History TheShelfOfMovieLanguishment / Film

* The Creator/JohnCusack and Creator/ChowYunFat film ''Film/{{Shanghai}}'' was finished in 2008, but was delayed from getting released anywhere until 2010, when it was released in China and other countries, and was finally released in the US in 2015.

* ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooAndKryptoToo'' was completely finished around 2022, but fell victim to Warner Bros. Discovery's mass cancelations later that year. It was finally released in 2023 to fill in gaps in Warner's release schedule during a writers' strike, though the full movie leaked online in the interim.

** ''Film/HouseOfCards1993'' was originally shot in 1991 and was scheduled for a November 1992 release by 20th Century Fox but was shelved after Fox dropped the distribution rights, leading Miramax to pick it up and the film was released in June 1993.

* The acquisition of Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox by Creator/{{Disney}} generated complications for the release of a number of Fox projects that were in advanced or completed states, mostly so they wouldn't compete against Disney's big releases (Disney releases relatively few films each year, but has "flags planted" most months) in addition to ExecutiveMeddling-[=enforced=] changes.

** ''Texas Rangers'' and ''Film/MyBoss'sDaughter'' (changed from original title "The Guests") were both shelved for over a year owing to the problems at Dimension Studios. The former only got a limited release, though the latter managed to do decent business.

** ''Texas Rangers'' and ''My Boss's Daughter'' (changed from original title "The Guests") were both shelved for over a year owing to the problems at Dimension Studios. The former only got a limited release, though the latter managed to do decent business.

* ''Film/SoundOfFreedom'' was completed in 2018 and was all set for a 2019 release by 20th Century Fox. Due to Disney’s acquisition of the studio in 2019, the film ended up on the shelf, likely due to getting very cold feet with the film's sensitive content. The film sat unreleased for 4 years until Angel Studios purchased distribution rights in early 2023 and released it during the 4th of July weekend.

* ''Le Roman de Renard'', a notable StopMotion film based on the ''Literature/ReynardTheFox'' folktales, was made in 1929-30, but not released until 1937 due to issues with the soundtrack. (The film was originally made as a silent, but it was then decided to add a soundtrack using a synchronised sound-on-disk process which proved unreliable and didn't take off, then there were financial difficulties and artistic arguments about creating a sound-on-film talkie version.)
* ''WesternAnimation/FelixTheCatTheMovie'' was completed sometime in the late 1980s (and [[UnintentionalPeriodPiece it shows]]) but after premiering in January 1989, it wasn't released until 1991 and effectively went straight to video and cable.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheHunchbackOfNotreDameII'' was put out by Disney in 2002 but has a copyright notice of 2000.
* ''WesternAnimation/HappilyEverAfter'' was completed in 1988 by Filmation, but sat unreleased as the company filed for bankruptcy in 1989. A 1990 wide release was advertised and even warranted reviews but was yanked at the last moment; it eventually saw a limited theatrical release in 1993, and was met with the lukewarm response that had been the norm for the company.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Foodfight}}'' had a TroubledProduction, as it started production in 2002, but sometime afterwards, the animation programming was stolen. It got shelved for several years, was completed by 2009, and saw release in 2012.

* ''Big Bug Man'' was announced in 2004. It starred Creator/BrendanFraser as the titular character and was notable for having the final performance of Creator/MarlonBrando before his death. The film has yet to see the light of day.

* ''WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTailTheTreasureOfManhattanIsland'' was [[ShortRunInPeru released in the United Kingdom in 1998]], but wasn't released in the United States until 2000.
* ''WesternAnimation/ATrollInCentralPark'' was finished back in 1992 but it was delayed for two years, first being scheduled to come out on March 1994 but it was ultimately decided to release ''[[WesternAnimation/Thumbelina1994 Thumbelina]]'' on that date instead due to production issues and then the film finally came out months later in October.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheTripletsOfBelleville'' was released in 2003, but the credits show that it was produced in 2002.

