It's a tough time for all movie distributors at the moment, as movies are shut down and releases delayed due to the current crisis. Universal has certainly been hit by that, and the latest film announcing a delay is Minions sequel The Rise Of Gru.
Unlike other releases such as Trolls World Tour (which will be going straight to home entertainment sources) and No Time To Die (put back because of global box office shut down), The Rise Of Gru faced a different issue – it's not complete yet. Production company Illumination uses a French studio to work on its films, and given the grip that the Coronavirus has in that country, production on the film was shut down.
"In response to the severity of the situation in France, we are temporarily closing our Illumination Mac Guff studio in Paris. With this decision we are abiding by the French Government’s guidelines and doing everything possible to slow the spread of the virus as we care for our artists and their families," Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri says in a statement. "This means we will be unable to finish Minions: The Rise Of Gru in time for our planned global releases in late June and early July. While we all grapple with the enormity of this crisis, we must put the safety and protection of our employees above all. We look forward to finding a new release date for the return of Gru and the Minions."