COVID-19's Impact on the Entertainment Industry

These last few weeks have been a whirlwind, and the COVID-19 pandemic escalated much quicker than I ever imagined. Unless you've been living under a rock, you're probably aware of the substantial impact this virus has had worldwide. Countries are closing their borders. Schools, theme parks, sporting events, concerts, major movie and television productions, film festivals, and the Houston Live Stock Show and Rodeo were shut down, canceled, or postponed indefinitely as a result. All of my extra-curricular activities are canceled until further notice. Everyone's life has suddenly been put on hold as "social distancing" has now become our primary social responsibility. 

In light of this, I've felt discouraged from writing reviews. Not that theaters will remain open much longer, but how could I possibly encourage someone to visit one and put the health and safety of themselves or others at risk? Therefore, I'd like to specifically discuss COVID-19's impact on the entertainment industry and how Film Assessment will be affected. Hollywood has suffered a critical blow. This weekend's domestic box office receipts of $55.3 Million were the worst in 22 years. With no significant releases currently slated till May 1, this predicament is unlikely to change anytime soon.

Due to health concerns, New York and Los Angeles theaters were ordered to close by their cities' respective mayors. Today, Regal Cinemas also made the decision to close all 543 of its locations. Other chains will likely follow suit, but for now, they are implementing social distancing policies by limiting attendance. Studios are also beginning to take advantage of the dilemma by offloading high profile, recent releases early onto video-on-demand and streaming services. Disney already added Frozen II to Disney+ three months early and made Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker available digitally a few days early as well. Meanwhile, NBCUniversal announced that they would be offering The Invisible Man, The Hunt, and Emma as on-demand rentals for $19.99 this Friday with Trolls World Tour available on April 10, its scheduled theatrical release date. I'm very curious to see how other studios respond. 

While this early access is undoubtedly convenient, I'm afraid it could accelerate the death of movie theaters. Theaters nationwide will be forced to temporarily close their doors soon, whether they're ordered to or not. Who knows if it will be due to the lack of new releases or health-conscious moviegoers. Whatever the case, cinema attendance is on a downward trajectory regardless. Unless it has superheroes, is part of an existing franchise, marketed as an event, or involves A-list talent, movies hardly make a dent in the box office these days. There are bonafide exceptions, of course, but I'm speaking in general terms. Streaming services are more affordable, accessible, and convenient. Studios now have the means to capitalize on that. With their own streaming services, they can cut out the middle man altogether. 

Now, I'm doubtful that we'll see the likes of A Quiet Place: Part II, Mulan, Black Widow, Wonder Woman 1984, or Tenet will be dumped online with complete disregard. But the low-to-mid-budgeted productions or those destined to flop will likely be given this treatment. Once audiences grow accustomed to this, they'll be hard-pressed to leave their couch. Only time can tell what will happen, but I hope this pandemic doesn't signal the end of the multiplex. They offer a unique communal experience and an escape from our bleak reality. At a time when we need movies more than ever, the hands of theater chains and studio executives are tied. Here's hoping a sense of normalcy is soon restored. 

As for my Film Assessment plans, I'll catch up on sharing the reviews I currently have drafted. This includes Onward and Reel Recaps for February and, eventually, March. I don't know what I'll call it yet, but I'd like to begin making weekly streaming recommendations while everyone's cooped up at home with nothing to do. These recommendations will be shared in place of new reviews because it will be a while before I see anything new. Just remember to practice social distancing and wash your hands for goodness sake! Let's flatten the curve!

Hollywood's Current Condition

This past summer was the lowest grossing domestic summer box office in twenty five years. That was then followed up by the highest grossing September box office ever! The box office landscape is an ever-changing enigma and today I just wanted to discuss some things I've recently observed that are relevant to this discussion.

First of all, I think general audience members are becoming increasingly more selective about what they're going to see in theaters. This is for a multitude of reasons, but I'm going to break down some of the major sources of the reluctance to go to the theater. I think it primarily ties back to the idea of convenience and the infinite availability of options.

Streaming has become more and more popular as time goes on, and the average movie goer probably questions why they should leave the house and go to a theater where they have to deal with disrespectful movie goers (something you can read more about in my other post about Theater Etiquette) when they could easily watch whatever's available via Netflix or Hulu in the comfort of their own home. You're then entitled to an infinite amount of content for much less. You pay a subscription fee and are able to access an insurmountable volume of movies and television.

On top of this, the release window between theatrical releases and home media releases continues to condense. These days, movies are coming out on digital markets weeks-to-an-entire-month before a physical retail release and about two-three months after hitting theaters. Why go pay to see something in theaters now when you can just wait a few months and just rent/buy the film to watch as much as you'd like for a better price? I personally think that the cinema is the best environment to experience film, and there are certain films that just HAVE to be seen in theaters, but there are some movies I'm not opposed to waiting and catching on home media.

Another factor is the recent rise of television. There are television series like Game of Thrones or Stranger Things that operate on the same level as feature length blockbusters. The quality of storytelling in these series is practically on-par with the best blockbusters coming to cinemas, while the quality of feature-length films have been spotty these past few years with mixed reactions to some huge hits, so word of mouth is also becoming more and more important as a guiding compass to know what's worth watching. Positive/negative word of mouth can either boost a film to reaching unimaginable heights or kill it on arrival. The increased interconnectivity through social media has only strengthened the importance of word-of-mouth in recent years, and I think that points to part of the problem. There are just so many alternatives that can be comfortably consumed at home, so it's difficult to justify leaving the house these days.

However, when average movie-goers are motivated to go see something they turn out in droves! If the franchise is big enough, you can open it at literally anytime of the year and it'll turn out to be a huge hit. Blockbuster "seasons" are practically non-existent now, as there's no longer a definite time frame to release a blockbuster. This spring was basically an early blockbuster season, last month was booming with It (2017), Kingsman: The Golden Circle, and The LEGO Ninjago Movie, and there have also been some big blockbusters positioned around February these past few years like Kingsman: The Secret Service, Deadpool, John Wick: Chapter 2, and The LEGO Batman Movie. 

To sum-up my thoughts, I feel Hollywood's in a safe environment for the time being thanks to blockbusters projecting an event-esque atmosphere. However, home theater technology is ever evolving and things like Netflix and Amazon have encouraged people to stay at home, so perhaps Hollywood needs to start innovating the theatrical experience to draw average movie-goers out of their homes. That's all I have to say on the matter, but feel free to add your own input in the comments down below!