Coronavirus pandemic is a Hollywood nightmare

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Many large municipalities, such as New York and Los Angeles, have closed all movie theaters as part of wider group meeting bans. Cinemas that remain open across America are trying to limit the size of audiences for AMC and Regal, the country's two largest movie channels, have reduced capacity 50% on all their screens. The box office last weekend sold a total of approximately $ 55.3 million in tickets, the worst figure for Hollywood since 2000 (without taking inflation into account).

It is difficult to offer a meaningful analysis of the weekend box office. Pixars Forward was still # 1, but fell 73% from the previous weekend, almost double the type of drop typical of a children's animated film. Vin Diesels Action Movie Bloodshot and the inspiring Christian drama I still believe the two took about $ 9 million. Blumhouse's controversial thriller is also available to viewers. The hunt and leftovers like The Invisible Man, Sonic the Hedgehog, and The way back. Whatever theaters will stay open for the next few weeks, they won't have much else to try.

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For Hollywood, like so many industries that force people to leave their homes and congregate in public space, the next few months will be a waiting game. When will the return to the cinema be possible? After several weeks of self-quarantine and social distancing, will people be impatient to rub again when the restrictions are lifted? And what will happen to the release schedule, with so many delayed blockbusters likely to clog the schedule when they are finally ready for the public? There are of course much more pressing public health issues to consider in the short term, but after years to wring one's hand In the future of the cinematic experience, it will always be a shock to see it go into total hibernation for weeks or months.

The cruelest irony, of course, is that people quarantined in their homes will be desperately looking for distractions. Many TV shows can be broadcast without interruption for a period of time (although many currently in production on break), but the only new blockbusters that have put it online are versions several months old like Frozen 2 (who debuted on Disney + early) and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (which has been made available buy online a few days before the scheduled date). While the cinemas remain closed, will the big studios take a risk and try to launch films on the big screen only online? It would be a real revolution and a sign that Hollywood sees no end in sight for this crisis.

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The flip side is that the absence could make the heart more affectionate. If the virus does finally dissipate, it's easy to imagine the return of big movie releases feeling relatively happy after viewers have spent so much time at home and away from their communities. But it's just a fantasy at the moment, the same notion as the deep V-shaped recession some analysts hope that the economy will rebound quickly after the crisis has passed. In theory, cinemas will eventually come back to life, rejuvenated after hibernation. But it's hard to think beyond theory at this point.