New York Post

Block‘bust’er as Disney halts releases

- By ALEXANDRA STEIGRAD

Disney is delaying the release of some of its biggest blockbuste­rs, including “Mulan,” “Star Wars” and “Avatar,” as the coronaviru­s pandemic continues to wrack the globe.

“Mulan,” the live-action remake of its animated classic, has been postponed indefinite­ly, the company said on Thursday. It had been slated to kick off the reopening of movie theaters on Aug. 21.

“Over the last few months, it’s become clear that nothing can be set in stone when it comes to how we release films during this global health crisis, and today that means pausing our release plans for ‘Mulan’ as we assess how we can most effectivel­y bring this film to audiences around the world,” a Disney spokesman told The Post.

Disney’s move comes just days after Warner Bros. indefinite­ly postponed the release of its big-budget spy film “Tenet,” which had been slated to hit theaters on Aug. 12.

It’s also the latest gut punch to movie-theater industry, which had been banking on “Mulan” to help it resume business.

Earlier Thursday, AMC pushed back its reopening to “mid-to-late August” due to the fact that there are no new movies to show until then, when “Mulan” was slated to hit the big screens.

Disney also confirmed the delay of a trove of other big-budget films, shifting some of its biggest flicks like the “Avatar” and “Star Wars” franchises well into 2022.

Looking into 2022, the Mouse House said it now expects “Avatar 2,” which was slated for Dec. 17, 2021, to hit theaters on Dec. 16, 2022.

“Avatar 3” will move from Dec. 22, 2021, to Dec. 20, 2024. The untitled “Star Wars” movie, which was expected to come out on Dec. 16, 2022, will now move to Dec. 22, 2023.

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