Escape Room 2 is coming to a movie theater near you much sooner than expected. Sony Pictures has opted to bump up the release of the upcoming horror sequel by a full six months. It will now arrive smack dab in the middle of July, putting it right in the heart of the summer movie season, something that was virtually nonexistent in 2020. But that looks to change this year and Sony is trying to get a possible hit on the books sooner rather than later.

Sony will now release Escape Room 2 in theaters on July 16. It was originally slated to hit theaters in August of last year. But theater closures and uncertainty at the box office prevented that from happening, as was the case with many movies from various studios in 2020. Sony had previously delayed the sequel to 2019'sEscape Room until January 7, 2022, seemingly content to wait until the time was right. In a rare move for the business recently, a major release is being moved up by a full six months. That signifies a growing confidence in the marketplace and a possible return to relative normalcy for moviegoers in the not-too-distant future.

Plot details for the sequel are currently being kept under wraps. Original director Adam Robitel is back at the helm, as is producer Neal H. Moritz. Returning cast members include Taylor Russell and Logan Miller. Indya Moore (Pose), Holland Roden (Teen Wolf), Isabelle Fuhrman (Orphan), Carlito Olivero (Bad Samaritan), Thomas Cocquerel (In Like Flynn) and James Frain (The Tudors) round out the new ensemble. Will Honley (The Hive), Maria Melnik (American Gods) and Daniel Tuch (Hand of God) wrote the screenplay, working from a story by Honley, Christine Lavaf (Invincible) and Fritz Bohm (Wildling). Robitel, Karina Rahardja and Philip Waley are also on board to produce.

Escape Room was released in 2019. It turned the premise of escape rooms, which have become a popular activity in recent years, into a saw-esque horror show. The movie centers on six strangers who are brought together by an intriguing invitation. At first, they think they are there for an immersive escape room. But they soon find out that they are pawns in a sadistic game of life and death. It proved to be a sizable hit, taking in $155 million at the global box office against a mere $9 million production budget. Plans for a sequel were hatched quickly.

Thanks to the success of recent movies such as Godzilla vs. Kong and Mortal Kombat, among others, studios are feeling more confident about the summer season. There is a reasonably robust lineup of big movies coming down the pipeline over the next few months. Some of the titles on deck include Wrath of Man, Spiral, Those Who Wish Me Dead, Cruella, A Quiet Place Part II, Peter Rabbit 2, Free Guy, F9 and Black Widow. With the release now creeping up fast, we should be getting a trailer for Escape Room 2 sooner rather than later. We'll be sure to keep you posted as further details are made available. This news was previously reported by Variety.