‘The High Note’ to PVOD and more movie release changes due to coronavirus
Like every other industry, Hollywood is reacting to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus and the recommended measures to blunt the disease’s spread.
The U.S. box office took a noticeable hit, while the global box office was already in a state of free-fall as countries including China and Italy shut cinemas and suspend all releases. For studios, that means a complicated calculation of exactly when to release their highest-profile titles.
The dominoes started to fall when the latest James Bond adventure, “No Time to Die,” announced a seven-month delay to the Thanksgiving season. As the coronavirus threat ramped up, the release date changes rapidly accelerated, and it wasn’t long before Universal’s animated sequel “Trolls World Tour” was left alone to test the waters on April 10. Universal eventually released it for premium video on demand.
The studio doubled down on that strategy, announcing that the comedy “The King of Staten Island,” starring Pete Davidson and directed by Judd Apatow will move up a week from its planned June 19 theatrical release and debut on PVOD on June 12.
But with the three largest theater chains — AMC, Regal and Cinemark — all shutting down for the foreseeable future, it’s difficult to see how any film will have a life in theaters until well into the traditional summer movie season.
This post will be updated with additional changes as they are announced.
“The High Note” (Focus Features)
Original release date: May 8, 2020 (wide)
New date: May 29, 2020 (on VOD)
“Escape Room 2” (Sony)
Original release date: April 17, 2020 (wide)
New date: Dec. 30, 2020
“Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” (Disney)
Original release date: May 7, 2021 (wide)
New date: March 25, 2022
“Thor: Love and Thunder” (Disney)
Original release date: Nov. 5, 2021 (wide)
New date: Feb. 11, 2022
“Untitled Disney Live Action” (Disney)
Original release date: March 25, 2022 (wide)
New date: April 8, 2022
“Untitled 20th Century” (20th Century Studios)
Original release date: April 8, 2022
New date: TBD
“Untitled Disney Event Film” (Disney)
Original release date: N/A
New date: July 9, 2021
“Connected” (Sony Pictures Animation)
Original release date: Sept. 18, 2020 (wide)
New date: Oct. 23, 2020
“Fatherhood” (Sony)
Original release date: Oct. 23, 2020 (wide)
New date: April 2, 2021
“Vivo” (Sony Pictures Animation)
Original release date: April 16, 2021 (wide)
New date: June 4, 2021
“Uncharted” (Sony)
Original release date: March 5, 2021, then Oct. 8, 2021 (wide)
New date: July 16, 2021
“Hotel Transylvania 4” (Sony Pictures Animation)
Original release date: Dec. 22, 2021 (wide)
New date: Aug. 6, 2021
“Man from Toronto” (Sony)
Original release date: Nov. 20, 2020 (wide)
New date: Sep. 17, 2021
“Untitled Spider-Man Far From Home Sequel” (Marvel/Sony)
Original release date: July 16, 2021 (wide)
New date: Nov. 5, 2021
“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Sequel” (Sony Pictures Animation)
Original release date: April 8, 2022 (wide)
New date: Oct. 7, 2022
“The Nightingale” (Sony)
Original release date: Dec. 25, 2020 (wide)
New date: Dec. 22, 2021
“Venom: Let There Be Carnage” (Sony)
Original release date: Oct. 2, 2020 (wide)
New date: June 25, 2021
“Scoob” (Warner Bros.)
Original release date: May 15, 2020 (wide)
New date: May 15, 2020 (on VOD)
“In the Heights” (Warner Bros.)
Original release date: June 26, 2020 (wide)
New date: June 18. 2021
“The Many Saints of Newark” (Warner Bros.)
Original release date: Sept. 25, 2020 (wide)
New date: March 12, 2021
“Reminiscence” (Warner Bros.)
Original release date: TBD
New date: April 16, 2021
“The Batman” (Warner Bros.)
Original release date: June 25, 2021
New date: Oct. 1, 2021
Untitled Elvis Film (Warner Bros.)
Original release date: Oct. 1, 2021
New date: Nov. 5, 2021
“King Richard” (Warner Bros.)
Original release date: Oct. 25, 2020
New date: Nov. 19, 2021
Untitled Fred Hampton (Warner Bros.)
Original release date: Aug. 21, 2020
New date: TBD
“The Flash” (Warner Bros.)
Original release date: July 1, 2022
New date: June 2, 2022
“Shazam! 2” (Warner Bros.)
