One major way the coronavirus pandemic has impacted life as we know it is through the world of entertainment. Studios and companies have delayed or shut down movies, halted television production, and cancelled musical tours. Essentially shutting down the industry has left movie studios trying to determine new dates for big franchises and anticipated releases. That means they’ve done everything from shifting a film to a full year ahead (Fast 9) to rescheduling in the hope of life returning to normal sooner rather than later (Wonder Woman 1984). Disney’s had to figure out how to rearrange a packed slate of movies.
The company had several big pictures on the docket. They’ve finally determined release dates for their 2020 properties. Those properties include the previously postponed Mulan (original release date March 26) and Black Widow (original release date May 1). According to Deadline, Mulan will now be released on July 24. That was originally the release date for Jungle Cruise. So now, Jungle Cruise will move a full year ahead to July 20, 2021.
It’s a smart move considering there’s no way studios can slot every postponed film into 2020. Given the state of the film industry and movie theaters, there’s definitely going to be a need for big tentpole movies in 2021. It’s also a move that implies Disney is hoping to salvage some of what will undoubtedly be a lost summer movie season.
Disney
As for Black Widow, the solo film for Scarlett Johansson’s super spy Avenger will take the November 6 spot initially reserved for Marvel’s Eternals. That essentially bumps the entire Phase 4 slate back a few months. If there’s one perk of this new timing, it’s that Marvel’s Phase 4 was supposed to begin with Black Widow. Therefore moving the film forward a few months simply bumps the release dates of future films. It doesn’t have too much of an impact on Marvel’s carefully arranged time table.
Of course, that means no new Marvel films in the theaters until November, which is longer than we’ve ever had to wait since the MCU became a thing. But thankfully, we have Disney+ to get us through.
Featured Image: Marvel Studios