“At some point, things have to reopen, and a lot of theaters can’t wait for much longer,” Boxoffice analyst Shawn Robbins says
Movie theaters chains are still moving forward with their reopening schedule even as studios continue to shift release dates back and surging infection rates in multiple states, including California, threaten to upset their plans.
On Wednesday, Cinemark revealed its full plans to reopen its 345 domestic locations starting this Friday with five multiplexes in Dallas. Most locations expect to be ready by mid-July with the exception of those in cities like San Francisco that haven’t received clearance from county health officials to reopen. Regal Cinemas plans to have most of its theaters open by July 10 while AMC, the nation’s largest chain, has not set a specific timetable but expects to have most of its theaters back online by late July.
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As studios tread carefully with their release schedules — Warner Bros. last week pushed back Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” two weeks to July 31 — exhibitors are looking for alternative programming to test moviegoers’ willingness to return to theaters even with new safety protocols in place to respond to the coronavirus pandemic.
In an investor call, Cinemark CEO Mark Zoradi said that the chain will offer $5 tickets for classic films like “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “The Goonies” prior to the release of new films like “Tenet” and Disney’s live-action “Mulan,” which is still set for a July 24 release. Like many exhibitors, Cinemark will offer limited concessions with no self-serve fountain drinks and popcorn refills in new bags only. Seating will be arranged via new ticketing software to ensure social distancing between individuals and families, including empty rows for auditoriums that do not have recliner seats.
Also Read: Cinemark Gives Tour of Reopened Movie Theaters Under New Safety Guidelines (Video)
“This is a plan that has been in the works for months now between nine different working groups,” Zoradi said. “We’re highly encouraged that by the time ‘Mulan’ opens up on the 24th, we are going to have the vast majority of our theaters open with no more than 50% capacity.”
All the chains have been in close communication with studios and the National Association of Theater Owners on any new developments in the pandemic. Through those talks, Cinemark has prepared contingency plans in case certain states or counties order theaters and other businesses to close again to prevent COVID-19 infections from overwhelming hospitals. In the past week, surges in COVID infections have been reported in several regions of the U.S., with hospitalizations rising in Arizona, Texas, Alabama and the Carolinas.
One reason theaters are moving full speed ahead despite this new spread of the virus is necessity, Boxoffice analyst Shawn Robbins told TheWrap. A midsummer reopening had been the general plan for major chains when they were forced to close this spring, and with other businesses — including Hollywood productions — trying to reopen, there’s more pressure on exhibitors to do the same.
“Everyone is trying to be flexible right now and work with all the information about the virus that’s coming in every day,” Robbins said. “But at some point, things have to reopen, and a lot of theaters can’t wait for much longer. For now, there’s still reason to believe that most theaters will be open again in July, even with a 25% capacity limit, but I think studios also understand that they just may have to accept that things are always changing some states might not be able to release the film right away if things get bad enough.”
Also Read: The Future of AMC, Cinemark as Theaters Prepare to Reopen
On the bright side, Warner Bros.’ decision to move “Tenet” to July 31 may offer some new marketing opportunities that could help increase theater turnout. Warner plans to re-release Nolan’s Oscar-winning 2010 film “Inception” on July 17, which will include an introduction by Nolan and a sneak preview of “Tenet” featuring never-before-seen footage.
“Tenet” will also now hit theaters on the same day that the NBA is set to resume play in Orlando. As the first of the four major American sports leagues to return since the pandemic, the NBA will bring plenty of eyeballs to ESPN and TNT, as fans get their sports fix while casual viewers may tune in just to see what an NBA game without fans looks like. Even if interest in basketball keeps audiences away from “Tenet” during its opening weekend, running TV spots during the games could help increase turnout later in the film’s run when audiences may grow more comfortable with going back to theaters.
