For the past few weeks, we’ve seen studios scramble to move films that were scheduled to be released in theaters this spring until later this year. Usually, it’s a case-by-case basis, with studios waiting until there was no other choice but to delay. However, in the case of Sony and its big 2020 films, the studio decided the best move is to plan for the future and delay pretty much every major film on its slate until 2021.
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According to Deadline, Sony has decided to move films such as “Morbius,” “Greyhound,” “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” “Uncharted,” “Peter Rabbit 2,” and the previously-announced “Untitled Sony/Marvel” film further down the line, well into 2021. In the case of “Morbius” and “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” these films were already scheduled for July 2020 releases, which many believe could have been okay and still released. However, according to the report, it appears that Sony isn’t worried about this year so much as it is 2021.
Here are the films and the new dates for each:
“Morbius”—March 19, 2021 (Previous date: July 31, 2020)
“Ghostbusters: Afterlife”—March 5, 2021 (Previous date: July 10, 2020)
“Greyhound”— TBD (Previous date: June 12, 2020)
“Peter Rabbit 2”—January 15, 2021 (Previous date: August 7, 2020)
“Uncharted”—October 8, 2021 (Previous date: March 5, 2021)
“Untitled Sony/Marvel Film”—TBD (Previous date: October 8, 2021)
As mentioned, at first glance, it appears that Sony is writing off all of 2020 and hoping that things get better next year. And that’s apparently partially true, as COVID-19 (coronavirus) concerns are the primary factor. However, Deadline thinks these moves are more about making sure 2021 has plenty of high-profile films ready to go. With the pandemic forcing the stoppage of many films currently in production (with 2021 release dates), Sony is also building in insurance that the studio’s slate will still have some big features next year if those films in production are forced to delay.
Either way, it’s clear that Sony is making these moves also to stake claims on some dates for next year, as it’s anticipated that many other studios will be looking at 2021 to reschedule the delayed films.