If one had to describe COVID-19, one could depict it as Thanos, The Mad Titan, who has the Infinity Gauntlet (with all six stones) and snaps it casually from time to time as it causes multiple industries to plummet.
One of the largest victims is Disney, as they recently announced the closure of most, if not all of its theme parks amid fear of the recently declared pandemic.
They had already closed their parks in Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Shanghai, and now they’ve added Disneyland (both California and Paris theme parks), Disney World (in Florida), and even Disney Cruise Line to the list of things they’ve closed because of the coronavirus.
Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and Disneyland Paris Resort will close after Sunday, March 15, through the end of the month. Disney Cruise Line will suspend all new departures beginning Saturday, March 14, through the end of the month.
— Joe Flint (@JBFlint) March 13, 2020
Though it’s mentioned the theme parks and the cruise line will be closed till the end of the month, it’s possible for them to extend closure. Disney had already extended the closure of its Tokyo theme park through early April.
To make matters worse, Disney also announced that it has postponed Mulan, The New Mutants, and Antlers, a precaution on their part as the coronavirus situation continues to develop globally.
Niki Caro, who directed Mulan, also gave a statement regarding the matter:
A message from Mulan Director, Niki Caro. pic.twitter.com/0L3VzAfaeB
— Mulan (@DisneysMulan) March 12, 2020
Mulan was due to release in theaters on March 27, while The New Mutants and Antlers were scheduled for an April 3 and April 17 release date, respectively.
Disney did, however, expressed that they intend to release these movies within the year, though they can’t confirm any new dates just yet.
Disney has already mentioned that closing their Shanghai and Hong Kong theme parks will affect their second-quarter earnings. With additional parks being closed and three movies delayed, maybe even their third-quarter earnings will be affected as the coronavirus situation continues to develop. Again, if COVID-19 had a physical form, it’d definitely be laughing at all the financial disasters it caused.
