On Thursday, Disney announced that its two upcoming features from its 20th Century Studios division would be pulled from scheduled December release dates. The sci-fi adventure Free Guy starring Ryan Reynolds had been scheduled for a 12/11 debut and the crime mystery Death on the Nile from director Kenneth Branagh had been scheduled for a 12/18 release. No new release dates have been announced, leading some to speculate whether one or both titles may eventually move out of theatres and over to Disney+ streaming.
This comes on the heels of Disney’s announcement last month of a major restructuring of its media and entertainment divisions to emphasize the growth of its streaming business. For now, only two major studio films are holding on to a 2020 release date, Warner Bros.’ Wonder Woman 1984 and Universal’s News of The World starring Tom Hanks, both scheduled to debut on 12/25, Christmas Day.