Could California’s drought also be pinching Hollywood’s fall movie pipeline?
The trickle of product flowing into theatres this fall leaves no doubt the studios are hitting the pause button on the exhibition’s recovery. What’s missing from mid-August — after Sony’s BULLET TRAIN (8/5) — through mid-October — before Universal’s HALLOWEEN ENDS (10/14) — are the event films that brought moviegoers back.
What will be playing is an unofficial festival of original thrillers & action films like Lionsgate’s FALL (8/12), Universal’s BEAST (8/19 – pictured), Sony/Screen Gems’ THE INVITATION (8/26), Searchlight’s BARBARIAN (9/9), Sony/TriStar’s THE WOMAN KING (9/16), WB/New Line’s DON’T WORRY, DARLING (9/23) & Paramount’s SMILE (9/30).
Missing from that horror collection is WB/NL’s SALEM’S LOT, which was set for 9/9 & had lots of boxoffice potential, but now won’t open until 4/21/23. SALEM’S director Gary Dauberman co-wrote IT, which opened 9/8/17 to $123.4M & did $701.8M worldwide. He also directed ANNABELLE COMES HOME, which opened on 6/26/19 to $20.3M & did $231.3M worldwide. Like IT, SALEM’S has strong marketability because it’s based on a Stephen King novel. Moving it to next spring isn’t good news for exhibs, but, at least, they now have something else to look forward to.