Unhinged director prepares for unprecedented release

ATLANTA - As we’ve been reporting on Good Day Atlanta, AMC Theatres are beginning their phased reopening process today, with eight Atlanta-area AMC locations welcoming back movie-goers.  And while many of the films playing on screens will be popular classics — there will be some new options for film fans, including the Solstice Studios thriller Unhinged starring Russell Crowe and directed by Derrick Borte.

After several delays due to the ongoing pandemic, Unhinged finally opens in theatres this weekend, becoming the first major film to get a nationwide release since theatres initially shut down.  This means it’s nearly impossible to predict what kind of business the film will bring in, something director Borte says is both thrilling and nerve-wracking.

“It starts off with excitement.  You know, obviously you’ve been working for so long on a project, and then to hear that you’re going to get out there and get eyes on it is great,” he says.  “But then, very quickly, that little voice says, ‘Okay, now there’s a lot of pressure to make sure that the experience is safe.’  To make sure that between the studio and the theatre chains and the health departments…that they’re doing the right thing.”

Unhinged has already opened in several other counties, topping the box office in Australia and the U.K.  But back here at home, Borte says this weekend is as unpredictable as the film itself.

“I mean, yeah, we don’t know what the new normal really is.  The rest of the world has shown us that people are coming out to the theatre.  We’re doing really well and being well-received everywhere else,” the director says.  “People are happy to be able to go out to the theatre again, to escape their daily life for those 90 minutes.  I think as long as it’s a safe experience, which we think it is, and people get to go to the movies and get to have this thrill ride…I think it’s a good thing no matter how you look at it.”

For more of our interview with Unhinged director Derrick Borte, click the video player in this article.