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Chicago Tribune
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Why Alamo's preshow is one of the last, best reasons to go to a movie theater
The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, located in the new plastic heart of Wrigleyville, tucked alongside the crush of tourists and bachelorette parties and bars crawls and soulless developments, is not the first place I would I think I would want to arrive early. And yet, I have to, and get annoyed when I don't. Not because of the food they serve (not bad, not cheap). Or lines at the box office (nonexistent, that being a pre-pandemic concern). You must arrive early — 30 minutes before a movie's showtime — just for the Alamo preshow. The preshow is a reminder that 75% of the magic of going to a movie is waiting for the movie. It's a reminder of why you bothered to leave the house to watch a movie. I'm not talking about trailers. They show many, many trailers. But only after this preshow. (Whatever you came to see, as in most theaters, starts 20 or so minutes later than scheduled, preshow and all.) No, I'm talking about the 30 minutes of parodies and oddities, archival PSAs and music videos, dance party footage, old toy ads, history lessons, workout videos, Bollywood numbers, interview clips, film essays and whatever else Alamo cobbles together, usually tied to the theme of the movie you're about to see. If you went to the hilariously sadistic 'Final Destination Bloodlines,' you got Tom and Jerry cartoons and satiric educational training films. 'Barbie' got a Greta Gerwig appreciation and vintage toy commercials and clips of Ryan Gosling dancing as a child performer. Captain America movies get a slow-burn Ken Burns-inspired retelling of the history of Marvel's Captain America films. Recently, I saw the new 'Jurassic Park' and for 30 minutes before trailers, we got bizarro dinosaur films and a history of a Finnish metal band for children, Hevisaurus. Showing up half an hour before a movie begins is a lot to ask of an audience, especially one that would rather be streaming at home. But in my household, when we go to Alamo, arriving too early is ritual, and since I have an 8-year-old who needs to see every unnecessary live-action Disney retrofit, that preshow is often the only highlight. Alamo has been doing preshows since it began 18 years ago in Austin, Texas; as part of an expansion in 2023, it finally came to Chicago, was bought by Sony Pictures and now has a few dozen theaters across the country. It's not the only movie theater in town that knows how to warm-up an audience just sitting there, getting comfortable, fiddling with phones, eating most of the popcorn before the movie starts: A few blocks away, the Music Box Theatre has had a live organist for ages. These bonus flourishes seem minor, but they should be studied by larger chains that go sweaty touting their investments in laser projection and 4DX immersion and Dolby 3D soundscapes. A good preshow is so simple, low-tech and warm as to feel old-fashioned; it's an amuse-bouche that acknowledges, yes, you have a perfectly fine TV at home, maybe even a better sound system, but, as Nicole Kidman says in her famous preshow speech for AMC Theatres, Keeping the audience in an anticipatory spell as long as possible — that's the point. Tom Cruise, Kidman's ex-husband, knows this, too: Before 'Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning,' he greets the audience in a short clip, thanking them for doing something so communal. Cruise, on a one-man impossible mission to save the theater experience even if it means hanging off a biplane, delivered a similar preshow before 'Top Gun: Maverick.' That these people go to such lengths in the service of framing another perfectly entertaining though forgettable night at the movies is what makes the preshow, often playing before the forgettable, so touching. I don't remember a lot about 'Final Reckoning,' for example, but I remember Alamo's exhaustive primer of 30 years of 'Mission: Impossible' plots and MacGuffins. Without a disassembly, I would have been as lost as I bet a lot of audiences were. It also got me more invested in the experience than I had expected. Like Cruise, the Alamo preshow knows the last thing we want in the streaming age is to leave home then feel nothing. Preshow entertainment, of course, goes way back. In the first days of cinema, movies themselves were preshow entertainment, a kind of intermission between live vaudeville acts. Once features were the main attraction, there were cartoons, newsreels, shorts. During the Great Depression, to lure people back, theater owners in the Midwest would have giveaway nights, awarding dinnerware and even pets. Disney wildlife shorts preceded Disney films. As drive-ins became popular in the 1950s, theaters focused on concession stands: That iconic 'Let's All Go to the Lobby' spot starring dancing hot dogs and popcorn bags may be the most famous preshow entertainment ever. For decades, the Showcase Cinemas chain was known for sending ushers into theaters, shaking cans and soliciting change for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. But gradually, advertising took over. Trailers were the whole preshow, alongside traditional TV ads, PSAs about theater policies, and in the late 1970s and early 1980s, even lobbying campaigns from theater owners spooked by cable TV, warning of the death of 'free TV.' Laird Jimenez, the director of video content for Alamo, thinks of their preshow as continuing the older tradition, rarely practiced now, fed by the online libraries of archival footage and original video floods that the 21st century has been awash with. (Alamo gets permission, though does not pay, the creators of any material it pulls from YouTube or elsewhere.) But Jimenez also admits, they're leaving money, a lot of money, on the table in the service of a theater experience. '(The preshow) is probably not the economically best decision considering the labor hours it takes to make them and the fact it's screen time we could use — that's money we're losing, not running Chrysler ads.' A recent poll of theater owners, reported by Variety, and conducted by analyst Stephen Follows and the online trade publication Screendollars, found that more than 55% of movie exhibitors believe the movie theater, as an institution, has maybe 20 years left. And still, other than movie trailers, Alamo does not run advertising, as a company policy. Instead, as Rome burns, a team of three young guys in its Austin headquarters, with backgrounds in film school, film preservation, video stores and film festivals, pump out five to 10 30-minute preshows a week. There is some recycling, but almost every new movie that opens — as well as older repertoire films it shows, such as 'Jaws' and 'Mean Girls' — gets a new 30-minute preshow. 