It's not shaping up to be a good time for new theatrical releases, as the latest film to be pushed back is Venom 2: Let There Be Carnage, which has been delayed by at least three weeks according to Variety and many sources.

The sequel to the iconic anti-hero film starring Tom Hardy and Woody Harrelson has already faced delays due to Covid. Now, because of poor box office numbers with other recent releases, they have chosen to push Venom 2's release to October 15 instead of the previous date of September 24. This report originally comes courtesy of Variety, who revealed that the delay was in relation to the Delta Variant of Covid, and how that might impact theatre sales.

venom and carnage roar in a split image

After the full trailer was released earlier this month with a simple "coming this fall" message instead of an actual release date, fans were already speculating that it could be pushed back over concerns of the rising delta variant cases in the United States, which recently affected ticket sales for films like The Suicide Squad. Venom 2 was originally supposed to release earlier this summer on June 25, and before that was supposed to release in October of 2020, meaning it has been delayed four times now.

With Venom 2 being delayed yet again, it could potentially spell trouble for other big titles on the way such as Spider-Man: No Way Home. Sony owns both Spider-Man and Venom, so it might choose to play it safe if the trend continues by delaying what is ultimately its biggest IP. Sony is planning a presentation at Cinemacon later this month and more news regarding Spider-Man No Way home could come out of that.

Although four delays is a lot, it doesn't compare to Black Widow, which was the worst victim of theatrical delays because of theatre closures. What really hit the film hard was the combined Disney+ and theatrical release. Its star Scarlett Johannson is now in a legal battle with Disney.

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