In a 12.20.21 piece titled, “The Batman’ Release May Be Delayed to Next Summer,” I revealed having spoken to a contact from Warner Bros. who told me that they were monitoring the COVID situation very closely and that no decision has been made yet about a possible release date change for Matt Reeves’“The Batman.”
The person, speaking under anonymity, added that, although a tentative summer date has already been chosen as a second option, the March date is still being kept … for now. It’s no surprise then to read Variety’s short interview with Warner CEO Jason Kilar who also admits that they are monitoring the Omicron situation very closely.
From what I gathered, a major Omicron storm is about to hit the US in mid-January, which is when the peak of cases is set to happen. Over 10 million Americans are expected to be sick and not able to work by then, this would obviously have a cataclysmic effect on the efficiency, or lack thereof, of the American economy.
How long this “perfect storm” of the virus lasts isn’t really known, but it could go on for a few weeks, maybe a few months. This is why many January/February releases have been pushed back to March/April. It makes sense. Movie theatres will obviously get hit hard by staff shortages and a moviegoing public unwilling to risk going to a theatre.