Universal is moving a group of Blumhouse titles deeper into the theatrical release calendar including Miramax-Trancas International co-productions Halloween Kills and its sequel Halloween Ends, and The Forever Purge. In addition, MGM-Bron Creative-Monkeypaw’s Candyman is moving three weeks later.
David Gordon Green’s Halloween Kills, which is in post, moves from Oct. 16 to Friday, Oct. 15, 2021 which is where Universal originally had Halloween Ends. That sequel now moves from that 2021 date to Oct. 14, 2022, which Uni had reserved for an untitled Blumhouse movie. Halloween architect John Carpenter and Gordon Green released a note on social today about the change, which you can read below.
Meanwhile, Candyman will take over Halloween Kills‘ former spot of Oct. 16, moving from Sept. 25. The other notable major studio title on Oct. 16 is Searchlight’s limited release of Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch.
Forever Purge which was removed temporarily from the release calendar after originally being scheduled for July 10, is now going on July 9, 2021. Disney has an untitled event pic scheduled for that date.
With the reopening of the major circuits still in limbo with New York and Los Angeles remaining shuttered due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Universal is taking sharp precautions here: Rather than continually move movies around the calendar as exhibition’s reopening is continually delayed, they took their marquee titles and postponed them deep in the calendar; the hope being we’re OK by then. Furthermore, with feature productions not quite up and ready en masse yet, 2021 will be in great need of titles.
Below is Carpenter and Gordon Green’s note to fans:
Carpenter also had this teaser for fans: