Amazon Take Ova Da Kine Theatas fo’ Da Local Bruddahs & Sistahs 📽️🍿

Amazon stay heading fo’ da movie theatas, tryna bring in da kama’aina an’ filmmakers. Da streaming giants wen release Ben Affleck’s “Air” on top 3,500 screens dis week an’ get plans fo’ open 10-12 movies every year in da theaters. 🎬🌟

Plenny action wen happen at da AMC Town Center in Las Vegas on one September day wen Ben Affleck wen sneak inside da dark theater. He like see how his new movie, “Air,” goin’ do wit’ da test audience. Maybe some of ’em wen show up fo’ cool down from da hot sun outside. 🌞😎

Ben Affleck wen stay blown away wen da crowd wen go all nuts fo’ da movie. “Air” talk story ’bout Nike’s efforts back in da 1980s fo’ hook up young Michael Jordan wit’ da struggling basketball brand. Da audience wen clap fo’ Chris Tucker wen he wen show up onscreen an’ dey wen cheer fo’ Viola Davis. 👏🏀

Da people wen cheer even befo’ dey wen talk. 😮🎉 Ben Affleck wen feel kinda bummed, an’ he wen go outside da theater an’ call Matt Damon, his longtime friend an’ new business partna.

“Eh, brah, dis sad,” Ben Affleck wen tell Matt Damon. “I neva had one movie play in da theater like dis in years. An’ now, dis goin’ on top one streamer.” 😔💔

Now, Amazon stay gettin’ ready fo’ put 10-12 movies in da theaters every year. Not all goin’ be on as plenny screens as “Air” o’ play as long, but get da kine potential fo’ make bank. Oddah movies goin’ still show up on Prime Video too. 🎞️🎦

Dis news stay winnahs fo’ da struggling movie theater business, wit’ ticket sales down 25% from befo’ da pandemic. 📉🎟️

Greg Marcus, da CEO of Marcus Corporation, one company all about movies an’ staycation kine stuff in Milwaukee, say, “Da main ting not jus’ ’bout ‘Air.’ Da mo’ important part stay dem committed fo’ make plenny movies fo’ da theaters, so some goin’ do good, some not so good. Success gotta be judged ova da whole bunch an’ all da money made all ova da place.” 💵📽️

Hollywood stay tryna figga out wat goin’ happen wit’ da movie theaters ’cause streaming stay getting popular an’ da pandemic wen change how da people tink ’bout going out. Get da kine superhero movies still making big, but da numbahs stay going down. Den get da movies wit’ wild action, like “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” an’ get movies wit’ famous charactahs, like “Creed III.” 🦸‍♂️🥊

But nobody know fo’ sure ’bout da kine movies Ben Affleck like make, especially wen he stay behind da camera: dramas fo’ grown-ups wit’ some comedy an’ one feel-good vibe, like his Oscar-winning “Argo.” Da Oscar contenders, like Steven Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans,” neva do too good at da box office. 🎥🏆

But if “Air” do good, might show da industry dat movies fo’ adults still can make bank in da theaters. Apple, who wen stay away from theaters befo’, now get plans fo’ release Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of da Flower Moon” an’ Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon” in theaters dis year. 🍏📽️

Dat could help oddah distributors fo’ put mo’ movies in da theaters, an’ filmmakers who like da streaming money but still like see their work on da big screen might look to Amazon. (“Air” wen make $3.2 million at da box office on Wednesday, an’ Amazon stay hoping fo’ bring in ’bout $16 million by da weekend.) 💰🎬

Befo’, Amazon wen stay friends wit’ da theater business wit’ movies like “Manchester by the Sea” an’ “The Big Sick,” but no mo’ interest in da fierce fight fo’ box office money, wea everybody know if one movie do good o’ not by Saturday morning. 🌅😬

Amazon wen buy MGM in 2021, an’ get choke people worried dat da historic label goin’ end up as one small part on da Prime website. MGM wen come back to life undah Michael DeLuca an’ Pamela Abdy an’ wen promise filmmakers like Ridley Scott, Paul Thomas Anderson, an’ Sarah Polley dey goin’ keep making movies fo’ da theaters. 🎞️🦁

