Universal has stunned the movie universe with its announcement that “The Boss Baby: Family Business” will premiere on Peacock and open in theaters on Friday July 2nd: just over five weeks from now. The previous release date for DreamWorks Animation’s sequel to their 2017 Oscar nominated hit was September 17th.
But UNI realized that there’s a gaping hole on the calendar for family films on… of all weekends… 4th of July Weekend. Sony’s “Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway” was going to capture all families going to the movies from June 18th through July 15th. Warner Bros. “Space Jam: A New Legacy” opens on the 16th. However, UNI has decided to insert “Family Business” right in between.
Originally set for July 2, 2021 was Universal and Illumination’s “Minions: The Rise of Gru”, which was pushed back an entire year (for the second time) to July 1, 2022.
“The Boss Baby” sequel will be the second DreamWorks Animation film to open within a 30-day period, after the sweet “Spirit Untamed” on June 4th. This is the closest two DreamWorks films have ever opened. The previous record was set in 2010, when “How to Train Your Dragon” opened on March 26th and “Shrek Forever After” debuted on May 21st.
“Family Business” will also open on the same day as Universal’s horror film “The Forever Purge” and just one week after the studio’s “F9: The Fast Saga”, which is already dominating the overseas box office.
Interestingly, you could also argue that this is the Summer of Sony Animation. Their “Mitchells vs. the Machines” premiered on Netflix on April 30th – so, still technically Spring, but it’s going to continue to do well over the summer. Next up is “Wish Dragon” on the streaming platform on June 11th. “Peter Rabbit 2” (June 18th) is a Sony movie with a lot of animation, though unlike the first film, Sony Pictures Animation is not directly involved.
However, SPA is heading to theaters with final franchise installment “Hotel Transylvania: Transformania” on July 23rd. And the studio’s musical “Vivo” will be on Netflix by the end of the summer.