Delayed Movie Releases for 2020: Covid-19’s Impact on Cinema

Delayed Movie Releases for 2020: Covid-19’s Impact on Cinema

Precautionary measures related to the global COVID-19 pandemic have created delays and disruption to the entertainment industry from movie premieres, to production and filming, award ceremonies, festivals and comic con gatherings. In particular, large scale closures of cinemas worldwide in accordance with social distancing measures have led to the indefinite postponement of films which were scheduled for release in 2020. Here are a few movies which have delayed premieres:

A Quiet Place Part II, the anticipated sequel to A Quiet Place (2018), directed by John Krasinski and starring Emily Blunt, originally scheduled for a release date of March 20, 2020, has been rescheduled for September 4, 2020. The movie picks up where the prequel left off in an apocalyptic world of death and survival where monsters hunt prey based on sound.

Mulan, the long anticipated live-action movie of the cartoon, directed by Niki Caro and starring Liu Yifei and Donnie Yen was set to premiere this year in 2020. Filming took place in August to November 2018 with a $200 million budget production. To circumvent social distancing guidelines and cinema closures, Disney decided to release the movie through its digital streaming platform Disney+.

The Forever Purge, the fifth and final installment of the sci-fi action horror Purge franchise, was originally scheduled for a summer release on July 10, 2020. However, fans of this horror franchise, where all crime is legal for 12 straight hours, will have to wait until the tentative July 9, 2021 release date. 

Impasse, is a period spy drama film, directed by Zhang Yimou and stars Chinese superstar Zhang Yi, Zhang Hanyu, Qin Hailu, and Zhu Yawen. 

Impasse was scheduled to premiere in 2020 and may stir political controversy as the film is reportedly about a group of Chinese spies tasked with investigating inhumane experiments by Japan.

In contrast to delaying film premieres, some distributors are finding innovated ways to forego cinematic releases to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, Time to Hunt (2020), went straight to Netflix streaming without traditional theatrical release. This South Korean crime thriller film is about a dystopia society where a group of friends find themselves hunted by an relentless assassin. In addition, Peninsula (2020), the sequel to the South Korean international blockbuster Train to Busan (2016), took advantage of relaxed social distancing guidelines when limited openings were allowed in South Korea or in other countries, such as Taiwan, which have yet to implement mandatory cinematic closures due to the pandemic. Furthermore, rather than pursuing cinematic releases, Peninsula premiered in North America on August 7, 2020, via Well Go.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the film industry is discovering ways to circumvent precautionary measures and cinematic closures. The premiere of some films have been delayed while other films have found alternative means through online streaming.

Leave your thoughts on COVID-19’s Impact on Cinema below in the comments section. Readers seeking to support this type of content can visit our Patreon Page and become one of FilmBook’s patrons. Readers seeking more theatrical release dates news can visit our Theatrical Release Schedule Page. Want up-to-the-minute notification? FilmBook staff members publish articles by Email, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, and Flipboard.