Jason Blum explains why coronavirus will change the way movies are released

Gregory Wakeman
·Contributor
·2-min read
MADRID, SPAIN - FEBRUARY 19: US producer and actor Jason Blum attends 'El Hombre Invisible' ('Invisible Man') photocall at Villa Magna Hotel on February 19, 2020 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Pablo Cuadra/FilmMagic)
MADRID, SPAIN - FEBRUARY 19: US producer and actor Jason Blum attends 'El Hombre Invisible' ('Invisible Man') photocall at Villa Magna Hotel on February 19, 2020 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Pablo Cuadra/FilmMagic)

Jason Blum, the producer behind Get Out, Whiplash, and The Invisible Man, has opened up about the potential impact that the coronavirus will have on movie releases.

Earlier this month, after it was wisely decided that all cinemas and movie theaters should be closed in an attempt to contain its spread, studios decided to release some of their latest movies online and onto streaming services instead.

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Blum believes that this decision is likely to have huge ramifications for the theatrical experience once the pandemic comes to an end, telling The Ben Shapiro Show, via JoBlo, “I think it’s not realistic to think all the studios are going to wait four months before they put a movie at home.”

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 22: A view of the Regal Loews Cinemas movie theater in Times Square hours ahead of the implementation of 'New York State on PAUSE' executive order as the coronavirus continues to spread across the United States on March 22, 2020 in New York City. The tourism and entertainment industries have been hit hard by restrictions in response to the outbreak of COVID-19. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images)

“They just can’t compete, they’re going to have to compete with Amazon and Netflix and Apple in a different way. There’s going to be shifts. The consumer is going to be more used to staying at home.”

“Something is going to give, there has to be something that’s going to happen post-corona. The movie business will look different after the coronavirus."

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However, Blum is adamant that cinemas will never go away, as the communal experience of watching a film together, especially a horror movie, is just too powerful.

"I don’t think theaters are ever going to go away. The collective experience of going to a theater and taking in a movie, I think that’s going to be around for a long time.”

“I think there’ll be less movies in theaters, there’ll be less of a selection, or I should say, there’ll be many many fewer movies in theaters with the window, and I think there’ll be many many more movies in theaters, but they only last for a week or two."

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