Dear Crabby, What Will Happen to all the Movies that were to be Released in 2020?
Sincerely, Cindy Ma
Hello Cindy,
Good question. As 2020 comes more into focus, we’ll remember it as the year we want to forget. Without the cinema-hype associated with a film’s release, many will go direct to DVD or online streaming services. And with that, there are sure to be some movies destined for the bargain shelves of stores that somehow stay in business. Others will survive the pandemic for a future release date later this year or in 2021.
Theater release is traditionally required for a film to be considered for many awards, such as the Oscars. To combat that issue, the Academy Awards have altered their requirements, and will add more time to their release date calendar. But does it really matter, very few people tune in to award shows anymore … unless Ricky Gervais is hosting them.
As movies houses closed around the world, leaving some out of business for good, online streaming services saw a huge spike in viewership, premium package upgrades, and first-time subscribers. Many of those films caught in limbo will go directly to places like Apple TV, Amazon, Netflix, and Hulu. The new Tom Hanks movie, Greyhound, was just released on Apple TV Plus. And movies like The Invisible Man, which was in theaters at the time the pandemic hit, have already gone to digital release … with few people seeing it.
Most films will just be released at a later date. But that too has its downfalls. Release dates are in high demand with the three summer months highly sought after, followed by the holiday season. So far, it looks as though some films are holding on to their release dates for the rest of the year hoping to get some summer traffic once the theaters reopen, such as Coming 2 America (December 18). However, most have been postponed, like Wonder Woman 1984, which was to be released last month, will now be released October 2 – do you think it will do as well in the fall compared to summer? But what about Top Gun: Maverick, it was set to come out last month as well but will now be released on December 23 – a summer blockbuster for Christmas? It took over 30 years for that sequel – I’m sure fans can wait a few more months.
As for me, I enjoy free broadcast TV – right now I’m watching Car 54, Where Are You?
Sincerely, Dear Crabby
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