The Times Herald (Norristown, PA)
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Entertainment schedule is affected by coronavirus concerns
NEW YORK » The entertainment industry, a business predicated on drawing crowds to theaters, cinemas and concert venues, braced Thursday for a potential shutdown from the coronavirus as upcoming movies were canceled, festivals scuttled and live audiences eliminated from television shows.
To accommodate calls for social distancing, Hollywood moved to pause the normal hum of TV productions and the bustle of red-carpet movie premieres. The upcoming releases of “A Quiet Place 2” and the latest “Fast & Furious” movie joined the many postponements.
John Krasinski, writer and director of “A Quiet Place 2,” announced that his film from Paramount Pictures would not open next week as planned but be postponed to an as yet announced date. Universal Pictures announced that the “Fast and Furious” movie titled “F9” would not open May 22 as planned but in April next year.
Paramount also shuffled the release of “Lovebirds” and “Blue Story.” Few major releases remain in the coming weeks, with the notable exception of the Walt Disney Co.’s “Mulan.” It’s set for March 27 in the U.S. A spokesperson for Disney did not immediately comment Thursday.
The virus’ spread, and dawning awareness of its reach, has already forced the cancellation or postponement of all major imminent events on the calendar, including the sprawling, multiformat South by Southwest conference and festival in Austin, Texas; Hollywood’s annual movie expo CinemaCon, in Las Vegas; this month’s Kids Choice Awards in Los Angeles; and the sunny California music festival Coachella, which was postponed to October.
Gatherings with more than 500 people are temporarily banned in New York. The ban for Broadway theaters started Thursday night.
The Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center, the New York Philharmonic and Carnegie Hall all canceled events through March 31.
On Thursday, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and “The Late Show With James Corden” joined other late-night talk shows in announcing they will tape without audiences.
That followed similar decisions by CBS’ “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” NBC’s “Tonight Show” and “Late Night With Seth Meyers,” Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah,” HBO’s “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and TBS’ “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee.”
CBS also said production on the next season of “Survivor” was being postponed. “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel of Fortune” have also halted tapings with audiences.