On October 3, the producer announced the release time and introduced a trailer for the movie “Emancipation” with the participation of Will Smith. The film tells the story of a man who escapes slavery.
Previously, “Emancipation” was initially set to be released in 2022, Apple decided to postpone the film to 2023 after Will Smith got into controversy for slapping Chris Rock on stage at the Academy Awards. The actor publicly apologized for his actions, sharing an emotional video in June, but has largely stayed out of the public eye since the Oscars.
A few months ago, Apple was considered a formidable Oscar contender. After becoming the first streaming service to win an Oscar with “CODA,” the company is preparing to campaign for a series of titles throughout the fall.
However, summer releases like Sundance’s “Cha Cha Real Smooth” and Skydance Animation’s “Luck” failed to maintain the momentum, Peter Farrelly’s “The greatest beer run ever” was equally critically panned. at the Toronto International Film Festival and Martin Scorsese’s big-budget western “Killers of the Flower Moon” won’t be ready until 2023.
With a relatively slim slate of contenders, “Emancipation” is considered Apple’s best shot at making an impact in the upcoming Oscar race. Written by Bill Collage and produced by Todd Black, Joey McFarland and Jon Mone, the film stars Will Smith as a runaway known as “Ropped Peter.” The film was inspired by the real-life story of a man known as “Ropped Peter” after Harper’s Weekly published images in 1863 of large scars on his back from beatings. the whip he received as a slave.
As one of Apple’s highest-profile works, the film was once expected to be a candidate for an Oscar. But launching an awards season for the Will Smith movie is a complicated matter. Will Smith was banned from attending the Oscars for 10 years, but he was still eligible to be nominated and win. In 2022, Will Smith won the “Best Actor” award for playing the father of tennis legends Venus and Serena Williams in “King Richard”.
“Emancipation” will play exclusively in theaters for a week starting on December 2 and will premiere on the Apple TV+ streaming service on December 9. However, the short exclusive run in cinemas will also mean that “Emancipation”, like “CODA” will be mainly aimed at online audiences./.
