When movies first began to see delays early last year, there was a hope that things would get back to normal before too long. Some films were only pushed back a couple of months in hopes they could be the first back in theaters. As time went on, it became clear that mass theatrical distribution was off the table for some time, but it seems that every time the end might be in sight, it is determined not to be. 2021 is a new year, but so far it looks very much the same, as films have continued to get pushed back, and now Disney, or more specifically, Disney's Fox subsidiaries, are the most recent to push everything back even further. Popular franchises like The King's Man and other films previously set for early 2021, are now set for the second half of the year.
Most of the films that Fox Studios and Fox Searchlight have pushed back had already been delayed at least once already, but it seems nobody is taking any chances. The King's Man, previously set for March 12, is now set for August 20. Ron's Gone Wrong which had been given an April 23 date now has an October 22 date. Antlers had been set to open in February but is now set for October 29. In addition, a few previously undated films were given release dates. The Night House will open July 16. The Eyes of Tammy Faye will open September 24. Also, a previously untitled release, Fox had a placeholder set for December 3, has now been handed to Guillermo del Toro's Nightmare Alley.
However, the biggest news has to be the state of the Bob's Burgers movie. Previously set for April 9, the movie has been pulled from the Fox schedule entirely. No further details are given beyond the film being "unset," so why the movie wasn't simply given a new date later in the year is unclear. Of course, the fact that the movie is no longer on the release calendar can't help but cause one to draw conclusions. It could be that there are no longer plans for the Bob's Burgers movie to get a theatrical release. We could see the movie debut on Hulu, or even possibly Disney+ instead of in theaters. If that were to happen that announcement would likely come from the streaming side of the company, which would be why we're only getting half the story here.
It's also possible that no final decision has been made. Bob's Burgers could certainly end up back on theatrical schedule down the road. The only sure thing right now is that nobody is sure of anything. Everything is in flux. We certainly can't even be sure that these new release dates will stick. We could be back here in six months talking about all these movies being delayed once again.
