The Conjuring 3 may be the next major Hollywood movie to get bumped back to 2021. With the ongoing movie theater closure that started in mid-March, a chaotic situation has emerged that has seen the 2020 release calendar shuffled around constantly. While quite a few titles have been delayed to later in the year in the hopes things will stabilize, an increasing number are moving to hopefully greener pastures when the calendar rolls over.
According to a new report, many studios are becoming increasingly nervous about August, which sees major releases like Tenet and Mulan (which have already been delayed several times) on deck to help kickstart the exhibition business again. However, studios are going to reassess the situation following the July 4 weekend. At which point, it’s likely many movies on deck for August will be pushed to September. And that means The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It would almost certainly be delayed.
At present, the third entry in the horror franchise is dated for September 11. The report states that the sequel is poised to vacate that date, which would move it to some time in 2021. The problem right now is that desirable release dates are already hard to find as more movies are pushing to next year. Considering that The Conjuring franchise has earned $1.9 billion at the global box office to date, this would serve as a big blow to theaters who are in desperate need of revenue. Most movie theaters, including AMC, Regal and Cinemark, are looking to reopen in July, but their plans keep getting pushed as the blockbuster movies they need to draw in audiences are delayed further and further into the year.
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It sees Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga returning as paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. It will serve as a departure from the haunted house formula established in the previous two movies, as it will chronicle the events of the first time in U.S. history that a murder suspect claimed demonic possession as a defense. Michael Chaves (The Curse of La Llorona) is directing. James Wan, who directed the previous two movies, is on board as a producer. Ruairi O’Connor, Sarah Catherine Hook and Julian Hilliard round out the cast.
Marvel’s Eternals, Fast & Furious 9, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Morbius, The Many Saints of Newark, Godzilla vs. Kong, Jungle Cruise, Spiral: From the Book of Saw and Minions: The Rise of Gru have all been pushed to 2021 already. Billions in box office revenue has been sacrificed during the shutdown. Adding The Conjuring 3 to this list certainly won’t help matters. But to justify the existence of these movies, studios need a certain amount of box office to break even and, in the current situation, that is not at all guaranteed. We’ll be sure to keep you posted as the situation develops. This news comes to us via Deadline.
