Coronavirus

Coronavirus News: TV, film production shuts down amid coronavirus

Monday, March 23, 2020

Hollywood on hold: TV, film production shuts down amid coronavirus

Sandy Kenyon has more on the coronavirus pandemic's impact on Hollywood.

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Virtually all film and TV production in this country has shut down and major movies already finished will not be released until after the coronavirus crisis has passed.

The sequel to "A Quiet Place" won't be coming soon to a theater near you, nor will "Mulan." Both have been postponed until later this year.

The ninth in a series of "Fast and Furious" movies won't open until April of next year.

The Pixar movie, "Onward," remains the number one movie at the box-office, but the take was down 73% from last weekend, according to Variety.

This past weekend, movie-going in North America plunged to a 22-year low, as so many movie fans stayed away; and and that was before all the theaters were closed by order of Governor Andrew Cuomo.

The AMC chain says its cinemas will remain shut down nationwide for 6 to 12 weeks, but that doesn't mean you have to say goodbye to Hollywood!

"Frozen 2" is streaming right now on Disney+ months ahead of schedule.

"Birds of Prey" from Warner Bros. will arrive next week for all those who wish to view it on demand. That's unusual since the movie was still running in theaters before they were closed.

It's definitely weird and very scary," says Long Island 8th-grader, Tess Romero. "But on the bright side that means you can go home and watch more streaming services."

Romero is the star of a new series on the Disney+ streaming service: "Diary of a Future President." Her season finale airs on Friday.

For adults, a new series with Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington, "Little Fires Everywhere," begins streaming on Hulu on Wednesday, proving movie stars will continue to shine even if movie theaters are closed.

Hulu and Disney+ are owned by the same parent company as ABC 7.