With the effects of the coronavirus winding down, the world is slowly returning to normal.
Depending on where you live, this could mean that restaurants, hair salons, and even gyms are opening back up. In some areas, movie theatres are even preparing to reopen their doors!
This is good news for those tired of binging Netflix at home. Keep reading to find out which movies are hitting the big screen this summer!
Back in March, movie theater chains around the world were forced to temporarily close due to the coronavirus.
This left many major motion pictures scrambling to postpone their release dates.
One of the first to do so was No Time to Die , the next James Bond film in the franchise.
Soon, other big-budget films followed suit.
The Fast & Furious movie, F9 had a relate date of late May, but it’s since been pushed back to April 2021.
Even the highly-anticipated sequel to The Quiet Place was pushed back .
Disney was also hit hard by the coronavirus.
It had two major releases delayed : first, the live-action version of Mulan , followed by the May 1 release of Black Widow , starring Scarlett Johansson.
With box office ticket sales hitting a 20-year low, this caused some studios to pivot their strategy.
Universal Pictures, for example, decided to make new movies available at-home on Demand back in April.
NBC Universal CEO Jeff Shell discussed this record-breaking decision in a statement.
“Given the rapidly evolving and unprecedented changes to consumers’ daily lives during this difficult time, the company felt that now was the right time to provide this option in the home as well as in theaters,” he said.
“Universal Pictures has a broad and diverse range of movies with 2020 being no exception. Rather than delaying these films or releasing them into a challenged distribution landscape, we wanted to provide an option for people to view these titles in the home that is both accessible and affordable.”
Some of the first movies to be available at home included “Trolls World Tour”, “The Hunt”, and “The Invisible Man”.
According to The Hollywood Reporter , these movies cost $19.99 USD and they would be available for a 48-hour rental period after purchase.
But now, with things slowly starting to open around the world, things are shifting once again.
It was just announced this week that some movies are planning to release in theatres this summer!
This is a big move and one that could happen as early as July 1st!
One of the first movies to be back in theatres is *Unhinged*.
The road rage thriller starring Russell Crowe is scheduled to be released in just a little over a month on July 1.
The movie was set to open on September 4th, but that all changed when A Quiet Place Part II landed on the date.
Following that is the big-budget thriller, *Tenet* from Chrisopher Nolan.
The film, starring John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, and Elizabeth Debicki, is scheduled to be released on July 17.
With Unhinged releasing first, it’s being speculated that it could steal Tenet’s thunder.
Fans of Disney’s “Mulan” will be happy to hear that the live-action movie *will* be released this summer.
So far, this is set to be July 24th.
Following this is the release of Wonder Woman 1984 , which is scheduled to hit theatres on August 14th.
Keanu Reeves fan? You can see him in *Bill & Ted Face the Music* in theatres on August 21.
With all of these films hitting theatres this summer, fans can expect a different movie-going experience than what they’re used to.
For one, drastic safety measures will be put in place, such as 6-foot social distancing.
Movie-goers will also be encouraged to wear face masks.
While there’s no word yet on whether it’s mandatory, it likely will be for staff. This especially includes those handling food.
There has even been talk of checking people’s temperatures before allowing them to enter movie theaters.
According to CNBC , some theatres will have access to hand-held temperature readers as a way to scan both staff and patrons.
Other changes include ticket sales moving online.
According to Jason Ostrow, vice president of development for dine-in-theater Star Cinema Grill in Texas, this is a way to limit physical interactions .
Lastly, you can expect movie theatres to put a cap on attendance.
So far, this number is expected to be a 50% cap when theatres first reopen.
Given all these changes, plus the current movie line-up, do you see yourself hitting the theatre this summer?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
