The radical re-ordering of the 2020-2022 entertainment slate continues.

From postponed production and release dates to checkerboard-like seating charts for movie theaters, what may be the post-coronavirus new normal is slowly taking shape.

In the month since we first started charting pandemic-driven date shifts,  the film release calendar and distribution landscape has continued to mutate. Most recently,  WarnerMedia announced a slew of schedule changes stretching into 2022, whether because of production interruptions or the cascading effect of this year’s theater closings. All those shifts keep the film releases within theaters.

Straight to home

On the other hand, some shifts have involved films jumping from planned theatrical runs to in-home platforms.  Paramount just announced that The Lovebirds, originally slated for the big screen for April 3, will instead premier on Netflix on May 22. Earlier, NBCUniversal’s Trolls: World Tour went straight to VOD this month, while Disney’s Artemus Fowl, originally slated for theaters in May, now will go straight to the Disney+ streaming service in June.

Also of note:

• Many studios were quick to move films already released in theaters to in-home platforms, far ahead of the typical 90-day windows, given that big screens had gone dark. For example, Sony Pictures’ Bloodshot opened March 13 and generated a $9.2 million box office the first weekend after its March 13 opening, but 11 days later went to VOD, while Universal moved three of its February releases – Birds of Prey, The Hunt and Invisible Man – to VOD in March. Whether those windows shorten in a post-coronavirus world is worth watching.
• Theater chains are readying a new seating plan for when they re-open. AMC has expressed hope that it will start re-opening some theaters by mid-June. The plan features a checkerboard seating chart with nobody directly next to, behind or in front of a neighbor. Customers also would be given cleaning towels to disinfect their spaces, and theater staff will clean seats and swinging trays between shows.
• WarnerMedia’s HBO Max streaming service will likely benefit from the theater shutdown when it formally launches on May 27. The service will launch with series including Anna Kendrick’s “Love Life,” non-scripted series “Legendary”and “Craftopia” and kids’ series including “Looney Tunes Cartoons” and “The Not Too Late Show with Elmo.” It will cost $14.99 per month and will eventually have around 10,000 hours of content, much of it from WarnerMedia’s library. One project delayed by the Coronavirus: a much-ballyhooed “Friends” reunion special was scrapped from the initial launch.
• Another TV-based venture delayed by production issues: Discovery’s new Magnolia Network (renamed from DIY Network) joint venture with “Fixer Upper” stars Chip and Joanna Gaines, was postponed from Oct. 4 to a yet-to-be determined date.