The COVID-19 pandemic has not only taken a toll on our lives but has also severely affected the countries’ economies and several industries across the world. The impact has been such that the global entertainment industry, too has taken a massive hit with many 2022 movies delayed due to the pandemic. Many series and films are being released on later dates or on OTT platforms.
However, the latter half of 2021 saw a glimmer of hope with travel bans being lifted and some films — that had been postponed the previous year — being released for viewing in theatres. But with the recent surge in COVID-19 cases because of the spread of the Omicron variant, things again seem to have slowed down.
Some 2022 movies which were slated to get a big-bang releases are being delayed to later this year or even in 2023. The wait for these much-anticipated films is making cine-goers and movie buffs hold their breath.
Here are some 2022 movies that have been delayed due to the pandemic
Deep Water
Original release date: 14 January 2022
The Ben Affleck-Ana De Armas starrer has been again pulled out of Disney’s theatrical release charts, and a new streaming date is yet to be announced. According to a Deadline report, the erotic thriller will stream on Hulu in the US, which is largely owned by The Walt Disney Company, while global streaming will take place on Amazon Prime Video.
Disney and the filmmakers will release Deep Water on OTT streaming platforms because of the “feeble theatrical marketplace for adult fare right now,” the Deadline report states, with the likes of Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story underperforming with only a USD 10.5 million opening.
Directed by Adrian Lyne, Deep Water is based on a 1957 novel of the same name by Patricia Highsmith and stars Tracy Letts, Lil Rel Howery, Rachel Blanchard, Finn Wittrock and Jacob Elordi. The IMDb synopsis gives a hint of the erotic thriller as the plot reads, “A well-to-do husband who allows his wife to have affairs in order to avoid a dicorce becomes a prime suspect in the disappearance of her lovers.”
Morbius
Expected date of release: 1 April 2022
Sony Pictures announced yet another postponement of what could have been 2022’s first Marvel movie. The release date of Morbius has been shifted to 1 April.
The Jared Leto-starrer saw a fourth-time delay after the latest shift from the 28 January schedule. Before COVID-related restrictions and lockdowns were implemented across the world starting March 2020, the movie was supposed to roll out in July the same year. But was moved to March 2021, then to October 2021 and again to January 2022. As Marvel fans, we can only pray and hope that it now premieres in April with no further delays.
The recent Marvel release of Spider-Man: No Way Home in December 2021 was one of the successfully running films that hit the big screen in these rough times.
According to the Sony Pictures Entertainment website, the synopsis of Morbius reads: “Dangerously ill with a rare blood disorder and determined to save others suffering his same fate, Dr. Morbius attempts a desperate gamble. While at first it seems to be a radical success, a darkness inside him is unleashed. Will good override evil – or will Morbius succumb to his mysterious new urges?”
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Expected date of release: 6 May 2022
Benedict Cumberbatch is going to appear as Doctor Strange along with Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlet Witch in this Marvel Studios film that was originally supposed to release on 25 March 2022.
Based on the Marvel superhero, the film comes as a sequel to Doctor Strange, Avengers: Endgame, WandaVisison and Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Marvel’s website describes the Sam Raimi directorial as “a thrilling ride through the Multiverse with Doctor Strange, his trusted friend Wong and Wanda Maximoff, aka Scarlet Witch.”
On 3 April 2020, it was announced that the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed the release from its initial date to 5 November 2021. It was again delayed to 25 March 2022 as the Spider-Man film was given the 5 November release date and again in October, it was further delayed to its current release date of 6 May 2022 in the US.
Death on the Nile
Expected date of release: 11 February 2022
Who doesn’t like to watch the shrewd gentleman detective Hercule Poirot solve yet another classic mystery on the big screen? Adapted from the 1937 Agatha Christie novel, the film Death on the Nile was scheduled to release on 9 October 2020.
The Kenneth Branagh film, a follow-up to the 2017 Poirot film Murder on the Orient Express, has a star-studded ensemble with the director himself donning the hat of the famous detective. The film also has Wonder Woman’s Gal Gadot, Black Panther’s Letitia Wright, along with Dawn French, Emma Mackey and Jennifer Saunders.
