A number of Chinese exhibitors won’t be attending the 2020 CinemaCon convention, the annual gathering of movie theater owners in Las Vegas, due to the spread of the coronavirus.
CinemaCon, produced by the National Organization of Theater Owners (NATO), will run from March 30 to April 2 and is still scheduled to move forward as planned. According to a memo sent to NATO members Wednesday, NATO will continue to monitor the situation closely as the “safety and productivity of our attendees remains our highest priority.”
The roughly 24 attendees from Chinese companies have canceled their plans due to “travel bans” in Asia.
According to the memo, proactive measures will be taken to ensure the safety of all attendees, which includes regular calls with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), as well as Las Vegas health officials. According to the memo, all major studios are in agreement with keeping the convention on track as of now.
The coronavirus has infected over 80,980 people worldwide, and nearly 3,000 have died, according to numbers from the World Health Organization via the New York Times.
Hollywood has already noticed the impact of the virus, as the release of films such as “Sonic the Hedgehog” have been delayed in China due to the outbreak, while filming on “Mission: Impossible VII” was halted in Venice, Italy out of an abundance of caution.
Variety was first to report the news.