When might movie theaters widely resume operations after closing their doors amid the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic? Disney apparently has a guess: no later than July, or maybe even June.
The studio on Friday announced many changes to its movie schedule, including a new opening date for Mulan. This live-action remake was originally set to hit U.S. theaters in March, but it was one of numerous films postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Now, the film has a new opening date: July 24. Disney on Friday also didn't change the release date of Pixar's Soul, which is still set for June 19.
This would suggest Disney is under the impression theaters can reopen by the summer, though the studio could always delay Mulan again if it later becomes clear they won't. Black Widow, which was set for May, will also now come out in November, while Jungle Cruise, which was set for July, will head to next summer, and Artemis Fowl, which was set for May, will go straight to Disney+.
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Still, Disney's decision to set Mulan in July comes after Sony made the opposite move, taking Ghostbusters: Afterlife and Morbius off the July schedule. Paramount on Thursday also moved June's Top Gun: Maverick to December, although the studio at the same time put The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run in July. Warner Bros. is another studio that hasn't given up on the summer movie season just yet, having pushed Wonder Woman 1984 to August. And Christopher Nolan's Tenet has yet to move from its previously-set release date of July 17.
But will these dates be too soon for large crowds to be gathering in movie theaters again? Variety earlier this week explored the idea that summer movie season might not happen at all this year, reporting that some insiders think even the Aug. 14 release date for Wonder Woman, which is three weeks after Mulan's new date, "may be premature."
