Some of the few entertainment entities that remained open and fully functioning were shutting down like much of the rest of the world on Friday, a day after institutions from Broadway to Disneyland closed their doors, TV shows including “The Price Is Right” halted production, and movie release dates strategically scheduled years in advance were pushed back indefinitely.
Here’s a look at the latest closings, cancellations and postponements related to the new coronavirus, which most people recover from but can cause severe illness in the elderly and those with pre-existing medical conditions.
THE VIEW FROM HOME
Joy Behar says she’s going to skip her co-hosting duties on “The View” next week and stay home amid growing concerns over the coronavirus.
“I’m in a higher risk group because of my age, but I’m perfectly healthy,” the 77-year-old comedian and performer said on the show Friday. “I’m going to socially distance myself.”
Behar said she doesn’t trust the government and made the decision to self-quarantine herself. She added she is lucky that she doesn’t have child care needs and has enough money to tide her over.
“Are you going to miss me?” she asked her co-hosts. “Probably,” joked Whoopi Goldberg.
“I think it’s always better to be cautious than to be sorry,” Meghan McCain said.
Behar’s decision comes as many talk shows and game shows have decided to shoot without live audiences, and several television productions, with or without crowds, have shut down altogether.
LITTLE MERMAID WON’T BE PART OF YOUR WORLD FOR A WHILE
The Walt Disney Co. says its shutting down many of its live-action productions, including “The Little Mermaid” and Ridley Scott’s “The Last Duel,” due to the coronavirus.
Hollywood on Friday continued to halt shoots of most films and television series to help control the spread of the virus. For Disney, that includes the live-action remake of “The Little Mermaid”; “The Last Duel,” with Matt Damon, Adam Driver and Ben Affleck; Marvel’s “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”; a “Home Alone” remake; and Guillermo Del Toro’s “Nightmare Alley.” It’s also putting on hold a pair of films in pre-production: “Peter Pan and Wendy” and a “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” reboot.
“While there have been no confirmed cases of COVID-19 on our productions, after considering the current environment and the best interests of our cast and crew, we have made the decision to pause production on some of our live-action films for a short time,” said a spokesman for Disney. “We will continue to assess the situation and restart as soon as feasible.”
The Walt Disney Co. on Thursday delayed the releases of several upcoming films, including “Mulan.”
THEME PARKS GO DARK
No rolling or coasting will be happening at Six Flags theme parks.
The amusement park giant announced Friday that all of its U.S. parks will go dark over coronavirus concerns starting Saturday through the end of March, including Six Flags Magic Mountain near Los Angeles, Six Flags over Texas near Dallas and Six Flags over Georgia in Atlanta.
Hundred-year-old Southern California institution Knott’s Berry Farm is shutting down for the same time frame.
“While there have been no confirmed cases of COVID-19 at our properties, we believe it is the right decision for our guests, associates and community,” Knott’s said in a statement Friday.
The decision comes a day after Disney announced the planned shutdown of its parks.
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