The theatrical release of Tom Cruise’s forthcoming potential blockbusters namely ‘Mission Impossible 7’ and ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ have reportedly (via Deadline) been postponed by Paramount Pictures. The previously scheduled release dates for ‘Mission Impossible 7’ and ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ were 27th May 2022 and 19th November 2021, respectively. After the delay, ‘Mission Impossible 7’ has been pushed to 30th September 2022 while ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ will now release on 27th May 2022, the former’s previous release date.
It seems like Paramount is unwilling to take big risks considering the surge in the delta variant of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic and the not-so-encouraging audiences’ willingness to step into theatres in a big way. Considering the massive budget and enormous box office potential for both these films, it might not have made good business sense to stick to the films’ earlier release dates. Previously, the company had also postponed ‘Clifford the Big Red Dog’ to a yet-to-be-announced release date.
Not just in the US, the movie theatre business across the world is still reeling under the pandemic’s adverse effects. These include lucrative markets of New Zealand, Australia, Malaysia, Philippines, China, Japan, and of course, India, amongst other nations.
After the shuffle, Paramount currently does not have any big theatrical releases left for the remaining year of 2021. However, that’s not the case with some other eagerly anticipated movies. For instance, Disney’s ‘Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ is all set to release in theatres tomorrow, that is, 3rd September 2021. Furthermore, James Bond’s next film ‘No Time to Die’ is set to have its world premiere in London on 28th September 2021 followed by a global theatrical release.
Another big release would be that of ‘Eternals’ on 5th November 2021. This would be followed by the release of Tom Hardy’s ‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage’ on 18th October 2021. While ‘Ghostbuster: Afterlife’ has occupied erstwhile ‘Top Gun’ spot, that is, 19th November 2021.
And arguably the most awaited movie of the year ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ is still holding on to its 17th December 2021 release date. Similarly, Warner Bros’ ‘Dune’ and ‘The Matrix: Resurrections’ are targeting October and December 2021 releases, respectively.
It remains to be seen whether other production houses will stick to their earlier 2021 releases or will follow Paramount’s 2022 release postponement strategy, at least for their big-ticket theatrical releases.