The COVID-19 pandemic has had a catastrophic impact on the film industry in 2020, as well as other artistic sectors suffering.
Across the globe, cinemas and theatres closed their doors. Festivals were cancelled, and film releases were moved to future dates. The same goes for productions.
The disruption caused by this unprecedented crisis is visibly seen in the global box office, which lost billions of dollars worldwide over the past year. Many blockbusters originally scheduled to be released after March 2020 has been postponed indefinitely. Cinema and film productions had to furlough staff, and cineplex rent went unpaid.
Even more dramatically, Cineworld, the world’s second-largest cinema chain, with more than 9,000 screens across 790 sites in 10 countries, closed its cinemas in October 2020.
The Eight Hundred – the highest- grossing film of 2020 – earned $468 million worldwide which sounds a lot considering the situation. However, this was the first time since 2007 than the top-grossing film of the year had earned less than $1 billion, and the first time a non-American movie was the top-grossing film of the year.
However, despite the dramatic changes in the entertainment industry, some valid alternatives have appeared which give us some hopes for the cinema industry survival in the future.
DRIVE-INS CINEMA
A retro favourite has been reimagined in the coronavirus era, giving cinema fans a new way to enjoy the big screen, in a covid-safe environment.
The UK – which had only three drive-in cinemas before the pandemic – has now 40 sites offering drive-in movies experiences, showing how the industry is trying to adapt to the new global situation.
With many of the year’s blockbusters such as Mulan and Tenet pushed back or going to streaming services, many drive-ins have dusted off old classics while others have decided to do something completely new, like the Newark Moonlight Cinema in New Jersey who decided to screen movies focused on African American filmmakers and actors.
Drive-ins are definitely getting an unexpected revamp in 2020. We will see whether this trend will stay with us once the pandemic is over.
STREAMING SERVICES
Streaming services have certainly been benefitting during the pandemic, with people subscribing to multiple platforms while stuck at home. The United States was one of the biggest gainers last year, with a growth of 32% subscribers. This number is set to increase even more, with people still hesitant to go out at the cinema.
It is true that streaming services are having a huge detrimental effect of the cinema industry. It is way easier (and less expensive) to watch a movie on Netflix or Amazon Prime.
This is why more and more movie studios have released films directly to streaming video on-demand services to muffle the impact of the pandemic and to survive in the current circumstances. More film will be jointly released in cinemas and on streaming and on-demand services in the future to accommodate the new normal, as predicted by Netflix. Giants, like Warner Bros, have moved their 2021 catalogue online while Disney is considering the option to release upcoming Emma Stone’s Cruella directly on Disney Plus.
This, however, does not mean that cinemas will disappear completely. Cinema release window and theatrical exclusivity is still vital and cinema theatres are still the best place to see a movie. After more than a year of being confined at home, audiences are more than eager to return to enjoy the big screen experience once again.
ANIMATION INDUSTRY
If the COVID-19 pandemic has literally frozen most of live-action films, one sector has seen an impressive surge during the lockdown: animation.
Already highly popular thanks to streaming services such as Disney Plus, animation is now attracting new interests and investments which may be triggering a new boom post Covid. Animation has shown how adaptable it can be, even during a pandemic.
The main reason animation is thriving so much during lockdown is because new technologies have allowed producers to work from home using online collaboration tools and specialised software for illustration, animation and colouring. Studios are able to put together a movie completely remotely, which is why animation has survived and even surged in this challenging time.
The cinema industry has definitely had a negative impact during the Covid-19 pandemic and consequences of this will remain with us for the foreseeable future. The campaign “Keep the Magic Alive”, launched by the UK Cinema Association, has shown how important is to sustain and fund members of the cinema industries. It is not just the actors or big productions. We cannot forget about independent and small productions which are the driving force of the industry and which makes the cinema a more colourful place.
The industry has been able to adapt to this new challenge, finding old and new ways to survive the impact of the lockdown. The support and positive response shown by cinema enthusiasts and major figures in the industry is a proof that many people want cinemas to survive and thrive once again.
By Irene Bisoni
Feature image: Conde Nast Traveller