Entertainment News Roundup: Broadway theaters sound alarm as closure extended through May 2021; London Film Festival offers beacon of hope to COVID-hit industry and more

Broadway theaters went dark in mid-March as the pandemic hit New York and previous target dates for reopening have come and gone without any progress in finding a way to put on indoor shows with live audiences that also protects actors and backstage crews working in cramped conditions.

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

Art star Gabriel Orozco's pandemic: a screen-friendly opening and new introspection

There was no formal opening or personal interaction with fans. Instead, Gabriel Orozco, the Mexican artist with a continents-spanning perspective, promoted his new collage watercolors with a dramatic, screen-friendly teaser. Orozco created the several dozen works while in quarantine in Japan earlier this year, but he oversaw their installation at a top-tier Manhattan gallery the way millions now work: virtually.

Broadway theaters sound alarm as closure extended through May 2021

Broadway theaters on Friday extended a coronavirus shutdown until the end of May 2021, bringing the closure of one of New York City's biggest tourist attractions to more than a year and forcing a revival of musical "The Music Man" into 2022. Broadway theaters went dark in mid-March as the pandemic hit New York and previous target dates for reopening have come and gone without any progress in finding a way to put on indoor shows with live audiences that also protects actors and backstage crews working in cramped conditions.

London Film Festival offers beacon of hope to COVID-hit industry

The pizzazz of the red carpet will be lacking and fewer films will be on offer at this year's London Film Festival, but fans can still enjoy a broad programme, either on the big screen while socially distanced or streamed into their own homes. Festival director Tricia Tuttle said the hybrid model meant she could deliver a vibrant event to audiences, in cinemas in London and beyond as well as online, despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

AMC to open more cinema theaters in the United States

AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc, the largest theater chain in the United States, said on Thursday it expects to open more locations in Washington state and have more than 520 theaters open in the country by mid-October. "With 14 AMC locations in Washington reopening on October 16, AMC is now set to open more than 50 locations in the first three weekends of October," the company said in statement. (https://bit.ly/2GBO86J)

Pixar movie 'Soul' going straight to Disney+ streaming service

Pixar animated movie "Soul" which had been set to hit theaters in November, will instead debut on the Disney+ streaming service on Christmas Day, Walt Disney Co said on Thursday. "Soul" will play in cinemas only in markets where Disney+ is not currently available, or will not be soon, the company said in a statement.

(With inputs from agencies.)