Latest update: April 2, 2020 – 11:15am PST

If you read Atom Insider, then you know by now that the coronavirus is wreaking havoc on the entertainment industry. So far, analysts have projected the global entertainment industry will lose at least $5 billion with the potential for bigger losses depending on how long the coronavirus crisis continues to unfold.

The largest factor for that loss is, obviously, the fact that theaters around the world are closing. China, the world’s second-biggest movie market, is completely shut down with 70,000 theaters closed. Other countries, like Italy, Japan, and South Korea, are following suit.

But the pandemic has also created a ripple effect in that studios are now having to rejigger their release date schedules to accommodate for China’s shutdown. A few movies have already seen their release dates bumped up or back, but more are sure to move thanks to the domino effect. We’re keeping a running list of all the movies shifting around to help you keep track of it all.

1. No Time To Die (MGM/Universal) – New Release Date: November 25, 2020

Previous release date: April 10

MGM’s upcoming James Bond flick is the biggest movie to get a release date change so far and the one that got the ball rolling on other, smaller shifts within the industry. With a hefty $200 million production budget and more for marketing, No Time to Die absolutely needs the Chinese box office. Bumping the release back to November rather than keeping the April release date and releasing in China at a later time cuts down on the threat of piracy.

2. The Vast Of Night (Amazon Studios) – New Release Date: May 15, 2020 (Limited)

Previous release date: May 29

Amazon Studios’ The Vast of Night got a two-week bump up from its previous release date. Looking at the release date calendar, the only other movie it might have competed with was A24’s The Green Knight, but even that is debatable. Making an educated guess here, I’d wager Amazon, which planned to give Vast a two-week limited run before it debuting on Prime Video on June 12, wants to give it a longer limited theatrical release window with the option to expand a bit depending on how it does. Amazon should have a lot of faith in this movie as it’s gotten strong reviews and positive buzz at film festivals; it’s likely they want it to hang out in theaters a bit longer to build word-of-mouth momentum before hitting Prime.

3. Trolls World Tour (Universal) – New Release Date: April 10, 2020

Previous release date: April 17

Though not competing for the same audience as James Bond, Universal bumped Trolls World Tour to fill the release date vacuum previously filled by No Time to Die. Its previous release date saw it in competition with The Secret Garden, which had a chance of cannibalizing some of the family audience for that weekend. This movie now puts Trolls in a better position to be the sole recipient of family traffic for opening weekend.

4. Saint Maud (A24) – New Release Date: April 10, 2020

Previous release date: April 3

Like Trolls, Saint Maud is moving into the weekend vacated by James Bond. However, it’s less to take advantage of a single demographic and more to take advantage of Easter weekend. A24 has been touting Saint Maud as the center of its “She Is Risen” horror film series (still scheduled for April 1st) in the lead-up to Easter. Moving the religious horror film to Easter weekend gives audiences not into the churchgoing thing to worship at the altar of movies, instead.

5. My Spy (STX Entertainment) – New Release Date: April 17, 2020

Previous release date: March 13

Just as Trolls World Tour took advantage of No Time To Die moving, now, My Spy is taking advantage of Trolls moving. The move is to take advantage of the wide-open weekend left by Trolls moving, even more advantageous considering My Spy is also a family movie. The film, which has a very reasonable budget of just $18 million, has already scored $3 million with its opening in Australia and New Zealand. This move gives it a chance to be a modest hit for STX now that it’s no longer competing against three other wide releases in Bloodshot, The Hunt, and I Still Believe.

6. Slay The Dragon (Magnolia Pictures) – New Release Date: April 3, 2020

Previous release date: March 13

Unlike the other movies on this list, Slay the Dragon is the only documentary and the only one not moving for a more advantageous release date. Instead, Magnolia feels this documentary on the disaster of gerrymandering is so important that it’s moving to a day-and-date release (when a movie releases in theaters, streaming, and VOD all on the same day). This strategy is to ensure that people will have the option to watch the timely and relevant feature doc from their own homes amid coronavirus fears.

7. Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway (Sony) – New Release Date: January 15, 2021

Previous release date: April 3

Another big studio release and family film is getting bumped in the form of Sony’s Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway. Initially, it was set for U.K. and European release on March 27, then rolling out internationally and hitting the U.S. on April 3. However, with Italy on full lockdown, and coronavirus cases in the U.K. and around Europe growing, Sony opted to shift the release date to the summer for the international release with the U.S. following suit. Considering the first Peter Rabbit made 67% of its box office internationally, it’s a smart move by the studio.

8. Bad Trip (Orion) – New Release Date: April 17, 2020

Previous release date: April 24

Orion’s comedy Bad Trip has had a number of release date shifts and switches since first being announced. Originally schedule for October 25, 2019, it was then bumped up to February 28 of this year before moving to April 24. And now it’s being rescheduled for April 17th to take advantage of the shift in the release schedule started when No Time to Die moved. It will now compete with another movie listed above, My Spy, which moved into the same weekend.

