The coronavirus outbreak, which hit the U.S. in early 2020, has had major implications on the well-being of all humans — and it’s continuing to have a major impact on Hollywood.
Movies, including Mission: Impossible 7 and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s Red Notice, paused production and sent casts and crews home amid the initial breakout. Films such as James Bond’s No Time to Die, Sonic the Hedgehog and Mulan have either postponed or canceled their China runs altogether in last year. According to a February 2020 report from Business Insider, the outbreak could result in more than $1 billion of lost revenue for the film industry.
“There are so many moving parts and implications, not just for movie theaters but for public spaces in general,” Comscore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian told Business Insider at the time. “The uncertainty is the one thing that is certain. At the end of the year, box-office numbers, particularly regarding China, are going to have an asterisk.”
The rapid spread of the virus also resulted in the cancellation of music events and shut down production on several TV shows. Green Day and BTS were among the musical acts who were forced to pushback tour dates in Asia in 2020. Talk shows initially filmed episodes without TV audiences, but later opted to shut down for weeks before gradually making a return to hosting live audiences. The Amazing Race pumped the brakes on its shoot, while filming of Clare Crawley’s season of The Bachelorette was delayed until the summer of 2020.
As global safety regulations have slightly lessened, the industry began the process of returning to semi-normalcy with caution. The Batman returned to set in London in September 2020 after closing up shop six months prior, but production briefly shut down for the second time after star Robert Pattinson reportedly contracted coronavirus.
Casts from Grey’s Anatomy, The Conners, Mom, Riverdale and Supernatural have also made their way back to set. Meanwhile, talk shows such as The Ellen DeGeneres Show and The Kelly Clarkson Show have utilized virtual audiences to make their return a bit smoother before bringing back fans.
Some movies made it into theaters across the world in late 2020 and early 2021, but restrictions are still in place within the entertainment industry as the COVID-19 crisis continues.
“When shooting during a pandemic, you have to connect with your costars in different ways,” Reese Witherspoon joked via Instagram in September 2021, sharing photos of herself wearing a face shield and posing with photos of her Morning Show costar Jennifer Aniston.
While some concerts have resumed their touring schedule, others, including Post Malone’s Posty Fest, postponed dates once more in 2021, pushing events to 2022 in hopes that the coronavirus numbers will again go down.
Scroll down below to see a list of all the entertainment events that’s been impacted by the coronavirus.
