Although theaters slowly began to reopen across North America over the past month, COVID-19 cases spiked this week in several states, including Florida, Tennessee, Arizona, Alabama, Louisiana, Arkansas, California, North Carolina, South Carolina, Mississippi and Texas. The U.S. has recorded over 148,000 deaths as of July 24, 2020 and over 54,000 new cases so far today.
Major studios have either taken their films off the release schedule or postponed them to mid-2021.
In Canada, Landmark and Cineplex have opened cinemas in Western Canada with limited seating.
Guzzo Cinémas, the largest independent chain in Quebec, reopened all nine of their theaters at half capacity on July 3, 2020.
New Hollywood movies were set to start rolling out at the end of July, beginning with the thriller Unhinged starring Russell Crowe on July 31, 2020, but that no longer has a release date. The Broken Hearts Gallery, which had been moved from July to August 7, has also been put on hold, with no scheduled release date.
Two of the biggest summer releases, Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi thriller Tenet starring John David Washington and Robert Pattinson, and Disney’s live-action Mulan, have also been removed from the release schedule.
Meanwhile, A Quiet Place Part II starring John Krasinski and Emily Blunt will release in theaters on April 23, 2021 instead of Sept. 6, 2020, and Top Gun: Maverick starring Tom Cruise has moved to July 2, 2021.
What do you think about the delays? Are you looking forward to seeing these blockbusters in theaters? ~Alexandra Heilbron