'Clifford' delayed as COVID variant cases threaten Hollywood's comeback

No walks outside yet for this big red dog.

Paramount had planned to release Clifford the Big Red Dog on Sept. 17. Unfortunately, COVID doesn't give a crap about anyone's plans.

The fantasy comedy based on Norman Bridwell's classic children's books has been delayed to a to-be-decided date. Multiple outlets report that the change in plans is COVID's fault as cases surge in the United States and elsewhere, fueled by the "Delta" variant of the virus.

Paramount didn't release a formal statement to accompany the news, and social media accounts for the studio and the movie both haven't mentioned it as of Saturday afternoon. It's not clear if the planned premiere at September's Toronto International Film Festival is still happening, though Clifford isn't currently listed on the festival's website and a direct link found via Google search redirects to TIFF's full itinerary.

The move comes in the same week that the public learned of Centers for Disease Control data that paints a chilling picture of the Delta variant's capabilities and spread. While the risk of serious illness is quite low for vaccinated people, and breakthrough infections (i.e. when the virus infects someone who's been vaccinated) are uncommon, Delta "is as contagious as chickenpox" for the unvaccinated. The problem, though, is there's data suggesting that vaccinated individuals can carry and transmit the virus, even if their own case is asymptomatic or minor.

This is particularly troubling news for parts of the world where vaccination rates remain low, as it is in many parts of the U.S. Case numbers are already surging in various locations, and the expectation is that things will get only get worse — significantly so, if vaccination rates don't improve — before they get better.

The delay for Clifford is particularly appropriate given the movie's target audience. This is unquestionably a family movie, and children younger than age 12 aren't currently approved by the Food and Drug Administration to receive vaccines. Paramount could always follow the lead of other studios and put Clifford out on its Paramount+ streaming service, but after a bruising 2020 (and 2021) for Hollywood, the studio would no doubt prefer to stick with a theatrical release.

Clifford may end up being the big red dog in the coal mine, ahead of a coming spate of delays for big movies set to release in the early fall. With COVID guidance leaning back in the direction of universal masking and distancing in light of Delta, theaters may find that bringing audiences back in for movies — family-friendly or not — is once again a tough sell.

That would be a devastating blow to one corner of the entertainment industry that is only just starting to bounce back after the pre-vaccine 2020 shut everything down. The fact that there is now a vaccine and people are just refusing it (for reasons other than health or religion) makes this latest setback, and the prospect of more to come, all the more frustrating.