But look like da MGM peeps wen influence Amazon’s big boss, an’ dey wen see how da movies dey wen buy during da pandemic, like “Coming 2 America” an’ “The Tomorrow War,” wen do as streaming-only movies. 🌐🎥

“Da way dose movies wen do on da service wen make us tink we like go even mo’ big wit’ da movies,” da boss lady wen say. “Den we wen buy MGM an’ close dat deal. Now we get mo’ movies.” 🌟📈

Da MGM peeps who stay behind wen show Amazon wat one winnah theatrical strategy look like. Da whole ting wen come togedda wit’ da release of “Creed III” in early March, wea da movie wen make ’bout $150 million in North America, doing even mo’ bettah den da oddah Creed movies. 🥊💥

In da meantime, da boss lady wen get even mo’ power. Da new head of film, Courtenay Valenti, goin’ be in charge of both Amazon an’ MGM aftah one long time at Warner Bros., an’ goin’ report to da boss lady instead of Mike Hopkins, da senior vice president of Prime Video, Amazon Studios, an’ MGM. Da boss lady wen say she no goin’ change her plan fo’ da theaters, no mattah how “Air” do. 🌬️🎦

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NOW IN ENGLISH

Amazon’s Big Screen Ambition: Exciting Moviegoers and Attracting Filmmakers 🎬🍿

Hoping to appeal to moviegoers and filmmakers alike, Amazon is making a splash in theaters. The streaming giant released Ben Affleck’s “Air” on 3,500 movie screens this week, and it plans to open 10 to 12 films theatrically every year. 🎥🎞️

In September, Ben Affleck attended a packed showing of “Air” at the AMC Town Center in Las Vegas to see how his new film would fare with a test audience. To his amazement, the crowd loved the movie, which centers on Nike’s efforts in the 1980s to attract a young Michael Jordan to its struggling basketball brand. The audience clapped when Chris Tucker appeared onscreen and cheered for Viola Davis. 🏀🌟

Affleck, however, felt somewhat deflated by the enthusiastic response, realizing that he hadn’t experienced such a reaction to one of his movies in years. He shared his thoughts with his longtime collaborator and business partner, Matt Damon. The duo lamented that the film would primarily be released on a streaming platform. 💔🎭

Amazon’s ultimate goal is to release 10 to 12 movies in theaters each year. The approach for each movie will be based on its perceived box office potential, and some films will still debut exclusively on Prime Video. This news is a significant win for the struggling theatrical exhibition business, which has seen a 25% drop in year-to-date ticket sales compared to pre-pandemic levels. 🎟️📉

Hollywood has been continuously re-evaluating its relationship with movie theaters in the wake of streaming platforms’ rise and pandemic-induced changes in consumer habits. While superhero movies and films with established characters still draw crowds, the viability of adult dramas—Affleck’s preferred genre—is less certain. However, if “Air” performs well, it could signal that movies for adults are still viable in theaters. 🦸📊

Apple, which previously avoided theaters, already has plans to release Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” and Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon” theatrically this year. This move could encourage other distributors to release more films in theaters, and filmmakers eager for streaming revenue but still wanting their work to be seen on the big screen may look to Amazon. “Air” brought in $3.2 million at the box office on Wednesday, with Amazon expecting it to gross a modest $16 million through the weekend. 🍏💵

When Amazon purchased Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) in 2021, there were concerns that the historic label would be reduced to a small section on the Prime website. However, Amazon’s executives appear to have been influenced by their counterparts at MGM, who demonstrated the potential for a successful theatrical strategy. This approach culminated in the early-March release of “Creed III,” which has grossed close to $150 million in North America, outperforming its predecessors. 🦁🥊

Amazon’s head of film, Courtenay Valenti, who will oversee both Amazon and MGM after a long career at Warner Bros., will report directly to her superior instead of to Mike Hopkins, the senior vice president of Prime Video, Amazon Studios, and MGM. Despite the performance of “Air,” the company’s commitment to its theatrical strategy remains unwavering. 🎦🌟