The pandemic of COVID-19 has not just affected the sports world, but also the entertainment world.
Movie premieres in theaters and television industry jobs have been halted to prevent the spread of COVID-19 throughout the United States. There are 512,701 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 23,495 deaths globally, according to the World Health Organization.
In California, Governor Gavin Newsom issued a statewide “Stay at Home” order to ensure safety throughout the state. As a result, the movie and television industry has taken a hard hit by shutting down or stopping production altogether.
Cinemark, AMC Theatres and Regal Cinemas are just a few movie theaters that have closed the doors to prevent Americans from going outside.
Cinemark closed all 345 locations on Mar. 18. As of Mar. 17, AMC Theatres closed for at least 6 to 12 weeks and Regal Cinemas will remain closed until further notice.
With the movie theaters shut down, new movie releases have also been pushed back. Disney’s “Mulan,” was set to be released on Mar. 27, but had yet to be given a new date. The “Fast and Furious 9” release was live from Jun. 2, 2020 to April of 2021.
Along with movie theaters, film festivals all around the world, including the 73rd Cannes Film Festival have been postponed or canceled. The 21st Annual Newport Beach Film Festival, which was set for Apr. 23-20, has been rescheduled for Aug. 6-13.
The first hit was movies and films, but now the television industry has halted production to many shows because of COVID-19.
CBS, ABC, NBC, The CW, TNT and Fox have stopped production amid the spread of COVID-19. Amazon’s “Birds of Paradise” and 20th Century Fox’s’ “Avatar” sequels and many other independent film companies have also paused on filming. This stop of production has caused a loss of revenue for the production companies.
It is not just the production companies that are losing money, about 120,000 people that have lost their jobs in the TV and film industry, according to the US entertainment industry union, also known as IATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical State Employees).
Freelancers, production assistants, technicians and wardrobe stylists are just a few of the positions that have been cut. With multiple industries cutting down on jobs for at least a month, people now have to find a way to support their families with little to no income. Shows like “The Bachelorette,” “Chicago Fire” and “Empire” could not happen without the people behind-the-scenes.
As the impact of COVID-19 grows, people will continue to have financial problems due to the lack of work. For more information on the crisis of COVID-19, please visit https://www.who.int.
