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 At the moment, film studios have decided the show must go on at
movie theaters in most of the world. The major exception is
James Bond thriller "No Time to Die," which producers moved to
November from April.
Studio executives are closely watching the spread of the
coronavirus and the upcoming film calendar. Summer blockbuster
season is scheduled to kick off May 1 with Disney's Marvel
adventure "Black Widow," followed by a new "Fast and Furious"
spectacle from Comcast Corp's Universal Pictures, a "Top Gun"
sequel from ViacomCBS Inc's Paramount Pictures, and other
big-budget action flicks.
If the coronavirus keeps people at home or shuts more theaters,
it would threaten box office receipts during Hollywood's most
lucrative season. Movie theaters are closed across China and
Italy and in part of France.
The situation puts movie studios in "uncharted waters," said
Jeff Goldstein, president of domestic distribution at AT&T Inc's
Warner Bros. studio.
Warner Bros. has not delayed any film openings, Goldstein said,
"but we have an open mind. We will have to look at everything
and see how it unfolds."
The National Association of Theatre Owners said moviegoing
remained healthy in most areas and cinemas will remain open "in
line with local conditions."
This past weekend, ticket sales in the United States and Canada,
the world's biggest box office market, rose 1.2 percent from a
week earlier to $100.7 million, according to measurement firm
Comscore.
"Right now, I haven't seen any discernible impact at the (U.S.
and Canadian) box office," said Comscore senior media analyst
Paul Dergarabedian.
"Mulan," a $200 million live-action remake of Disney's animated
classic, has been expected to rank as one of the company's
biggest hits of the year.
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The movie was tailored to appeal especially to the Chinese market.
The story centers around a Chinese heroine, features an all-Asian
cast, and was filmed partly in China. The central character is
played by Yifei Liu, a film and TV actress well known in China.
It is unclear when Chinese movie theaters will re-open. The movie is
set to debut in the United States on March 27.
"My heart goes out to everybody in China and around the world that
is affected," "Mulan" director Niki Caro said on the red carpet on
Monday. "When we do have the opportunity to bring this movie back
home to China, it's going to be the most wonderful celebration."
"Mulan" was made for "a global audience," producer Chris Bender said
at the premiere. "We want everybody to see it."
Dergarabedian said "Mulan" will be an important test of moviegoing
amid the coronavirus outbreak. "This is a situation that is changing
day by day," he said.
In the meantime, studios are moving ahead. On Monday, Disney
released a new trailer for "Black Widow" starring Scarlett Johansson
as the popular Avengers character. The trailer said the movie's
release date remained May 1.
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Additional reporting by Omar Younis;
Editing by Gerry Doyle)
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