More cinemas in the US will be showing The Fablemans, Tár and Women Talking, a move to capitalise on the films' Oscar nominations at a time when dramas are struggling to draw people to cinemas.
After visits to the cinema plunged during the pandemic, audiences have returned in droves to action-packed blockbusters such as Top Gun: Maverick and Avatar: The Way of Water. The Avatar sequel has raked in more than $2 billion globally, ranking as the sixth-highest grossing film of all time.
Many of the Hollywood dramas targeted at adult viewers have not fared nearly as well.
Some older cinemagoers simply have not returned to the local cinema, industry executives told Reuters. Others have decided to wait to stream films that do not have a visual spectacle that pops off a big screen. Studios are now making movies available to watch at home as soon as 17 days after their theatrical debut.
But filmmakers hope the publicity leading up to the Academy Awards in March will lure some in the country back to their local cinemas. Box office receipts can rise as much as 75 per cent in the weeks following a Best Picture nomination, according to Comscore data.
Best Picture nominee Women Talking, about a religious colony grappling with a series of rapes, will expand from 153 cinemas in the US to more than 700 this weekend, according to a person familiar with the film's release. Its ticket sales so far total less than $1.3 million worldwide.
The distributor, United Artists Releasing, planned the release strategy to coincide with this week's Oscar nominations, with the hope the film would benefit from a box-office bounce. The move was a gamble, the person said, since nominations are never guaranteed.
Tár, a Best Picture contender starring Cate Blanchett as a manipulative orchestra conductor, will expand to 535 cinemas from 100. The film has collected about $7.2 million at global cinemas to date.
'Not looking great'
Even legendary director Steven Spielberg has had trouble drawing crowds to Best Picture nominee The Fabelmans, his autobiographical story about family strife and anti-Semitism he faced as a teenager.
Since its release in November, the film has brought in $21.8 million worldwide. The Fabelmans will play in 1,800 cinemas across the US this weekend, nearly double the number from a week ago, according to a source familiar with the plans.
Spielberg told Reuters earlier this month that he was concerned about the dwindling turnout for adult dramas.
"But there's been some bright spots this year, some very, very bright spots where films for older people are actually getting older people out to see those films in motion picture theaters," he said. "So I'm kind of optimistic about it."
One drama that has bucked the trend is Sony Corp's A Man Called Otto starring Tom Hanks as a grumpy older man grieving the loss of his wife. The film has pulled in more than $57 million at the global box office since its late December release.
Another nominee, Elvis became a hit last summer by aiming to entertain viewers of all ages, incorporating music from contemporary artists such as Doja Cat and Diplo, alongside the King of Rock 'n' Roll's classic recordings.
"We held very passionately the idea that we had to get volumes of young and old back into the theaters," director Baz Luhrmann said in an interview.
Elvis has collected $287.3 million at the global box office. Warner Bros is re-releasing the film in US cinemas this weekend after it landed eight Oscar nominations including Best Picture and Best Actor.
Comcast Corp's Universal Pictures made Tár and The Fabelmans available to rent at home via premium video-on-demand even as they continued to play in cinemas. The company has not disclosed revenue from those sales, though its executives have credited this strategy with lifting some films into profitability.
Sarah Polley, director of Women Talking, said that as a moviegoer she enjoys seeing "smaller, more intimate human dramas" in theaters.
"I really love the feeling of sensing an audience, and sensing someone's breath or emotion, or the beginning of a laugh, or crying," she said in an interview this month.
"Not being able to be attuned to the others in a room is something that would make me sad if that started to disappear," she said. "It's not looking great at the moment."
Scroll the gallery below to see more of the 2023 Academy Award nominees
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MATCH INFO
Fixture: Ukraine v Portugal, Monday, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports
Day 4, Dubai Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Lahiru Gamage appeared to have been hard done by when he had his dismissal of Sami Aslam chalked off for a no-ball. Replays suggested he had not overstepped. No matter. Two balls later, the exact same combination – Gamage the bowler and Kusal Mendis at second slip – combined again to send Aslam back.
