10 Things Contagion Predicted Perfectly (Or Not) About The Current Pandemic

What It Gets Right

As soon as the possibility of lockdowns and quarantines were mentioned, panicked shoppers across the globe stocked up on as many 'essential' supplies as possible. The film's depiction of shopping hell may have been a little more hectic than reality, but it was definitely correct in predicting the panic that would ensue.

In the movie we see Matt Damon's grieving Matt Emhoff move through a supermarket that is besieged by frenetic customers making last minute doomsday preparations. The resulting dearth of supplies we have encountered caused by the frantic rush by shoppers was also insinuated in the film. The depiction of half empty shelves and the panicked rush for supplies was very typical of the early days of the epidemic.

There is also a sense in the film that looting either has occurred or is not far off. As reported by Ed Pilkington's March 16 article in The Guardian, sales of guns and ammunition in the US have soared amid Coronavirus concerns, which is a very worrying sign.

What It Doesn't

While the rush for supplies caused by the numerous lockdowns was accurate, Soderbergh wasn't quite able to predict the item that would be considered the most precious item- toilet paper. We are still in the early stages of the pandemic, so it's still too hard to predict if rationing and lines for supplies will be required as per the movie's events, but so far it hasn't quite got to those levels.