In what feels a lot like a bad April Fool's joke, Sony has decided to officially delay the release of Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City.
The cinematic reboot of Capcom's most popular video game franchise was initially scheduled to release on Labor Day weekend, during September later this year. However, Sony has decided to delay the movie for a couple of months. Instead, the movie is now scheduled to premiere on November 24. Why Was the Resident Evil Movie Release Date Changed? https://twitter.com/ResidentEvil/status/1343603702788079617
Sony didn't specify a particular reason for their decision to delay the Resident Evil movie. However, numerous speculations are floating around. The most prevalent of which revolves around the premiere of Shang-Chi and the Legend of Ten Rings.
Disney recently announced that the upcoming feature film debut of Marvel comics character Shang-Chi will premiere on Labor Day weekend this year. Because of this, Sony's decision to delay the new Resident Evil movie makes a lot of sense.
Even though the Resident Evil franchise has proven to be a huge blockbuster hit, generating more than $1 billion in the theatrical box office, releasing it alongside a Marvel film isn't ideal. This is especially with how theaters have yet to fully recover from the effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Curiously enough, the decision pits Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City against another Disney movie. The animated movie Enchanto is expected to premiere the same weekend as the new Resident Evil movie. Not to mention, the Thanksgiving Weekend is historically huge and it could end up competing with other big franchises.