Numerous films including the latest James Bond film “No Time to Die” and the upcoming “Ghostbusters” sequel have been pushed back again…
A vaccine has arrived but the COVID-19 pandemic is still ongoing with no signs of slowing down in 2021.
While more and more people are receiving the vaccine each day, movie theaters are still bracing for a rough year ahead with most experts believing that audiences won’t be able to get together for large gatherings until the latter part of 2021. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease doctor, said in early January that if vaccinations reach 70 to 85 percent of the population, theaters and live music venues could begin reopening in the fall.
Of course the slow rollout of the vaccine hasn’t exactly inspired confidence and the movie industry is already reacting.
Over the past two weeks, numerous high profile films that were pushed back from 2020 into 2021 are now being rescheduled for an even later date in the year. While some studios like Warner Bros. have decided to just move forward with a release schedule that also includes a streaming element through their HBO Max service, most major players in Hollywood are resisting that plan by continuously pushing back films.
Here’s a list of the latest movies to get pushed back in 2021 with some films pushed all the way to 2022:
“No Time to Die” — the latest James Bond film starring Daniel Craig will now be released on Oct. 8, 2021
“Ghostbusters: Afterlife” — the highly anticipated sequel from director Jason Reitman will now debut Nov. 11, 2021
“Uncharted” — the film based upon the popular video game franchise starring Tom Holland — has been pushed back until Feb. 11, 2022
“Morbius” — the Spider-Man spinoff film starring Oscar winner Jared Leto in the lead role — will now land in theaters on Jan. 21, 2022.
“Last Night in Soho” — the psychological horror film from director Edgar Wright led by “The Queen’s Gambit” star Anya Taylor-Joy — will now be released on Oct. 22, 2021.
“A Quiet Place Part II” — the sequel to the breakout horror film from John Krasinski — has now been pushed back until Sept. 17, 2021.
“The King’s Man” — a prequel to the “Kingsman” films — will land in theaters on Aug. 20, 2021.
“The Many Saints of Newark” — a prequel spinoff from the HBO series “The Sopranos” — has been pushed back to Sept. 24, 2021 but that movie will also land on HBO Max on the same day as theaters.
While all of these movies have been pushed back, several potential blockbusters remain on the calendar for the first half of 2020.
“Black Widow” from Marvel Studios is still slated to drop on May 7, 2021 but there has been massive speculation that the film may get pushed back yet again. There also remains the possibility that Marvel decides to release the film but also drop it on Disney+. The Scarlet Johansson led project was originally slated for release in May 2020.
“Fast and Furious 9” is also still on the calendar for release on May 28, 2021 after that movie was originally scheduled for release in May 2020 as well. “Fast 9” was actually one of the first films to delay its release due to the pandemic with the debut pushed back an entire year.
It remains to be seen if films like “Black Widow” or “Fast and Furious 9” remain on the schedule in May, especially considering almost no one is predicting that timeframe for theaters to begin reopening at anywhere close to full capacity.
