Several Hollywood Premieres Canceled Amid Los Angeles Wildfires

A slew of Los Angeles premieres have been canceled due to the devastating fires in southern California.

Amazon MGM Studios and Universal Studios scrapped their planned Tuesday night premieres of “Unstoppable” and “Wolf Man.” 

Meanwhile, Paramount and Max canceled their Wednesday “Better Man” and “The Pitt” premieres.

“Due to the dangerous conditions affecting Los Angeles we are canceling tomorrow’s premiere of ‘Better Man,'” a Paramount spokesperson said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with those impacted by the devastating fires resulting from these conditions, and we encourage everyone to stay safe and follow guidance and orders from local officials and government agencies.”

HBO and Max echoed a similar sentiment in a statement reading, “Out of an abundance of caution due to the ongoing Palisades Fire and continued wind advisories through tomorrow, we are canceling Wednesday’s premiere event for ‘The Pitt.’ The safety and well-being of our attendees, staff, and community are our top priority. We are grateful for the first responders bravely working to protect our community, and our thoughts are with those affected. Stay safe!”.

“Unstoppable,” the biographical wrestling drama about Anthony Robles starring Jharrel Jerome and Jennifer Lopez, had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival but was set to have a red carpet and screening Tuesday at the DGA in West Hollywood. 

Arrivals were to begin at about 5:30 before ending in time for a 7 p.m. screening. 

Jerome and Lopez were expected to attend as were cast members Don Cheadle, Michael Peña, Mykelti Williamson and director William Goldenberg. Robles and his mom Judy Robles were attending, too.

“In light of today’s safety concerns around heightened wind activity and fire outbreaks in Los Angeles, we regret to inform you that we are canceling tonight’s premiere of ‘Unstoppable,'” the studio said in a statement Tuesday afternoon. “As much as we were looking forward to celebrating this wonderful and inspiring film with you, safety is our first priority. We encourage everyone to watch ‘Unstoppable’ on Prime Video, which will be available globally on January 16. Thank you for your understanding and please stay safe.”

“Unfortunately, tonight’s premiere of ‘Wolf Man’ is canceled due to sensitivities around the worsening weather situation in LA and related evacuations,” a Universal rep said in an email to premiere attendees for the horror film starring Christopher Abbott and Julia Garner.

Netflix also cancelled a planned evening event in Hollywood celebrating the music of “Emilia Pérez” with star Karla Sofía Gascón and songwriters/composers Camille & Clément.

Homes in the foothills of the Palisades were given evacuation orders on Tuesday morning as the fire consumed more than 200 acres of dry bush. 

The National Weather Service projected that this week could bring the strongest Santa Ana windstorm in over a decade, with gusts potentially reaching 80mph early Wednesday (with isolated gusts of up to 100mph in foothills and mountains).

“HEADS UP!!! A LIFE-THREATENING, DESTRUCTIVE, Widespread Windstorm is expected Tue afternoon-Weds morning across much of Ventura/LA Co. Areas not typically windy will be impacted,” The NWS Los Angeles shared on X. “Stay indoors, away from windows, expect power outages.”

The extreme winds prompted President Biden to cancel his scheduled Tuesday trip to the Eastern Coachella Valley, where he was to announce two new national monuments honoring Native American tribes.

Actor James Woods shared a series of photos and videos on X from the affected area as he evacuated, writing, “We were blessed to have LA fire and police depts doing their jobs so well. We are safe and out. There are several elementary schools in our neighborhood and there was an enormous community effort to evacuate the children safely. Can not speak more highly of the LA fire and LAPD.”