Film spoke to him in the second week
of March (ahead of the cinema closure
announcements), he suggested that
smaller films might have actually
benefitted from the paucity of big-
budget competition, and could “enjoy
longer runs in better screens than would
otherwise be the case”. But that’s all
academic now as the large cinema
chains close their doors.
Even while the cinemas were open,
takings weren’t looking good as Total
Film went to press on the issue that
you’re reading. Examining the data for
the weekend of 13 March, during which
no films were pulled by distributors,
Gant adds that “UK box office for the
weekend nevertheless declined 41 per
cent from the previous session. Every
title in the Top 50, with just three
exceptions, fell by at least 50 per cent
from the previous session. Compared
to the equivalent weekend from 2019,
takings were down 53 per cent.” Over
the same weekend, the US recorded
its worst box-office takings in two
decades (that was back when ;kbg`Bm
On was in theatres).Not surprisingly, Gant expects box
office takings in 2020 to be significantly
down on 2019’s tally in the wake of
circumstances he says are
“unprecedented in my working
lifetime.” (The only comparable
phenomenon in recent years, he
believes, is the downturn that followed
the 9/11 attacks of 2001, and that was
a relatively short blip.) “Losing a movie
like Fast & Furious 9 is going to impact
annual box office,” he continues. “This
year was already short of sure-thing
blockbuster titles, equivalent to last
year’s amazing offer from Disney’s brand
portfolio. Six films released in 2019
(Avengers: Endgame, The Lion King, Mhr
Lmhkr-, Chd^k, Star Wars: The Rise Of
LdrpZed^r and Frozen II) reached £50m+
at the UK box office. With the exception
of No Time To Die it’s hard to pinpoint
equivalent hits in 2020, so the
coronavirus is compounding an already
challenging situation.” With these
comments made ahead of the cinema
closures, the situation is now looking
even more dire. Also set to disrupt the
industry is Universal’s decision to make
new releases (including The Invisible Man,
The Hunt, Emma, and the upcoming Trolls:this year. In London, the British Film
Institute opted “with heavy hearts” to
cancel Flare, its annual showcase of
LGBTIQ+ fare, “as the Covid-19
pandemic rapidly evolves”. Shortly
afterwards, the BFI Southbank closed,
and all forthcoming events and
screenings were cancelled or postponed.
The Edinburgh International Film
Festival, scheduled for June, has also
been cancelled, with CEO Ken Hay
announcing that they “are looking at
which elements of the Festival may be
delivered later in the year”.The Show Must Go On?
Festivals like Cannes are an important
part of the movie business eco-system,
providing a high-profile launchpad for
both mainstream and arthouse titles, and
a fertile breeding ground for production
and distribution deal-making. (It was last
year’s Cannes that set Parasite on the road
to glory that took it all the way to a Best
Picture Oscar in February.) As unthinkable
as it might seem to some for Cannes not
to take place, though, it’s perhaps worth
remembering it has happened before.
The 1948 and 1950 editions were both
cancelled due to budgetary issues,
while 1968’s celebrations were halted
mid-flow by the wave of civil unrest
sweeping across France at the time.
Cannes might even be invigorated by
an enforced leave of absence.
The same cannot be said of the
United Kingdom’s 840-odd cinemas,
many of which can ill-afford a prolonged
period of dwindling ticket sales and
a dearth of fresh product. Cineworld,
which has 100 sites in the UK and
Ireland and also owns the 25-location
Picturehouse chain, insisted in March it
stood on “solid ground” but still painted
a grim “downside scenario” for its
investors that suggested closures of up
to three months might potentially be
contemplated. (Its share price promptly
dropped to a 10-year low.) Shortly
afterwords, the chain made the decision
to close all of its cinemas in the UK
and Ireland until further notice. Odeon
also shut its doors in mid-March, until
further notice, as did Vue. Previously,
one cinema chain – Northern Ireland’s
Omniplex – was endeavouring to
allay health concerns by introducing
a seat separation policy across its 15
sites that saw every second seat left
unoccupied in its theatres in a checker
board formation.
Charles Gant is the features editor of
Screen International and a dab hand at
crunching box-office data. When Total‘Losing a movie like Fast &
Furious 9 is going to impact
annual box office’ Charles Gant
TF INVESTIGATES
TOTAL FILM | APRIL 2020