The effects of the coronavirus outbreak are being felt all around the world, and in nearly every industry, community, and facet of our lives. Hollywood has been no exception to that trend, with one upcoming movie premiere or production after another canceled, postponed, or otherwise delayed due to the dangers posed by the pandemic.
The number of high-profile movies affected by the coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19, is growing every day, so in order to keep track of where the most highly anticipated films currently stand, we’ve put together this list of upcoming films impacted by the pandemic.
Soul
The upcoming Pixar film from Inside Out director Pete Docter follows a music teacher (voiced by Jamie Foxx) who finally gets his dream job, only to suffer a terrible accident before his first day of work. With his body in a coma, Joe’s soul embarks on an adventure to return to his body with some help from a fellow soul (voiced by Tina Fey) looking for a body to call home. The film was originally scheduled to premiere June 19, but will now hit theaters November 20.
Raya and the Last Dragon
Walt Disney Animation’s much-anticipated fantasy film was pushed from November 25 to March 12, 2021, as part of the studio’s far-reaching reshuffling of its release calendar. The film is set in a world called Kumandra, and follows a young warrior (voiced by Cassie Steele) who sets off in search of the last remaining dragon in order to thwart a sinister threat to her home. Awkwafina provides the voice of the dragon.
Top Gun: Maverick
One of the final big films to hold on to a summer 2020 release date, Top Gun: Maverick finally relinquished its original June premiere plans in early April, opting to move Tom Cruise’s return to the big screen as ace pilot Pete “Maverick” Mitchell to December 23.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife
The long-awaited third installment of the original Ghostbusters movie franchise was one of this year’s most-anticipated films, but in late March, Sony Pictures decided to move it to 2021. Originally expected to premiere in July, the film is now scheduled to hit theaters on March 5, 2021.
Wonder Woman 1984
Warner Bros. Pictures waited until March 24 before finally pulling the plug on the original release date for its Wonder Woman sequel. Unlike many films, Wonder Woman 1984 isn’t being postponed indefinitely or moved to 2021, and the studio has set a new, rather ambitious — given the uncertainty of everything right now — release date of August 14 for the film.
Morbius
Jared Leto’s debut as the living vampire Morbius will happen nearly a year later than initially expected, with Sony Pictures making the decision to cancel the film’s July premiere and push it to March 19, 2021.
Minions: The Rise of Gru
Although summer films weren’t initially expected to be affected by the pandemic, that’s no longer the case, and Despicable Me spinoff Minions: The Rise of Gru is no longer scheduled to hit theaters in July. Universal Pictures hasn’t given the film a new release date yet.
Black Widow
The solo debut of Marvel’s superhero spy joined the list of films affected by the coronavirus when Marvel postponed the premiere of Black Widow indefinitely in March. Originally scheduled to hit theaters May 1, the film’s new release date is unknown.
Avatar sequels
Production on James Cameron’s Avatar sequels was put on hold just ahead of the start of filming in New Zealand. The films were scheduled to shoot back-to-back in New Zealand and the U.S., with the first film hitting theaters in 2021.
Uncharted
In mid-March, Sony Pictures hit the “pause” button on its adaptation of Uncharted, the treasure-hunting game franchise that was about to begin filming in Berlin. The studio imposed a six-week delay on production, and a few weeks later, made the decision to push back its original March 2021 release date to October 8, 2021.
The Matrix 4
The upcoming fourth installment of The Matrix franchise was scheduled to begin its final stage of filming in Berlin in March, but production on the movie has been halted indefinitely. The still-untitled film is currently scheduled to hit theaters on May 21, 2021.
The Batman
Production on Matt Reeves’ Dark Knight prequel film, The Batman, was halted in March. The film had been shooting in the U.K. for seven weeks before filming was shut down, and it’s unknown whether the delay will affect its June 25, 2021, release date.
Fantastic Beasts 3
Filming on the still-untitled third installment of J.K. Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts franchise was scheduled to begin in March, but Warner Bros. Pictures canceled plans to kick off the London production. There’s no word yet on whether this will have an effect on the studio’s release plans for the movie.
The Little Mermaid
Disney’s live-action adaptation of its 1989 animated feature The Little Mermaid had production suspended due to the coronavirus. The movie had yet to begin filming and doesn’t have a release date at this point.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
The Marvel Cinematic Universe feature scheduled to hit theaters in February 2021 had production suspended in March. Filming had been underway in Australia at the time.
The Last Duel
Ridley Scott’s historical drama that reunites Ben Affleck and Matt Damon was filming for just over four weeks in Ireland before production was halted. The film is currently expected to hit theaters in 2021.
Mission: Impossible 7
The next installment of the Mission: Impossible franchise halted production in late February, bringing a temporary end to filming in Italy.
Shrunk
Rick Moranis is expected to return for a reboot of the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids franchise, but the film had its preproduction efforts suspended due to the coronavirus.
Jurassic World: Dominion
The third film in Universal Pictures’ Jurassic World franchise, Jurassic World: Dominion began filming February 24, only to have production put on hold a few weeks later.
No Time to Die
One of the first (and biggest) films to have its release date pushed back, the 25th installment of the James Bond franchise was initially scheduled to hit theaters in April 2020, but has now had that date pushed back seven months to November 25.
Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway
The sequel to 2018’s family-friendly Peter Rabbit won’t hit theaters on April 3 as originally planned, and will now premiere August 7 in U.S. theaters.
A Quiet Place Part II
Initially scheduled to premiere March 20, the sequel to the 2018 alien-invasion thriller A Quiet Place has had its release date postponed indefinitely, with no new schedule announced for the film’s arrival in theaters.
F9 (Fast & Furious 9)
Just a little while after A Quiet Place Part II was officially pulled from the movie release calendar, the ninth installment of The Fast and the Furious franchise also had its premiere pushed back. Instead of hitting theaters May 22, the film will premiere almost a full year later on April 2, 2021.
Mulan
Disney pulled its live-action remake of the 1998 animated movie of the same name from its original March 27 release date, but has yet to set a new premiere for the film. The studio is reportedly hoping to squeeze it into the movie calendar in 2020.
The New Mutants
Delays are nothing new for The New Mutants, the final film in the X-Men franchise previously produced by 20th Century Fox, which was later acquired by the Walt Disney Company. The film was initially expected to premiere in April 2018, only to be delayed three times due to studio calendar shuffling before settling on a release date of April 3. Now, that release date has also been pushed back — this time due to coronavirus — to an unspecified date in 2020.
More delays possible
The premieres of several high-profile films scheduled for release in the coming months remain in question at this point, pending the global response to the coronavirus pandemic. We’ll update this list if and when more delays are announced.
Updated on April 14, 2020: Added Soul and Raya and the Last Dragon.
