Sony Delays Release Of 'Morbius,' 'Ghostbusters,' More Films Due To Coronavirus

March 31, 2020

Mia Galuppo , Pamela McClintock

'Morbius'   |   Courtesy of Sony Pictures

'Greyhound' — starring Tom Hanks, who himself tested positive for the virus and is now recovering — 'Uncharted' and 'Peter Rabbit 2' have also had their release dates postponed.

Sony has rearranged its entire upcoming slate, including Spider-Man spinoff Morbius, the new Ghostbusters movie and the Tom Holland-starring Uncharted. The schedule changes, announced late Monday, underscore the uncertainty facing Hollywood amid the coronavirus pandemic and unprecedented theater closures.

Morbius, which was set to hit theaters July 31, is now set to open March 19, 2021. Ghostbusters: Afterlife is moving off of its July 10 release to March 5, 2021, which was previously occupied by the studio's splashy video game adaptation Uncharted. The latter is now scheduled to debut Oct. 8, 2021, a date that was reserved for an untitled Sony Marvel movie, which now goes undated.

The World War II drama Greyhound — starring Tom Hanks, who himself is recovering from the coronavirus — is now undated (it has been moved several times, and was most recently set to open in early June). Likewise, Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway has moved yet again, and won't open in cinemas until Jan. 15, 2021, instead of this coming August.

One Sony title that is being moved up is the Kevin Hart drama Fatherhood, which will now unfurl on Oct. 23 instead of Jan. 15, 2021.

The Sony titles join a long list of studio tentpoles, including Mulan, No Time to Die and A Quiet Place Part II, which have been postponed due to the pandemic, leaving the upcoming theatrical calendar.   

Major U.S. cities and moviegoing markets across the globe have rolled out protective measures, closing all non-essential businesses and issuing "shelter-in-place" warnings. AMC and Regal — the two largest theaters chains operating in the U.S. — announced an indefinite closure of their venues, while other smaller chains like Alamo Drafthouse and Cinemark have announced their own closures.

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