* The [[WesternAnimation/Nimona2023 film adaptation]] of ''Webcomic/{{Nimona}}'', scheduled for a 2022/23 release, was almost finished when Creator/{{Disney}} halted production in early 2021 after shutting down Creator/BlueSkyStudios as part of a cost-cutting measure amid the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic. Fortunately, in spring 2022, the film adaptation re-entered production after Creator/{{Netflix}} and Creator/AnnapurnaPictures snatched it from Disney with plans to release it in 2023.
* The final big COVID 19-delayed film to come out ended up being Creator/{{Universal}}'s ''WesternAnimation/MinionsTheRiseOfGru'' in July 2022, exactly two years after its initial release date.

* ''Film/SoundOfFreedom'' was completed in 2018 and was all set for a 2019 release by 20th Century Fox. Due to Disney’s acquisition of the studio in 2019, the film ended up on the shelf, likely due to the film’s sensitive content. The film sat unreleased for 4 years until Angel Studios purchased distribution rights in early-2023 and released it during the 4th of July weekend.

** The remake of ''Film/{{Red Dawn|2012}}'' was mostly complete in 2009, but got shelved due to MGM going bankrupt. After the studio solved its financial problems – and after a ReCut to replace the [[YellowPeril Chinese villains]] with [[AcceptableTargets North Koreans]] -- it saw a November 2012 release date after being sold to [=FilmDistrict=].

** ''Scoob!: Holiday Haunt'', a sequel to ''WesternAnimation/{{Scoob}}'', was completed and ready for a holiday 2022 release on HBO Max when it was also shelved.

** ''Film/FortySevenMetersDown'', which was originally titled ''In the Deep'', was originally set for a DirectToVideo release in August 2016 after some delays. Only a week before the film was set to hit the shelves, Dimension cancelled the release and put the film in [[ChannelHop turnaround]]. It got picked up by rookie company Entertainment Studios (a notable story of founder Byron Allen is that he had trucks ready to ''ship the film's DVDs to Walmart'' recall their shipments) and they gave the film a wide theatrical release in June 2017. Despite mixed reviews, it turned a profit.

** ''Film/FortySevenMetersDown'', which was originally titled ''In the Deep'', was originally set for a DirectToVideo release in August 2016 after some delays. Only a week before the film was set to hit the shelves, Dimension cancelled the release and put the film in [[ChannelHop turnaround]]. It got picked up by rookie company Entertainment Studios and they gave the film a wide theatrical release in June 2017. Despite mixed reviews, it turned a profit.
** The film adaptation of ''Literature/TulipFever'' was in DevelopmentHell for almost a decade until it finally went before the cameras in 2014, and it was [[OscarBait hoped to be a major awards contender]]. Footage of the film was screened at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, and the film was set for a December 2015 release. However it was sent back repeatedly for re-editing, and it was delayed to July 15, 2016, and then again to February 24, 2017 before being delayed once again to August 25, 2017, but it was ultimately dumped to theaters on September 1, 2017 with little advertising and almost no fanfare. To make matters worse, that weekend ended up being the worst at the US box office since the weekend after 9/11, and the film bombed with only $2.4 million across its entire run (with a $25 million budget). It also ended up being the final film released by The Weinstein Company, since Harvey's sexual harassment scandal came to light only a month later.

** ''Film/TheNewMutants'', originally scheduled for release on April 13, 2018, was delayed no fewer than four times, initially for reshoots that never materialized, then due to the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic. It was finally released in August 28, 2020 to a thud, but it at least cleared contractual obligations to be released for VOD and streaming. It ultimately came out over a year ''after'' the film intended to be the GrandFinale of the Fox X-Men films, ''Film/DarkPhoenix''.

