The COVID-19 illness has led to school closures, trip cancellations, job losses, among countless others. Another industry took a serious hit: Hollywood. Among the many terrible things going on during this pandemic, the cinemas have been particularly affected. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an incredibly large impact on Hollywood. The U.S. film industry is home to thousands of A-listers. Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson, and Idris Elba are just some of the big faces in Hollywood who have tested positive for COVID-19. The tension surrounding this pandemic has escalated as many people are following strict orders to stay safe during this pandemic, with Hollywood stars being amongst them. 

Most movies scheduled to release this summer have been postponed to fall and all movies in production have been postponed to finish shooting after restrictions have been lifted. These cancellations are particularly important because of their financial impact. Big blockbuster films expected to release such as Wonder Women: 1989, Black Widow, James Bond: No Time to Die, Batman, Dune, Quiet Place II, among many others would bring hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue to Hollywood’s film industry. However, this is not a possibility as a stay at home order has restricted people from going to movie theatres. It is not just the mega movies that are feeling the heat; many independent films such as The Nightingale, Birds of Paradise, and The Climb are also experiencing losses as these films are typically watched at the cinemas. 

“I am a big Marvel fan and was extremely excited for the Black Widow movie to come out; however, it got postponed for safety concerns. It really sucks because this probably would have been the movie of the summer,” explained senior Thanusika Srirakulan.

Due to cancellations and postponement, some movies were released directly onto streaming platforms such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and Disney+. Certain movies such as Emma, the Invisible Man, and Onward were available on these subscriptions as early releases. 

“I know a lot of movies are being postponed, but I am glad that at least some are being put up as early releases. I got to watch Onward at home with my family and we had a lot of good laughs,” said Senior Yanishka Bello.

Along with the rescheduling of movie releases, big events have also been canceled or postponed. For instance, Comic-Con is incredibly well-known for big-budget superhero movies. Sundance Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, and Cannes Film Festival were to premiere the shows of the best films of the year. Many awards shows such as the Tony Awards and Billboards are also taking precautions and announced cancellations. 

While some of these sound cancellations may seem awful, Hollywood is taking proper precautions to keep individuals safe from the spread of COVID-19. With this in mind, please remember to practice social distancing seriously and follow orders properly.