How COVID-19 and Oklahoma’s film industry growth impacted top 10 movies of 2020
Movie theaters shut down, streaming services ramped up, and superheroes and other tentpole protagonists were suddenly sidelined during 2020, a year with more plot twists than a horde of Hollywood screenwriters could have ever imagined.
Even as COVID-19 continually changed — and continues to change — all aspects of American life, heroes new and old emerged in the film industry. Oklahoma’s burgeoning movie scene started making an impact on awards season, with the celebrated Tulsa-made drama “Minari” generating Oscars buzz (assuming, of course, those coveted golden statuettes actually get handed out on April 25) and Edmond-based filmmaker Andrew Patterson picking up prizes for his feature film debut “The Vast of Night.”
Although many potential blockbusters were pushed out of their release dates due to the pandemic, plenty of independent and foreign films like the Irish animated tale “Wolfwalkers” and the Russian horror film “Sputnik” made meaningful bows in the year just past. Even when they were forced to close their physical theaters, art houses like the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, Rodeo Cinema, Tower Theater and Tulsa’s Circle Cinema have helped curate such promising titles through their innovative Virtual Cinema offerings.
By: Brandy Mcdonnell