'Bob's Burgers' Movie Delayed Indefinitely Amid Disney Release Shakeup

Hollywood has been grappling with the long term effects of the coronavirus pandemic on the entertainment industry, and a major issue has been project delays. Due to theater closures and safety regulations, many films have been moved back on the release schedule several times. At their QI projection meeting, Disney announced that several upcoming projects have been unseated, including the long-gestating Bob's Burgers movie. Directed by showrunner Loren Bouchard, the Belcher family's jump to the big screen has been removed from the Disney release schedule indefinitely.

Originally set to be released on July 17, 2020, before being shuffled to April 9th, 2021, the future of the Bob's Burgers film is now up in the air. There is the possibility that the film could be released on an affiliate streaming service like Disney+ or Hulu, but Disney has not announced that move at this time. Disney has also pushed back the release dates of Marvel's Black Widow and Eternals, the Kingsman prequel The King's Man, the upcoming live-action Cruella, and the animated Ron's Gone Wrong.

Disney found some success releasing the live-action Mulan onto Disney+ with an additional streaming fee, something they hope to duplicate with Raya and the Last Dragon on March 5th. However, Bob's Burgers is a different animal. Bouchard explained to Entertainment Weekly in November that releasing the movie on the big screen was important to draw a distinction between the film and the long-running sitcom.

"We talked about [streaming] as it pertains to the movie and we decided we really want the movie to come out in theaters because Bob's is already on TV," said Bouchard. "Of course, we want everyone to be able to safely see it in movie theaters. We don't want anyone to put themselves at risk. But assuming there's a point at which everyone can go back to theaters safely, we're excited about Bob's the movie being seen in the theater, in the dark with other people, because that's something we've never been able to do before. That's the main course that we're delivering to people, in this case."

The eleventh season of Bob's Burgers returns on Feb. 14 and the show has been renewed through Season 13, so you can still get your fill of this eccentric and loving family while you wait for their silver screen debut. Bob's Burgers airs on Sunday nights at 9 pm ET on Fox.