Universal Shifts Summer Release For ‘F9’ Onto ‘Venom 2’s Date; ‘Minions: The Rise Of Gru’ Heads To 2022

Not to be an alarmist or negative about the future, but Universal has shifted the theatrical release dates for its much delayed titan tentpoles F9 and Illumination’s Minions the Rise of Gru.

F9 will no longer go on May 28, rather June 25. Minions 2 will now open on July 1, 2022 instead of July 2.

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I hear that the slight shift in theatrical dating for F9 has to do with major overseas markets. They’re still not open despite NYC reopening this Friday and Los Angeles expected to reopen in the near future as Covid cases decrease and vaccinations increase in the city. There is a chance as overseas markets do improve during the pandemic, that F9 could begin its theatrical journey abroad before domestic. All of that said, Universal is trying to have as many markets go at once for F9 as possible.

F9 leaves behind Disney’s Cruella and Paramount’s Mark Wahlberg movie Infinite over Memorial Day weekend. On its new date, F9 faces off with the limited release of Focus Features’ Blue Bayou, and Sony’s Venom: Let There Be Carnage, which we hear is poised to change.

Universal has dropped two F9 trailers over the past two Super Bowls, and that’s all because of the pic’s release date change during the pandemic. In each instance, the trailer drew huge viewers in the 24 hours following its drop on each telecast, most recently clocking 44.5M views according to RelishMix. Last year, Uni dropped the first F9 trailer on the Friday before the Super Bowl and in six days clocked 439M views, that figure also propelled by a Fast and Furious themed concert the studio hosted in Miami, Fl.

The Fast & Furious franchise has made over $5 billion around the world.

Minions is the most profitable franchise for Universal, hence the huge release date change for that pic. The studio is making sure that the pic’s promotional partners are able to join the ride and support their brands up through the film’s 2022 release. The Gru/Minions movies combined through four titles have grossed over $3.7 billion at the global box office.

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