Though not entirely surprising, The King's Man has been pushed to 2021 by Disney. The upcoming prequel to the Kingsman franchise has faced several delays up to this point and, after having its release date shifted multiple times this year, the studio has instead opted to bite the bullet and move to (hopefully) greener pastures. It also takes yet another anticipated release off the calendar, serving as yet another major blow to movie theaters and the box office in 2020.

Disney has shifted the 20th Century studios release from September 18 to February 26, 2021. The movie had originally been set to arrive on February 14 this year but was pushed back to the fall by Disney. The King's Man, which sees Matthew Vaughn returning to the director's chair, was originally produced by Fox before the Disney merger. The good news is that the studio still seems set on giving this one a release in theaters, which signals they have confidence in what Vaughn has cooked up.

The King's Man takes place years before the events of the first two entries in the franchise. It picks up as a collection of history's worst tyrants and criminal masterminds gather to plot a war to wipe out millions. One man must race against time to stop them. The cast includes Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton, Rhys Ifans, Matthew Goode, Tom Hollander, Harris Dickinson, Daniel Brühl, Djimon Hounsou, Charles Dance. Matthew Vaughn, David Reid and Adam Bohling are producers.

The movies are based on the comic book The Secret Service by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons. The series has earned more than $800 million at the global box office so far. With that, Disney has reason to expect this one might be worth waiting it out, even if that means a hefty delay. Recently, the studio opted to make Mulan available on Disney+, for an additional $30, which led to speculation that other titles might soon follow. Instead, it seems Disney is doubling down on ensuring these movies get a chance to play in theaters.

Disney is becoming the first studio to release a blockbuster since theaters shut down in March this weekend with The New Mutants. The Marvel Comics adaptation has been delayed many times. That could allow Disney to test the waters and see how movies perform in the current environment. Studios have been cautious about taking risks as it is largely unknown what a movie can pull in at the box office right now. With movies such as these, a certain amount of financial performance is needed to not result in a loss.

That being the case, many big movies, such as Fast & Furious 9, Eternals, Halloween Kills, Ghostubsters: Afterlife, Morbius and many others have been pushed to 2021. The problem studios now face is release date crowding. Studios may have trouble finding a date that allows the movie to make enough money before another title comes in and steals its thunder. This news comes to us via Deadline.