While the horror community has been feeling the ever-increasing effects of the COVID-19 (otherwise known as the coronavirus) global pandemic with numerous conventions either being postponed or cancelled outright, Hollywood had been relatively immune to the situation. However, that changes today as Paramount Pictures and writer/director John Krasinski have announced that A Quiet Place Part II, originally scheduled for wide theatrical release on March 20th has been pushed back to a later as-yet-unknown date in order to prevent large groups of people from congregating in public places due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Mr. Krasinski relayed the news via his official Twitter account (see below), citing “the ever-changing circumstances of what’s going on in the world around us.” While this is a rather unprecedented move, it is also not entirely unexpected as more studios will likely make similar announcements regarding new film releases in the coming days. In the last 48 hours, the NBA, MLB, NFL, NCAA and numerous other athletic and entertainment outlets have cancelled or suspended sporting events, conferences and even entire seasons in the hopes to help curb the spread of COVID-19 in the wake of the World Health Organization’s designation of the virus as a “pandemic.” It is a responsible move, and one that is more than likely necessary at the moment in this country.
The announcement that A Quiet Place Part II will postpone its wide release opening is sure to bring a hot topic in the Hollywood and digital worlds back to the forefront. Although most major studios have resisted the notion, perhaps it is time to revisit the idea of allowing major motion pictures to premiere on digital streaming and video-on-demand services as well as theater locations. With so much of the population facing the possibility of having to work at home and limit social interactions for the next few weeks, now could be a good test run to discover if this is a viable model both practically and monetarily. And don’t think the irony of a film’s release being delayed due to a pandemic, which stars the main player from a recent viral outbreak-related horror favorite (Cillian Murphy, previously in 28 Days Later) is entirely lost on us.
A Quiet Place Part II, starring Murphy, Emily Blunt and Djimon Hounsou, is the much-anticipated sequel to the 2018 horror blockbuster A Quiet Place, which raked in over $340 million worldwide. Production on part two wrapped in September 2019 and has its world premiere on March 8th of this year in New York City. Let’s hope that the rest of the country will be able to see it sooner rather than later.
Stay tuned to HNN for more news on A Quiet Place Part II as it breaks!