'A lot of original pieces we make simply come out of a passion we have for something,' said Ray Loyd, senior content producer. So, instead of car ads, you get a history of Black westerns, relayed by Black film scholars. Or an old TV spot with George Takei, in Sulu regalia, shilling for the Milwaukee County Transit System. Or a study of how 'Dune' influenced '70s progressive rock. Or director Edgar Wright explaining the nuances of car chases. Or an essay on questions left by 'Cats,' including: If cats have fur naturally, why do cats in the film 'Cats' wear fur coats? The recent 'Nosferatu' got an extensive history of the vampire genre. 'My favorite stuff is when we can show the breadth of everything in movies,' said Zane Gordon-Bouzard, an Alamo video producer. 'We have this platform and we can show people there is a rich world of not only cinema, but videos, old TV — all worth preserving and watching.' The result, sitting there waiting for your movie, is like having a friend show you this cool YouTube sketch, and now this insane commercial, and now this weird music video, then stopping to describe how 'Lilo & Stitch' fits into the rich tradition of knockoffs of 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.' Surprisingly, in this instance, with an audience, it's worth the ticket.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
This British Comedian Auditioned For A Role In Barbie – But Lost Out To Will Ferrell
Barbie was one of the most star-studded movies of the last decade, so it's no secret that competition was stiff to land a coveted role in such a stellar ensemble. Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling starred in Greta Gerwig's Oscar-nominated movie about the iconic doll, completed by a cast that included Issa Rae, Kate McKinnon, Nicola Coughlan, Simu Liu, Ncuti Gatwa and many more. There was also a memorable supporting role from Will Ferrell, who played the rollerskating Mattel CEO. But before the gig went to the Anchorman actor, there was a British comedian up for the same role: James Acaster. The standup comic has been venturing into acting in recent years, having landed roles in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire and last year's comedy-adventure film Seize Them! with The White Lotus star Aimee Lou Wood. View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Comedian's Comedian Podcast with Stuart Goldsmith (@comcompod) As revealed in a recently unearthed interview, the Off Menu podcast host also went for a role in the 2023 record-breaking blockbuster. Speaking on The Comedian's Comedian Podcast with Stuart Goldsmith last year, James opened up about his acting career when he was asked about projects he had unsuccessfully auditioned for. 'The Barbie movie. The part went to Will Ferrell,' James recalled, before adding: 'Come on, why are they even getting me in the room?' He also clarified that he 'liked the audition though', adding 'that's fun, it's learning'. Earlier this year, director Greta set the record straight following reports of a Barbie sequel. A spokesperson for the director insisted that there was 'no legitimacy' to the story that a follow-up was in the earlier stages, while Warner Bros. also called the reports 'inaccurate'. Meanwhile, Margot Robbie's film company is set to follow the success of Barbie by producing a new movie based on the Monopoly board game. Related... Type 1 Diabetes Barbie Has Taken The Internet By Storm – Here's Where To Buy Yours Barbie Director Greta Gerwig Sets The Record Straight After Fresh Sequel Reports From Minecraft To Barbie And Minions – Like It Or Not, Gen Alpha's TikTok Trends Are Shaping Cinema
News18
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
Barbenheimer Turns 2: How The Clash Of 'Barbie' And 'Oppenheimer' Broke The Internet
Last Updated: Greta Gerwig's Barbie and Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer created one of the biggest clashes of movies in July 2023. the Internet coined the phenomenon as 'Barbenheimer'. Barbenheimer turned 2 years this week. The unusual clash between two movies Greta Gerwig's Barbie and Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer that hit the theatres on the same day became the meme of 2023. Gerwig's Barbie was based on the iconic childhood doll. On the other hand, Nolan's Oppenheimer was a retelling of the creation of an atomic bomb. In a world where studios steer away from same day releases knowing one movie would hog up another movie's tickets and business, both Barbie and Oppenheimer stood on their own and did incredibly well commercially, all thanks to the Internet turning the clash into an online movement – Barbenheimer. Barbie Greta Gerwig's Barbie had its distinct personality – tone, colour palette, and a fictional world. The movie follows the world of Barbie living in idyllic, matriarchal Barbieland. There she lives happily until she is hit with existential crisis. She embarks upon a journey with Ken into the real world where she discovers herself while she is introduced to patriarchy and finds her own agency. Barbie 's light-hearted yet purposeful tale did not pale in comparison or get overshadowed by Nolan's when it came to hype as it did a reported business of $1.447 billion. Made on a budget of $145 million, Barbie starred Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken. Oppenheimer was a tale about J. Robert Oppenheimer, American theoretical physicist, considered the 'father of