Disney has postponed the release of fall blockbusters such as Marvel’s “Black Widow,” Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” and Kenneth Branagh’s “Death on the Nile” by several months. The results are bad news for the exhibition industry, which is facing fierce headwinds after closing for months due to coronavirus.
The studio has kept the late November release date of Pixar’s “Soul,” surprising some in the industry who had expected the animated family film to either move to a later perch or get released on Disney Plus. The moves set off a cascade of distribution shifts that will upend the theatrical landscape for months. Other Marvel releases, such as “Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” and “Eternals” will all debut deeper into 2021. Disney’s release date shifts all but guarantee that box office revenues this year will reach a nadir — analysts have already projected that domestic grosses would decline between 70% to 80% due to the pandemic.
“Black Widow,” starring Scarlett Johansson, was set to debut on Nov. 6, a date that started to look increasingly unlikely as movie theaters on the coasts remained closed. Variety previously reported that the studio was eyeing a new time to unveil the film on the big screen after the disappointing performance of Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” in the U.S. and the delay of “Wonder Woman 1984.” “Black Widow” will now open on May 7, 2021.
“Death on the Nile” — a follow-up to 2017’s box office hit “Murder on the Orient Express” — will bow on Dec. 18, 2020, vacating its original Oct. 23 premiere. “Death on the Nile,” a murder mystery based on Agatha Christie’s novel, appeals to an older moviegoers, a demographic that might be hesitant to return to indoor spaces during the pandemic.
“West Side Story,” which marks Spielberg’s first foray into musicals, was expected to be a key Academy Awards contender. An awards career may still be in its future, but not at this year’s Oscars. “West Side Story” will launch a year later than expected, on Dec. 10, 2021 instead of Dec. 18, 2020.
Due to the interconnected nature of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, “Black Widow’s” move shifted back other installments in the superhero franchise. “Eternals,” a comic book adventure about a super-powered alien race, will debut on Nov. 5, 2021. It was previously dated for Feb. 12, 2021. Chloé Zhao directed the film, which stars Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Gemma Chan and Kumail Nanjiani.
Nanjiani endorsed the move on Twitter, saying “Marvel made the right and responsible decision.”“Nothing is more important than health & lives,” he wrote. “I can’t tell ppl to go to a movie theater until I feel safe going to one.”
And “Shang Chi,” Marvel’s first film with an Asian lead, has moved from May 7, 2021 to July 9, 2021. Destin Daniel Cretton will direct a cast that includes Simu Liu as the titular martial arts hero.
Meanwhile, “Deep Water,” Adrian Lyne’s thriller with Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas, will no longer open on Nov. 13, 2020. It will instead debut on Aug. 13, 2021.
Two films will actually bow earlier in the schedule. “The Empty Man,” a horror film with James Badge Dale, will be released on Oct. 23, 2020 instead of on Dec. 4, 2020. “The King’s Man,” previously dated on Feb. 26, 2021, will move ahead two weeks to Feb. 12. However, the latest entry in the spy franchise was initially intended to launch this month.
A number of movies have been postponed following the release of “Tenet,” including Universal’s horror thriller “Candyman” into 2021 and STX’s disaster film “Greenland” with Gerard Butler. Part of the reason that studios are reluctant to release major films is because there’s no sense of when New York and Los Angeles, the two biggest moviegoing markets in the U.S., will be able to open theaters. Cinemas in other parts of the country that have been able to resume operation haven’t seen huge business.
Nearly 70% of movie theaters in North America resumed operations in recent weeks, with many timing their reopenings to the release of “Tenet.” Now, exhibitors face the potential of months without new content to offer audiences.
Below is Disney’s upcoming slate:
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
Sep. 23 2020 |
| share this post | like this post 120 |
Sep. 01 2020 |
The Chadwick Boseman tributes keep rolling, and on Sunday night following a commercial-free airing of Marvel’s “Black Panther,” ABC News aired a tribute special in which his other Avengers, including Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Don Cheadle, Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner and more, paid their respects to the late star.
Boseman died on Friday after a years-long fight with colon cancer, during which time he became one of Hollywood’s biggest stars with performances that included four Marvel films and the Spike Lee movie “Da 5 Bloods.”
“‘Black Panther’ is hands down the crowning achievement of the Marvel Universe,” Downey told ABC’ News. “It was the one that people got to vote with their ticket sales and say we require this overdue diversity.”
“I didn’t have enough time with Chadwick,” Cheadle said. “It’s a statement I know everyone is making, but everyone can make because he was here far too short a time.”
“Chadwick was a deeply kind and gentle person and very present and thoughtful, and those qualities are so present in his work,” Johansson said.
Boseman’s work was recognized by his past co-stars in Marvel films as well as those who would’ve soon shared the screen with him in Marvel’s Phase 4 of movies, including “Shang-Chi” star Simu Liu and “Eternals” star Angelina Jolie each giving statements.
“I know that I ride the coattails of his success that I stand on his great shoulders,” Liu said in the special.
“He gave all of us and all of our children a great example of a humble leader,” Jolie added.
Boseman was also well known for taking the parts of many Black historical figures, including Thurgood Marshall, Jackie Robinson and James Brown, and non-Avengers Oprah Winfrey and Whoopi Goldberg explained why those performances did just as much to help make him heroic in the eyes of so many.
“The way he handled his life and handling cancer with such grace and humility lets us know that he truly was a superhero,” Winfrey said.
“This loss is felt around the world, people in every country. He was pretty amazing. He is Wakanda forever,” Goldberg added.
Check out a segment from the larger special below that also features brief clips from Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, Clark Gregg, Benedict Cumberbatch, Elisabeth Olson, Pom Klementieff and Sebastian Stan.
Sebastian Stan and other Marvel stars pay tribute to Chadwick Boseman during ABC’s special “A Tribute for a King” pic.twitter.com/9lzvs1DWzD
— The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (@falconsoldierTV) August 31, 2020
| share this post | like this post 97 |
