Coronavirus movie delays: What's been pushed back, and streaming alternatives

The coronavirus outbreak is still upon us, and it’s affecting daily life for nearly everyone. That includes the movie industry. A number of upcoming major film releases have announced lengthy delays to their release schedules. So, what specific coronavirus movie delays can you expect? Also, what films should you watch in their place? While obviously nothing is going to be as exciting as watching a new movie, there are plenty of decent similar (or prequel) movies that you might want to watch while you wait!

No Time To Die

The 25th official James Bond film, and the 5th to star Daniel Craig, has also seen its release date pushed back more than once. It was supposed to be released in the US on April 10, but instead, it was the first of the major coronavirus movie delays. While the release date was pushed back to November 20, 2020, 007 now won’t return until October 8, 2021.

Streaming alternative

You can watch the first Daniel Craig James Bond movie, Casino Royale, on Netflix.

Antlers

This horror film, about a creature that attacks the citizens of a town in Oregon, was due in theaters on April 17, 2020. The movie’s new release date is October 29, 2021.

Streaming alternative

You can stream Hostiles, the 2017 Western film directed by Antlers director Scott Cooper, right now on Hulu.

Minions 2

The next movie in the CGI animated series was supposed to be released to theaters on July 3. However, this coronavirus movie delay was due to the outbreak causing the Illumination animation studio from completing the movie. It is now scheduled for release on July 1, 2022.

Streaming alternative

You can rent the first Minions movie via Amazon Prime Video right now.

Morbius

This Spider-Man spinoff film, starring Jared Leto as a man who becomes a vampire-like creature, was supposed to be released on July 31, 2020. It’s now due for release on January 28, 2022.

Streaming alternative

Another Spider-Man spin-off movie, Venom, is available for streaming, via rental or purchase, on Amazon Prime Video.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife

The latest attempt to reboot the Ghostbusters horror-comedy series was supposed to be released on July 10, 2020. It’s now due for release on November 11, 2021.

Streaming alternative

Rent the original, and still funny, 1984 Ghostbusters via Amazon Prime Video right now.

Top Gun: Maverick

There will be a delay in getting back into the danger zone. The long-awaited sequel to the naval aviator action movie Top Gun, starring Tom Cruise, joins the coronavirus movie delays list. Originally scheduled for June 24, it is now due for release on November 19, 2021.

Streaming alternative

You can rent the original 1986 Top Gun movie via Amazon Prime Video.

Free Guy

This is the next big movie starring Ryan Reynolds. He plays an NPC in an open world video game that becomes aware he’s in a game. Originally set for release on July 3, 2020, the movie is due out now on August 13, 2021.

Streaming alternative

You can check out Reynolds’ last big movie, the action film 6 Underground, right now on Netflix.

Jungle Cruise

Based on the Disney theme park ride, this movie with Dwayne Johnson and Emily BLUnt. Originally set for release on July 24, it’s been pushed back over a year and will now be released to theaters and on Disney Plus on July 30, 2021.

Streaming alternative

Disney Plus has four out of the five movies of Pirates of the Caribbean, based on another popular theme park ride. You can watch the first right now at the link below.

The Eternals

The epic MCU movie about a group of super-evolved humans, starring Angelina Jolie, has been pushed back from February 12, 2021 to November 5, 2021.

Streaming alternative

You can watch another MCU cosmic movie, Guardians of the Galaxy, on Disney Plus now.

The Batman

The highly anticipated movie reboot of the Dark Knight Detective was in the middle of production when the coronavirus outbreak started getting worse. Now the movie, starring Robert Pattinson has had its release date pushed back from October 1, 2021, to March 4, 2022.

Streaming alternative

You can watch Batman Begins, the first movie in the Christopher Nolan-Christian Bale Batman trilogy, on HBO Max.

Candyman

The reboot of the horror franchise, written and executive produced by Get Out’s Jordan Peele, was supposed to be released on June 12. The coronavirus threat has caused Universal to delay its release on August 27, 2021.

Streaming alternative

The original 1992 Candyman movie can be rented or bought via Amazon Prime Video.

The King’s Man

This is the third film in the Kingsman spy movie series. This one is actually a prequel, set in WWI, where we see the origins of the Kingsman spy group. After a couple of delays, one due to coronavirus, the movie is now set to be released in theaters on December 22, 2021.

Streaming alternative

The original Kingsman: The Secret Service can be rented or bought at Amazon Prime Video.

Dune

The sci-fi epic, based on Frank Herbert’s classic novel, was due in theaters on December 18, 2020. Warner Bros has now moved it to October 1, 2021, as a new coronavirus movie delay. It will also be released on HBO Max on the same day, for 31 days.

Streaming alternative

You can watch the 1984 adaptation of Dune, directed by David Lynch, on HBO Max.

Halloween Kills/Halloween Ends

The 2018 sequel/reboot of the long-running Halloween slasher-horror franchise, starring Jamie Lee Curtis, is getting two sequels. The first, Halloween Kills, was supposed to come out October 16, 2020. Universal is now delaying that film until October 15, 2021. The final movie, Halloween Ends, was due on that date, but will now be released one year later on October 14, 2022.

Streaming alternative

The original 1978 Halloween is available now on the Shudder streaming service.

Avatar 2 and 3

James Cameron was filming the second and third movies in his Avatar sci-fi series back to back. However, they have both fallen victim to the coronavirus movie delays outbreak. Avatar 2, originally scheduled for December. 17, 2021, is now coming out on December 16, 2022. Avatar 3, due out on December 22, 2023, is now not expected until December 20, 2024.

Streaming alternative

The original Avatar from 2009 is available now on the Disney Plus streaming service.

New Star Wars trilogy

The next Star Wars theatrical trilogy won’t be coming out, due to the coronavirus movie delays shifting dates on this unfilmed series of movies. The first of these films, originally due on December 16, 2022, will now be coming out on December 22, 2023. The second movie has been delayed from December 20, 2024, to December. 19, 2025. Finally, the third movie, due on December 18, 2026, has been pushed back all the way to December 17, 2027.

Streaming alternative

Of course, all of the previous live-action Star Wars movies are available now on the Disney Plus streaming service.

More coronavirus movie delays coming soon?

The major theater chains like AMC, Regal, and Cinemark closed most of their theaters in the US for the majority of the coronavirus outbreak. As of this update, more and more theaters in the major markets are reopening.  However, there is still some hesitation among film fans to go back to theaters. That has caused some studios to continue to delay films, or to release them to streaming services, either alongside theater launches, or exclusively to theaters like The Tomorrow War, Coming 2 America, and others.

We’ll be sure to update this post to keep you up to date on any more coronavirus movie delays.