A lot has happened in the two weeks since the Daily Emerald last reported on COVID-19’s impact on cinema and television. Debuts for upcoming films and television shows are still being postponed or their productions suspended. This is especially the case for some of the major studios’ most anticipated releases.
Sony Pictures’ “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” the long-awaited direct sequel to 1984’s “Ghostbusters” and 1989’s “Ghostbusters II” with cameos by many in the original two films, will be released nearly eight months later than initially planned. It is now scheduled to release on March 5, 2021.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been impacted more than it had been previously. “Morbius,” with Jared Leto in the leading role, will be released on March 19. Another MCU film, the still-untitled Sony-Marvel collaboration previously set for Oct. 2021 — which most speculate was to be part of Tom Holland’s “Spider-man” in some fashion — has been postponed indefinitely.
Several of Universal’s anticipated film debuts have been postponed. “Candyman,” directed by Nia DaCosta and produced by Jordan Peele, which had an initial July 2020 release, will be postponed a few months and have its debut on Sept. 25. “Minions” sequel “Minions: The Rise of Gru” will see its delayed release on July 2, 2021.
Several releases from Paramount Pictures have also been affected. Tom Cruise tweeted that “Top Gun: Maverick,” the long-awaited sequel to 1989’s “Top Gun” would be postponed. The current release date is Dec. 23, 2020. “A Quiet Place: Part II,” with both John Krasinski and Emily Blunt, which had previously seen an undetermined release date will now see it’s release on Sept. 4, 2020.
Disney has given “Mulan” and the MCU’s “Black Widow” new release dates of July 24 and Nov. 6, respectively. The latter was the previously set date for another MCU film “Eternals.”
“Eternals” had its release pushed back to Feb. 21, 2021 commencing a chain-reaction for other MCU Phase 4 films being that it was the original release date for “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Seven Rings” which will now debut on May 7, 2021. That being the original release date for “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” it will now be released on Nov. 5, 2021. “Thor: Love and Thunder” will be released on Feb. 18, 2022.
Another film impacted is Wes Anderson’s “The French Dispatch” — his next film after 2018 claymation “Isle of Dogs.” Searchlight Pictures moved its release from July 24 to Oct. 16.
Everyone’s favorite sitcom “Friends” has also been affected. HBO’s to-be-launched streaming service HBO Max, which is set to debut in May 2020, will feature all ten seasons of the Emmy Award-winning series. However, the upcoming and highly anticipated reunion show celebrating over 25 years, will not be included as planned.
The entire cast were set to be together live onstage for the first time in over a decade for an unscripted episode aptly titled — in line with all other “Friends” episode titles — “The One Where They Got Back Together,” but the pandemic halted production before it even started.
Despite the production as it currently stands to be indefinitely delayed, the six-piece cast has been in communication — like many of us — on Zoom, according to “Daily Mail,” to discuss ideas for the special.
Not only are film and television affected, but so are another essential part of media-binging popular culture: movie theaters.
AMC Theaters — the biggest theater chain in the U.S. — shut all their doors in March due to the pandemic. Now, they’re reportedly facing bankruptcy and are in discussions with Weil, Gotshal & Manges, a general practice law firm located in New York, for the possible Chapter 11 filing to come. The Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, if done, will allow AMC to reorganize its financials and affairs.
With all of this happening in the span of under two weeks, it’s safe to say that there’s more to come.
