Like most non-drive-in movie theaters in the Untied States, AMC movie theaters remain closed even as some parts of the country ease restrictions imposed to safeguard from the COVID-19 pandemic. And now we know just how much that has cost the theater chain: billions.

According to AMC’s first quarter filings, the rumors of “substantial doubt” AMC can survive the pandemic appear to be accurate. The company reported first quarter losses of $2.2 billion on Tuesday, according to Variety.

In a statement, the company said it is focused on its liquidity as it looks to fully reopen worldwide in July. Last week, the company said in filings that there were bankruptcy concerns, noting that “substantial doubt exists” about its ability to be “a going concern.”

“These are truly unprecedented times,” CEO Adam Aron said in a statement. “We are confident we are taking the necessary steps on a broad array of fronts to ensure AMC’s future success as we navigate these turbulent and uncertain times.”

Hollywood effectively shut down due to coronavirus, with no new movies in production and most slated for release getting pushed to the fall. As the coronavirus pandemic spread and theaters shut down, the chain’s very profitable Stubs A-List subscription program was paused as well. The company has a fairly new on-demand streaming service of its own, but it clearly can’t make up the losses of hundreds of theaters sitting silent while months of rent and other overhead piles up.

AMC banned Universal Studios films in the middle of its closures after the studio found success outside of the theater model by releasing Trolls World Tour exclusively on-demand. The true fallout from all of that is yet to be determined, as is whether there will be the same number of AMC theaters to release movies in when they can reopen.

In an earnings call with analysts shortly after numbers were disclosed, Aron downplayed suggestions that the company might be forced to contend with a cash crunch.

“In the end, AMC will both succeed and prosper,” he said.

What’s clear right now is that AMC is taking massive losses while they remain dark, and despite hopes they can reopen in July it will be an uncertain recovery once people can go back to the movies. Or even whether they will once it’s safe to do so.

[via Variety]

UFC president Dana White has made it official: UFC 251 will take place live from Fight Island at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi with a monster card featuring three title fights on July 11, he announced on Tuesday.

Due to current COVID-19 related travel restrictions for international fighters coming into the United States, White has secured the location that will host four events starting next month. The UFC 251 card will feature a slew of championship fights headlined by Kamaru Usman defending his welterweight crown against Gilbert Burns, who punished former champion Tyron Woodley for five rounds back on May 30. The announcement rules out Jorge Masvidal’s anticipated title shot against Usman as he continues to hold out for what he deems appropriate pay for a championship bout.

The undercard of the event will be highlighted by Max Holloway making his anticipated return in an attempt to reclaim the featherweight belt from Alex Volkanovski, while Petr Yan gets a chance at the vacant bantamweight belt against Jose Aldo.

“We are a true global business; we’re the only ones that are pulling off live sports right now,” White said. “And if I continue to do fights in the United States, I’m gonna burn out all my American talent. So now we’ve got Yas Island ready to go; it’s set up.”

The UFC will host three other events — all Fight Night events — after UFC 251 on July 15, 18, and 25. The area of Yas Island will include an arena, hotel, training facilities and dining establishments, with only athletes, coaches, UFC staff and limited personnel allowed, according to ESPN.

The UFC last hosted an event in Abu Dhabi when lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov defeated Dustin Poirier at UFC 242 in September of 2019.

There is a distinct style of animation in Disney films that has remained somewhat consistent since Walt Disney first created Oswald the Lucky Rabbit in 1927.

Human characters have slim necks, turned-up noses and large eyes with big pupils. Female characters have even larger eyes with exaggerated eyelashes.

Disney’s animals often resemble the movement of the creatures in nature with anthropomorphic features to give them human-like qualities. Its animated animals have mouths like people (because they talk) and ears set far back on the head.

The transformation of the traditional human and animal forms into Disney’s signature look is often referred to as “Disneyfication.”

Dutch illustrator Isa Bredt wanted to learn how to Disneyfi pictures of animals so she began asking for submissions of people’s pets on Reddit. “There was a subreddit where you could offer free art to people. I wanted to practice the Disney style, so I offered free drawings for people who would send me pictures of their pets,” she told Bored Panda.

But soon, she got so good at transforming people’s pets into Disney-esque characters, she was able to turn pro by accepting money on Patreon.

“I did this a few times and people really enjoyed it, though I wasn’t very good yet,” she explained. “Then, last summer, I decided to take on commissions as a summer job because I didn’t want to work in the food service industry again, and it went well enough that I decided to create an Instagram and do the commissions as a side job.”

Bredt draws most of her inspiration from the classic Disney films. Her favorite is The Lion King, but she also adores animal flicks like Lady and the Tramp,101 Dalmatians and The Aristocats.

