By Nick Smith
2021 will be a bumper year for movies, with many held back from 2020. We’ll see a lot of action films, including Daniel Craig’s swansong as James Bond in “No Time to Die” and a new “Mortal Combat.” Several comic book movies are lined up; Black Widow, Venom, Spider-Man, Shang-Chi Master of King Fu and Morbius the Living Vampire are all set for screen time. The most-anticipated sci-fi releases are “Dune” and “A Quiet Place II” while horror is represented by new Candyman and Conjuring movies being promoted as the cream of the scary crop.
If large theaters keep restricting their capacities – and continue to postpone release dates – there will be other ways to watch a lot of these offerings. On December 3rd, Warner Bros. announced that all its 2021 release would be available to watch on HBOMax at the same time they were released in theaters. Their first major release in this fashion was “Wonder Woman 1984,” which disappointed viewers with its cheesy period setting and lack of action. Perhaps viewers were quicker to complain about a film that they could analyze from their armchairs. The HBO premieres are great for those who can afford to subscribe and pay for internet to watch them. Compared to the price of a trip to the AMC, it’s a bargain.
Whether other studios will follow this gamble remains to be seen. In the meantime, smaller movie theaters have reaped the benefit. Usually independent venues show second run movies – they have to wait until the main chains are done with hits, which can take weeks or even months. With Regal still closed in our area, mom and pops like Fort Walton Beach’s Suds ‘n’ Cinema benefit, are able to show Wonder Woman and “Monster Hunter” right after their release.
Film production has continued, albeit at a slower pace. Local filmmakers had to find other work or, at best, step outside their usual roles on set. For example, I’ve seen a production manager and a stuntman take on the role of set medic, helping to ensure COVID safety as filming continues.
According to location renter Scott Gooch in Savannah, GA, ‘things are heating up’ for filmmakers. Work is increasing ready for the Summer, traditionally the busiest time for production because of the long days, which make more time for exterior scenes.
Closer to home, some of my colleagues are anticipating that the floodgates will open for film workers. Scripts have been written and locations scouted. But with safety – and liability – their top priorities, producers are still waiting for COVID case levels to decrease before projects get the green light.
As always, the film work is a microcosm for other industries so hopefully this preparation for a movie boom bodes well for all employment, with vaccines helping to make employers feel more confident about the future.
The stall in work and consequent glut in releases has changed audience habits, getting them out of the routine of going out to see a movie. I foresee more films geared toward home viewing, focusing on character development rather than big-bang spectacle. With the pause button in mind, movies can take their time (like Martin Scorsese’s three and a half-hour drama “The Irishman”) or be split into multiple parts like the five and a half-hour “Carlos,” issued as a mini-series and a theatrical film.
With so many new offerings on the way, filmmakers ready to get to work and studios hungry to recoup their cash, this is a chance for us, the audience, to decide what we want to see and how we want to see it.