Paramount’s upcoming comedy, “The Lovebirds,” doesn’t have the hype of, say, “A Quiet Place Part II” or the latest ‘Fast & Furious’ sequel. However, in light of those films running for the hills away from coronavirus, delaying their respective release dates, it seems as if Paramount feels that it would be better served by doing the same for “The Lovebirds.”
READ MORE: ‘F9’ Delay: Coronavirus Forces ‘Fast & Furious’ Sequel To Move To 2021
According to Variety, Paramount has officially delayed the April 3 release of “The Lovebirds,” starring Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani to an unspecified date. As alluded to above, this move comes after the studio already delayed the release of the highly-anticipated horror sequel, “A Quiet Place 2.” So, it’s clear that Paramount would rather hold onto its films for the time being and see when would be a better time to release, presumably after COVID-19 has been contained.
This is the second major setback for “The Lovebirds,” after its world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival was shut down after the entire event was canceled by the Austin government. Now, the film won’t even be released next month, as was anticipated. And as mentioned, there’s not even a replacement date in mind. With “F9” being pushed until 2021 and, presumably, more films being delayed until later this year, we could be looking at scenarios where studios hold onto their potential cash cows until 2021 just to avoid an oversaturated market later this year.
READ MORE: ‘A Quiet Place 2’ Delayed Due To Coronavirus Just A Week Before Its Release Date
Obviously, “The Lovebirds” isn’t the last film that will likely be delayed due to coronavirus. As the pandemic spreads and shuts down more and more infrastructure and public events, we could be looking at the theatrical business being hit in a way that is completely unprecedented. Needless to say, this is a situation that is developing and could have long-ranging effects that go well beyond coronavirus.