The release of Halloween Kills and its sequel Halloween Ends have been delayed by a full year. 2018's Halloween reboot, from director David Gordon Green with a script by Green, Danny McBride, and Scott Teems, was a critical and box-office hit that brought franchise star Jamie Lee Curtis back to the big screen. Not only did the film reintroduce audiences to Curtis' Laurie Strode, but it also established the character's daughter and granddaughter as formidable scream queens ready to step into Curtis' shoes.
Halloween Kills was supposed to release on October 16, 2020, but as the spread of coronavirus has continued unabated in many American states, that release date seemed less and less likely. The COVID-19 pandemic has already forced several notable upcoming blockbusters to vacate their previously held release dates. Wonder Woman 1984, Tenet, and Disney's Mulan are just a few of the big-budget films that studios have had to push back on the calendar. The newly released trailer for Halloween Kills confirmed what many assumed to be inevitable: the October 2020 release date no longer stands.
Alongside the trailer, Halloween creator John Carpenter released an update on the status of Halloween Kills, and its sequel Halloween Ends on Twitter. The director relays the heartbreaking news that the reality of releasing the film in October means the movie would be "consumed in a compromised theatrical experience." Therefore, they've decided to delay the release of the film by one year so they can maintain the tradition of releasing Halloween in October. In addition to the release date push, Carpenter announced the film would also premiere in IMAX in 2021, and that preparation on Halloween Ends has already begun.
The news from Carpenter comes alongside an official announcement from Universal Pictures that due to the Halloween Kills release date changing, Halloween Ends will now hit theaters a year later as well, on October 14, 2022. Honestly, this all makes perfect sense from both a marketing and a safety perspective. For the marketing side of things, it tracks that the filmmakers and studio would want to make sure their Halloween films hit theaters in October as this is typically a great time of year to release horror movies. Plus, with no end to the coronavirus pandemic in sight, releasing Halloween Kills theatrically in 2020 is a surefire way to guarantee a much lower box office turnout than expected.
While the news may be disappointing, especially on the heels of such a thrilling teaser trailer, Michael Myers' face-off with Laurie Strode will surely be worth the wait. Plus, the news that this release date push gives Halloween Kills filmmaker's more time to prepare the movie for an IMAX release clearly indicates the studio has high expectations for the film's theatrical debut on October 15, 2021.
Source: Universal Pictures, John Carpenter via Twitter