Big movie premieres in a row for 2021

Hollywood is jammed with new releases. If life were still analogous, towers and towers of celluloid would crowd their warehouses waiting for the moment to hit theaters. Now the reality is digital, but the problem is the same: The pandemic has forced the vast majority of blockbusters of 2020 to be postponed, which will have to find their niche in a 2021 long-awaited by moviegoers.

The Last James Bond Adventure postponed since last spring, the fourth installment of “Matrix”, the debut of Lebron James in the sequel to “Space Jam”, the updated version of “Dune” and the return of Wes Anderson are just some of the premieres planned for the new year, a season that was born under great uncertainty and in which no one knows when it will be safe to fill theaters again.

Will we see the new “West Side Story” in the cinema or in our homes? The review of the mythical musical could have assured its projection on the big screen because it will not be released until next Christmas but the road is not as clear for “James Bond: No Time To Die” (abril), “Black Widow” (mayo), “Fast and Furious 9” (mayo) o “Jurassic World: Dominion” (junio). To shed a little light on this labyrinth, Warner Bros. has been the fastest studio to make a move, since throughout 2021 and until the coronavirus ceases all its films will be released simultaneously in cinemas and on streaming ”. A practically mortal blow for theaters with which he has ensured that he will release his films.

THE “STREAMING”, ALLY OF THE STUDIOS AND ENEMY OF THE CINEMA

So far no study, except Netflix, had dared to release a blockbuster in cinemas and the Internet at the same time. The famous “distribution window” in which the tapes waited three months before reaching the domestic market was scrupulously respected. But on recent Christmas day everything changed: Disney and Pixar launched directly through the Disney + platform “Soul”, one of the animated films of the year, and Warner Bros. brought “Wonder Woman 1984” to HBO Max. The strategy of the former was punctual, that of the latter was the inauguration of the method by which HBO Max will host all the studio’s films in 2021: “Godzilla vs. Kong “,” In the Heights “,” Space Jam: A New Legacy “,” The Suicide Squad “,” Dune “and” Matrix 4 “, among others. The same day they hit theaters (after a few open), they will be available on the streaming service for 30 days. The funny thing is that, already started in 2021, HBO Max is still an exclusive US product that is scheduled to open in Europe and Latin America throughout the year, but a huge promotion has already been guaranteed to steal some market from Netflix.

On the other side of the coin is Disney. The entertainment giant has been less drastic and continues to bet heavily on cinemas. At the moment he has only released “Mulan” and Soul “through Disney +. And the first in exchange for a not inconsiderable $ 30 as an extra charge. His next movie, “Raya and the Last Dragon”, will follow the model of “Mulan” in March and from there … we’ll see. For now, Marvel fans will see “Black Widow (mayo) y “The Eternals” (noviembre) at the movies, according to company plans. Also Pixar’s visit to the Italian Riviera with “Luca” (June) and the trip to Colombia of “Encanto” (November) they keep their exclusive premiere on the big screen. The same as he “Jungle Cruise” (julio) de Dwayne Johnson y Emily Blunt.

A YEAR OF “REMAKES” AND HISTORICAL SAGAS

Platforms yes, platforms no, Hollywood’s obsession with giving new life to its classics will remain intact. In 2021 a new version of “West Side Story” will arrive under the direction of Steven Spielberg and it will not be the only jewel of the seventh art that will be renewed. After “Blade Runner 2049”, Denis Villeneuve will return to the classics of science fiction with a new “Dune” starring the best of today’s Hollywood, Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Oscar Isaac, Jason Momoa, Javier Bardem and Charlotte Rampling.

Even Tom Cruise to return to “Top Gun” more than 30 years after its premiere with a sequel to the eighties movie par excellence. And outside of “remakes” there will still be space for continuations of sagas like “Ghostbusters”, “Jurassic World”, “Fast and Furious”, “Matrix”, “Minions”, “James Bond” and “Tomb Raider”.

Beyond the commercial circuit, in February it will be the turn of Frances McDormand with “Nomadland”A film that has praised critics who have already seen it and that sounds like a favorite for the Oscars.

“The Kings Man” will arrive in March while there is still no date to re-enter Wes Anderson’s picturesque universes with “The French Dispatch” (con Timothée Chalamet, Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton y Benicio, the bull) Although it will probably be before Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis Presley biopic takes center stage this fall. The when seems clear, the how not yet.

EFE / Javier Romualdo

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