In March 2026, distributor Row K was revealed to be facing major financial problems and unable to pay its bills. Several of its projects were consequently suspended, with some offloaded, including Maude Apatow’s “Poetic License” and Jaume Collet-Serra’s “Cliffhanger” reboot.
Now, about “Cliffhanger”: it has recently found a new home over at Neon, which is planning a robust rollout for this pricey movie in the hope that it will become the biggest box-office success the distributor has ever had, while still allowing Row K to remain involved “in some capacity.”
Before practically going bankrupt, Row K had planned to release “Cliffhanger” in August 2026 on more than 3,000 screens nationwide. That date was delayed, but we can now report that a new date has quietly been set: February 24, 2027. That’s when it will come out. The plan is still for around 3,000 locations across the US.
Don’t brush off this movie just yet. “Cliffhanger” has reportedly tested very well, so there is some hope for this one. That may explain Neon’s excitement around it, despite the staggering $100 million budget — which was independently financed through international pre-sales and private investment rather than a traditional studio deal.
Still, this is a steep investment for a movie without conventional A-list headliners — unless Lily James and Pierce Brosnan fit that description for you. Row K’s price to offload “Cliffhanger” to Neon was $12 million, plus a $20 million P&A commitment.
The project itself has quite the rocky history. “Cliffhanger” underwent a major creative overhaul in 2024 after Sylvester Stallone, who was all set to star, exited only weeks before production was supposed to begin over reported “creative differences.” The script was rewritten. The original cast was replaced.
Collet-Serra, coming off the mega-streaming success of Netflix’s “Carry-On,” one of Hollywood’s more interesting practitioners of elevated mediocrity, has directed several Liam Neeson action movies — “Unknown,” “Non-Stop,” “Run All Night,” and “The Commuter” — alongside less successful efforts such as “Jungle Cruise,” “Black Adam,” and the Paris Hilton-starring “House of Wax.” He certainly does not win ’em all, but a $100 million “Cliffhanger” is at least an intriguing gamble.
That $100M budget is a steep investment for a movie without conventional A-list headliners — unless Lily James and Pierce Brosnan fit that description for you.