About That Global Pandemic

So, how are you? Before I get into all the different ways that the spread of Coronavirus is currently wreaking havoc on the entertainment industry (because this is a media blog), I want to take a minute to acknowledge that we're in the middle of a human tragedy of unprecedented scale that is affecting billions of people around the globe, and writing about Hollywood's problems feels trivial and myopic. On the other hand, the spread of Coronavirus and resulting quarantine measures have managed to disrupt the entertainment and media industries like nothing else in human memory.

The most prominent sign of the disruption has been in theatrical film exhibition. A few weeks ago, studios were worried about their films not being able to get Chinese releases due to theater closures in China. Now, at the time of writing, the entire slate of spring films has been gutted. A dozen films have been delayed or stuck in limbo with no release date, including "No Time to Die," "Mulan," "New Mutants," and "A Quiet Place Part II." The ninth "Fast and Furious" film has been pushed back an entire year. With summer blockbuster season coming up fast, pricier films like "Black Widow" and "Wonder Woman 1984" may also see delays. Major conventions and festivals have been cancelled, most notably SXSW, Tribeca and CinemaCon, with everyone nervous about Cannes being next on the chopping block. We're going to be seeing the ripples from this for months and possibly years to come.

Movie theaters are closed in many states, and those that are remaining open are enforcing "social distancing" policies that cap attendance at one third or half capacity. All of Broadway is shut down, Las Vegas is getting awfully close, and the Disneyland and Disneyworld theme parks are down until at least the end of the month. The Late Night shows were the first to suspend production, but were quickly followed by a long list of others, including all the Netflix shows and multiple feature films around the world. The MCU is bearing the brunt of this, with production paused on "Loki," "WandaVision" and "Shang-Chi." After Tom Cruise and Rita Wilson tested positive for Coronavirus in Australia, nobody is taking any chances on other talent being put out of commission. Arena sports have also been paused, with the entire NBA season cancelled, the NHL on indefinite hiatus, and March Madness now #marchsadness.

Even the smallest segments of the industry are being affected. I've been following podcasters who usually cover current film releases strategizing about what they're going to talk about over the coming weeks, or if it's safer to just put their programs on pause too. Industries supporting film and television production worldwide are feeling the pinch as projects are delayed or outright cancelled. SXSW's cancellation alone is impacting a wide swath of Austin area small businesses who count on the influx of festivalgoers for a major chunk of their income every year. Restaurant, catering, and concession workers are especially hard hit right now. However, the entertainment industry stands out as one of the most impacted segments of the economy during the pandemic, as it's one of the most globally connected and time sensitive.

We're starting to see breakdowns in some of the traditional distribution models and schedules as a result of the crisis. After the war between distributors and exhibitors over theatrical film release windows a few years ago, the studios are suddenly willing to experiment more with VOD releases. Universal just announced that their currently playing films are all going to be available on VOD by the end of the week. This includes "The Hunt," which just opened on Friday. "Trolls World Tour" will be getting a simultaneous VOD and theatrical release on April 13th. It's the most high profile film to have tried this approach since "The Interview." There's speculation that if the Coronavirus crisis stretches on into the summer, this may become the norm, with smaller films making deals to premier on streaming services.

For some, however, the Coronavirus situation has some benefits. Netflix and the other streaming services are definitely getting more use as millions of people are stuck in quarantine at home. There's been a big push to put events online, from awards ceremonies to SXSW screenings to Upfront presentations. It'll be interesting to see if some of these become the normalized way of doing things in the years to come.


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