If you were participating in any social media scrolling on August 23 like me, you probably noticed that Robert Pattinson in a good ol’ smudgy eyeliner/eyeshadow combo broke the Internet for a hot second. I’m not knocking it, that weird Brit looked GOOD. In this trailer for the new “Batman” film, most of us felt a spark of excitement not just from watching Pattinson punch some dudes in the face (is this what rich people do for fun? Oh god…), but for a moment I think most of us felt a blip of normalcy across very non-normal times. To watch a trailer and look back upon the movie theater experience for me was a fond memory that I wish I could come back safely to in time to watch Robert Pattinson in a batmobile careen across the projector screen. Sure, I may have spent around $30 for popcorn and frivolous food buys when there, but I constantly find myself asking- when will the film world return to normal? Can it ever do so, and if not- what is our new normal?  

And then sure enough reality once more swooped in to check us once more. Robert Pattinson tests positive for COVID. Production being halted until further notice, it joins a plethora of other films pushed back that now live inside a bubble of the unknown. My most anticipated films like “Saint Maud,” “Antebellum,” “The Woman in the Window” have been pushed back or thrown into streaming services with eyes closed and fingers crossed for money to roll in at the mercy of how easy they become to pirate. It seems that blockbuster-level films hold off until theaters reopen, while others become wholly added to our streaming services. “Batman” being one of the most anticipated is no exception, being pushed back even more so now that the lead has tested positive. 

Producers like Blumhouse Productions, directors like Tyler Perry and other films have slowly been able to shoot and keep up to production schedule. Regular testing, pre-quarantining, and social distancing from anyone outside their “bubble” has allowed these projects to keep rolling along without problem. It’s almost as if the same were done on a country-wide scale, we could have the same results. Filming in the UK, there has been no known facts as to whether the “Batman” production followed such similar routines, though even if they did problems can of course sneak their way in. 

The entertainment industry is in quite the predicament now as we continue to navigate COVID-19 and the upcoming effects of it. Staying at home to watch new releases makes these films accessible and for some more comfortable, but for many, it does not match the experience of watching them across the big screen. As films like “Batman” must take on the act of production with more caution than ever, and as soap opera actors are forced to make out with mannequins, they must do so with caution so that instead of halting to an industry standstill, they can hopefully adapt to a new normal to create and release all that has been planned. Just as we are, we all must delicately balance health and safety with the need for our paychecks or a return to work for the sake of routine. Approaching the art world has never been more fragile, and the film watching/making experience will be just the same. Once safe to do so, you’ll catch me back in the front row of a theater with popcorn in hand, maybe watching Pattinson in “Batman” makeup scowling.