As Hollywood’s labor strikes continue, Sony is the first major studio to begin delaying films for the 2023-2024 season. The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has been on strike since May 2, while the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) began its strike on July 14. This marks the first time that the WGA and SAG-AFTRA have been on strike concurrently since the 1960s. Unfortunately, neither strike shows signs of concluding any time soon, as the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) has refused to concede to the union’s demands to pay actors and writers for their work and provide safeguards for the rise of artificial intelligence (AI).
The WGA strike managed to halt dozens of productions. However, some were still able to continue thanks to finished scripts. But the SAG-AFTRA strike shut down any remaining productions, aside from independent low-budget films given special permission to continue. Additionally, SAG-AFTRA is asking members and non-members to refrain from promoting their films or attending premieres or screenings. Films like Disney’s Haunted Mansion went ahead with their scheduled premieres despite the strike, with Disney characters walking the red carpet in place of the film’s stars.
However, many have been anticipating the delays to start affecting upcoming films, including those slated to release this year. While some studios may forge ahead with premieres in defiance of the strike, it can’t be denied that the absence of actors at premieres and in promotional duties could impact box office performance. Studios may have been stubborn early on by refusing to delay any major films within the first few weeks of the dual strikes, but now it looks like they may have no choice but to act.
Sony shakes up its release slate amid strikes
As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Sony has delayed several of its upcoming films. The highly anticipated Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, which was slated for release on March 29, 2024, has been stripped of its release date and delayed indefinitely. Kraven the Hunter, which was supposed to premiere on October 6, 2023, has been pushed way back to August 30, 2024. The studio even delayed Gran Turismo just two weeks before it was supposed to hit theaters. The sports biopic was scheduled for a wide release on August 11. However, now it will receive a limited theatrical release on August 11 and a wide release on August 25. This is likely in hopes that early viewers who preview the film during its limited release will promote and raise awareness for it in place of the actors.
The Karate Kid movie was also pushed back from June 7, 2024, to December 13, 2024, while the Ghostbusters: Afterlife sequel was pushed from December 20, 2023, to March 29, 2024. What’s interesting is that the studio gave release dates to Bad Boys 4 and Venom 3 for the first time. Bad Boys 4 is slated for release on June 14, 2024, and Venom 3 on July 12, 2024. This is a bit surprising as filming on both these projects was halted by the strikes, but Sony must still be holding out for these ideal summer dates, especially Bad Boys 4‘s potentially lucrative Father’s Day weekend.
Sony has taken the plunge and acknowledged that releasing films like Kraven the Hunter sans the star power pull of Aaron Taylor-Johnson during the strikes isn’t plausible. It’s expected that other studios will start following suit, as Sony’s shakeup confirms these strikes are happening and are likely here to stay. Sony has only itself to blame for its numerous delays as studios continue refusing to heed the demands of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA. Perhaps, seeing movie releases grow few and far between will finally inspire the AMPTP to act.
(via THR, featured image: Sony)
