While the United States seems like it may actually be months away from any new releases, China is gearing up to reopen theaters - with proper safety measures installed - next week and ahead of their grand reopening, a number of big-budget Hollywood titles have secured release dates.
Both Sony's Bloodshot starring Vin Diesel (Fast & Furious; Guardians of the Galaxy) and Universal's Dolittle starring Robert Downey Jr. (Avengers: Endgame; Iron Man) will open on July 24, while a fellow Universal title, Sam Mendes' war drama 1917, will open the following Friday on July 31.
A number of other major titles, including Fox Searchlight's Jojo Rabbit, Sony's Bad Boys for Life, and Paramount's Sonic the Hedgehog, are waiting to be dated and are expected to be major players in the Chinese markets after establishing themselves as big domestic blockbusters for their respective studios earlier this year.
The safety measures being implemented may be an early sign of what's to come when the United States determines how to safely reopen theaters this fall. They include no concessions being sold, temperature scans of all audience members, mandatory masks throughout the entire show, and no cinemas can book any movies with runtimes over two hours. Auditoriums must also be under 30% capacity, with a meter distance between each visitor, among other precautions.