Despite audience's craving for anything but the constant 'America at War' story on the networks, the major studios are having to make often enormously costly alterations to films at various stages of production. All the studios closed for a period in the wake of the attack for fear of further strikes.
Barry Sonnenfeld's comedy Big Trouble, starring Rene Russo and Tim Allen was scheduled for a 21 September release in the US but due to sensitive elements including a bomb on a plane the film has been pushed back.
Sonnenfeld's Men in Black 2, was shooting in New York on the fateful day and has since ceased production indefinitely, as has the animated adventure Ice Age.
The Spider-Man trailer has been pulled from its official website as it features a helicopter sequence including World Trade Centre. The film featured Spiderman actually spinning a web between the two towers.
Paramount has issued a red light to the release of romantic comedy for the title alone - Sidewalks of New York.
The terrorist ridden, The Sum of All Fears, adapted from a Tom Clancy novel of the same name was due for a 2002 release but is now stuck in post production.
In the UK, Swordfish was pulled from over 100 cinemas as terrorist acts in the plot were deemed insensitive.
An eerie story floated about that Jackie Chan was due to be shooting a scene for Nosebleed the day of the disaster. He was playing a window washer at the WTC and would have been hanging from one tower were it not for a tardy scriptwriter.
Perhaps the most sick example of twisted fate befell Warner Bros' Schwarzenegger vehicleCollateral Damage begins with a terrorist explosion in a skyscraper. Arnie plays a fireman bent on revenging his wife - killed in a terrorist incident. The film cost $100m to make (Sony have already spent $20m on advertising alone) and was due for release next week (Oct 1) but it is now possible that it won't be released at all. It is now in the hands of some very nervous film execs. Indeed, Christopher Goodwin in the Evening Standard said last week that Arnie's career has been put in jeopardy.
It is safe to say that cinema in the coming year will be dominated by extremely safe, feel good movies, most probably with the kind of powerful, pro-American undertones witnessed during WW2.
This week... Cinemas Admit record Year >>> Euro adds to UK's film woes >>> Britfilm Investment Sinks 10% in 2001 >>> (Stewart) Till We Meet Again >>> Jean-Marie's Mess >>> Snow White & The 7 Sequels >>> Brian Cox in Good Spirit >>> And also... >>>
Barry Sonnenfeld's comedy Big Trouble, starring Rene Russo and Tim Allen was scheduled for a 21 September release in the US but due to sensitive elements including a bomb on a plane the film has been pushed back.