Next 'Fast & Furious' Movie Delayed Until June

Actor Vin Diesel attends the New York premiere of The Fate Of The Furious. Photo: Reuters / Eduardo Munoz
Actor Vin Diesel attends the New York premiere of The Fate Of The Furious. Photo: Reuters / Eduardo Munoz
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Next 'Fast & Furious' Movie Delayed Until June

Actor Vin Diesel attends the New York premiere of The Fate Of The Furious. Photo: Reuters / Eduardo Munoz
Actor Vin Diesel attends the New York premiere of The Fate Of The Furious. Photo: Reuters / Eduardo Munoz

Comcast Corp's Universal Pictures has delayed the global debut of the "Fast & Furious" movie "F9" by one month until June 25, the company said on Thursday, the latest shift by Hollywood studios trying to gauge when moviegoers will return to theaters.

The move signaled that Universal is confident of a summer rebound as coronavirus vaccines become more widely available in the United States and Canada, the world's largest film market.

Cinemas in New York City, the second-largest moviegoing region in the United States, are scheduled to start reopening on Friday.

Theater operators including AMC Entertainment, Cineworld Plc and Cinemark Holdings Inc are hoping they will have blockbuster movies to show this summer, which is typically their most lucrative season.

The next big-budget action movie on the schedule, Walt Disney Co's Marvel movie "Black Widow," is currently set to hit theaters on May 7.

After moving "F9" to late June, Universal postponed the release of animated movie "Minions: The Rise of Gru" from early July 2021 until July 2022.



US Singer Chris Brown in London Court on Assault Case

US singer Chris Brown was released on a £5 million bail by a UK court and allowed to continue his international tour. Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP
US singer Chris Brown was released on a £5 million bail by a UK court and allowed to continue his international tour. Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP
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US Singer Chris Brown in London Court on Assault Case

US singer Chris Brown was released on a £5 million bail by a UK court and allowed to continue his international tour. Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP
US singer Chris Brown was released on a £5 million bail by a UK court and allowed to continue his international tour. Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP

American R&B singer Chris Brown, the former boyfriend of superstar Rihanna, was due to appear in court Friday in London on assault charges.

Brown was freed from UK custody last month on £5 million ($6.7 million) bail after his arrest in the northwestern city of Manchester, AFP said.

Under the terms of his bail, which would see him forfeit the £5 million guarantee if he failed to return for court proceedings, the Grammy-winning Brown, 36, was given the go-ahead to continue his scheduled international tour, which began on June 8 in Amsterdam.

The star, who had a troubled relationship with Barbadian singer Rihanna, is currently performing the UK leg of his tour, with his next date in London on Saturday.

Concerts are also scheduled in France, Portugal and the US later in the year, before the tour wraps up in Memphis in mid-October.

The star is charged with "grievous bodily harm with intent" in relation to an assault in which the victim was allegedly struck several times with a bottle before being pursued, punched and kicked.

The alleged incident took place at a nightclub in Hanover Square in London on February 19, 2023 while Brown was touring in the UK.

Police detained him in the early hours of May 13 at a five-star hotel in Manchester after he reportedly flew in by private jet.

Judge Tony Baumgartner, at Southwark Crown Court in London, last month ordered that he could be freed on bail, and also stipulated that he should surrender his passport if he is not travelling.

He is required to live at a specific address known to the court and is not permitted to visit the nightclub were the alleged assault took place or contact the alleged victim, Abraham Diah.

Co-defendant Omololu Akinlolu, a 38-year-old US national, has also been charged with grievous bodily harm with intent.

Brown is known for mid-2000s hits such as "Kiss, Kiss".

He rose from a local church choir in Virginia to sudden fame with his rich R&B voice and later rap, but his reputation has been tarnished by the allegations of abuse.