2020 Preview: June

June 1, 2020

Soul

It’s June and Soul was one of several potential monster hits that were supposed to come out this month, but that’s not happening, of course. Furthermore, I’m not convinced there will be any major releases in July either, despite what some studios are planning. There are some positive signs in some parts of the world. For example, South Korea is expecting to have a number of major local releases in the coming month. Closer to home, the NHL is planning on reopening in July, albeit playing in hub cities in empty arenas, but at least that’s something to look forward to. Granted, you can play a sport like hockey in an empty arena, but you can’t show a movie in an empty theater. Or, to be more accurate, it is not profitable to show a movie in an empty theater. (I think we’ve all had that experience of going to the movies and being one of only five or six people in the theater.) So, what are the prospects?

On the one hand, I am cautiously optimistic that at least parts of the domestic market will have recovered enough from the pandemic that more theaters will be allowed to open next month, even if they are at reduced capacity. On the other hand, I fear theaters will be opened in areas where it isn’t safe and that could trigger a second wave. Here’s hoping sane minds prevail and we use evidence-based thinking to avoid a significant second wave.

We are currently seeing a few more theaters opens each weekend as restrictions are lifted and independent theater owners and some small chains figure out how to do so safely. All eyes, however, are on the beginning of July, when Cineworld, the operator of Regal cinemas in the US, plans to open up. That promise has been enough to keep Unhinged on the release schedule as the first wide release since the shutdown. But that’s not until July 1, so there will hopefully be more to say about that in next month’s preview.

For this month, there are some interesting limited releases still planned, including the thriller Shirley, from Neon, and comedy drama Babyteeth from IFC Films. Both films are worth checking out, and Shirley is having a virtual theatrical release as well as a physical theatrical release.

Filed under: Monthly Preview, Shirley, Babyteeth