There's "an endless succession of sequels, prequels, reboots, spin-offs and connected crossovers. This is all great news for diehard fans, but civilian punters now face either an online refresher course or utter confusion every time they enter the multiplex." - The Guardian (UK)
YouTube said, Olympics content was viewed more than 190 million times per day during Tokyo, five times more than the average daily views during Rio five years ago. - Variety
With the delta variant in our lives now, studios and film distributors who have the nerve to require in-person screenings for review are being reckless. Selfish. Wrong. - Chicago Tribune
The Federation of Local Festivals and Theaters, formally launched this month at the Avignon Festival, is made up of 17 rural companies started by young theatre grads who "found themselves frustrated with the rigid structure of France's theater world." - The New York Times
Says the former director of Tate Modern, now at Paris's Grand Palais, "We probably cannot afford to ship works back and forth, and will have to think of … how a museum can do more for a local community instead of catering to economic models for tourists." - Artnet
The arts-dependent Cape Cod town got clobbered by last year's lockdowns, but with vaccination rates up and caseloads down this summer, the scene joyfully geared up — until it was hit with a cluster of "breakthrough" COVID cases among people who'd had their shots. - The New York Times
The company's CEO says AMC will be technologically equipped to start accepting Bitcoin payments for U.S. movie tickets and concessions ordered online by the end of the year. - Deadline
The road through the park has been closed since the start of the pandemic - and so have the museums. But now, as museums reopen? The closure to cars "has become a flash point." - The New York Times
While the music promoter Live Nation said that artists or bands themselves could set masking and vaccination requirements, some venues in places like L.A. are requiring proof of vaccination along with the county's mask mandate. - Los Angeles Times
Playwright Antoinette Nwandu changed the ending of her play Pass Over before its debut as the first show to open since Broadway closed in March of 2020. "I no longer wanted to work on a play that ended with the murder of a Black man. ... I want to focus on life." - The New York Times
No spontaneous performances, no flyers being handed out, not as many shows: Organizers hope the in-person Festival is also missing the Delta variant. - BBC
Starting in the 1950s, small companies would roam the village festival circuit, setting up tents and showing old films with aging projectors cast off from the cities. Yet, as cell phones and internet service reach rural India, the market for traveling talkies is disappearing. - Atlas Obscura
