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The move signaled that Universal, a unit of
Comcast Corp, is confident of a summer rebound as coronavirus
vaccines become more widely available in the United States and
Canada, which combined make up the world's largest film market.
Cinemas in New York City, the second-largest moviegoing region
in the United States, are scheduled to start reopening on
Friday.
Theater operators including AMC Entertainment, Cineworld Plc and
Cinemark Holdings Inc are hoping they will have blockbusters
movies to show this summer, typically their most lucrative
season.
Movie studios do not want to release their most expensive action
flicks until they can draw large crowds to recoup production and
marketing costs.
The next big-budget action movie on the Hollywood schedule, Walt
Disney Co's Marvel movie "Black Widow," is currently set to hit
theaters on May 7.
The "Fast & Furious" franchise about a group of street racers
has rung up more than $5 billion in global ticket sales since
the first movie was released in 2001.
"F9," which stars Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez, had
originally been scheduled for release in April 2019 but has been
postponed several times.
Other films currently planned for summer include "Top Gun:
Maverick" starring Tom Cruise, and Marvel's "Shang-Chi and the
Legend of the Ten Rings," both in July.
After moving "F9" to late June, Universal postponed the release
of animated movie "Minions: The Rise of Gru" from early July
2021 until July 2022.
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Frances Kerry and Bill
Berkrot)
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