The theatrical business just took another shot to the kidneys from a major studio. Following on WarnerMedia’s decision to release their entire 2021 slate in theaters and HBO Max simultaneously, Paramount has decided to shorten the release window to 45 days for some of their biggest films, including sequels Mission: Impossible 7 and A Quiet Place 2. Afterwards, they will move over to the Paramount+ streaming service.
Some of the biggest @ParamountPics releases this year will go to #ParamountPlus after they’re in theaters, starting with the sequel to one of the most original and memorable films of the past few years: #AQuietPlace Part II @quietplacemovie. pic.twitter.com/he0P2AP20T
— Paramount+ (@paramountplus) February 24, 2021
Next year, we’ll add even more new @ParamountPics releases to #ParamountPlus after their respective theatrical runs and EPIX pay 1 debut, like @GIJoeMovie #SnakeEyes @CliffordMovie, and @TopGunMovie #TopGun: Maverick.
— Paramount+ (@paramountplus) February 24, 2021
On the plus side for theaters, it shows Paramount hasn’t fully made the leap to streaming. On the other hand, this kind of move may last well beyond the pandemic. We’re seeing the entire business model flipped and those things are hard to reverse once they take hold.
Details on Mission: Impossible 7 remain slim, but we know the original plan was to shoot it back-to-back with the eighth installment. That’s no longer the case, but expect Tom Cruise’s IMF agent Ethan Hunt to lead both blockbusters, joined by Esai Morales, Hayley Atwell, Rebecca Ferguson, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Vanessa Kirby, Shea Whigham, Henry Czerny, with Christopher McQuarrie back behind the camera. The film opens on November 19th.
A Quiet Place: Part II finds John Krasinski behind the camera, with Emily Blunt, Noah Jupe, and Millicent Simmonds joined by new additions Cillian Murphy and Djimon Hounsou. It’s been the Paramount film most affected by the COVID-19 outbreak, moving all across the board in 2020 before finally settling on a September 17th 2021 release. A sequel directed by Jeff Nichols is already in the works, as well.
