I hope you’re enjoying the Fourth of July weekend! Some of you might be watching Hamilton and other patriotic shows on streaming. I assume some of you are doing something special at home with your immediate family, significant other, or room mates. For others, it might just be another day, which is fine too. Everyone is different. Regardless, I hope everyone is celebrating safely. As expected, film studios and the movie theater situation is still undergoing a lot of drama. The COVID-19 contagion is getting much worse instead of better and it’s directly effecting the film industry. That means we’re seeing more delays to later in the year and 2021. Some movies could even get pushed to 2022. Right now, film studios are being apprehensive about releasing movies digitally, probably because of contracts, money, PR, etc. But we’re running out of time and they can’t squeeze everything in the 2021 or even 2022 slate. After all, many studios are resuming filming, which will add more titles to an already crowded schedule. Truthfully, I doubt movie theaters will be allowed to open in 2020 at all. But we’ll know more about that issue later in the year. In my previous update, I noted that several movies are moving to 2021, including The Eternals, Jungle Cruise, Morbius, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, and Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Check out of my previous update if you want a synopsis about each movie. www.stephaniekatoauthor.com/blog/films-during-the-covid-19-pandemic. What’s coming out in theaters this year, getting delayed to 2021, or coming to premium video on demand or PVOD? I’ll break it down for you. Here some of the films that appeal to me.
Antebellum Release Date: 8/21/20 -So, Lionsgate wants to release this horror film at the same time with Mulan during a month when most cities won’t be opening theaters. Yeah, Antebellum won’t keep this release date. I don’t know Lionsgate’s backup plan, but PVOD or other streaming options seem like the right choice. It would be very popular on something like Netflix or Amazon Prime. This film will also perform quite well on PVOD. Truthfully, this movie could easily benefit from the Black Lives Matters movement. If theaters don’t open in August, they should definitely consider a digital premiere. Antlers Release Date: TBA -Unfortunately, Disney hasn’t announced a release date yet. It’s just a matter of business. Antlers is a horror film that was made by Searchlight. For those of you who don’t know, Searchlight is 20th Century’s prestige studio and that means Disney owns it. The situation with Searchlight and 20th Century is convoluted because their streaming releases are still going to HBO for another year or two. Disney isn’t going to share anything with HBO during the pandemic, so these films are temporarily in limbo. I have a feeling it might also affect the PVOD situation as well. For example, they might have to share some of the money with Warner Bros. and HBO. I don’t know for sure, but that’s a possibility. I hope it doesn’t get pushed back to 2022. It doesn’t seem like there’s room in the schedule for 2o21. I guess we’ll find out eventually. Black Widow Release Date: 11/6/20 -Yeah, I doubt movie theaters will be open in November. We’ll be fighting COVID-19 and the flu simultaneously. Overall, Black Widow will open in theaters if it can happen this year. Beyond that, I can’t imagine Disney pushing it back much further. The entire MCU gets pushed back when Black Widow is delayed. Anything could happen, but they might have to bite the bullet and either release it through PVOD or Disney+. We’re talking about desperate times. Could Disney push Black Widow to 2021? Possibly, but it’s a very tight schedule and they won’t want audiences to lose interest in the MCU. This might be a controversial opinion, but Black Widow is the most disposable film in the upcoming MCU schedule. After all, the character is dead. That’s why I suspect a digital release might be a viable option in a worst case scenario. We’ll have to see what happens. Candyman Release Date: 9/25/20 -I heard a rumor about this one being released theatrically and on PVOD at the same time. That might not be true, but it’s an interesting idea. Right now, Universal Pictures is the only studio who isn’t afraid to release their movies on PVOD. They’re thinking about the big picture. Make money in 2020 or go broke. If movie theaters remain closed, I assume they’ll keep the digital release date. Actually, I believe a reboot of Candyman will be very successful on PVOD. I hope the rumors are true. