The global coronavirus pandemic has forced the film and entertainment industry to drastically change their plans, and the “Venom” sequel is the latest production to be affected by this.
According to Variety, the superhero sequel has been moved to Jun. 25, 2021, eight months after its initial premiere date of Oct. 2, 2020.
Now officially titled “Venom: Let There Be Carnage,” the Sony Pictures film is the latest to be moved among the studio’s productions. “Morbius” has been moved from Jul. 31, 2020 to Mar. 19, 2021; “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” is now premiering on Mar. 5, 2021, rather than Jul. 10, 2020; and “Uncharted,” starring Tom Holland, is moving from Mar. 5, 2021 to Oct. 8, 2021.
As per The Hollywood Reporter, “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” will be directed by Andy Serkis and will have Tom Hardy return as the lead character. The movie’s villain, Carnage, will be played by Woody Harrelson, who had a cameo in the first “Venom” movie. The sequel was greenlit after the first movie earned $856 million.
Aside from these Sony productions, other studios have also had to move their blockbusters because of the coronavirus pandemic. Warner Bros.’s “The Batman” had to be moved to Oct. 1, 2021, almost four months after its initial premiere date of Jun. 25, 2021. “Soul,” the newest Pixar movie, has been moved to a Nov. 20 release date.
The global coronavirus pandemic has cost the entertainment and film industry more than just rescheduled premieres, but actual financial losses as well. Because of nationwide cinema closures, the North American box office for the month of March resulted in a $600 million deficit. Large markets like South Korea and Japan also had to close moviehouses, which could possibly result in a $5 billion loss for the global film industry.
Salary cuts have also been implemented to the base salaries of executives at the Walt Disney Co., and the Disney World theme park has had to furlough 43,000 staffers because the theme park has had to close indefinitely.
If COVID-19 infections continue to rise all over the world, studios might have to move even more premiere dates. As of Apr. 21, the World Health Organization says that the confirmed cases of COVID-19 around the world are now at 2,397,216 people. COVID-19 has also caused the death of 162,956 people around the world.
In the United States, 776,093 people are now confirmed to be positive for COVID-19, according to the Apr. 21 update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There are now 41,758 people in the United States that have died from COVID-19.