The US box office isn’t doing great for 2020. (Who or what is doing well in 2020, is the question.) According to the Hollywood Reporter, the domestic box office earned $600 million less in the first quarter of 2020 compared to what was earned during the same quarter in 2019–a 25% decline.
The sharp drop in revenue isn’t a shock. Since the end of March, many movie theaters have been shuttered. It’s uncertain when they’ll reopen, and while various movie theater industry voices have offered their own thoughts on when locations can open again, it’s anybody’s guess. AMC CEO, Adam Aron, hopes that movie theaters will open again in mid-June, in time for the summer’s blockbuster season. Representatives from The National Association of Theatre Owners stated during a webinar that they also expect movie theaters to begin to reopen by late May or early June.
Entertainment companies have responded to these circumstances by pushing back movie release dates. Sony has moved most of its 2020 movies to 2021, including Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Morbius, and Peter Rabbit 2. Disney has shifted its entire release schedule: Mulan and Black Widow will now arrive in theaters July 24 and November 6, respectively. You can see Disney’s complete rearranged release schedule here. New Mutants–the X-Men movie–notably doesn’t have a new release date yet.
The new James Bond movie, No Time to Die, was slated to be released in April, but after concerns from fans, the movie’s release has also been pushed back to November. Many productions have also been suspended, delaying the release of titles, including Witcher Season 2, Matrix 4, and Uncharted. You can check out GameSpot’s roundup for an overview of all the virus-related delays.
