NEW YORK (AP) — The entertainment industry, a business predicated on drawing crowds in theaters, cinemas and concert venues, is bracing for possible shutdown in the coming weeks due to the coronavirus pandemic, potentially putting on pause the normal hum of TV productions, the bustle of red-carpet movie premieres and the applause of audiences. On Thursday, the upcoming release of “A Quiet Place 2” joined the many postponements.
The virus’ spread, and dawning awareness of its reach, has already forced the cancellation or postponement of all major imminent events on the calendar, including the sprawling, multi-format South by Southwest conference and festival in Austin, Texas; Hollywood’s annual movie expo CinemaCon, in Las Vegas; this month’s Kids Choice Awards in Los Angeles; the sunny California music festival Coachella, which was postponed to October; and vital television events like the NBA season, which was put on hiatus Wednesday after a player tested positive for the virus.
On Thursday, as California and some states were suggesting bans of not just the largest events but also gatherings of more than 250 to help stymie the virus’ spread, a new focus came on Broadway, multiplexes and smaller concert venues.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. The vast majority of people recover within a few week.
As of Wednesday evening, 38 people had died in the U.S., while more than 1,300 people had tested positive for the new coronavirus. Tolls have been higher elsewhere. In Italy, where more than 12,000 people tested positive and 800 people have died, all stores except pharmacies and food markets were ordered closed.
California Governor Gavin Newsom recommended the cancellation or postponement of gatherings of 250 or more people through at least the end of the month.
Hollywood was to usher in several new movie releases to theaters beginning Thursday evening. North American’s largest chains, AMC and Regal, did not immediately respond to emails Thursday.
John Krasinski, writer and director of “A Quiet Place 2,” announced Thursday that his film, a Paramount Pictures release, would not open next week as planned but be postponed.
“One of the things I’m most proud of is that people have said our movie is one you have to see together,” Krasinksi said in a message on social media. “Well due to the ever-changing circumstances of what’s going on in the world around us, now is clearly not the right time to do that.”
Also Thursday, the TCM Classic Film festival scheduled next month in Los Angeles was canceled due to coronavirus concerns. Canada’s top music awards show was also canceled as a precaution due to the pandemic. The Juno Awards were scheduled for Sunday in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
A part-time usher and security guard who worked at two Broadway theaters in recent days tested positive for COVID-19 and is under quarantine. Broadway is particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus because its audience skews older, thousands of people are packed into small seats for every show and the industry is dependent on tourism. After extensive cleaning, Thursday nights show are to go on.
The announcement Wednesday evening, while President Donald Trump addressed the nation, that Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson had tested positive for coronavirus sent shudders through the industry. Hanks was easily the most famous person yet to publicly announce that he had the virus. He was in Australia to shoot an Elvis Presley biopic that Warner Bros. said would halt production.
“Not much more to it than a one-day-a-time approach, no?” Hanks said of their condition.
“The Tonight Show” and other late-night talk shows in New York announced Wednesday they will tape without audiences, while CBS said that production on the next season of “Survivor” was being postponed. “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel of Fortune” have also halted tapings with audiences.
The closures, postpones and hiatuses are likely to be enormously costly for the entertainment industry. The shuttering of Chinese movie theaters — the world’s second largest movie market has been closed for more than a month — has there already led to the loss of more than $1 billion in ticket revenue. Last year, global box office reached a new high of $42.2 billion.
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