CORONA’S AFFECT ON ENTERTAINMENT

The Coronavirus outbreak is disrupting entertainment events in Hollywood and around the world, from the theatrical releases of major studio tentpoles to the launch of film festivals and TV conferences. IndieWire will continue to update this page with the latest breaking news regarding production delays, festival cancellations, release date changes, and more entertainment disruptions caused by the coronavirus. The most recent updates will be posted at the top of the running list below.

March 12

-The New York-based “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” and “The Wendy Williams Show” are suspending production. All three programs previously announced that they would film without studio audiences. Deadline reported that Fallon’s show will tape an episode tonight, though Meyers’ will air an encore episode instead of taping a new episode. 

–Discovery has cancelled its Upfront presentation schedule for May, following in the footsteps of most major networks that have already cancelled their planned upfront events.

–Universal Studios Hollywood theme park in California will close beginning Saturday, March 14, following the closure of Disney’s California theme parks. Universal said that the park anticipates reopening on March 28 as the situation unfolds.

–The Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles, originally set for April 1 through 5, has been postponed to a yet-to-be-determined date.

–The St Patrick’s Film Festival London, which was scheduled to take place in London from March 13 through 15, has been postponed. The festival is currently working on making its titles available for audiences to stream.

–The 22nd Annual Roger Ebert’s Film Festival, also known as “Ebertfest,” has been cancelled and rescheduled for April 14-17, 2021.The Chicago festival was originally slated to run April 15-18 in Champaign, Illinois.

–Walt Disney Pictures has delayed the release date for “Mulan” due to coronavirus concerns. Niki Caro’s film, which already saw the cancellation of its European red carpet over the virus, was slated for a March 27 release in the United States, with release dates globally beginning March 26. Disney has not set plans for a future release date.

–20th Century Studios has moved “New Mutants” (originally set for April 3) and Searchlight’s “Antlers” (which was set for April 17). No new release dates have been announced.

–IFC Films has pushed the release date of Hirokazu Kore-eda’s “The Truth,” originally set for March 20, to summer 2020.

–The Anthology Film Archives has suspended all of its March screenings, effective immediately. The center says it aims to postpone, not cancel, its upcoming March programs. Individuals who have bought advance tickets for March screenings can reach out to the center to exchange them for tickets for any screening taking place after the center reopens.

–The CW and Fox have cancelled their live Upfront presentations that were scheduled for May. Most other major networks have already cancelled their Upfront events.

–Rooftop Films is postponing all of its March screenings, including its free presentation of “Queen & Slim” at Industry City that was scheduled for March 19. Rooftop Films said it hopes to reschedule the screenings as soon as possible.

-The Walt Disney Company will close their California theme parksbeginning March 14 through the end of the month. That includes Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. Disneyland hotels will shut down March 16 to allow existing guests to find new accommodations

-The TV Academy announced that For Your Consideration events will not happen live, in front of an audience, instead opting to livestream and/or record panels for digital viewing.

-Strand Releasing is postponing the U.S. release of “The Artist’s Wife,”starring Bruce Dern and Lena Olin. The distributor said in a statement: “The film was originally scheduled to be released in New York on April 3rd at the Angelika Film Center and Landmark 57, in Los Angeles on April 10th at Laemmle’s Royal, Playhouse, and Town Centre theaters and in San Francisco on April 17th at Landmark’s Embarcadero and East Bay theaters.”

-NCAA’s March Madness tournament is canceled. The organization said in a statement: “Today, NCAA President Mark Emmert and the Board of Governors canceled the Division I men’s and women’s 2020 basketball tournaments, as well as all remaining winter and spring NCAA championships. This decision is based on the evolving COVID-19 public health threat, our ability to ensure the events do not contribute to spread of the pandemic, and the impracticality of hosting such events at any time during this academic year given ongoing decisions by other entities.”

-New York City’s Film Forum is limiting seating capacity. The theater has announced that “sarting Friday, March 13, Film Forum will limit capacity in our theaters to 50% in compliance with New York State’s COVID-19 public gathering mandate.”

–WarnerMedia and Xandr have canceled Upfront presentations for their networks, which include CNN, TBS, and TNT. The campnies said in a statement: “The health and safety of the advertising community, our employees and production partners is our absolute priority, so we will alter our plans for this year’s Upfront presentation. We have the technological and creative means to showcase our unified WarnerMedia/Xandr message through a unique video experience and will do just that on May 13.”

-Los Angeles’ City Theater Group has announced the cancellation of several productions: “To comply with the overnight directive of the California Department of Public Health and a mandate from the County of Los Angeles, we are immediately canceling all performances of The Book of Mormon, The Antipodes, and Block Party at the Ahmanson Theatre, Mark Taper Forum, and Kirk Douglas Theatre to help lessen the spread of the virus. It is imperative that we act on the advice of government officials, public health authorities, and medical professionals.”