Effects of Coronavirus (COVID-19) On Entertainment & Tourism Industry

[Frank Drackman]

It should also be noted that a lot of the new cases in the northeast - that are forcing the northeast to shut down AGAIN - are confirmed to be coming from young adults who traveled to Florida and Myrtle Beach. Seems kinda relevant to HHN.

TBad notes that the conversation will intensify as HHN makes new announcements. It will also intensify as everything else gets closed or cancelled - the GOP convention in Jacksonville just announced it is sharply limiting plans, Texas (with numbers comparable to Florida) is moving towards lockdown, the northeast is locking down, the SEC will probably cancel the football season in the next few weeks...

And any conversation about HHN needs to note that it will be opening right about the time flu season kicks off, which, combined with covid, could be terrifying.

At this point, every single exec at Universal and WDW should be focused on an exit strategy, a way to close before the PR impact grows unmanageable.

From what I saw of the news last night, I felt that Orange County FL was looking to business for leadership, to possibly be a model for others in how to reopen properly (it would seems federal guidance is lacking or something. This was really related to WDW and I am not sure which county UoR is in, but many of these counties have a lot tied to tourism, from what MCO is currently projecting, they do not expect to see pre COVID traffic again until 2026.

So what do companies and county leaders do? Who do they listen to? How does one learn what works?

 

[youhow2]

WDW had an easy exit strategy - they were able to see the current trends and could’ve postponed reopening. Instead they marched on.

They need some way to pad QE.

 

[Nick]

It's officially July 17th.

Disneyland was supposed to reopen today and TENET was supposed to be the first big movie back in theaters today. Now, both are still closed and there's still no (realistic) reopening in sight.

 

[Mad Dog]

Here's a very unique covid era entertainment. An Australian company will be bringing a Floating Cinema to Pittsburgh in September, plus other US cities. The floating cinema will be equipped with
social distancing boats.
The Cinema will be made up of 12 to 24 mini boats, each holding up to eight people. Tickets will require that the whole boat be purchased to ensure groups will be seated with friends and family
only. Movies will be a mix of golden oldies and new/recent releases.
Snacks and refreshments will be available for purchase prior to sailing.
Pittsburgh, located at the confluence of three rivers, is a perfect location.
Great to see people thinking out of the box for substitute entertainment opportunities during this pandemic.

 

[Nick]

With today being Friday, I’m sort of thinking that later on today we may get some news dumps concerning theatrical date changes. Just speculating, but it’s gonna have to happen soon.

 

[Scott W.]

With today being Friday, I’m sort of thinking that later on today we may get some news dumps concerning theatrical date changes. Just speculating, but it’s gonna have to happen soon.

'The Falcon and the Winter Soldier' won't debut on Disney+ in August

Filming on the Marvel Cinematic Universe show was suspended in March amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

www.engadget.com

 

[ThemeParks4Life]

China Movie Theaters In Low Risk Areas Can Reopen On July 20

BREAKING: Those theaters in low risk areas in China “can resume business in an orderly manner” as early as Monday, July 20, the China Film Administration announced in a recent notice. There were rumblings in foreign distribution that China would start reopening on this date, however, sources...

deadline.com

China Dates ‘Dolittle’, ‘Bloodshot’, ‘1917’ In July & Sets Roster Of Classic Titles As Cinemas Prepare To Reopen

EXCLUSIVE: Wasting no time as cinemas prepare to reopen beginning next week in most of China, a first batch of titles due for release has been identified. Universal’s Dolittle has been granted a July 24 date while we understand that Sony’s Bloodshot, handled locally by Bona Film, will also go...

deadline.com

China just released their guidelines on theaters re-opening Monday. Key details:

Concessions will not be sold
Movies with runtimes over 2 hours cannot be scheduled
1917, Dolittle, and Bloodshot are the first US titles that have been granted releases; Bad Boys for Life, Sonic, and Jojo Rabbit will be getting releases soon
The rest of the slate will be bigger Chinese hits from the past few years, including US titles like Coco and A Dog's Purpose

The 2 hour restriction will scare a lot of studios, especially WB because Tenet is 2 and a half hours long.

 

[TheGentTrent]

China Movie Theaters In Low Risk Areas Can Reopen On July 20

BREAKING: Those theaters in low risk areas in China “can resume business in an orderly manner” as early as Monday, July 20, the China Film Administration announced in a recent notice. There were rumblings in foreign distribution that China would start reopening on this date, however, sources...

deadline.com

China Dates ‘Dolittle’, ‘Bloodshot’, ‘1917’ In July & Sets Roster Of Classic Titles As Cinemas Prepare To Reopen

EXCLUSIVE: Wasting no time as cinemas prepare to reopen beginning next week in most of China, a first batch of titles due for release has been identified. Universal’s Dolittle has been granted a July 24 date while we understand that Sony’s Bloodshot, handled locally by Bona Film, will also go...

deadline.com

China just released their guidelines on theaters re-opening Monday. Key details:

Concessions will not be sold
Movies with runtimes over 2 hours cannot be scheduled
1917, Dolittle, and Bloodshot are the first US titles that have been granted releases; Bad Boys for Life, Sonic, and Jojo Rabbit will be getting releases soon
The rest of the slate will be bigger Chinese hits from the past few years, including US titles like Coco and A Dog's Purpose

The 2 hour restriction will scare a lot of studios, especially WB because Tenet is 2 and a half hours long.

