Canadian cinemas preparing for fallout of Hollywood strikes
Global News
The dual Hollywood strikes stand to slow down the flow of content as studios and distributors run out of movies completed before the strike to release.
Canadian movie theatre owners say they’re nervously watching for developments in dual Hollywood strikes and plan to show more classics, cult favourites and live events if the labour disruptions stretch on.
The owners are expecting striking stars represented by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, and talent backed by the Writers Guild of America, to be on the picket lines for months as they seek better wages and protections from artificial intelligence.
The strikes, which immediately stopped the production and promotion of films and television shows, stand to slow down the flow of content as studios and distributors run out of movies completed before the strike to release.
“I am absolutely petrified about it,” said Jeff Knoll, chief executive of Film.ca Cinemas, an Oakville, Ont. theatre.
“We barely survived the pandemic…and we are quite nervous about what the future is going to hold with all that’s going on in Hollywood right now.”
This week alone, Knoll’s theatre has scheduled screenings of “Mission: Impossible _ Dead Reckoning Part One” and “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” along with the hotly-anticipated “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer.”
Knoll, however, fears that flow of Hollywood fare moviegoers have waited months, if not years, to see could ease up soon.
“There’s no question that if the strike drags out, (studios) are going to have to either start spreading out their content or simply postponing it until a point in the future when they anticipate the strike will be over,” he said.