Coronavirus Impact On Movies: North American Weekend Box Office Hits 20-Year Low

Weekend box-office sales hit a 20-year low amid growing coronavirus concerns. Ticket sales for the weekend totaled around $55 million for theaters in the U.S. and Canada, making it the lowest box office weekend since 2000.

The weekend numbers were a 45% drop from the over $100 million overall gross from the previous week.

“The impact of this unprecedented situation was apparent across many industries,” Comscore media analyst Paul Dergarabedian told reporters. “Of course, movie theaters, amidst reduced capacity and an ever-evolving set of circumstances, had a very challenging weekend.”

Theater chains had expected a disappointing box-office weekend. Regal Cinemas, AMC Theaters, Alamo Drafthouse, and Arclight Theaters cut theater capacity in half to remain open and meet guidelines laid out by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

The highest earner of the weekend was Disney and Pixar’s “Onward,” which was No. 1 at the box office with $10.5 million. It was also the only film to cross double digits for its weekend earnings. Next was Lionsgate’s Christian romance, “I Still Believe,” with $9.5 million, followed by Sony’s Vin Diesel-led comic book movie “Bloodshot” with $9.3 million.

Marvel Studios’ “Captain Marvel” was released on the same weekend in 2019 and brought in over $150 million at the North American box office.

“With the worldwide coronavirus epidemic causing many domestic theater chains to go to reduced seating and many international territories to either completely or partially close all theaters, as well as creating uncertainty about going to crowded spaces, all titles have seen larger than expected drops,” Disney said in a statement.

The coronavirus outbreak has also impacted the release of films like “Mulan,” “No Time to Die,” “Fast & Furious 9,” and “A Quiet Place Part II.” Other films in production have suspended shooting to prevent exposure and include “The Batman,” “Mission: Impossible VII” and “Shang-Chi.”