Limited screenings for Chinese action films from Yuen Woo-ping and Zhang Yimou at AMC Fitchburg
Plan ahead if you want to see Blades of the Guardians or Scare Out on the big screen at AMC Fitchburg 18
Scroll down for Now Showing in Madison, February 16–23, 2026
Monday posts will now feature some short notes on various cinematic topics, followed by the Now Showing in Madison guide to commercial theaters and alternative venues.
First, I want to give a shout out to Alex at The Horizon Line Madison for giving everyone a heads up in his Screening Report 2/11/26 that there would only be limited screenings at AMC Fitchburg this week for the new films from Yuen Woo-ping and Zhang Yimou, Blades of the Guardians and Scare Out, respectively. Well done, Alex! These films were not on my radar until you pointed them out for this week.
Yuen Woo-ping is the 80-year-old legendary action choreographer and director whose Hollywood action choreography credits include The Matrix, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and the Kill Bill films. As a director in Hong Kong, he’s best known for the films that made Jackie Chan a star, including Snake in Eagle’s Shadow and Drunken Master (both 1978).
Blades of the Guardians is based on a Chinese manhua (comic) written and illustrated by Xianzhe Xu starting in 2015. This live-action adaptation stars Wu Jing, Tony Leung Ka-fai, and Jet Li (in his first major role since the 2020 live-action Mulan).
Of the two weekday screenings of Blades of the Guardians this week, only one is an evening screening. So, if you’re working 9-to-5 most weekdays, your only chance to see it will be Tuesday, February 17 at 7:50pm.
Blades of the Guardians at AMC Fitchburg 18
Tuesday, February 17, 7:50pm
Wednesday, February 18, 4:50pm
This limited programming reminds me of the mid-day only screenings during the second half of the run for The Testament of Ann Lee at AMC. Maybe I’m thinking about this too much, but perhaps AMC is experimenting with screening times for international and independent features knowing that their target audience members might be willing to plan ahead and take a few workday hours off every once in a while.
I know that there are at least a few readers of this newsletter who would not have a problem working out a 4:50pm screening if they knew they only had limited chances to see a film. I wonder if market research has pointed AMC in this direction. Who knows? We’ll see if a pattern emerges.
What I do know is that most AMC Theaters screening Blades of the Guardians will not limit its two-day run to one mid-day and one evening screening, according to the website of the film’s North American distributor, Well Go USA.
That said, AMC Fitchburg is not the most limited in terms of available screening times across the country. AMC Katy Mills (Katy, Texas) only has two screenings at 3:50pm. AMC Loews Cherry Hill 24 (Cherry Hill, NJ) has almost all of its screenings at or around 5:00pm or earlier.
The theater I could find with the most screenings of Blades of the Guardians per day during its run, curiously enough, is not an AMC theater. Cinemark Century Rio Plex 24 in Alburquerque, New Mexico, will have a whopping five screenings per day on February 17, 18, and 19. My scan of the Well Go USA website was pretty quick, so there may be a more generous theater. But this one really stuck out. Who knew New Mexico had so many wuxia fans?
Zhang Yimou has had quite the international filmmaking career since his breakout films in the late 1980s and early 1990s (Red Sorghum; Ju Dou; Raise the Red Lantern; The Story of Qiu Ju). After a renewed international interest in martial arts films thanks to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Zhang directed a several big-budget wuxia films like Hero (2002); House of Flying Daggers (2004); Curse of the Golden Flower (2006) and Shadow (2018). The last Zhang film I’ve seen in the theaters was the historical drama Full River Red in 2023, which was the highest-grossing domestic film in China that year.
Scare Out is Yimou’s first venture into contemporary spy thrillers, and it reunites him with one of the stars of Full River Red, Jackson Yee (who is also famous as a singer and member of the boy band TFBoys). For UW-Cinematheque fans, you’ll recognize Jackson Yee from Bi Gan’s Resurrection, which played at the Ctek recently.
Thankfully, Scare Out will play for two evening screenings on Tuesday, February 17 and Wednesday, February 18, which will allow for the possibility of seeing both Scare Out and Blades of the Guardians if you are so inclined and have two consecutive evenings for Chinese cinema.
