Tom Hardy has proved as a worthy asset to almost every company he has worked with and for. A terrific actor and Oscar winner, he brought in a hefty profit for Sony and the Marvel Cinematic Universe for his all-time superhit and fan-favorite anti-hero movie, Venom, for one to count. So for anyone to abandon a film of the hotshot that could potentially bring in some big bucks would be nothing short of a disaster.
But it seems Disney isn’t worried about it considering the recent reports claiming The Walt Disney Company to have reportedly removed Hardy’s upcoming motorcycle crime/drama The Bikeriders from its release schedule.
Also Read: Tom Hardy Won’t be Pleased With Iman Vellani’s Venom Choice for Secret Wars
Disney Has Reportedly Abandoned Tom Hardy’s The Bikeriders
Tom Hardy’s upcoming The Bikeriders, which stars Austin Butler as the lead, has been incredibly hyped ever since the first trailer of the movie came out, and fans just can’t wait anymore to see the movie–especially since it was initially planned to be released in the theatres by December 1.
However, that idea has reportedly been scrapped by Disney according to the news reports recently surfaced about the company removing the 20th Century Studios’ motorcycle drama from its official release schedule.
A reason cited behind this unsetting of Hardy’s presumably superhit movie from its confirmed worldwide theatrical release is that Beyoncé’s Renaissance concert film is getting released in AMC theatres on the same day as was planned for The Bikeriders.
Another reason cited by The InSneider is that even though The Bikeriders is currently riding high on the Tomatometer with a fresh 85% approval rating, “awards pundits felt it was more of a commercial play than an Oscar contender, and the film hasn’t rated too highly on the trades’ prediction charts.”
So now, New Regency is on its own and looking for a new distributor to release the movie at the earliest, even considering the possibility of a streaming release because 1. The company can’t take the risk of another ‘costly flop’, and 2. The lack of time has only further forced the inability to mount a proper publicity campaign for the film after the SAG-AFTRA strike.
Disney Faces Backlash By The Bikeriders Fans
As hyped as the fans were for Tom Hardy and Austin Butler’s The Bikeriders, this recent report of Disney no longer releasing the movie has set loose a heap of backlash for the company. Taking to X, fans have expressed their disappointment and disapproval of Disney’s decision for the same.
“Quick! Make the wrong decision!”
– Disney Executives— ＣΛＴΞＳ (@WillCates44) November 21, 2023
Wow. That is incredibly disappointing to see Disney/Fox give up on this film and not release it themselves.
— RJ (@ResonantJustice) November 21, 2023
I guarantee anyone on film twitter could be the CEO of Disney for a single day and do more good for these projects than Bob Iger has… pic.twitter.com/AYdVvaGGL6
— luca (@LucaGuadagnegro) November 21, 2023
A film with Tom Hardy, Austin Butler and Michael Shannon and Disney wants no parts of it ?? They hate money huh? pic.twitter.com/UAlMkvzc19
— CJ ⚡️ (@CJTHEDJAY) November 21, 2023
New Regency I hope steps in to make this right, after Disney failed!! There’s got to be a way to get this released !!
— Lisa Mcknight (@mcknig49852) November 21, 2023
I’ve watched every trailer review that’s popped up so far, and there’s not a negative review in the bunch. I don’t get it … what is Disney doing? I just don’t get it!
— Susan Barco (@SusanLeeMinor) November 21, 2023
Wow why this movie actually looks good now that they are not releasing it probably be a hit and then they will regret it lol
— Alicia (@AliJ928) November 21, 2023
Disney sucks as a company anymore so good riddance. Let someone better distribute it.
— ARB (@ARB_719) November 21, 2023
Considering how much fans wanted to see it, The Bikeriders could actually bring in some big bucks for whichever company decides to distribute it, if given the right release strategy. As for now, it’s better to just hope this blockbuster doesn’t get absorbed into the endless streaming swamp.
