Breaking news off the Paramount lot, as Deadline has learned that the studio has pushed upcoming Tom Cruise-fronted action blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick from this November to May 27, 2022.
The ongoing pandemic has also resulted in them moving another Cruise-led actioner, the hotly-awaited Mission: Impossible 7, from that aforementioned Memorial Day date to September 30, 2022, which means we'll be getting a double dose of TC next year.
Meanwhile, Jackass Forever has been moved to February 4, 2022.
While undoubtedly disappointing, the decision was not entirely unexpected, especially with the global box office still in recovery mode and the increasing threat of the Delta variant keeping people at home. However, with theater attendance expected to be much improved next year (potentially even nearing pre-pandemic levels), this did make the most business sense for two of their biggest blockbusters of the year.
For the time being, Mission: Impossible 8 is still slated to arrive in theaters on July 7, 2023, but that's also likely subject to change depending on the film's upcoming production schedule. With MI7 on the verge of wrapping, MI8 should kickstart production after a short hiatus at the tail-end of this calendar year, if not early next.
On a related note, there's buzz that Top Gun: Maverick ejecting out of 2021 could result in Sony slotting their upcoming superhero vehicle Venom: Let There Be Carnage into that now-vacant November 19th date, which would move it out of the October logjam, which has MGM's No Time to Die (October 8), Universal's Halloween (October 15), and Warner Bros.' Dune (October 22) opening in consecutive weeks. Of course, the biggest downside there is that taking it into later this year would put it even closer to Sony's magnum opus Spider-Man: No Way Home, and it'll be interesting to see whether Sony would be keen on dropping two of their potential billion-dollar blockbusters within a span of a month.
UPDATE: Following Paramount's moves, Sony has pushed Ghostbusters: Afterlife back one week to November 19. Venom: Let There Be Carnage is staying in October.