England's theaters to shutter for second national lockdown
U.K. movie theaters will be among the business closing their doors as the nation shuts down for a second time in response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Cases in England have been on the rise as of late -- as is the case for many countries -- which resulted in Prime Minister Boris Johnson announcing on Sunday that the country would enter a month-long lockdown beginning Nov. 5.
Non-essential businesses, including movie theaters, will close.
Fellow European countries France and Germany have also announced lockdowns while Italy has closed down cinemas and Spain has imposed a curfew.
U.K. theaters will shut down once again as the nation faces a second lockdown in response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by LUIS ROBAYO/AFP via Getty Images)
U.K. theaters had slowly begun to resume business after the initial March lockdown as theaters around the world prepared for the release of "Tenet," which did not fare well at the box office.
Theater chain Cineworld announced that they'd be temporarily closing down all U.S. and U.K. locations after the upcoming Bond flick "No Time to Die" pushed its release back to 2021.
Theaters around the world have struggled as major studios grappled with several options for their planned theatrical releases.
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Some films went straight to streaming or VOD services while others took a chance on theaters, but they all performed poorly, as expected.
"Free Guy," "Death on the Nile" and "Wonder Woman 1984" are all set for release later this year, but schedules could always change.
'Tenet,' starring John David Washington, was set to serve as a return to normalcy for movie theaters, however, many major markets remain closed. (Melinda Sue Gordon/Warner Bros. Entertainment via AP) (Associated Press)
Disney's ventured into VOD with "Mulan," asking Disney+ subscribers to pay an extra fee on top of their subscription in order to view the film, however, their moving of "Soul" to the service for free suggests that sales may not have been what the Mouse House had hoped.
Dinsey is also the parent of "Free Guy" and "Death on the Nile," so a move to streaming is possible, though the studio didn't spend money directly on the properties, as they were produced by a pre-acquisition Fox.
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Similarly, "Wonder Woman 1984" could see a move to HBO Max, though director Patty Jenkins has been vocal in her desire to support the theater industry.