Another one bites the dust.
“Fast 9” has had its release date pushed back by a year to an April 2021 release. Yikes.
Universal Studios, the company behind the “Fast & Furious” franchise, made the decision because of the fast-moving coronavirus. There’s also a mounting and dreading sense that U.S. theaters will start to close very soon due to the outbreak, especially if, as many experts have predicted, it continues to spread.
Vin Diesel made the announcement on social media.
“We feel all the love and the anticipation you have for the next chapter in our saga,” he wrote. “That’s why it’s especially tough to let you know that we have to move the release date of the film. It’s become clear that it won’t be possible for all of our fans around the world to see the film this May. While we know there is disappointment in having to wait a little while longer, this move is made with the safety of everyone as our foremost consideration,” Diesel added.
So now we have “Fast and the Furious 9,” “No Time to Die,” “A Quiet Place Part II,” “The Lovebirds,” and “Peter Rabbit 2” being delayed. All five were set to be some of the biggest moneymakers at the 2020 box-office, especially ‘Furious,’ which has a budget of over $200 million and is a big worldwide cash cow.