Sony Pictures has made some significant release date shifts for its upcoming films, including “Kraven the Hunter” and “Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse.”
The delays come as dual union strikes disrupt the day-to-day business of Hollywood, and the SAG-AFTRA conflict makes it particularly difficult to open major fall movies without the participation of star talent. Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s anticipated Marvel outing “Kraven” is shifting to August 30, 2024, from a planned October 6 outing this year. The push to next Labor Day is vital, studio insiders said, as leading man Taylor-Johnson would need to engage in a worldwide press tour to open the visceral action project in just over two months.
“Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse,” the third film in the blockbuster Lord and Miller animated franchise, has been undated. It was meant to open March 29, 2024. Due to union’s work stoppage orders, the voice cast cannot complete dialogue recording in time for the spring opening, said a Sony source. A new date is expected in the coming weeks.
A planned sequel to “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” the Paul Rudd vehicle which trapped over $200 million at the worldwide box office in 2021, has been pushed from its 2023 Christmas corridor (December 20) to Easter weekend next year (March 29, 2024).
A “Karate Kid” reboot has also been kicked from June 7, 2024, to December 13, 2024, and the Blumhouse project “They Listen,” is also now undated from a planned August 30, 2024, opening.
The studio’s date shuffle isn’t all delays. Dakota Johnson fans are getting her slice of the Spider-Man universe, “Madame Web,” on Valentine’s Day 2024 (two days earlier from its planned February 16 bow). “Venom 3” also received a release date for July 12, 2024, and “Bad Boys 4” is set for June 14, 2024.
The studio’s most imminent release is Neill Blomkamp’s “Gran Turismo,” a sports biopic starring David Harbour, Orlando Bloom and Archie Madekwe. Originally set to open wide on August 11, the Sony distribution team is betting on strong early audience testing and word-of-mouth to help the film open on track. The studio will roll out “Gran Turismo” in select theaters over the weekends of August 11 and August 18, expanding wide on August 25.
Sony’s dating game is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to strike-related delays, Variety has reported since the SAG-AFTRA conflict began three weeks ago. With productions shut down and stars benched from the promotional circuit, more majors will update releases (as is the case at Warner Bros., which Variety previously reported is considering pivoting the sci-fi epic “Dune 2” to 2024).
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