Original release date: April 1, 2022
New date: Nov. 4, 2022
“The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run” (Paramount)
Original release date: May 22, 2020 (wide), then July 31, 2020
New date: Aug. 7, 2020
“Infinite” (Paramount)
Original release date: Aug. 7, 2020 (wide)
New date: May 28, 2021
“Soul” (Disney)
Original release date: June 19, 2020 (wide)
New date: Nov. 20, 2020
“Raya and the Last Dragon” (Disney)
Original release date: Nov. 25, 2020 (wide)
New date: March 12, 2021
“Candyman” (Universal/MGM)
Original release date: June 12, 2020 (wide)
New date: Sept. 25, 2020
“My Spy” (STX Entertainment)
Original release date: April 17, 2020 (wide)
New date: TBD (on Amazon Prime)
“Nobody” (Universal)
Original release date: Aug. 14, 2020 (wide)
New date: Feb. 26, 2021
“Artemis Fowl” (Disney)
Original release date: May 29, 2020 (wide)
New date: TBD (on Disney+)
“Jungle Cruise” (Disney)
Original release date: July 24, 2020 (wide)
New date: July 30, 2021
“The Eternals” (Disney)
Original release date: Nov. 6, 2020 (wide)
New date: Feb. 12, 2021
“Shang-Chi” (Disney)
Original release date: Feb. 12, 2021 (wide)
New date: May 7, 2021
“Free Guy” (20th Century Studios)
Original release date: July 3, 2020 (wide)
New date: Dec. 11, 2020
“The French Dispatch” (Searchlight)
Original release date: July 24, 2020 (wide)
New date: Oct. 16, 2020
“Indiana Jones 5” (Disney)
Original release date: July 9, 2021 (wide)
New date: July 29, 2022
“A Quiet Place: Part II” (Paramount)
Original release date: March 20, 2020 (wide)
New date: Sept. 4, 2020
“Top Gun Maverick” (Paramount)
Original release date: June 24, 2020 (wide)
New date: Dec. 23, 2020
“The Tomorrow War” (Paramount)
Original release date: Dec. 25, 2020 (wide)
New date: TBD
“Ghostbusters: Afterlife” (Sony)
Original release date: July 10, 2020 (wide)
New date: March 5, 2021
“Morbius” (Sony)
Original release date: July 31, 2020 (wide)
New date: March 19, 2021
“Greyhound” (Sony)
Original release date: June 12, 2020 (wide)
New date: TBD
“Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway” (Sony)
Original release date: April 3, 2020 (wide)
First new date: Aug. 7, 2020
Second new date: Jan. 15, 2021
Coronavirus is changing the way we see movies, but it’s a necessary step
“Wonder Woman 1984” (Warner Bros.)
Original release date: June 5, 2020 (wide)
New date: Aug. 14, 2020
“Minions: The Rise of Gru” (Universal)
Original release date: July 3, 2020 (wide)
New date: TBD
“Antebellum” (Lionsgate)
Original release date: April 24, 2020 (wide)
New date: TBD
“Run” (Lionsgate)
Original release date: May 8, 2020 (wide)
New date: TBD
“Spiral” (Lionsgate)
Original release date: May 15, 2020 (wide)
New date: TBD
For Los Angeles’ independent movie theaters, the mandated shutdown to blunt the spread of coronavirus comes at an already difficult time.
“Black Widow” (Disney/Marvel)
Original release date: May 1, 2020 (wide)
New date: Nov. 6, 2020
“The Personal History of David Copperfield” (Searchlight)
Original release date: May 8, 2020 (limited)
New date: TBD
“The Woman in the Window” (20th Century)
Original release date: May 8, 2020 (wide)
New date: TBD
“Beastie Boys Story” (Apple+)
Original release date: April 3, 2020 (IMAX only)
New date: TBD (streams on Apple+ beginning April 24)
“The Secret: Dare to Dream” (Roadside Attractions)
Original release date: April 17, 2020 (wide)
New date: TBD
“Cut Throat City” (Well Go USA)
Original release date: April 10, 2020 (limited)
New date: TBD
“The Painted Bird” (IFC Films)
Original release date: April 17, 2020 (limited)
New date: Summer TBD
“The Climb” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Original release date: March 27, 2020 (N.Y., L.A.)
New date: TBD
“Military Wives” (Bleecker Street)
Original release date: March 27, 2020 (limited)
New date: May 22, 2020 (limited)
In light of the coronavirus pandemic, Disney has postponed the theatrical releases of “Mulan,” the latest X-Men film and a Guillermo del Toro horror production.
“Mulan” (Disney)
Original release date: March 27, 2020 (wide)
New date: TBD
“New Mutants” (Fox)
Original release date: April 3, 2020 (wide)
New date: TBD
“Antlers” (Searchlight)
Original release date: April 17, 2020 (wide)
New date: TBD
“The Truth” (IFC)
Original release date: March 20, 2020 (N.Y., L.A.)
New date: Summer 2020, TBD
“The Artist’s Wife” (Strand)
Original release date: April 3, 2020 (N.Y.); April 10, 2020 (L.A.)
New date: TBD
“F9” (Universal)
Original release date: May 22, 2020 (wide)
New date: April 2, 2021
Get the latest coronavirus updates from our staff in California and around the world.
“Blue Story” (Paramount)
Original release date: March 20, 2020 (limited)
New date: TBD
“The Lovebirds” (Paramount)
Original release date: April 3, 2020 (wide)
New date: TBD (on Netflix)
“Slay the Dragon” (Magnolia)
Original release date: March 13, 2020 (N.Y., L.A.)
New date: April 3, 2020
“No Time to Die” (MGM)
Original release date: April 10, 2020 (wide)
New date: Nov. 25, 2020
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