Universal Pictures announced early Thursday afternoon that F9 will be delayed slightly from May 28 to a June 25 domestic release this summer. The studio also pushed Minions: The Rise of Gru from this July 2 to next year, now going on July 1, 2022.
The tenth installment in the global blockbuster Fast & Furious franchise has seen its target date move a few times during the pandemic. The film leaves behind Memorial Day weekend, when Disney currently has Cruella and Paramount has Infinite slated to open in domestic cinemas.
F9‘s one-month pushback is likely targeted to capture as much of the international market as possible with theatrical reopening timelines not all in sync as the world begins to see light at the end of the pandemic tunnel.
The franchise is a major player domestically, but even more so outside North American borders. The Fate of the Furious, the most recent installment in the prime Vin Diesel-led series, earned 81 percent of its $1.24 billion global box office haul from overseas territories. That translated to $1.01 billion internationally.
The new June date pits F9 directly against Sony’s Venom: Let There Be Carnage, although that will likely change in the near future.
Meanwhile, the Minions prequel’s delay vacates Independence Day weekend in the United States, which remains headlined by Paramount’s Top Gun: Maverick (July 2). The Rise of Gru had been set to open two weeks after Disney / Pixar’s Luca (June 18) and just one week before Disney / Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (July 9).
Rise of Gru‘s new date takes the place of an untitled Illumination animated film Universal had previously staked for the same July 1, 2022 weekend.
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