Sony has delayed the release of “Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City.” The apocalyptic horror film is now scheduled for Nov. 24.
“Resident Evil” was previously set for Sept. 3, which is the same day that Disney is currently expected to open the Marvel adventure “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.” It stands to reason that Sony would want to space out “Resident Evil” from a big-budget superhero movie, especially since moviegoing has been slow to return in the U.S.
In recent weeks, studios have been ramping up their year-long game of release date musical chairs. Liongate’s “Spiral: From the Book of Saw,” for example, will debut a week earlier than expected on May 14. And Warner Bros. newly announced that “Mortal Kombat” has been postponed a week to April 23. Meanwhile, Disney has amended plans for several titles, including “Black Widow” (July 9) and “Shang-Chi.”
“Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City” is based on the video game series and serves as a reboot of the film franchise led by Milla Jovovich. Johannes Roberts (“47 Meters Down”) wrote and directed the upcoming adaptation, which takes place in the late 1990s and stars Kaya Scodelario of “The Maze Runner” fame.
The logline of the film reads: “In the once booming home of the pharmaceutical giant Umbrella Corporation, Raccoon City is now a dying Midwestern town. The company’s exodus left the city a wasteland…with great evil brewing below the surface. When that evil is unleashed, the townspeople are forever…changed…and a small group of survivors must work together to uncover the truth behind Umbrella and make it through the night.”