Thanks to the Coronavirus pandemic, many 2021 movies have been delayed to 2022. As the pandemic continues to engulf the world, the entertainment industry - particularly movie and TV studios - have reshuffled their release schedules to accommodate production shutdowns and theaters being closed globally. While some countries and states in the United States have relaxed their restrictions to allow for theaters to open up, things remain in a constant state of flux.
In response to the pandemic, several movies were pulled from the calendar altogether and still lack a release date, while some were sent direct to VOD or streaming, as was the case with 2021 film releases back to 2022 in order to accommodate the major reshuffle.
Following all the pushes from 2020 to 2021, then from 2021 to 2022, both 2021 and 2022 have become some of the most packed years in blockbuster movie history. Of course, if the pandemic continues being prolonged, it's possible some 2022 releases will bump to 2023. Here are all the films, as of the writing of this piece, that have seen their release dates moved from 2021 to 2022.
The 355
Sebastian Stan, and Edgar Ramirez. The 355 was planned to release on January 15, 2021, but got bumped back to January 14, 2022.
Avatar 2
It's been 12 years since director James Cameron's Avatar 2 finally arrives on December 16, 2022, after multiple production delays pre-COVID, and several more after the pandemic began.
Babylon
The latest from Babylon was originally planned for a Christmas Day 2021 release, but was subsequently delayed to Christmas Day 2022. Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie lead the cast, which also includes names like Samara Weaving, Olivia Wilde, Tobey Maguire, and Jovan Adepo.
The Batman
DC's latest attempt at reinventing the Caped Crusader for the big screen, Bruce Wayne's time as Batman, Robert Pattinson takes over the lead role and battles with The Riddler, while Jeffrey Wright becomes the first Black actor to play Jim Gordon. The Batman was originally planned for a June 25, 2021 release, but several delays sent it to March 4, 2022.
Black Adam
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson finally makes his official debut in the superhero movie realm with DC's Black Adam, playing the titular antihero and frequent rival of Shazam!. Black Adam was originally set to soar into theaters on December 22, 2021, but Coronavirus sent it packing to July 29, 2022.
Death on the Nile
A sequel to 2017's successful Death on the Nile sees Kenneth Branagh back as both director and star, playing world-famous detective Hercule Poirot. Awash with stars like Annette Bening, Gal Gadot, and - awkwardly at this point - Armie Hammer, Death on the Nile had previously been moved to September 7, 2021 after multiple delays, before moving again to February 11, 2022.
Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness
The Loki. The film is now scheduled for March 25, 2022.
Downton Abbey: A New Era
After the massive success of the first Downton Abbey: A New Era was supposed to come out on December 22, 2021, but was delayed to March 18, 2022.
Elvis
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood's Austin Butler plays Elvis. After an initial plan to release the biopic in 2021, it's now set to swivel its hips into theaters on June 3, 2022.
Fantastic Beasts 3
The third entry in the Fantastic Beasts franchise of Hannibal star Mads Mikkelsen.
