Another 2020 film release falls victim to the COVID-19 pandemic. The King’s Man, originally slated for release this September, has been pushed to 2021 due to coronavirus concerns.
The Kingsman prequel was headed towards a September 18 release but it will now hit screens on February 26, 2021. The move comes as theaters in California and New York remain closed amid the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic even as cinemas across much of the rest of the country reopen. California & New York are the top box office markets in the U.S. & some studios don’t want to risk throwing their expensive films out there without these markets in play. California & New York haven’t released any tentative dates as to when their movie theaters will reopen.
The Kingsman franchise is a priority for Disney, which they inherited when taking over 20th Century Fox. The films tend to do well domestically & overseas. The movie’s delay isn’t necessarily a surprise, considering there has been little marketing for the film in recent days. Still, it isn’t great news for cinema owners, who are depending upon new product as they start to reopen. Disney isn’t leaving them completely in a lurch with the release of The New Mutants this weekend but it’s still up in the air how well The New Mutants will actually perform.
The latest installment is directed by Matthew Vaughn and is a prequel to the popular Kingsman franchise. The ensemble cast includes Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton, Rhys Ifans, Matthew Goode, Tom Hollander, Harris Dickinson, Daniel Brühl, Djimon Hounsou, and Charles Dance.