9. A Quiet Place Part II (Paramount) – New Release Date: September 4, 2020

Previous release date: March 20

Another big movie set to hit theaters soon gets a bump. Paramount (and director John Krasinski) announced they’d be delaying the release of A Quiet Place Part II in the midst of the coronavirus epidemic. However, unlike the other movies on the list, it’s not swooping in to take advantage of another week previously occupied by a different movie, nor jumping ahead months (or even a year) ahead. Instead, Paramount seems to want to take a wait-and-see approach to releasing a movie that doesn’t necessarily need China to do well. More likely just waiting to see how it all unfolds in the U.S. first before committing to a new release date.

10. F9: The Fast Saga (Universal) – New Release Date: April 2, 2021

Previous release date: May 22, 2020

This just might be the biggest one on the list. In a surprising (but actually not so surprising if you take a moment to think about it), Universal announced they’d bump back the release of F9 by almost a full year, to April 2021. This might seem excessive, but it’s actually smart on Universal’s part. Moving to next year allows the Fast & Furious franchise, which absolutely needs China, to get China. Plus, by moving so far back, it avoids the bottleneck that this fall is sure to bring as other rescheduled movies all jockey for position. Still, this one’s a bummer.

11. The Lovebirds (Paramount) – New Release Date: TBD

Previous release date: April 3

Just as with A Quiet Place Part II, Paramount chose to move Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae comedy The Lovebirds off the release schedule, but a new release date hasn’t yet been set. This is the second big movie for Paramount to get moved today alone, so it’s likely the studio wants to sit back and review its entire overall strategy moving forward before making any definitive announcements about new release dates.

12. Mulan (Disney) – New Release Date: TBD

Previous release date: March 27

Another big one gets bumped. As other studios continued to move their release dates around, speculation started building if Disney would pull the trigger on moving Mulan, set to open in just a few weeks. Indeed, they are. Disney announced today (Thursday, March 12) that they’d be bumping three different movies “out of an abundance of caution.” There’s no new release date set yet, but the statement from Disney said they are looking at new potential release dates for this year.

13. The New Mutants (20th Century/Disney) – New Release Date: TBD

Previous release date: April 3

In what might be the most déjà vu-feeling thing I have ever typed, The New Mutants release date has been bumped.

This is the release date history of the ill-fated Fox-Disney movie:

  • April 13, 2018
  • August 2, 2019
  • February 22, 2019
  • April 3, 2020
  • And now TBD, 2020

I don’t even know anymore, you guys. At some point, this movie will see the light of day, but April 3rd is no longer that day.

14. Antlers (Searchlight/Disney) – New Release Date: TBD

Previous release date: April 17

Last in the trio of movies Disney has decided to bump is horror movie Antlers. The movie, which has the feel of an A24 or Neon prestige horror film, is one that Disney appears to have faith in and doesn’t want to sacrifice to the coronavirus. As with the other two titles that Disney announced are moving today, there is no new release date scheduled yet but Disney is eyeballing a release date for sometime later this year.

15. Sooryavanshi (Reliance Entertainment) – New Release Date: TBD

Previous release date: March 24

I’ve written about it before, but it’s not just the releases of U.S. movies getting bumped. Foreign films are now starting to be moved globally, too. Latest on that list is India’s Sooryavanshi, which just announced is having its global release postponed, with a new release date to be announced later. As we’re seeing the global movie release schedule shifting faster, expect a lot more of these “We’ll get back to you on that” TBD announcements rather than firm rescheduled release dates.

16. The Rachel & Dave Hollis Variety Show (Fathom Events) – New Release Date: TBD

Previous release date: March 24

Fathom, which specializes in special events, is postponing The Rachel and Dave Hollis Variety Show live event, not to jockey for a better release date, but because writer and public speaker Dave Hollis’s book tour has been postponed – which this live event is all about. No book tour, no live event. This one’s a pretty straightforward move.

17. Black Widow (Marvel/Disney) – New Release Date: TBD

Previous release date: May 1

Given the way things have been unfolding and considering Disney already pulled a few of its movies from the release calendar, this was all but inevitable. Black Widow, like Mulan, has a huge budget and is built to be a global tentpole. Without China, and now with theaters all across the world, including the U.S., temporarily closing, it makes sense for Marvel to bump one of its biggest films of the year to another release date at a later time.

18. The Personal History of David Copperfield (Searchlight/Disney) – New Release Date: TBD

Previous release date: May 8

Like with a handful of other Disney movies we’ve seen, the studio is also choosing to bump Searchlight picture The Personal History of David Copperfield. One of the pros of being so big is that Disney is likely the only studio that can move this many movies around and absorb the hit.

