COVID-19 has quickly impacted almost every aspect of our lives, not excluding the movie industry. Movie companies have been forced to change their plans for movie filming, release dates, and affected the business aspect of their companies.

One thing that has had a major change in the movie industry is the change in release dates. Many movies have been delayed in when they were going to be released, such as the newest movie in the “Fast and Furious” franchise, “F9”, which has been delayed nearly a year from its original release date. Disney movies, such as “Mulan” and “Black Widow”, in which Disney has not currently set new release dates have been affected as well. Other movies, such as Disney’s “Onward” and Lionsgate’s “I Still Believe”, are being released from the theaters and into homes in the form of streaming services and movie rentals earlier than expected.

According to The Economist, the usage of television in America went up 18 percent from the week of Mar. 22 to the week before it. This means that since everyone is home from the quarantine, more people are watching television and giving streaming services more views. While this worldwide phenomenon may not be good for the rest of the movie industry, streaming services are taking advantage of this opportunity. For example, Disney movies that are being released into the home are going directly onto Disney Plus, giving people more incentive to buy the streaming service to be able to watch these newly released movies. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has made the movie industry suffer some major losses. Filming had to be stopped, resulting in many people in the industry losing their jobs. According to the Los Angeles Times, approximately 100,000 workers have had to be let go due to a lack of production. The Los Angeles Times also says that even a two-month delay in the production of a movie can contribute to about 20 percent of an increase in that movie’s budget.

COVID-19 is definitely a force to be reckoned with, but the movie industry will still pull through the pandemic. As time goes on, movie companies will have plans set in place for moving forward and recovery for the industry.