A couple of days ago, veteran actor Tom Hanks took to his Instagram handle to announce that he and his wife Rita Wilson have tested positive for COVID-19. The couple was in Australia at the time of revelation and are to remain in isolation for atleast 14 days. His post was really compelling and seemed concerned and caring, not just to himself but to others.
While Mr. Hanks is probably the first mainstream celebrity to announce his diagnosis, the Coronavirus is already hitting Hollywood in another way. In the past few days, announcements were made by various studios and producers who have pushed back their film releases amid the concerns regarding the COVID-19 outbreak in international territories. The virus that originated from China last month has infected millions of people worldwide and has taken thousands of lives. While the Chinese administration is working remarkably in containing the infection spread, it has caused massive trouble in the United States as well.
It’s not just about pushing the films back. The impact on business is also going to be significant. With films pushing back releases, not only the film studios, but the theatres, multiplexes, and even the ticket booking platforms are going to suffer financial losses. It’s hard to say when and how this outbreak will be fully contained, but this is going to stumble the film industry by the time it is out. That’s for sure!
Beginning with 007
It started with the much-awaited sequel to Daniel Craig’s James Bond series “No Time To Tie.” The film was about to hit theatres in April but was pushed back seven months to November. After Coronavirus hit significant nations like the US and the UK, the corporate firms there started sending people home from work, advising them to work remotely. And the film industries realized that if people are encouraged to stay at home, then obviously none of them will turn to theatres to watch films. The officials from MGM, the studio producing the 25th Bond film. A statement was released on social media handles of James Bond –
The Theater Shutdown
The decision to push back No Time To Die came after governments and administrations in Korea, Japan, China, Italy, and France decided to shutdown cinema halls, theatres, and multiplexes across. Since this would have resulted in bad business and in massive plummeting in estimated box-office returns, the producers thought of pushing the release back.
However, the decision turned out to be a good one. With recent spread of COVID-19, there will likely be a spike in numbers of infections in the US and the UK as well, which are the core markets for any English-language films.
Given this fact, a lot of other productions followed to announce release delays:
John Krasinski Follows In
Almost a week after No Time To Die pushed back, actor-director John Krasinski delayed the release of his upcoming film A Quiet Place Part II. He took to his Instagram to reveal the information –
Krasinski has no planned release date in mind now, unlike MGM, who has officially changed the release date for Bond 25.
Other Production Houses Delaying their Films
After A Quiet Place II, a lot many production houses announced a delay in their film releases. The first was Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaways. The film was to release March 27 but was then pushed a month ahead. Right now, the film has been rescheduled to release on August 7, 2020.
Similarly, upcoming horror flick Antlers was pushed back indefinitely. The film stars Kerri Russell and Jesse Plemons. It was earlier slated to release on April 7, 2020.
The New Mutants Suffer a Deadly Blow
The New Mutants was pushed for the fourth time. The film was initially slated to release in 2018 but was then halted for reshoots, pushing back the date for a year. It was then pushed from September 2019release to April 2020 release. And now Coronavirus concerns have forced producers to think again. The film’s future is already dead as Disney has acquired rights to Fox’s X-Men franchise. Kevin Feige has confirmed that Mutants storyline will be rebooted as to set it with the ongoing MCU. Hopefully, we’ll get to see the last of the mutants from Fox very soon.
Disney Studios Facing Massive Production Losses
For Disney, the situation is even worse. Firstly, Disney’s live-action adaptation of Mulan has been pulled from releases due to the pandemic crises. Director Nikki Caro released an official statement informing fans about the push back in the release in the film. Since Mulan has a cultural aspect associated with it and can be impactful in China, the studio has preferred to stay the release for a while.
But things don’t end here for Disney. Sebastian Stan, who plays James Barnes/The Winter Soldier in the MCU, has announced about the delay in the post-production of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. The Marvel Studios’ series was set to debut on Disney+ this year in August.
A recent development has forced all the studios, including Disney, to halt productions of their upcoming releases. This includes the live-action adaptation of Little Mermaid and Marvel’s Shang-Chi: Legend of Ten Rings. It ix likely this halt will impact the release of these films as well.
Moreover, Disney’s adventure theme park, Disneyland, has also been shut down amid the pandemic. The theme park business is one of the most profitable ventures of the studio. It is, however, slated to reopen on April 1. But it will solely depend on the situation of the pandemic in the US. The studio has just invested a lot in the newly formed Avengers Campus at Disneyland, which is slated to open July 18. Hopefully, things will be in control by then.
