Disney Moves Two More Movies Release Dates Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

When announcing that Marvel Studios’ upcoming Black Widow movie would no longer be released on its May 1 release date, Walt Disney Studios also moved even more movies off their release schedule and into unknown territory. ComicBook.com has confirmed that Searchlight’s The Personal History of David Copperfield has been moved off of its May 8 release date while 20th Century Studios’ The Woman in the Window has been moved from its May 15 release dates. Both films are currently off the release calendar entirely with a future release date to be determined.

The delay stems from the every growing COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic which has resulted in the postponement of countless films set for release and even production on future releases. Disney alone has already delayed Marvel Studios’ Black Widow, the live-action remake of Mulan, Searchlight’s horror movie Antlers, and the ever-delayed The New Mutants. Production on Disney films The Last Duel, The Little Mermaid, Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings, Home Alone, Nightmare Alley, Peter Pan & Wendy and Shrunk have all been suspended for the time being.

This marks the latest set back for The Woman in the Window, a “psychological suspense thriller” which was originally slated for an October 4, 2019 release date and was delayed after disastrous test screenings left audiences confused about the film.

Disney’s various delays were inevitable at this rate as all Regal Cinemas, AMC Theatres, Alamo Drafthouse theaters, and more have all shut their doors in compliance with the CDC’s guidelines limiting gatherings of over 50 people for the next eight weeks in the United States. AMC alone represents the largest theater chain in the country, with 630 locations nationwide and as of Tuesday morning all of them are closed. They will remain closed for a period of 6 to 12 weeks.

According to the World Health Organization, who officially dubbed the outbreak a “pandemic” last week, there are 167,515 confirmed cases of coronavirus worldwide with 13,903 new cases confirmed in the last 24 hours. Worldwide there have been 6606 deaths. In the United States there have been 4,226 confirmed cases with 75 deaths as of this writing.

For those who are worried about the spread of the coronavirus, the CDC offers a litany of tips, including covering coughs and sneezes, avoiding large gatherings or close contact with people who are sick, and washing your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.