Apple Reveals Its First Films to Get Theatrical Releases

Apple is officially heading to the theater.

The company has announced theatrical release dates for its upcoming features: The Banker, Hala and documentary The Elephant Queen. The three titles will screen in multiplexes in select cities before hitting the tech giants’ upcoming streaming service, Apple TV+, which will launch Nov. 1.

The Elephant Queen will open in select cities Oct. 18 followed by a streaming date of Nov. 1. The doc from Victoria Stone and Mark Deeble was the first feature film purchase for the tech giant out of last year’s Toronto Film Festival.

Hala, which became Apple’s first narrative feature acquisition out of Sundance, opens Nov. 22 in select theaters with a streaming date on AppleTV+ in December. 

The Banker, starring Samuel L. Jackson and Anthony Mackie, will open in theaters Dec. 6. before debuting on Apple TV+ in January.

It is unclear how many theaters the films will arrive in when they are released, but Apple has enlisted former Imax entertainment president Greg Foster to consult on release strategy.

Additionally, a theatrical plan for Apple feature On the Rocks has yet to be revealed. The father-daughter feature that will reteam director Sofia Coppola and star Bill Murray is being produced by A24, which has a multiyear agreement with the tech giant to produce a slate of features. 

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