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    Sony delays “Venom” sequel release amid delta surge

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments1287 Views
    Tom Hardy attends a photo call for "Venom" on Sept. 27, 2018, in Los Angeles. In the biggest sign yet that Hollywood’s fall plans are being altered by the coronavirus surge driven by the delta variant, Sony Pictures on Thursday, Aug. 12, 2021, delayed the release of the big-budget sequel “Venom: Let There Be Carnage.” Instead of opening in theaters Sept. 24, the “Venom” sequel will now debut Oct. 15. The film, starring Hardy, had already been delayed numerous times during earlier stages of the pandemic. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)

    By Jake Coyle, Film Writer

    NEW YORK (AP) --

    In the biggest sign yet that Hollywood's fall plans are being altered by the coronavirus surge driven by the delta variant, Sony Pictures on Thursday delayed the release of the big-budget sequel "Venom: Let There Be Carnage." 

    Instead of opening in theaters Sept. 24, the "Venom" sequel will now debut Oct. 15. The film, starring Tom Hardy, had already been delayed numerous times during earlier stages of the pandemic. 

    But after constant turmoil, the fall movie calendar has stayed relatively calm until recently. Last week, Paramount Pictures postponed the release of "Clifford the Big Red Dog," citing the delta variant. 

    What "Venom" and "Clifford" have in common is that they're planned as theater-only releases. Sony doesn't have a major streaming platform the way Disney and Warner Bros. do. Those studios have been relaying partly on subscription boosts or digital rentals to offset lost box office. The original "Venom" earned $856 million globally in 2018. 

    After ramping-up ticket sales, the box office has turned south in recent weeks. After Disney's "Jungle Cruise" underperformed in late July, Warner Bros.' "The Suicide Squad"  opened with an underwhelming $26.2 million last weekend. Analysts have said the delta variant is keeping many moviegoers home. 

    But the "Venom" delay — relatively short compared to the postponements of last year — also suggests the film industry is banking on the current surge fading quickly. This weekend, Disney will release the 20th Century Fox production "Free Guy," with Ryan Reynolds, only in theaters.

    Tags:COVID-19delta variantSony PicturesVenom: Let There Be Carnage



    Olivia Hussey, star of 1968 film “Romeo and Juliet,” dies at 73

    Saturday, December 28, 2024
    "Romeo and Juliet" movie director Franco Zeffirelli, left, actors Olivia Hussey, center, and Leonard Whiting are seen after the Parisian premiere of the film in Paris on Sept. 25, 1968. (AP Photo/Eustache Cardenas, File)

    Olivia Hussey, the actor who starred as a teenage Juliet in the 1968 film "Romeo and Juliet," has died, her family said on social media Saturday. She was 73.

    Hussey died on Friday, "peacefully at home surrounded by her loved ones," a statement posted to her Instagram account said.

    Hussey was 15 when director Franco Zeffirelli cast her in his adaptation of the William Shakespeare tragedy after spotting her onstage in the play "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie," which also starred Vanessa Redgrave.

    "Romeo and Juliet" won two Oscars and Hussey won a Golden Globe for best new actress for her part as Juliet, opposite British actor Leonard Whiting, who was 16 at the time.

    Decades later Hussey and Whiting brought a lawsuit against Paramount Pictures alleging sexual abuse, sexual harassment and fraud over nude scenes in the film.

    They alleged that they were initially told they would wear flesh-colored undergarments in a bedroom scene, but on the day of the shoot Zeffirelli told the pair they would wear only body makeup and that the camera would be positioned in a way that would not show nudity. They alleged they were filmed in the nude without their knowledge.

    The case was dismissed by a Los Angeles County judge in 2023, who found their depiction could not be considered child pornography and the pair filed their claim too late.

    Hussey was born on April 17, 1951, in Bueno Aires, Argentina, and moved to London as a child.

    She also starred as Mary, mother of Jesus, in the 1977 television series "Jesus of Nazareth," and in the 1978 adaptation of Agatha Christie's "Death on the Nile."

    She is survived by her husband, David Glen Eisley, her three children and a grandson.

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