Friday Not Box Office Update

By Kim Hollis

March 21, 2020

Tom Nook appreciating my sense of humor...

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As you almost certainly know, studios are no longer reporting box office. With AMC, Regal, and Cinemark closed due to the threat of COVID-19, the largest exhibitors have removed distribution opportunities.

Honestly, since studios have delayed or cancelled wide releases from now through May in many cases. there isn't much reason for them to be open, anyway.

Since we have no box office to report (Thursday's biggest earner was Onward with $33,000 and an $8 per theater average), we thought we'd just take this time to get personal and update on how we are spending our time during these strange circumstances.

For my part, my first day of working from home for good was March 12th, the day after NBA player Rudy Gobert touched all the media microphones as a joke hours before it was revealed he had tested positive for COVID-19. This news was followed by the NBA suspending their season and Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson announcing their own test results. In a matter of hours, our worlds changed.

Assuming that my employer would ask people to work from home if they had that capability (they'd already made that request in several offices and with the escalating situation, I presumed an announcement was forthcoming), I made the call that I'd sequester myself. Within two hours on Thursday morning, my presumption was confirmed.

Since that time, David Mumpower and I have monitored the Johns Hopkins COVID-19 tracker to an almost obsessive degree. We've watched in awe and concern as people gathered for the last evening Walt Disney World stayed open (on video, of course). We wondered aloud if studios might go ahead and release some of their films on streaming. As you know, they have done just that, including Emma, The Invisible Man, and The Hunt becoming available for rent yesterday. Additionally, Disney added Frozen II to Disney+ early and allowed Rise of Skywalker to be an early digital purchase. Onward was similarly released for purchase digitally yesterday and will be added to Disney+ within a couple of weeks.

Other than work, we've had a LOT of time to spend. Perhaps you'll find an idea to spark your own interest in here...

Catching up on TV series and movies

I've had a bit of time to catch up on shows like Modern Family, Better Call Saul, and even a rewatch of Monty Python's Flying Circus, one of my favorite shows ever.




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Even though I saw them both in theaters, Frozen II and Onward have both been on the television a fair amount. We've also rented all three of Emma, The Invisible Man, and The Hunt for later viewing.

As big AEW fans, we thoroughly enjoyed Wednesday night's show without an audience. It was tremendously entertaining, with the revelation of the Exalted One (Brodie Lee) and the addition of Matt Hardy, one of my favorites.

We have NOT watched the news, as that can get oppressive. I have followed USA Today, BBC, and local news (I work for the parent network of the former).

Gaming

We love our video games, and when we're not watching streams of Halo, Borderlands, or Final Fantasy on Twitch, we're playing. David has been playing through one of the Halos, while I worked on the Fire Emblem: Three Houses DLC until yesterday, when Animal Crossing: New Horizons was released. Perfectly timed, I'll be obsessed with this one for months or more.

I'm hoping to see a bit more Esports content in the coming days, as it's a perfect opportunity to expand that audience.

Social Media

I've tried to be positive on my various social media venues, as I figure there's enough negativity. I avoid crazy conspiracy theories. Cat videos and cute penguins from the Shedd Aquarium help to improve my spirits, as does the fact that I have my own super real kitties that love to snuggle me. Additional, I've tried to reach out to friends and family as much as I can, just to stay connected.

Food and sundries

We've almost exclusively relied on online orders for pickup, with a couple of exceptions when we were super low on supplies and had to pop in to the store. It works well other than the fact that we used to be able to secure same-day delivery, but now our orders are a few days out. We haven't hoarded, as we want to be sure that others have what they need.

Future plans

As we move into an extended home stay, our plans include more activity (working out and/or walking) and cleaning and tidying. As we watch the films that are released digitally, we'll go ahead and pop in to review them!

Anything you all would like to see? How are you spending your time? Drop me a line at kim@boxofficeprophets.com and with enough contributions, I'll do an article based on that info, too!

Stay safe and well, friends. We'll continue to provide content during this time despite the lack of box office to report.


     


 
 

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