LOS ANGELES, April 9 (Reuters) – Paramount Pictures has announced a significant change in their release schedule. The highly anticipated Tom Cruise movie “Top Gun: Maverick,” initially set to premiere in July, has been postponed to November. This decision comes as a blow to movie theaters that were counting on the film to be one of the major attractions of the summer blockbuster season.

“Top Gun: Maverick,” the sequel to the iconic 1986 film “Top Gun,” will now make its theatrical debut on November 19. This new release date was originally reserved for another Tom Cruise film, the seventh installment of the “Mission: Impossible” series. Consequently, “Mission: Impossible 7” has been rescheduled for May 2022, as confirmed by Paramount, a subsidiary of ViacomCBS Inc.

Theater operators such as AMC Entertainment, Cineworld Group Plc, and Cinemark Holdings Inc. are eagerly anticipating a resurgence in business during the summer months after enduring prolonged closures and operational disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The delay of “Top Gun: Maverick” adds uncertainty to their recovery plans.

Despite these changes, other major films are still slated for summer releases. The ninth chapter of the “Fast & Furious” franchise, produced by Universal Pictures, a division of Comcast Corp, is scheduled to hit cinemas on June 25. Additionally, Marvel Studios’ “Black Widow,” distributed by Walt Disney Co., will be available in theaters and for an additional fee on the Disney+ streaming service starting July 9.

(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Franklin Paul and David Gregorio)