Morbius‘ latest delay could be a blessing in disguise as Spider-Man: No Way Home continues to do gangbusters at the box office. Announced as part of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, Morbius stars Jared Leto as the titular “living vampire” and serves as an origin story for the Sony-owned Marvel villain. Matt Smith, Tyrese Gibson and Jared Harris feature among the supporting cast, but Morbius has piqued curiosity by bringing back Michael Keaton as Adrian Toomes – the very same Adrian Toomes who became Vulture in the MCU’s Spider-Man: Homecoming. Quite how those dots connect remains to be seen, but the MCU link has certainly added to Morbius‘ buzz.
Unless you’ve been living under an especially remote rock for the past 2 years (in which case where is it, and can we come too?), you’ll have seen how profoundly COVID-19 has affected the movie industry. From production shutdowns and theater closures to on-set precautions and stars refusing to get vaccinated, “disruption” barely begins to cover the pandemic’s impact. Morbius is just one of many releases hit. Originally slated for July 2020, Morbius slipped to March 2021, then October 2021, then January 2022, then slightly later in January 2022. Most recently, Sony shoved Morbius back in his coffin until April 1, 2022.
Sony’s reasoning is the omicron variant of COVID-19 that emerged toward 2021’s end. The new strain is causing higher infection rates and generating concern among the medical community, prompting many countries to implement or consider implementing some level of restrictions. These uncertainties and fears, as well as the potential for added precautions in theaters, indicate delaying Morbius is a wise decision. Even without considering the specter of omicron, however, shifting Morbius until April smartly avoids direct competition with Spider-Man: No Way Home.
A joint venture between Marvel and Sony, Spider-Man: No Way Home is 2021’s biggest box office success by a very comfortable distance. No Time To Die and Shang-Chi offered signs of movie theater recovery, but Spider-Man: No Way Home alone currently accounts for a whopping 12% of 2021’s US box office which is, frankly, ridiculous. As Marvel and Sony dine out on Hollywood’s biggest hit since the pandemic began, Peter Parker evidently has eight legs that’ll take him deep into January. As such, it makes little sense for Sony to wheel out Morbius during the same month. Despite Jared Leto’s Oscar-winning credentials, Dr. Michael Morbius lacks Peter Parker’s household-name recognition, and with movie-goers behaving cautiously, asking superhero fans to attend theaters twice in quick succession to see Spider-Man: No Way Home and Morbius can only put a stake through the latter’s box office success. Morbius is a relatively unknown property facing an industry where major blockbusters are bombing more often. When Morbius arrives, it needs to be Sony’s superhero focus – not an addendum that gets instantly overshadowed by a still-swinging Spidey.
That’s even truer when taking Morbius‘ MCU links into account. Though it’s not yet known precisely how Jared Leto is involved in the Marvel movie multiverse, his character will inevitably become an extension of the world Tom Holland’s Spider-Man inhabits. The lack of breathing room between Marvel multiverse installments – combined with aforementioned omicron concerns – could wave a clove of garlic in the face of Morbius achieving financial prosperity. And though the date change puts Morbius somewhat closer to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (May 6), Sony has no stake whatsoever in Benedict Cumberbatch’s solo sequel, whereas Spider-Man: No Way Home is still raking in a haul many thought impossible during the pandemic era.
Key Release Dates
- Morbius (2022)Release date: Jan 21, 2022
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