Fast & Furious 9, A Quiet Place Part II, Mulan Releases Delayed Amid COVID-19 Fears
It looks like the cinemas will be a quiet(er) place in the coming months.
First, China. And now, it’s Hollywood’s turn to pull their blockbusters from the multiplexes amid concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic. With COVID-19 cases soaring in the US (at time of writing, more than 1,300 have been infected) and the closures of cinemas in key markets such as China, South Korea and Italy, the studios have decided to hold back its major releases until the situation improves. And when movies are delayed on an international level, their releases in Singapore are affected as well. Here's a list of movies affected by the COVID-19 crisis, which we'll update if more delays are announced. (Update: Apr 9, 2020)
1. No Time To Die
The first to bolt. Daniel Craig’s final Bond outing shifted its global release from April to November. It’s opening in the UK and the US on Nov 12 and Nov 25, respectively. The delay will reportedly cost MGM US$30-50 million (S$42-S$70 mil) in marketing revenue. The movie will open in Singapore on Nov 26.
2. A Quiet Place Part II
The Emily Blunt-led creature feature was slated to roll out internationally on Mar 18, In a statement, Paramount said, “We believe in and support the theatrical experience, and we look forward to bringing this film to audiences this year once we have a better understanding of the impact of this pandemic on the global theatrical marketplace.” Krasinski, who wrote and directed the movie, took to social media to break the bad news. It's now scheduled to open in the US on Sep 4, and in Singapore Sep 3.
3. Fast & Furious 9
The muscle car series’ latest chapter was supposed to come out in May but Universal decided to push its global release to April 2021. Vin Diesel made the announcement on social media. “We feel all the love and the anticipation you have for the next chapter in our saga,” he wrote. “That’s why it’s especially tough to let you know that we have to move the release date of the film. It’s become clear that it won’t be possible for all of our fans around the world to see the film this May. While we know there is disappointment in having to wait a little while longer, this move is made with the safety of everyone as our foremost consideration.”
4. Mulan
Disney's US$200 million live-action remake of its 1998 animated feature, which just had its world premiere in LA, will no longer debut in North America on Mar 27. No new release date announced. Mulan’s international release has already been delayed in China, Taiwan and Hongkong. It was slated to open Mar 26 in Singapore, but is now put on hold. Director Niki Caro wrote on Instagram, "We are so excited to share this film with the world, but given the current ever-shifting circumstances we are all experiencing, unfortunately, we have to postpone the worldwide release of Mulan for now. Our hearts are with everyone the world over who is affected by this virus, and we hope that Mulan’s fighting spirit will continue to inspire those who are working so hard to keep us all safe."
The movie will now open in the US on Jul 24.View this post on InstagramA post shared by @ nikicaro on Mar 12, 2020 at 3:26pm PDT
5. Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway
The James Corden-voiced live-action children’s flick was pushed back from April to August, and to January 2021.
6. New Mutants
Besides Mulan, Disney also yanked the X-Men spin-off, starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Maisie Williams, from its April release. The movie has already been delayed twice before, so what’s another postponement? Singapore release date: TBA.
7. Antlers
Another Disney delay. Searchlight’s Guillermo del Toro-produced horror flick, starring Keri Russell and Breaking Bad's Jessie Plemons, was originally supposed to open on Apr 17 in the US, Apr 16 in Singapore, but is now undated.
8. My Spy
Dave Bautisa's family action-comedy — where he plays a secret agent befriended by a teenage girl — is expected to open in the US on Mar 13 but will now be out Apr 17. The movie is already out in Australia and New Zealand and was released in Singapore on Mar 12.
9. Black Widow
Natasha Romanoff's solo adventure is supposed to open in the US on May 1, but it's now opening on Nov 6. It should open in Singapore around the same time.
10. Spiral
The Saw reboot, starring Chris Rock and Samuel L Jackson, was slated to be out May 15 in the US, but it's now shelved indefinitely. It's supposed to open here on May 28. Now, it looks unlikely to be released at all until further notice.
11. Minions: The Rise of Gru
The Steve Carell-starring animated sequel was set to open on July 3 in the US — and June 11 in Singapore — but the situations in France, the studio isn't able to meet the production deadlines. The movie is now undated.
Chris Meledandri, Founder and CEO of Illumination, said in a statement: “In response to the severity of the situation in France, we are temporarily closing our Illumination Mac Guff studio in Paris.
"With this decision we are abiding by the French Government’s guidelines and doing everything possible to slow the spread of the virus as we care for our artists and their families.
"This means we will be unable to finish Minions: The Rise of Gru in time for our planned global releases in late June and early July. While we all grapple with the enormity of this crisis, we must put the safety and protection of our employees above all. We look forward to finding a new release date for the return of Gru and the Minions.”
Latest news: It's now opening in July 2021.
12. Wonder Woman 1984
The sequel was supposed to hit the big screen on June 5 in the US but now it's pushed back to August 14. There were reports that the movie might debut on HBO Max instead but those turned out to be untrue. “When we greenlit Wonder Woman 1984, it was with every intention to be viewed on the big screen and are excited to announce that Warner Bros. Pictures will be bringing the film to theatres on Aug. 14," said Toby Emmerich, Warner Bros. Pictures Group chairman. The movie, starring Gal Gadot and Chris Pine, was slated to open here June 4 but is pushed back to Aug 13.
13. Top Gun: Maverick
Tom Cruise's Top Gun sequel is now a Christmas movie: its release date is delayed from June 25 to Dec 23. Apparently, June isn't a good time to be playing with the boys.
