With 2020 coming to a close, we take a look back at the biggest movie stories of the year. After 2019 proved to be a jam-packed year with several massive developments (including multiple pop culture finales), the expectation was 2020 would be a smaller movie year by comparison. That turned out to be true, just not in the way anyone anticipated. After two months of normalcy, the entertainment industry (along with the rest of the world) was turned upside down in 2020 by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which threw all of Hollywood into a state of flux. Even in the earliest days of the health crisis, it was clear things would never be the same.
Obviously, COVID-19 defined much of the year, as studios altered their release slates and changed upcoming plans. In more recent months, with new health & safety protocols in place, movie and TV productions have resumed, allowing Hollywood to get back to something resembling standard business practice. This allowed for a stream of regular updates on highly-anticipated projects, ones that were worth getting excited about rather than feeling upset about another delay. So while coronavirus definitely dominated the headlines in 2020, there were also more usual developments audiences have become accustomed to seeing.
There was a lot that took place in 2020, even with a dearth of the typical mainstream blockbuster releases. As viewers start to look ahead to 2021 (which will hopefully turn out better), here are our picks for the biggest movie news stories of 2020. This list is arranged chronologically.
Bong Joon-ho's Parasite was one of the most critically acclaimed films of 2019, winning over audiences with its inventive storytelling, captivating performances, and master craftsmanship. It had a lot of support heading into awards season, becoming just the 12th international feature to be nominated for Best Picture. As great as that accomplishment was, few felt Parasite stood a chance to win, as none of the previous 11 international nominees took home the award. However, Parasite was a very pleasant surprise on Oscar night. After winning Best International Film (as expected), the film then received Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, and finally Best Picture. Parasite was the feel-good story of the ceremony, as the Oscars turned into a celebration of Bong Joon-ho and his love for cinema.
In March, the coronavirus pandemic took a turn for the worse, forcing a number of businesses and events to shut down. As part of the efforts to slow the spread of the disease, movie theaters worldwide closed indefinitely, which in turn led to a plethora of release dates being delayed. Even before theaters went dark, No Time to Die moved due to coronavirus concerns, and then several others followed suit. Some studios (optimistically) chose to push their titles back several months, while others made the more drastic decision to move blockbusters into 2021, when the hope is theaters will be safer. As a result, Hollywood vacated the typically lucrative summer movie season, leaving viewers with an unprecedented dearth of new releases during a time when there are usually too many tentpoles competing for ticket sales.
The #ReleaseTheSnyderCut campaign launched in 2017 in response to the way Justice League's theatrical cut turned out. Upset that original director Zack Snyder's vision was largely discarded by Joss Whedon (who oversaw extensive reshoots after Snyder left following a family tragedy), Snyder's fans pushed for Warner Bros. to allow the filmmaker to complete his version of the movie. Nearly three years later, that wish was granted. During a Man of Steel watch party, Snyder officially revealed the Snyder Cut was coming to HBO Max in 2021. The project promises to be a radically different take on Justice League, reinserting several deleted storylines (like Cyborg's arc) and including characters such as Jared Leto's Joker. It will be interesting to see how it turns out, but it's nice Snyder got this opportunity thanks to the passionate fans.
Comic book adaptations have long abided by the shared universe model for franchise building, but now they're moving towards the multiverse by bringing back earlier iterations of characters. This started back in June, when it was announced Michael Keaton was reprising Batman in The Flash. He won't be the only cinematic Batman appearing, as Ben Affleck is also returning for that film. As for Marvel, they're essentially turning Spider-Man: Homecoming 3 into a live-action Spider-Verse production. Jamie Foxx was reported to be playing Electro in the film, and eventually Sam Raimi trilogy stars Alfred Molina, Kirsten Dunst, Tobey Maguire, and Andrew Garfield were added. There's even been talk of Willem Dafoe and Thomas Hayden Church joining the ensemble. It marks the next evolution of comic book adaptations, where filmmakers aren't beholden to a single canon.
