As China prepares to reopen theaters tomorrow with proper safety measures in place, Universal's 1917 and Sony's Bad Boys for Life have secured release dates. The Sam Mendes-directed war drama will open August 7, while the Will Smith/Martin Lawrence action blockbuster will open the following week on August 14.
Also, on August 14, Warner Bros. will be re-releasing Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in 3D and 4K restorations to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the storied franchise. In a statement, the studio said, “We invite you to re-experience the infinite magic of Hogwarts and bizarre and motley Wizarding World.”
It was previously reported that Sony's Bloodshot starring Vin Diesel (Fast & Furious; Guardians of the Galaxy) and Universal's Dolittle starring Robert Downey Jr. (Avengers: Endgame; Iron Man) have been set to open on July 24.
With Bad Boys for Life landing a release date, Fox Searchlight's Jojo Rabbit and Paramount's Sonic the Hedgehog should be next up on the docket. Both are expected to be major players in the Chinese market after establishing themselves as big domestic blockbusters for their respective studios earlier this year.
The 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.