Movie Theaters Tout COVID-19 Safety Protocols

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentThe 77th Venice Film Festival opened in earnest Wednesday evening with a moving ceremony that served as a passionate rallying cry in defense of the collective moviegoing experience in the face of a perceived threat posed by streaming giants.The opening film was Italian director Daniele Luchetti’s marriage drama “The Ties,” which was generally well received.

Movie theaters in Maryland have been cleared to reopen on Sept. 4 as Warner Bros.

Dave McNary Film ReporterSan Diego is the first major California market in California to see indoor movie theaters reopening with the AMC Cinemas and Regal Cinemas chains back in business this weekend.AMC is reopening seven of its nine sites in San Diego County on Friday, a spokesman said.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterMaryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced on Tuesday that movie theaters will be allowed to reopen in the state on Friday, in time for the release of “Tenet.”Maryland follows New Jersey, which announced on Monday that its theaters could also reopen on Friday.Theaters and other indoor entertainment venues in Maryland will be limited to 50% capacity, or 100 people, whichever is less.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaAMC Theatres will pay tribute to Chadwick Boseman, the “Black Panther” star who died last week of colon cancer at the age of 43, by screening “42.”The baseball drama featured Boseman as Jackie Robinson, the Brooklyn Dodgers first baseman who broke the color line when he became first African American to play in Major League Baseball in 1947. Warner Bros.

Eli Countryman COVID-19 and its long-term affects on film marketing took center stage at the Keynote Marketing Roundtable event on Wednesday, as part of Variety‘s Entertainment Marketing Summit.Brent Lang, Variety‘s executive editor of film and media, moderated the panel conversation, which featured various professionals from the marketing side of the film industry.

Dave McNary Film ReporterNew Jersey will allow its indoor movie theaters to open on Sept.

Jill Goldsmith Co-Business EditorNew Jersey movie theaters can open this Friday, September 4, Governor Phil Murphy said Monday, the latest upbeat news for the battered exhibition business after California set parameters for reopening on Friday that would allow locations in San Francisco and other counties to open.Gov.

Jill Goldsmith Co-Business EditorThe Dow reversed its losses for the year and the Nasdaq and S&P 500 hit records at close as investors saw a possible tempering of COVID-19 spread and liked a policy speech by the Federal Reserve chief the day before.Shrugging off continued high unemployment and the ongoing pandemic, the DJIA ended the week up 161.6 points, or 0.57% — less than 1,000 points away from a record high in February.Among showbiz stocks, Roku led, hitting a new all-time high and closing

Tom Tapp Deputy Managing EditorOn Friday, California Governor Gavin Newsom modified the reopening guidelines for counties in the State of California.

similar state guidelines issued in June.Also Read: Nearly Half of US Movie Theaters Will Be Open This Weekend Even Without New York, CaliforniaAccording to the state’s county status tracker, the counties that can reopen indoor theaters with these modifications include Alpine (minimal), Calaveras (substantial), Del Norte (moderate), El Dorado (substantial), Humboldt (moderate), Lake (substantial), Lassen (substantial), Mariposa (moderate), Modoc (minimal), Mono (moderate), Napa (substantial),

Dave McNary Film ReporterGov. Gavin Newsom has announced strict guidelines for indoor movie theaters in California to reopen in the coming months.The guidelines, announced Friday, were contained in a new color-coded reopening system for counties based on coronavirus prevalence and testing rates.

Tom Tapp Deputy Managing EditorLast week, California Governor Gavin Newsom said he would release modify reopening guidelines for counties in the state of California.On Friday, he made good on that promise, revealing a new framework with four tiers with colors attached to them to indicate severity.The governor described the new framework as “simple, stringent and slow.”Case rates and test positivity rates will be the metrics that will determine movement within the tiers which, in terms of

tested positive for the coronavirus in Australia while filming their Elvis Presley biopic. The couple isolated themselves and are keeping their spirits up, sharing their experience on Instagram.Former Bond Girl Olga Kurylenko posted on Instagram Sunday that she was self-quarantining after testing positive for the coronavirus.

Nancy Tartaglione International Box Office Editor/Senior ContributorIn an effort to rein in resurgent coronavirus cases in Seoul, Korean authorities last week tightened restrictions on public gatherings. This dealt a blow to the local box office which has seen strong performances over the past several weeks with titles like Peninsula and Deliver Us From Evil.

AMC Theatres has re-opened select locations around the United States and we have photos from inside some of the socially distanced movie theaters.

Jenelle Riley Deputy Awards, Features EditorCaren Pistorius can only describe her experience on “Unhinged” as wonderful but “surreal.” The actor was working at a fabric store in Sydney when she got the call to audition for the road rage thriller starring Russell Crowe.Within hours, she found herself in New Orleans for a screen test. She ended up staying in the city as she quickly landed the role, and the film began shooting a week later.

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Also Read: AMC Theatres Lays Out 'Safe & Clean' Plan for Reopening Cinemas (Video)“By closing only indoor movie theaters, Defendants are leaving open ‘ample alternative methods of communication’ in the form of outdoor movie theaters and at-home streaming options,” Martinetti said in the 33-page ruling.The ruling also includes the many protocols laid out by the theaters in order to attempt to provide a safe environment should they be allowed to reopen their doors, including new employee safety

Jill Goldsmith Co-Business EditorA federal judge Tuesday upheld New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy’s closure of movie theaters in the state, dismissing a motion for an injunction by the National Association of Theatre Owners and five cinema chains that would have allowed them to open their doors.Judge Brian Martinotti ruled that the state is not infringing on the theaters First Amendment rights in enforcing its pandemic-related closure.