This spring, there are a few highly anticipated movies coming, including but not limited to: Mulan, F9, James Bond’s No Time To Die and Black Widow. Now, thanks to uncertainly surrounding the current state of the coronavirus worldwide, instead of releasing the newest 007 flick in April, Barbara Broccoli and co. are set to release No Time To Die much later in the year. This is true both for the U.S. release and for audiences worldwide, including the U.K.
The Thanksgiving movie season in November to be exact. Hype surrounding No Time To Die has been at an all-time high in recent months, as we’ve started seeing more footage and hearing more about the film from the involved parties. However, now Universal has shifted No Time To Die away from Easter weekend, what else will be around that month to fill the slot. The move was reportedly made because James Bond is a popular franchise internationally and a significant chunk of change is usually made in countries outside of North America on the property, including some heavily dealing with the coronavirus.
While we will be out 007 in the spring, there are a few things happening in April, and if you've wondered what else you'll be able to see, Itook a look at the upcoming releases filling the Bond 25 void. In the meantime, for the full preview of movies coming this year, we have you covered as well.
Trolls World Tour
Release Date: April 10
At first glance, Trolls World Tour really doesn’t have much other than a studio in common with No Time To Die. However, it should be a box office winner in April and it’s also notable because shortly after the Bond release day news broke, the animated musical film was shifted into Bond’s old slot.
This should be good news for families looking for something to see Easter weekend, which is often a pretty decent-sized weekend for moviegoing. The original Trolls movie wasn't exactly critically acclaimed; however, it did do well with audiences and ended up making nearly $350 million worldwide. With that in mind, a sequel was a no brainer.
The New Mutants
Release Date: April 3
Outside of No Time To Die, 20th Century Studios’ The New Mutants was probably the biggest release of the month. The long-awaited X-Men film went through delays related to the Disney and Fox merger, but finally made it onto the schedule -- and it won't be R-rated as early rumors/hopes indicated.
The last X-Men film, X-Men: Dark Phoenix had an underwhelming run at the box office, but New Mutants is expected to be a little more genre-bending and focus on horror elements. There is hope this one will be good and that will be enough to get butts into seats. It also could be a starting point ushering in a new wave of mutant projects over at Disney. At the very least, it’s probably the closest thing to the action-oriented No Time To Die coming in April.
Antebellum
Release Date: April 24
Perhaps a lesser known title on this April movie’s list, Antebellum has singer and actress Janelle Monae starring as Veronica Henley, a woman who seems to be stuck in some sort of past and present horror film, with moments and people slipping in and out. The tagline for the movie is “if it chooses you… nothing can save you.”
The imagery surrounding Antebellum has been mysterious and the marketing has done a good job of not really letting us in on the secret of whatever will be happening. It’s certainly a notable April release and will hopefully be a must-watch. Horror films have been hit or miss this year, and I'd certainly love to see more in the "hit" pile in the coming months.
The Lovebirds
Release Date: April 3
April is going to be a little light on romantic comedies, but The Lovebirds should sort of fit the bill. The Lovebirds stars the newly-jacked Kumail Nanjiani and HBO’s Insecure actress Issa Rae who are in a relationship. Things are going well until someone borrows a car to run over and kill a bicyclist and they get blamed.
This one will be an R-rated comedy, so probably one to avoid with the kids. Despite being a comedy, the two lovebirds will be going on a romp that should include some action as they try to track down the baddie who got them in a bind. If you are looking for more family-friendly fodder coming in place of Bond, James Bond, there’s plenty of that to go around as well.
Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway
Release Date: April 3
Another family movie coming out just before the Easter holiday, Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway will be getting a little bit of a head start on the Trolls 2 sequel. The new movie brings back Rose Byrne, James Corden, Domhnall Gleeson and co.. for a secondary romp that seems as if it will be less centered on Mr. McGregor's garden.
If none of this fills the gap where No Time To Die once was, there are plenty of action movies coming out around the same time. Mulan and Vin Diesel’s Bloodshot will both be action-heavy and released in March, with Marvel’s Black Widow following in May. A Quiet Place Part II (March) and The Woman in the Window (May) should fill some of the suspense gaps.
In short, there’s a lot of good stuff coming for those who are willing to wait. Meanwhile, now that Bond has been pushed to November 12 in the U.K. and November 25 in the U.S., it will be facing some increased competition. Marvel's The Eternals, Deep Water, and in particular Godzilla vs. Kong are all coming out during the month of November. The movies schedule is always shifting and changing and with what's going on in the world, No Time To Die may not be the only movie to make a change in the coming months. Although, as the summer box office season approaches, I really do hope a lot of these movies stay on track.
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