This is why Netflix/Amazon's streaming platforms will continue to grow and eventually dominate.

I mean hell, I've already watched two big films and a TV series in the last two weeks. All original content and enjoyable.

Warrior Nun
Eurovision (Will Ferrell, Rachel McAdams)
The Old Guard (Charlize Theron).

Am I really losing sleep because I can't watch the next Fast film, WW84 or Tenet? Not really. Do I really care about the MCUs next few entries? Unless its Secret Wars related, then nope.

The Old Regime is slowly losing their grip on this market.

The 2020 movie season is officially dead. Top Gun moved to next summer. A Quiet Place 2 moved to next Spring

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That's who I really feel sorry for is the cast and crew. It's amazing how many people and man hours it takes to make a movie. Good or bad there's always a lot of hard work that goes into the making of one and it's terrible that it's going to "waste" at least for now.

It doesn't bother me personally. I go to about 2-4 movies per year, one or two with my kids, and one or two by myself. Last year, I think I just saw The Lighthouse and Midsommar in theaters. But, I do feel bad for the theaters that will go out of business, the people who worked on films that have no place to be shown, and all the theater workers who lost their jobs.

I hope this shutdown does not hurt the future of indie movies.

Will the Oscar caliber movies come out this year on demand?

^ What Oscar caliber movies are we talking about? Did studios even get a chance to film any awards season movies? I know there’s been a big to-do about the summer movie season that were mostly already in the can but I’m not sure about others films.

I did a quick look at movies that have been postponed and I didn’t see any that looked like huge Oscar contenders (outside the blockbuster/maybe-Oscar-worthy movies like Tenet and Soul).

If they want to get my fat ass back in a seat, I definitely want some IMAX re-releases: TRON Legacy, The Dark Knight, Pacific Rim , Transformers, Fury Road, etc).

Right now there are just three independent theaters open in the Austin area showing old movies. I went to see Empire Strikes Back last week. If there were new releases, I would go to the theater to see them. If people are distanced and masked, I feel safe.

I think it is a dilemma for chains because they want to reopen, even if their maximum capacity is 25% because some money is better than no money, but without new releases, they can't attract people to the theater.
The studios like Disney don't feel any pressure to put a movie out into the marketplace because they have alternate revenue streams.

Imagine if AMC or Regal or Cinemark could strike a deal to get Mulan or Tenet or WW84 released, so they could reopen their multiplexes and just show that one movie on all their screens. Would people come out?

If Mulan comes out next year, it will be a big deal for a short period of time while it competes for attention with other films. Right now, it could be the only game in town for months. And I think the American public has already proven how much it is craving a reason to leave the house.

By next year, I'd say the American public might not give a shit considering they either would've spent money upgrading their setup (TV, Soundbar, Furniture, Room upgrades) and content with streaming or they might still be unemployed.... or both.

The chains do want to open as you said. But, they had setbacks for their proposed opening dates due to Covid.

Here in California, it was initially approved for movie theaters to open in mid June. The chains were holding off until a little later waiting for new releases and were planning to show some classics in the interim. They wanted a little breathing room to see how things would function with some classics shown 1st.

Then the Covid spikes happened post July 4th and the Governor shut down most non-essential indoor businesses including movie theatres. So the major chains got screwed.

New York as of right now has not even approved theatres to reopen as they're nervous about how the air filtration system is functioning.

But, it looks like some cities that are permitting theatres to reopen will be open in late August/early September. So some smaller cities with Regal and AMC will be allowed to reopen.

Will the studios being willing to put major releases out into a marketplace that doesn't include the nation's largest cities? Unlikely. And what is the point of opening a theater if there is no draw?

Vertical integration with the studios owning the theater chains was outlawed 70 years ago, but last year the DOJ announced it wanted to see that changed.

If chains like AMC and Regal wither on the vine due to the virus, a corporation like Disney could scoop up the theaters (if it is made legal again) and possess a ready-made chain of Disney theaters.

WB is releasing Tenet in "select cities" in early September. They aren't waiting for major cities to reopen. And none of the FOX Disney releases like New Mutants have been pulled yet. From the sounds of it at Comic Con, FOX is pretty firm on releasing New Mutants on that date. People have asked why can't they just dump it on streaming at Disney +? or Paid Streaming? Because FOX has a contractual obligation to put New Mutants on HBO after it's physical and digital media release. But, it has to be released in theatres 1st.

They've been announcing and then delaying release dates for Tenet, so I take any announced date with a grain of salt.

For Top Gun 2 - are we really not going to be able to see movies in December yet?

There won't be a major new blockbuster in theaters until at least 2021.

Top Gun 2 was already pushed back to July 2, 2021. Dune is still scheduled for December though.