The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures has announced a delay to its opening to April 2021.
The museum announced in February at the 92nd Oscars ceremony that it would open on December 14 2020.
Now, faced with the unprecedented effect of the coronavirus pandemic, the museum is delaying its opening.
In a statement, Bill Kramer, the Director of the museum, said that the “health and safety of our visitors and staff” is the top priority for the museum. That is why it has “made the difficult decision to wait a few more months to open our doors”.
Immersive exhibitions
With COVID-19 safety processes in place, exhibitions are still able to be installed at the museum.
The $388 million museum is expected to welcome one million visitors a year. It will feature immersive, educational and experimental exhibitions, as well as temporary exhibitions focused on diversity.
Using new technology, the museum hopes to create immersive experiences that tell the artistic and scientific history of cinema.
We have made the decision to move our opening date to April 30, 2021 for the health and safety of our visitors and staff. We are aligning our new opening to coincide with the 93rd #Oscars, which will take place on April 25, 2021 to cap off a weeklong celebration! pic.twitter.com/H8oHYFtG0e
— Academy Museum of Motion Pictures (@AcademyMuseum) June 15, 2020
Numerous delays to its opening
The museum has faced several delays in opening. It was initially due to open in 2017, but this was then revised to 2019. Fundraising challenges and rising costs have proved difficult for the new museum.
In August 2019, Kerry Brougher stepped down as Director of the museum and was replaced by Bill Kramer.
The new opening date will coincide with the 93rd Oscars ceremony, which has also been pushed back to April 2021.
