A number of Chinese exhibitors will no longer attend CinemaCon 2020 due to the spread of the coronavirus. The exhibition, set to take place between March 30th and April 2nd, is an annual event which occurs in Las Vegas. CinemaCon gives movie studios the chance to show off their latest and greatest projects to theater owners. The National Organization of Theater Owners (NATO) is responsible for putting it together each year. Attendees often get treated to early sneak peaks and footage of studios’ most anticipated releases. It’s a platform for companies like Paramount, Disney, and Universal to build anticipation for and champion the theater going experience.
The convention draws a global audience, including those with ancillary roles in the media and filmmaking communities. Last year, Disney showed off footage from their live-action retellings of movies like The Lion King and Aladdin. Universal knocked down the house with a sneak peak at Hobbs and Shaw and Warner Bros. entered the mix by revealing new footage from Detective Pikachu, a solid addition to the franchise. Sometimes, attendees of CinemaCon are even lucky enough to catch early screenings of entire films such as in 2017 with Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.
This year, however, is set to be a little different with The Wrap reporting that around 24 representatives from Chinese theater companies will not be coming to Las Vegas in the spring, due to the coronavirus. According to NATO, the “safety and productivity of our attendees remains our highest priority.” Members of the organization were also assured that measures such as regular calls to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) will be taken. The studios have also expressed desire that the event still take place as scheduled.
News of these absences at CinemaCon 2020 come after a series of other similar announcements in the filmmaking community. James Bond film No Time to Die had to cancel its Chinese premiere due to the virus, and films like Sonic the Hedgehog and Mulan have had their Chinese releases pushed back. Mission: Impossible 7 even had to halt production in Italy for safety reasons. After tens of thousands of reported cases of the virus, with many being deadly, people across the world are on high alert.
It’s disappointing that some will be left out of this year’s CinemaCon. It’s an exciting couple of days filled with exclusive access to new movie trailers and footage. In a time when the vitality of the theater going experience is at risk, the event seems more important than ever. The popularity of streaming is only growing, and CinemaCon promotes the continuation of the classic movie experience. This fact may leave those who can’t attend even more disappointed. It’s still something on the calendar to look forward to, but fans we’ll have to wait and see how this year’s event plays out.
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Source: The Wrap
