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After reading several articles about the summer movie scheduling it seems clear that Hollywood dosen't plan to pull any of their summer schedualed movies due to the war with Irag. Do you think that any of the shows should be held back or does it matter that the violence of such titles as: Matrix Reloaded, X2, and Terminator 3 go on as scheduled?

You make a good point, but after thinking about it a bit I feel that the movies you mentioned are probably more entertainment than realistic. In other words, I don't see them as stressing folks out a whole lot if they are shown while the war is ongoing.

People will probably watch coverage of the war on CNN, then go to the movies to escape. Even if the movies they see contain violence, I think most people will be able to separate reality from fantasy and see movies for what they are, entertainment.

I agree. People go to movies like X2, T3, and Matrix just because they contain that futuristic/fantasy element to them. I would think Tears of the Sun, on the other hand would be suffering from the war. Anybody running it seen any difference in attendance for that particular one since war began?? I think all in all though, most are coming to the movies to escape the 24 hour, "Live from Baghdad" coverage.

I also agree.If the facts I have are correct,during WW2 movies prospered,and one of the most popular genres was war movies.People will seek escape,but also go to films that are relevant to the times.

Remember that during World War II there was no TV, and many people went to the movies for the newsreel coverage of the war. As a matter of fact, Newsreel theatres prospered during the war, and died rather quickly after it ended, as they were the first theatres to feel the crunch of television with their nightly news programs.

I'm sure there are many of you that were not even aware that there were theatres that ran only newsreels. No feature at all. The show consisted of a one hour program showing all the major newreels with cartoons and shorts in between. Some in very heavy traffic areas only ran a half hour show. This would give people a chance to catch up on the news over lunch or between appointments without taking up too much time. It also gave the theatre a larger turnover, and thus more revenue. These theatres usually had no concession stands. Admission was generally 25 cents.

Charlie is correct that theatres prospered during that war and that war movies did quite well, but the war movies of that era weren't graphic as they are today and usually carried a patriotic message as well.

We have been running TEARS OF THE SUN for two weeks now and some nights there are only about ten people. The largest crowd ever has been about a dozen. People are going to DREAMCATCHER and BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE instead. I think graphic, intense war movies that end on a sad note are not exactly what the "average American" wants to see as our own soldiers are being sent home in body bags (with many more in the future).

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, helvetica">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by DJ Denis:
.....I think graphic, intense war movies that end on a sad note are not exactly what the "average American" wants to see as our own soldiers are being sent home in body bags (with many more in the future).[/B]<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I think you are right DJ.

But the war movies that were popular during WWII were not graphic like today's special effect, CGI films and Americans could root for the good guys without being subject to a screen full of blood and guts.

I was a theatre employee then and my father was in the business from 1916 through the Great Depression and WWII. People always saved that dime or quarter or dollar to go to the movies to escape the reality of the world around them.

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Bob Allen
The Old Showman