Disney's MULANMulan (Yifei Liu)Photo: Stephen Tilley© 2018 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Cover (Image: Stephen Tilley/Disney Enterprises, Inc/AFP)

Grab your popcorn: Mulan, Train to Busan: Peninsula, Tenet, and more—these are the blockbusters to catch now that cinemas are open again

Singapore's well-loved cinemas have finally reopened this week, on July 13, after being closed for more than two months due to circuit breaker measures. According to Infocomm Media Development Authority's (IMDA) announcement, cinemas must adhere to a set of Mandatory Safe Management Measures for Cinemas, which has been assessed to meet “the necessary precautionary measures for managing the Covid-19 related risks in cinemas.”

This includes reconfigured seating arrangements, which ensure safe distancing of at least one-metre between patrons. Groups of up to five friends and family will, however, be allowed to sit together. A capacity limit of 50 patrons in each theatre hall has also been implemented. Social distancing measures must also be in place in queues and crowd management.

Other safety measures include mandatory temperature checks, SafeEntry check-in, and the wearing of masks in the premises, except when eating or drinking. Cinemas are also required to regularly clean and disinfect high touch point areas, and ensure the health and hygiene of staff.

While cinema operators saw a low turnout for its re-opening this Monday, the number of cinema-goers are likely to increase when highly-anticipated blockbusters—postponed due to the pandemic—make their entrance to the silver screens. Here are the upcoming movie releases to watch.

1. Train to Busan: Peninsula

In Cinemas

July 15, 2020

Genre

Action/Horror

Synopsis

After the success of Train to Busan, Yeon Sang-ho returns to direct its sequel. Set four years after the events of the first film, Peninsula follows Jung-Seok (played by Gang Dong-won), an ex-Marine who lives in exile in Hong Kong. He is given the opportunity to return to Korea—now evacuated and abandoned—to retrieve large bags of cash from the streets of Seoul and return to Hong Kong.

Ambushed by a militia unit and faced with vicious hordes of zombies, Jung-Seok is saved by survivor Min-jeong (played by Lee Jung-hyun) and her family, and they formulate a plan to escape the peninsula.

2. Tenet

In Cinemas

August 13, 2020

Genre

Action

Synopsis

Written and directed by Christopher Nolan of The Dark Knight Trilogy (2005-2012), Inception (2010), and Interstellar (2014) fame, Tenet is a spy film revolving around international espionage, time inversion and evolution.

Little information has been released about the plot, which features the Protagonist (played by John David Washington) on a mission to prevent World War III. Other cast members include Robert Pattinson and Elizabeth Debicki. The ideas behind Tenet reportedly took Nolan over twenty years to conceive.

3. Mulan

In Cinemas

August 20, 2020

Genre

Family/Action/Adventure

Synopsis

A live-action movie adapted from Disney’s animated film Mulan (1998), this film has been highly anticipated since its announcement. Hua Mulan (played by Yifei Liu), the eldest daughter of an honoured warrior takes her ailing father’s place in the Imperial Army.

Disguising herself as a man and enlisting into the army, she meets Commander Tung (played by Donnie Yen) and fellow recruit Chen Honghui (played by Yoson An) who become her mentor and ally as they defend the country from Northern Invaders. It is a story of self-discovery, filial piety and bravery.

4. The New Mutants

In Cinemas

August 27, 2020

Genre

Action/Horror/Sci-Fi

Synopsis

First announced for 2018, and repeatedly delayed due to Disney’s acquisition of 21st Century Fox as well as Covid-19, The New Mutants is finally set for a release in August. Five young mutants, played by Maisie Williams, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Heaton, Blu Hunt and Henry Zaga are just discovering their abilities as they band together to escape a secret facility holding them against their will.

The film is based on a group of teenage superheroes-in-training of the same name in Marvel’s comic series, which is a spin-off of the X-Men franchise. The film will, however, not be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

5. A Quiet Place Part II

In Cinemas

September 3, 2020

Genre

Horror/Thriller

Synopsis

After facing off extraterrestrial creatures that hunt by sound in the first film, the Abbott family leave the compromised safety of their home into the unknown dangers of the post-apocalyptic world—where they realise that other threats lurk beyond the sand path.

Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe reprise their roles as Evelyn Abbott, Regan Abbott and Marcus Abbott, with the film’s director-producer and screenwriter John Krasinski, appearing as the deceased Lee Abbott in flashback sequences.

6. The King’s Man

In Cinemas

September 17, 2020

Genre

Period/Action

Synopsis

Following the success of Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014) and Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017)—based on Dave Gibbon and Mark Millar’s comic series—The King’s Man is an unexpected prequel from director-producer Matthew Vaughn. Set in the early years of the 20th century, the film explores the history behind the secret intelligence agency’s creation and its fight against a collection of criminal masterminds.

Kingsman favourites Eggsy and Harry Hart won’t be making an appearance in this franchise—you’ll see them in the third Kingsman film—but a line-up lead by Ralph Fiennes as the Duke of Oxford, Harris Dickinson as Conrad, his protégé, will not disappoint. Expect more quintessential British charm, bespoke suits, and witty quotes.

7. Wonder Woman 1984

In Cinemas

October 1, 2020

Genre

Action/Adventure

Synopsis

Gal Gadot returns as Diana Prince in this sequel to Wonder Woman (2017) and the ninth instalment in the DC Extended Universe. Set during the Cold War of the 1980s, Diana comes into conflict with the Soviet Union and faces two new foes by the name of Maxwell Lord (played by Pedro Pascal) and the Cheetah (played by Kristen Wiig).

Returning cast members from the first film include Chris Pine, Robin Wright and Connie Nielsen.

8. Black Widow

In Cinemas

October 29, 2020

Genre

Action/Adventure

Synopsis

The first film in Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Black Widow follows the events of Captain America: Civil War (2016) as Natasha Romanoff (played by Scarlett Johansson) finds herself alone and faced with a dangerous conspiracy.

The movie sheds light into Black Widow’s history as a former KGB assassin and former agent of S.H.I.E.L.D, and introduces new characters from Natasha’s past—Black Widows Yelena Belova (played by Florence Pugh) and Melina Vostokoff (played by Rachel Weisz), and Red Guardian Alexei Shostakov (played by David Harbour), who act as her surrogate family.

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