The Coronavirus continues to spread throughout the world, with the epidemic having a particularly negative impact on Hollywood. High-profile blockbusters are having their release dates shifted on almost a daily basis and almost all production has ceased, with tons of movies and TV shows halting their shoot for the next few weeks.
But when it comes to what was set to hit theaters, well, the next couple of months will probably be pretty quiet. After only delaying the Chinese release at first, Disney’s Mulan is now being held back entirely, while No Time to Die has been delayed by seven months. Then there’s Fast & Furious 9, which has been pushed by almost a year and A Quiet Place Part II, which is now also on the shelf until the studio can figure out a new date for it. Ditto for Black Widow and The New Mutants.
Of course, those aren’t the only releases that have been delayed, as nearly every major blockbuster is now being pushed back and the latest to join the list is Wonder Woman 1984. Yes, after much speculation, Warner Bros. has officially announced a delay today, holding back the film for a few more months until this all blows over.
Deadline reports that the Patty Jenkins-directed sequel was going to release on June 5th, as we all know, but will now hit theaters on August 14th. This makes sense, too, as it’d be foolish for the studio to drop one of their most anticipated films into cinemas in the midst of this craziness and risk it bombing at the box office.
“When we greenlit WW 1984 it was with every intention to be viewed on the big screen and are excited to announce that Warner Bros. Pictures will be bringing the film to theatres on August 14th. We hope the world will be in a safer and healthier place by then,” said the studio in a statement released earlier today.
Of course, if things don’t clear up by August, we imagine WB will be forced to delay Wonder Woman 1984 again, as clearly they want it in theaters and not as a straight to digital release, like some other films are doing now. But let’s just hope it doesn’t come to that and that by the summer, the Coronavirus pandemic will be behind us.