Should movie theaters close over coronavirus? Americans remain split

A new poll from The Hollywood Reporter and Morning Consult found most Americans are split on whether to close movie theaters amid the novel coronavirus outbreak.

Closing theaters:

• About 38% of Americans support closing theaters amid the outbreak.
• 44% oppose shutting theaters.
• 46% of Americans generally support studios postponing upcoming premieres.
• 40% of respondents said theater should be held “somewhat responsible” to prevent virus spread.

Staying home:

• 21% said they subscribed to a streaming service since beginning of 2020 because of the coronavirus.
• 43% said they’d watch movies on a streaming service amid calls for social distancing.
• 32% said they would be more likely to rent movies from home.

Context:

• The survey was conducted from March 5 to March 7 — about a week before Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson, Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell all tested positive for the coronavirus.
• China closed 70,000 movie theaters to contain the spread of the coronavirus, according to Quartz. Italy closed theaters, too, on March 8 since the theater saw a decline in viewership.