By Lindsey Bahr, AP Film Writer
Some U.S. moviegoers will be able to see Christopher Nolan's "Tenet" a few days early. Warner Bros. on Tuesday said that it would be offering early access screenings starting Aug. 31 as a gesture of support to the domestic theaters that are reopening after five months of being closed because of COVID-19.
The $200 million spy thriller starring John David Washington will open more widely in the U.S. on Sept. 3.
"Tenet" is the first major new Hollywood movie to be released in theaters since most locations shuttered in mid-March. It's arrival could not come soon enough for the ailing theaters, many of which are opening this week without any significant new movies and instead programming popular back catalog films like "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Back to the Future" to entice audiences. The nation's largest exhibitor, AMC, will open some of its doors Thursday, with Regal following on Friday.
"Warner Bros. is proud to support our partners in exhibition as they reopen their doors," said Jeff Goldstein, Warner Bros.' president of domestic distribution, in a written statement. "And there could be no better film to welcome audiences back to a true big-screen experience than 'Tenet.'"
"Tenet" will open internationally first, arriving Aug 26 in more than 70 countries, including Japan, Russia, much of Europe, Australia and Canada.
The film, originally set for a July 17 release, had its premiere postponed several times because of global spikes in COVID-19.
Early domestic screenings of "Tenet" will be scheduled on the evenings of Aug. 31, Sept. 1 and Sept. 2 where theaters are open in the U.S. Tickets go on sale Friday.
California governor signs law to protect children from social media addiction
California will make it illegal for social media platforms to knowingly provide addictive feeds to children without parental consent beginning in 2027 under a new law Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Friday.
California follows New York state, which passed a law earlier this year allowing parents to block their kids from getting social media posts suggested by a platform's algorithm. Utah has passed laws in recent years aimed at limiting children's access to social media, but they have faced challenges in court.
The California law will take effect in a state home to some of the largest technology companies in the world. Similar proposals have failed to pass in recent years, but Newsom signed a first-in-the-nation law in 2022 barring online platforms from using users' personal information in ways that could harm children. It is part of a growing push in states across the country to try to address the impacts of social media on the well-being of children.
"Every parent knows the harm social media addiction can inflict on their children — isolation from human contact, stress and anxiety, and endless hours wasted late into the night," Newsom said in a statement. "With this bill, California is helping protect children and teenagers from purposely designed features that feed these destructive habits."
The law bans platforms from sending notifications without permission from parents to minors between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m., and between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. on weekdays from September through May, when children are typically in school. The legislation also makes platforms set children's accounts to private by default.
Opponents of the legislation say it could inadvertently prevent adults from accessing content if they cannot verify their... Read More