Studio marketing departments have traditionally relied on professional sports broadcasts to promote films and now are trying to figure out how promote without an ad space as reliable as live sports. In that regard, having the NBA back will be a big help for Warner Bros. even if ads only air during the film’s theatrical run rather than before it. But no matter what Warner does, the rest of Hollywood will be watching its marketing plans very closely.
“In general, studios want at least two months of major marketing before a blockbuster release,” Bruce Nash, analyst and founder of The Numbers told TheWrap. “With the pandemic making the market so unstable and the U.S. basically acting like 50 different countries in how they are addressing the crisis, it’s extremely difficult to do any long-term planning, which is exactly what releasing a film requires. There’s going to be a lot to learn from how ‘Tenet’ and ‘Mulan’ perform in theaters and how these studios plan to release a movie during the pandemic.”
Like almost every other industry in the world, the entertainment industry is facing the reality that certainty is a luxury during a pandemic, and any film that comes out will have to be prepared to adjust its plans at a moment’s notice.
“No film is going to be a sure hit,” Cinetic Media founder John Sloss says. “There is going to be greater risk for any film that goes to theatrical release. It’s a necessary path for the biggest blockbusters, but until we get a vaccine studios should expect that the theatrical experience isn’t going to be as strong a draw as it once was.”
CORRECTION: 5:25 PM PT — A previous version of this story noted that Cinemark has 555 locations. This total includes the company’s locations in Latin America, which are not yet reopening. This figure has been corrected to 345 domestic locations that Cinemark plans to reopen by by mid-July.
All the Movies Suspended or Delayed Due to Coronavirus Pandemic (Updating)
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Disney/MGM/Warner Bros.
As the coronavirus continues to spread, an increasing number of movies are delaying or suspending production. As the number of impacted movies grows, TheWrap felt it would be most informative to keep a running list.
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Photo credit: Universal
"No Time to Die"
MGM, Universal and Bond producers Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli announced that after careful consideration and thorough evaluation of the global theatrical marketplace, the release of "No Time to Die" will be postponed until November 2020.
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Photo credit: Paramount
"A Quiet Place Part II"
Director John Krasinski announced on Instagram that the horror sequel's March theatrical release would be delayed amid the growing spread of the coronavirus around the globe. Paramount has now dated the film for release on Sept. 4.
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Photo credit: Sony
“Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway”
"Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway" was one of the first films delayed as part of the coronavirus, with Sony pushing its late March release to Aug. 7. But as the shutdowns continued, Sony juggled its release slate so that the family film will now open Jan. 15, 2021.
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Photo credit: Universal
"Fast and Furious 9"
The release of the next “Fast & Furious” installment, “F9,” has been delayed from May 22 to now opening on April 2, 2021.
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Paramount/Netflix
"The Lovebirds"
Paramount postponed the April 3 theatrical release of the romantic comedy “The Lovebirds" starring Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani after its SXSW premiere was also canceled. Netflix then acquired the film from Paramount and debuted it on May 22.
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Photo credit: Paramount
"Blue Story"
Paramount postponed the theatrical release UK gang film "Blue Story," which was set to open on March 20. The film then premiered on digital on May 5.
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Strand Releasing
"The Artist's Wife"
Strand Releasing and Water's End Productions delayed the limited release of the Bruce Dern and Lena Olin film "The Artist's Wife." The film was meant to open in New York on April 3 in Los Angeles on April 10 and in San Francisco on April 17. No new release date has been set.
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IFC Films
"The Truth"
Hirokazu Kore-eda's film "The Truth" from IFC Films will postpone its March 20 domestic release to now open at an unspecified date in summer 2020. The film is in both French and English starring Catherine Deneuve, Juliette Binoche and Ethan Hawke and has already opened in some overseas markets. IFC Films has set a new release date for July 3.
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Disney
"Mulan"
Disney postponed the release of its blockbuster, live-action remake of the animated film "Mulan" from March 27 to now open on July 24. The shift was part of a big shuffle of films Disney made to its release calendar on April 3.
