Coronavirus is Affecting the Global Film Industry

The global pandemic that originated in China, has now reached mainland Europe, and it's affects are being felt across the film industry worldwide

Tom Cruise filming 'Mission: Impossible - Fallout' (CREDIT: David James/Paramount Pictures)

by Jack Linsdell

Since it's outbreak in mainland China earlier this year, the global pandemic which has had the world's health organisations and governments scrambling in blind panic, has finally reached mainland Europe. The infectious virus has already claimed the lives of 2,698 people (mainly in China), with Italy being the latest country to be hit, initiating an immediate lockdown and reporting 158 new cases already. However, apart from the obvious social and economic impacts felt across the world, the global film industry has taken a hit already. 

First, we had the Chinese premiere for the new James Bond film No Time To Die cancelled, with the supposed subsequent press tour of the country with stars Daniel Craig and Rami Malek pulled too. Not only that, but the outbreak in China (the world's 2nd biggest movie marketplace in the world) has had a detrimental impact on Hollywood movies global box office. Films like Birds of Prey and Sonic the Hedgehog, which were banking on decent business in China, are now in a position where their respective grosses will be far lower than what was initially planned. This is because China has closed 98% of it's cinemas, which means no films are playing in China for the foreseeable future. This is a problem for all the biggest movies, like No Time To Die and the upcoming Disney remake of Mulan, in which China becomes the difference between them being a hit and merely doing "very well" at the box office. 

And now, the virus has caused more disruption to Hollywood by delaying the upcoming shoot of Mission: Impossible 7, the latest instalment in Tom Cruise's much-beloved franchise. The upcoming sequel to the hugely successful Mission: Impossible - Fallout, is once again being helmed by writer/director Christopher McQuarrie, who was planning to shoot for three weeks in Venice, Italy, before moving onto Rome for 40 days. Some rumours have noted that the film already began filming on the 20th February, but Paramount has since pulled (or delayed) filming in the country due to the virus on health and safety concerns. In a statement they said, "Out of an abundance of caution for the safety and well-being of our cast and crew, and efforts of the local Venetian government to halt public gatherings in response to the threat of coronavirus, we are altering the production plan for our three week shoot in Venice, the scheduled first leg of an extensive production for ‘Mission: Impossible 7,'” Paramount said. “During this hiatus we want to be mindful of the concerns of the crew and are allowing them to return home until production starts. We will continue to monitor this situation, and work alongside health and government officials as it evolves". 

Paramount has since paid for the cast and crew, who had already arrived in the city, to return home until the filming schedule is reworked around the pandemic. It's unclear whether filming will just be postponed from the country, or if they will have to relocate elsewhere. We've also had no word on whether this will impacted the film's intended July 2021 release date. 

Either way, it's clear that the global film industry is suffering greatly from the virus outbreak, and it seems it's not just in China (where the virus is at it's worst) that the devastation is being caused as we first thought. Sure, the delay to many big (and upcoming) movies playing in China is a concern, and with it the loss of the second biggest movie marketplace in the world. But, we shall see on that one how No Time To Die does come April. But, it seems that the outbreak of the virus across the world is also causing immense disruption, and I expect the delay of Mission: Impossible 7 to be the first of many movies (both big and small) to postpone or relocate filming across the world. 

Who can say how long this will go on for. Is this going to be the year when the industry took a big hit, both in production and box office of movies because of the virus? Or, is this something that can be contained swiftly and by the summer, the industry is back to normal? As much as we'd all like the latter to come true, you do have to wonder if 2020 is going to be remembered by movie nerds and general consumers as "that year when coronavirus put a halt to the film industry"! As for Tom Cruise, I'm sure he'll survive.