Universal Pictures is putting a brake on the latest “Fast and Furious” entry.
“F9”, which is set to debut at Memorial Day Weekend, has once again pushed back its release date. But fear not, the adrenaline junkies: the high-octane sequel doesn’t go too far; It is still expected to start this summer on June 25th.
Universal also announced that the fifth installment of the “Minions: The Rise Gf Grow”, “Despicable Me” franchise, has been postponed for the rest of the year. The animated family film was supposed to open on July 2, 2021 and will now be released in theaters on July 1, 2022.
The delay may come as a surprise, as the Biden administration recently announced that the U.S. By the end of May, “every adult American” is ready to receive a sufficient dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. At the same time, New York City theaters, one of the largest movie markets in the country, have been allowed to reopen on limited capacity.
There are still many significant limitations to the movie industry, which are plagued by epidemics. The “F9” is valued at about 200 200 million and requires large ticket sales globally to ensure it is profitable.
Encouraged by voting for Mon Pictures, “Tom and Jerry” and “The Crows: A New Age” on Wednesday, “Peter Rabbit 2” was released from mid-June to May 14. The sequel price of “Peter Rabbit” is significantly lower to produce than a mega-budget tentpole like “F9”, which makes it less of an economic risk.
The universal “F9” was weighing several release date options, including the holiday season or next year. However, given the positive developments surrounding the vaccine and the hope that movie theaters in Los Angeles will reopen soon, the studio chose to delay only the addition of the film. Although U.S. ticket sales have been at an all-time low, Leewood has been boosted by Chinese office fees, which have already fielded several blockbusters in the past few months.
The latest delay for the “F9” means it will premiere more than 12 months after the original purpose. The movie was initially scheduled for last summer, but due to the ongoing health crisis, the first will be April 2, 2021 and then May 28 – leaving behind the universal release date.
Early in the epidemic, Universal entered into agreements with movie theater chains such as AMC and Cinemark, which offered the studio a demand for its films within 17 days of their theatrical release. Films that generated at least $ 50 million in ticket sales in the opening week will only have to play in theaters for 31 days, or five full weekends.
Given the handicapped marketplace, it is not clear if a film can earn even 50 50 million in a single weekend. The biggest beginnings of the coronavirus era are “Wonder Woman 1984” (.7 16.7 million) and “Tom and Jerry” (1 14.1 million). But even if “F9” somehow manages to hit the million 50 million benchmark, it’s likely that Universal will keep the movie in theaters for a long time.
Marvel superhero adventure “Black Widow” (May 7) will be the next major movie to be released in theaters after the premiere of “Raiya and the Last Dragon” in theaters (and on Disney Plus) on Friday. Some others – including Ryan Reynolds’ sci-fi adventure “Free Guy” (May 21), Paramount’s “Infinity” starring Mark Wahlberg (May 28), Sony’s “Venom” sequel (June 25) and “Top Gun: Maverick” (July) ) 2) – will also be on calendar lender.
