Release Dates, for the hell of it...
Saturday, June 27, 2020 at 7:50PM by Nathaniel R
Remember when reporting on movie news and release dates used to have meaning? It's a distant foggy memory but there was, in fact, a time when release dates felt, if not certain, than likely... something to get giddy about while you waited for the next "Must See". The Bond and Fast and Furious producers who pushed their films No Time to Die and F9, respectively, several months away when people first started to learn the word "coronavirus" are looking very smart in hindsight. They got the hell out of there before anyone was sick! Disney with Mulan and WB with Tenet chose to play the "let's just wait one more month" game and keep playing it. Both movies have recently pushed back to August.
Here's the schedule of the big(gish) movies for the rest of the year though obviously you should read it with not a grain of salt but the whole Great Salt Lake from Utah...
August
12 Tenet (Chris Nolan's sci-fi actioner with John David Washington & Robert Pattinson)
21 Antebellum (Horror with Janelle Monae)
21 Mulan (Disney's live action remake with a cavalcade of Asian stars)
28 Bill & Ted Face the Music (sequel with Keanu Reeves reprising his first franchise role)
28 The New Mutants (teen angst superheroes, long delayed)
28 A Quiet Place Part 2 (monster movie sequel with Emily Blunt)
September
11 The Conjuring 3 (Horror with Patrick Wilson & Vera Farmiga)
18 The King's Man (Actioner with Harris Dickinson & Ralph Fiennes & Liam Neeson)
25 Candyman (Horror remake)
October
2 Wonder Woman 1984 (superhero sequel)
2 Without Remorse (Actioner with Michael B Jordan)
9 Death on the Nile (Kenneth Branagh does a second all star mystery )
16 The French Dispatch (Wes Anderson's latest)
16 Halloween Kills (Horror sequel)
November
6 Black Widow (superhero aka Scarlett Johansson's final Marvel outing)
20 Soul (Pixar's latest)
25 No Time to Die (James Bond returns - Daniel Craig's last go at the hero)
December
11 Free Guy (Action comedy with Ryan Reynolds)
18 Dune (sci-fi adaptation)
18 West Side Story (musical remake)
23 Top Gun Maverick (Tom Cruise sequel)
Latest to Opt Out of a Theatrical Release Altogether
Spongebob: Sponge on the Run... weirdly they're saving it for 2021 even though its not going to theaters. Why wait if you're just dumping it on streaming?
Waiting for 2021
F9, The Forever Purge, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, The Green Knight, In the Heights, Jungle Cruise, Morbius, Peter Rabbit 2, Respect, The Woman in the Window
Reader Comments (18)
Is Greyhound the Tom Hanks submarine movie? I think that is being released thru streaming options soon.
I kind of wish a few more movies would release to VOD. We will probably not open up at lot of cinemas this year so Oscar picks might be slim. If Woman in the Window gets released this year Adams probably wins.
Also if the pickings are slim this year what unlikely but justified nomination would you be looking forward to? Remember when Emma came out and everyone commented that Miranda Hart was great but she has no shot of a nomination? Maybe she isn't such a long shot now.
I’d sit down to see any of these in a theater. Oh how I miss new movies.
I refuse to attend a multiplex for any new movie until a vaccine is created which will only happen if the monster is elected out of office.
Announced Thursday: Without Remorse moved to February 26, 2021.
https://deadline.com/2020/06/paramount-moves-without-remorse-to-2021-1202971473/
3rtful, something I saw that echoes your thought: "Remember, the plague didn't leave Thebes till Oedipus was gone"
I think this is all imaginary. No major movies will be released this year. And studios won't forgo the massive amounts of theatrical money in favor of VOD. Most things will be held till next year.
And, as sad as it is to hear, that probably means there'll be no Oscars next year.
