After multiple delays, The New Mutants has finally been released in theaters as more cinemas across the world begin to reopen. However, Maisie Williams, who portrays Wolfsbane in the film, advised fans who feel unsafe venturing back to theaters to consider waiting until they can watch the latest X-Men film at home instead.
In spring, movie theaters around the world shut down on government orders in an effort to contain the spread of COVID-19. While the pandemic remains a threat, certain areas in the United States and other corners of the globe are beginning to re-open theaters and The New Mutants is one of the new releases exhibitors are hoping can entice moviegoers back to cinemas.
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The release of The New Mutants follows a series of delays that started when the film was pushed back from its original April 2018 date to February 2019 and then again to August of the same year to avoid the theatrical debut of Dark Phoenix. After Disney acquired 20th Century Fox, the studio rescheduled The New Mutants for an April 3, 2020, release until it postponed the film’s theatrical release due to the pandemic.
During an interview with Variety, Maisie Williams admitted that there was a point when she believed The New Mutants might never be released in theaters. “I knew that they spent $80 million on it, so I thought, if this movie never comes out, that is such a huge waste of money that really could have made a huge impact in the world. I’m so glad that it is coming out, finally. I hope that people enjoy it. I did definitely think in the middle that maybe it would go straight to streaming. But it’s going to come out in the theater, so I hope that maybe we’ll get a good turnout. I don’t know if anyone’s really going outside,” Williams said.
While theater owners are taking precautionary measures to sanitize screening rooms and ensure the safety of patrons as best they can, moviegoers are still trying to decide if returning to cinemas is worth the risk of contracting COVID-19. “I just hope that people wear masks and that cinemas are clean. I know there is quite an intense cleaning that happens in between films anyway. So I would hope that the extra precautions can be knitted in fairly easily to the viewing schedule. But I just hope people are safe,” Williams said of people potentially returning to theaters to see The New Mutants. However, Williams assured fans it would be fine if they skipped seeing the film in theaters should they feel unsafe, saying, “if people don’t feel comfortable, don’t go watch it. It’s going to come out on DVD at some point, you can watch it then.”
Of course, Williams wasn’t the only one who thought The New Mutants might end up on a streaming service and some argued it would be the safer route for people to see the film. However, director Josh Boone explained that contractual obligations required a theatrical release for the latest entry in the X-Men film series.
Reviews for The New Mutants have been largely negative so far with some describing the film was one of the worst installments of the X-Men franchise. So the decision on whether or not to skip seeing The New Mutants in theaters may not be difficult after all.
The New Mutants is now playing in theaters.
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Source: Variety