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It Release Date: 9/11/20 -I have a few different thoughts about the third Conjuring film. It’ll be fine if theaters open in September, but that’s unlikely. What happens next? Warner Bros. has the option to push it back, but I have a feeling they’ll release it on HBO Max for more than one reason. First of all, HBO Max had a terrible premiere and it needs more popular content. A Conjuring movie sounds like the right type of bait to obtain subscribers. Additionally, Warner Bros. needs to keep audiences interested in the franchise. If they wait until 2021 or 2022, the film won’t perform well in theaters. PVOD is another good option if Warner Bros. wants to make a decent profit from the movie. Dune Release Date: 12/25/20 -This movie was such a bad idea. It wasn’t going to be profitable under the best circumstances. Huge space operas and sci-fi blockbusters just don’t appeal to people anymore. Moviegoers aren’t looking for a cerebral and philosophical experience. They just want to watch everything blow up. It’s the same reason why multiplayer games are popular. The more vegetative, the better. I’m sorry if that sounds cynical and harsh, but it seems to be a genuine trend. I suppose Warner Bros. could delay Dune if theaters remain closed. They might even move it to 2022. However, they might dump it on HBO Max. Either way, the studio loses money. They could release it theatrically and have a box office failure. HBO Max is an option, but that’s not profitable either. I guess PVOD could be the most successful option. Some audiences will probably buy or rent it at home. I just hope Warner Bros. makes a good decision with this one. The Empty Man Release Date: 8/7/20 -I can’t imagine 20th Century will keep this release date. Some of you might feel optimistic about movie theaters reopening in August, but I feel otherwise. Every movie is going to vacate their August release dates unless they go to streaming or PVOD. Again, Disney won’t feel compelled to share their money with HBO. That means PVOD is out of the question. I don’t know. 2021 doesn’t have much room left for extra movies. Regardless, I assume it will get delayed to later 2020 or some time in 2021. Escape Room 2 Release Date: 1/1/20 -Technically, the second Escape Room film is going to be a 2021 release, which makes sense because the first one premiered in January. It’s a small horror and action hybrid, so January seems like a good month. The beginning of the year is less competitive. However, I don’t know if theaters will be open yet in January. We might have to get past the Winter season. In a worst case scenario, it could get delayed to a later time in 2021 or PVOD. Actually, I think it will perform well on PVOD, but Sony will only use this option if theaters don’t reopen soon enough. Fatale Release Date: 10/30/20 -I’m only including this movie because it’s an action thriller with a female lead. Girls who kick butt are cool, right? Basically, I need to wait for a trailer. Yeah, I’m sure it will be released in theaters if they’re open. Unfortunately, I believe it will be a box office flop. Audiences will be very selective about movie theater outings in 2020. We also have a crowded slate with many female leads, including Mulan, Black Widow, and Wonder Woman 1984. Why will anyone bother to see this one in theaters? If movie theaters are still closed, it might go on PVOD or another streaming service. Lionsgate might even sell it to Netflix, Amazon Prime, or something else. The Forever Purge Release Date: TBA -This film was coming to theaters in July, but we know summer openings crashed and burned. The Forever Purge was supposed to be the final entry in the series. However, I’m not sure if Universal Pictures wants to release this type of film right now. The USA is very divided at the moment and we’re already having enough trouble with civil unrest. You never know. It might be released on Peacock. The Peacock streaming service is coming this month and all of the films made by Universal Pictures will be part it. It doesn’t seem like viewers are waiting enthusiastically for Peacock, so a brand new film with a familiar IP might be a good marketing tool. With that said, I think Universal Pictures also has a contract with HBO for a while. If we don’t see The Forever Purge in the near future, I suspect two possible issues. HBO might be part of the problem. Also, Universal Pictures might be afraid to release this type of movie until the political climate mellows out. It might even get pushed back to 2022. Free Guy Release Date: 12/11/20 -Here are my thoughts. Disney and 20th Century will keep this release date if theaters reopen. If not, they’ll probably delay it to 2021. I don’t think it will get pushed all the way back to 2022. Too much marketing was released this year. It seems like a theatrical release is the