Jasmine Adel
It seems that the repercussions of the spread of the Corona virus, which spread in China from last December, after having negatively affected many sectors such as health, economy and aviation, increased until it affected the entire entertainment industry, in an explicit and strong threat of unknown scope and dimensions.
The first victim
Traditionally, the biggest films of the Chinese year were released during the Lunar New Year holiday, as it is the largest week in the whole world with revenues exceeding one billion dollars, but the growing fears of the virus and discretion about the numbers of people with beginnings made everyone fear gathering in crowded places.
This resulted in distributors' voluntary cancellation or postponement of several major film releases, coinciding with the temporary closure of seventy thousand Chinese cinemas and theaters, and even the cessation of Chinese film production from January 23. According to the newspaper "Hollywood Reporter" American, the total revenue of Chinese box office in the recent period did not exceed 3.9 million dollars, compared to 1.5 billion dollars at the same time last year.
"In terms of the health crisis in China, where movie theaters nationwide remain closed, we are continuing to monitor the situation closely and needless to say the safety of our team and audiences is our top priority,": #Imax CEO Richard Gelfond stated https : //t.co/iU4Y6UjWJe - The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) February 20, 2020 |
Thus, Chinese cinema fell as a first victim in the entertainment field after it had hoped to become a major force in the international cinema to compete with Hollywood, especially as it is the second largest box office market after the United States and Canada. Although this does not prevent that broadcasting platforms benefited from the current situation, especially after some companies resorted to offering new films during them, trying to avoid the huge material losses that affected them.
One of the companies that did this was the company "Huanxi" which launched its new movie "Lost in Russia" on the Internet. With the success of the experiment, it was repeated on January 31, to become "The Dragon Dragon", the second Chinese movie to be shown on the Internet after the government released He officially ordered her to close theaters.
Noticeable absence
Although Chinese director Jia Zhangke attended the Berlin Film Festival in late February, when his documentary "Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue" was shown, in an interview with "IndyWire" that he was afraid to cancel his trip to Berlin. And if some of his aides preferred not to travel, which made him almost lonely, amid a marked absence of Chinese distributors.
For his part, the director of the "European Film Market at the Berlin Festival" announced the cancellation of the presence of the Chinese delegation that was planning to come, due to the difficulty of obtaining visas due to the current health situation in China on the one hand, and on the other hand for fear that the rest of them would alienate them.
With the outbreak of the virus, twenty-four cinemas in China decided not to attend (CinemaCon) the “Annual International Film Show Conference” scheduled to be held in Las Vegas from March 30 to April 2, even though theater owners in Italy and Korea They still intend to attend despite the emergence of cases in their countries.
Hollywood is also paying the price
The loss did not stop there, as Hollywood quickly found itself paying part of the price. With the closure of Chinese theaters, prominent American releases that were supposed to be shown in China such as "1917", "Jojo Rabbit", and others, were canceled.
Before Disney CEO Bob Eiger stated that the release of "Mulan" with its new live version, which was to be released March 27 in China, was no longer likely to happen. Production company Metro Goldwin Mayer announces the cancellation of the Chinese offer and publicity for the new James Bond movie "No Time To Die", which was scheduled for next April.
Mission: Impossible
At the end of last month, the crisis escalated further after the announcement of the spread of Corona virus in Italy, and due to the caution and efforts of the local Venice government to stop public gatherings in response to the virus threat, the filming of the seventh part of the movie "Mission Impossible" was stopped until further notice.
This coincided with the American Film Association announcing that it was closely monitoring public health officials ’reports about the virus and how to protect it to reduce its impact. Meanwhile, the Hollywood Actors Syndicate issued a statement confirming that it will only work in a framework that guarantees the safety of its members.
The loss continues
China and Hollywood are not the only ones that have paid the price so far. South Korea has also been affected, as many Korean pop groups have been forced to cancel their concerts and musical tours inside and outside the country. According to Variety, South Korea's box office revenue fell by 30% to 40% in January 2020 compared to previous years.
Although the first case of the virus was confirmed in Nice, France, a statement was issued stating that the Cannes Film Festival will be held as previously scheduled for the period from 12 to 23 May. Will this be achieved or will the winds come as the ships do not desire?
📽️Thessaloniki Documentary Festival postponed due to # coronavirus # COVID19 https://t.co/w7qaKYdQpx - ANA-MPA news (@amna_newseng) March 3, 2020 |
However, it seems that France is singing alone outside the swarm, as evidenced by the authors of the "Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival" issued an official statement on Monday evening announcing the postponement of its 22nd session, which was supposed to be held in Greece from the 5th to the 15th of this March, out of concern For the safety of all, even if they aspire to stay within several months.
As for the Arab world, the first technical losses were recorded on Tuesday evening, as the Doha Film Corporation announced the cancellation of the sixth session of the “Qamra” Film Forum, which was supposed to take place between 20 and 25 March this year, which the Foundation attributed to the spread of the virus and its serious attempts. Realizing its responsibility towards the current situation.
Doha Films Cancels Forum 2020 Booth Due to Corona https://t.co/v12BYKN7g8 pic.twitter.com/vvc9gsUjpp - East Gate (@alsharq_portal) March 3, 2020 |