With the pandemic shutting down theaters, studios were left to their own devices to figure out what to do with their planned releases. Universal made headlines by announcing animated sequel Trolls: World Tour (which was scheduled for the spring) would bypass theaters completely and go straight to premium VOD. That angered theater chains, particularly AMC, who swore to stop screening Universal's movies. Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed and the sides reached a compromise. In July, Universal struck a deal with AMC that allows their titles to stream on VOD 17 days after their theatrical release (this is why Universal's Croods: The New Age and News of the World stuck to theatrical premieres. The deal was later extended to Regal, allowing Universal to stay in business with major chains, while also making their movies safely available to watch at home. This model will stay in effect beyond the pandemic.
In August, the world was stunned to learn Boseman passed away at the age of 43, following a years-long battle with colon cancer. News of his illness surprised the actor's collaborators, as he kept his diagnosis a secret while he worked on films such as Black Panther, Da 5 Bloods, and more. Thanks to his tremendous body of work (including playing Black icons Jackie Robinson, James Brown, and Thurgood Marshall) and his career-defining role as T'Challa, Boseman is a global icon who will be greatly missed. In such a short period of time, Boseman left an undeniable impact on the entertainment industry, with his final performance in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom serving as a shining example of his immense talent.
Christopher Nolan is one of the few directors who can bring audiences to the theater on the strength of his name alone, so there was much hope his latest film, Tenet, would be the movie that gave multiplexes a much-needed boost amidst the pandemic. Sadly, things didn't turn out that way (especially in the U.S.). Despite being one of 2020's most-anticipated films, Tenet struggled commercially, bringing in $361.4 million worldwide - well below the $500 million Tenet needed just to break even. It showed studios that moviegoers weren't ready to return to the theater in full force they way they did pre-pandemic, causing another wave of release date delays. Several of the titles scheduled for this fall and winter are now slated for 2021. It remains to be seen how theaters will stay afloat in the meantime, as AMC is reportedly running out of money.
As Warner Bros. stuck to theatrical exclusivity for Tenet, Disney went in a different direction with Mulan, their tentpole affected by the pandemic. Originally scheduled to come out in March, the Mouse House eventually opted to release Mulan on Disney+ as part of the new Premier Access program, charging subscribers $29.99 to watch it on the service. The move ended up being successful, leading to a 68% increase in Disney+ downloads. Mulan also reportedly made more money than Tenet. As a result, Disney is keeping the Premier Access brand, releasing certain titles under that banner. For instance, Raya and the Last Dragon will be on Premier Access next year. However, Disney plans on keeping their mega franchise tentpoles (i.e. Marvel) only in theaters before home media.
After delaying Wonder Woman 1984 multiple times, WB finally decided to release the film on HBO Max the same day it comes out in theaters. That move was largely expected. What wasn't was WB using the Wonder Woman 1984 model as a template for their entire 2021 slate. In early December, the studio made waves by announcing all 17 of their movies next year will receive a day-and-date release on HBO Max. The deal is only for U.S. subscribers and there's no additional charge to watch the films. It's definitely the most drastic measure a studio's taken in response to the pandemic, and it proved to be controversial. High-profile talent were reportedly upset with WB, namely over how their deals are affected with a lower prospective box office. For now, WB says this strategy is just for 2021, but some believe it will be a permanent shift, which would forever alter the industry. It was a big blow for theaters, who were banking on Godzilla vs. Kong and The Matrix 4 for ticket sales.
Disney's initial Star Wars movie slate concluded last December with The Rise of Skywalker, and it was unknown where the franchise was going to go next. The studio had set aside three release dates for untitled Star Wars movies, and at Disney's Investor Day in December, they unveiled the first one. Patty Jenkins will direct Rogue Squadron, which comes out in December 2023. Jenkins becomes the first woman to helm a Star Wars movie, marking a step forward in the right direction for Lucasfilm, after facing criticism for lack of diversity behind the camera.
Disney's purchase of 20th Century Fox became official last year, bringing Marvel properties X-Men and the Fantastic Four to the MCU. The latter will be the first to formally join the franchise, as Spider-Man: Homecoming director Jon Watts is helming a Fantastic Four movie for Marvel Studios. Many are aware Fox failed multiple times to sustain a viable Fantastic Four film franchise, so hopefully Marvel will have better luck. Watt's found a great deal of success with his two Spider-Man installments, making him a great choice to bring Marvel's First Family back to the big screen.
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