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New Movies to Watch This Week: Disney's 'Raya,' Amy Poehler's 'Moxie' and Eddie Murphy's Return
Peter Debruge, provided by
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It’s a very different landscape this week than it was a year ago, just before the pandemic forced cinemas to close around the country. Still, with New York cinemas cautiously reopening this week and many other markets determined to bring moviegoing back, the studios and indie distributors alike are bringing many of their long-delayed releases onto screens, albeit in an entirely new way.
For contrasting examples, look at how two of the majors are handling what were intended to be family film tentpoles: Paramount decided to bypass theaters entirely with “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run,” using the title to launch its new subscription service, Paramount Plus (audiences can also rent it, at a price of $19.99, for a limited time via PVOD platforms). Disney tested a similar approach with “Mulan” late last summer, and now unveils its latest animated princess movie, “Raya and the Last Dragon” — though that label disguises the many ways in which this one advances the formula — both in theaters and via Disney Plus (where it can be rented for a premium surcharge).