** ''Batgirl'', a film based on [[Comicbook/{{Batgirl}} the DC Comics superheroine]] starring Creator/LeslieGrace, was shot in late 2021 by Creator/AdilElArbiAndBilallFallah and intended for release on HBO Max in late 2022. The film would also feature Creator/MichaelKeaton as Bruce Wayne/Batman for the first time since 1992 (coming before ''Film/{{The Flash|2023}}''). In August 2022, Warner Bros. made the unconventional decision to shelve the film completely, which was in late stages of post-production at the time. Considering it [[https://variety.com/2022/film/news/batgirl-not-released-warner-bros-hbo-max-1235331897/ cost $90 million]] to produce, it is one of the most expensive unreleased films ever made. Test screenings were either [[https://nypost.com/2022/08/02/batgirl-movie-gets-shelved-by-warner-bros-source/ disastrous]] or [[https://screenrant.com/batgirl-test-screening-same-score-black-adam-movie/ average but blown out of proportion]]. The two directors tried to save the footage but found out WBD deleted it from their servers.

** It was filmed and scheduled to be released in 1972, but was pulled due to director Creator/SydneyPollack forgetting to use clapperboards, thus making the audio impossible to sync with the film using the equipment of the time.

* The film adaptation of ''Webcomic/{{Nimona}}'', scheduled for a 2022/23 release, was almost finished when Creator/{{Disney}} halted production in early 2021 after shutting down Creator/BlueSkyStudios as part of a cost-cutting measure amid the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic. Fortunately, in spring 2022, the film adaptation re-entered production after Creator/{{Netflix}} and Creator/AnnapurnaPictures snatched it from Disney with plans to release it in 2023.

** ''Film/{{Kidnap}}'' was set for an October 9, 2015 release date, which got changed to February 26, 2016 to make room for the aforementioned ''Masterminds'', if it went forward with the release that is. While the film is not off the slate just yet, RKA Film Financing threaten to confiscate the rights to this and three other films from Relativity, only to back out later. The date eventually got pushed back to May 13, only for it to be further delayed to December 2. Eventually, the now flailing Relativity delayed it to March 10, 2017, but that date came and went without any sort of theatrical release. The company had no choice but to let it go and ''Kidnap'' bowed from Aviron Pictures [[http://deadline.com/2017/05/halle-berry-kidnap-david-dinerstein-aviron-pictures-launch-alec-baldwin-drunk-parents-1202089596/ on August 4th]]. The film was only a moderate hit at the box office.

* ''Film/OperationFortuneRuseDeGuerre'' was originally scheduled for the first quarter of 2022 amid COVID-related delays. And then [[DistancedFromCurrentEvents the Russian invasion of Ukraine made it be pulled from schedule for feeling insensitive to issue a movie featuring Ukrainian henchmen.]] The movie hit international theaters in 2023, while skipping North America.

* The Creator/JerryLewis film ''Film/HardlyWorking'' was completed in 1979. After a successful 1980 European release 20th Century Fox picked it up and it opened in the U.S. in April 1981 to scathing reviews (Creator/RogerEbert gave it zero stars and called it "the greatest non-experience in my moviegoing life."). Still, it did surprisingly well at the box office. Lewis' sketch comedy movie ''Smorgasbord'' was shot over 1981-82 but not released ''anywhere'' until 1983, and then only direct-to-video in the U.S. as ''Cracking Up''.

** ''Film/TheBronze'', a Sundance comedy Relativity bought for $3 million (after a bidding war with Sony, who managed to get the international rights) was set to open on July 10, 2015. It got postponed to October 16, 2015 over concerns of the Summer competition with other raunchy titles like ''Film/{{Ted 2}}'' and ''Film/{{Vacation}}''. Once the bankruptcy protection kicked into high gear, Relativity had no choice but to remove the film from its schedule. Sony Pictures Classics snatched up the domestic rights shortly afterwards, creating a sense of {{Irony}}. Released on March 18, 2016, ''The Bronze'' turned out to have been an [[BoxOfficeBomb embarrassing failure]].

