Film in the Age of COVID-19

Following lockdown procedures and many shutdowns, the current COVID-19 pandemic has dealt a devastating blow on the film industry and cinemas globally. Despite the implementation of safeguards and guidelines to ensure moviegoers’ safety, many remain reluctant to visit local theatres. Presently, the movie industry is in a state of uncertainty and is a mere shell of what it was before, despite studios opting for delayed release dates or VOD/streaming options. This begs the question: will it ever recover? If so, what will it look like and how?

Viewed as a potential saviour for the film industry, Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated Tenet was expected to revitalize the cinema industry globally. Instead, its reception was nothing short of underwhelming; performing disappointingly low at the box office for a Nolan blockbuster and raking in lacklustre reviews. Tenet is regarded as a commercial failure. It is possible that this would not have been the case had the studio not held on to a summer release amidst a pandemic.

Other studios have resorted to releasing their movies straight to PVOD (Premium Video on Demand), VOD (Video on Demand) or directly onto streaming services. A prominent example is Disney’s decision for a PVOD release of the live-action adaptation of Mulan via their streaming service Disney+ . However as with Tenet, Mulan has reportedly underperformed according to initial estimates. This could be attributed to criticisms of the need to pay an additional fee of 29.99USD atop of the price of a Disney+ subscription (costing 6.99USD per month), and the availability of Disney+ in select regions only.

Alternatively, many studios have resorted to postponing blockbusters’ release dates due to delays in production due to COVID-19 precautions and in hopes of avoiding commercial losses given the current situation. Many of these postponed dates are uncertain; changing constantly as the need arises.

Some notable examples include Denis Villeneuve’s long-awaited adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune and Matt Reeves’ The Batman. Both release dates have been shifted almost a year forwards by Warner Brothers - currently slated for October 2021 and March 2022 releases respectively. To the disappointment of many fans, Disney has also shifted their entire slate indefinitely, making 2020 the first year with no new Marvel movies to hit theatres in just over a decade.

It is evident that, like much of the world at the moment, the future of film is uncertain; the industry is in an indefinite state of flux. Regardless of how major studios choose to proceed in the future, it is clear that major changes are to be expected in the coming years as the film industry (alongside the rest of the world) adapts to the ‘new normal’ - both for the remainder of the COVID-19 pandemic and after.