Coronavirus: For the first time ever, Hollywood’s box office records zero takings

‘I sat at my computer and saw that a rerelease of The Big Lebowski was the top-grossing movie from nine theatres,’ one industry figure says

The US box office recorded zero revenue for the first time in its history, following the near-total shutdown of cinemas across the country amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Erik Lomis, who works in the distribution business at United Artists Releasing, is known for waking at 4am every day of the week to send out projected grosses, in addition to analysis of weekend performances.

He told The Hollywood Reporter that, last week, he realised he “had to let go”.

“I sat at my computer at 11 p.m.,” he said, “and saw that a rerelease of The Big Lebowski was the top-grossing movie from nine theatres.”

The Guardian reports that Comscore did not issue its weekly report, while Hollywood’s major distributors, including Disney, declined to release their own figures.

According to Deadline, however, the latest Disney/Pixar film Onward is playing at 135 locations and grossed $71,000, while horror film The Invisible Man has taken $64,000 from 111 venues.

This is mostly from drive-in cinemas. The Glendale Drive-In cinema in Arizona has reportedly become Onward’s biggest-earning venue.

“Some investment will be recouped as titles are released via streaming services, as is starting to happen,” Mike Bloxham, the senior vice president of global media and entertainment at research firm Magid, told Forbes, “It’s impossible to say to what extent that will replace any amount of box office loss.”