Stat of the day Haris Sohail took three wickets for one run in the only over he bowled, to end the Sri Lanka second innings in a hurry. That was as many as he had managed in total in his 10-year, 58-match first-class career to date. It was also the first time a bowler had taken three wickets having bowled just one over in an innings in Tests.
The verdict Just 119 more and with five wickets remaining seems like a perfectly attainable target for Pakistan. Factor in the fact the pitch is worn, is turning prodigiously, and that Sri Lanka’s seam bowlers have also been finding the strip to their liking, it is apparent the task is still a tough one. Still, though, thanks to Asad Shafiq and Sarfraz Ahmed, it is possible.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Chris%20Jordan%20on%20Sanchit
%3Cp%3EChris%20Jordan%20insists%20Sanchit%20Sharma%20will%20make%20an%20impact%20on%20the%20ILT20%2C%20despite%20him%20starting%20the%20campaign%20on%20Gulf%20Giants'%20bench.%3Cbr%3EThe%20young%20UAE%20seamer%20was%20an%20instant%20success%20for%20the%20side%20last%20season%2C%20and%20remained%20part%20of%20the%20XI%20as%20they%20claimed%20the%20title.%3Cbr%3EHe%20has%20yet%20to%20feature%20this%20term%20as%20the%20Giants%20have%20preferred%20Aayan%20Khan%20and%20Usman%20Khan%20as%20their%20two%20UAE%20players%20so%20far.%3Cbr%3EHowever%2C%20England%20quick%20Jordan%20is%20sure%20his%20young%20colleague%20will%20have%20a%20role%20to%20play%20at%20some%20point.%3Cbr%3E%22Me%20and%20Sanchit%20have%20a%20great%20relationship%20from%20last%20season%2C%22%20Jordan%20said.%3Cbr%3E%22Whenever%20I%20am%20working%20with%20more%20inexperienced%20guys%2C%20I%20take%20pleasure%20in%20sharing%20as%20much%20as%20possible.%3Cbr%3E%22I%20know%20what%20it%20was%20like%20when%20I%20was%20younger%20and%20learning%20off%20senior%20players.%3Cbr%3E%22Last%20season%20Sanchit%20kick-started%20our%20season%20in%20Abu%20Dhabi%20with%20a%20brilliant%20man-of-the-match%20performance.%3Cbr%3E%22Coming%20into%20this%20one%2C%20I%20have%20seen%20a%20lot%20of%20improvement.%20The%20focus%20he%20is%20showing%20will%20only%20stand%20him%20in%20good%20stead.%22%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
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Political flags or banners
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Bikes, skateboards or scooters
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Key features of new policy
Pupils to learn coding and other vocational skills from Grade 6
Exams to test critical thinking and application of knowledge
A new National Assessment Centre, PARAKH (Performance, Assessment, Review and Analysis for Holistic Development) will form the standard for schools
Schools to implement online system to encouraging transparency and accountability
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
More from UAE Human Development Report:
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
The biog
Name: Ayisha Abdulrahman Gareb
Age: 57
From: Kalba
Occupation: Mukrema, though she washes bodies without charge
Favourite things to do: Visiting patients at the hospital and give them the support they need.
Role model: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women's Union, Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation and President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood.
England's all-time record goalscorers:
Wayne Rooney 53
Bobby Charlton 49
Gary Lineker 48
Jimmy Greaves 44
Michael Owen 40
Tom Finney 30
Nat Lofthouse 30
Alan Shearer 30
Viv Woodward 29
Frank Lampard 29
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VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The biog
Name: James Mullan
Nationality: Irish
Family: Wife, Pom; and daughters Kate, 18, and Ciara, 13, who attend Jumeirah English Speaking School (JESS)
Favourite book or author: “That’s a really difficult question. I’m a big fan of Donna Tartt, The Secret History. I’d recommend that, go and have a read of that.”
Dream: “It would be to continue to have fun and to work with really interesting people, which I have been very fortunate to do for a lot of my life. I just enjoy working with very smart, fun people.”
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