Home #Hwoodtimes The Continuing Impact of the 2020 Coronavirus Outbreak Upon the Global Film...

The Continuing Impact of the 2020 Coronavirus Outbreak Upon the Global Film Industry

By Valerie Milano

Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 3/9/20 – The dreaded Coronavirus outbreak has landed on the cusp of several major international film events scheduled for 2020.  Each of them faces different organizational issues relating to travel and attendance that could reverberate throughout the year.

South by Southwest (SXSW), an annual conglomeration of parallel film, media, and music festivals and conferences held in Austin, Texas, was due to take place very soon from March 13th-22nd.  Austin Mayor Steve Adler canceled the event for the first time in SXSW’s 33-year history after mega-companies like Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Intel, Netflix, and Twitter pulled their contributions. 
 
Nearer to Los Angeles, CinemaCon–which usually brings thousands of rabid film fan from all over the world to Las Vegas–is due to be hosted at Caesars Palace from March 30th-April 2nd.  Untold numbers of film events are scheduled to launch in Southern California throughout the sunny spring quarter.
 
Worst-case scenarios show the Coronavirus peaking in late May right around the time of the Cannes Film Festival, which is scheduled to take place this year from May 12th-23rd.  The CFF counts on revenues from 75,000 to over 200,000 visitors every year.  It is too soon to say how these or most other 2020 film events will be affected by the Coronavirus outbreak.
 
New coronavirus may have started in bats.

Originating in China, the Coronavirus has had by far the biggest impact upon the Chinese film industry.  The releases of major Western films such as the aptly titled James Bond thriller “No Time to Die” have been put back indefinitely in China until the Coronavirus outbreak has run its course.

 
THT readers are urged to consult sites like the one below for frequent updates about forthcoming 2020 film and entertainment events and heed all local warnings about Coronavirus outbreaks.  The World Health Organization has announced a “very high alert” after the virus spread to over 50 countries in a matter of weeks.
(Photo: Getty Images)

About the Coronavirus:

Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).  They are zoonotic, meaning that they are transmitted between animals and people.  The latest Coronavirus strain from China is thought to have originated from bats.
 
Common signs of Coronavirus infection include fever, cough, shortness of breath, and other breathing difficulties.  In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, kidney failure, and even death.  
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Valerie Milano is the well-connected Senior Editor and TV Critic at The Hollywood Times, a showbiz/promotions aggregate mainly for insiders. She has written for Communications Daily in DC, Discover Hollywood, Hollywood Today, Television International, and Video Age International in NYC. Valerie works closely with GLSEN, GLAAD, Human Rights Campaign (Fed Club Council Member), LAMBDA Legal, NCLR, and Outfest. She is also a member of the LA Press Club. She is a lay minister and parishioner of the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Hollywood. Milano loves meeting people and does so in her getaway home in Palm Springs as a member of the Palm Springs Museum, Palm Springs Center and DAP Health (Partners for Life member). For years Valerie Milano had volunteered as a board member and one of the chief organizers for the Television Critics Association’s press tours. The tours take place twice a year in Beverly Hills/Pasadena.