How will COVID-19 affect the movie business
COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on lives and societies worldwide. No facet of human existence has remained unaffected by this dangerous virus. Entertainment industry also has been shaken to its core by this outbreak, with cinemas closed and production halted.
The Indian movie industry, including the most famous Hindi movie business also known as Bollywood, is also looking at huge losses with no releases since the ill-fated last release of deceased actor Irrfan Khan’s English Medium that released on March 12. The film had to be pulled out of theatres, as India declared a lock down soon after this slice of life film released.
One of the biggest releases of the year for Bollywood, the Akshay Kumar starrer Sooryavanshi, was supposed to be the next in line of a slew of highly anticipated films to release, just before COVID-19 hit.
New normal
The production work across the industry is now stalled. There are fears that cinemas which were one of the first to be shut down during the lock down, will be the last ones to reopen when things return to some sort of normalcy. And the “new normal” is an often discussed term when people talk about life post-COVID.
Will entertainment and going out be top priority for people still hesitant about safety of outdoor venues and coming to terms with a changed economic landscape, that might have altered their personal circumstances?
Also, as is obvious, cinemas will have to reconfigure their seating arrangements to adhere to the new social distancing norms. This might lead to reduced seating capacities and possibly inflated ticket prices.
Manpreet Singh, Marketing Manager of Forum Films, the leading distributor of Indian movies in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Papua New Guinea, informed, “For us this year, six months, from March till September, are a complete write-off. We will be able to resume work only once the movie industry opens in India, and the prime markets in US, UK and Canada.”
New Zealand situation
New Zealand has been an attractive shooting destination for films across the globe. This has significant economic benefits, the biggest being on how it showcases this beautiful country to millions across the globe, making it one of the most attractive tourist destinations to visit. The immense gains the country has reaped post a Lord of the Rings or in case of the Indian tourist market -Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai being shot here, cannot be quantified.
But the good news is that the New Zealand's Health and safety production protocols have now been endorsed by the Government so filming can resume. Series in production include James Cameron's Avatar sequels and The Lord of the Rings series.
The future
Streaming services are being touted as the future of entertainment. A one stop platform where audiences can access the best of global television series and films. That these OTT services have significantly altered the way we consume content is a fact that cannot be disputed. But what also holds true is that death knells for cinemas have been sounded before, and proved hollow. When video cassettes first made their way to shop shelves, when satellite television made its advent and now with streaming services. What actually happens is that it gives movie makers an added incentive to produce more entertaining and engaging content, in sync with modern demands. The end result is an experience we share communally, in a dimly lit theatre. That joy of life is here to stay; in a possibly altered shape and form.
- by Apurv Shukla, an independent writer based in Auckland, with interest in movies and sports