The Coronavirus Is Changing How Movies Are Distributed... But Will It Kill Movie Theaters?

On the March 16, 2020 episode of /Film Daily, /Film editor-in-chief Peter Sciretta is joined by /Film senior writer Ben Pearson and writer Chris Evangelista to discuss the latest film and tv news, including how the Coronavirus has affected the weekend’s box office, how movie theaters are responding, and will this lead to a huge cultural shift that will kill movie theaters? Opening Banter: So much has happened since the last episode. It feels like years. At this point, we need to assume at this point that every film production has been shut down and it’s only newsworthy if films are still shooting. In The News: Chris: ‘Bloodshot’ Bombs as the Coronavirus Crisis Causes One of the Worst Box Office Weekends in Decades  Ben : Movie Theaters in New York City and Los Angeles Close Due to Coronavirus Concerns Chris: AMC Theatres Limiting Capacity to Only 50 People Peter: ‘Frozen 2’ Available on Disney+ Early This Weekend, ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ Seemingly Available Early on Digital Ben: In a Potential Game-Changing Decision, NBCUniversal Will Make Theatrical Movies Available On-Demand Immediately   Other Articles Mentioned: Hollywood Coronavirus Cancellations: A List of Film, TV, and Entertainment Events Impacted By Pandemic   All the other stuff you need to know: You can find more about all the stories we mentioned on today’s show at slashfilm.com, and linked inside the show notes. /Film Daily is published every weekday, bringing you the most exciting news from the world of movies and television as well as deeper dives into the great features from slashfilm.com.  You can subscribe to /Film Daily on iTunes, Google Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the popular podcast apps (RSS).  Send your feedback, questions, comments and concerns to us at [email protected]. Please leave your name and general geographic location in case we mention the e-mail on the air. Please rate and review the podcast on iTunes, tell your friends and spread the word!  Thanks to Sam Hume for our logo.