Here is some of Bredt’s best work. You can follow her on Instagram and help fund her efforts on Patreon:

Pet_disneyfication/Instagram

Pet_disneyfication/Instagram

Pet_disneyfication/Instagram

Pet_disneyfication/Instagram

Pet_disneyfication/Instagram

Pet_disneyfication/Instagram

Pet_disneyfication/Instagram

Pet_disneyfication/Instagram

Pete Davidson’s The King of Staten Island hits, well, your streaming devices later this week. It’s a far cry from the intended release of the SNL regular’s feature-length work with director Judd Apatow, which was supposed to premiere at SXSW and instead opted for an all-digital release in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Despite the major adjustments to its release, the film is still getting a lot of hype. It’s a passion project for Davidson in particular, as it’s loosely based on his life in the New York City borough. It’s also a movie where Davidson was able to bring a member of his own family into the world of Hollywood: his grandfather.

In an interview with the Daily News’ Ed Symkus, Apatow explained why Davidson’s grandfather, Stephen, appeared in the movie to give an impassioned speech. The director said he, not Davidson, wrote what he was going to say, but noted it was by far Davidson’s “happiest” day on set while filming a very personal movie.

Pete spent a lot of time with his grandfather, Stephen. And when Stephen was a kid, his dad ran a movie theater, way back in the day. Stephen loves movies, and he was the one who would watch movies with Pete when Pete was a very little kid. So, a lot of Pete’s love for cinema is from his grandfather. It’s very meaningful to Pete that his grandfather is in the movie. I think that was Pete’s happiest day on the set.

It’s a lovely touch to a film that, while not outright biographical, includes a lot of details from Davidson’s life. In many ways it’s a potential look at an alternate reality of what Davidson’s life could have been, and thankfully both realities include a cinephile grandfather.

Defunding the police has been a topic of national debate in the wake of massive protests about systemic discrimination and police brutality in recent weeks, and it appears at least one police-centric show will no longer be on the air as a result.

Cops, the long-running reality show about law enforcement, was abruptly canceled after more than three decades on the air. The Hollywood Reporter said on Tuesday that Paramount Network, which was currently airing the show in syndication until new episodes were pulled last week, will now cancel the show altogether amid ongoing protests.

“Cops is not on the Paramount Network and we don’t have any current or future plans for it to return,” a network spokesperson said.

Paramount Network’s forerunner, Spike TV, picked up Cops in 2013 after it ended a 25-season run on Fox. The series continued following the 2018 rebranding of the channel as Paramount Network; it also had syndication rights to many past seasons.

Monday was supposed to be the start of Season 33 of the real-life police drama, which followed officers around as they did they policed various parts of the country. But a renewed interest in widespread police brutality has changed the perception of law enforcement in the eyes of many. Other shows, including A&E’s LivePD, also saw episodes pulled as a result of protests sparked by the death of George Floyd while in police custody. Meanwhile, other shows that have highlighted a very different side of policing have gained new attention in the transformative days that have followed.

There is a distinct style of animation in Disney films that has remained somewhat consistent since Walt Disney first created Oswald the Lucky Rabbit in 1927.

Human characters have slim necks, turned-up noses and large eyes with big pupils. Female characters have even larger eyes with exaggerated eyelashes.

Disney’s animals often resemble the movement of the creatures in nature with anthropomorphic features to give them human-like qualities. Its animated animals have mouths like people (because they talk) and ears set far back on the head.

The transformation of the traditional human and animal forms into Disney’s signature look is often referred to as “Disneyfication.”

Dutch illustrator Isa Bredt wanted to learn how to Disneyfi pictures of animals so she began asking for submissions of people’s pets on Reddit. “There was a subreddit where you could offer free art to people. I wanted to practice the Disney style, so I offered free drawings for people who would send me pictures of their pets,” she told Bored Panda.

But soon, she got so good at transforming people’s pets into Disney-esque characters, she was able to turn pro by accepting money on Patreon.

“I did this a few times and people really enjoyed it, though I wasn’t very good yet,” she explained. “Then, last summer, I decided to take on commissions as a summer job because I didn’t want to work in the food service industry again, and it went well enough that I decided to create an Instagram and do the commissions as a side job.”

Bredt draws most of her inspiration from the classic Disney films. Her favorite is The Lion King, but she also adores animal flicks like Lady and the Tramp,101 Dalmatians and The Aristocats.

Here is some of Bredt’s best work. You can follow her on Instagram and help fund her efforts on Patreon:

Pet_disneyfication/Instagram

Pet_disneyfication/Instagram

Pet_disneyfication/Instagram

Pet_disneyfication/Instagram

Pet_disneyfication/Instagram

Pet_disneyfication/Instagram

Pet_disneyfication/Instagram

Pet_disneyfication/Instagram

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Did you know that Michael Jordan really, really likes competing in stuff? It doesn’t really matter what, he just can’t get enough of having the chance to win something, so this week he took his fishing yacht, Catch 23, to North Carolina for the Big Rock Blue Marlin Fishing Tournament for some competition on the open water.

