Superstorm Sandy threatens to sink Noah's ark

Severe weather shuts down production on Darren Aronofsky's biblical epic starring Russell Crowe and Emma Watson

Darren Aronofsky's biblical epic Noah, starring Russell Crowe and Emma Watson, may be the most high-profile film industry casualty of Superstorm Sandy.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the exterior sets for Noah – including the 450ft-long ark – were constructed directly in the storm's path in Oyster Bay on Long Island Sound; the damage to the area has made it impossible to fully assess what has survived Sandy's impact. The $115m budget film was due to have finished shooting on 9 November, but this will be pushed back as the production has been shut down since Sunday 28 October. (It is due to restart on Thursday 1 November.) However, studio Paramount is confident no delay to its planned release date of 28 March 2013 will occur, as any losses will be covered by insurance.

Another Russell Crowe film, the Warner Bros fantasy yarn Winter's Tale, directed by Akiva Goldsman, was also forced to shut down after New York revoked its filming permits, as was the Vince Vaughn comedy The Delivery Man. High-profile film events, including the gala premiere in Lincoln Square of the Keira Knightley film Anna Karenina, were also cancelled. The shutdown also affected a number of TV shows, including Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, 30 Rock, 666 Park, and Gossip Girl. Taping of live shows, such as Late Night with David Letterman, had to go ahead with no audience.

Of equal concern to the industry has been the drop in cinema attendance directly attributable to the storm. With almost all cinemas in the region shut on Sunday, New York's box-office takings on Monday stood at $3,000, against a usual figure around half a million dollars, according to the Chicago Tribune. Takings at Broadway theatres have been equally hard hit. However, some compensation was to be had with reports that Netflix experienced a 20% rise in the northeast US on Sunday and Monday.

However, independent film-makers without studio protection are expected to be the most badly affected. Anthony Mastromauro, producer of the David Duchovny starrer After the Fall, currently shooting in Connecticut told the Hollywood Reporter: "Nothing can cover the loss of momentum, and that is what is especially damaging to smaller films like ours."