‘Peter Rabbit 2’ Release Delayed to Summer Over Coronavirus
The continuing coronavirus outbreak around the globe has forced another Hollywood film to postpone its release. The Hollywood Reporter says that Sony has decided to push back Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway from its planned spring release to the late summer.
This is the second blockbuster to shift its release date back because of the coronavirus and its impact on public health and box office; last week, the next James Bond film No Time to Die was delayed from April to November. Peter Rabbit 2 isn’t waiting quite that long ...
Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway ... was due to launch in the U.K. and other European territories on March 27, rolling out internationally the following week, hitting the U.S. on April 3. But in light of ongoing events, Sony Pictures Releasing has now opted to shift the international release to Aug. 7 in Europe with the rest of the world to follow suit. Currently, the film ... is also expected to launch in the U.S. on Aug 7.
Similar to No Time to Die, Peter Rabbit 2 is heavily dependent on international box office (the first movie made over $236 million in foreign markets). The reason to push back the American release once you push back the overseas release, even if there are no quarantines here as there are in China and Italy, are “piracy concerns.” (Basically once the movie is out, it’s going to wind up online, dooming the ticket sales you’re working so hard to protect.)
The Peter Rabbit 2 delay might be good news for the other family films this spring, including Mulan — which went ahead with its world premiere last night in Los Angeles as scheduled — and Trolls World Tour. At present, there are over 700 diagnosed cases of coronavirus in the United States.
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