Right on time for the Passover school holiday, two Disney family films are released simultaneously in Israel by local distributor, Forum Film: “Race To Witch Mountain” and “Hanna Montana, The Movie”. Apart for the utter silliness of releasing two competing movies for the exact same crowd by the exact same studio on the same day, the release brings to light once again the bizarre distribution pattern the Israeli firm has adopted three years ago: film critics are not welcome.
Local Disney distributor has banned film critics from preview screening three years ago, allowing attendance only to those who agree to obey to an odd embargo: no reviews before the Sunday after opening weekend. Oddly still: some critics, forgetting which side their journalistic ethics lies on, actually agreed. (Making not only their ethics but also their timing obsolete: online critics can easily catch an opening day matinee and have a review up by noon).
Local distributor maintains that reviews on opening day are bad for business.

And so, while competing family film “Monsters Vs. Aliens” gets a slew of reviews and interviews, these two Disney movies get zero press coverage (check out my Box Office Chart on Wednesday to see if this helped or hurt either movie).

So, international “Cinemascope” readers, if either “Witch Mountain” or “Hanna Montana” was screened in your territory, help Israeli readers bypass the embargo and share your comments: are these movies good or bad?