19. The Woman in the Window (20th Century/Disney) – New Release Date: TBD

Previous release date: May 15

What will ostensibly be the last Disney movie to be pulled from the release schedule is The Woman in the Window. Hopefully, that will be it for Disney as fingers crossed, the social distancing and shutdown measures employed by various states and cities will see things returning to normal over the next month or two. If so, that means the next Disney movie to hit theaters will be Artemis Fowl on May 29th.

20. Spiral (Lionsgate) – New Release Date: TBD

Previous release date: May 15, 2020

This one’s a bummer, but unsurprising. As the social distancing continues, more studios are clearing their release calendars through April. Saw reboot, Spiral, is the latest in that list. The reimagining of the Saw franchise is, somewhat surprisingly, has a story by Chris Rock, who is also a producer and plays Detective Zeke Banks. No new release date is yet set, but we’re looking forward to this one when it finally hits theaters.

21. Antebellum (Lionsgate) – New Release Date: TBD

Previous release date: April 24

Less surprising is Lionsgate’s decision to pull Antebellum from the release calendar, as it was set to hit theaters just a month from now. The Janelle Monáe-led horror-thriller hasn’t given us much to go on. All we know for now is that Monáe plays Veronica, a successful author, who finds herself trapped in a horrifying reality in the antebellum South and must figure out the mystery before it’s too late. Hopefully, even though it’s not hitting theaters immediately, we’ll get more info on it soon.

22. Run (Lionsgate) – New Release Date: TBD

Previous release date: May 8

Yep. Run is getting bumped indefinitely, too. I honestly don’t know what to say anymore other than that April is already wide-open and we should expect May to be the same, too.

23. Wonder Woman 1984 (Warner Bros.) – New Release Date: August 14, 2020

Previous release date: June 5

Wisely, Warner Bros. chose to bump what will likely be its biggest money-maker this year back by two months. It’s entirely possible that U.S. theaters will be reopened by June, but the first few weeks after a months-long, country-wide quarantine is probably not the time to count on your movie doing well at the theater. However, if things unfold the way we hope they do, by August, people should be itching to get back to the theater. Plus, Wonder Woman 1984 will have virtually no competition in the traditionally slow month.

24. Morbius (Sony) – New Release Date: March 19, 2021

Previous release date: July 10

The first of a slew of movies Sony just bumped to next year. The Jared Leto-led Morbius was expected to be a big moneymaker for Sony, hopefully following in the vein of Venom as the next film in Sony’s quickly-expanding universe of Spider-Man villains. You have to wonder about Sony essentially pulling all their movies and abandoning 2020 in favor of 2021, but they must have a clear plan. And this way, it allows them to snag their choice of release dates before other studios whose pulled releases are still TBD have a chance to take those weekend spots.

25. Ghostbusters: Afterlife (Sony) – New Release Date: March 5, 2021

Previous release date: July 10

The third big Sony movie to bump to a new date is Jason Reitman’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife. What’s interesting is that Sony is choosing to bump what were meant to be big summer tentpoles to the relatively slower time of March. As more studios start to reschedule their movies, we might see this happening across the board with the summer blockbuster season largely being obliterated for next year as rescheduled tentpoles instead drop all throughout the year.

26. Uncharted (Sony) – New Release Date: October 8, 2021

Previous release date: March 5, 2021

Uncharted (Courtesy: Sony PlayStation)

Uncharted (Courtesy: Sony PlayStation)

Sony also decided to bump its long-gestating Uncharted movie in favor of Ghostbusters: Afterlife. All of this makes perfect sense, considering Uncharted hasn’t started filming yet…and hasn’t even found a director. The Tom Holland-led movie has had a revolving door of directors coming and going and been delayed what seems like roughly 289 times since it was first kicked about as a project in 2009. Back in February, before all this went down, Holland revealed the movie was set to start shooting in four weeks which…seemed unlikely. Consider this the one movie that might benefit most from being bumped back by seven months, because let’s be honest – there was no way a movie that effects-heavy would have been able to pull it off with less than a year from start of filming to finished post.

27. Top Gun: Maverick (Paramount) – New Release Date: December 23, 2020

Previous release date: June 24

As the lockdown and pandemic creep along, it appears as though studios are playing it extra-cautious and pulling things even into June in favor of later releases. Next on the list is Paramount’s Top Gun: Maverick, which was set for a June opening but now looks primed to take on the holiday season with a Christmas week release.

28. The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge On The Run (Paramount) – New Release Date: July 31, 2020

Previous release date: May 22

However, it appears as though July and August are safe, as Paramount bumps its upcoming The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run to a late July date. It will be interesting to see if other studios start to take June or even July slots that other studios have vacated as we get a better handle on the scope of things.

We’ll continue to update this list as new movies get moved in the release date calendar.

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