Due to rise in new delta variant of the coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in United States, Sony Pictures Entertainment announced that it is delaying the release of superhero sequel Venom: Let There Be Carnage by nearly a month.
The film stars Tom Hardy as the lead actor and it is directed by Andy Serkis and stars Michelle Williams, Naomie Harris. Woody Harrelson plays the role of the villain Cletus Kasady/Carnage. The story is based on the Marvel Comics by Hardy and Kelly Marcel, the screenplay is also done by Marvel.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage will now debut in theaters 15 October instead of 24 September.
The studio is also considering the alternative distribution for its upcoming animated feature Hotel Transylvania: Transformania.
Sony is exploring the option of either selling the friendly monsters movie to a streaming service or delaying the theatrical release. The fourth film of the kid-friendly franchise, which has grossed more than $1.3 billion worldwide since 2012, was set to debut in theaters on 1 October.
The delta variant raises serious questions about the safety of children under 12 in public spaces, since there is no vaccine yet available for that age and health experts suggests that the highly contagious strain of COVID-19 is more dangerous for younger people.
Hotel Transylvania: Transformania is not the first film that Sony has sold to a streaming device due to pandemic crises. The studio previously sold The Mitchells vs. The Machines, Wish Dragon and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s latest musical Vivo to Netflix.
However, Netflix has remained silent on whether Hotel Transylvania: Transformia will release on their platform.
The Hotel Transylvania series has been one of the most successful family franchises worldwide and its final installment is directed by Jennifer Kluska and Derek Drymon, and for this chapter, franchise creator Genndy Tartakovsky returns as the screenwriter and executive producer. Alice Dewey Goldstone is the producer of the film.
