With news of Pixar once again delaying the long-anticipated release of ‘Soul’ – the company has decided to follow in the footsteps of ‘Mulan’ and bypass theaters altogether, streaming the film on Disney + beginning December 25th – questions ultimately arise, what about the REST of the big budget movies that haven’t hit the big screen due to the COVID 19 pandemic?
The list is lengthy, and the landscape keeps changing with dates constantly being bumped. That said, here is the Aisle Seat’s current take on release dates of those films you’ve been waiting for….and will ultimately HAVE to wait for just a wee bit longer;
FREE GUY. This video game-inspired comedy starring Ryan Reynolds was anticipated as one of the big summer hits. The intention is to make it a holiday hit instead. (ORIGINAL RELEASE DATE: July 3rd. NEW RELEASE DATE: December 11th).
COMING 2 AMERICA: Eddie Murphy’s long-awaited sequel to the 80’s smash ‘Coming To America’ is one of the few films still on schedule. (ORIGINAL RELEASE DATE: December 18th. NEW RELEASE DATE: December 18th).
WONDER WOMAN 1984: The D.C. Comics sequel has been all over the map, originally slated for early summer, then shuffled to August, and now the hope is it will make its grand debut in time for Christmas. (ORIGINAL RELEASE DATE: June 5th. NEW RELEASE DATE: December 25th).
CANDYMAN: This Jordan Peele-written re-make of the horror classic was part of the summer schedule, but now moves to next year. SOME time next year. (ORIGINAL RELEASE DATE: June 12th. NEW RELEASE DATE: Unspecified, 2021).
ANTLERS: Guillermo Del Toro’s horror film actually made its debut online in July as part of San Diego’s virtual Comic Con. The hope is that it can finally hit theaters in late winter. (ORIGINAL RELEASE DATE: April 17th. NEW RELEASE DATE: February 19th, 2021).
THE KING’S MAN: This is a big budget prequel to the popular ‘Kingsman’ series, featuring Ralph Fiennes. (ORIGINAL RELEASE DATE: September 18th. NEW RELEASE DATE: February 26th, 2021).
GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE: Jason Reitman’s re-boot of the ‘Ghostbusters’ franchise shoots for a spring launch. (ORIGINAL RELEASE DATE: September 18th. NEW RELEASE DATE: March 5th, 2021).
MORBIUS: The latest addition to the Marvel Universe, Jared Leto’s superhero/vampire was already a big gamble…..even bigger now. (ORIGINAL RELEASE DATE: July 31st. NEW RELEASE DATE: March 19th, 2021).
NO TIME TO DIE: Few films have ever received so much press without a single viewing. The latest James Bond thriller, the final chapter starring Daniel Craig, was the first major motion picture to be pulled from the release schedule due to the Coronavirus. That means, once it (hopefully) screens, it will have been delayed by one year. (ORIGINAL RELEASE DATE: April, 2020. NEW RELEASE DATE: April 2nd, 2021).
A QUIET PLACE II: Considering how much the chilling original worked off the tension of a packed house, it would be a shame to see this particular sequel bypass theaters altogether. So here’s hoping!.. (ORIGINAL RELEASE DATE: March, 2020. NEW RELEASE DATE: April 23rd, 2021).
BLACK WIDOW: This Marvel action vehicle starring Scarlett Johansson in the title role, is another blockbuster that has been on hold for a loooong time. (ORIGINAL RELEASE DATE: May 1st. NEW RELEASE DATE: May 7th, 2021).
GODZILLA V.S. KING KONG: This monster mash had already seen its fair share of shuffling around the schedule before COVID hit. What was one more move to next summer? (ORIGINAL RELEASE DATE: November, 2020. NEW RELEASE DATE: May 21st, 2021).
F9: The latest ‘Fast and Furious’ movie was, without a doubt, a lock to dominate at least a few weekends during the summer. But now, you can make that NEXT summer. (ORIGINAL RELEASE DATE: May 1st. NEW RELEASE DATE: May 29th, 2021).
TOP GUN: MAVERICK: Tom Cruise has been in a holding pattern on the tarmac for a while now. (ORIGINAL RELEASE DATE: June 12th. NEW RELEASE DATE: July 2nd, 2021).
HALLOWEEN KILLS: Couldn’t really release this sequel during spring – just wouldn’t work. Thus, we wait a year. (ORIGINAL RELEASE DATE: October 16th. NEW RELEASE DATE: October 15th, 2021).