the atomic bomb", who was pivotal in overseeing the development the destructive weapon. Nolan, with icons such as The Dark Knight series, Interstellar, The Prestige, Inception, and Momento in his credits guaranteed another blockbuster and Oppenheimer was no exception. The movie starred Cillian Murphy as Oppenheimer. The ensemble cast included Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon, Rami Malek, Emily Blunt, among others. Nolan's 2023 directorial reportedly did a business of $975 million while being made on a budget of $100 million. Barbenheimer There was no escape from the online euphoria. Barbie and Oppenheimer created the biggest rivalry on the Internet until it wasn't. Audiences realised that both the movies, set in completely different worlds, had to be viewed on the big screen. It wasn't Barbie Vs Oppenheimer but Barbie + Oppenheimer for them. Nolan knew that this kind of interest would revive cinemas that had suffered beyond comprehension owing to a global pandemic. 'I think for those of us who care about movies, we've been really waiting to have a crowded marketplace again, and now it's here, and that's terrific," the director was quoted as saying by IGN. Meme Galore Barbenheimer wasn't your regular meme, it was an online spectacle. The power of the Internet was at full display in the run up to the release of both the movies. 1 ticket for 1 ticket forOppenheimer Barbieplease 💣 please 💖 — office dundies (@officedundies) July 15, 2023 1 ticket for 1 ticket foroppenheimer barbie please 💣 please 💖 — faby jurídico modern family (@fabyollaverass) July 15, 2023 Barbenheimer 21.07.23The world will remember this day — cinesque (@thecinesque) July 21, 2025 X decided not to choose sides but join hands in celebrating both the movies. 'Still processing the emotional impact of #Oppenheimer. Cillian Murphy's portrayal of Oppenheimer was hauntingly beautiful, and Robert Downey Jr.'s performance was simply outstanding. Bravo!" a user on X wrote. 'barbie movie changed my life i think, (sic)" a fan, reviewing Grewig's masterpiece, remarked. tags : Barbie Oppenheimer view comments Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: July 22, 2025, 13:49 IST News explainers Barbenheimer Turns 2: How The Clash Of 'Barbie' And 'Oppenheimer' Broke The Internet Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
News18
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
Mattel And Illumination Join Hands To Produce Barbie Animated Movie For Theatres
This news came after director Greta Gerwig's 2023 Barbie movie, featuring Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken, turned out to be a massive hit. Two years after Margot Robbie's widely acclaimed live-action Barbie became a global hit at the box office, Mattel is reportedly in talks to produce the first-ever animated movie for the big screen. Previously, the iconic doll has appeared in 52 animated movies and streaming TV films since 2001 but has not yet been released to the big screen. As per Deadline, Mattel is joining hands with Illumination, the studio behind the Minions franchise, to produce the first-ever Barbie animated film for the theatres. However, representatives of both Mattel and Illumination have refrained from commenting on this report and have made no official statement so far. Deadline reports that the film will be released by Universal Pictures, which has an exclusive financing and distribution partnership with Illumination. No further details regarding the plot or creatives attached to the film have been revealed so far. This news came after director Greta Gerwig's 2023 Barbie movie, featuring Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken, turned out to be a massive hit. The film made historic waves at the box office, grossing over $1.3 billion at the global box office and becoming the highest-earning theatrical release of Warner Bros. Greta Gerwig's Barbie has also become the highest-grossing film helmed by a woman and was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Since 1959, Barbie has held down its position as the global category leader in dolls, with more than 100 dolls sold every minute, as per Deadline. Barbie's large scale influenced Mattel to produce more and more Barbie movies. Mattel Studios has reportedly two films slated for release in 2026 – a live-action Masters of the Universe, set to be released by Amazon MGM Studios, and a live-action Matchbox produced alongside Skydance and Apple. Chris Meledandri's Illumination has two films up for release through Universal Pictures. A sequel to the blockbuster The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which is scheduled to release on April 3, 2026, and Nintendo and Minions 3, which is set to hit the theatres on July 1, 2026. First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Express Tribune
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
'Barbie' animated film in development at Illumination and Mattel Studios following live-action success
An animated Barbie feature is officially in the works from Illumination and Mattel Studios, marking the first time the doll will headline a theatrically released animated film. The project follows the massive global success of 2023's live-action Barbie, which grossed over $1.44 billion and earned eight Academy Award nominations and one win. While the new film has not yet been dated and plot details remain undisclosed, sources confirm that Universal Pictures will handle its release. Greta Gerwig's Barbie, released by Warner Bros., became a global cultural event and remains the highest-grossing film in the studio's history, as well as the most successful film ever directed by a woman. This move comes amid broader growth at Mattel Studios, which recently unified its television and film divisions. Alongside Barbie, the studio is developing multiple toy-based adaptations, including Masters of the Universe, Matchbox, Hot Wheels, and others such as UNO, Polly Pocket, and American Girl. Illumination, the studio behind hits like Minions and The Super Mario Bros. Movie, has a proven record of box office performance and will next release sequels to both franchises in 2026.
