Paramount Pictures has reshuffled the A Quiet Place Part II release date again; the movie will now bow on Memorial Day in May. A sequel to John Krasinski's sleeper hit 2018 post-apocalyptic horror film, A Quiet Place Part II follows Emily Blunt's Evelyn Abbott as she ventures into the largely unknown terrors of the outside world with her children Regan (Millicent Simmonds) and Marcus (Noah Jupe). The family has already dealt with terrifying echolocating monsters. But now, new and more sinister creatures threaten their existence. Besides Blunt, Cillian Murphy and Djimon Hounsou will also appear in the new movie. Krasinski, meanwhile, will reprise his role from the original movie via newly-filmed flashback sequences.
The original movie was a blockbuster hit for Paramount. Snagging several nominations across multiple award shows, including the Golden Globes and Oscars, the film was overwhelmingly praised for its intelligent, taut, and relentlessly scary narrative. Following the success of the film, Paramount ordered a sequel in October 2018. The new movie completed filming by September 2019, with plans to release theatrically on March 18, 2020. Unfortunately, those plans were jeopardized last minute due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the US. In the wake of rising infections, the movie witnessed numerous delays. First, it was shifted to September 4, 2020, and then to April 23, 2021, before finally moving to September 17, 2021. Now, yet again, Paramount has rescheduled the film. Although this time, instead of pushing it back further, the studio giant has moved the movie up to an earlier slot.
As confirmed by Krasinski on Twitter, A Quiet Place Part II will now debut during Memorial Day Weekend, on May 28. Initially, Paramount had allocated the Memorial Day spot to the Mark Walhberg starrer Infinite. However, the sci-fi action film has now been delayed to September 24. Paramount's rescheduling of A Quite Place Part II's launch date follows a recent shakeup in Universal's release calendar. Universal moved F9 from late May to June 25, leaving the path clear for A Quiet Place Part II to open early.
Although A Quiet Place Part II will have a cinematic premiere, the movie will not honor a full theatrical window. Paramount's announced it will put A Quiet Place Part II, Mission: Impossible 7, and other upcoming titles on its nascent streaming service Paramount+ (the rebranded CBS All Access) 45 days after their theatrical debuts. A Quiet Place Part II, in particular, was rumored to move to streaming for several months. But when the studio adopted a new mixed model for movie releases, the movie was able to secure its theatrical run (at least partially). Provided that the movie will now premiere on May 28, viewers can expect it to arrive on Paramount+ by July. This bodes well for the new streamer as A Quiet Place II is a major tentpole for Paramount. So its earlier-than-usual availability on the service will expectedly attract an influx of subscribers.
The movie's rescheduling is an optimistic move on the part of the studio. The vaccine rollout is in full swing, and cinemas across New York have also been permitted to open at a limited capacity. This means that the turnout of moviegoers could be larger than during the prime pandemic era, thus, allowing for A Quiet Place Part II to make more money. Additionally, there is also less competition on the May spot. In the September slot, the film would have had to compete against three viable juggernauts: Universal’s The Boss Baby: Family Business, Sony Pictures' The Man from Toronto, and 20th Century Studios’ Death on the Nile. But with its May opening, it only needs to worry about 20th Century's Ryan Reynolds starrer Free Guy, which will premiere on May 20. That said, A Quiet Place Part II is headed in the right direction strategically. Nevertheless, the performance of the film still depends on the situation of the pandemic in May.
Source: John Krasinski
