MOVIE HORRORS
H’wood has yet to recover from viral monster
It played out like a scene from a horror movie.
On March 12, 2020, the film world was upended by the COVID-19 pandemic, with Disney’s live-action adaptation of “Mulan,” the latest “Fast & Furious” movie “F9 and John Krasinski’s freaky monster follow-up “A Quiet Place Part II” each postponing their release dates within hours of each other.
Others including the X-Men installment “New Mutants,” the Keri Russell supernatural horror film “Antlers” and “The Lovebirds,” a romantic comedy starring Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani, were also removed from the spring theatrical schedule that day.
While several films, including the James Bond thriller “No Time To Die,” had sporadically vacated their early 2020 releases in the preceding days, it was on March 12 that the collective exodus confirmed moviegoers’ worst fears — that moviegoing wouldn’t be the same for a while.
The dominoes continued to fall from there, with theater chains AMC, Regal and Cinemark each pausing operations less than a week later, and dozens of movies announcing delays or going straight to home releases in the subsequent months.
Exactly one year later, the film release schedule still remains in motion. Cinemas in New York City only just reopened last week for the first time in nearly a year, while theaters stay shuttered in other markets including Los Angeles.
Film fans still haven’t seen many of the anticipated blockbusters — including “F9,” “A Quiet Place Part II” and “No Time to Die” — that were originally scheduled for 2020.
However, streaming services have experienced a surge during the past year, giving people movies to watch at home.
“Mulan,” about a woman who disguises herself as a man to join the Chinese military, came out exclusively on Disney+ last year, as did the filmed version of the Broadway blockbuster “Hamilton” and Pixar’s “Soul,” an animated exploration of what inspires a person’s passions.
Tom Hanks’ World War II drama “Greyhound,” meanwhile, was sold by Sony and debuted last summer on Apple TV+.
Warner Bros. Pictures recently started releasing movies simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max. The superhero sequel “Wonder Woman 1984 and “Judas and the Black Messiah,” about an FBI informant befriending Black Panther Chairman Fred Hampton, are among the studio’s films to follow that format so far.
Others will include the monster mashup “Godzilla vs. Kong,” the film adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical “In The Heights,” the supervillain story “The Suicide Squad” and the Timothee Chalemet-led adaptation of the classic “Dune” book.
There’s reason for optimism for more theatrical releases moving forward. Last weekend marked the first time in more than 11 months that the domestic box office totaled at least $25 million.
And with millions of people getting coronavirus vaccines, the late spring and summer movie slates are pretty loaded.
“A Quiet Place Part II” and “Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway,” starring James Corden as the title rabbit, both recently moved their release dates up to this May after experiencing multiple delays.
“Black Widow,” starring Scarlett Johansson as her longtime Marvel superhero, is due out May 7 and is the next blockbuster expected to debut exclusively in theaters.
Many of the other major titles delayed in 2020 are scheduled to come out soon, including “In The Heights” on June 18, “F9 on June 25 and “Top Gun: Maverick,” a highly anticipated sequel starring Tom Cruise, on July 2.
“No Time to Die,” meanwhile, comes out Oct. 8.
Add those to the long list of films that were always scheduled for 2021 — such as LeBron James’ basketball and Looney Tunes crossover “Space Jam: A New Legacy” on July 16 and “The Suicide Squad” on Aug. 6 — and movie buffs have plenty to look forward to.