Remember back when Disney acquired most of Fox? Well, Disney also got their hands on lot of classic movies from the Fox archives from the merger. And, despite announcing their plans to utilize some of the more popular acquired movie franchises and titles, Vulture revealed that the Mouse has been doing something sinister to all the other films.
Apparently when a man named Joe Neff, the director of 24-Hour Science Fiction and Horror Marathons at the Drexel Theater in Columbus, requested permission to screen some of 20th Century Fox’s classic horror flicks- The Omen and the Jeff Goldblum remake of The Fly- he was shockingly denied. The Fly and The Omen may not be the most popular movies in the world, but they are still considered classics.
While it’s too bad for Neff, his denial is only a small symptom of a much larger problem. Many other theaters and festivals are being denied the right to screen classic Fox movies now owned by Disney, including Alien, Aliens, Say Anything, The Princess Bride, Moulin Rouge, and Fight Club. And those movies are as far from obscure as one can get. Probably because it’s so financially successful, The Rocky Horror Picture Show is one of the few movies that Disney isn’t restricting.
It looks like Disney is restricting theaters’ access to screen some older Fox titles, and their policy on these restrictions vary from theater to theater. This is troubling news because who knows what classic film goodies Disney will also toss into their vault. And who knows when, or if, they ever plan on letting these flicks out.
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