Major Film Releases Delayed to 2027 as Studios Re-tool Award Strategies

A number of high-profile movies slated for the 2026 awards cycle are being pushed to 2027, with studios citing festival timing and post-production needs.

Industry insiders confirm that several marquee titles originally positioned for the 2026 awards season will now target 2027. Netflix’s "Saturn Return," a dual-timeline romance starring Charles Melton, Rachel Brosnahan and Will Poulter, may premiere at South by Southwest in Austin, while Fernando Meirelles’ non-linear heist film "Here Comes the Flood," led by Denzel Washington and featuring Robert Pattinson and Daisy Edgar-Jones, faces a post-production bottleneck.

A24’s "The Riders," a psychological thriller with Brad Pitt and Julianne Nicholson, and Ruben Östlund’s ensemble satire "The Entertainment System Is Down," starring Keanu Reeves and Kirsten Dunst, are both being held for a Cannes slot in the next cycle. Meanwhile, Tom Ford’s 18th-century Italian-opera-set feature "Cry to Heaven" and Joel Coen’s "Jack of Spades," which recently screened for potential buyers, are still seeking distribution and are expected to arrive in the 2027 calendar.