CinemaCon, the official convention of The National Association of Theater Owners (NATO), is being extra careful during the 2021 convention season. Usually sometime in the Spring, the showcase has shifted its dates from the originally planned April 23-26 2021 all the way to August 23-26 2021.
The shift doesn't merely come in response to safety concerns, either. There are still plenty of countries that have international travel restrictions in place until the pandemic is under control. Frankly, at this point, even August seems a little premature. While reports in North America talk about a second wave, it's hard to agree with the terminology when the first one didn't really stop.
“With all the travel, logistical, and capacity concerns for the convention, our 7,500 attendees, vendors, and studio distribution partners, we couldn’t guarantee we could present the kind of show the industry expects in April,” noted CinemaCon Managing Director Mitch Neuhauser. “In close consultation with our studio and industry partners, we are rescheduling CinemaCon for August, when we think we can put on the kind of showcase we do best, and celebrate the moviegoing experience with the entire industry.”
Despite Hollywood's progressive nature, they've been forced like every other industry to get back to work or face the idea that the jobs might not exist when people can return safely. Sets have built millions and millions of dollars of COVID protections into their budgets, but we still have a report a week of someone in "a bubble" catching the virus.
Hopefully by the time next August rolls around the idea of a convention will be less of a risk.
