Disney pulls ‘Death on the Nile’ movie off holiday calendar

FILE PHOTO: 90th Academy Awards – Oscars Arrivals – Hollywood, California, U.S., 04/03/2018 – Gal Gadot. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo

LOS ANGELES — Adventure movie “Death on the Nile” was taken off the holiday movie calendar on Thursday, further jeopardizing the chances for a revival this year of the industry.

Walt Disney Co said the release of the mystery adventure, based on an Agatha Christie novel and with a star cast that includes Gal Gadot and Kenneth Branagh, had been delayed indefinitely.

It had been due to open in North America and much of the world on Dec. 18 and was the latest film to be pushed back as the industry struggles to get back to business amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“Wonder Woman 1984,” from Warner Bros., is now the last potential Hollywood blockbuster still on the calendar for 2020, with a Dec. 25 release date.

The only remaining Disney-owned movie to be released this year is the independent Oscar hopeful “Nomadland,” starring Frances McDormand as woman who loses everything in a recession.

Hollywood studios have pushed a string of movies, including the new James Bond film “No Time To Die” and action movie “Black Widow,” into 2021.

Thursday’s move comes after several European countries, including the U.K., Italy and France, reimposed tough lockdowns to combat a surge in coronavirus cases. Movie theaters in the biggest U.S. markets – New York City and Los Angeles – remain shut.

Efforts to get Americans back into theaters after the pandemic shuttered cinemas worldwide in March have proved disappointing given the dearth of new films to attract audiences.