Roland Emmerich’s films are known for being high budget, sci-fi disaster blockbusters, and the upcoming Moonfall is no different. While the film is set to release on Feb. 4, it looks like those in Canada will be missing out on all the action, as plans for a theatrical release in the country have been scrapped.
Reaching out to Mongrel, Lionsgate and Cineplex, Screen Rant received word from Cineplex, confirming news of the cancellation. This came after a statement released by the film’s distributor, Mongrel Media, was released last Friday. The statement read: “for planning reasons, decisions had to be made while cinemas [in Canada] were closed.”
Amid the Omicron outbreak in Canada, restrictions tightened and movie theaters in Canada were eventually closed. Ontario just recently opened its theater doors on Jan. 31, while Quebec is set to reopen by Feb. 7. This has led to confusion as to why the film will not receive a theatrical release, which will undoubtedly affect its total box office gross.
Emmerich’s list of disaster films has earned him the nickname ‘master of disaster’. He’s responsible for the films: Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow, 2012, White House Down, and more films that center around mass destruction.
Moonfall features an ensemble cast, led by Halle Berry, Patrick Wilson and John Bradley, with Michael Peña, Charlie Plummer, Kelly Yu and Donald Sutherland in supporting roles. It was co-written by Emmerich, Harold Kloser and Spenser Cohen. It is currently unknown whether Canada will have access to a video-on-demand release.