10 Upcoming Movies That Might Already Be Doomed
3. Minions: The Rise Of Gru
The impact of the pandemic has of course resulted in countless films being delayed from their original release dates, but none more so than Minions: The Rise of Gru.
Initially pencilled in for a July 3, 2020 release, the animated sequel will now hit cinemas on July 1, 2022, marking a 728-day delay from its original intended bow - by far the longest date that any film has been pushed during the pandemic.
Though the Despicable Me movies are largely critic-proof and the first Minions went on to gross a stonking $1.159 billion worldwide back in 2015, one has to ask - will people still care about them in 2022?
Belated sequels have a history of underperforming at the box office - especially comedy sequels - and while it's virtually impossible for this movie to bomb, there's every chance the fading novelty of the Minions and franchise fatigue has a major impact on The Rise of Gru's profitability.
By the summer of 2022 it wouldn't be that surprising if Minions 2 made just half of what the previous film did, and if it somehow runs even lower than that, it risks putting the entire franchise on ice.