Tuesday was Day 2 of the competition and Jordan and his crew managed to land quite the fish as they hauled in and boated a 442 pound marlin to the delight of the assembled masses and Jordan himself, who posed next to the massive catch with the rest of his boatmates.

Jordan looks at least as pleased with this catch as he did for a couple of his championships with the Bulls, and any activity that allows you to smoke cigars while competing is something MJ is always going to be down for. The catch puts Jordan’s boat in sixth position on the leaderboard for largest catch, as the leading boat has a 494.2 pound monster. The Catch 23 boat will have through the 13th to try and top it.

Jordan’s fishing excursion comes a week after he pledged $100 million over the next decade to fight racial injustice, with a heavy emphasis on funding educational programs and scholarship opportunities for the Black community.

Indie music has grown to include so much. It’s not just music that is released on independent labels, but speaks to an aesthetic that deviates from the norm and follows its own weirdo heart. It can come in the form of rock music, pop, or folk. In a sense, it says as much about the people that are drawn to it as it does about the people that make it.

Every week, Uproxx is rounding up the best new indie music from the past seven days. This week we got a collection of raw demos from Phoebe Bridgers, a new ambient project from Strand Of Oaks, and another stunning single from Gordi.

Phoebe Bridgers — Inner Demos EP

On the first Friday of every month since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bandcamp has been waiving its fee for purchases through their platform. Last week, Phoebe Bridgers took advantage of the day’s added earnings by releasing an EP of demos for one day only and donating all of the proceeds to bail funds across the country. While the three-track Inner Demos collection is no longer available to stream or purchase, according to Carolyn Droke for Uproxx, the EP featured “‘voice memo’ versions of ‘Garden Song’ and ‘Kyoto,’ and a ‘spire demo’ of ‘I See You.’”

Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever — Sideways To A New Italy

With their new album, this Australian quintet hope to inspire hope. Their rollicking new alt rock album Sideways To A New Italy was written to be “some sort of bedrock of hopefulness to stand on, something to be proud of,” vocalist Fran Keaney said in a statement. “A lot of the songs on the new record are reaching forward and trying to imagine an idyll of home and love.”

Strand Of Oaks — Ambient For Change

Another Bandcamp fundraising effort this week comes from Strand Of Oaks, whose Ambient For Change project was released on Friday to benefit the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Along with his first ambient release, Timothy Showalter shared a statement, saying that the songs were written in the wake of the tragic violence across the country. “The one outlet that I have is music and the ability to create with the intention of helping,” he wrote. “I improvised these songs to try and give language to the overwhelming emotion I was feeling and to try in a small way to lend my voice of support.”

Westerman — Your Hero Is Not Dead

After rolling out a series of singles over the last few years, Will Westerman has unleashed his debut full-length album, an atmospheric and almost hallucinogenic collection of tracks that strikes a balance of optimism and existentialism. The album’s twelve tracks show Westerman’s mastery of soudscapes and synth melodies, making for a striking entry into the scene.

Covet — Technicolor

Sometimes, sounds can evoke colors. Fittingly, Covet’s sophomore full-length album is titled Technicolor, perfectly describing what the music makes you see when you close your eyes. With guitar pedal wizardry and emo-tinged instrumental trappings, this San Francisco, CA trio evokes visuals to create and invite you to join them in a new world.

Hinds — The Prettiest Curse

Hinds present a more polished version of themselves on their third LP. After spending two albums trying to defy pop music tropes and stick firmly in the world of garage rock and mind-boggling harmonies, The Prettiest Curse finds the Spanish band showing off their knack for hooks and pop melodies. It employs more “experimental” instrumentation than we’re used to hearing from the band, opening up a door to a world of possibilities for the quartet.

Gordi — “Unready”

With her sophomore album Our Two Skins just around the corner, Australian singer-songwriter Gordi has been delivering the goods with excellent singles to preview the forthcoming effort. “Unready” is a departure from the introspection and longing that makes up most of Our Two Skins, and instead “sheds light on the upcoming album’s more lively side” with a vocal track anchored by a modulated vocal, according to Carolyn Droke for Uproxx.

Amnesiac Scanner — “AS Flat (feat. Code Orange)”

Talk about a match made in heaven: glitchy German-based Finnish electronic producers Amnesiac Scanner have teamed up with Pittsburgh heavy metal outfit Code Orange to deliver “AS Flat,” a track that is equal parts intoxicating and horrifying. Glitchy and intense, “AS Flat” is the latest taste of Amnesiac Scanner’s forthcoming effort Tearless.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

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