Paramount has pushed back the releases of several of its upcoming movies as the coronavirus pandemic continues to rage on.
“Jackass Forever” (originally slated for Oct. 22, 2021) will now debut on Feb. 4, 2022, “Top Gun: Maverick” (Nov. 19, 2021) will now debut on May 27, 2022 and ‘Mission: Impossible 7″ (May 27, 2022) will hit theaters on Sept. 30, 2022, per Variety.
Tom Cruise, a vocal proponent of COVD-safe film productions, stars in both “Top Gun: Maverick,” a sequel to the 1986 hit, and “Mission: Impossible 7,” a continuation of his popular spy action-thriller franchise.
Both films have seen a number of release delays since the down of the pandemic, as movie theaters have either been closed, had limited audiences or have failed to attract pre-pandemic level audiences that pricey tentpole films rely on so heavily.
TOM CRUISE ‘WAS REALLY ADAMANT’ VAL KILMER APPEAR IN ‘TOP GUN: MAVERICK’
‘Top Gun: Maverick,’ starring Tom Cruise, will debut in theaters on May 27, 2022.
(Scott Garfield/Paramount Pictures via AP)
“Jackass Forever,” starring Johnny Knoxville and Steve-O as regulars of the shock comedy franchise has seen several delays in its own right.
The move by Paramount is the biggest made a studio or distributor in recent months, with others like MGM (“Respect”) and Disney (“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings“) have stuck to their summer release dates despite a lack of a downtick in coronavirus cases in the US.
The shuffle is also another blow to theater owners, who were banking on Cruise’s pictures to help reinvigorate the box office, which has – for the most part – been dull for over a year.
‘Mission: Impossible 7,’ also starring Cruise alongside Hayley Atwell, will also debut in 2022 rather than this year as planned.
(Getty Images)
However, there are still several other large titles coming this year that could help the bounce office bounce back, unless their studios follow in Paramount’s footsteps and remove them from 2021’s release schedule.
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Among the films that carry a promise of financial success for theaters are “Dear Evan Hansen” (Sept. 24), “No Time to Die” (Oct. 8), “Eternals” (Nov. 5), “West Side Story” (Dec. 10) and more.