Editor’s note: This page will be updated live as more information is made available.
This week, the World Health Organization officially classified the spread of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) as a pandemic. In the run-up to and the wake of that announcement, we have seen a wave of cancellations of public events, limits placed social gatherings in high-risk areas, and even the suspension of major sporting events across Europe and the United States, notably including the suspension of the NBA’s season following a player testing positive.
The pop culture space that we love so dearly has also been hit hard by the impact of this global pandemic. Austin’s annual mega-conference SXSW was canceled just less than a week before it was set to begin, rendering a devastating blow to local workers, the independent film community, and ultimately to the still-unknown future of SXSW itself. Elsewhere, we’ve seen cancelations of events like Emerald City Comic Con (ECCC) and CinemaCon (the annual meeting of theatrical exhibitors) and the expected delays or cancellation of major film festivals, including Cannes.
The current CDC guidelines recommend that you wash your hands, stay home if you’re sick, and do your part in order to help prevent the spread of the virus.
As the spread is expected to continue for an unknown period of time, Hollywood studios and other domestic distributors have begun preemptively rescheduling some of their theatrical releases. The expectation appears to be that the spread will have an impact on movie theater attendance if it hasn’t already. Which titles are among those being held back? To help you with your own release calendar management, we’ll be using our extra time at home to keep this list updated with all the changes to the US domestic theatrical release schedule. So bookmark this page for future updates and be safe out there, dearest readers.
The Artist’s Wife
Original release date: April 3, 2020
New release date: TBD
Hot off the festival circuit, this drama starring Bruce Dern as a famous artist with dementia and Lena Olin as his wife was due to open in New York City on April 3 followed by Los Angeles and San Francisco later in the month. Distributor Strand Releasing now expects to get the film in theaters later this year. It’s still planning to screen at the Sarasota Film Festival in April.
Blue Story
Original release date: March 20, 2020
New release date: TBD
One of the smaller releases to be delayed, Paramount’s crime thriller is the directorial debut of British rapper Rapman, who based the feature on his YouTube channel. The movie was released in the UK last fall.
F9
Original release date: May 22, 2020
New release date: April 2, 2021
One of the world’s biggest movies of this year will now have to be one of next year’s. The Fast & Furious sequel isn’t taking any chances of a 2020 release following Universal’s decision to suspend its Memorial Day opening more than two months in advance was joined by the announcement of a new date set for almost one year later.
The Lovebirds
Original release date: April 3, 2020
New release date: TBD
Michael Showalter’s new action-comedy, starring Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani, was initially going to premiere at the South by Southwest Film Festival, but the event was canceled. Paramount later decided to delay the release indefinitely.
No Time to Die
Original release date: April 10, 2020
New release date: November 25, 2020
The 25th James Bond movie was the first release to be moved, with MGM deciding to delay the sequel until November, which appropriately enough is when other recent 007 installments opened. At the time, the delay was mostly seen as being for the sake of other countries affected by the virus.
Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway
Original release date: April 3, 2020
New release date: August 7, 2020
Sony appears to be hoping that this all blows over by late summer, as they held back this family film sequel only four months, until August (longer for many international releases that were set for March). The original Peter Rabbit opened in February 2018.
A Quiet Place Part II
Original release date: March 20, 2020
New release date: TBD
Director John Krasinski personally sent out a social media message about the delay of his horror sequel, stating that this is a movie that deserves to be watched with a crowd. A Quiet Place Part II was set to come out about the same time of year as the original, which opened in early April 2018.
#AQuietPlacePart2…Take2 pic.twitter.com/YrCXLLpxjh
— John Krasinski (@johnkrasinski) March 12, 2020
The Truth (La Vérité)
Original release date: March 20, 2020
New release date: TBD Summer 2020
The latest drama from Shoplifters filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda, which stars Catherine Deneuve as a French movie star plus Juliette Binoche and Ethan Hawke, was to begin its limited opening on March 20 with other cities to follow in subsequent weeks. IFC Films announced a postponement until the summer but no new date has been revealed yet.
More will be added as they are announced.
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