‘Top Gun: Maverick’, ‘Mission: Impossible 7’ and other Paramount films pushed back to 2022
Top Gun: Maverick, Mission Impossible 7 and other expected big blockbuster hits from Paramount Pictures are being delayed once again due to the rise in COVID-19 cases and the Delta variant.
Paramount Pictures on Wednesday (Sept. 1) announced that they would be pushing back their 2021 film slate, moving Top Gun: Maverick starring Tom Cruise from its planned Thanksgiving weekend release date to May 27, 2022, close to three years after it was first announced.
With Top Gun: Maverick taking its former May 2022 slot, Mission: Impossible 7 is also getting another delay and is schedule to be released a full year from now on Sept. 30, 2022.
As reported by Deadline, the delays are due to concerns over the spike in COVID-19 cases caused by the Delta variant of the virus should the blockbuster films be released in theaters.
Rather than risk releasing potential billion-dollar franchise starters like the sequel to the 1986 Top Gun film achieve lackluster pandemic box office numbers, the film studio would rather shuffle everything down the line in hopes that the situation for theatergoers will improve in 2022.
Mission: Impossible alone through six movies has grossed over $3.57 billion. The most recent movie in 2018, Mission: Impossible: Fallout hit a franchise high of $791.7M at the worldwide box office.
Paramount is also moving Jackass Forever to release on Feb. 4, 2022, instead of the originally planned Oct. 22, 2021 date, according to the Deadline report.
Despite Paramount’s decision to save their biggest releases for 2022, there are still several major films scheduled to hit theaters before the year ends, at least in the United States.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings set to bring the MCU back to theaters exclusively on Sept. 3, followed by Eternals on Nov. 5.
MGM is set to bring the long-delayed James Bond film, No Time To Die, which was one of the first films to be impacted by COVID-19 delays, to cinemas in the US on Oct. 8.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage is slated for a theatrical release on Oct. 18, Ghostbusters: Afterlife on Nov. 19, and Spider-Man: No Way Home is set for December.
Warner Bros. also has some of its biggest tent poles on the calendar for the end of the year. Dune is scheduled for release on Oct. 22, while The Matrix: Resurrections has a Dec. 22 release date.
However, WB films will not be theatrical exclusives, and are expected to be available on HBO Max the same day that they debut in theaters.
(Images via Paramount Pictures)
