Apple Sets Theatrical-Streaming Release Dates For ‘Elephant Queen’, ‘Hala’ & ‘The Banker’

Apple on Friday announced theatrical release dates for three films set to premiere in theaters this fall followed by a drop on the company’s streaming service, which launches November 1.

The Elephant Queen will open in select cities on October 18 followed by a streaming date of November 1 on the first day of the AppleTV+ service. The documentary, acquired by Apple at the 2018 Toronto Film Festival, is directed by Emmy- and Peabody-winning wildlife documentarians Victoria Stone and Mark Deeble and narrated by Chiwetel Ejiofor. It follows Athena, an elephant matriarch who will do everything in her power to protect her family when they are forced to leave their watering hole.

Hala, which Apple acquired out of Sundance this year opens November 22 in select theaters with a streaming date set for December on AppleTV+. The drama, directed by Minhal Baig, follows a high school senior, Hala (Geraldine Viswanathan), who struggles to balance being a suburban teenager in Chicago with her family’s strict upbringing. As she comes into her own, Hala finds herself grappling with a secret that threatens to unravel her family. Cast includes Jack Kilmer, Gabriel Luna, Purbi Joshi, Azad Khan and Anna Chlumsky.

The Banker, directed by George Nolfi, is opening December 6 before debuting on Apple TV+ in January. Inspired by true events, it centers on Bernard Garrett (Anthony Mackie) and Joe Morris (Samuel L. Jackson), who devise an ingenious business plan to take on the establishment and the racial limitations of the 1960s to help members of underserved African American communities achieve the American Dream. With the assistance of Garrett’s wife Eunice (Nia Long), they train a working-class white man, Matt Steiner (Nicholas Hoult), to be the face of their burgeoning real estate empire – while Garrett and Morris pose as a janitor and chauffeur. Their social activism and success ultimately draw the attention of banking and government officials, which threatens everything the four have built.