Everything
For all the major disruptions that stemmed from the pandemic, the closure of cinemas around the world was a devastating blow. Delayed movies became a stock standard phrase as a glut of blockbuster films hit the skids.
Going to the movies offers an escape from our daily lives, but when global lockdowns became the norm studios saw the writing on the wall and rushed to shelve their major releases. As much as we yearned to see Daniel Craig’s final James Bond hitout in No Time To Die, zero audiences meant zero profits and so the great delay began.
For the most part, the situation hasn’t improved, with studios still unwilling to risk premiering their big-money blockbusters to half full cinemas. Instead, we find ourselves torn between fatigue and excitement, keen to see these delayed movies, but tired of waiting.
But not all hope is lost with a few high profile titles locking in release dates for later this year. These are the best delayed movies of 2020 and when we can expect to see them
NO TIME TO DIE
Original date: April 2, 2020
New date: October 7, 2021
We’ve been made to wait for Daniel Craig’s final stint as 007, James Bond. Beginning as Bond way back in 2006 with Casino Royale, No Time To Die will be Craig’s fifth and final outing. Originally the plan was for Craig to exit the franchise after 2015’s Spectre, but after a back and forth with the studio he signed on for No Time To Die. The film picks up after the events of Spectre and sees Bond going toe-to-toe with Safin (Rami Malek). After so many delays it’s not like we need anothe reason to get excited but it doesn’t hurt that the script has been reworked by Fleabag creator, Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
THE BATMAN
Original date: October 1, 2021
New date: March 4, 2022
Fans of the caped crusader are being forced to hold their breath with news that The Batman will no longer hit screens this year. The reboot sees former Twilight star Robert Pattinson don the mask to become the dark knight and was slated for release in October. However, the backlog created by COVID-19 has seen Warner Bros. postpone the release until early next year. Also joining the cast are Zoe Kravitz and Colin Farrell.
BLACK WIDOW
Original date: May 1, 2020
New date: April 29, 2021
If anyone knows the power a packed cinema its the team at Marvel. In the past fifteen years, the MCU has been a profit factory, pumping out blockbuster films and crushing the box office. So it’s unsurprising that the studio didn’t hesitate to pull the pin on Black Widow, the much-hyped spin-off from The Avengers.
Directed by Australian filmmaker Cate Shortland, Black Widow centres on Natasha Romanoff, the highly trained ex-KGB assassin known played by Scarlett Johansson. The character debuted on-screen in 2010’s Iron Man 2 and has since become a fab favourite.
F9
Original date: May 22, 2020
New date: May 27, 2021
There has been nothing fast nor furious about the long hyped release of F9. The ninth instalment of the franchise was originally scheduled for worldwide release in April 2019 but was delayed several times, first due to the release of Hobbs & Shaw (2019) and prospective release of No Time to Die (2021), and then the COVID-19 pandemic. We now finally have a release date for late May so prepare yourselves.
A QUIET PLACE PART II
Original date: March 20, 2022
New date: September 9, 2021
We’ve been waiting for three very silent years for the sequel to A Quiet Place and finally, the time has come to rejoin Emily Blunt in the terrifying world that is A Quiet Place II. Picking up where the last film left off, Emily plays a protective mother who must keep her children alive (and quiet), while the world is consumed by sound-triggered monsters. A Quiet Place proved to be a sleeper hit at the box office banking USD 341 million against a budget of just 17 million.
TOP GUN: MAVERICK
Original date: June 24, 2020
New date: July 2, 2021
It’s been a casual thirty years since we first met Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in Top Gun so we can wait another few months, right? Wrong. The long-awaited sequel to Top Gun was meant to drop in June last year but Paramount pulled the pin, believing the Tom Cruise film will be one of their major earners for the year. Top Gun: Maverick sees Cruise return to the role that made him a household name. The film edges the story forward with Maverick now one of the Navy’s top aviators. He must soon confront the past while training a new squad of graduates for a dangerous mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice.
COMING 2 AMERICA
Original date: August 7, 2020
New date: March 5, 2021
It has been more than thirty years since Coming To America hit cinemas, a groundbreaking film that celebrated black comedy and cemented Eddie Murphy as a bonafide superstar. Since then there have been several (ill-fated) attempts to engineer a sequel, audiences desperate to find out what Prince Akeem Joffer (Eddie Murphy) and Semmi (Arsenio Hall) have been up to.
Then came the news we were all hoping for, the sequel was greenlit and Coming 2 America was a reality. Then came the news we were all dreading, COVID-19 had delayed the sequel and the original release date of August 2020 was postponed. Paramount has now decided to team up with their distribution partner, Amazon, and release the film on Prime. Coming 2 American will be available to stream from March 5.
