Overview of the US business for the week of July 11th

This week's news summary begins with The Hollywood Reporter's comprehensive look at the Box Office of Summer of 2020, what it was supposed to be, what it has actually been, and what it may still become.  This overview includes comments from numerous industry executives, representing the perspectives of both studios and exhibitors. We report on AMC's successful negotiations with investors to secure the funding it needs to sustain itself through the extended period when theatres re-open and movie goers return. A local news story from Milwaukee's Fox6 News team offers a guided tour by Marcus Theatre's Rob Novak of their newly re-opened Ridge Cinema in New Berlin, Wisconsin. We also highlight the announcement last week by AMC, Regal, Cinemark and NATO that they had filed suit against the State of New Jersey to allow movie theatres in the Garden State to re-open, now that similar venues such as churches and shopping malls have been allowed to re-open.  

The Road to Recovery report from Gower Street examines the status of theatre re-openings in the US, with additional insights from international markets.  This week, roughly 20% of US theatres were open and reporting box office grosses to Comscore, the same percentage as were reporting during the prior week.  While theatres in some locations re-opened during the week, others which had been open briefly were forced to shut down again.  This was due the rising number of COVID-19 cases in certain locations as well as the limited selection of new film releases available from distributors.  One encouraging sign is that many international markets appear to be leading the way out of the pit theatre shutdowns, with Europe reporting 32% of theatres open and operating and Asia (excluding China) reporting a whopping 75%.

In the Hollywood Report, Martin Grove runs down encouraging slate of studio releases on the calendar for early 2021.  After surviving the minefield of 2020, it's a relief to look at the sunnier days ahead. 

We conclude with our regular film data tables. The Weekly Film Calendar provides detail on film releases through mid-September. We run down the latest release changes announced last week by major studios and distributors. We list upcoming film premieres on VOD, Virtual Cinema and Streaming platforms, recent film ratings announcements from the MPAA and highlight important new trailers.

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