As the coronavirus continues to take our lives hostage, Hollywood is proving it isn’t immune to the struggle. The entertainment industry has been forced to take unprecedented hits—including big summer movie release date shifts and studio salary pay cuts—due to this growing global pandemic.
Several major premieres, including Kerry Washington’s Little Fires Everywhere, have been canceled out of concern for the safety of attendees. Other TV shows—especially daytime and late-night TV, which rely on a live studio audience—have returned with paired down productions, including The Wendy Williams Show, which returned on April 6. Meanwhile, The View continues recording without a studio audience. Cohost Joy Behar has opted to stay home, however.
Also films including Jamie Foxx’s animated feature Soul, originally scheduled for June 19, will now premiere in November 20, and the Nia DaCosta directed, Jordan Peele produced thriller Candyman—starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Teyonah Parris—has been rescheduled for September 25 from its original June date. The Lovebirds, starring Issa Rae; No Time to Die, starring Lashana Lynch; and Fast & Furious 9, starring Tyrese Gibson, have been pushed back as well. While The Lovebirds, which was slated to open April 3 has been pulled altogether, No Time to Die will release in November instead of April and Fast 9 will move from May to April 2021, according to statements from the studios.
After a Broadway usher reportedly tested positive for coronavirus, ticket prices plummeted and the Great White Way eventually shuttered all productions Thursday. Performances, which were originally to set to reopen April 13, have now been delayed until June 7.
Walt Disney World and Disneyland amusement parks, including Disneyland Paris and the Disney Cruise Line, have been closed since mid-March and will remain closed indefinitely; furloughs for its 43,000 employees will begin April 19. Universal Studios is set to reopen in June.
Meanwhile, summer concerts are being halted as well. Ciara, Mariah Carey and others have been forced to cancel upcoming performances. Live Nation also announced that they are pausing all arena tours worldwide, affecting artists including Cher.
Festival season is off to a bleak start. The American Black Film Festival shifted from June to mid-October. The Cannes Film Festival, where Spike Lee was named the festival’s first Black jury president, has been postponed until June or July. Coachella has been officially rescheduled for October, the Tribeca Film Festival has been postponed indefinitely, and for the first time in 32 years, South by Southwest was canceled.