Chris Pratt’s ‘Mercy’ Movie Delayed: Will It Be a Streaming Hit Instead?

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Amazon MGM Studios are slowly revealing details about their upcoming sci-fi action thriller by the duo of and . The film, initially slated for a head-to-head clash with Bob Odenkirk’s Nobody 2 on August 15, 2025, has experienced a significant delay, now set to hit theaters on January 23, 2026.

The film titled “Mercy” is under the guidance of director Timur Bekmambetov, who has previously helmed productions such as “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” and the 2016 remake of “Ben-Hur”. The plot revolves around a detective character portrayed by Pratt, trying to exonerate himself after being wrongly accused of a crime he didn’t commit. Filming for the movie was completed in May 2024, providing ample time for post-production work, leaving us puzzled about the reason behind the delay.

It’s clear that there are several possible explanations for the delay in the release of Mercy. One theory is that January is often seen as a dumping ground for movies that aren’t expected to do well. Moving the film from its original summer premiere to the winter season, which is sometimes referred to as a ‘graveyard slot’, suggests that there may not have been much confidence in Mercy. On the other hand, releasing it in August could have been a risky decision, given that it would have followed several big franchise movies. Now, Mercy will instead compete with an unannounced Disney film and 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, among others.

Should ‘Mercy’ Have Been a Prime Video Streaming Exclusive?

There are numerous directions a new movie can take, and the one they opt for can significantly influence its fate. Given Chris Pratt’s success in the action genre on both the big and small screens, it could be argued that the film Mercy might have had more success if released exclusively on Prime Video.

Over the past few years, Pratt has significantly marked his impact on Prime Video with the action series “The Terminal List“, and multiple movies like the Amazon Original “The Tomorrow War“. Originally intended for a theatrical release as a Paramount Pictures film, “The Tomorrow War'”s distribution rights were acquired by Amazon due to the Covid pandemic, even with its massive $200 million budget.

In July 2021, Amazon Original’s premiere reportedly attracted around 2.41 million households, making it the biggest debut for an Amazon Original at that time. Not only was it the most-watched movie of that summer, but it also successfully outperformed titles like Black Widow, Luca, and accumulated a higher total viewership than the entire Fear Street trilogy combined on Netflix.

As a passionate movie enthusiast, I can’t help but notice the surge of action movies finding their home on streaming platforms – whether they’re fresh off the production line or timeless classics being added to a new platform. The anticipation for Mercy is palpable, knowing it will soon join this digital cinema world. However, the intriguing question that lingers is whether its theatrical release was truly necessary, or if it could have aimed to captivate an audience similar to The Tomorrow War, had it chosen a streaming-exclusive path instead.

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2025-01-28 03:01