best option. They won’t mess with HBO and it will probably be moderately profitable in theaters. At this point, I’m sure film studios will be thrilled to get half of their normal income. The situation is just crazy. Godzilla vs Kong Release Date: 5/21/21 -I figured Warner Bros. would delay this film to 2021. The 2020 schedule is just too competitive and the previous Godzilla film was a box office bust. They might find redemption with Godzilla vs Kong. You never know. I will say, movie theaters should be open in May of next year. I feel confident about that part. Everything coming out in 2020 is screwed unless they go to PVOD or streaming. I might be completely wrong, but that’s my opinion. Greyhound Release Date: 7/10/20 -Finally! We’re getting a decent looking film on a streaming service this year. Greyhound was originally supposed to have a theatrical release in June, but now it’s coming to Apple TV+ in a few days. That’s good news because film studios need more digital releases this year. However, it also makes me feel nervous. It’s being dumped on Apple TV+, so does that mean it sucks? I wonder. You never know. Maybe Apple was willing to pay a significant price. Sony could also be in a rush to release it for the awards season. Anything could happen. Yeah, the Academy Awards is being delayed until spring of 2021, but the awards slate will still be releases from 2020. I’m really curious about this movie. Halloween Kills Release Date: 10/16/20 -October seems like the right time to release a Halloween film. That’s fine if theaters are open, but we’ll see. In an emergency, I believe Universal Pictures will delay it all the way until October of 2021. I’m pretty sure movie theaters will reopen in 2021, so they could easily wait and give audiences the theatrical experience. It’s probably one of the few movies that will be lucrative in theaters for the near future anyway. The King’s Man Release Date: 9/18/20 -Disney and 20th Century definitely want to release The King’s Man this year. They released another trailer just recently. I can tell you one thing. They’re not going to delay this film if movie theaters remain closed. It’s a waste of marketing money. I suppose they might reach a deal with HBO and Warner Bros. PVOD could happen or even a release on HBO Max. Honestly, I don’t think Disney cares about this IP. We’re not going to see more Kingsman movies after this one unless it’s a massive hit. They might hand it over to HBO and move on. Monster Hunter Release Date: 9/4/20 -Originally, this movie wasn’t on my radar, but I saw a pretty cool poster recently. It has a post-apocalyptic vibe and I’m a fan of the genre. Basically, I’ll have to wait for a trailer to make up my mind. Will it keep this release date? I doubt it. It’s not going to compete with A Quiet Place: Part II, even if theaters reopen in September. I’m sure will get delayed to 2021 or 2022. Nobody is asking for this film anyway. It’s also a video game adaptation and those movies don’t perform well theatrically. Monster Hunter is a fantasy game series about people who eliminate dangerous monsters in the wild. The series doesn’t appeal to me because it just looks like you’re killing wild animals all the time. They might be fictional animals, but it’s still pretty barbaric. I have a feeling the movie version will be different, like a kaiju flick with giant monsters. Mulan Release Date: 8/21/20 -Disney has delayed Mulan several times already, but it will move again. I heard rumors about a theatrical release in December. That’s a possibility, but I think Disney will give up and release it on PVOD or Disney+. Honestly, PVOD would be a great idea. Audiences will definitely pay for it. I seriously doubt it will move to 2021 or 2022. It had way too many delays. Mulan was supposed to come out in November of 2018. So, I don’t believe Disney will wait much longer. The New Mutants Release Date: 8/28/20 -Nonsense. This film isn’t coming out at the end of August. I’m pretty sure The New Mutants is a cursed project. Sure, it might get delayed to Fall 2020 or some time in 2021, but the release schedule is awfully competitive. 