I have been EAGER to finally see The New Mutants since the project was announced, along with Fantastic Four, my fave superhero team, and they adapt one of the best archs in any superhero comic-book ever (the demon bear, silly as it sounds, it is terrifying full of subtext and the art by Bill Sienkiewickz in the comic-book deserves to be exhibited at MOMA). The news that Kevin Feige himself greenlighted that the ORIGINAL director's cut is going to be the one getting released, and his ambiguity if that film is going to be considered the last Fox's mutant entry or the 1st of the MCU, hints that they are actually proud of the quality of the film, and are considering making it canon... which would be great news.
I am sure Greyhound is soon available in the UK just not in cinemas.
Tom Q: What if it happens to you, jackass?
I agree with Tom. I just can't see a big budget movie being released this year. If I ran a movie studio (rather than being a lowly underling there), I would concentrate on releasing my prestige projects. The ones that really didn't have a hope of making a lot of money, but ones that are well regarded and could use a bit of Oscar buzz and a long playing time. Remember when there were movies released like that? Let's go back to that.
Oh, and this is the first time I have seen that Gong Li and Jason Scott Lee are in Mulan. Rats, now I'll actually have to watch the thing!
Yeah, where has Jason Scott Lee been these last couple of decades? I hope he's been given something substantial to do.
Volvagia, WTF? I don't see anything in my post to provoke your nasty name-calling.
For the record, I live in NYC, and have had half a dozen friends/acquaintances lose their lives to COVID (some nursing home victims, but several not). Others have become infected but fortunately recovered. And it infuriates me that, because of the moron in charge and his obsequious gubernatorial allies, we're still in the thick of this months after other countries have tamed things. It's my considered opinion that we won't get past it till we purge ourselves of this idiot in charge, hence my quote.
So, again: WTF?
Dave in Hollywood: I'm not sure even the prestige projects can afford to go straight to VOD. Take a movie like Lady Bird. I assume it did reasonably well once arriving on streaming...but I'd also assume the $45 million it accumulated in theatres had much to do with A24 seeing it as a big success. And how much of its streaming success was driven by the name-recognition it picked up from its theatrical/Oscar run? In fact, there might be an argument smaller movies are really reliant on the money they make in theatres to turn profits for their studios.
Tom & Dave -- yes, it seems to be a thing that's not often reported on but there is considerable evidence that playing theatrical improves your ability (by huge leaps and bounds) to make money in future markets like streaming and cable airings even if you dont turn a profit in theater. The entire pop culture system of movies is built to 'trickle down' if you will (and excuse the 80s republican talking point reference. Streaming has changed *some* of that dynamic but it's hardly proven on its own that it can make significant money without theatrical. All Netflix has really proven is that you can afford big productions if you have a huge subscription base so in that sense they are more of the HBO model than anything related to theatrical.
Tom -- yeah, i don't know what the name calling was about either but the comments are bizarre these days. Lots of short tempers
@3rtful-I agree with you except for the fact that Dookie Tank is very likely to stay in office by any means necessary. I hate that motherfucker just as bad as anyone else.
Yes, I agree, the movie theaters will be pretty empty for the remainder of the year.
Tom and Nathaniel, we're all in agreement here. I just think there is room for a 5 million dollar budgeted movie (think Florida Project or Moonlight) to get a "theatrical release", play for three months, and get Oscar nominations. This is for this year only (please god, not 2021 too). All of those benefits would help in the trickle down markets i.e. smash long run in theaters, indie crossover hit, oscar nomination in every category. Well, you get the idea. No better time for a Hail Mary theatrical release.
TomQ:
There is a resident troll on the site. Often when there is an unexpected nasty remark, it is the troll, trying to be incendiary, posting under a frequent poster’s name. The troll seems to think they can weaken the camaraderie of the site.
This would be a good year to release quality indie projects to streaming.
I mean the Emmys this year have an abundance of quality material to choose from.
Release those intended for theatrical indie films - get eyes on them - and get Oscar nominations.
Every time I scroll past that pic of Gong Li, I stop. The camera refuses to take a bad picture of her.