RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Moviegoers who planned to see the 50-Cent backed “Moses the Black” earlier this year but saw it abruptly dropped from theater lineups will get a second chance this weekend when it screens at a South Side community center.
The film’s producers say the crime drama, which is set and primarily filmed on Chicago’s West Side and stars Omar Epps, was pulled from nearly 300 theaters the weekend of Jan. 30, the same weekend that the Jeff Bezos-backed documentary “Melania,” about First Lady Melania Trump , opened. They say the cancellation days before release happened “under pressure” to make way for “Melania.”
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“It was extremely jarring, and it was difficult to digest,” said Alexandros Potter, producer of the film. Potter is the husband and business partner of the film's co-producer, writer and director Yelena Popovic. Potter said his team learned the film was being pulled just days before the expected Jan. 30 premiere.
“We got an email from our distributor, Fathom Entertainment,” said Potter, informing him his film would be pulled from select locations.
“It was a casual email,” he said. “Just saying, ‘Oh, by the way, AMC is pulling screens where there are no advance ticket sales, and where there are less than 24 screens on that site.” Fathom Entertainment is jointly owned by AMC Theaters, Regal and Cinemark, the three largest theater chains in the United States.
Producer Alexandros Potter got the news of the film’s cancellation through a casual email from Fathom Entertainment. Fathom Entertainment is jointly owned by AMC Theaters, Regal and Cinemark, the three largest theater chains in the United States.
Giacomo Cain/Sun-Times
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AMC and Fathom Entertainment did not provide comment before publication time.
After running numbers on his own, Potter realized that would mean cancelling screenings at 298 theaters nationwide, including 28 in Illinois, and 20 in Chicago.
“I picked up the phone, called the distributor, and said, ‘What is going on?’” Potter recalled.
On a call with Fathom’s executive team, Potter said they were "embarrassed" and didn’t know what happened. “They said this has never happened before,” said Potter. “They [Fathom] didn't have an exact answer as to how or why this decision was made.”
Omar Epps stars as Malik in “Moses the Black,” which was primarily filmed on Chicago’s West Side.
Courtesy of Simeon Entertainment
“Moses the Black” will be screened at the AFC World Outreach Center in Auburn Gresham on Friday night. The event will include a Black carpet entry at 6 p.m. followed by the film at 7 p.m. An afterparty and Q&A meet-and-greet with cast members will conclude the night.
Yelena Popovic told WBEZ in January that she intended to craft a story that would provide a positive message to Chicago.“I wasn’t only trying to have an accurate portrayal of Chicago, I wanted to bring an incredible message of redemption,” she said.
“Moses the Black” screening
When : Friday, Aug. 28 at 7 p.m. Where : AFC World Outreach Center, 7859 S. Ashland Ave. Tickets : $10 at the door. The first 200 people to register to vote onsite receive free admission.
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