The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard gets an earlier release date than planned

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Two months earlier, in fact

Salma Hayek and Samuel L. Jackson in The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard.
(Image credit: Millennium Media)

The cinematic release yo-yo continues to bounce back and forth, but this time it's for the better. Now that vaccinations are up and there's a light at the end of the proverbial COVID-tunnel, we're starting to see films push their release dates up in an attempt to fill stagnant theaters. The latest move? The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard, which has been brought forward from August 20 to June 16, 2021.

The move comes after Disney put Lionsgate – and Ryan Reynolds – in a bit of a pinch by shifting Free Guy (Reynolds' other summer film) to August 13, 2021. That new release plopped it just a week ahead of The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard. We all love Ryan Reynolds, but back-to-back weeks might be a little much. 

With the theatrical industry starting to come alive again, Lionsgate took the opportunity to pounce. August 20 is another packed weekend, with In the Heights and Edgar Wright's documentary The Sparks Brothers hitting at the same time – but we used to have that feeling almost every week.

Ron Schwartz, Lionsgate's president of worldwide distribution commented on the press release: "This is the kind of summer action film that delivers even more comedy and more thrilling action than the first film – and it’s perfect for fans new to the franchise as well. The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard is what summer moviegoing is all about – great, crowd-pleasing entertainment."

The first film pulled in over $176 million for Lionsgate back in 2017. Time will tell on what kind of returns the studio will see with viewers excited to get back into theaters. If you need a smile today, please enjoy the Reynolds Cut of Green Lantern.

Amelia Emberwing
Streaming Editor at IGN

Amelia is now the Streaming Editor for IGN, but formerly worked for What To Watch, and GamesRadar. She writes about all things TV and movies.