Disney has made two more changes to its release schedule, and it’s going to have significant impacts on when theaters may reopen.
Despite other changes having already been made, some studios are still trying to feel out when to release films. Disney was left with the earliest release on the books. On Monday that changed as the House of Mouse shuffled a few more films.
The Pixar film Soul was still on the calendar for June 19, but that has now changed. Soul will now arrive on Nov. 20, and that, in turn, will bump Raya and the Last Dragon off the date and it now moves to March 12, 2021.
This now leaves the summer box office season with the following tentpole films:
- Tenet – July 17
- Mulan – July 24
- The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run – July 31
- Infinite – Aug. 7
- Wonder Woman 1984 – Aug. 14
- Bill & Ted Face the Music – Aug. 21
- A Quiet Place Part II – Sept. 4
We will be surprised if this schedule doesn’t change further. Our personal suspicion is that Tenet will move for sure, but Mulan may be a strong lead-off to returning theaters to being open. If Disney decides not to risk it, then SpongeBob may be a less risky leadoff for studios to test the waters.
While parts of the world will be returning to normal in the coming weeks and months, the aftershocks in film release schedules are going to ripple out for the next two years. It’s going to be an interesting time of seeing schedules change.
