Universal Pictures has removed Blumhouse horror title The Forever Purge from its July 10 theatrical release date.
At time of writing it remained unclear how the Blumhouse Productions and Platinum Dunes horror film will reach audiences as studio executives continue to scrutinise the landscape amid the coronavius pandemic.
Solstice Studios’ Russell Crowe psychological thriller Unhinged remains the first new film of summer season on July 1, followed by Warner Bros’ Christopher Nolan thriller Tenet, and Disney’s live-action adventure Mulan on July 24.
Everything is subject to theatres reopening. The major chains have intimated they are targeting July, however the matter rests largely on state guidelines based on public health advice.
Universal caused a furore when it released Trolls World Tour on premium VOD after the pandemic forced cinemas to close, and the studio argued it had to proceed with a release as it had already committed millions on marketing and activated corporate sponsorship tie-ins. The film is understood to have generated approximately $100m in sales.
Last month the studio removed Judd Apatow’s The King Of Staten Island from its July 19 theatrical berth and set the comedy-drama to open on PVOD On June 12.
The Purge series has opened in June and July in the past and to date the first four films in the franchise have amassed approximately $457m worldwide and $285m in North America.
Everardo Gout directed The Forever Purge from a screenplay by James DeMonaco. Producers are Jason Blum, Platinum Dunes partners Michael Bay, Andrew Form and Brad Fuller, and Man In A Tree duo DeMonaco and his longtime producing partner Sébastien K. Lemercier.
Executive producers are Marcei A. Brown, Couper Samuelson, and Jeanette Volturno.
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