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20th Century Studios
"The New Mutants"
After numerous delays, 20th Century's X-Men spinoff "The New Mutants" was also pushed back by Disney "out of an abundance of caution." The film from director Josh Boone was meant to open April 3. The film will now open Aug. 28, 2020.
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Searchlight Pictures
"Antlers"
"Antlers," an indie horror film from director Scott Cooper starring Keri Russell, was also pushed back by Disney and Searchlight Pictures from its April 17 release. No new release date has been set.
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Marvel
"Black Widow" and the MCU
In a restructuring of its entire release calendar, Disney pushed back every Marvel movie in the cinematic universe. "Black Widow" was meant to open on May 1, but will now shift back to the slot previously occupied by "The Eternals" on Nov. 6.“Eternals” is moving to February 12, 2021, “Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings” will open May 7, 2021, and “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” is shifting to Nov. 5, 2021. The changes also affected Marvel's slate for 2022 with “Thor: Love and Thunder” opening Feb. 18, 2022, “Black Panther 2” shifting to May 8, 2022, and “Captain Marvel 2,” which was not previously dated, is now set for a July 8, 2022 release.
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Untitled Elvis Movie
Baz Luhrmann's Elvis Presley biopic starring Austin Butler ceased production in Australia after co-star Tom Hanks (playing Presley manager Col. Parker) and his wife, Rita Wilson, tested positive for COVID-19. The planned release date was also bumped back one month to now open Nov. 5, 2021.
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Paramount Pictures
"Mission: Impossible 7 and 8"
In late February, Paramount's action sequel halted production in Italy on the Tom Cruise action sequel. Paramount on April 24 also bumped the release dates of both films, with "M:I 7" moving to November 19, 2021 from its July 2021 release date, and the eighth film also moving back to Nov. 4, 2022 from its summer release.
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"The Nightingale"
Sony postponed the Budapest shoot of the drama starring real-life sisters Dakota and Elle Fanning.
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"Birds of Paradise"
Amazon Studios halted production in Budapest on director Sarah Adina Smith's ballet drama.
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Universal Pictures
"Jurassic World: Dominion"
Universal put a pause on production on the third "Jurassic World" in March after four weeks of shooting had been completed in the UK for a 20-week shoot. Production will resume on July 6, and the film is expected to be released on June 11, 2021.
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"Flint Strong"
Universal also halted production on this boxing biopic starring Ice Cube and Ryan Destiny.
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"Man From Toronto"
Sony delayed the start of production on the action comedy starring Kevin Hart and Woody Harrelson (who stepped in to replace Jason Statham).
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Getty Images
"Official Competition"
Spanish studio Mediapro suspended production on the new comedy starring Penélope Cruz and Antonio Banderas.
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Warner Bros.
"The Batman"
On March 14, Warner Bros. halted the U.K. production on Matt Reeve's DC Films reboot for at least two weeks. The film stars Robert Pattinson as the Caped Crusader. On April 20, Warner Bros. officially shifted the release date back four months to Oct. 1 from its originally planned June 2021 release date. The shift also pushed back some other DC titles, including "The Flash" to June 3, 2022 and "Shazam 2!" to Nov. 4, 2022.
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"Samaritan"
On March 14, MGM paused production on the Sylvester Stallone thriller. The film had been shooting in Atlanta.
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Getty Images
"Cinderella"
Sony's modernized take on "Cinderella" from director Kay Cannon and starring Camila Cabello will put its production on hiatus due to the travel ban extension to the UK. The film was shooting at Pinewood Studios.
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Warner Bros.
"Fantastic Beasts 3"
The third installment of J.K. Rowling's "Fantastic Beasts" series that's spun off from the Harry Potter universe will postpone its production that was scheduled to begin in March in the U.K. The film stars Eddie Redmayne, Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Katherine Waterston.
