Covid-19 and the Cinema

Never could I have predicted that I would live in a time of great uncertainty caused by a pandemic. It is something I read and watched about in books and documentaries, but never like this. If you had told me that something like this would ever happen in my lifetime, I would have laughed at you years ago. It is here and nothing is ever more uncertain.

Covid-19 has indeed changed daily life: people wearing masks and people unable to travel freely without any kind of restrictions. Americans are even banned in some countries.

Things have changed, even when all this is over. We may even need health cards to travel internationally one day. Who knows? Or even a doctor's approval to clear the way for one to travel out of the country. Who knows?

Like the rest of the known world, I wish this Covid-19 pandemic will soon end. It is exhausting. The worry is exhausting. The constant construct thought of what will happen next is intimidating.

A friend of mine had asked, "What will happen if this Covid-19 does not end anytime soon? Will it be the end of the movie theater era?"

No doubt theaters have greatly been damaged by this because they need to stay open to make a profit. Things do come to an end and everything will come back to normal eventually, as people begin to feel more comfortable about going out to movie theaters once again. The question then becomes: how many theaters will be strong enough to remain afloat until everything normalizes?

Strong theaters with plenty of cash on hand will indeed benefit from the smaller theaters' impending doom. It may not result into a monopoly, but there will indeed be some movie theater companies that may even get bought out, making it possible for some stronger companies to control them. Do not worry. This is just a normal process. If a weaker company gets bought out or is a product of a merger, it will benefit it because it is the stronger company taking on a load of its debt. It benefits both companies because the stronger company wants to expand and use the resources of the weaker company. There are exceptions, of course.

Although it may seem bleak, the overall prospect of movie theaters is bright. We have to be patient, just like we have to be patient about being able to go to ball games. Goodness! I miss the good 'ole days. Professional athletes miss the fans just as much as the fans miss seeing them play.

After hearing that Disney’s Mulan is going directly to video streaming on Disney+, I became very disappointed because it just seemed out of order. Traditionally, it had always been theaters first, then DVD/Video, or, in the more recent times, streaming services. For a potential blockbuster film, it just seemed to belittle its potential. The extra revenue it could have earned on theater releases could only be imagined. Who knows? Perhaps, it could have broken records. There is just no way of finding out now since the conventional order of release for a film of this magnitude had been broken. All hope is not lost, however: Mulan will be available for Disney+ subscribers, but with a $29.99 price tag to go along with it. It could be a wise move for Disney, but not everybody has Disney+, totally ignoring potential viewers who only subscribe to a certain streaming platform like Netflix. It could be that they may gain a few more subscribers, but the thought of some people subscribing just to see one film is probably far off the radar.

Call me old-fashioned. There is just no substitute for movie theaters: the surround sound, the huge screen far larger than we probably have at home, and just having that date night outside before or after dinner with that special someone. Well, nothing tops that.

Whatever part of the world you are reading this, I want to first thank you for reading my thoughts here on vocal. And, second, please be safe out there in this crazy new normal. 'til next time. Cheerio.