Paramount Pictures has delayed several major blockbusters and sequels. Though one much-anticipated franchise relaunch will be coming a bit sooner than expected. Tom Cruise fans, for starters, will have to wait longer for both Mission: Impossible 7 and Top Gun: Maverick. Both sequels were pushed back by the studio as Paramount tries to firm things up in anticipation of better box office prospects on the horizon.

Top Gun: Maverick, a sequel to the Tom Cruise 80s classic, is now dated for November 19, 2021. It had previously been set for July 2, right in time for the Fourth of July. The news comes not long after it was revealed that Disney will release Black Widow on July 9. It's unclear if Paramount's decision had anything to do with staying out of Marvel's way.

As for Mission: Impossible 7, which once again unites Cruise and director Christopher McQuarrie, will arrive on May 27, 2022. It had previously occupied the date now held by Top Gun: Maverick. Both movies have been delayed multiple times already as a result of the theater closures that plagued the industry in 2020.

As a result, the already-announced Mission: Impossible 8 has been delayed as well. It moves from November 4, 2022, to July 7, 2023. Jackass 4, the long-planned sequel in the comedic franchise, is also moving back. It moves one month from September of this year to October 22. Dungeons & Dragons, the long-planned movie based on the enduring game of the same name, has also been delayed. It was delayed a full ten months to March 3, 2023. The good news is that Snake Eyes, the upcoming G.I. Joe spin-off, will arrive sooner than expected, now dated for July 23, 2021. The movie stars Henry Golding (Crazy Rich Asians) in the title role.

Several other Paramount releases have received release dates. A Bee Gees biopic is now slated to arrive in theaters on November 4, 2022. Elsewhere, The Shrinking of Treehorn has received a November 10, 2023 release date, while an untitled comedy that has both Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool) and John Krasinski (A Quiet Place) set to star, will arrive on November 17, 2023. Details on that particular project, save the release date, largely remain scarce.

Paramount, like every other studio in Hollywood, seems to be encouraged by what they've seen at the box office lately, particularly from Godzilla vs. Kong. After a year that saw ticket sales plunge, things appear to be, albeit slowly, returning to normal. As such, studios have started to firm up slates in the hopes that some of these long-delayed titles can see the light of day.

For Paramount, it will be a different world. New movies such as Mission: Impossible 7 and A Quiet Place: Part II will debut on the Paramount+ streaming service just 45 days after they hit theaters. While theaters will still be a large part of the equation, the lasting effect of 2020 is that streaming has become dominant and exclusive theatrical windows will shrink. This news comes to us via The Hollywood Reporter.