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Yes, You Can Still See 'Die Hard' & 'Home Alone' In LA This Holiday Season (Even Though Disney Bought Fox)
You don't need to feel like this about holiday movie screenings this season. (Courtesy Disney)
Fox made a lot of great movies over the years. Now that they've been bought by Disney, what does it mean for seeing all of those Fox films?
People who program theatrical screenings for classic movies have expressed concerns that it may be harder to screen Fox pictures under Disney's regime. But at least here in Southern California, there are still options for seeing two of the most perennially popular Fox holiday movies: Die Hard and Home Alone.
See our full list below.
Disney didn't respond to request for comment, nor did multiple L.A. theaters, theater chains, and local screening series, including several that screened Die Hard last year but didn't this year. But meanwhile, the Montálban in Hollywood already screened both Die Hard and Home Alone earlier this month as part of their rooftop screening series.
"I've been asking the crew about this," the Montalbán's Gil Smith said, "and there hasn't been any kind of dramatic change with the acquisition, from our perspective."
However, Smith said that regular theaters that screen current movies may see a change in policy. IndieWire reports that it appears that pure repertory house theaters are allowed to screen Fox movies, as well as some first-run theaters -- but only if they don't play Disney or Fox films.
Smith explained the Montalbán's process for licensing movies for screenings. They start with a list of movies they'd like to screen, then reach out to see if those films are available.
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"What is standard is, when the major studios are about to release a newer version or a sequel, they'll usually embargo the previous films for a month prior," Smith said.
You don't need to climb through an air duct to find these screenings. (Courtesy Disney)
Here's where you can find a certain holiday action spectacular, along with a kid versus criminals, this holiday season:
DIE HARD
- Wednesday, Dec. 18: Aero Theatre (with comedian Greg Proops)
- Christmas Eve -- Tuesday, Dec. 24, afternoon showing: New Beverly Cinema
- Christmas Eve -- Tuesday, Dec. 24, evening showing: New Beverly Cinema (with The Silent Partner in a double feature)
HOME ALONE
- Friday, Dec. 20: Street Food Cinema
- Christmas Eve -- Tuesday, Dec. 24: Melrose Rooftop Theatre
- Wednesday, Dec. 26: New Beverly Cinema (with Dial Code Santa Claus in a double feature)
BONUS: HOME ALONE 2: LOST IN NEW YORK
- Tuesday, Dec. 17: Melrose Rooftop Theatre
And if you have trouble finding a screening of one of the Home Alone movies, you have another major way to watch them now: the Disney+ streaming service. They are among the selection of Fox films currently available for streaming on Disney+.
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Watch trailers for Die Hard and Home Alone below:
You can also watch last year's Google Assistant ad featuring a grown-up Macaulay Culkin right here:
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