** Creator/TheCoenBrothers' ''Film/InsideLlewynDavis'' had a hard time finding distribution after its completion due to films about the music industry being box office poison and the lack of a major lead. Finally, CBS (who ironically shelved the Coen Brothers-written ''Gambit'') picked it up for a December 2013 release.
** Speaking of ''Film/{{Gambit}}'', CBS Films initially planned an October 2012 release date for the film only to shelve it without explanation. It ended up bypassing a theatrical run and went DirectToVideo in April 2014.

* ''Film/BadGirlsFromValleyHigh'', completed in 2000, spent so long on the shelf that by the time it came out in 2005, the production company (The Bubble Factory) had gone out of business and cast members Creator/JanetLeigh and Creator/JonathanBrandis both passed away.

* ''Film/BuckyLarsonBornToBeAStar'' was completed in 2009 but not released until 2011 due to poor test screenings and Columbia having little faith in it.

* ''Film/BadGirlsFromValleyHigh'', completed in 2000, spent so long on the shelf that by the time it came out in 2005, the production company (The Bubble Factory) had gone out of business and cast members Creator/JanetLeigh and Jonathan Brandis both passed away.

* ''Film/AlmostHeroes'' was made in Fall 1996 with an intended Spring 1997 release date, but got postponed to 1998 due to the merger between Turner and Time-Warner. When it was finally released in May 1998, Creator/ChrisFarley [[PosthumousCredit had passed away in December 1997, so this was his last starring role]] (''Film/DirtyWork'', Farley's last overall film, got released around the same time).

* ''100 Years'' featuring Creator/JohnMalkovich and directed by Creator/RobertRodriguez is in the process of setting the all-time record for this trope. Sponsored by the company that makes Louis XIII cognac (which takes 100 years to age), the movie and a freshly-made bottle were locked in a vault in November of 2015 — a vault that won't be unlocked until November of '''2115''', long after everyone involved with the film's production has passed on. One thousand people have been given tickets to the world premiere, to hand down to their descendants. Only time will tell if the gimmick gets ruined by the film getting leaked.

* ''100 Years'' featuring Creator/JohnMalkovich and directed by Creator/RobertRodriguez is in the process of setting the all-time record for this trope. Sponsored by the company that makes Louis XIII cognac (which takes 100 years to age), the movie and a freshly-made bottle have been locked in a vault — and won't be released until November of 2115, long after everyone involved has passed on. One thousand people have been given tickets to the world premiere, to hand down to their descendants. Only time will tell if the gimmick gets ruined by the film getting leaked.

* Taken to batshit bonkers extremes with the aptly named ''Film/OneHundredYears'', which is scheduled to be released in '''''2115''''', a whole [[TitleDrop 100 years]] after it was originally filmed. The reason for this is because the film was made in partnership with Louis XIII and a bottle of Louis XIII cognac takes that amount of time to "age" before it's ready to be sold.

* ''The Loft'', Belgian director Erik Van Looy's remake of his own 2008 erotic mystery film, was completed in 2011 with Dark Castle Entertainment picking up the U.S. distribution rights with the intent of releasing through Warner Bros. in early-to-mid 2012. However, in April 2012, producer and Dark Castle co-head Joel Silver ended his deal with Warner, taking his studio and the film with him to Creator/{{Universal}}. The release date was pushed back several times by Universal over the next two years until August 29, 2014 was settled. However, Universal pulled the film from it's schedule ''two months'' before release. Dark Castle quietly erased its existence from its website, with Silver's name removed from credits. The film was eventually released in Belgium in October, after which Open Road Films picked up the U.S. distribution rights. It was finally released on January 30, 2015 to scathing reviews, bombed at the box office despite having a $15 million budget, and was pulled from most of the 1,841 theaters after two weeks.[[note]]Universal still oversaw home media distribution due to their deal with Open Road.[[/note]]