Everyone is started to feel the impact of the precautionary measures being taken to combat the Corona virus with the situation changing almost on a daily basis with advice and responses meeting the growing concerns of the public.
Naturally this having a knock on event for the TV and Film industry in terms of filming on location as well ultimately, on the cinemas films will be shown in regard large groups of people being confined to a cinema screen during this growing crisis. As a result a large number of big name releases have been delayed, some even without a new release date and it the list is growing. Below is a list of the films recently announced to have had their release dates moved:
- No Time To Die
- Mulan
- Antlers
- A Quiet Place 2
- New Mutants
- F9: The Fast Saga
- Peter Rabbit 2
- The love Birds
- Blue Story
New release dates for some have yet to be announced with F9: The Fast Saga being moved to an April 2021 release giving it almost a full year delay. This is an ongoing situation so more may join and some new release dates may even shift again from their planned later this year new release.
Cinema chains are also watching the situation as well with some countries now banning any venues that can hold large groups of people together and yesterday I received an email from Cineworld here in the UK who sent the following statement to all their customers:
“As a valued customer, we wanted to update you on the steps Cineworld are taking to help minimise the spread of COVID-19.
We are continuing to follow and monitor official guidance from the UK Government and Public Health England carefully. It is of vital importance for us to be in a position to ensure that any and all procedures are in place to support the health and well-being of our customers and staff members.
To help combat the spread of COVID-19, we have been putting precautionary safety measures in place, including:
Educating our staff on prevention
Emphasizing frequent and proper hand washing
Cleaning high contact points more frequently
Providing hand sanitizer
Working with local health authorities
In line with government guidance, we are continuing to operate as usual. We will continue to keep in touch with you and follow official guidance from the UK Government and Public Health England carefully.
Thank you for your continued passion for cinema.
Best wishes,
The Cineworld Team”
This is no doubt a situation that will change going forward into the foreseeable future and could see more and more delays in releases and with production of TV and film schedules.