Day & date openings were suicide missions last year, but happily, Hollywood’s changed its tune, finally realizing they reduce revenues.
Instead, streamers are giving subscribers original movies that could just as easily play in theatres. Actually, Paramount/Jerry Bruckheimer Films’ sci-fi action-adventure SECRET HEADQUARTERS, starring Owen Wilson, was opening theatrically on 8/5 but is now heading to Paramount+. It’s about a young boy finding a secret area under his home that just might be a superhero hideaway.
Exhibitors aren’t happy SECRET’S out, but the good news is they still have an event action thriller coming 8/5 in Sony’s BULLET TRAIN. Directed by David Leitch (DEADPOOL 2), it stars Brad Pitt & Sandra Bullock.
A mini-media uproar followed news that Disney/Image Movers’ live-action PINOCCHIO, directed by Robert Zemeckis (BACK TO THE FUTURE) & starring Tom Hanks, will start streaming on 9/8 on Disney+. Unlike SECRET moving to Paramount+, PINOCCHIO (pictured) was intended as a Disney+ original.
Some media analysts moaned about PINOCCHIO not playing theatrically, recalling Zemeckis & Hanks’ 2004 stop motion animation family adventure THE POLAR EXPRESS as a big hit. What POLAR, which reportedly cost $165M, hit was the boxoffice deep freeze with $315.2M/WW. Critics hated it with 56% on Rotten Tomatoes & its audience score was 63%. After a half-dozen or so PINOCCHIO movies, Disney+ could be the perfect place for POLAR.