‘peter rabbit 2: the runaway’ moves up another week – updated

3RD UPDATE, 9:20 AM: The release-calendar moves for Sony‘s toon sequel are multiplying like rabbits. The studio today moved _Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway _up by another week to June 11; it

had been set for June 18. The family pic, which has cumed $31.4 million in its international rollout thus far, now will go up against Warner Bros’ Lin-Manuel Miranda musical _In the Heights 

_and a slew of limited-release films. 2ND UPDATE, APRIL 9: The bunny trail is busy again. Sony said today that its _Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway _is moving up two weeks from Fourth of July

weekend to June 18. The move comes just hours after after Paramount announced that its _Top Gun: Maverick _exited its July 2 slot and Blumhouse’s _The Forever Purge _is taking that date.

UPDATED, MARCH 19: The bunny trail to theaters just got a little longer for _Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway. _Sony Pictures today pushed its family sequel’s release back to July 2, just two

weeks after it had pushed the date up from June 11 to May 14. WATCH ON DEADLINE It’s a case of good news/bad news for exhibition in that it puts a popular family franchise film into the

normally busy Independence Day holiday frame — the Fourth of July falls on a Sunday this year — but takes an event film away from the May calendar just as more theaters are reopening after

long Covid shutdowns. As of now, Peter_ Rabbit 2 _will go up against only one other wide release that weekend, Paramount’s long-gestating sequel _Top Gun: Maverick. _The sequel’s cast

includes Rose Byrne, Domhnall Gleeson, David Oyelowo, Elizabeth Debicki, Margot Robbie and James Corden as Peter Rabbit. PREVIOUSLY, MARCH 3: In a positive sign for exhibition, and NYC

reopening this Friday, Sony is moving up their release of _Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway _from June 11 to May 14. Not only is Sony getting a jump on summer, but it’s clear there is an appetite

for family movies as the pandemic calms; i.e. last weekend Warner Bros. theatrical release of _Tom & Jerry _overperformed with a $14.1M opening weekend — and that’s with a same-day

release on HBO Max. The hope is that by Easter weekend, the Los Angeles county theaters will be open, however, that’s on pure industry speculation. The first _Peter Rabbit_ debuted in 2018

and ultimately grossed $351M WW. Filmmaker Will Gluck returned to direct the sequel. Currently, Disney/Marvel’s _Black Widow _is still dated for May 7, as summer’s theatrical opener. TBD

whether that sticks or not as it relies on a number of foreign markets also being open. _Peter Rabbit 2 _would face off against Warner Bros./HBO Max adult western _Those Who Wish Me Dead _on

its opening date as well as Roadside Attractions’ _Finding You. _May 21’s wide entries are Lionsgate’s _Spiral _and 20th Century Studios’ _Free Guy. _Memorial Day weekend, May 28, lineup

includes Disney’s _Cruella, _Universal’s _F9, _and Paramount’s _Infinite. _