Variety writes:
ShoWest has become a party to celebrate hot summer pics, but this year, most of the guests of honor won't be there.
Exhibitors at the Vegas confab, which runs through Thursday, are particularly bullish on this summer's tentpoles, with hopes of breaking all-time records.
But there will be no screenings or events to honor the latest entries in the "Spider-Man," "Shrek," "Pirates of the Caribbean," "Harry Potter," "Bourne" or "Ocean's" franchises, or new biggies such as "Transformers."
Pics expected to unspool in their entirety here include
New Line's "Hairspray," MGM's "Mr. Brooks," Paramount's "Disturbia," Picturehouse's "El Cantante" and Rogue's "Hot Fuzz."
The distribs are excited by these titles, which need equal amounts of exhibitor enthusiasm to protect them against the summer sequels.
"The Spectacle has, indeed, an emotional attraction of its own, but, of all the parts, it is the least artistic, and connected least with the art of poetry. For the power of Tragedy, we may be sure, is felt even apart from representation and actors. Besides, the production of spectacular effects depends more on the art of the stage machinist than on that of the poet."
--Aristotle