The Fast Saga Slowed Down
One of the most massive changes in release schedules was of F9, the ninth installment in Fast and Furious series. The trailer of the film, which brought back Han to life, had left people excited for the release. But the release has now been pushed back to a year. The new release date will be set in April 2021. This would put the series in significant competition as it’ll have many sequels to deal with releasing the same year. The 2021 line-up includes Guardians of the Galaxy 3, The Batman, Mission: Impossible 7, Thor 4, John Wick 4, Matrix 4, etc.
Black Widow, WW84 Still On Floor But The Batman Is On Rest
Black Widow, the upcoming MCU film slated to be released on May 1, is still on floors for release. Marvel Studios haven’t announced any delay in release. It is highly unlikely that the film will be released. If it does, the studio can expect a major box-office failure due to theater shutdowns globally. Similarly, a new poster of Wonder Woman 84was released today with beautiful Gal Gadot shining in her new golden armor. As per the poster, the date remains the same, and the film is slated to release in June 2020.
The production houses may be hoping for the pandemic to clear off by the time of the release of both Black Widow and Wonder Woman 84, but it would not harm them to come up with a B-plan.
On the other hand, The Batman’s production has been halted for the next two weeks amid the concerns of the pandemic. Sees like Bruce Wayne has kept himself in isolation inside the Wayne Manor until the real villain out there is calmed down.
It’s Not Just Films that Have to Suffer
The Morning Show, the award-winning Apple TV+ show, has faced a halt in the production of its second season. Besides, late-night talk shows are to continue but without the presence of Live Audience. That’ll definitely take the essence of the shows out. The late-night shows include The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, The Daily Show With Trevor Noah, and Full Frontal With Samantha Bee.
Television productions have been equally affected by the crises caused by the Coronavirus pandemic. Popular shows at CW, including The Flash and Riverdale, has been suspended until further information. CW also suspended production and shooting of over seventy new shows whose pilot it has been working on.
CBS shows The Good Fight, NCIS, and Dynasty has also faced a recent halt in productions. CBS, in a joint statement with Paramount TV Studios and Showtime, released an official announcement –
” Over the past few days, we began making decisions to temporarily postpone production on some of our pilots and current series. At this time, we are evaluating situations on a case-by-case basis, informed by the best information from health experts and government officials. Some productions may continue as long as they do not involve live audiences and/or environments that are considered at risk. The safety and welfare of our production team is our top priority. “
With all major television productions on cessation, the studios may face a massive drop in viewership and TRPs during the Fall 2020 releases of shows. The late 2020 and early 2021 releases of pilots or new seasons of famous shows will inevitably be impacted due to the current halts.
Events and Festivals Also Face A Crises
While films and TV shows can resume production, cancellation of music tours and film festivals can cause a significant loss to the industries. Two major events are scheduled to take place in July, which registers the most massive gatherings. One is, of course, the summer edition of Belgium-based EDM festival Tomorrowland. The other is the most-awaited San Diego Comic-Con 2020.
While the Winter Edition of Tomorrowland has been canceled already, which was scheduled to take place in France; however, no such update has been given about the summer edition. Tomorrowland experience gathering of millions of people across the globe. It is often regarded as one of the happiest places in the world. While people themselves are careful enough to drop their plans for visit this year; however, there is no official cancellation of the event as of yet.
The same is the case with SDCC 2020. It is likely that by July situation will be better; however, the speed at which Coronavirus is spreading says otherwise. Amid this, SDCC cancellations are not announced, and the festival may proceed as per the plans.
Many concerts, such as K-Pop band BTS in Seoul, have been canceled. Singers Kelly Clarkson and Jonas Brothers have scrapped their plans for shows as of now. Miami’s and Abu Dhabi’s Ultra Music Festival events have been canceled. Besides these, CinemaCon and Kids Choice Awards were also canceled or postponed for the year. The organizers for Cannes have said the plans for the event may change if the crises are not contained within the next few months.
The Impact is Global
It’s not just Hollywood facing such concerns. Film industries globally are facing economic crises as theater shutdowns continue in Asian and European countries. The situation, for now, is getting worse. Italy is in lockdown, while China and France are under strict quarantine measures. In such a scenario, the film business is likely to lose billions. Recently, many states in India ordered the shutdown of cinema halls as well. President Trump has also declared a national emergency amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
This is a clear indication that the pandemic is not something to wipe it off the page. The concern is real and so is its impact. It’s true that unlike various media reports, the mortality rate of COVID-19 is not very high, but it’s still a considerable risk. And hence we need to be careful and strict to fight it together.
As the situation worsens, it is recommended to everyone to take precautions and refrain from large-scale gatherings. The pandemic is being contained in many places, but it’s spreading at a faster rate. We do await our favorite movies, but for now, as everyone is saying, health safety is the primary concern.
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