The entertainment industry prepared Thursday for an unprecedented shutdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus, cancelling upcoming movies, suspending all Broadway performances and eliminating live audiences from television shows until itB次元官网网址檚 safe to welcome crowds back.

To accommodate calls for social distancing, Hollywood moved to pause the normal hum of TV productions and the bustle of red-carpet movie premieres. After New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo banned gatherings of more than 500 people, Broadway theatres announced that they would close immediately and remain dark through April 12.

The closures amount to a nearly complete halting of the industry, from Lincoln Center to Hollywood, and the largest-scale shutdown of many of the countryB次元官网网址檚 major arteries of culture.

The upcoming B次元官网网址淎 Quiet Place 2B次元官网网址� and the latest B次元官网网址淔ast & FuriousB次元官网网址� movie joined the many postponements that have erased much of the upcoming movie release calendar. The Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center, the New York Philharmonic and Carnegie Hall all cancelled events through March 31.

The dawning awareness of the virusB次元官网网址� reach had already forced the cancellation or postponement of all major imminent events on the calendar, including the sprawling South by Southwest conference and festival in Austin, Texas; HollywoodB次元官网网址檚 annual movie expo CinemaCon, in Las Vegas; this monthB次元官网网址檚 Kids Choice Awards in Los Angeles; the sunny California music festival Coachella, which was put off until October; and big television events like the NBA season, which was put on hiatus after a player tested positive for the virus. The NHL also suspended its season.

Earlier Thursday, California urged bans of not just the largest events but also gatherings of more than 250 to help stymie the virusB次元官网网址� spread. California Governor Gavin B次元官网网址om recommended the cancellation or postponement of gatherings of 250 or more people through at least the end of the month. That put a new focus on Broadway, multiplexes and smaller concert venues.

Hollywood still planned to usher in several new movies beginning Thursday evening at theatres. North AmericanB次元官网网址檚 largest chains, AMC and Regal, did not respond to emails Thursday. Cinemas have been closed in China, India, Italy, Poland, Greece and other countries.

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John Krasinski, writer and director of B次元官网网址淎 Quiet Place 2,B次元官网网址� announced that his film from Paramount Pictures would not open next week as planned but be postponed to an as yet announced date. Universal Pictures announced that the B次元官网网址淔ast and FuriousB次元官网网址� movie titled B次元官网网址淔9B次元官网网址� would not open May 22 as planned but in April next year.

B次元官网网址淥ne of the things IB次元官网网址檓 most proud of is that people have said our movie is one you have to see together,B次元官网网址� Krasinksi said in a message on social media. B次元官网网址淲ell due to the ever-changing circumstances of whatB次元官网网址檚 going on in the world around us, now is clearly not the right time to do that.B次元官网网址�

Paramount also shuffled the release of B次元官网网址淟ovebirdsB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址淏lue Story.B次元官网网址� Few major releases remain in the coming weeks, with the notable exception of the Walt Disney Co.B次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淢ulan.B次元官网网址� ItB次元官网网址檚 set for March 27 in the U.S. A spokesperson for Disney did not immediately comment Thursday.

Across Hollywood, the usual machinations of show business, from auditions to rehearsals, were grinding to a halt. AppleB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淭he Morning ShowB次元官网网址� was among the many productions put on hiatus. Central Casting closed its offices.

Also Thursday, the TCM Classic Film festival scheduled next month in Los Angeles was cancelled due to coronavirus concerns. CanadaB次元官网网址檚 top music awards show was also called off as a precaution due to the pandemic. The Juno Awards were scheduled for Sunday in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

A part-time usher and security guard who worked at two Broadway theatres in recent days tested positive for COVID-19 and is under quarantine. Broadway is particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus because its audience skews older, thousands of people are packed into small seats for every show and the industry is dependent on tourism.

The announcement Wednesday evening that Tom Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson, had tested positive for coronavirus sent shudders through the industry. Hanks was easily the most famous person yet to publicly announce that he had the virus. He was in Australia to shoot an Elvis Presley biopic that Warner Bros. said would halt production.

B次元官网网址淣ot much more to it than a one-day-a-time approach, no?B次元官网网址� Hanks said of their condition.

On Thursday, B次元官网网址淛immy Kimmel Live!B次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址淭he Late Show With James CordenB次元官网网址� joined other late-night talk shows in announcing they will tape without audiences. That followed similar decisions by CBSB次元官网网址� B次元官网网址淭he Late Show With Stephen Colbert,B次元官网网址� NBCB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淭onight ShowB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址淟ate Night With Seth Meyers,B次元官网网址� Comedy CentralB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淭he Daily Show with Trevor Noah,B次元官网网址� HBOB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淟ast Week Tonight with John Oliver and TBSB次元官网网址� B次元官网网址淔ull Frontal with Samantha Bee.B次元官网网址�

CBS also said that production on the next season of B次元官网网址淪urvivorB次元官网网址� was being postponed. B次元官网网址淛eopardy!B次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址淲heel of FortuneB次元官网网址� have also halted tapings with audiences.

The closures, postpones and hiatuses are likely to be enormously costly. The shuttering of Chinese movie theatres B次元官网网址� the worldB次元官网网址檚 second-largest movie market has been closed for more than a month B次元官网网址� has already led to the loss of more than $1 billion in ticket revenue. Last year, global box office sales reached a new high of $42.2 billion.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. The vast majority of people recover within a few weeks.

As of Wednesday evening, 38 people had died in the U.S., while more than 1,300 people had tested positive for the new coronavirus. Tolls have been higher elsewhere. In Italy, where more than 12,000 people tested positive and 800 people have died, all stores except pharmacies and food markets were ordered closed.

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Associated Press writers Lindsey Bahr in Los Angeles and Rob Gillies in Toronto contributed to this report.

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The Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the Howard Hughes Medical InstituteB次元官网网址檚 Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Jake Coyle, The Associated Press

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