As the United States continues to be impacted by COVID-19, all Broadway productions will remain on hold until 2021. The shutdown was meant to last until April, but then was pushed to June, then September, and now January. Broadway has now been shut down since March 12.

The Broadway League announced that shows will continue to be suspended until January 3, 2021. An official return date has not been announced, and all productions are offering returns and exchanges for these suspended shows. The Broadway League is trying to find the safest way to resume shows again while implementing effective safety measures. "Our membership is working closely with the theatrical unions and in concert with key experts and some of the greatest minds inside and outside of the industry to explore protocols for all aspects of reopening," said League president Charlotte St. Martin in a statement. Unfortunately, the prolonged shutdown has cause some shows on the Great White Way to close for good. This includes the two musicals Beetlejuice and Frozen, as well as the new play Hangman and the revival of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?


With Broadway's decision to remain closed until next year, it puts all eyes on movie theaters, and when they decide its appropriate to open. Major chains like AMC Theaters and Regal plan on reopening in July, with guides on promoting physical distancing. However, the two major releases that were supposed to reopen theaters, Tenet and Mulan, have been delayed yet again to August. This is likely due to the surge in coronavirus cases over the past few weeks in the United States. As the COVID-19 pandemic proves to be anything but predictable, only time will tell when Broadway theatres and movie theaters will be able to safely open again.