As Poirot finds himself amidst a murder mystery onboard a cruise on the Nile, we cannot wait to see how the story unfolds. What was scheduled for a 20th Century Studios’ Christmas premiere in 2019 was shifted to 23 October 2020.
John Wick: Chapter 4
Expected date of release: 24 March 2023
It’s going to be another year-long wait for John Wick fans as the new movie from the franchise has been delayed yet again. Lionsgate Studios has announced this upcoming instalment in the franchise, starring Keanu Reeves, will release on 24 March 2023.
John Wick: Chapter 4 has suffered some serious blows previously, as it was postponed once to 27 May 2021. This time, it will be up against Tom Cruise’s Top Gun: Maverick.
Keanu Reeves essays the titular role of a hitman ready for vengeance in this Chad Stahelski directorial. The film stars Donnie Yen, Laurence Fishburne, Rina Sawayama, Shamier Anderson, Lance Reddick and Bill Skarsgård.
The Marvels
Expected date of release: 17 February 2023
Marvel fans had to wait a lot as many of their favourite movies were rescheduled because of the pandemic. Another Marvel Studios classic, which was supposed to premiere on 11 November 2022, has now been delayed to a 2023 date.
The film brings to the front some of the top Marvel superheroines — Brie Larson as Captain Marvel, Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau and Iman Vellani as Ms Marvel. This Disney film directed by Nia DaCosta is sure to make viewers fly with a whirlwind of cinematic experience, which is a Marvel Studios hallmark.
A part of Marvel’s fourth instalment, The Marvels comes as a sequel to other iconic movies, including Captain Marvel and Avengers: Endgame.
Minions: The Rise of Gru
Expected date of release: 1 July 2022
Get ready for this Universal Studios treat as the minions buckle up to grab your attention and create a storm. With lifelike animation and an impeccable plot, Minions: The Rise of Gru is the story of a 12-year-old kid who is obsessed with supervillains and aspires to be one.
The kid named Gru, essayed by Oscar-nominated Steve Carell, teams up with a ruckus-causing bunch of minions — Kevin, Stuart, Bob and Otto — who help him join the forces of his favourite supervillain team Vicious 6.
The film is expected to roll out on 1 July 2022, after being postponed from its initial date of 3 July 2020.
Jurassic World: Dominion
Expected date of release: 10 June 2022
Yes, this is official. Jurassic World Dominion, from the dino franchise, is all set to hit the theatres in 2022. Directed by Colin Trevorrow, the Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard starrer will also have Laura Dern, Sam Neill and Jeff Goldblum from the original cast.
As big-screen releases saw a screeching halt owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, Jurassic World: Dominion is now scheduled for roll out on 10 June 2022 after being delayed from its initial release date of 11 June 2021.
Mission: Impossible 7 and Mission: Impossible 8
Expected dates of release: 14 July 2023 and 28 June 2024, respectively
Mission: Impossible films are loved by action fans because of Cruise’s gravity-defying stunts. However, fans have to wait longer to watch the upcoming films in the franchise.
There will be no Mission: Impossible this year. The Tom Cruise-starrer — one of the most anticipated films of 2022 — has been moved by over a year.
Makers Paramount Pictures and Skydance said on 21 January 2022 that both Mission: Impossible 7 and Mission: Impossible 8 have been pushed back because of the pandemic.
Mission: Impossible 7, which was set to release on 30 September 2022, will now hit theatres on 14 July 2023. It will be followed by the eighth instalment on 28 June 2024, delayed by almost exactly a year from its 7 July 2023 premiere date.
The release dates for Mission: Impossible 7 have been changed multiple times previously. It was originally slated for release on 19 November 2021 before being postponed to 22 May 2022 and then to its September release date.
In the film, Cruise’s character, Ethan Hunt, returns to another dangerous mission to save the world. Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg reprise their roles as Luther Stickell and Benji Dunn, respectively. Mission: Impossible 7 also stars Rebecca Ferguson, Frederick Schmidt, Hayley Atwell, Vanessa Kirby, Pom Klementieff, Shea Whigham, Indira Varma, Esai Morales and Henry Czerny.
(Main image credit: Marvel; Featured image credit: Death on the Nile/IMDb)
