‘Studios will keep financing’ quality, diverse projects: Will Packer Productions President (finance.yahoo.com)
Will Packer Productions President James F. Lopez joins Yahoo Finance’s Kristin Myers to break down his outlook on diversity in film, and how movie theaters with fare post COVID-19.
Video Transcript
KRISTIN MYERS: Welcome back to Yahoo Finance Live. Now, the film industry has been heavily impacted by the pandemic, while audiences have really been demanding greater diversity in stories and film talent that they are going to be seeing on screen. So let’s talk outlook for this sector and more with James Lopez, President at Will Packer Productions. James, thanks so much for joining us today for this conversation.
So I want to start with the outlook looking forward. I’m wondering when you think the film industry will be back to normal, so to speak, or do you think that the film industry has been forever changed by this pandemic?
JAMES LOPEZ: You know, it’s hard to predict. Obviously, life gets back to normal as more vaccine rolls out and herd immunity is achieved. I happen to think that there are audiences out there that are clamoring to get back into theaters. We’ve been locked in our homes for over a year, close to a year now. And I just have to believe that once we come out of this, the, the appetite for in-person entertainment and getting out of the home will be fervent. That same goes for live music and just public gathering in general.
So I happen to think that the theaters will come back. And it’s all about the content that’s being offered. You know, the– obviously the movies that will be more of eventized, the big tentpole projects, will continue as in the past. The question will be, what is the threshold for a film that is theatrical worthy versus streaming, because obviously during this pandemic a lot of habits in terms of viewing have been formed. So some of those may be harder to, to break, or in terms of what types of programming people are willing to leave the home for.
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