David Simpson is departing Roadshow Films to join South Australian-based Wallis Cinemas as programming manager
Kids and families are flocking to the Jumanji, Star Wars and Frozen sequels while adults are embracing the original titles Jojo Rabbit, Little Women and The Gentlemen.
Melbourne's Cinema Nova, the Eddie Tamir family-owned cinemas and Village Cinemas' Coburg drive-in will re-open next month - but indications are that most cinemas in other states are unlikely to turn on the lights until July.
Drive-in cinemas in Adelaide and Heddon Greta near Newcastle resumed trading last Friday, drawing big crowds, as a survey of more than 20,000 Australians showed 98 per cent look forward to cinemas re-opening.
Universal's 'The Invisible Man' is getting a second lease of theatrical life thanks to drive-ins and newly re-opened cinemas in Western Australia, Adelaide and Alice Springs.
The floodgates opened last weekend with more than a dozen new releases led by 'The Personal History of David Copperfield', plus several re-issues as more cinemas resumed trading.
Unjoo Moon's 'I Am Woman' will premiere on Stan as a Stan Orginal on August 28 - the latest in a growing list of Australian films to bypass cinemas as the pandemic continues to depress the theatrical market.
In the pre-COVID-19 world, 'Where'd You Go Bernadette?' a drama starring Cate Blanchett, Billy Crudup, Kristen Wiig and newcomer Emma Nelson, was launched in the US last year by United Artists Releasing, playing widely on more than 2,400 screens.