Oct 6 (Reuters) - Warner Bros said late Monday it is
delaying the release of "Dune" and "The Batman" movies, another
setback for the entertainment industry hit by COVID-19 pandemic
lockdowns and social distancing measures that have closed
theaters worldwide.
"Dune", a sci-fi movie directed by Canadian director Dennis
Villeneuve, is now scheduled to open in October 2021, instead of
December. The release of "The Batman", starring Robert
Pattinson, has been moved to the spring of 2022 from October
next year.
Movie releases have been getting delayed even after
restrictions were eased, with people still wary of stepping into
cinema halls, and many theaters still not operational.
On Monday, the world's second-biggest cinema chain,
Cineworld, decided to temporarily close its UK and U.S.
movie theaters in an attempt to survive a collapse in
film-making and cinema-going.
Credit rating agency Fitch promptly downgraded the company.
"Our base-case forecasts indicate that, the company's
current liquidity levels may only be sufficient until November
to December 2020, assuming no revolving credit facility (RCF)
extensions," Fitch said in a statement.
Earlier, the filming of "The Batman" was also shut down for
two weeks after a member of the production - widely reported to
be Pattinson - tested positive for the new coronavirus. Filming
resumed in Britain last month and Warner Bros never confirmed or
denied reports about Pattinson's diagnosis.
"Dune" has gained a lot of traction for its cast that
includes 24-year-old Timothee Chalamet, who was nominated for an
Academy Award for his role in the 2017 film "Call Me by Your
Name."
Other big-budget Warner Bros movies to have their releases
delayed include "Tenet" and "Wonder Woman 1984".
The release of the new James Bond movie "No Time to Die"
from MGM and Comcast Corp's Universal Pictures has also been
delayed until April 2021.
(Reporting by Vishal Vivek in Bengaluru and Lisa Richwine in
Los Angeles; Editing by Bernard Orr)
