VOA文化艺术2022--Is It Back to Normal for the Movies?

Is It Back to Normal for the Movies?

After almost three years, the movie industry might be returning to normal this autumn with several big releases.

And the movie awards shows will go back to their usual place on the calendar.

When the COVID-19 pandemic started in early 2020, movie theaters were one of the first places affected¹. They either closed or put attendance restrictions² in place. As a result, a number of blockbuster films were postponed³. Two of those movies were: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Avatar: The Way of Water.

Organizers of film festivals and award shows like the Academy Awards also hope things can return to normal.

This weekend, American moviegoers are being invited back to theaters with a special event on September 3. It is called National Cinema Day. People can get movie tickets for $3.

Companies that own theaters hope the promotion⁴ can get people to see the movies in theaters again. They want them to come back because lots of movies are planned for the rest of 2022.

This month, Glass Onion: A Knives out Mystery is opening at the Toronto Film Festival. The first Knives Out movie used the same theater for its first showing during the festival in 2019.

Video streaming company Netflix purchased the rights to Glass Onion, and to a future project in the series.

Rian Johnson is the director. He said the opening of the first movie "seems like yesterday." But in the years since, the COVID-19 pandemic nearly killed the movie theater business.

The success this summer of the follow-up to the 1980s hit Top Gun suggests that people might be ready to return. Top Gun: Maverick⁵ sold $1.36 billion in tickets worldwide and is still making money.

The autumn movie season is traditionally when some of the movie studios release films they hope will win awards.

Johnson said people who work in the movie industry are "trying to will into existence at least some version of what we knew before."

But, Johnson's movie is an example of how things have changed. The streaming services such as Netflix are bigger than before. In the past, the follow-up to a big movie would receive lots of financial support and an extended showing in theaters. But since Glass Onion is owned by Netflix, it will get a smaller release in theaters and then start streaming on December 23.

John Fithian is president of the National Association of Theater Owners, an industry group. He hopes Hollywood studios do not hold back. He said theaters need more movies, and fast.

"Moviegoers are back in pre-pandemic numbers, it's just we still need more movies," he said.

The release of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is planned for November 11, and Avatar: The Way of Water will come out December 16.

During other weeks, there will also be many other releases.

Blonde, a film about movie star Marilyn Monroe, is planned for release later this month. Ticket to Paradise comes out October 21 and features major stars George Clooney and Julia Roberts. And, blockbuster director Steven Spielberg is behind the film The Fablemans, which comes out in November.

Other moviegoers may be interested in Woman King, a story about a West African army of female warriors⁶. It stars Viola Davis.

The director of Woman King is Gina Prince-Bythewood. She said, "I don't think we have ever seen a movie like this before." Prince-Bythewood mentioned famous movies about male fighters like Braveheart or Last of the Mohicans but said the history of women fighters "has been hidden, or ignored or erased⁸."

Another movie that is different from past big films is Bros, starring comedian⁹ Billy Eichner. It is a romantic comedy where all the characters are LGBTQ. It is produced by Judd Apatow, who is known for his romantic comedies, such as Trainwreck and The 40-year-old Virgin¹⁰.

Eichner said he thinks his movie "will make people laugh but it's unlike anything the vast majority of people have seen."

Another movie planned for release in November is called She Said. It is based on a book by two American reporters who uncovered the sex crimes of one of Hollywood's biggest producers, Harvey Weinstein. He is now serving time in prison.

But many movies up for release soon are a return to the blockbuster production Hollywood is famous for, like Avatar: The Way of Water. Producer Jon Landau says the film is the first of four Avatar movies that will come out in the next five years.

He said although 14 years has gone by since the first Avatar, one thing about going to the movies has not changed: the reason people go.

"They do it to escape, to escape the world in which we live," he said.

Words in This Story

calendar –n. a document or chart that shows the days, weeks and months of a year.

blockbuster –n. a big Hollywood movie

festival –n. an event where people get together to celebrate something

promotion –n. an event designed to bring attention to a product or group of products

streaming –adj. used to describe the method of sending out video or audio on the internet

feature –v. the lead or most important actors in a movie or play

erase⁷ –v. to wipe something away or hide it from being seen

LGBTQ –n. initials used to describe the minority group that includes lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer people

romantic comedy –n. a style of movie that includes a love story and humorous situations

vast –adj. a large amount of something

1 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

2 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

3 postponed   

vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发）

参考例句：

• The trial was postponed indefinitely. 审讯无限期延迟。
• The game has already been postponed three times. 这场比赛已经三度延期了。

4 promotion   

n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传

参考例句：

• The teacher conferred with the principal about Dick's promotion.教师与校长商谈了迪克的升级问题。
• The clerk was given a promotion and an increase in salary.那个职员升了级，加了薪。

5 maverick   

adj.特立独行的；不遵守传统的；n.持异议者，自行其是者

参考例句：

• He's a maverick.He has his own way of thinking about things.他是个特异独行的人。对事情有自己的看法。
• You're a maverick and you'll try anything.你是个爱自行其是的人，样样事情都要尝试一下。

6 warriors   

武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I like reading the stories ofancient warriors. 我喜欢读有关古代武士的故事。
• The warriors speared the man to death. 武士们把那个男子戳死了。

7 erase   

v.擦掉；消除某事物的痕迹

参考例句：

• He tried to erase the idea from his mind.他试图从头脑中抹掉这个想法。
• Please erase my name from the list.请把我的名字从名单上擦去。

8 erased   

v.擦掉( erase的过去式和过去分词 )；抹去；清除

参考例句：

• He erased the wrong answer and wrote in the right one. 他擦去了错误答案，写上了正确答案。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He removed the dogmatism from politics; he erased the party line. 他根除了政治中的教条主义，消除了政党界限。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 comedian   

n.喜剧演员；滑稽演员

参考例句：

• The comedian tickled the crowd with his jokes.喜剧演员的笑话把人们逗乐了。
• The comedian enjoyed great popularity during the 30's.那位喜剧演员在三十年代非常走红。

10 virgin   

n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的

参考例句：

• Have you ever been to a virgin forest?你去过原始森林吗？
• There are vast expanses of virgin land in the remote regions.在边远地区有大片大片未开垦的土地。