Operation Mincemeat, the Second World War spy pic starring Colin Firth, has had its UK release date pushed by Warner Bros amid rising cases of the Omicron Covid variant in the country.
Deadline has confirmed with exhibition sources that the studio is moving the title off its planned January 7, 2022 date, and is now rolling out April 22. No reason was provided for the decision, but the UK is presently bracing itself for a significant wave of Covid infections, spurred by the Omicron variant. A Warner Bros spokesperson confirmed the news but declined to comment further.
The government recently introduced minor new restrictions, such as the necessity to wear masks in indoor public spaces including cinemas, but has declined to impose any form of lockdown to date. Cinemas remain open and there is presently no requirement for a so-called ‘vaccine passport’ for access, though these were recently imposed for nightclubs.
Yesterday, the UK recorded its first death of a person who was positive for Omicron, while the country’s health agency has warned that the number of cases is likely as high as 200,000 cases per day.
Operation Mincemeat was directed by John Madden. It tells the true story of a war time deception that changed the course of the Second World War. Also starring are Kelly Macdonald, Matthew Macfadyen, Penelope Wilton, Johnny Flynn and Jason Isaacs.
WB has the pic for UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg. Netflix previously acquired the U.S. and Latin America on the title.
THR first had the news.
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