20th Century is the distributor, so the digital situation is a problem. I don’t believe Disney will push it back to 2022. Actually, Disney might completely give up on this movie. They might allow it to premiere on HBO Max or release it through PVOD and give some of the money to HBO and Warner Bros. Normally, I don’t think Disney would compromise, but they might not have a better option. They’re not going to hurt other films like Black Widow, The Eternals, Mulan, Jungle Cruise, or even other films by 20th Century to rescue The New Mutants. If anything will be sacrificed to another streaming service, it will be this one. A Quiet Place: Part II Release Date: 9/4/20 -This film will be okay if movie theaters open in September. Time will tell. If theaters are still closed, I don’t believe Paramount will move A Quiet Place: Part II to 2021 or 2022 because they already maxed out their marketing budget. PVOD will probably be their backup plan. I’m sure it will perform very well on PVOD anyway. Snake Eyes Release Date: 10/23/20 -Do I want to see this movie or not? I need to see a couple trailers. Snake Eyes will go to theaters if they’re open this year. If not, I believe it will get delayed to some time in 2021. It’s a G.I. Joe spinoff and it probably won’t perform well on PVOD. I actually think it might perform better in theaters. For example, it could draw in action movie fans, even if they don’t know anything about G.I. Joe. I don’t even know why Paramount made this film at all. G.I. Joe is such a dead franchise. But I might like it. I grew up watching reruns of the animated tv show and reading the comic books. Spiral Release Date: 5/21/20 -This spin off from the Saw series moved to 2021 and I agree with that decision. It doesn’t seem like moviegoers are in a big hurry to see another Saw movie, although it could be profitable in theaters. Given the uncertainty in 2020, a premiere in 2021 seems like a better idea. I think it will make a bigger profit and movie theaters should be open during Summer of next year. I’m not a fan of torture porn, but the teaser trailer looks interesting. It has a crime thriller angle and I’m hoping it will take the franchise in a new direction. Those Who Wish Me Dead Release Date: 10/23/20 -So far, this modern western is being released at the same time as Snake Eyes. I don’t think either film will perform well in theaters, but the release date will remain if theaters are open. Beyond that, I have a feeling this movie will move to streaming or PVOD. They could delay it to 2021, but I doubt Warner Bros. will invest much effort in this film. They care more about Tenet and Wonder Woman 1984. More likely, this one will premiere on HBO Max or PVOD. Voyagers Release Date: 11/25/20 -I didn’t even know about this movie until recently. It’s an adventure in deep space. What happens if movie theaters don’t reopen this year? Lionsgate could do a couple things with Voyagers. They might delay it to 2021. I think it would be more intelligent to it release it on streaming or PVOD. After all, I can’t imagine it making decent money in theaters anyway. I could picture viewers purchasing or renting it on PVOD instead. Space operas and small sci-fi movies don’t usually perform well in theaters, but they tend to be popular on streaming services. They might even sell it to Netflix, Hulu, or whoever. Without Remorse Release Date: 2/26/21 -It seems like Paramount made the right choice by delaying this movie to 2021. Movie theaters will eventually reopen next year, so this film should be okay. Will it make decent money? That’s an entirely different issue. I’m not sure if any movie will be super profitable next year. People will probably see the most anticipated blockbusters and that’s it. Movie outings are expensive and most people are going to be struggling financially in 2021. A huge recession is inevitable. But I still think a 2021 release date is a good idea. Wonder Woman 1984 Release Date: 10/2/20 -This movie seems to be cursed too. It already had a bunch of delays. However, I can picture Warner Bros. being stubborn with a Wonder Woman film. Theaters might be open in October, but it depends if we’re juggling COVID-19 with the flu in large numbers. They’ll keep the current release date if theaters are open. I suppose HBO Max could be an emergency option, but they’ll probably find a way to delay it again. They might even push it back to 2021. In theory, we have a huge release schedule for 2020, but I doubt movie theaters will reopen. It’s even a problem if movie theaters open late in the year, like September or October. Film studios can’t smash everything in the last quarter of the year and they can’t squeeze it all in the 2021 schedule. There’s only enough room in 2021 for a few more releases. So, we’re probably going to see a lot of PVOD this year. Hollywood won’t like it, but we’re going to run out of options soon. What do think will happen? Are film studios going to start delaying movies to 2022? Do you think movie theaters will reopen this year? When movie theaters reopen, do you think anyone will go? Tell me all about it in the comment section. I hope you’re having a great Fourth of July weekend, despite everything that’s happening. Thanks for checking out my blog and I’ll post another topic soon. Bye!
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