It has been months now since I last saw a movie in the cinemas. Even before the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) was declared by the President last March 15, there was already a considerable decline in cinema attendance.
It started with the Taal Volcano eruption, when the ashfall made people stay put for safety. Then came the rising number of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases. The fear of contracting the virus through large gatherings made people avoid going to public spaces, including theaters. From there, even live events started getting postponed. The reality slowly crept up when we saw these events and festivals getting cancelled left and right. It was a big blow in the industry that we never saw coming.