Coronavirus Disrupting the Movie Biz
Friday, March 13, 2020 at 8:24AM by Nathaniel R
With MULAN moving there are no wide-releases left for March due to the spread of the coronavirus
As you've undoubtedly heard the coronavirus pandemic has many governments as well as companies shutting down or postponing various services, products, and events, particularly where crowds are involved, and leaving lots and lots of people without income and given the sorry state of the US without universal healthcare we suspect things will be getting much worse. (It's also kept your host here interminably busy / depressed at his other job outside of TFE which is a matter for the therapist couch rather than this blog). But, as ever, we exist to discuss the movies here.
Though Cannes in France is still trying to keep their own May dream alive, here in NYC, the Tribeca Film Festival, which was scheduled to begin on April 15th has been indefinitely postponed, while Broadway theaters have all been shuttered through April 12th. So far movie theaters in the US are still open (though thousands are closed in China) but what movies will there be left to show?
A lot of films have begun indefinitely delaying their release dates...
Here's the list so far:
- Antlers (postponed from April 17th - no new date announced)
- The Artist's Wife (postponed from April - no new date announced)
- Fast and Furious 9 (pushed back a full year to April 2021)
- The Lovebirds (postponed from April 3rd - no new date announced)
- Mulan (postponed from March 27th- no new date announced)
- The New Mutant (postponed from April 3rd - no new date announced)
- No Time to Die (now scheduled for Thanksgiving)
- Peter Rabbit 2 (now scheduled for August)
- A Quiet Place Part 2 (postponed from - no new date announced)
- The Truth (postponed from March 20th - no new date announced)
The New Mutants which has been delayed numerous times is rather cursed isn't it? We don't understand for even a second why Disney doesn't just put this on Disney+ and give up (this is, what, it's fifth postponement?) since it's not part of the MCU and they have lots of unannounced plans involving the X-Men and their many spin-off mutant characters so why muddy the water theatrically?
The coronavirus pandemic has also halted or delayed production on a number of movies that were set to film right about now or next month.
Mulan, NYC, release dates
Reader Comments (14)
I can't see the end of it.
It's all so very surreal right now.
Everyone get comfortable with your Netflix, Hulu, Prime, Disney+ accounts the next few weeks.
I'm extremely sad about The Truth being pulled. Especially with so many other arts and entertainment options being removed from our lives I'd been thinking more and more - well at least there'll be the Kore-ada/Deneuve/Binoche next week.
RIP BROADWAY
As an immunosuppressed person, I am suspending my in-person moviegoing until this is on the decline.
I really hate doing so, but COVID-19 could be deadly for me.
The New Mutants is a cult brand in Marvel, and the film looks actually pretty good. The constant delays seemed to be mostly because of the horror genre the film is aiming for, and Fox having huge doubts about its possible success... there were plans for reshoots, to introduce new characters, shift tone, etc. But Kevin Feige seems to have bet for the original cut, and was trusting this could be a (minor) hit that deserved to be seen in theaters. Count me among the fans of the original comic book (that is, the original and classic 9 members, we only get 5 here) and I have to say that the story being adapted is simply spectacular in comic book.
Goddamn coronavirus.... you're evil. At least I'll give the studios credit for doing the right thing and realize that money isn't everything unlike that aging, out-of-touch, hateful old fart Meekmahan who still wants to have WrestleMania in Tampa this coming April. Fuck WWE.
The last movie I saw in the theater was "1917".
I'm honestly suprised they aren't just releasing New Mutants. It might have actually helped it if it was tossed out there with zero competition for the people who are willing to venture out to theaters virus be damned (people like me). I wonder if this means Onward is going to be number one at the box office for a month or something.
thevoid99, while yes, the studios are doing the right thing, these moves are very very clearly money related. As in they know they will earn only a fraction of their potential by being released now.
It'll be really interesting to see what the long-term impact on film-going practices will be. Here in the UK the cinema I work at is planning to slash it's opening hours and mainly play re-runs. The biggest release between 20th March and 3rd April looks to be Radioactive with Rosamund Pike.
In the meantime will the streaming services capitalize on this.
Even when as society we are through this will consumers want to go back out into crowds?
The last movie I saw in the theater was "1917".
My favorite theater, an arthouse run by a non-profit, announced it is closing temporarily after a sudden increase in confirmed cases in my area yesterday. I wonder if the chains will be far behind.
Peggy Sue you sound stressed. Maybe a nice cruise or busy shopping mall might relax you and benefit the masses in the end?