Of all movies to be the first major Hollywood release since March... it’s going to be The New Mutants?

That’s the way things appear to be shaking out anyway. Disney pushed Mulan to premium video on demand, while Tenet will open overseas at the end of the month and then arrive in some U.S. locations over Labor Day weekend. Despite those moves, The New Mutants is proceeding with its planned August 28 release date. The film, the final X-Men production from the former Fox studio, was shot way back in 2017 and has had at least three other official release dates.

Directed by Josh Boone and starring Maisie Williams and Anya Taylor-Joy, The New Mutants was so heavily delayed that many industry observers have expected Disney to pull the movie from the release calendar and stick it on VOD even before the coronavirus. After Disney launched its own streaming service it seemed like a slam dunk that they would use this big Marvel title as tentpole original programming for it. It never happened. And now, per Variety, Disney is contacting exhibitors about planning for the opening:

Many had expected that Disney would continue to postpone it, while others speculated that the film might be exported to Disney Plus or Hulu. But Disney sent exhibitors a lengthy email on Monday outlining theatrical plans, including news that tickets can be sold starting the morning of Aug. 18.

Variety even described one “excited” email from an exhibitor who wrote “It’s for sure opening August 28!”

So there you have it. It only took a global pandemic and the collapse of the movie theater industry to make The New Mutants into a big deal. I still can’t believe after all this time that it’s really happening, but who am I to doubt this anonymous theater owner?

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