Sony Pictures has decided to push its live-action/CG-animated sequel feature “Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway” back by four months.
The film was slated to open in the U.K. and other European territories on March 27th ahead of a U.S. rollout on April 3rd. However, in light of the ongoing events regarding the coronavirus epidemic, the film is now being slated to open on August 7th in both Europe and the United States.
The marks the second major studio release to be majorly impacted by the epidemic following the new James Bond film “No Time to Die” delaying seven months to November.
It’s not unexpected though as major theatrical market disruptions across European territories, key to the box-office success of the film which made most of its money overseas, are having an impact. With Italy under quarantine, all its cinemas are to be closed while France and Slovakia are also shuttering many cineplexes.
Concerns over the coronavirus outbreak are continuing to ripple across the system. Organisers are trying to find a way to push the famed Coachella festival to October in an attempt to save the usually mid-April event from cancellation.
Meanwhile the annual upfront presentations from media companies announcing their slate of new shows for the Fall is seeing its first postponements or cancellations. The presentations were scheduled to run from late April through to mid-May but some others were going early in late March. AMC and Fox News were two of the early birds and both have cancelled their presentations, FreeWheel Media is postponing theirs while A+E Networks will only be doing their one virtually – no live event.
Jeffrey Katzenberg’s high-profile shortform digital service Quibi has also cancelled its launch party amid the growing threat. The event had been set for April 5th in Culver City ahead of the launch of the service the next day.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control is also advising the elderly, as well as those groups with underlying medical conditions, to “avoid crowds” and, further, to “stay home as much as possible” should there be an outbreak in their communities.
Source: THR