Scare Out at AMC Fitchburg 18
Tuesday, February 17, 8:00pm
Wednesday, February 18, 7:20pm
Only a few advance tickets have been sold for the evening screenings, but be aware that both Scare Out and Blades of the Guardians will play in relatively small auditoriums, so keep an eye on ticket availability and plan in advance if you want to catch either of these films.
First sign of spring: The 2026 Wisconsin Film Festival First Look, Wednesday, March 4, 7:00pm at Flix Brewhouse
I haven’t gone to one of these in a while (and it’s not on my schedule for this year), but the Wisconsin Film Festival First Look event can be fun, especially if you want to see trailers to help you pick films, and if you want a leg up on securing your tickets.
This year the First Look takes place on Wednesday, March 4, 7:00pm at Flix Brewhouse. The price of admission is pretty steep ($50 advance, $60 door) but ultimately its value depends on whether you would like to make a donation to support the continued existence of the Festival each year.
Regardless of whether you plan to go, the First Look is good news, because it means that the Festival schedule will be released the following day, Thursday, March 5, in the March issue of Isthmus (and available online, of course, at the Festival website.)
The dates for the 2026 Wisconsin Film Festival are Thursday, April 9 through Thursday, April 16, 2026.
Now Playing In Madison: February 16–23, 2026
Please confirm showtimes with the venues (follow venue links where provided). The commercial theaters update their weekend listings on Wednesdays. Another Now Playing source that posts on Wednesdays is The Horizon Line Madison.
Comments here are not reviews of the films, they are usually a response to the trailer, a summary of the buzz I have heard, or just snark. They are not always particularly accurate, according to reader feedback. I add trailers to new films of interest that you might not know about (American indies, international features, etc.).
Duck Soup Cinema at Overture Center
PETER PAN (1924), Saturday, February 21, 2pm & 7pm. See my notes from last week about the 1924 reception of the film.
UW Cinematheque
A POET, 4070 Vilas Hall, Thursday, February 19, 7 p.m.
Simón Mesa Soto, Colombia, Germany, Sweden, 2025, 120 min. A middle-aged seemingly failed poet mentors a talented young girl. This won the Jury Prize in Un Certain Regard at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.
JACOB’S LADDER, 4070 Vilas Hall, Friday, February 20, 7 p.m.
Adrian Lyne, USA, 1990, 119 min.
HARAKIRI, 4070 Vilas Hall, Saturday, February 21, 7 p.m.
Masaki Kobayashi, Japan, 1962, 133 min.
THE COLOR PURPLE, Chazen Museum, Sunday, February 22, 2 p.m.
Steven Spielberg, USA, 1985, 152 min.
Wisconsin Union Directorate Film
THE LIBRARIANS (2025), Union South Marquee Theater, Thursday, 2/19, 6:30 p.m.
MONSTER (2023), Union South Marquee Theater, Friday, 2/20, 6 p.m.
BUGONIA (2025) [OPEN CAPTION SCREENING], Union South Marquee Theater, Friday, 2/20, 9 p.m.
THE WOOD (1999) [OPEN CAPTION SCREENING], Union South Marquee Theater, Saturday, 2/21, 6:30 p.m.
RYE LANE (2023), Union South Marquee Theater, Saturday, 2/21, 9 p.m.
Cinesthesia Series at Madison Public Library Central Branch
JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH (2021), Tuesday, 02/17, 6:30pm
Commercial Theaters:
AMC Theatres
Flix Brewhouse
Marcus Theatres (Palace and Point)
Between Monday, February 16, and Monday, February 23, the following films are scheduled at the specified theaters:
AMERICAN PSYCHO at Flix.
APOCALYPSE OF ST. JOHN, THE at Palace.
Faith-based documentary feature presented by Fathom Entertainment.
AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH at AMC, Palace, and Point.
BAD BOYS at Flix.
BEST MAN, THE at AMC.
BLADES OF THE GUARDIANS at AMC.
Chinese martial-arts drama directed by Yuen Woo-ping (legendary action choreographer) and starring Jet-Li. As of this writing, only two screenings on Tuesday and Wednesday. See notes above.
