The UK is presently reeling from a massive surge in new COVID-19 cases, which has many entertainment-industry analysts and professionals worried that the government will impose a second major lockdown. For now, however, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has adopted a softer set of restrictions that will allow film and TV production to continue, while having a mild impact on the UK’s reeling theater business.
The new measures include a 10 PM curfew for theaters, as well as bars and restaurants. No shows can be booked after 10, although some may run after that point. The UK’s anti-COVID workplace protocols are now enforceable by law, and violations can be punished by heavy fines or business closure.
This is expected to have a minimal impact on a struggling theater industry, where many individual locations were only reopened a few weeks ago. Between the natural fear of the virus itself and a scarcity of new films to run due to COVID delays, many movie theaters have reported substantial losses.
An effort was made this past summer by the UK Film Distributors’ Association to bring patrons back into theaters with a large library package of films, such as the Harry Potter and Hunger Games franchises, which has had some success. According to Tim Richards, the CEO of British theater chain Vue, speaking to Variety, the “library films” have helped his locations’ attendance to the point where some are actually breaking even, but cinemas are desperate for new films to drive up overall attendance.
Film and TV production in the UK is not expected to be affected greatly by the new COVID-19 measures. Many individual projects resumed filming throughout the UK in July, such as Robert Pattinson’s The Batman, aided by a government-backed £500 million fund that would help to cover suspension, abandonment, and insurance costs incurred by productions affected by the pandemic.
This new surge of cases in the UK appears to revolve around outbreaks in major cities, and unluckily coincides with the beginning of both autumn and the annual flu season. While Boris Johnson is reportedly against the idea of implementing a second national lockdown in the UK, on the basis that it’d lead directly to an economic crash, he has promised to take additional anti-COVID measures if what he’s already done isn’t enough to stop the latest surge.
Even if the UK manages to lower its currently high number of new cases, however, it may not be enough to save the UK’s current events industry, which includes the theater business. It’s also worth noting here that the parent company of convention organizer ReedPOP, Reed Exhibitions, is headquartered in the UK. Should the UK live events business collapse, it has a reasonable chance of taking Reed with it. Since ReedPOP also organizes most of the comic book conventions and trade shows in the Western world, its demise could have a massive domino effect throughout pop culture. Right now, though, all there is to do is wait and see what happens… and maybe buy a theater ticket or two.
Source: Variety
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