Paramount changes the release dates for six major 2021 and 2022 movies, including Top Gun: Maverick and Mission: Impossible 7. Despite promising signs like the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and more movie theaters reopening, the film industry is still facing a number of uncertainties in 2021 as the pandemic is still ongoing. Release dates for several high-profile titles are hardly set in stone, as studios have to remain flexible given the current situation. As a result, the movie calendar has already gone through a number of changes over the past few months.
With a number of massive tentpoles coming through the pipeline, Paramount has already seen their fair share of delays, trying to find the right windows for titles like Top Gun: Maverick. They seemed to have a plan in place, giving their films a shortened run in theaters before putting them on the Paramount+ streaming service. However, that was prior to Disney delaying Black Widow to July, the same weekend that was to see the premiere of Top Gun. Some were curious to see if Paramount would move things around, and they have in a big way.
Paramount officially announced sweeping changes to their slate, altering the release dates for a handful of 2021 and 2022 films. Check out the list in the space below:
- Snake Eyes: July 23, 2021
- Jackass: October 22, 2021
- Top Gun: Maverick: November 19, 2021
- Mission: Impossible 7: May 27, 2022
- Dungeons and Dragons: March 3, 2023
- Mission: Impossible 8: July 7, 2023
Even before the pandemic, it would be unusual for two tentpoles to go head-to-head at the box office, so after Black Widow moved to early July, it isn't surprising to see Top Gun: Maverick move back four months. With the move, it now enters a crowded November that also sees Eternals and Ghostbusters: Afterlife. It'll be interesting to see if either of those titles move in the near future. While the hope is the box office will be in a better place come the fall, studios may still be leery of bunching blockbusters close together. These projects represent huge investments, and studios understandably want to earn as much as they can. Spacing titles out so they don't face as much competition is smart - especially if theaters are still restricting attendance later in the year.
Paramount ensures they still have a summer 2021 release with Snake Eyes, which now comes out a couple weeks after Black Widow. In contrast from these other changes, Snake Eyes moved up a few months, meaning marketing will have to start soon. Outside of a first-look image and some toys, there aren't any materials raising awareness for the film, so Paramount will have to run an expedited promotional campaign in order to advertise their summer blockbuster. As for the Mission: Impossible sequels, which are no longer shooting back-to-back, the delays give director Christopher McQuarrie more time to complete them. Mission: Impossible 7 is still in production, so the team no longer has to crunch in order to get it done for the fall. As disappointing it is to see it get moved back, that's ultimately for the best.
Source: Paramount