As of 2018, the motion picture industry was worth US$ 136 billion, which includes the box office and home entertainment revenue. Like all other sectors, the entertainment industry has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. Not only has the outbreak has taken a toll on the producers in halting the filming and releases of some of the much-awaited movies but also the uncertainty of the situation and future of multiplexes are leading to many anxious moments.
With cinemas shuttered, several movie releases have been pushed until further notice while some have precise extended-release dates.
Here are some major films for which you have to wait for much longer than you thought.
BOLLYWOOD
Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar: The movie starring Parineeti Chopra and Arjun Kapoor was finally scheduled to release on March 20 after the film had gotten postponed several times for unknown reasons. However, due to the outbreak, the scheduled release date has been postponed until further notice.
Is Love Enough? SIR: The romance drama film directed by Rohena Gera has been deferred owing to the pandemic outbreak. The movie starring Tillotama Shome and Vivek Gomber has pushed its release indefinitely. The movie was scheduled for a March 20 release.
Sooryavanshi: The much-awaited movie starring Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif with extended cameos of Ranveer Singh and Ajay Devgn has been postponed. The movie was supposed to be released on March 24 and would be back "just when the time is right" as tweeted by Akshay Kumar.
An extension of Rohit Shetty's cop universe after the Singhams and Simmba, this was probably the most anticipated film of the year.
'83: The release of Kabir Singh's sports drama '83 has been pushed amidst the lockdown to an undisclosed date. The Kapil Dev biopic that sees Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone in the lead roles was all set to hit theatres on April 10. Even the trailer launch scheduled on March 11 was also pushed without notice.
Radhe- Your Most Wanted Bhai: The film was scheduled to hit the screens on May 22. The release of the movie featuring Bollywood superstar Salman Khan with his Bharat co-star Disha Patani. It would be the first time in many years that Salman fans will be bereft not see a release on Eid.
Two movies which were released in theatres weeks before the pandemic lockdown had severely impacted on the box office numbers.
Baaghi 3 released on March 6, was affected by the pandemic outbreak. The movie starring Tiger Shroff and Shraddha Kapoor ended up making way less at the box office than expected. The producers were depending on the franchise's success and looked set to encash the same.
Angrezi Medium: Irrfan Khan braved his life-threatening illness to complete the film. Banking on the success of its prequel, the movie was released on March 13 amidst the outbreak. It remained in theatres up until the last day when the government ordered to shut down theatres across states due to the outbreak. The movie did not gain much viewership and had to be released online. The movie also starred Kareena Kapoor Khan, Pankaj Dobriyal and Radhika Madan.
HOLLYWOOD
Warner Bros. changes release plans: Amidst the pandemic outbreak, the Warner Bros. announced on April 20 changes its list of movie releases. The Sopranos prequel The Many Saints of Newark, has been pushed from its September 2020 release date and will now hit theatres on March 2021.
King Richard, a biopic about Venus and Serena Williams' father, has been moved back a year to November 2021. The untitled Elvis Presley biopic has been pushed to November 5, 2021, while Christopher Nolan's Tenet will stick to its release date for July 17. Other movies such as "In the Heights," "Scoob" and "Malignant" have been pushed back without release dates.
The superhero slate has also been shuffled. The release of The Batman will be delayed four months from June 2021 to October 2021. Wonder Woman '84 pushed the movie back two months from its original June 5 release date to August 14, 2020.
Paramount Pictures has delayed release: "The Lovebirds," a romantic comedy that was scheduled to hit theatres on April 3 has been pushed to May 22. A Quiet Place Part II has delayed the releases to September 4, 2020.
Sony pushed release dates: Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway, which was slated to release on April 17 has been pushed to August 7. Fatherhood which was previously scheduled to be released on April 3 has now been shifted to October 23.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife series based on the 1948 film Ghostbuster has been moved to March 5, 2021. Jared Leto's Morbius has been delayed to March 19, 2021. Greyhound starring Tom Hanks has been pushed back as well. Hanks is one of the leading celebrities to be infected by the coronavirus.
20th Century: The New Mutants and Antlers, which was supposed to be released in April, have now been pushed indefinitely.
No Time to Die: MGM cancelled the Chinese premier and publicity planned tour on February 16 for the new James Bond movie. The film has been postponed until late November 2020, making the film the first major tentpole release to be delayed worldwide.
Fast and Furious 9 or F9: Universal Pictures on March 12 announced that the movie will be delayed by 11 months. It was initially set to hit theatres around Eid this year but has been pushed to April 2, 2020.
Disney: "Mulan" will now be released on the 24th of July, four months after it was originally set to release on the 27th of March. "The French Dispatch", pushed from July 24 to October 16. "Black Widow", "The Personal History of David Copperfield", and "The Woman in the Window which" was originally set to be released for May 1, May 8 and May 15 respectively has been delayed, and its new release dates are unclear. An animated movie produced by Pixar and Walt Disney, "Soul," has postponed its theatrical release to November 20.
Marvel Entertainment: The highly-awaited Black Widow, was scheduled to screen on April 30 will now be released on November 6, a time frame held for The Eternals, which will now be released on February 20, 2021.
Despite the adversities and delayed releases, film-lovers across the world await bright-eyed and bushy-tails to watch them.
