amc – Moe Lane

AMC begs for summer re-opening.

They are sounding… not exactly alarmist. AMC has plenty to be alarmed about. More like slightly panicky:

AMC, the largest U.S. chain, said it has enough cash to reopen its theaters this summer as planned. But if it’s not allowed to reopen, it will need more money, which it may not be able to borrow. Film delays are another concern. AMC noted that people may be afraid to go to theaters, but hopes the desire for social distancing is temporary and that people will want to go to the movies again.
“Due to these factors, substantial doubt exists about our ability to continue as a going concern for a reasonable period of time,” AMC wrote in a regulatory filing. The publicly traded company, controlled by Chinese conglomerate Dalian Wanda, has 1,000 theaters in the U.S. and Europe.

Regal joins AMC in Universal boycott.

Interesting. Cineworld is giving itself a little wiggle room, but not all that much:

Following yesterday’s flurry of dramatic exchanges involving AMC, the National Association of Theater Owners and Universal, Regal Entertainment owner Cineworld Group has now added its voice to the chorus of windows controversy surrounding Trolls World Tour. The world’s second biggest circuit says its policy with respect to the window “is clear, well known in the industry and is part of our commercial deal with our movie suppliers… We make it clear again that we will not be showing movies that fail to respect the windows.” Cineworld also calls Universal’s decision to opt for a PVOD release on the DreamWorks Animation sequel, “completely inappropriate,” adding that it “certainly has nothing to do with good faith business practice, partnership and transparency.”

The opening shots of the AMC-Universal War.

Via @Rebeller… hoo, boy. Short version: studios want to start releasing movies in both theater and home format on the same days. The theaters are disinclined to acquiesce to this request, to put it mildly. The dispute was all kinda-sorta stable, in that broken-stool-freakishly-balanced-on-two-legs sort of way, until the coronavirus breathed on it; and now the knives are out. Deadline: