Paramount announced Wednesday that it is moving the wrestling-themed animated film “Rumble” from a release date on May 14 to February 18, 2022.
This makes the studio the first to move a film slated for release in May 2021, though it might not be the last as studios weigh whether or not to abandon hopes that the COVID-19 pandemic will subside enough for theaters to reopen nationwide in the second quarter.
Disney has already moved the live-action “101 Dalmatians” spinoff “Cruella” from theatrical release to Disney+ on Memorial Day weekend, but is still committed to a May 7 theatrical opening for Marvel Studios’ “Black Widow.” Other films currently set for release in May include Universal’s “F9” and Lionsgate’s “Spiral.”
Co-produced by WWE Studios and directed by Hamish Grieve, “Rumble” stars Will Arnett and Geraldine Viswanathan as an amateur monster wrestler and an aspiring teenage human trainer who team up to become champions in a popular monster wrestling league dominated by a beast named Tentacular, played by Terry Crews.
WWE wrestlers Roman Reigns and Becky Lynch also star in the film alongside Ben Schwartz, Tony Danza, Charles Barkley and Stephen A. Smith.
Currently, no other films are set for release on February 18, 2022, and “Rumble” is set to follow a pair of untitled releases from Universal and 20th Century Studios.