The impact of major infectious disease events and government relief packages on the film industry: evidence from Taiwan

Abstract This study focuses on the impact of COVID-19 on the film industry and the effectiveness of government relief policies. Taiwan was a region with a low level of infection at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic (2020), and the film industry could be maintained under government policies; the...

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Main Authors: Liza Lee, Ying-Sing Liu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Springer Nature 2024-10-01
Series:Humanities & Social Sciences Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-03981-8
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author Liza Lee
Ying-Sing Liu
author_facet Liza Lee
Ying-Sing Liu
author_sort Liza Lee
collection DOAJ
description Abstract This study focuses on the impact of COVID-19 on the film industry and the effectiveness of government relief policies. Taiwan was a region with a low level of infection at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic (2020), and the film industry could be maintained under government policies; therefore, this case study was conducted. Multiple regression models were used to explore the explanatory factors for movie box offices based on running size, production studios and countries, vacations, and the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis covered a period from September 30, 2019, to September 27, 2020, encompassing a 52-week sample of 5686 films. The results indicated that weekly box office receipts (number of tickets sold) experienced a steep decline of more than 50% despite the implementation of various relief measures. While the number of locally produced films screened diminished significantly, the number of theatres, films, and rerun films and their market share increased substantially. This suggests that although the quantity of films remained stable during the pandemic, their quality or novelty did not correspondingly improve. Key findings from the regression models included the following: (1) there is a size effect (number of theaters screening the film) on the box office; (2) box offices decrease with the number of weeks since the opening week, and films from well-known producers and major studios, as well as products from the US, Japan, and Taiwan, can have positive effects on the box office; (3) student vacations have had a positive effect; and (4) the COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative effect.
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spelling doaj-art-6bb7e7925bbf4a7fb14b2d554b82c5a32025-08-20T02:18:11ZengSpringer NatureHumanities & Social Sciences Communications2662-99922024-10-0111111110.1057/s41599-024-03981-8The impact of major infectious disease events and government relief packages on the film industry: evidence from TaiwanLiza Lee0Ying-Sing Liu1College of Humanities & Social Sciences, Chaoyang University of TechnologyCollege of Humanities & Social Sciences, Chaoyang University of TechnologyAbstract This study focuses on the impact of COVID-19 on the film industry and the effectiveness of government relief policies. Taiwan was a region with a low level of infection at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic (2020), and the film industry could be maintained under government policies; therefore, this case study was conducted. Multiple regression models were used to explore the explanatory factors for movie box offices based on running size, production studios and countries, vacations, and the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis covered a period from September 30, 2019, to September 27, 2020, encompassing a 52-week sample of 5686 films. The results indicated that weekly box office receipts (number of tickets sold) experienced a steep decline of more than 50% despite the implementation of various relief measures. While the number of locally produced films screened diminished significantly, the number of theatres, films, and rerun films and their market share increased substantially. This suggests that although the quantity of films remained stable during the pandemic, their quality or novelty did not correspondingly improve. Key findings from the regression models included the following: (1) there is a size effect (number of theaters screening the film) on the box office; (2) box offices decrease with the number of weeks since the opening week, and films from well-known producers and major studios, as well as products from the US, Japan, and Taiwan, can have positive effects on the box office; (3) student vacations have had a positive effect; and (4) the COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative effect.https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-03981-8
spellingShingle Liza Lee
Ying-Sing Liu
The impact of major infectious disease events and government relief packages on the film industry: evidence from Taiwan
Humanities & Social Sciences Communications
title The impact of major infectious disease events and government relief packages on the film industry: evidence from Taiwan
title_full The impact of major infectious disease events and government relief packages on the film industry: evidence from Taiwan
title_fullStr The impact of major infectious disease events and government relief packages on the film industry: evidence from Taiwan
title_full_unstemmed The impact of major infectious disease events and government relief packages on the film industry: evidence from Taiwan
title_short The impact of major infectious disease events and government relief packages on the film industry: evidence from Taiwan
title_sort impact of major infectious disease events and government relief packages on the film industry evidence from taiwan
url https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-03981-8
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