the Ukrainian Film Academy created an online petition that called for an international boycott of Russian cinema and the Russian film industry following the invasion.

Russia is a significant market for Hollywood, accounting for $601 million in box office in 2021, or about 2.8% of worldwide ticket sales, which totaled $21. 4 billion last year, according to reports.

MUSICIANS CANCEL CONCERTS IN RUSSIA
Several concerts planned in Russia and Ukraine have also been cancelled due to security reasons. Louis Tomlinson announced on February 28 that he is cancelling his upcoming tour shows in Moscow and Kyiv. He said, “Due to the recent events in Ukraine, I have to announce that my tour shows in Moscow and Kyiv are cancelled until further notice,” he wrote on Twitter.

American rock band Green Day also decided to cancel its concert in Moscow and said, “With heavy hearts, in light of current events we feel it is necessary to cancel our upcoming show in Moscow.”

Other musicians and groups that have cancelled their concerts in Russia include Yungblud, AJR – all showed support for Ukraine while announcing the cancellations.

As per reports, performances by several Russian ballet companies and musicians have been cancelled across US and UK,as part of the global boycott of Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.
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MID-DAY (March 2, 2022)

As per the Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros has pulled The Batman from its Russian release calendar in the aftermath of Russia’s continuous invasion of Ukraine. A spokesperson confirmed the news in a statement.

The Robert Pattinson-starrer was to release on March 3 in Russia in accordance with the film’s global roll-out. The decision has been taken despite Russia being a lucrative market for Hollywood, with Sony’s Spider-Man: No Way Home earning more than $44.5 million to date since opening in December.

Since the attack in the last week of February, Hollywood releases like Joe Wright’s Cyrano and Paramount’s The Godfather 50th Anniversary released in Russia. The decision to continue to send films to Russia sparked conversation over the weekend. 

Disney became the first big Hollywood studio to hit the pause button on releasing its movies in Russia as it cancelled the March 10 release of the comedy, Turning Red. The statement regarding The Batman quickly followed. 

Sony followed by announcing that it won’t release Morbius in Russia next month. The Jared Leto-starrer was due on March 24 in the country. The Motion Picture Association has also reportedly backed “the international community in upholding the rule of law and condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” as per a statement.

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