Star Trek halted by pig plague

Paramount has postponed the scheduled 8 May Mexican launch of JJ Abrams' Star Trek, although the rest of the cinematic "major territories" will get to enjoy the film on that date, whether potential customers are still alive or not. The move follows Twentieth Century Fox's decision to knock back the Mexican release of X-Men …

[Dabooka]

I'll move to Mexico tomorrow and risk it....

if it means I don't have to be dragged to see Angels and Demons.

[Elmer Phud]

Muppets

Pigs in Space to replace Star Trek. No-one will notice the difference.

[Eddie Edwards]

Good move

Don't want those, er, film canisters to get poorly, do we?

[Stefan]

Angels and Demons...

...is a prequel, from the chronological point of view of the plot... just in case there is still somebody alive out there :-/

[Anonymous Coward]

Don't make me say it (again)

Piiiiiiiigs iiiiiiiin Spaaaaaace!

[Chris]

Animated film?

Last I heard, these films were all inanimate objects, incapable of contracting diseases. What purpose is served by delaying the release other than not deflating the per screen BO numbers?

[amanfromMars]

Life's a Bitch and a Crap Blockbuster Movie Script. ...and Holywood can do much Better *....

.... with AI Betas.

Decisions, decisions, decisions. And thanks for that exciting news, El Reg ...... which just about says it all, I think.

*A Joint IntelAIgents AIdDVenture, Courtesy of Deadhead Productions and Universal Virtual Forces Introducing Immaculately Resourced Assets.

[Rob McDougall]

Easy answer

Release all of the films together as soon as the crisis is over. The survivors can enjoy the films for months as the rest of the world will be done with all of their prints.......

[richard]

to boldly go....

....where someone's got a sniffle from pedro's dodgy beach fleapit....

please wake me up when we've got a new scaremonger story....haven't the illegal immigrants done anything wrong this week?

[Tom Paine]

New shorthand

Courtesy of a UK medic's twittering: "pork cough". C'mon El Reg, "pig plague" doesn't quite cut it ;)

[Luis Ogando]

Angels & Demons Solutions

If you REALLY want to see Angels & Demons ahead of the release date, simply get The DaVinci Code on DVD from your local Blockbusters.

Both stories start almost exactly the same way and, once you fall asleep, you won't need (or want) to see the rest!

Paris, 'cos her Angel's been Demon'd a fair few times (allegedly).

[Anonymous Coward]

Go and play with the sick people son...

Now is the best time to catch Swine flu if you are outside of Mexico. You are very unlikely to die. You will get Tamiflu before it runs out. If necessary you will get hospital treatment before they are swamped. And you will get a degree of immunity in case it subsequently mutates into something more virulent. Mexico anyone?

[Dave]

yup

Force the good people of mexico into America to watch the film. That'll stop the problem spreading, force the people to travel. If only the WHO had thought of that we wouldn't be in this crazy mess!

[Anonymous Coward]

@Chris

Delaying the release means that you won't have large groups of people congregating in cinemas for a couple of hours at a time, spreading the infection. Though you'd think that it would make sense to wait for the authorities in Mexico to close the Cinemas before taking the pre-emptive step of cancelling the release.

[Martin Lyne]

Why delay release?

Well, take a viral outbreak, then entice large numbers of people to congregate in a confined space with minimal person-to-person distances. Haven't you ever watched Outbreak? NEVER OPEN YOUR MOUTH IN A CINEMA!

[Ben Tasker]

@Chris

I'd hazard a guess and say that the films are being delayed so that you don't get a room full of people cluttered in with each other unnecessarily. There are some who would probably brave the worst epidemic to see the movie and if one of them happens to sneeze.........

Whether it really makes another difference is something else.

Can we have a biohazard icon?

[Bucky]

Naive much?

Oh, you people.

The film company's NOT delaying the release because it doesn't want people to cram into a theatre and get sick.

It's delaying the release because it believes people will stay home in an effort to protect their health, and ticket sales will be down.

It's about maximizing revenue. Sheesh!

[Oninoshiko]

@Ben

there is another reason... not only would they brave the "Pork Death," but they wouldn't brave a shower.

the Jolly Rodger, because pirates are known to bathe about as often as most trekkies...

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Naive much?

Well said!!!!

- philanthropy and the major film company...mutually exclusive scenario!!

[Anonymous Coward]

Do you guys know...

..that we may be the only surviving humans on the planet right here. We, the sole survivors of The Day of the Pigs? And that all we see on the telly are re-runs hashed by Skynet?

Er.. what do you mean I don't get out much?

[Dennis]

I am Legend.

They will all just have to wait until Will Smith comes up with a vacine or............

oh yes thats right it was just the crapola Hollywood remake where he discovers the vacine, in the original book everybody dies and a new world order is established. Strange there was nothing in the film about a credit crunch. I blame Emma Thompson. She should be rounded up a shipped to mexico to see the suffering her cure for cancer has caused..........

Can we have a Will Smith Icon?

[Rob]

Listen to Bucky

It's nothing to do with infections it's all to do with sales figures for the film.

A whole country not turning up to see your film as expected will have a dramatic effect on global box office sale figures.

[Andus McCoatover]

Funny, that...

I was giving the missus a "nice piece of pork" last night and she sneezed at the end.

Guess even "making bacon" is more dangerous than a trip to Mexico....

<gorrit>

[Anonymous Coward]

Or...

Perhaps they are just waiting for the Cinemas to re-open?

[Steven]

Star Trek halted by pig plague

I bet they're all gutted ...

[Anonymous Coward]

What about the Danish

how's their film industry handling things ?

(Mmmm, bacon in case anyone was wondering about the Danish reference)