More movies playing in more theaters this Friday

Above : A scene from the animated film “Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train,” which opens on Friday. (Photo/Aniplex America)

Movie fans take note: As time passes, more and more theaters are opening.

I’ve written about AMC River Park Square and the Magic Lantern both getting back into the business of screening films. Let’s add Village Centre Cinemas Wandermere to the list.

Among the several films that are showing in both mainstream theaters, here is what’s opening on Friday.

“Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train” : A sequel to the 2019 anime television series, this animated film – described as a “dark fantasy period action film” – sees demon slayer Tanjiro Kamado and his pals head out to a new mission on the Mugen Train. You’ll be able to choose between screenings dubbed in English or, at least at AMC River Park Square, in the original Japanese with English subtitles.

And the movie sounds better than you might think. As G. Allen Johnson of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote, “This is not only a film about battles between humans and demons, but also a character-building buddy movie about maturation.”

“Mortal Kombat”: Another in the series of films based on the videogame franchise, this martial arts fantasy offering is directed by Simon McQuoid and stars Lewis Tan, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawton, et al. It features, as the old Carl Douglas song suggest, a lot of people Kung Fu fighting.

This one might be aimed a bit more at fans of the genre. As Peter Gray of The AU Review wrote, the film “Proves victorious in its intent to wipe the slate of previous incarnations clean and set a precedent for what is possible within the genre.”

Time to mask up and go to the movies. If you do go, though, just remember: Keep your conversations to a whisper.

You’re no longer watching in your own living room.