Hollywood empties 2020 release calendar as theatre operations remain disrupted
Hollywood is pushing multiple releases slated for 2020 to 2021, or cancelling theatre releases completelyThe world’s biggest movie industry is taking these tough calls as film theatres are still some time away from reopening
After reshuffling dates several times, Hollywood has completely shifted gears to focus on 2021 now. Film houses are either pushing multiple top releases slated for 2020 forward, or cancelling theatrical release entirely. Earlier this week, Walt Disney announced the premium video-on-demand release of its epic adventure Mulan in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and some countries in Western Europe, starting 4 September. The film, which was initially slated for theatrical release in March, was moved to July and then August.
A bunch of other big-ticket films are also eyeing the 2021 calendar now. Tom Cruise’s Top Gun: Maverick was pushed from June to December 2020 and is now slated for July 2021, while horror flick A Quiet Place Part II will premiere in April 2021 instead of September 2020. Supernatural horror film Antlers, meanwhile, has gone to February 2021 after its April 2020 release was delayed indefinitely while Johnny Knoxville’s Jackass 4 will launch in September 2021.
Tweeting the dates, film trade and exhibition expert Girish Johar said, “Clearly, Hollywood has moved beyond 2020 now."
To be sure, the world’s biggest movie industry is taking these tough calls as film theatres are still some time away from reopening. In India, for example, there is no formal announcement yet, though exhibition chains were hopeful of permits in the latest set of guidelines released in August.
In the US itself, cinemas have been reopening on a state-by-state basis, with Georgia opening sites from mid-May and Texas following suit. California, a key state, has generally not seen cinemas reopen and the country’s biggest multiplex chain AMC has pushed back its reopenings until mid to late August.
After the closure of all cinemas in January in China, some theatres reopened in March but were ordered shut again. Cinemas started reopening again in July operating at 30% capacity.
As Hollywood pulls out key 2020 releases, challenges mount for India as it will face dearth of content once theatres reopen. Several Hindi films have already gone to digital platforms, while others that are still incomplete are eyeing 2021 dates. As of now, Akshay Kumar’s Sooryavanshi, and sports drama ’83 are the only two films that have committed to release in theatres this year for Diwali and Christmas respectively.
One option under the circumstances is to re-release older hits such as Baaghi 3 or Tanhaji-The Unsung Warrior, which can help build trust with audiences and woo them to cinemas. However, the real pull will only be a new offering.
“A big Hindi or Hollywood film will have to come to test the waters," Johar pointed out, in the context that people could take time to flock back to cinemas. Experts such as Johar emphasize that it might also be a good idea to start releasing non-Hindi local language films such as those in Punjabi, Marathi and Bengali to help kickstart the reopening process.
“Regional films will get a wider release (in the initial weeks after reopening)," Kamal Gianchandani, director at the Multiplex Association of India, said. “Plus, many of them can look at even dubbing in Hindi to reach a bigger market. Soon of course, content will find its rhythm."
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