To say that “The New Mutants” has been delayed is an understatement. We are quickly approaching the three-year anniversary of the first trailer’s debut in 2017. Now, the superhero horror film is scheduled for an August 28 theatrical release. But with the recent projections about cinema closures, that date is beginning to look unrealistic. This leads us to the newest ‘New Mutants’ teaser, which urges people to check out the upcoming Comic-Con @ Home panel later this month. Is the studio hinting that we’ll learn more about the release in a couple of weeks?
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First, and perhaps foremost for people who are excited about the film, the new teaser trailer has a ton of never-before-seen footage loaded with special effects and hints at what horrors await the young heroes in the film. However, for those of us more interested in the behind-the-scenes drama about the film, releasing this footage solely to tease a Comic-Con digital panel seems to point to some big announcement that could be coming at the end of July.
The options on the table for Disney seem to be pretty cut and dry. It’s clear the company would like to release the film in theaters, and that is definitely something that could happen. Just not in August. So, is yet another delay (possibly until 2021) in the cards? That seems pretty ridiculous, right? This makes the other two options more feasible, at this point. Disney could just cut its losses and release the film on Premium VOD, charge $20 per rental, and hope to cash in on whatever excitement still exists for this film. Maybe even release it during the digital Comic-Con, as a surprise for fans? That would garner some interest, to be certain.
The final option seems to be a straight-to-streaming solution, with “The New Mutants” landing on either Hulu or Disney+. And with Disney+ starting to offer some of the ‘X-Men’ films produced by Fox, this would be a good way to keep subscribers happy while the Marvel Studios content continues to be delayed due to the pandemic. This, of course, means Disney would have to be willing to sacrifice any sort of money lost from the box office and VOD rentals. But considering the numbers weren’t expected to be super high anyway (and the idea of a franchise seems all but dead), there’s not a whole lot to lose.
Basically, if you watch any panel at this year’s Comic-Con @ Home, the ‘New Mutants’ one seems to be worth a shot. For now, at least, “The New Mutants” is scheduled to arrive in theaters on August 28. But let’s be honest, no matter if the film is still heading to theaters or destined for streaming/PVOD, that date isn’t going to last long.
Here’s a synopsis:
20th Century Studios in association with Marvel Entertainment presents “The New Mutants,” an original horror thriller set in an isolated hospital where a group of young mutants is being held for psychiatric monitoring. When strange occurrences begin to take place, both their new mutant abilities and their friendships will be tested as they battle to try and make it out alive.