I’m guessing that the 2 hour limit is not being strictly enforced because Bad Boys runs 4 minutes overtime then.

 

[TommyJK]

The 2 hour restriction will scare a lot of studios, especially WB because Tenet is 2 and a half hours long.

Just one more of many existing edits/cuts/changes that the studios will make going forward to make sure their movies will be allowed to be shown in China.


The 1:59 Tenet version will be a thing soon

 

[Mad Dog]

Just one more of many existing edits/cuts/changes that the studios will make going forward to make sure their movies will be allowed to be shown in China.


The 1:59 Tenet version will be a thing soon

yes....wonder if they will return to the under 2 hour cycle that had become the main format in the last couple decades of the 20th century, but studios were straying from it with a lot of blockbusters and such
in the past decade or two . Works in cycles I guess. Many big budget movies in the 50's and 60's, part of 70's were pretty darn long until the studios settled into that under 2 hour groove to get more showings into a day.

 

[PerceptiveCoot]

I’m guessing that the 2 hour limit is not being strictly enforced because Bad Boys runs 4 minutes overtime then.

I think that includes credits, so not really 2 hrs long.

The 2 hour restriction will scare a lot of studios, especially WB because Tenet is 2 and a half hours long.

Based on the trailers, I'm half expecting the last 75 minutes of Tenet to just be the first 75 minutes backwards.

 

[Nick]

 

[Grabnar]

'Tenet' release delayed again by Warner Bros. amid COVID-19 spikes

The Burbank studio did not set a new release date for the Christopher Nolan film, which had already been pushed back twice due to theater closures.

www.latimes.com

Tenet delayed again.

Movie theaters are going to be very different on the other side of this. I hope that some of them survive

 

[Nick]

I expect similar things to come for all future releases. Good movie not giving another pointless release date.

Important to note from article that it’s likely Tenet opens overseas first to get some cash flowing in and then staggered opening in US (which I’ve been calling for).

'Tenet' release delayed again by Warner Bros. amid COVID-19 spikes

The Burbank studio did not set a new release date for the Christopher Nolan film, which had already been pushed back twice due to theater closures.

www.latimes.com

Tenet delayed again.

Movie theaters are going to be very different on the other side of this. I hope that some of them survive

AMC secured financing to survive until Spring 2021. Not sure about others.

 

[TheGentTrent]

I’m shocked, shocked I tells ya.

:yawn:

Nolan has to be royally pissed off. He really wants this to be the first film for theaters, and WB is too afraid to shoulder that burden.

 

[JungleSkip]

I’m shocked, shocked I tells ya.

:yawn:

Nolan has to be royally pissed off. He really wants this to be the first film for theaters, and WB is too afraid to shoulder that burden.

I mean, WB wants to make money. The issue is even when theaters open they're not going to make money due to capacity restrictions

 

[TheGentTrent]

I mean, WB wants to make money. The issue is even when theaters open they're not going to make money due to capacity restrictions

Not only that, but many movie-goers have indicated that they simply wouldn’t feel safe in a theater in the current environment. And since the director is one of the ones who oppose streaming/VOD, it’s a huge Catch-22.

 

[Teebin]

A local anecdote is that this distant tourist mecca has really picked up in the past 7 days. It seems we are past the governor’s cautious on-again-off-again rules regarding visitors semi-set in June. That said, it is running at 20-40% at best right now. The young and healthy hiker crowds are here in force and parking at the most popular mountain trails is filled to over-capacity.

Too, I went on Hotels.com this afternoon to see how reservations are faring here... some lodgings have deep price cuts and are close to booked in August. September has fewer price cuts and many seem booked up.

Restaurants with outside seating are slammed like I have never seen them... I believe all the indoor restaurants still have capacity limits and I fear for their survival. The most popular usually would have crowds and lines waiting to get in and yet now I worry if any of them are even coming close to the reduced limits at all.

I guess my point is that if a state is able to keep this thing in some state of check, then the people will come.

 

[Mad Dog]

We drove up to the mountains on Saturday to visit a relative of Alene's. We've stayed away from the tourist areas since word in the media is that they're all slammed every weekend with crowds two to three times normal (Nemacolin Resort/Yough River/ Ohiopyle. Even though this is the Pittsburgh area, it's heavily frequented by the Washington DC /N. Virginia big money tourists. The first US National Road west of the mountains, Rt. 40, is a mostly two lane road connecting the area. We travel up there
often, and generally there isn't much traffic on the road. On Saturday afternoon it was slammed. Bumper to bumper both directions, and traffic often came to a standstill. There was no construction or accidents on the road. In all my years and many hundreds of trips up there, I've never seen anything come even close to that level of traffic in this very rural mountain area.

 

[shiekra38]

We drove up to the mountains on Saturday to visit a relative of Alene's. We've stayed away from the tourist areas since word in the media is that they're all slammed every weekend with crowds two to three times normal (Nemacolin Resort/Yough River/ Ohiopyle. Even though this is the Pittsburgh area, it's heavily frequented by the Washington DC /N. Virginia big money tourists. The first US National Road west of the mountains, Rt. 40, is a mostly two lane road connecting the area. We travel up there
often, and generally there isn't much traffic on the road. On Saturday afternoon it was slammed. Bumper to bumper both directions, and traffic often came to a standstill. There was no construction or accidents on the road. In all my years and many hundreds of trips up there, I've never seen anything come even close to that level of traffic in this very rural mountain area.

My God...Did you have a mask for your car?