James Bond (Daniel Craig) faces a new foe: coronavirus.
MGM/Universal Pictures
For many, the news that the latest James Bond premiere was cancelled because of the coronavirus outbreak came as a shock. But in the long, long week since the Bond announcement, more and more movie blockbusters are being cancelled or postponed.
As gatherings of large groups of people are headed off, film premieres have been cancelled while movie theaters close around the world. That’s affected the planned release of new films throughout March and April, including No Time to Die, Mulan, F9 and A Quiet Place Part 2.
The health and well-being of people and families around the world remains the most important thing, but these movie cancellations affect more than just the balance sheets of major studios. Movie theater closures are just one sign of the disruption coronavirus is wreaking upon people and businesses around the world.
Here’s a list of movies that have been delayed from their scheduled release dates due to the coronavirus and COVID-19 crisis, which we’ll update if more delays are announced.
No Time to Die (James Bond)
Daniel Craig’s final outing as 007, directed by Cary Fukunaga and co-written by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, was the first major movie to delay release. No Time to Die had already lost its original director and changed its release date twice, but producers feared the closure of many theaters around the globe due to coronavirus would harm box office takings in lucrative international markets. The delay was announced on 4 March, and a week later, after the World Health Organisation declared a pandemic, other blockbusters began to follow suit.
Original release date: April 2020
New release date: November 12, 2020 (UK) / November 25, 2020 (USA)
Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway
Kid-friendly sequel Peter Rabbit 2 will now hop into theaters in August.
Original release date: March 2020
New release date: August 7, 2020
A Quiet Place Part II
Emily Blunt listens up in A Quiet Place 2, delayed by health concerns.
Paramount
John Krasinski directs Emily Blunt and Cillian Murphy in A Quiet Place 2, a post-apocalyptic tale of a world in which noise equals death. The near-silent sequel was due to open on March 20, but with just over a week to go Paramount announced on March 12 that it’s postponing the release to an unspecified date later in the year. Seeing the chilling first movie in a packed theater was an important part of the experience, partly because of the tension of trying to eat your snacks very, very quietly.
Original release date: March 2020
New release date: Unspecified date in 2020
F9 (Fast and the Furious)
On the same day A Quiet Place 2 was postponed, producers of the ninth Fast and Furious movie did the same. Starring Vin Diesel, John Cena and Charlize Theron, F9 was due to open in May but has been pushed back an entire year to April 2021 — which had previously been earmarked for the next film in the Fast Saga. There’s no word yet on when the tenth and final film will be released.
Original release date: May 2020
New release date: April 2, 2021
Mulan
Mulan takes aim at a new release date.
Disney
Disney’s live action Mulan reboot was slated for March 27, but Disney pulled the film on March 12, just a few hours after similar announcements for A Quiet Place 2 and F9. The postponement came late enough that some had already seen the film at earlier preview screenings, calling the new Mulan “majestic” and “thrilling”.
Original release date: March 2020
New release date: Unspecified
The New Mutants
Easily one of the most troubled movies ever to limp into production, X-Men spin-off The New Mutants has now been postponed indefinitely. It was originally slated to be released in 2018 and had already been moved twice when Disney’s acquisition of Fox led to a third postponement. That makes this the fourth postponement for the teen-centric comic book chiller starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Maisie Williams.
Original release date: April 2020
New release date: Unspecified
Antlers
When Disney postponed Mulan and New Mutants, the company also shelved horror film Antlers. Produced by Guillermo del Toro, the film was originally supposed to open April 17.
Original release date: April 2020
New release date: Unspecified
SXSW and Tribeca
The annual film, music and tech conference SXSW will not take place in March, devastating filmmakers who hoped to reach press and distributors at the festival. Films which were scheduled to premiere at SXSW include The 24th, a scathing historical drama from the Oscar-winning co-writer of BlacKkKlansman, Kevin Willmott.
With New York’s Tribeca also cancelled, other film festivals such as Cannes may be in doubt. As with all major events hit by coronavirus, cancellation will hit local businesses and employees.
Still to come
Black Widow, scheduled to open May 1, may be at risk.
Marvel
The coronavirus situation is still unfolding across the globe. As Disneyland closes and more major gatherings are cancelled, a question mark is cast even over giant events like this summer’s Olympics. And more movies will no doubt be delayed.
It remains to be seen if Marvel’s Black Widow, scheduled for May 1, or Wonder Woman 1984, set for June 5, may be in question. We’ll update this story as new announcements are made.
Meanwhile the pandemic is affecting not just new releases but also things that haven’t even been made yet. TV shows Riverdale, The Morning Show and Disney’s Falcon and Winter Soldier have delayed production of forthcoming seasons, while Mission: Impossible 7 was unable to shoot in virus-hit Venice. And Baz Luhrmann’s biopic of Elvis Presley has also been disrupted as Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson reveal they’ve tested positive for COVID-19.
Here’s a list of major events that have been cancelled due to coronavirus concerns.