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HanWay Films
"The Card Counter"
Paul Schrader's "The Card Counter," starring Oscar Isaac, Willem Dafoe, Tye Sheridan and Tiffany Haddish, shut down production with five days remaining in its shoot after the director said on Facebook that a "day player" tested positive for the virus. "Myself, I would have shot through hellfire rain to complete the film," Schrader added. "I'm old and asthmatic, what better way to die than on the job?" Schrader said in an interview in June that the film would resume production on July 6 but that all major crowd and intimate scenes had been completed.
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Warner Bros.
"The Matrix 4"
Production on "The Matrix 4" was temporarily put on hold in March, an individual with knowledge told TheWrap. The sequel starring Keanu Reeves was in production in Berlin, Germany.
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A24
"First Cow"
After releasing Kelly Reichardt's "First Cow" in limited release on March 6, the distributor announced Monday it will re-release the film in theaters later this year.
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Greenwich Entertainment
"Deerskin"
The theatrical release of the indie film "Deerskin" from director Quentin Dupieux starring Jean Dujardin has been postponed until further notice. Greenwich Entertainment meant to release the film on March 20 after it played at Cannes, TIFF and Fantastic Fest. The movie will now open via a virtual cinema offering on May 1.
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Getty Images/Naughty Dog
"Uncharted"
“Uncharted,” the film adaptation of the popular PlayStation video game franchise starring Tom Holland, Mark Wahlberg, and Antonio Banderas, was unable to begin production in March amid coronavirus concerns. As part of a larger shuffle of Sony's release slate, the most recent release date for the film was also shifted back from March 2021 to Oct. 8, 2021.
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Sony Pictures Classics
"The Climb"
Sony Pictures Classics' indie comedy "The Climb," which played at Sundance this year, was meant to hit theaters March 20 and will now be released on Oct. 9.
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20th Century Studios
"Avatar"
The sequels to James Cameron's four "Avatar" sequels delayed shooting in New Zealand indefinitely, according to the film's producer Jon Landau speaking to the New Zealand Herald. The executive team was to fly to Wellington, NZ on Friday but will remain in Los Angeles due to the coronavirus. Landau said he couldn't give an answer as to when production would resume and when the local Kiwi crew could get back to work. "If I told you we are going to know something in two weeks I'd be lying. I might not be wrong - even a broken clock is right twice a day. But I would be lying because I don't know," Landau said. "We're in the midst of a global crisis and this is not about the film industry. I think everybody needs to do now whatever we can do, as we say here, to flatten the curve."
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Searchlight Pictures
"The Personal History of David Copperfield"
Searchlight Studios was meant to release "Veep" creator Armando Iannucci's comedic take on the Charles Dickens novel on May 8. It will now open in limited release on August 14.
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20th Century Studios
"The Woman in the Window"
The Amy Adams mystery thriller from director Joe Wright, "The Woman in the Window" was meant to open in theaters on May 15 from 20th Century Studios. No new release date has been set.
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Samuel Goldwyn Films
"Bull"
The theatrical release of the Annie Silverstein indie drama "Bull" was postponed from its March 20 release and will now open on VOD and digital on May 1. The film has toured the festival circuit since making its debut at Cannes in 2019.
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Universal
"Minions: The Rise of Gru"
The latest "Minions" movie "The Rise of Gru" was postponed from its release date on July 3. Illumination Entertainment's Paris office was forced to shut down due to the coronavirus, so the film was not able to be finished in time. Universal will release the film on July 2, 2021, a full year after its initial date.
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Warner Bros.
"Wonder Woman 1984"
The sequel to "Wonder Woman" starring Gal Gadot will now hit theaters on Oct. 2 after first being pushed back from its June 5 release date and again from Aug. 12.
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Warner Bros.
"In the Heights"
The movie musical based on Lin-Manuel Miranda's stage production "In the Heights" was postponed by Warner Bros. from its June 26 release date and bumped to June 18, 2021.
