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PeoPle & Arts Tuesday 15 augusT 2017
In a weak summer at the box office, bright spots abound

By JAKE COYLE struggled, the summer pro-
AP Film Writer duced one breakout com-
NEW YORK (AP) — On their edy: “Girls Trip,” soon to sur-
face, the numbers are pass $100 million domesti-
grim. Movie ticket sales in cally. Two of the year’s most
North America are running audaciously original and
roughly half a billion dollars buzzy titles electrified art-
behind last summer’s box house audiences: “Good
office, making this one of Time,” with Robert Pattin-
lowest-grossing summers son, and “A Ghost Story,”
in years. The 12.4 percent with a sheeted Casey Af-
downturn comes at a criti- fleck. On Friday, Oscar-win-
cal juncture for Hollywood, ner Steven Soderbergh will
with constantly swirling trot out his return to movie
fears about the impact of directing, the heist film “Lo-
streaming, television and gan Lucky,” with Channing
the bazillion other enter- Tatum.Though they haven’t
tainment options out there. always helped the bottom
AMC, the largest theater line, an unusual number of
chain in the United States, filmmakers and upstart dis-
saw its stock price tank re- tributors have tried to shake
cently partly because of up the summer.
slow sales and its forecast Even the season’s most
for “a very challenging” This image released by Warner Bros. Entertainment shows Gal Gadot in a scene from “Wonder spectacular bomb — Luc
third quarter. And yet much Woman.” Besson’s $180-million sci-
of the story at the multiplex Associated Press fi extravaganza “Valerian
this summer has been very Disney’s franchise power. contender in July: Christo- mers to be a moviegoer, and the City of a Thousand
positive. Few of the mov- “Spider-Man: Homecom- pher Nolan’s World War II if not a theater operator,” Planets” — was a charm-
ies that won strong reviews ing” was a much-needed epic “Dunkirk.” said Paul Dergarabedian, ing one. The film, made
and a warm reception from shot in the arm for the re- “What we all saw this sum- senior media analyst for and financed outside the
moviegoers didn’t also per- tooled Sony Pictures, which mer is audiences were fick- comScore. “When I look Hollywood system, was the
form well at the box office. followed that up with Edgar le. The stuff they liked, they at movies like ‘Guardians kind of pricey auteur-driv-
With few exceptions, when Wright’s music-mad original really liked,” said Jeffrey 2,’ ‘Wonder Woman,’ ‘War en overreach that today’s
the studios supplied the hit “Baby Driver.” Goldstein, distribution chief for the Planet of the Apes,’ corporate-driven studios
goods, audiences came in Patty Jenkins’ “Wonder for Warner Bros. “The mov- ‘Spider-Man: Homecom- have largely snuffed out.
droves. Woman” set things right, ies that were well received ing,’ ‘The Big Sick,’ ‘Detroit,’ So what’s the problem?
The biggest smashes of the finally, in Warner Bros.’ DC were rewarded with good ‘Baby Driver,’ ‘Dunkirk,’ Where’s the missing $500
summer — “Wonder Wom- Comics series. The film, holds.” All but three of the ‘Wind River,’ I have to say million? (That’s about the
an,” ‘’Spider-Man: Home- which recently surpassed No.1 films this summer were it’s been a great time as a gap left by this summer’s
coming” and “Guardians $400 million domestically, certified fresh on Rotten To- moviegoer. “This is sort of: It overall gross of $3.4 billion.)
of the Galaxy Vol. 2” — all also set a record for high- matoes, including this past was the best of times, it was There are two significant
earned both praise and est grossing film directed weekend’s top film, the the worst of times,” said drains on this summer’s to-
major business. Two of those by a woman. Warner Bros. horror sequel “Annabelle: Dergarabedian. You could tals. One is the lack of any
films also righted the ship for later gave the summer an Creation.” “The irony is, it easily add to that list, too. late-summer blockbuster
studios struggling to match honest-to-goodness Oscar was one of the best sum- Though many comedies on the schedule. q

Van Gogh ‘Sunflowers’ reunited online

By CAROLINE SPIEZIO It then continues at Amster- becoming possible for art
Associated Press dam’s Van Gogh Museum, galleries and museums all
LONDON (AP) — Five ver- the Neue Pinakothek in around the world,” Chris
sions of a Vincent van Munich, the Philadelphia Michaels, the National Gal-
Gogh masterpiece are be- Museum of Art and Tokyo’s lery’s digital director, said.
ing reunited for the first time Seiji Togo Memorial Muse- London’s version of “Sun-
Monday in a “virtual exhibi- um of Art. flowers” is one of the mu-
tion.” Van Gogh painted A curator from each muse- seum’s most popular paint-
his “Sunflowers” series in um will describe, in 15-min- ings. It’s famous for its blue
the south of France in 1888 ute segments, what makes and yellow swirls, textured
and 1889. Five versions of their version unique. surface and rare glimpse
the work reside in five dif- The museums launched a into the happy times of In this Friday, Jan. 24, 2014 file photo, twins Edgar, left, and
ferent museums on three virtual-reality experience Van Gogh’s life in Arles, Gabriel, aged 10, arrange themselves to pose for photographers
continents. last week that shows view- France. More than 50,000 beside two versions of Dutch-born painter Vincent van Gogh’s
On Monday, they all will be ers all five “Sunflowers” in viewers watched a pre- “Sunflowers”, the left one from 1888 and the right one from 1889,
streamed to a global audi- one room. The paintings view for Monday’s event during a photocall at the National Portrait Gallery in London.
ence in a Facebook Live are so treasured and such online. Michaels is hopeful Associated Press
broadcast. big draws it would be diffi- his team will bring more of nect with other galleries. an amazing one for us to
The 1 hour and 35 minute cult to bring them together the National Gallery’s fa- “But it’s not a replace- explore in the future, in
broadcast begins in Lon- in real life. “We’re at a mo- mous pieces to online au- ment,” he said. “It’s an- partnership with amaz-
don’s National Gallery at ment in time where new diences. It’s an added at- other type of thing that ing museums around the
1650GMT (12:50 p.m. EDT.) kinds of experience are traction and a way to con- art museums can do and world.”q