Courtesy of The Atlantic

Movie theaters, Broadway theaters and concert venues all lie dormant as they wait for COVID-19 to end and for their patrons to return. Since entering this period of isolation more than a month ago, which most expect will last well into the summer, the entertainment industry has had to adapt from its traditional methods of engaging with its audience and pushing content into the digital world. But as entertainment faces this period of uncertainty, industry leaders are creating the blueprint for what can be our future well past COVID-19.

Without movie theaters and red-carpet events for upcoming films to premiere at, many studios have decided to push the release of several highly anticipated films to Fall 2020/Winter 2021. The latter half of the year will see the U.S. releases of Disney’s “Black Widow,” “Mulan” and “Soul,” as well as MGM’s “No Time to Die.” These releases, however, can easily be pushed back even further to Spring 2021 depending on how long COVID-19 keeps theaters closed. To get ahead of this situation, some studios have embraced this new digital realm by releasing movies directly to streaming services or on premium video on demand. The best example of this is Universal’s “Trolls: World Tour” which was released Friday, April 10, a week earlier than its expected release date, to video on demand. The sequel to the 2016 movie “Trolls” not only reached the number one spot on services such as Amazon, YouTube and FandangoNow, but it also had the biggest release of any digital title. It’s likely that other films, especially smaller, low-budget ones, will follow suit, while larger films like “Mulan” will push for a traditional theater release. 

The television industry, similar to the movie industry, has been making slow movements toward creating new content despite distance due to COVID-19. Live shows including “Saturday Night Live” and various talk shows are producing content live from their homes, but not every show is at liberty to do so. As of right now, shows are airing their regularly scheduled new programs that were recorded pre-coronavirus. But as COVID-19 continues to be a threat, there will be less and less new content to air. Networks may have to resort to airing reruns or more live specials to fill these time slots. 

Cable TV will ultimately suffer more than it already had pre-coronavirus, allowing streaming services to truly thrive as the preferred medium of movie and TV consumption. Netflix, Hulu and Disney+ are all releasing new content and adding old favorites to their libraries including “Parasite” (Hulu), “#blackAF” (Netflix) and “Frozen II” (Disney+). Before the release of HBO MAX in May, HBO NOW and HBO GO have released certain titles that are free for non-subscribers to watch in light of COVID-19, including “The Sopranos,” “Big Little Lies” and “The Wire.” In addition to HBO MAX, two new streaming services have entered into the streaming wars – Quibi and NBC’s Peacock. Most of these streaming services have continuously pushed out content since early March, and there are no signs of them slowing down. As cable TV fails to offer audiences new content, we will be placing more trust in these streaming services than we ever had before to be our source for distraction and entertainment.

Despite making a jump from traditional theaters and TV screens to digital services, the movie and TV industries have found ways to thrive during COVID-19. For other parts of the entertainment industry, like Broadway and the music industry, this transition has meant moving forward without one major key element – an in-person audience. 

Broadway shows are without their iconic theaters, costumes and sets, making it virtually impossible to successfully recreate something meaningful over a video call. Members of the Broadway community have taken this time to perform songs from iconic musicals, give behind-the-scenes information over Instagram Live and even release new music, like Lin Manuel Miranda’s song “I Have a Friend,” written for the production “Hamilton.” This attempt to bring Broadway beyond the stage has allowed fans to connect with their favorite productions in ways they were never able to before. Despite this, it is hard to ignore how different Broadway will be once theaters reopen after COVID-19. Broadway originally closed on March 12 and was expected to open again one month later on Sunday, April 12. At the time of its closure, many productions were in previews while some, including “Hangmen” and “A Soldier’s Play,” were forced to close. Even New York City’s iconic “Shakespeare in the Park” has been canceled for the first time in 58 years. When it was announced that Broadway will remain closed until June, it was clear that fan-favorite “Beetlejuice” would not be returning to the Winter Garden Theatre. As for the shows currently in previews, such as “Six” and “Diana: A True Musical Story,” their status on Broadway is in a very precarious situation. Depending on how COVID-19 progresses, they may see the same fate as “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” which was in its previews before it closed in mid-March.

In addition to the different productions that will be gracing Broadway stages after COVID-19, the general atmosphere of large public spaces such as a Broadway theater will be forever changed. After already a month in isolation, many people will be hesitant to reenter and stay in a room with hundreds of other people. Many Broadway productions have been facing financial struggles in the past few years, and with the current situation, the financial future of these shows will take a massive hit. Broadway will have to take massive steps to bounce back to a place of normalcy and has already made attempts to do so. One prime example is “The Shows Must Go On!” on YouTube, which releases a full-length Broadway production that is only available for 48 hours. Featured shows so far include “The Phantom of The Opera” and “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” which have brought real stage productions right to our screens at home. Until Broadway opens back up again, which many don’t expect will happen until at least September, this will be the future of Broadway.

The music industry has also faced hardships as concerts have been postponed due to COVID-19. Most artists have canceled their tour dates up until the fall, but some, including Taylor Swift, are taking extra precautions by canceling all further shows until 2021. Elton John’s iHeart Living Room Concert and Disney’s Singalong have both attempted to bring fans some semblance of the traditional concert experience. While it is far from being in a venue watching a live performance, this will be the closest we can get to our favorite artists for a while, possibly until 2021. Many artists have taken this time of isolation to write and release more music. Dua Lipa’s “Future Nostalgia,” Fiona Apple’s “Fetch the Bolt Cutters” a
nd many more albums and singles have been released in the past two months. Many artists have also hinted that they have been using this time to write new singles. We may be unable to attend concerts in the near future, but once the entertainment industry starts to recover from coronavirus, there will be more music than ever before for our favorite artists to perform.

It’s impossible to predict exactly what the entertainment industry will look like after COVID-19, and there will be a long road to recovery before it reaches a state of normalcy. But as we patiently wait for that time to arrive, we can take advantage of the resources provided to us by the many factions of the entertainment industry straight to our screens.