This is the first I’ve seen of a major actor of a soon-to-be-released theatrical feature acknowledging the current challenges.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic is continuing to rage, this weekend saw neither the opening weekend of Universal and Illumination’s Minions: The Rise of Gru (now scheduled for July 2, 2021) nor Solstice Studios’ Unhinged (now slated for July 31, 2020). The plan, liable to change at any moment, is for Unhinged to open alongside a tenth-anniversary reissue of Inception with Sony’s The Broken Hearts Gallery aiming for August 7, Chris Nolan’s Tenet opening on August 12 and DisneyDIS’s Mulan opting for August 21. Orion’s Bill & Ted Face the Music was initially slated for August 21 but moved first to August 14 and then to August 28 concurrently with the Tenet date changes.
But Alex Winter chimed in on Twitter on Friday exclaiming (quote) “None of us are willing to release the movie in a way that requires people to put themselves at risk. More news as we have it.” I don’t want to put too much emphasis on a single tweet from a single actor in a single movie. Alex Winter has been busy over the last decade directing a slew of acclaimed documentaries concerning technology, privacy rights and/or music history and politics. He may not be as rich and famous as Keanu Reeves, but he’s also not looking at Bill & Ted 3’s theatrical fortunes as a do-or-die career prospect.
Moreover, and this is what I wanted to note, this is the first time we’ve seen those explicitly involved in any of this summer’s theatrical releases open up about perhaps either not opening right now or (speculation alert) skipping theaters altogether. Unless I missed it, I haven’t seen Emily Blunt or John Krasinski discussing opening A Quiet Place Part II over Labor Day, nor Gerard Butler discussing the commercial and moral challenges of opening Greenland in theaters July 14 or anyone involved with Tenet (Nolan, John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, etc.) discuss the other side of that whole “we want to be the first big movie out of the gate” plan.
If these films are going to open theatrically over the next two months, we’re going to see something resembling a conventional marketing campaign. That will include trailers and TV spots along with live media appearances and print/online interviews with the cast and crew. A variation of “If you don’t feel safe doing this interview in our studio, why do you think it’s safe for moviegoers to see your film in a theater?” will likely be asked during almost every single one. It’s not fair, both because the actors don’t always get to make the call and I’d imagine that not every studio sees 100% eye-to-eye with every invested filmmaker or performer, but it seems inevitable.
If Winter’s statement should be taken at face value, we can presume there are conversations about the best course of action for Dean Parisot’s sequel. Adult nostalgia and a PG-13 rating (profanity that would have slid by with a PG in the 1990’s arguably nets a PG-13 in 2020) aside, Bill & Ted Face the Music is arguably a kid-targeted fantasy. It’s almost as much of a kid flick as Trolls: World Tour (arriving on DVD this Tuesday after a PVOD release in April), Scoob! (which debuted on HBO Max on June 26 after a PVOD debut in May) and The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge On the Run (moved from August 7 to a to-be-determined PVOD release in 2021).
Putting aside the moral implications, presuming that things haven’t noticeably improved between now and July 28, there’s a commercial variable at play. Presuming the PG-13 sci-fi comedy was at least as kid-friendly as Jurassic World or Star Wars: The Force Awakens, it stood to reason that Bill & Ted Face the Music (which cost $25 million, or $14.7% of Tron: Legacy’s $170 million budget) would be an example of a successful IP relaunch, with multi-generational nostalgia combining into a movie that adult fans could safely watch in theaters with their kids. But if parents don’t feel safe taking their kids to see the movie, then none of conventional commercial hooks mean very much.
If I were Keanu Reeves, I’d be concerned, fairly or not, how a release during such a moment might impact his (earned) “good guy” image. I’d wager he probably shares Winter’s concern on mere principle. As we inch closer to what’s intended to be a theatrical re-opening for not just indie flicks and prior blockbusters, I imagine actors and filmmakers are going to be put on the spot about the morality of opening a new theatrical movie in the middle of a pandemic. Without offering more than educated speculation, I wouldn’t be shocked if Bill & Ted Face the Music becomes the next intended-for-theaters summer release to debut on a TV near you.
I’d argue that Bill & Ted Face the Music is indeed a must-hit title for Orion, so if they don’t think audiences will show up in theaters than I’d expect a delay or (already-inked deals or commitments related to overseas distribution notwithstanding) an at-home debut. Winter’s honest commentary related to his concerns is an example of what anyone related to the likes of Tenet, Mulan, Unhinged or Greenland will have to publicly wrestle if those films open as scheduled theatrically. If the films plan to open, then studios will be planning publicity, during which the whole “theatrical box office versus public safety” question will certainly come up. I’d start rehearsing your answers now.
I’ve studied the film industry, both academically and informally, and with an emphasis in box office analysis, for nearly 30 years. I have extensively written about all
I’ve studied the film industry, both academically and informally, and with an emphasis in box office analysis, for nearly 30 years. I have extensively written about all of said subjects for the last 11 years. My outlets for film criticism, box office commentary, and film-skewing scholarship have included The Huffington Post, Salon, and Film Threat. Follow me at @ScottMendelson and “like” The Ticket Booth on Facebook.