Thursday, April 30, 2020

AMC Goes to War With Universal

Blame the Trolls. On Tuesday, AMC Theatres—the largest movie-theater company in the world—declared that it will not screen Universal films in its venues once they reopen following the pandemic. Why? Blame Trolls World Tour,which the studio released as a 48-hour rental after theaters shuttered in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic—only to see the movie exceed expectations, leading the studio to plan for more day-and-date releases when theaters open to patrons once more. “This radical change by Universal to the business model that currently exists between our two companies represents nothing but downside for us and is categorically unacceptable to AMC Entertainment,” AMC Theatres CEO and president Adam Aron wrote in a fiery letter. Universal, meanwhile, tried to downplay its decision in a follow-up statement—but industry insiders expect this move to be only the opening salvo in a longer and more contentious conflict.
Elsewhere in HWD, Anthony Breznican catches us up on how the film Academy plans to rejigger the Oscars—or not—in the wake of the coronavirus; Christopher Rosencatches up with Michael Schur, who hopes his Parks and Rec reunion episode isn’t the future of television; Yohana Desta remembers Bollywood and crossover star Irrfan Khan, who has died of cancer; and Jenji Kohan prepares the first coronavirus-pandemic-themed, remotely produced TV series, titled, fittingly, Social Distance.