Posted in: Movies, Sony | Tagged: Beatrix Potter, coronavirus, Damon Herriman, david oyelowo, Domhnall Gleeson, elizabeth debicki, James Corden, Lennie James, margot robbie, Patrick Burleigh, Peter Rabbit, Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway, rose byrne, sony pictures, will gluck
"Peter Rabbit 2": Sony Pushes Film to August from Coronavirus Concerns
Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway is the latest film affected over concerns from the coronavirus. The original release date for the Sony Pictures film is March 27 for Europe and April 3 in the US in time for Easter. The studio pushed the release to August, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Affected Films
The news comes in light of expanded quarantine areas due to the spread of the disease. Italy announced a nationwide quarantine that closed all its cinemas on March 9. France and Slovakia also closed their theaters. Cinemas in China remained closed for several weeks. Sony's decision is understandable since the first Peter Rabbit (2018) dominated the family markets internationally upon release doing $56.3 million in the U.K., $26.5 million in China, $20.2 million in Australia, $12.3 million in France, and $12.1 million in Germany.
One of the biggest films affected by the coronavirus is Daniel Craig's final James Bond film No Time to Die originally slated for an April release. MGM, Universal Pictures, and Eon Productions pushed the film to November so it can have a simultaneous global release.
The delays are on a case-by-case basis. Vin Diesel's upcoming action films in Bloodshot and Fast & Furious 9 are sticking to their March and May release dates. Disney also plans to release its live-action Mulan as scheduled on March 27. The film's release in China is expectedly delayed due to its quarantine.
In addition to film releases, events like South by Southwest are canceled or postponed. How many other films will the coronavirus postpone?
Will Gluck returns to direct Peter Rabbit 2 and co-writing is Patrick Burleigh. Based on the works of Beatrix Potter, the film features the voices of Margot Robbie, Elizabeth Debicki, Damon Herriman, James Corden, and Lennie James. It stars Rose Byrne, Domhnall Gleeson, and David Oyelowo.
Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway comes to theaters globally on August 7.