Warner Bros.’s Tenet, the canary in the box-office coalmine, has passed $41 million in domestic U.S. earnings in its fourth week. There’s no comparison for that number — there’s no precedent for a tentpole release in a pandemic — but rival studios’ reactions speak for themselves. A slew of blockbusters that were due in the fall have been delayed once more, including at least one animated film: Sony’s Connected.
It’s now all but certain that October will pass without a major new animated feature in U.S. theaters (although Netflix subscribers will get to see Glen Keane’s Over the Moon from October 23). But even as the pandemic rages on, the resilient animation industry is looking ahead to better days. September was a month of exciting announcements — important new films, hirings, partnerships, and studios were all unveiled. Let us refresh your memories…
Release dates continued to change. Sony’s Connected, which had been positioned as the next tentpole animated feature to hit theaters, was delayed from October 23 to an unconfirmed date later in the year. Rumors circulated that Pixar’s Soul will move to Disney+; for now, though, it’s still scheduled to get a theatrical release on November 20. Universal, reportedly confident that Soul will move, has brought Dreamworks’ The Croods: A New Age forward to November 25. All the reshuffling has resulted in a unique scenario: as things stand, Disney will release four animated features in three months next year.
