'Mulan', 'Avatar 2', 'Star Wars' and more: When will Hollywood's delayed films hit cinemas?

You'll need to put that popcorn on ice for a little bit longer. A number of blockbuster films have this week had their long-touted release dates pushed back yet again, as many cinemas around the world remain closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Studios have subsequently scrambled to postpone release dates, to ensure moviegoers will be able to see the latest Hollywood titles on the big screen. James Bond's 25th film, No Time to Die , Wonder Woman 1984 and Black Widow are among the big-name titles which have already been postponed. Below, we've rounded up the most anticipated films which have had their previously advertised release dates shelved this week. Disney has pushed back the release date for the sequel to its 2009 fantasy epic. Originally due to hit cinemas in December 2021, the follow-up to James Cameron's hit film, set in the imagined world of Pandora, is now scheduled for December 16, 2022. The news has also affected the three further sequels planned, with Avatar 3 moving to December 2024, Avatar 4 moving to December 2026 and Avatar 5 closing the chapter in December 2028. Director Cameron addressed the news in a post on social media on Thursday, July 23, saying "there is no one more disappointed about this delay than me". While filming resumed in New Zealand in June, the filmmaker added that production in Los Angeles still remained on pause. "But I am buoyed by the incredible performances of our cast and the extraordinary work that Weta Digital is doing brining the world of Pandora and the characters of the film to life," Cameron added in his statement. The live-action remake of Disney’s 1998 animated classic has been delayed for a third time, having first been pushed back from March to July, and then until August. The $200 million (Dh734.6m) remake, which stars Liu Yifei in the title role, will now be indefinitely postponed. "Over the last few months, it's become clear that nothing can be set in stone when it comes to how we release films during this global health crisis," Disney said in a statement on Thursday, July 23. "Today that means pausing our release plans for Mulan as we assess how we can most effectively bring this film to audiences around the world." The latest trilogy in the intergalactic franchise has pushed back each of its release dates by a year. The first in the trio, which was due to be unveiled in December 2022, will now arrive in cinemas in December 2023, with the other two films released in 2025 and 2027 respectively. The release of Christopher Nolan's much-anticipated sci-fi flick has been delayed indefinitely, Warner Bros said on Monday, July 20. The latest postponement is the fourth time the release date for the big-budget movie has been changed because of the pandemic. The film was originally scheduled for release on July 17, then changed to July 31 and later to August 12. "Unfortunately, the pandemic continues to proliferate, causing us to re-evaluate our release dates," Warner Bros Pictures Group chairman Toby Emmerich said in a statement. You'll have to wait a little longer to see Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer reprise their roles from the 1986 classic. The sequel, which also stars Jon Hamm, Miles Teller and Ed Harris, is moving from December 23, 2020 to July 1, 2021, according to Paramount. "We truly believe that there is no movie-viewing experience like the one enjoyed in theatres," Paramount president of domestic distribution, Chris Aronson, said in a statement. The follow-up to the 2018 thriller hit is being delayed from September 4, 2020 to April 23, 2021. The John Krasinski-directed film, which stars Emily Blunt alongside Cillian Murphy and Noah Jupe, follows the story of the Abbott family, who face threats as they fight for their survival in silence, in a world where monsters are attracted to sound. The Marvel Universe has announced that the third chapter in its Spider-Man story, starring Tom Holland, has been delayed from November 5, 2021 to December 17, 2021. All release dates are subject to change.

'Mulan', 'Avatar 2', 'Star Wars' and more: When will Hollywood's delayed films hit cinemas?

A number of major titles have had their release dates pushed back in recent days