Ómicron delays “Morbius” and the third wave arrives in Peru: Will more films be postponed? Know the next releases

From the highest skyscrapers to the depths of the Manhattan subway. This seems to have been the transition that Sony Pictures has had after the absolute success that was his film “Spider-Man: No Way Home”To his decision to postpone, for the umpteenth time, his next superhero film,“ Morbius ”, amid the resurgence of the coronavirus thanks to the contagious omicron variant.

The tape that was delayed

Thus, the film starring Jared Leto and directed by Daniel Espinoza will be released this April 1, after being scheduled for January 28. The film revolves around the scientist Michael Morbius, who in one of his attempts to cure himself of a rare blood disease is infected by a form of vampirism that grants him supernatural powers.

The film, initially slated for July 10, 2020, offered Sony an opportunity to build on the tremendous popularity of the recent “Spiderman: No Way Home. And is that although “Morbius” is not set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe where Tom Holland currently inhabits the Spider-Man suit, this film, which shares reality with “Venom”, had several references to the arachnid hero, including the Michael Keaton’s appearance in his role as the villain Vulture, so it shouldn’t have been an easy decision for the studio.

And although postponements have become common in this era of the coronavirus, the truth is that in the last months of 2021 the situation seemed to be regularizing around the world, with October appearing as the first month to have similar gains at levels. pre-pandemic (grossed $ 1.372 billion globally), box office analyst Rob Mitchell told The Hollywood Reporter.

Ómicron: the invisible villain

However, as a secret antagonist appearing in the last act, omicron made his entrance. Detected for the first time on November 9, 2021 in South Africa and officially reported by the World Health Organization (WHO) on the 26th of the same month as a variant of worrying, this strain of the coronavirus has a greater contagion capacity than others such as the delta, although at the moment it seems to present a lower level of mortality than its ‘sisters’.

The arrival of the omicron was viewed with concern by the entertainment industry from the beginning and its worst fears were increased as European countries such as France, Germany and the Netherlands began to take measures to control the wave of infections, including the partial or total closure of non-essential businesses.

The omicron also struck the heart of Hollywood, with the cancellation of major events such as the Palm Springs International Film Festival and the Governors Awards of the Oscars, as well as the postponement of galas such as the Critics’ Choice Award.

On the film side, “Morbius” is the first postponement of a blockbuster to date, although it may soon not be the only one depending on how the measures to combat the omicron continue and how this affects the continued opening of theaters.

In good news for the entertainment industry, the focus of most countries seems to be promoting vaccination as a measure to control the wave of infections, with restrictions as temporary measures to avoid exceeding the capacity of health systems. Thus, countries such as Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic and France are forcing to present a vaccination card to enter closed spaces, a measure similar to that established here by the Ministry of Health since mid-December.

“Each study has its own international calculation. How many countries can we lose and still release it in theaters“Box office analyst Rob Mitchell told The Hollywood Reporter in a dialogue. “Lose Austria and the Netherlands, and you’re probably fine. But if you add Germany, France, and maybe the UK, the calculation may change.”

The third wave and Peru

How does the recent announcement of the arrival of the third wave of infections in Peru affect? In addition to continuing with security measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19, restrictions on capacity are expected, as indicated by the president of the Council of Ministers, Mirtha Vásquez.

“We will surely take some actions again that have to do with certain restrictions, for example capacity. Surely we are going to discuss again tomorrow how it is that some prevention capacity is reduced, how it is that we adopt restrictive measures“, He said.

Except for “Morbius”, for now, film distributors in Peru have not indicated whether there will be delays in the release schedules due to the announcement of the third wave. “Licorice Pizza” by Paul Thomas Anderson has postponed its premiere scheduled for January 20 (the new date is not yet known), but it is a change for all of Latin America and it has not been indicated if it is due to the advance of omicron.