Directed by Angus MacLane, the animated film centers on Space Ranger Buzz (Chris Evans), who sets out to save his fellow astronauts after a year of being stranded on an intergalactic planet. Keke Palmer, Dale Soules, and Taika Waititi voice a group of astronaut recruits, while Uzo Aduba, James Brolin, Mary McDonald-Lewis, Efren Ramirez, and Isiah Whitlock Jr. round out the ensemble cast. Peter Sohn also voices an adorable robo-cat named Sox, who is Buzz’s sidekick....

In his report introduction, MPA chairman Charles Rivkin refers to the comeback stories that Hollywood loves but adds: “Most of us anticipate that things are unlikely to return to what is ‘normal’ anytime soon.” The numbers reflect a challenging year, but North America saw the best of it. Its decline was was 11 percent, to $32.2 billion, while foreign markets dropped 23 percent, to $48.2 billion. That discrepancy reflects the penetration of alternative platforms; it also may testify to the member companies’ ability to keep losses to a minimum....

I say “again” because, of course, first-time viewing earns first-screen priority — only-screen, really. But once-through won’t be enough, at least, if you’re anything like me. Once Apple TV+ shared a few screeners of Season 2 back in February, I re-watched Season 1, off and on, until the rest of the new episodes were provided in April. Finishing Season 2 for the first time just meant starting the whole series over, usually as I cleaned up the apartment or made the morning coffee — and a half-hour (or two) of “Mythic Quest” always gave me a more lasting jolt of energy than even the best cup of joe....

It could take shape as a platform release — a one-week qualifying run, possibly only in the area surrounding New York City. If worse comes to worst, it could end up being limited to a virtual cinema platform, and it might: Southern California theaters are already closed, and the New York region could follow suit. Sources indicate the full run would start February 19, nearly four weeks before the March 15 announcement of Oscar nominees....

This does not happen every day. It seems obvious now that Dublin-trained theater actor Mescal was perfect casting for “Normal People,” Lenny Abrahamson’s Element Pictures/BBC/Hulu adaptation of Sally Rooney’s sexy 2018 bestseller. He plays Sligo working-class jock Connell, who keeps secret his liaison with Marianne (Daisy Edgar-Jones), a posh loner over-achiever. Their relationship ebbs and flows over four years. His mother, who works as a maid for Marianne’s household, is the only one who figures out what’s going on....

Exhibition fought off encroachments for decades, but theaters have never been so weak. Some theater owners would like to cast these new precedents as COVID-era exception, but neither the AMC-Universal deal nor Cinemark’s willingness to play films with limited window would happen if theaters felt there was an alternative. There’s another, more optimistic element that may also be in play. By addressing VOD head on, AMC and Cinemark are becoming active participants in its future....

After West claimed Tarantino’s film “Django Unchained” borrowed from his ideas for the 2005 “Gold Digger” music video starring Jamie Foxx, Tarantino weighed in to share his side of the story. “There’s no truth to the idea that Kanye West came up with the idea of ‘Django’ and then he told that to me, and I go, ‘Hey, wow, that’s a really great idea. Let me take Kanye’s idea and make ‘Django Unchained’ out of it,’” Tarantino said on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!...