Following multiple delays because of theaters are starting to open up again in China, the majority of new releases from March through May have been postponed, and the titles that didn't get full theatrical runs have since been released early on VOD.
The first significant change to the 2020 movie slate came when MGM pushed The Lovebirds to Netflix instead of re-dating the film. Warner Bros. also got ahead of potential competition and moved Wonder Woman 1984 back to August instead of delaying it indefinitely.
However, there are nearly a dozen major studio movies that do not have release dates, and the count is likely to grow as June and July releases have begun to move off their release dates too. All of these delays will inevitably lead to studios rescheduling their early 2020 releases for the back half of the year. So, while studios across the globe meet individually to decide what options they have to reschedule their delayed 2020 movies, here's an attempt to predict how the second half of the slate will look. With so many moving parts, this article will only focus on the biggest delayed titles and not every single movie now without a release date. And, with theaters potentially not re-opening until sometime in June, that is the earliest month in consideration for the following films' new release dates.
A Quiet Place Part II
Paramount originally had Top Gun: Maverick's late June release. However, that would push back the studio's biggest 2020 tentpole out of the summer season in all likelihood, which they surely want to avoid.
Instead, the best spot for A Quiet Place Part II is August 7. Paramount currently has the new Mark Wahlberg action film Infinite set to release that weekend, but there's no harm in pushing that film back since marketing hasn't begun. This way, A Quiet Place Part 2 gets an early crack at its theatrical run, even if it would have to compete with Wonder Woman 1984 the following week. Although the competition will inevitably lower the film's box office potential, the spot is too good to up without waiting until September (or later) for the film to arrive.
Related: Every Horror Movie Delayed By The Coronavirus Outbreak (So Far)
Mulan
Disney similarly had to pull Black Widow. If that is the discussion the studio is having, the better (and easier) move for the company as a whole would be to keep the Marvel Cinematic Universe moving forward without causing too much of a delay on the entirety of Phase 4. As a result, Mulan could be in a position where it defers to Black Widow and doesn't hit theaters at the earliest opportunity.
With that in mind, the best spot for Disney to release Mulan is July 24. That date is currently occupied by a new possible franchise-starter in Death on the Nile's October 9 date. Jungle Cruise originally was scheduled for an October 2019 release, so this spot wouldn't be too surprising. Then Death on the Nile could hypothetically debut on December 4 (which currently has no wide-release movies planned).
The New Mutants
Just when it seemed like Bill & Ted Face the Music is the only real competition currently attached to that date. Since New Mutants is unlikely to post big box office numbers anyway, having it face-off with Keanu Reeves' latest franchise revival is as good a landing spot as any for the film that still keeps it in 2020 and doesn't further change Disney's lineup.
Black Widow
When figuring out when Black Widow could now hit theaters, it will not be surprising to see Disney make it the priority. The longer Scarlett Johansson's solo MCU movie waits to be released, the potential for the entirety of Phase 4's slate to change grows. The most common suggestion has been to push Black Widow to November 6 and then delay given an August release on Disney+.
Instead of pushing Black Widow back towards the end of the year, Disney could opt to have the film take The King's Man's September 18 release date, with the Kingsman prequel then able to come out on October 30 or move out of 2020 entirely instead.
The Woman In The Window
Disney's most recent delay announcements also included moving 20th Century Studios' Monster Hunter is the biggest release that weekend, but adults looking for something different might be more inclined to check out The Woman in the Window instead. And, unless Disney and 20th Century believe Adams has a shot at awards recognition for her performance, there's no need to hold on to the film until even later in the year.
Spiral: From The Book Of Saw
Lionsgate's decision to delay Morbius, but the film could hold its own there, while Lionsgate could then move Barb and Star into the fall or wait until 2021 to release it.
SCOOB!
Warner Bros. also needs to find a new release date for Snake Eyes is the only wide release scheduled for the pre-Halloween weekend, but it will have been several weeks since a new major animated movie debuted. WB could allow SCOOB! to fill the need for child entertainment and likely provide a fun mystery adventure story for kids around Halloween.
In The Heights
Another title Warner Bros. needs to reposition is Last Night in Soho currently the biggest title. With this suggestion, The Many Saints of Newark could be released sometime in December, or maybe even move to HBO Max and make the Sopranos prequel a big near-launch title.
Minions: The Rise of Gru
At this moment, Universal's postponement on already been delayed before and there is no marketing. This move would allow Minions 2 to potentially clean up over the holidays as the premiere piece of children entertainment, with Croods 2 moving to sometime in 2021.
Malignant
James Wan's new horror film Halloween Kills a few weeks earlier. This would require WB to release Scoob and Malignant in back-to-back weeks according to our prediction, but that shouldn't be an issue since they are targeting different audiences.