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Getty Images
"Malignant"
"Malignant," a horror film from director James Wan, was pushed indefinitely from its release date on Aug. 14 to clear the way for "Wonder Woman 1984" to open at the tail end of the summer.
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Sony
"Peter Rabbit 2," "Morbius" and "Ghostbusters: Afterlife"
In a sweeping overhaul of its release slate, Sony moved three films it had scheduled for release this summer to the first quarter of 2021. The "Peter Rabbit" sequel will now be released in January 2021 while both "Morbius" and "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" have been moved to next March. -
Sony
"Greyhound"
Sony has moved a WWII drama written by and starring Tom Hanks off of its mid-June release date and partnered with Apple to release the film on Apple TV+ in early July. -
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"Wicked"
Universal has removed the movie musical adaptation of “Wicked” from its release slate from its original date on Dec. 22, 2021, and will be redated at a later time.
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Illumination
"Sing 2"
Illumination’s “Sing 2” will now open in the place vacated by “Wicked” on Universal's release slate on Dec. 22, 2021.
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Paramount
"Top Gun: Maverick"
The sequel to the 1985 hit starring Tom Cruise has been pushed back from June 24 to December 23, 2020.
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Universal
"Candyman"
Universal's horror film "Candyman" from director Nia DaCosta and produced by Jordan Peele will move from its June 12 release date to Sept. 25, 2020.
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Photographed by Ian Spanier for TheWrap
"Praise This"
The Will Packer-produced musical comedy "Praise This" about a church choir was delayed from its Sept. 25 release date and will be re-added to the slate by Universal at a later date.
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Paramount Animation
"The Spongebob Movie: Sponge On The Run"
Paramount originally shifted the animated "Spongebob" movie from its release date on May 22 to open on August 7, but it will now debut in early 2021 on premium VOD followed by the rebranded CBS All Access.
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Disney
"Jungle Cruise"
With the shift of "Mulan," Disney moved the release of the Dwayne Johnson adventure comedy "Jungle Cruise" back a full year to July 30, 2021.
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20th Century Fox/Disney
"Free Guy"
The Ryan Reynolds video game comedy was meant to open July 3 but will now open Dec. 11.
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Searchlight Pictures
"The French Dispatch"
Director Wes Anderson’s “The French Dispatch” moved from July 24, 2020 to Oct. 16, 2020 as part of Disney's shift of its entire release calendar.
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Paramount
Untitled Indiana Jones
The fifth Indiana Jones movie starring Harrison Ford has already shifted its release date in response to Disney's wave of other release changes. It will now open July 29, 2022.
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Photograph by Steven Gerlich for TheWrap
"Nobody"
Universal's "Nobody," a revenge thriller and action movie starring Bob Odenkirk from the writer of "John Wick" and the producers of "Atomic Blonde," was delayed from its Aug. 14, 2020 release date to now open on Feb. 26, 2021. As a result, an untitled M. Night Shyamalan thriller that was slated for that day is now undated and will be re-added to the calendar later.
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Walt Disney Studios/Pixar
"Soul" and "Raya and the Last Dragon"
Disney and Pixar's "Soul" was moved from its June release date to open on Nov. 20. It's now opening near where the Disney Animation Studios film "Raya and the Last Dragon" was meant to open. That movie will now debut March 12, 2021. It filled the slot of an unnamed Disney live-action film that has now been removed from the slate.
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Getty Images
"Infinite"
The latest film from director Antoine Fuqua starring Mark Wahlberg, "Infinite," was pushed back by Paramount from its Aug. 7 release date to now open on Memorial Day weekend, May 28, 2021. The film is currently in post-production, and while "Infinite" wasn't explicitly pushed back due to the coronavirus, the new date allows the studio more time to ramp up the film's original intellectual property.
