Concern has been spreading to cinemas since July 21, the date of entry into force of the health pass, and attendance has fallen, plunging film distributors into disarray.
In view of this “
deplorable
” situation, the distribution company Wild Bunch has announced the postponement of the release of the animated film
Aya and the Witch
.
“
Faced with this uncertain health situation, we have decided to postpone its release to a later date
,” the company explains in a press release.
The Japanese animated film was scheduled to hit theaters on August 18.
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To justify this new postponement, the company Wild Bunch considers it "
essential
" to "
introduce a very large family audience in the best possible conditions
."
The film directed by Goro Miyaziki is the first theatrically released animated film since Wild Bunch became Studio Ghibli's distributor in France.
Selected at the Cannes Film Festival in 2020,
Aya and the Witch
is the first 3D film by the masters of Japanese cartooning.
The film tells the story of a "
mischievous
" and "
cunning
"
ten-year-old orphan Aya
who embarks on an "
extraordinary adventure
" after being adopted by wizards.
Aya and the Witch
is the third film to see its delayed release since the epidemic resumption and the establishment of the health pass.
"The catastrophic drop at the box office of
Fast & Furious 9,
which fell from 1.3 million to 200,000 admissions between the first and the second week of release, caused us to lose 2 million euros in turnover,
explains Xavier Albert, Managing Director of Universal Pictures France.
We will painfully arrive at two million entries instead of the three planned. As it was our most important outing of the year, it's a disaster. Our teams are devastated. ”
Due to this context,Universal Pictures France has therefore chosen to deprogram two large productions scheduled for August:
Boss Baby 2
and the
Candyman
horror movie
.
“We will reprogram them at the start of the school year,”
explains Xavier Albert.
The release of director Jordan Peele's horror film is postponed from August 25 to September 29.
Roselyne Bachelot and Bruno Le Maire, Ministers of Culture and the Economy, received Wednesday to draw the first conclusions from the application of the health pass for the cultural sector.
On this occasion, Marc-Olivier Sebbag, General Delegate of the National Federation of French Cinemas, expressed his fears regarding the postponement of film releases, as has been the case on numerous occasions since the appearance of Covid-19, which would weaken the entire sector.
All agreed to meet on August 30 to establish a balance sheet.