Paramount Pictures has again pushed back A Quite Place Part II's premiere date, scheduling the flick for a Fall 2021 release. Serving as a sequel to John Krasinski's sleeper hit 2018 post-apocalyptic horror film, A Quiet Place Part II marks the return of Krasinki and Emily Blunt as Lee and Evelyn Abbott. In the new movie, which also stars Cillian Murphy and Djimon Hounsou, the Abbott family sets out on another quest for survival. They venture into the unfamiliar terrors of the outside world, only to discover that the echo-locating creatures aren't the only ones threatening their existence.

Development of the sequel had commenced in April 2018, following the blockbuster success of the first film. The movie was filmed between June and September 2019 in Western New York, and the plan was for it to release internationally on March 18, 2020. That was until the coronavirus pandemic broke out in the U.S., prompting Paramount to delay the movie to September 4, 2020. But due to a spike in COVID-19 infections in July, the creature feature was removed from its September slot and instead, Quiet Place II moved to April 23, 2021. At that time, it was also speculated that the movie would skip its cinematic debut and bow on the ViacomCBS streaming service instead. Now, however, it appears the movie is back on the theatrical slate but on an even later date.

Related: Every Movie Set in 2021

As per Deadline, after multiple delays, A Quite Place Part II will now release on September 17, 2021. This rescheduling comes after the postponement of several other tentpoles, including  No Time to Die, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Morbius, Cinderella, and The King's Man, which have all been derailed by the persistence of the pandemic. In its new slot, the horror/ thriller sequel will 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.

Millicent Simmonds Noah Jupe and Emily Blunt in A Quiet Place 2 2020

The movie's delay was rather foreseeable as around 65% of movie theaters remain closed in America and Canada. And even the ones that are open are not seeing an appreciable turnout of moviegoers. But what is intriguing is that Paramount is holding back from siphoning off the film to a streaming service. Last year, Paramount made a big splash when it shopped the likes of Without Remorse, The Trial of the Chicago 7, and Coming 2 America to Amazon Prime and Netflix. Yet the studio is sticking with a theatrical window for A Quiet Place sequel, probably because it's optimistic about its commercial prospects.

It is too soon to tell how well the new release date will fare for the movie. Surely, the competition is tough, with Kenneth Branagh's Death on the Nile posing as the stiffest contender. But previously the original movie had also contended with big-ticket films, including Blockers, Chappaquiddick, The Miracle Season, and Truth or Dare, and that did not stop it from making it big at the box-office. However, now the performance of A Quiet Place Part II will depend on the situation of the pandemic, as it will influence the sequel's screenings and audience. But first, fans will have to wait and see if the movie actually takes off on its new premiere date. Right now, there is a surge in COVID-19 infections in the country and the vaccine distribution plan hasn't been as swift as many hoped.

Next: How A Quiet Place 2 Can Avoid A Common Horror Movie Sequel Mistake

Source: Deadline

Key Release Dates