Earlier this week, many theaters reopened their doors for the first time since shuttering earlier this year. However, sluggish box office numbers due to public concerns over health and safety have Hollywood studios postponing release dates of their tentpole films.
For studios like Disney, lockdowns and social distancing have created a difficult situation where they must choose to release a movie on its current release date, delay its debut, or skip a theatrical release altogether and display the film via VOD (video on demand) or on a streaming channel.
The move by Hollywood’s heavy hitters to postpone dates has hit movie houses hard, as they are now facing the prospect of doing business with few new titles in sight to exhibit. Analysts have projected that domestic grosses through 2020 would decline between 70% to 80%.
The Ripple Effect on the Marvel Cinematic Universe
Due to the connected universe of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the rescheduled “Black Widow” has created a cascading effect on Marvel’s other titles, which depends on their films being released in a certain order to help build a story arc across their films.
“Black Widow” was set to debut on Nov. 6, but with low enthusiasm from the public in attending movie houses, Disney has opted to move it to May 7, 2021. Other Marvel releases, such as the Destin Daniel Cretton directed “Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” and “Eternals” (which stars stars Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Gemma Chan and Kumail Nanjiani) will arrive in the latter part of 2021.
Other Titles Caught in the Shuffle
20th Century Studio’s “Death on the Nile” will now make its way to movie screens on Dec. 18, 2020. Other titles from the studio, such as the Ben Affleck thriller “Deep Water,” will now debut on Aug. 13, 2021.
“West Side Story,” a reimagining of the 1961 Oscar-winning film, will now premiere during the 2021 holiday season on Dec. 10, 2021. The film will be directed by Steven Spielberg, his first musical.
Titles from other studios have also been affected by the ongoing pandemic. Tentpoles, such as the James Bond thriller “No Time to Die,” “F9” (alternatively known as Fast & Furious 9), and “A Quiet Place Part 2,” are also being rescheduled for 2021. Other films, like the Tom Hanks thriller “Greyhound” and Disney’s “Mulan” skipped theatrical releases entirely in favor of streaming options.
There are a few bright spots during the months ahead. Disney is still scheduled to release Pixar’s “Soul” this November. The thriller “The Empty Man” will also makes its theatrical debut on Oct. 23.
Here is the revised schedule of theatrical release dates of Disney films through 2021:
2020
- “The Empty Man” — Oct. 23
- “Soul” — Nov. 20
- “Free Guy” — Dec. 11
- “Death on the Nile” — Dec. 18
2021
- “Everybody’s Talking About Jamie” — Jan. 22
- “The King’s Man” — Feb. 12
- “Raya and the Last Dragon” — March 12
- “Bob’s Burgers” — April 9
- “Ron’s Gone Wrong” — April 23
- “Black Widow” — May 7
- “Cruella” — May 28
- “Luca” — June 18
- “Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” — July 9
- “Jungle Cruise” — July 30
- “Deep Water” — Aug. 13
- “Beatles Get Back” — Aug. 27
- “The Last Duel” — Oct. 15
- “Eternals” — Nov. 5
- “West Side Story” — Dec. 10
Let’s Hear From You!
What’s your take on how the studios should handle films in the pipeline? Are you ready to return to theaters? If not, how long until you start supporting films with your dollars again? We’d love to hear your thoughts, as well as which titles you are looking forward to seeing or hearing more about.