CHASE ATLANTIC: LOST IN HEAVEN at Palace and Point.
Limited release concert film by Australian pop-R&B band Chase Atlantic. Wednesday, February 18 and Saturday, February 21.
COLD STORAGE at AMC.
A dangerous, contagious fungus escapes a sealed facility. Joe Keery (Stranger Things; and I liked him in Pavements) and Liam Neeson (who has a particular set of skills) must save the day.
CRIME 101 at AMC, Flix, Palace, and Point.
Action thriller starring Chris Hemsworth. Read Rob Thomas’s review.
DEEP SKY at AMC.
IMAX space documentary with images from NASA’s Webb Telescope.
DRACULA at AMC, Palace, and Point.
Luc Besson’s take on the old legend is generally getting negative reviews. See what Rob Thomas had to say here.
EPIC: ELVIS PRESLEY IN CONCERT at AMC.
FRUITVALE STATION at AMC.
GAME NIGHT at Flix.
GOAT at AMC, Flix, and Point.
GOOD LUCK, HAVE FUN, DON’T DIE at AMC, Flix, Palace, and Point.
Big-budget splashy return of director Gore Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean films, among others) is a sci-fi satire starring Sam Rockwell. Read Rob Thomas’s review.
HAMNET at Flix.
HOMECOMING: THE TOKYO SERIES at Palace and Point.
HOUSEMAID, THE at Palace.
HOW TO MAKE A KILLING at AMC, Flix, and Point.
Latest A24 release, directed by John Patton Ford (whose Emily the Criminal was reasonably good, except the ending). This black comedy starring Glen Powell and Margaret Qualley is essentially a darker reworking of Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949), where a man plots to kill his relatives who are in the way of his inheritance.
I CAN ONLY IMAGINE 2 at AMC, Flix, Palace, and Point.
Faith-based backstage drama about the challenges of being a pop-country superstar.
IRON LUNG at AMC, Flix, Palace, and Point.
German thriller directed by Jan-Ole Gerster in which a tennis coach at a tropical resort gets caught up in a missing persons mystery. Premiered at the 2025 Berlin Film Festival.
KOKUHO at AMC and Point.
Japanese historical drama which premiered at the Director’s Fortnight section of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. This has become the highest-grossing domestic live-action film in Japan. A kabuki actor seeks revenge from a yakuza gang after the death of his father. Distributed in the U.S. by GKIDS, which usually distributes anime and international animiated features.
LOVE & BASKETBALL at AMC.
I actually saw this during my one trip to the Sundance Film Festival in 2000. Not bad.
MARTY SUPREME at Flix.
MIDWINTER BREAK at AMC and Palace.
Lesley Manville and Ciarán Hinds star in this adaptation of the novel of the same title by Bernard MacLaverty. A retired couple deal with the tensions in their relationship while traveling to Amsterdam.
MILAN CORTINA WINTER OLYMPICS ON NBC at AMC.
MISERY at Flix.
MOMENT, THE at AMC, Palace, and Point.
Mockumentary-style film about pop star Charli XCX (starring as a fictional version of herself) who begins to object to the more cringy aspects of her publicity commitments for an ongoing arena tour. An A24 release, if that helps.
MORTUARY ASSISTANT, THE at AMC.
Horror film. Newbie at the River Fields Mortuary must face sinister forces.
MY LORD at AMC.
Indian Tamil-language political satire. A man has falsely been declared legally dead, but then he is identified as a possible kidney donor for a government official.
MYSTERY MOVIE, MARCUS at Palace.
NIRVANNA THE BAND THE SHOW THE MOVIE at AMC.
A theatrical engagement after the sneak peek at the UW-Cinematheque last month. I’ve only heard good things about this. Rob Thomas attended that screening, read his review.
O’ ROMEO at AMC.
Indian Hindi-language action thriller. A former gang-member, who has particular skills with a barber’s razor, is exiled after killing a don’s brother. He now works as a covert operative for the Intelligence Bureau, of course. The trailer claims this is inspired by true events, of course. This trailer has a particularly nasty gunshot to the head, so viewer beware.
OBSERVANCE, THE at AMC.
