Amid the worldwide surge of COVID-19 cases linked to the Omicron variant, award season galas, film festivals, Los Angeles premieres and Broadway shows are postponing or cancelling their in-person shows.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the AFI Awards, the BAFTA Tea Party and the Palm Springs International Film Festival's awards gala were among the first in-person events cancelled as the industry grapples with yet another grim stretch of the ongoing pandemic.
The Hollywood Critics Association and Critics Choice Awards soon followed, each deciding to postpone their events (the 5th Annual HCA Film Awards ceremony until February 28), citing the rising number of positive cases linked to omicron.
The 12th annual Academy Governors Awards, which was set for January 15, has also been postponed, while Fox became the first network to cancel their planned New Year's Eve show.
The Sundance Film Festival, an annual staple in Park City, Utah, has shifted to online only, with the variant surge expected to peak during the festival's run from January 20 through January 30.
The Slamdance Film Festival has also decided to forgo the in-person portion of its hybrid event in Park City, which was scheduled to run January 20 to 23, and continue with the virtual portion of the program only, from January 27 to February 6. The new start date, a week later than planned, gives the festival time to shift to the online format.
The Grammy Awards, originally slated for January 31 in Los Angeles, have been postponed to a date still to be determined. And a handful of January Hollywood premieres -- including for the latest movie in the 'Scream' franchise, Hulu's upcoming 'How I Met Your Father' series and the 'Peacemaker' movie -- have cancelled in-person red carpet events.
Live theatrical productions, including those in London's West End, New York City's Broadway district and throughout LA, have been hit particularly hard with shows going dark.
Several Broadway productions cancelled performances during Christmas week, with 'Jagged Little Pill' and off-Broadway's 'Is There Still Sex in the City?' closing their curtains for good. Eddie Redmayne's 'Cabaret' revival in London took a temporary break, with performances having resumed in late December.
Below is a list of events that have been impacted by COVID-19:
- ACE Eddie Awards
- Scheduled date: March 5
- Status: Switched to 50 per cent capacity in-person event
- BroadwayCon
- Scheduled to run: February 18-20, 2022
- Status: Postponed to July 8-10, 2022
- IDA Documentary Awards
- Scheduled date: February 5
- Status: Shifted from in-person to virtual event on March 4, voting period to determine winners extended as well
- Grammy Awards Ceremony
- Scheduled date: January 31
- Status: Postponed, plans to be determined
- Rotterdam Film Festival
- Scheduled date: January 26
- Status: Shifting from in-person to online
- Sundance Film Festival
- Scheduled dates: January 20-30
- Status: Switched from in-person to online only
- Slamdance Film Festival
- Scheduled date: January 20
- Status: In-person portion cancelled, online to begin January 27 and run to February 6
- Governors Awards Ceremony
- Scheduled date: January 15
- Status: Postponed, plans to be determined
- Cinema Eye Honors
- Scheduled date: January 13
- Status: Postponed, plans to be determined
- Under the Radar Festival at New York City's The Public Theater
- Scheduled to run: January 12 through January 30
- Status: Canceled (December 31)
- Skeleton Crew
- Scheduled to run: January 12 with no plans to close
- Status: Postponed, plans to be determined
- Hulu's How I Met Your Father L.A. Premiere
- Scheduled date: January 12
- Status: Canceled
- Paramount Pictures' Scream L.A. Premiere
- Scheduled: January 11
- Status: Canceled
- National Board of Review Gala in New York City
- Scheduled date: January 11
- Status: Postponed, plans to be determined
- New York Film Critics Circle Awards Ceremony
- Scheduled date: January 10
- Status: Postponed, plans to be determined
- Critics Choice Awards
- Scheduled date: January 9
- Status: Postponed, plans to be determined
- BAFTA Tea Party
- Scheduled date: January 8
- Status: Canceled
- HCA Film Awards Ceremony
- Scheduled date: January 8
- Status: Postponed for February 28
- Peacemaker premiere in L.A.
- Scheduled date: January 8
- Status: Canceled
- AFI Awards
- Scheduled date: January 7
- Status: Postponed, plans to be determined
- Palm Springs International Film Festival and Awards Gala
- Scheduled date: January 7 through January 17; January 6
- Status: Canceled
- Dune Home Entertainment Release Party in L.A.
- Scheduled date: January 4
- Status: Canceled
- The Book of Boba Fett Special Screening at L.A.'s El Capitan Theatre
- Scheduled date: January 4
- Status: Canceled
- Fox's New Year's Eve Toast & Roast 2022
- Scheduled date: December 31
- Status: Canceled
- Is There Still Sex in the City?
- Scheduled to run: December 7, 2021, through February 6, 2022
- Status: Closed early (December 22)
- Mrs. Doubtfire
- Scheduled to run: December 5, 2021, with no plans to close
- Status: Postponed, plans to reopen March 15
- A Christmas Carol at L.A.'s Ahmanson Theatre
- Scheduled to run: December 1, 2021, through January 1, 2022
- Status: Closed early (December 15)
- Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes
- Scheduled to run: November 2, 2021, through January 2, 2022
- Status: Closed early (December 16)
- Jagged Little Pill
- Scheduled to run: October 21, 2021, with no plans to close
- Status: Closed early (December 17)
- Ain't Too Proud
- Scheduled to run: October 16, 2021, with no plans to close
- Status: Closed early (January 16)
- Thoughts of a Colored Man
- Scheduled to run: October 13, 2021, through March 13, 2022
- Status: Closed early (December 22)
- Waitress
- Scheduled to run: September 2, 2021, through January 9, 2022
- Status: Closed early (December 20) Additionally, the filming of Paramount plus drama 'Star Trek: Picard' has been paused since Monday after more than 50 crew members tested positive for COVID-19.
