As fears and cases of coronavirus continue to grow around the word, any organization or industry that includes large groups of people gathering together has been impacted, and that includes the movie business. While theaters in the United States remain open, in other countries all theaters have been closed, and the potential for that to happen elsewhere is only increasing. This has already resulted in one major release, No Time To Die, making a move from April to November, and now another highly anticipated title, A Quiet Place Part II is doing the same. It has been pulled from its scheduled March 20 release.
Director John Krasinski took to social media to explain the decision to hold the film. He points out that A Quiet Place, perhaps more than many other films, is a communal theatrical experience. As such, between the people in some places that simply can't go to the theater right now, and the others who will almost certainly choose to stay away in order to reduce the risk of spreading something, that communal experience would be lost and so the movie will now wait until such time as we can all have that again. read the director's statement below.
John Krasinski certainly isn't wrong. The original A Quiet Place was a unique theatrical experience that would not have been the same if viewed in an empty theater or at home. It's best with a full crowd of people all struggling to remain as quiet as possible. The sequel was looking to be something just as good. And so, even if theaters remain open, the experience won't be the same if a lot of people stay home.
Of course, the other element that is harmed if a lot of people can't or won't go to the theater is the box office, and certainly the decision to push back A Quiet Place Part 2 was made for financial reasons as much as anything else. Paramount Pictures also released its own statement regarding the decision to hold the film, which reads...
After much consideration, and in light of the ongoing and developing situation concerning coronavirus and restrictions on global travel and public gatherings, Paramount Pictures will be moving the worldwide release of A Quiet Place Part II. We believe in and support the theatrical experience, and we look forward to bringing this film to audiences this year once we have a better understanding of the impact of this pandemic on the global theatrical marketplace.
A Quiet Place Part 2 has been pulled from its release next week, but unlike No Time To Die, which staked out a date in November when it moved from its April 10 date, A Quiet Place Part 2 has not set a new release date. It seems the plan from Paramount is just to wait and see what happens. One would expect the plan, as much as there is one, is rather than put it off by several months, it's to wait until things are under control, and then get the movie out quickly. Which makes sense considering it came so close to release already.
Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for news on A Quiet Place Part II once a new release date is announced.
