It seems as though a wave of films are about to be delayed, or at least, we think this is going to happen. Here’s why we think it’s very possible.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage has already had its release date changed by Sony Pictures to October 5th which will match it against Halloween Kills from Universal Pictures.
The move from September 24th currently leaves a wide-open gap for No Time To Die to potentially move into its place.
The film is slated to release on September 30th in the UK and parts of Europe and October 8th in the US.
But perhaps this move by Sony is an indication 007 may move forward another week to match the UK release in the USA and take advantage of the gap left by Tom Hardy’s Venom 2.
We first broke the news of No Time To Die changing to September 2021 earlier in the year and whilst the Bond series usually debuts in the US a little later than the UK/Europe this move would actually make a lot of sense.
Why did Venom 2’s release date get delayed again?
Credit: Sony Pictures
Read more: Europe Begins To Demand Vaccinations For Cinema Entry
We can only look at the recent figures over summer, the drop-offs across weekends, attendances still not at their usual levels.
Along with the rise of vaccination passports becoming enforced in the US markets such as Los Angeles for cinema-goers, it is perhaps a preventative step to ensure they make as much gross as possible.
Deadline reports further rumours that the previous summer release Hotel Transylvania 4 which was pushed back to October just recently, might be about to move again.
The biggest animated franchise from Sony Pictures is currently under rumours of a jump to streaming with Netflix being the main contender.
However, this wouldn’t really make any sense, considering the huge box office potential of the fourth film, the series has grossed over $1 billion worldwide and with vaccinations rolling out across international markets it doesn’t really seem likely we’ll see it on Netflix.
With no competition in its release week currently, perhaps this is again an indication of Sony domestically being a little uncertain of vaccination requirements.
If states in the US demand children need proof of vaccinations for cinema entry, this would throw a huge spanner in the works for studios at least initially.
Dune’s release date was also delayed
Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
Read more: Spider-Man 3 Staring Tom Holland Could Start Filming In September
Elsewhere, Warner Bros. Pictures’ Dune also has changed dates recently from September to October 22nd.
Small Screen broke the news around an exclusive 2-week window for Europe theatrically.
This was to compensate for the HBO Max deal in the United States but now that seems up in the air with a 22nd October release date set in stone.
Why did Dune move? It seems for the same reasons Sony have chosen to move Venom 2, underwhelming performances over the summer for other blockbusters, and fear of the covid situation in the US.
However, it seems we can be expecting a ticket sale release for No Time To Die any day now in the UK/Europe as Universal Pictures has already begun turning up the marketing machine.
New POS, quads, banners have been sent to some cinema sites with September 30th displayed on all of them.
The film has long been seen since the first lockdowns as the saviour for a devastated film cinema industry that has seen some cinemas never reopen.
What do you make of the news? Will see more films change dates?
Will Bond stick to September?
Let us know in the comments below.
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