A Plot Twist Even the Movie Industry Didn’t See Coming

How the Coronavirus has Halted the Movie Industry as We Know It

I usually approach all my blog posts with a smiling face and a happy, go-lucky attitude. I sit down in front of my computer and rant endlessly about my favorite topic: movies. Sadly, I can’t seem to find it in me to approach this topic with a positive attitude. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, (or in meditative isolation with no technology like Jared Leto), you are probably aware of the COVID-19 virus (more commonly known as the Coronavirus) and the impact it has had on the world. Thousands of people have died. Resources in grocery stores have quickly diminished. Entire countries have gone on lockdown. President Trump has urged all U.S. citizens to become socially distant and to self-quarantine. Recently, states have closed all restaurants and bars. Even Las Vegas’ bright lights have gone out. This all, of course, has had a terrible effect on all aspects of human life, including movies. Movie theaters, as they are seen as a non-essential element of human life, have been shut down during the quarantine.

Movies approaching their premiere date have postponed their release or all together cancelled it until further notice. Big movie names like “New Mutants,” “A Quiet Place II,” “Black Widow,” “Antlers” and many more have no future release date listed due to the uncertainty of the quarantine being over by a specific time. Heck, “No Time To Die,” the next big James Bond franchise movie, pushed its release from April 10^th to NOVEMBER 25^th! A whole seven months later! (A full list of movies and their new release dates can be found here. ) It’s hard to believe. It feels like we are living in a post-apocalyptic world right now and I’m just waiting for someone, anyone, to jump out and yell “Just kidding! It was a prank! There’s no virus! Go back about your lives!” Sadly, that has not happened as of yet, and I can’t see it happening any time in the foreseeable future. We now live in a world of sitting at home and waiting, but luckily, all hope is not lost for us movie-lovers. Some movie studios have raced to give their audiences their new movies to watch right in the comfort of their own homes! Universal studios has scheduled its newest releases like “The Invisible Man,” “The Hunt” and “Emma” to hit Video-on-Demand on March 20^th. Warner Bros., likewise, has scheduled “Birds of Prey” to be arrive on March 24^th.  It’s not exactly the same as the excitement of sitting through the coming attractions and watching the films on the big screen, but it’s a good alternative. This way, the studios and actors still get recognized for their hard work and we get to appreciate the movies we’ve been anxiously awaiting in our isolation. It’s a win-win. Now, go out (not literally) and watch these movies on demand! I know I will! With that being said, stay safe and hopefully this storm will pass. We are living in a critical world and I am a Critical Girl.