Italy’s Box Office Suffers Disastrous Weekend As Government Closes All Cinemas To Combat Coronavirus

With Italy, France and Spain in full lockdown in the face of the unrelenting coronavirus outbreak, their respective film industries are preparing to take exceptional measures that could limit the anticipated economic damage by opening themselves up to an uncharted gamble in streaming.

As virtual market initiatives proliferate, Italy’s Nexo Digital, which co-produces and distributes theatrical event content for the global market, has set up a virtual product showcase to make up for the cancellation of the MipTV mart.

As Spain follows Italy in grappling with the COVI-19 outbreak, with nearly 2,000 deaths reported so far, Spanish singer Enrique Iglesias received the sad news that his half-sister Tamara Falco’s father has died from the disease. Carlos Falcó, the 5th Marquess of Griñón, was married to Enrique’s mother Isabel Preysler from 1980 to 1985 after she had separated from Enrique’s father Julio Iglesias.

First, dad was accused of sexually assaulting an underage girl.

One day at a time. Tom Hanks’ sister gave an update on the actor’s condition after he and his wife, Rita Wilson, tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

“Big Brother Germany” contestants were stunned into silence after they were finally told about coronavirus live on TV.

The European box office took a major hit over the weekend, with cinemas in several major territories —including France, Spain and Italy—shut down entirely in response to the coronavirus epidemic and the ones still open playing to half-empty rooms. Revenue in the U.K.

The international box office has taken a major hit because movie theaters in China, Italy, South Korea and other areas heavily impacted by coronavirus have been entirely or partially closed for weeks.

By Nancy Tartaglione

The impact of restrictions aimed at stemming the spread of the coronavirus in Europe is already being felt at the box office as Italian cinemas shut down this weekend and ticket revenues plunged. In a governmental decree issued Sunday, Italy shut down all cinemas, along with museums, shows and cultural sites, in a bid to halt the advance of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.