There’s good news and bad news today in regards to folks hoping for a Summer Movie Season full of blockbusters and packed theaters. The bad news is Universal has gone ahead and delayed the release of the highly-anticipated “Fast & Furious” sequel, “F9.” The good news for fans of the franchise is the film is only getting pushed by a matter of weeks.
According to Deadline, Universal has moved “F9” from its original May 28 release date to June 25. In addition, because of that delay, the studio has gone ahead and scratched out “Minions: The Rise of Gru” from its July 2 release date and pushed it all the way until July 1, 2022. So, why only a month for “F9?” I mean, theaters aren’t going to be drastically more open in June than they will be in May, right? Well, the answer has to do with the international markets.
Deadline is reporting that Universal is going to make sure that as many international markets are open as possible and there’s a chance that “F9” opens overseas before it hits domestic cinemas. As is clearly evident by the previous few films in the franchise, China is a major reason why the ‘Fast & Furious’ films are billion-dollar features. And with China seemingly going at 100% in theaters, combined with other markets opening up faster than the US, Universal is banking on them to bring in the money.
READ MORE: ‘F9: The Fast Saga’ Trailer: Universal Sequel Revs Engines In New Super Bowl Spot
In the US, NYC has finally offered up its plan to reopen theaters, with California seemingly soon behind. This means most major markets in the US will be open and maybe Universal will take a chance and release the film domestically around that time, as well. Worst case, they can shuffle it off to PVOD quickly and make money that way, while the film still dominates worldwide.
One thing is certain, however — Universal doesn’t think May is a good time to release a film, no matter where. That leaves Disney’s “Black Widow” in a weird place, right? That film is expected to open in the first week in May in theaters. However, with the studio’s “Raya and the Last Dragon” doing a simultaneous theatrical and Disney+ Premier Access (meaning PVOD) release, perhaps the Mouse House is waiting to see how that film does before making a huge decision about its next Marvel Studios feature? Meaning, if “Black Widow” has May to itself (primarily) in theaters, the film could earn some box office while also earning a ton on PVOD sales. That would prevent Disney from having to make another costly delay to that film and push the entire MCU slate yet again.
Long story short, “F9” is now scheduled for the end of June, so there’s hope for Summer Movie Season yet.