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!

Theater Etiquette: Where Has It Gone? and the Correct Cinematic Conduct

Have you ever been on the edge of your seat in the cinema till suddenly you get a glimpse of a bright screen rows ahead of you? What do you do? Politely ask them to pocket the device? Single them out in front of the entire auditorium and cause another disruption? Everyone handles the situation differently, but I've noticed this activity increasingly happens regardless of a theater's courteous reminders.

When it happens to me, I'm instantly pulled out of the experience. Instead of paying full attention to everything going on the screen, I'm questioning why this deplorable human being dared to do this and hoping they finish as soon as possible. They came to see a movie, didn't they? They paid for their ticket, didn't they? Why would they pay to go watch a movie they aren't even going to pay attention to? It just doesn't add up to me. It never does and it never will.

We live in a day and age where people simply can't stay off their phones. It's just a pathetic representation of society now. We can't even put the device aside for two hours to consume the entertainment Hollywood's providing us. While I won't get into that debacle specifically, I will be addressing the common misconduct that often occurs in the theater.

Why is this a problem? Because practically every single person in your theater paid the same ticket price to see that same movie in that same auditorium. You should respect those around you, because I'm sure they didn't want to watch the movie with a bright light catching their eyes. The audience deserves to watch their movie with as few distractions as possible. You owe that basic level of respect to your fellow audience members.

People clearly don't understand basic etiquette, so I figured I'd break it down for them.

Examples of Unacceptable Behavior in the movie theater:
-Doing absolutely anything on your cell phone inside the theater during the movie (Calling, texting, social media, etc.)
-Speaking to a person that's not sitting directly next to you.
-Making contact in any way, shape, or form with the chair in front of you (This mainly includes kicking or resting your feet on the seat in front of you).
-Oh my goodness, crying babies.
-Loud children.
-Arriving extremely late to a movie.
-Getting up OFTEN to go to the restroom.
-Excessive PDA
-Spoiling the movie as you leave the auditorium.

How to correct these issues:
-If you need to check your phone for whatever reason, leave the theater. If you don't want to miss the movie and your compulsion to check your phone is unrelated to an emergency, then you probably don't need to check your phone.
-If you're just checking the time on your phone, check quickly. You only need a quick glimpse to read your phones clock. If you're crunched for time, then you shouldn't have gone out to see a movie in the first place or researched the runtime before heading to the theater. All it takes is a quick Google search.
-Using your phone during the trailers is frowned upon, so don't do it.
-If you have something to say during the movie that you're dying to tell someone, quietly whisper to your friend, spouse, etc sitting directly next to you. Please don't shout across the auditorium trying to tell them something you could easily wait till after the movie to share. If possible, just keep quiet.
-Just like a ride at Disneyland: "keep your arms, legs, and belongings to yourself."
-For the love of all that is good in this world, don't bring a baby to the theater.
-If you have restless children, please take them outside to let them chill out or simply don't bring them with you.
-If you are late, try not to be a bother when finding your seat. Quickly and quietly locate an empty seat in the theater and get there ASAP.
- Try to go to the restroom before the movie. If you need to go to the restroom during the movie, go but be discreet to avoid being a disturbance.
-Just keep the PDA to a reasonable minimum. That's all I have to say on that one.
-Don't discuss spoilers to a BIG movie that people are really excited to see while exiting the theater (especially on premiere showings). There's probably a group queued to enter the theater as you're leaving. Just respect that they probably would rather not hear those things.

While many of these examples are over exaggerated, I can attest to having witnessed nearly all of them AT LEAST once, if not more often (especially in the case of texting). I may have missed one of two examples of improper theater etiquette, but these are the ones I'm most familiar with.

To keep it simple, follow the golden rule and treat others how you would like to be treated.

When in doubt, just remember that courtesy is key!