‘Maverick’ release delayed yet again to May 2022
On Wednesday, Paramount Pictures announced that the release of its much-anticipated, much-delayed movie “Top Gun: Maverick” was again postponed.
The sequel to the 1986 movie “Top Gun” – starring Tom Cruise as Navy pilot Maverick and a supporting cast that includes Jennifer Connelly and Jon Hamm – will now open on May 27, 2022.
The movie had been slated to premiere on Nov. 19 – a date that already represented a delay of close to a year and a half: The movie was originally set for release on June 26, 2020. And Paramount also has announced that “Mission Impossible 7” has moved to Sept. 30, 2022 from May 2022, and “Jackass Forever” has been postponed from Oct. 22, 2021 to Feb. 4, 2022.
At this point, some moviegoers – not to mention central Ohio movie theater owners and operators – may be wondering if Cruise and company will ever return to the skies.
“It is a bummer,” said Eric Brembeck, owner of Studio 35 Cinema & Drafthouse and Grandview Theater &
Drafthouse.
One silver lining for Brembeck: Seizing on the void left by “Top Gun: Maverick,” Sony Pictures rescheduled “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” – the “Ghostbusters” follow-up that was itself a victim of pandemic delays – from Nov. 11 to Nov. 19.
“That’s helpful actually to me, because it gives more space between ‘Eternals’ and ‘Ghostbusters,’” Brembeck said, referring to the Marvel movie set to drop on Nov. 5.
Although the scheduling change reflects studios’ continuing nervousness about spiking coronavirus numbers, Brembeck said that business at Studio 35 and Grandview has been steady.
“We’re consistently busy,” said Brembeck, who notes solid attendance during weekdays as well as weekends.
“I think people want to come see the movies and maybe they’re coming during the week because they think the theater won’t be as busy,” he said. “More people are wearing masks who are coming in.” (Neither Studio 35 nor Grandview mandate masks for patrons.)
The Gateway Film Center has also seen strong attendance since reopening on Memorial Day weekend.
“It’s been a lot of happy, gracious people, but obviously not the type of crowds we were seeing pre-pandemic,” said director of marketing and communications Grace Cole, who notes some changes in audience behavior since the delta variant became front-page news.
“We definitely see people are wearing masks again, and we do see some lighter days, especially through the week,” Cole said. (At the film center, masks are required for those unvaccinated.)
Cole said that the rescheduling of movies can throw a wrench in plans but, at this point, it is to be expected.
“We’ve built into a lot of our season that flexibility,” said Cole, noting that the film center screens both Hollywood and independent movies. “We see a lot of really strong independent titles coming up.”
The Drexel Theatre in Bexley welcomed large crowds after its own reopening on Memorial Day weekend but has experienced a decline in attendance starting in mid-july due to a “perfect storm” of factors, said Drexel director Jeremy Henthorn.
“You had the delta variant starting to come out,” said Henthorn, whose theater encourages masks for patrons. “Week after week, you do see some more hesitancy.”
Beyond health concerns, studio releases began to thin out after an initial wave of high-profile pictures, Henthorn said.
“There was kind of this lull,” Henthorn said. “During the fall, there are a lot of (movies) coming that have been waiting, and I would expect (attendance) to probably start to pick back up.”
The South Drive-in Theatre – which, as one of the few entertainment venues then operating, saw a surge in audience interest last summer – has seen its attendance dip this year, said owner Bryon Teagardner.
“The drive-in is not the only thing (people) have to do anymore,” Teagardner said. “We’re back to our regular standing in the list of people’s things to do.”
The studios’ shifting release dates don’t help matters, he said.
“The film studios can’t make up their mind what they’re going to do,” said Teagardner, adding that when a movie’s release date changes, his theater loses revenue it was counting on.
“One minute they move things around, the next minute they move it back,” he said.
Last year, Teagardner extended the South’s season through mid-december, but this year, current plans call for the drive-in to end its season as usual: at the end of October.
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