State Of Play: October 2020

Hello everyone, 

We hope this finds you well and that you're keeping safe and sound.

There's been a lot, LOT, of movement in the last few weeks regarding movie release schedules, so we figured it was time to do a bit of a round-up on where things stand at the moment. 

As with a lot of things in the current COVID-19 pandemic, things can change in a heartbeat so this is as we know it today (Sunday 4th October). This is, of course, always subject to change. 

Disney were the first to start rearranging their winter roster, moving Black Widow to May 2021 (which has a knock-on effect for at least two other MCU movies; see below) and postponing Steven Spielberg's new version of West Side Story (starring Ansel Elgort and Rachel Zegler as the star-cross'd Tony and Maria) until December 2021. 

At the moment, Disney still plan to release Pixar's next movie Soul and the latest star-studded Agatha Christie adaptation Death On The Nile in cinemas this year (Soul at Thanksgiving weekend, and Death On The Nile a week before Christmas). None of the films were moved to Disney+ (as Mulan had), although the situation remains very much in flux at the moment. Given recent news reports, and the likelihood that Cineworld will close cinemas in the U.S. and the U.K. and Ireland shortly, I would be immensely surprised if these films see cinema screens this year. 

If Death On The Nile does still get a cinema release on December 18, it will be going up against Warner Bros.' new version of Frank Herbert's Dune (directed by Denis Villeneuve, and starring Timothée Chalamet, Oscar Isaac, and Zendaya), which is still scheduled for this date. Wonder Woman 1984 had another date change, as the film will now be opening on Christmas Day instead. (Movie-going on Christmas Day is apparently a thing in America, so will probably open Boxing Day in the UK, if the release goes ahead) 

Director Patty Jenkins said "Because I know how important it is to bring this movie to you on a big screen when all of us can share the experience together, I’m hopeful you won’t mind waiting just a little bit longer. With the new date on Christmas Day, we can’t wait to spend the holidays with you."

In our June State of Play update, we mentioned Robert Zemeckis' new version of The Witches (starring Anne Hathaway, Octavia Spencer, and Stanley Tucci) being dropped from Warner Bros. cinema schedule in the US. Well, at the start of this month, it was announced that the film will make its debut on HBO Max on October 22 2020, with an international cinema release following a week later (where possible).

However on the same day as that, it was announced that No Time To Die, the 25th Bond film, was also going to be postponed until 2021. Originally set for release on November 12 in the UK and November 20 in the US, it's now set for April 2 2021 [almost a year after its initial release date]. In a statement on the official 007 site, the delay is "in order [for the film] to be seen by a worldwide theatrical audience. We understand the delay will be disappointing to our fans". 

As well as disappointing fans, it's no doubt disappointed cinema chains too: it has been one of the reasons mooted for Cineworld's decision to potentially shut down its cinemas. As a result of No Time To Die being shifted, F9 (Fast & Furious 9) has also moved in the schedule to the end of May 2021.

So that's where things stand at the moment. These are the current release dates for some of the films mentioned; obviously all of them are due to change if circumstances continue or change.

2020

November 20         Soul

December 18         Death On The Nile

December 25         WW84


2021

February 12         The King's Man

April 2         No Time To Die

May 7         Black Widow

May 28         F9

July 9         Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings

November 5         Eternals

December 10         West Side Story

Keep safe everyone. It certainly looks as if things are far from being over...