Horror film. A woman awakes from a five-year coma to discover that a cult has taken over her town. The trailer begins with a quote from Nietzsche, so maybe this might appeal to the art horror crowd. But probably not. The poster also quotes from “Teddy Bear’s Picnic,” so who knows?
PETS ON A TRAIN at Palace and Point.
This weeks mid-to-low rate animated feature for kids about animal bandits.
PRETTY IN PINK 40TH ANNIVERSARY at AMC, Flix, Palace, and Point.
PSYCHO KILLER at AMC, Palace, and Point.
ROAD AT NIGHT, A at Point.
A few more screenings remain at Marcus Point. Documentary by John Roach, about the tragedy that struck the family of University of Wisconsin men’s basketball assistant coach Howard Moore when a drunk driver collided with their car. See notes in last weeks post.
ROSE, THE: COME BACK TO ME at Point.
Documentary about South Korean indie band.
SCARE OUT at AMC.
Contemporary Chinese espionage drama from director Zhang Yimou (Raise the Red Lantern; Hero; House of Flying Daggers). A National Security squad races to identify and capture spies who have leaked classified intelligence. Expect drones, offices in glass skyscrapers, and lots of facial recognition software. See notes above about limited screening times on Tuesday and Wedensday.
SCARLET at AMC.
Anime feature from Academy Award-nominated director Mamoru Hosoda (Mirai, 2018). Mixture of medieval-era and modern-day adventure about a sword-fighting princess avenging the death of her father. Interesting mix of cel-shaded charater animation and more textured backgrounds and details.
SCREEN UNSEEN, AMC: FEBRUARY 16 at AMC.
SECRET FLIX at Flix.
SEND HELP at AMC, Flix, Palace, and Point.
The latest thriller from Sam Raimi appears to be a variation on Swept Away (1974 and 2002), downplaying the sexual tension angle in favor of class and office politics in contemporary corporate capitalism. Raimi’s input and star Rachel McAdams might make this worth a look.
SINNERS at AMC.
SMURFS at Palace and Point.
SOLO MIO at AMC, Flix, Palace, and Point.
Kevin James vehicle about an American groom who is left at the altar on his wedding day in Italy. Distributed by faith-based Angel Studios
STRANGERS, THE: CHAPTER 3 at AMC, Flix, Palace, and Point.
Final chapter (?) in a standalone trilogy in the horror franchise (so actually the fifth film overall). I was today years old when I discovered that this has been what Renny Harlin (Die Hard 2; Deep Blue Sea) has been doing for the last few years.
STRAY KIDS: THE DOMINATE EXPERIENCE at AMC.
K-Pop concert film.
THIS IS NOT A TEST at AMC.
This zombie horror film appears to be a 102 minute trigger-fest. “A suicidal and abused teen girl as she faces the mental torments of her abusive father and being abandoned by her elder sister all the while reluctantly surviving alongside five other damaged teenagers.” Distributed by Independent Film Company, not to be confused with Independent Film Channel.
TWILIGHT at Flix.
WUTHERING HEIGHTS at AMC, Flix, Palace, and Point.
Or, “Wuthering Heights,” as it is stylized on the posters. A loose adaptation of Emily Brontë’s 1847 novel, starring Margot Robbie (also a producer of the film) and Jacob Elordi (who shows his range by following up playing the monster in Frankenstein to playing Heathcliff here). This appears to be a love it/hate it thing, based on my quick scrolling on FilmStack (film newsletters on Substack).
ZOOTOPIA 2 at AMC, Flix, Palace, and Point.
Have you used the Now Showing in Madison listings at least once to find something interesting to see? Have you discovered a film that you didn’t realize was playing in town? Please consider supporting these efforts directly by clicking the “Buy Me a Popcorn” button and making a modest donation on those occasions when you find this resource valuable to your moviegoing in Madison.
Looking Ahead:
Local filmmaker Michael Doyle Olson has started what he hopes to be a comprehensive, collaborative public calendar of alternative film screenings in Madison. It is still a work in progress, but check it out at www.mdo.me/film.
Side Room Cinematheque
Consult Instagram @sideroomcinematic for screening details, second Thursday of the month, and last Monday of the month.