What's streaming this weekend: Indiana Jones, Paris Hilton, Super Mario and 'Ladies of the 80s'
This weekโs new entertainment releases include albums from Dove Cameron and Peter Gabriel, Harrison Fordโs last hurrah as Indiana Jones swings onto Disney+ and Elvis will be honored with a starry special โChristmas at Gracelandโ featuring Post Malone, Alanis Morissette, John Legend, Kacey Musgraves and Kane Brown.
Gov. DeSantis, Orlando theme park leaders urge visitors to come back
Ron DeSantis on Wednesday praised the response of Orlando-area theme parks to the COVID-19 pandemic as park leaders urged patrons to return. During a round table event at Universal Studios, DeSantis said Central Florida was one of the hardest-hit areas in the state in terms of economic impact due to coronavirus shutdowns. Between March 1 and June 30, people visiting Central Florida decreased by 67% compared to the same period last year, DeSantis said, and hotel room demand in Central Florida decreased between March 1 and June 30 year-over-year by 75%. The major Central Florida theme parks, which each employ thousands of people, were forced to shut down in March at the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak and have slowly reopened in recent months. So were hoping if we can increase visitation increase our hours, increase capacity, we can bring those people back and get them working again, Sprouls said.
AMC, Universal agree to shrink theatrical window to 17 days
NEW YORK In a sign of how the pandemic is remaking Hollywood traditions, AMC Theatres and Universal Studios on Tuesday announced an agreement to shorten the exclusive theatrical window to just 17 days for the studio's films. The standard window of theatrical exclusivity typically runs about 90 days. The shortened window only applies to premium video-on-demand which often means digital rentals of $20 not standard on-demand or other home platforms. The deal repairs a rift between AMC, the world's largest theater chain, and Universal, which is owned by Comcast Corp. The theatrical experience continues to be the cornerstone of our business," said Donna Langley, chairman of Universal Filmed Entertainment Group.
SCRAPPED: Universal cancels Halloween Horror Nights
ORLANDO, Fla. Add Halloween Horror Nights to the list of events that wont happen this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Universal Orlando announced Friday that it has canceled Halloween Horror Nights to focusing exclusively on operating its theme parks for its daytime guests. Universal Studios Florida, Universals Islands of Adventure and Universals Volcano Bay were all closed in mid-March to stop the spread of COVID-19. BREAKING: Universal Orlando has canceled this year's Halloween Horror Nights due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This year would have marked Halloween Horror Nights 30th anniversary.
Report: Boy injured on thrill water ride at Universal
ORLANDO, Fla. Authorities found a 9-year-old boy unresponsive on a thrill water ride at Universal Orlandos Volcano Bay a couple of weeks after the theme park reopened after a shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. The child was taken to a hospital for treatment and was released the following day, Universal spokesman Tom Schroder told the Orlando Sentinel. The report covers the period from April through June, when most of the state's theme parks were closed. Passengers on the ride, which is atop the iconic volcano, go through drop doors into enclosed tubes before splashing into a pool. They only include the persons sex and age, along with the name of the ride, date of the incident and limited details.
Phase 2 of reopening Florida good news for tourism economy
Thatโs good news for the stateโs economy, but recent increases in COVID-19 cases have some warning visitors to use caution before planning that next vacation. As part of Phase Two, theme parks can operate at 50% capacity. Universal opened at 35% capacity on Friday, and Disney wonโt begin opening its parks until July. But Orlando State Sen. Linda Stewart is urging caution before racing off to the theme parks. If youโd like to see the COVID-19 tourism data collected by Visit Florida for yourself, click here.
States jockey to host Trump as he accepts GOP nomination
The Universal Studios theme park reopened today for season pass holders and will open to the general public on Friday. (AP Photo/John Raoux)WASHINGTON Several states are vying to host President Donald Trump when he accepts his partys nomination later this year, after Trump officially pulled the plug on North Carolina because of the state's concerns over the coronavirus. But Trump has made clear that he will not be accepting the nomination in Charlotte and will be holding his made-for-TV event somewhere else. Meanwhile, Florida's Republican Party said its state is ready to roll out the red carpet for the delegates who will formally nominate Trump. During a news conference in Orlando, Gov.
Florida unemployment rate triples in April to nearly 13%
The national unemployment rate reached 14.7% in April, up from 3.5% in February, reaching levels not seen since the Great Depression of the 1930s. The states previous record unemployment rate since World War II was 11.3% in early 2010. Still, Florida hasn't been hit as hard as some other tourism-reliant states Nevada's unemployment rate hit 28% in April and Hawaii's reached 22%. Because the state's unemployment rate now exceeds 10.5%, benefits will be extended from 13 weeks to 23 weeks but not until October. The state's unemployment system suffered an apparently small data breach, it was announced late Thursday.
SeaWorld closing its theme parks for the rest of March
Add SeaWorld to the list of amusement parks now closing their doors over coronavirus concerns. On Friday, the theme park joined Disney and Universal Studios in announcing it would shut down for the rest of March as a precautionary measure. Starting on Monday, the company will temporarily close all its theme parks across the country, including SeaWorld Orlando and Busch Gardens in Florida. โWe are monitoring this COVID-19 (coronavirus) situation closely and coordinating with public health officials,โ the company said in a statement. For more information please visit https://t.co/VJihdaNges pic.twitter.com/M4vJSPfZ5J โ SeaWorld (@SeaWorld) March 13, 2020For a complete list of frequently asked questions, visit SeaWorldโs website.