70°F
weather icon Clear

What to expect as new movies, more theaters open this weekend

Updated August 19, 2020 - 11:24 am

It’s certainly not the summer movie output anyone envisioned, but it’s better than nothing.

Especially since nothing is exactly what moviegoers have seen since March 13.

The first new theatrical releases in more than five months roll out Friday, and numerous Las Vegas movie theaters are reopening to welcome them.

The AMC locations at Town Square and Rainbow Promenade kick things off Thursday with 15-cent tickets for its lineup of “classic” movies as well as some of the holdovers that were playing when the world shut down.

Then, on Friday, the Regal locations at Aliante, Boulder Station, Colonnade, Downtown Summerlin, Green Valley Ranch Resort, Red Rock Resort, Sunset Station and Village Square will throw open their doors, as will Maya Cinemas in North Las Vegas.

Regal Palace Station, the Century Cinedome in Henderson and the Galaxy Theatres in the Boulevard Mall, the Cannery and Green Valley are scheduled to return Aug. 28.

The Century-branded theaters inside The Orleans, Sam’s Town, Santa Fe Station, South Point and Suncoast were the first in the valley to reopen on Aug. 14.

So what will moviegoers see — besides an array of new safety protocols, including mandatory masks and heightened cleaning and sanitizing — when they return?

“Unhinged,” the road rage thriller starring Russell Crowe, has been jockeying all summer to be among the first new releases out of the gate. It isn’t a major movie by any stretch — it’s the sort of thing you’d usually expect to see later this month, or maybe in the January or February doldrums — but it’s the biggest new release this weekend has to offer.

Elsewhere, there’s the teen love story “Words on Bathroom Walls,” about a student (Charlie Plummer) suffering from a mental illness.

“Cut Throat City,” from Wu-Tang Clan member turned director RZA, follows a heist gone wrong in post-Katrina New Orleans.

Mick Jagger and Donald Sutherland co-star in the neo-noir art-theft thriller “The Burnt Orange Heresy.”

A biker meets the 9-year-old daughter he never knew he had in the faith-based “Tulsa.”

The post-apocalyptic zombie wasteland returns in the South Korean sequel “Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula.”

College friends throw a party in a secluded cabin in the horror tale “Murder in the Woods,” featuring Danny Trejo.

And, to get moviegoers primed for the long-delayed Christopher Nolan thriller “Tenet,” Warner Bros. is rereleasing his blockbuster “Inception” in honor of its 10th anniversary. Barring further setbacks, “Tenet” will hit theaters Sept. 3.

Contact Christopher Lawrence at clawrence@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4567. Follow @life_onthecouch on Twitter.

THE LATEST
Chris Farley movie in the works, starring Paul Walter Hauser

A film about the life of legendary comedian Chris Farley is reportedly in the works, with Paul Walter Hauser signed on to star in the main role and Josh Gad set to make his directorial debut.

Top 10 things to do in Las Vegas this week

Bad Religion and Social Distortion, Mariah Carey and Phish top the entertainment lineup for the week of April 12-18.

Emmy, Oscar winner Louis Gossett Jr. dies at 87

He won his Oscar for his performance as the intimidating Marine drill instructor in “An Officer and a Gentleman” opposite Richard Gere and Debra Winger.