Warner Bros. has delayedLin-Manuel Miranda’sIn the Heightsmovie a full year. The feature adaptation of the hit Broadway musical was supposed to dance its way into theaters on June 26, but it will now arrive on August 16, 2025.
Warner Bros. had already decided to moveWonder Woman 1984from early June to late August in an effort to buy some time and salvage what’s left of the summer blockbuster season, which been all but cancelled by Hollywood’s major studios. One mega-movie that refuses to budge, however, isChristopher Nolan’sTenet, due on July 17.
As of now, Warner Bros. remains committed to releasing the epic action movie this summer, and no one believes in movie theaters more than Nolan, but the way things are going regarding the coronavirus pandemic, I don’t see how a major theatrical release would be feasible this summer. Even if theaters do reopen by July, will audiences be receptive, or will they be reluctant to return to group settings?
I don’t know why Warner Bros. would releaseTenetin half-filled theaters, especially when it’d be hard to properly advertise the film in theaters in the preceding months. It’d be one thing to release a mid-budget movie likeIn the Heightshoping to gauge audiences' appetites, but Warners can’t afford to releaseTenetand leave hundreds of millions of dollars on the table. As much as we’d all love to return to theaters, safety is of the utmost importance, both to ticket buyers and theater staff.
In the Heightswill now open against an untitled Pixar movie, and it’ll be forced to compete with the second weekend ofJurassic World: Dominion. And that’s the other issue with coronavirus wreaking havoc on Hollywood’s release schedule. All these big movies are competing for limited real estate, and if they all come out on top of each other later this year or next summer, some surefire hits are bound to underperform.
In the Heightswrapped production a while ago, but had yet to finish post-production, so it would’ve been difficult to make its original release date with everyone working from home.Jon M. Chudirected the movie, which starsHamiltonalumAnthony Ramosas Usnavi, a bodega owner in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan.Corey HawkinsandJimmy Smitsco-star alongsideMelissa Barrera,Daphne Rubin-VegaandStephanie Beatriz. Miranda also has a small role in the film – the latest Warner Bros. title to see its release date changed this week followingThe Batman,Shazam 2andThe SopranosprequelThe Many Saints of Newark.
Warner Bros. isn’t the only studio optimistic about the second half of summer, as Disney will releaseMulanone week afterTenet. For more onMulan, including why Captain Li Shang isn’t in the live-action remake,click here.