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Getty Images
"The Many Saints of Newark"
The prequel to "The Sopranos" that follows a young Tony Soprano, played by James Gandolfini's son Michael Gandolfini, during the 1960s Newark riots was pushed to 2021, now opening on March 12, 2021 after originally being slated for a September 2020 release.
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Getty Images
"King Richard"
The biopic about the life of tennis great Richard Williams starring Will Smith was pushed from its November 2020 release date to now opening almost a full year later on Nov. 19, 2021.
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Sony
"Venom: Let There Be Carnage"
While the "Venom" sequel did get a new title from Sony in its latest update, "Let There Be Carnage," it also found itself pushed back from an October release to now open on June 25, 2021.
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Getty Images
"Dungeons & Dragons"
Paramount's movie based on the "Dungeons & Dragons" game from the directors of "Game Night," John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, has been delayed from a November 2021 release date to May 27, 2022.
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Starz
"Spell"
Paramount's horror film starring Omari Hardwick that was set for release in August of this year was pulled from the release calendar, with no new date set as of yet.
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Lionsgate
"John Wick: Chapter 4"
The fourth movie in the Keanu Reeves action franchise "John Wick" was moved back a full year to now open May 27, 2022. Lionsgate also juggled several of its other big releases to 2021 and 2022, including "Fatale" (10/30/20), "Voyagers" (11/25/20), "The Asset" (4/23/21), "Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar" (7/16/21), "The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard" (8/20/21) and "American Underdog: The Kurt Warner Story" (12/10/21). Further, the films "Run" and "Jesus Revolution" are both without release dates.
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Lionsgate
"Antebellum"
Lionsgate's horror movie "Antebellum" starring Janelle Monáe was moved from its April release date to now being the studio's next most earliest release in 2020 on Aug. 21.
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Lionsgate
"Spiral"
"Spiral," Chris Rock's new take on the "Saw" franchise that stars himself and Samuel L. Jackson, was moved from a summer 2020 release to now open on May 21, 2021.
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Universal
"The Forever Purge"
The fifth film in "The Purge" horror franchise was meant to open in theaters on July 10 of this year but was pulled from the release calendar. No new date has been set as of yet.
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Courtesy of Sundance Institute/Focus Features
"Kajillionaire"
"Kajillionaire," the latest film from director Miranda July that made its debut at Sundance and stars Debra Winger, Richard Jenkins and Evan Rachel Wood, has been pushed from its planned June release date to now open Sept. 18, 2020. However, the film will still open theatrically in a limited release.
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Getty Images
"Everybody's Talking About Jamie"
20th Century Studios' adaptation of the stage musical about a teenage drag queen stars Max Harwood and Richard E. Grant. It was meant to open Oct. 23, 2020 but will now open Jan. 22, 2021.
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Photo Courtesy of Apple Corps Ltd.
"The Beatles: Get Back"
"The Beatles: Get Back," a documentary from Peter Jackson about the Fab Four's time recording the "Let It Be" album and culminating in their historic rooftop concert, was pushed back from a fall release on Sept. 4, 2020 to now open Aug. 27, 2021.
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"The Broken Hearts Gallery"
Selena Gomez-produced rom-com “The Broken Hearts Gallery” is the story of Lucy, a 20-something art gallery assistant living in New York who, after her latest breakup, decides to create a pop-up art space of artifacts from past relationships. The film which was scheduled to be released on Aug. 7, has been pulled from the release schedule with its release date to be determined. -
"Greenland"
“Greenland,” a disaster thriller which stars Gerard Butler, along with the rest of humanity, tries to escape a massive comet that threatens to make all life on Earth extinct. Originally scheduled to be released on August 14, the film has been pushed a month to September 25.
Release slates for 2021 and beyond are taking shape as studios look to write off summer 2020
As the coronavirus continues to spread, an increasing number of movies are delaying or suspending production. As the number of impacted movies grows, TheWrap felt it would be most informative to keep a running list.
Jeremy Fuster
Box Office Reporter • jeremy.fuster@thewrap.com