Box Office: Universal And Focus Will Release 11 Movies In Theaters Over The Next 17 Weeks

From Freaky to News of the World to The Croods 2 to The 355, Comcast-owned Universal and Focus will be the primary supplier for first-run theatrical movies between now and March of 2021.

We just got a trailer this morning for Universal’s News of the World. The Paul Greengrass-directed feature, set to open theatrically on Christmas Day, stars Tom Hanks as Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd who moves from town to town as a non-fiction storyteller in post-Civil War America. Based on Paulette Jiles’ 2016 novel, it concerns a relationship he forms with a ten-year-old girl (Johanna, played by Helena Zengel) whom he meets on his travels. It is just one of a deluge of Universal and Focus features arriving in theaters between now and early 2021. Starting next Friday with Focus’ horror title Come Play on October 30 and until Nobody on February 19, 2021, Universal and/or Focus will be releasing 11 movies in limited or wide theatrical release.

For reference, they are Come Play (October 30), the Kevin Costner/Diane Lane kidnapping thriller Let Him Go (November 6), Blumhouse’s body swap horror comedy Freaky (October 13), DreamWorks Animation’s The Croods: A New Age (November 25), the Mexico/America family melodrama Half Brothers (December 4), the Jessica Rothe/Harry Shum Jr. weepie All My Life (December 4), Tom Hanks’ aforementioned News of the World (December 25), Carey Mulligan’s buzzy Promising Young Woman (December 25), Jessica Chastain and Lupita Nyong’o’s all-star actioner The 355 (January 15, 2021), Jennifer Lopez’ musically-inclined rom-com Marry Me (February 12, 2021) and Blumhouse’s Falling Down-ish thriller Nobody (February 19, 2021). Whether these films are any good or perform anywhere near what otherwise would be expected, that’s still 11 buzzy movies in 17 weeks.

We don’t know for sure whether Warner Bros.’ Mortal Kombat reboot will actually open on January 15, 2021, nor whether Sony will keep Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway set for January 15 as well. If those two bolt, then Simon Kinberg’s all-female ensemble actioner The 355 will be, by default, the big movie of January. Marry Me, co-starring Owen Wilson and Maluma (and featuring new songs from Maluma and Lopez), will be the go-to Valentine’s Day pick next year alongside Disney’s
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The Kings Man (six years after the first Kingsman opened over President’s Day weekend with $41 million over the Fri-Mon frame). Those two, along with Sony’s Camila Cabello-starring Cinderella (February 5) will help keep the lights on in February before, god willing, the slate returns to “normal” in March.

Ideally speaking, March will see some semblance of normalcy as Warner Bros.’ Tom & Jerry opens on March 5 and The Many Saints of Newark (a Sopranos prequel) opens on March 12, even if both of those frankly look like candidates for “Hey, surprise, they’re going to HBO Max!” Nonetheless, Walt Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon opens on March 12 as Sony releases Morbius on March 19. Universal’s The Boss Baby: Back in Business opens March 26, just a week before MGM and Universal “finally” unveils No Time to Die on April 2. April offers Edgar Wright’s Last Night in SoHo and John Kasinski’s A Quiet Place part II, both on April 23, while Black Widow kicks off the summer on May 6.

It’s not until the summer season where things get excessively crowded, with delayed summer biggies (Black Widow, F9, Ghostbusters Afterlife, Top Gun Maverick, Minions, etc.) battling it out with “always intended for 2021” releases like Cruella, The Suicide Squad and Space Jam: A New Legacy among others. But from now until March, the hopes and dreams of theatrical moviegoing will rest almost exclusively with Comcast
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titles. It’s not generosity. Universal wants to make sure theaters survive long enough to play No Time to Die, F9 and Minions 2. Comcast wants smaller flicks to test out their “from theaters to PVOD in 17 days” deal with AMC. Nonetheless, the studio that was allegedly NATO’s public enemy number one has become, for now, their best friend.