If there’s one thing people can associate with 2020, it’s the COVID-19 pandemic. It halted every known facet of the global community, especially the movie industry. It put movie productions on pause starting March 2020.
And then, the local governments implemented lockdowns and quarantines to put a stop to the spread of the virus.
Because of that, film theaters closed down, and people had to stay home. Most of them turned to films created before 2020 as a source of entertainment. With a combination of streaming services and social media, film buffs finally gave these hidden gems a chance or a second viewing, earning their well-deserved praise during the pandemic.
Here is a list of films that became relevant during the COVID-19 pandemic:
Contagion (2011)
When the pandemic hit, Contagion suddenly received an increase in streaming views and downloads. According to iTunes, it sky-rocketed to the top 10 most-streamed movies in the wake of the COVID-19. Notably, Contagion was below the top-100 before the pandemic. Additionally, Google Trends shows a sudden worldwide interest in Contagion as it spiked between March 15-21, 2020.
Contagion came out in September 2011. The film tells over-arching storylines of different characters facing a pandemic brought upon by the MEV-1 virus. The movie portrays believable pandemic situations, such as societal decay, global panic, misinformation, and the government response that hit a little too close at home thanks to the extensive research and interviews with experts. Fun fact, the MEV-1 virus in the movie is of the novel coronavirus family similar to COVID-19.
At its release, the movie had a 70 Metascore via Metacritic.com with some negative reviews calling the film “a germaphobe’s worst nightmare.” On its opening week, it garnered $135 million globally, coming from a budget of $60 million.
Outbreak (1995)
Similar to Contagion, Outbreak received an increase in streaming and downloads during the wake of the pandemic. According to Google Trends, the movie also increased in searches during the implementation of quarantines around March 2020. Netflix also confirms that it ranked 14th most-streamed film in March.
Outbreak (1995) follows Colonel Sam Daniels (Dustin Hoffman) as he races against time to find a cure to a virus discovered in 1969 that resurfaced 25 years after. Although the movie steers away from the worldwide impact of a viral disease spreading, it focuses on medical workers. Most of the scenes in the second act depict a dramatized version of what an overwhelmed medical facility.
It was a commercial success in 1995 with $67,659,560 earnings in the US and $122,200,000 internationally.
Flu (2013)
Another pandemic-adjacent film that resurged during the pandemic is the 2013 South Korean film, Flu. It was the first Korean disaster film about a viral pandemic. According to Google Trends, searches for Flu spiked around March 2020, similar to the Contagion and Outbreak.
The movie Flu depicts the story of an outbreak of a lethal strain of H5N1. According to the plot, infected patients die within 36 hours after exposure. The movie threw over half a million people of the infected area into chaos. The film shows an overdramatized worst-case scenario during a viral outbreak.
Other pandemic-adjacent films:
-World War Z
-12 Monkeys
-28 Days Later
-28 Weeks Later
-I am Legend
On a lighter note, the pandemic didn’t only bring us movies about chaos and panic during a viral pandemic. It also brought us movies that we may have overlooked when we were in cinemas and theaters. Here are some of the light-hearted films that got well-deserved praise during the pandemic.
Through Night And Day (2018)
Through Night and Day stars Paolo Contis and Alessandra de Rossi. The movie follows the couple Ben (Contis) and Jen (de Rossi) on their trip to Iceland before their marriage. Their dream vacation turned sour with their constant bickering and made the couple re-evaluate their relationship.
Despite it having a 7.3 rating in IMDB, Through Night and Day didn’t succeed commercially. Cinemas pulled out the film only three days after its premiere. According to de Rossi, she attributes the commercial failure of the film due to the lack of promotion efforts due to the time constraints.
“We didn’t have enough time to promote. There were many problems (nothing to do with our producers). I felt bad because I knew we had a good story; I even shaved my head bald. But we fell short,” said de Rossi.
However, as fate would have it, the streaming giant Netflix added it into their roster of Filipino films. Because of this, Through Night and Day received its deserved praise gaining the top streamed film in the Philippines in July 2020. It resulted in various recognitions to the film, and both De Rossi and Contis two years after the film’s release.
Pangarap kong Holdap (2018)
Another film from Contis that gained popularity during the pandemic is the 2018 film, Pangarap kong Holdap. Contis alongside Pepe Herrera, Jerald Napoles, and Jelson Bay star in the Filipino heist comedy about a group of inept robbers trying to live up to a legacy.
In 2018, the film didn’t reach the commercial success it had compared this 2020 because of the R-16 Rating from the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board. Due to the negative connotation that comes with the word “Holdap,” MTRCB decided to limit the number of cinemas where moviegoers could see the film. Nonetheless, Netflix picked up on the smart comedic chops from the cast, the intricate plot, and the nonsensical fun that the movie can offer its audience.
Now that 2020 is almost over, a lot of productions have laid out their safety guidelines and slowly returned to filming. Some cinemas are also gradually opening their doors to moviegoers signaling the inevitable recovery of the film industry.
As difficult as it has been due to the pandemic, 2021 still holds promise for the entertainment industry with the changes brought upon by the new normal.