Disney is the latest studio to announce shifting release dates for their upcoming slate of high profile films. Included in that group is Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, which was forecasted by many to be a major player in the 2021 awards season. It will now debut December 10, 2021.
Taking its old slot of December 18, 2020, is Death on the Nile – Kenneth Branagh’s follow-up to his 2017 hit Murder On the Orient Express. That picture shifted one month. Disney’s Soul is still projected to open – in some capacity anyway – in late November. Disney has not commented as to whether or not Soul will follow Mulan into the Disney Plus premier package.
This new development is yet another indication that America’s failure to properly react to the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to crush the North American box office. According to Variety, receipts are projected to plummet between 70% and 80% thanks to the pandemic. As of early September, approximately 70% of North American theaters had reopened. But with studios continuing to shift new content into next year, it remains to be seen what exactly theaters will show.
Other Disney films receiving new release dates include the following:
- Black Widow – May 7, 2021
- Eternals – November 5, 2021
- Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings – July 9, 2021
- Deep Water – August 13, 2021
