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WIRE Buzz: AMC theaters go all-hours for Avengers: Endgame; HBO space comedy blasts off
The buzzing never stops as the world of genre-based entertainment continues to grow and evolve.
In our latest edition of WIRE Buzz, you'll shoot for the stars with the creator of Veep, travel to the alternate reality of HBO's Watchmen show, and stay wide awake for three days straight in honor of Avengers: Endgame.
AMC theaters aren't messing around with the release of Avengers: Endgame this week.
The company announced today that 17 of its locations are set to remain open for 72 consecutive hours in order to compensate for the increased demand from fans who are clamoring to see the new blockbuster-in-waiting. That's Thursday, April 25, through Sunday, April 28.
As The L.A. Times points out, this makes sense financially as the feature's runtime sits just over three hours, meaning that there can only be a certain amount of screenings scheduled for normal business hours. By remaining open like a pharmacy, AMC can maximize its amount of screenings-per-day, which, in turn, maximizes ticket sales.
“AMC guests have already purchased more tickets to Avengers: Endgame than we’ve ever sold in advance of a film’s release,” said Elizabeth Frank, EVP Worldwide Programming for AMC, per the L.A. Times. “AMC’s programming team is reviewing ticket sales theatre by theatre and adding showtimes later and later.”
In addition to the 17 theaters that are to remain open for three days, 29 will stay active Thursday through Friday while an extra 18 will stay active Thursday through Saturday or Friday through Sunday.
Despite the fact that Endgame is now the highest preseller in AMC's 99-year history, there are still millions of tickets left to purchase if you've dilly-dallied up until now.
After the immense success of Veep, HBO will be continuing its creative partnership with Armando Iannucci. According to Deadline, the network has greenlit the creator's space comedy, Avenue 5.
Starring Josh Gad, Hugh Laurie, Zach Woods, and Nikki Amuka-Bird, the series is set 40 years in the future after interstellar travel has become commonplace among humans. The comedy aspect will come from the tourism industry that has sprung up around this civilization's ability to move among the stars and planets with ease.
Laurie plays the captain of a space cruise ship that gives the series its name; Gad plays Hermann Judd, a billionaire who owns the ship; and Woods plays Matt Spencer, head of customer relations for Judd's company.
Iannucci — who was praised for his work on 2017's dark historical comedy, The Death of Stalin — created the show and will write/executive-produce. He also directed the pilot episode.
Will Smith is also attached to the upcoming project as an executive producer.
In a new compilation trailer from HBO, we have another tantalizing look at Damon Lindelof's Watchmen series.
While a lot of what we see here was already released back in early January, we do get our first look at the character played by Don Johnson, a man named "Chief Judd." The back of his Stetson-topped head was shown in that earlier footage as he walks down a police station hallway lined with masked officers, but we finally get to see what his face actually looks like.
In addition, the video contains some familiar content from the network's forthcoming adaptation of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials novels. Watch below:
Aside from Johnson, Watchmen costars Regina King, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jeremy Irons, Tim Blake Nelson, Louis Gossett Jr., Jean Smart, and Frances Fisher.
Both Watchmen and His Dark Materials are expected to premiere sometime later this year.
