You’re in a crowded movie theater, working your way through a large container of popcorn. In the back of the cinema, there’s a man hacking up a terrible cough and sweating profusely. Small particles float through the air, and just as you laugh at the movie’s punchline, you’re infected.
No, this is not the latest report on the coronavirus; it’s a scene from one of the top streaming titles on Netflix, 1995’s “Outbreak.”
Starring Dustin Hoffman, Rene Russo and Cuba Gooding Jr., the drama is described in different ways depending on which online movie service you trust. Netflix describes it as a “doomsday thriller” in which a military virologist (Hoffman) tries to save the world by thwarting a killer virus that has taken over a California town. Internet Movie Database places all the blame for the virus on an African monkey seemingly bent on destroying the U.S. On the other extreme, social media platform Letterboxd tasks Hoffman’s character with not only saving the world but to also stop the White House from overreacting.
Twenty-five years later, a virus that has hit all the continents except Antarctica is in the news, and many are turning to movies — not as an escape, but for curiosity.
The same can be said for 2011’s “Contagion.” When the first coronavirus cases were reported in China, the Steven Soderbergh-directed film was appearing on Apple charts. Buzzfeed reported in February that it was the second most-viewed entry in the Warner Bros. film catalog of 2020 so far. Starring Matt Damon, Gwyenth Paltrow, Laurence Fishburne, Jude Law and Marion Cotillard, the drama tracked an epidemic that started in Asia and became global. “Contagion” showed the response on personal and government levels, employing the multiple storyline technique Soderbergh is best known for using in projects like “Traffic” and later “Mosaic.”
Parts included actions by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention when facing a viral crisis and the threat of misinformation floating through the internet. Law’s character was an online conspiracy theorist who blogged about fake cures and hyping hysteria. When this movie was released, I remember seeing posts on Facebook from friends who worked at the CDC saying how unrealistic the film was regarding how the agency would handle such an outbreak, and that a virus wouldn’t act like the one in the movie. Nine years later, some of those same friends are surprised that we’re living in what feels like a Soderbergh-helmed disaster.
In an interview with Buzzfeed, “Contagion” producer Michael Shamberg said that it was “very deliberately designed to be a cautionary film,” noting that writer Scott Z. Burns forecasted the growth of “fake news” as well as panic buying supplies.
Coronavirus changing viewing habits
Concerns over the coronavirus have shut down movie theaters in China and parts of South Korea, and some release dates for major movies have been pushed back. “No Time To Die,” the last James Bond movie starring Daniel Craig, was moved from its April release to November, and the live-action version of “Mulan” has changed its schedule in China. “Greyhound,” a World War II drama with Tom Hanks, and “My Spy,” a family comedy with David Bautista, have also been delayed. The South By Southwest Film Festival, originally to start March 13, was canceled, and people are keeping an eye on Tribeca and Cannes.
So far, there are no plans to close theaters in the U.S. but theater chains are already feeling the effects. Shares of Cinemark and AMC have been down by at least 19% since mid-February, according to Newsweek, and box office forecasters predict that attendance may be down compared to 2018. For now, theaters have stepped up their efforts to keep their facilities clean.
Meanwhile, the CDC issued a directive earlier this month encouraging the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions to “avoid crowds, especially in poorly ventilated spaces” that may expose them to respiratory illnesses, including coronavirus. Variety said this group is usually those above age 60 and experts believe this group should avoid places like movie theaters, religious services and malls. There is little known about how much of a percentage this group has in seeing movies, but according to Variety, they made up about 17% of ticket holders who watched “Emma” and 14% who watched “The Way Back” this past weekend.
If you are taking precautions, save some of the new releases on your watchlist for later or check to see if future movies have changed their debut dates. There’s drive-in season on the horizon, and streaming services that can make staying home feel not so bad.
