The North American box office has dropped by nearly 20 percent compared to the previous year, indicating that this year is already shaping up to be a challenging one for movie theatres. And this was the time when actors were able to advertise their movie.
As of this past Friday, the actors’ organisation known as SAG-AFTRA has been on strike, which means that its 160,000 members are officially forbidden from not just appearing in projects that include the big Hollywood studios but also from partaking in any promotional efforts for films and television series that have already been finished.
This implies that she will not make any public appearances, either online or in person. This includes the Comic-Con International, which will take place in San Diego the following week, as well as many of the autumn film festivals, any movie premieres, or television promotional events. This week, representatives from SAG-AFTRA held conference calls with some of the most prominent agencies and publicists in Hollywood in order to clarify the strike guidelines regarding the production as well as the marketing of upcoming films and television shows. And on Thursday, after having announced the strike the day before, the union published the membership guidelines for its organisation.
In addition to that, it is going to be embarrassing. Even before the actors’ union declared on Thursday that it had voted to authorise a strike, this was already abundantly clear. A few of hours earlier, the premiere of the star-studded film “Oppenheimer” was taking place in London.
Along with Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” and the most recent chapter of “Mission: Impossible” starring Tom Cruise, “Oppenheimer” is one of the most anticipated films of the summer. Theatre owners have been referring to this picture, along with others like it and the most recent installment of “Mission: Impossible” with Cruise, as one that may breathe some life into a floundering industry.
At the premiere, which took place at the Odeon Theatre in Leicester Square, it became abundantly evident that the strike would have some kind of effect. First, the event had to be pushed forward by an hour so that the star-studded ensemble, which included Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, and Cillian Murphy, could walk the red carpet. After that, in an act of solidarity with the union, everyone departed before the film had began.
The movie theatre sector, which had been hopeful that business would improve in the second half of the year, is finding it unsettling that there have not been any buzzy premieres and that there has not been the typical wave of marketing for films.
Concerns have also been raised about the impact the strike would have on the autumn film festival circuit, which relies on actors making personal appearances to promote the prestige films they’ve made in preparation for awards season. Ms. Press said that the whole festival circuit and those films are nothing more than publicity driven endeavours.
In the normal course of events, performers who are vying for an Oscar will first go to Venice, Italy, for the Venice International Film Festival, which takes place at the end of August. After that, they will travel to Telluride, Colorado, for the Telluride Film Festival, and then to Toronto, Canada, for the Toronto International Film Festival. These three festivals are considered to be the first stops on the campaign road.
The television industry is also impacted. Even though the nominees for the Emmy Awards were revealed on Wednesday, none of the performers who were recognised for their efforts would be allowed to promote it. This includes any and all forms of advertising.” It is my assumption that this will put an end to any actor engagement in Emmy campaigning.
