This has been an exceptionally bad year at the Hollywood box office, given the cinema shutdowns and production delays brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
This has led many to wonder if cinemas will be able to survive as streaming — which had already been gaining steam over traditional theatrical releasing of movies — becomes the new normal.
During an interview with Collider to promote his new movie “News of the World,” Tom Hanks addressed the issue head on, weighing in with his expert opinion.
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“A sea change was due, anyway. It was coming,” Hanks said of the increasing number of movies that debuted on Netflix and other streaming services, and Warner Bros.’ recent announcement it would release the entirety of its 2021 cinematic slate on its HBO Max streaming service.
“Will movie theaters still exist? Absolutely, they will. In some ways, I think the exhibitors — once they’re up and open — are going to have the freedom of choice of what movies they’re going to play,” Hanks explained.
However, Hanks did caution that the cinematic landscape will be markedly different post-pandemic. While he believes big-budget blackbusters of the “Star Wars”, 007 and Marvel ilk will still be released in theatres, that probably won’t be the case for smaller, more intimate movies.
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“Big event motion pictures are going to rule the day at the cinemas,” Hanks said. “‘News of the World’ might be the last adult movie about people saying interesting things that’s going to play on a big screen somewhere, because after this, in order to guarantee that people show up again, we’re going to have the Marvel Universe and all sorts of franchises.”
Added Hanks: “You want to see them [franchise films] writ large, because watching them at home on your couch actually might diminish them somehow in their visual punch. But the sea change that has been brought by COVID-19 has been a slow train coming. I think there will be an awful lot of movies that will only be streamed, and I think it will be fine to see them that way because they will actually be built and made and constructed for somebody’s pretty good widescreen TV at their home. And there are going to be other movies that are going to be playing in that window. People will, in fact, I think flock to them in order to see them on the big screen while they have the chance.”
