History TheShelfOfMovieLanguishment / Film

* ''Coyote vs. Acme'', a [[RogerRabbitEffect live-action/animation movie]] about Wile E. Coyote sueing Acme for their backfiring goods. In November 2023, it was unexpectedly shelved after being completed, despite scoring well with test audiences, with speculation that a new regime of studio executives wanted to bury it because it was greenlighted by the executives they replaced, or the studio wanted to claim it as a tax writeoff. Thanks to public backlash from fans, filmmakers and even Congress, Creator/WarnerBros was forced to unshelve it and allow it to be shopped to other distributors. The film was offered to Creator/{{Netflix}}, Creator/PrimeVideo, and Creator/{{Paramount}}, the last of whom offered to give it a theatrical release. On New Year's Eve, voice actor Creator/EricBauza unveiled the film's first official screenshot on his Website/{{Twitter}} account and implied a 2024 release. Unfortunately, in February 2024 [[https://www.thewrap.com/coyote-vs-acme-update-offers-warner-bros/ news broke]] that Warner Bros had rejected all offers for the film, reportedly [[https://www.indiewire.com/news/analysis/coyote-vs-acme-write-off-anticompetitive-1234953523/ not accepting anything less than the film's $70 million budget]], and would keep the film on the shelf, possibly even outright ''deleting'' it so it could never be released.

** Roth's ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands}}'' adaptation was shot in Spring of 2021. The film seemed to enter post-production hell with reshoots planned in early 2023. Roth did not return for these and was instead overseen by Creator/TimMiller with a release date of August 9, 2023, more than 3 years after production had wrapped.

* ''Coyote vs. Acme'', a [[RogerRabbitEffect live-action/animation movie]] about Wile E. Coyote sueing Acme for their backfiring goods. In November 2023, it was unexpectedly shelved after being completed, despite scoring well with test audiences, with speculation that a new regime of studio executives wanted to bury it because it was greenlighted by the executives they replaced, or the studio wanted to claim it as a tax writeoff. Thanks to public backlash from fans, filmmakers and even Congress, Creator/WarnerBros was forced to unshelve it and allow it to be shopped to other distributors. The film was offered to Creator/{{Netflix}}, Creator/PrimeVideo, and Creator/{{Paramount}}, the last of whom offered to give it a theatrical release. On New Year's Eve, voice actor Creator/EricBauza unveiled the film's first official screenshot on his Website/{{Twitter}} account and implied a 2024 release. Unfortunately, in February 2024 [[https://www.thewrap.com/coyote-vs-acme-update-offers-warner-bros/ news broke]] that Warner Bros had rejected all of the offers from other studios (reportedly without even giving them a chance to change their offers) and were going to keep the film on the shelf, possibly even outright ''deleting'' it so it could never be released.

* ''Coyote vs. Acme'', a [[RogerRabbitEffect live-action/animation movie]] about Wile E. Coyote sueing Acme for their backfiring goods. In November 2023, it was unexpectedly shelved after being completed, despite scoring well with test audiences, with speculation that a new regime of studio executives wanted to bury it because it was greenlighted by the executives they replaced. Thanks to public backlash from fans, filmmakers and even Congress, Creator/WarnerBros was forced to unshelve it and allow it to be shopped to other distributors. The film was offered to Creator/{{Netflix}}, Creator/PrimeVideo, and Creator/{{Paramount}}, the last of whom offered to give it a theatrical release. On New Year's Eve, voice actor Creator/EricBauza unveiled the film's first official screenshot on his Website/{{Twitter}} account and implied a 2024 release. Unfortunately, in February 2024 [[https://www.thewrap.com/coyote-vs-acme-update-offers-warner-bros/ news broke]] that Warner Bros had rejected all of the offers from other studios (reportedly without even giving them a chance to change their offers) and were going to keep the film on the shelf, possibly even outright ''deleting'' it so it could never be released.

* ''Coyote vs. Acme'', a [[RogerRabbitEffect live-action/animation movie]] about Wile E. Coyote sueing Acme for their backfiring goods. In November 2023, it was shelved after being completed, but thanks to public backlash from fans, filmmakers and even congress, Creator/WarnerBros was forced to unshelve it and allow it to be shopped to other distributors. The film was offered to Creator/{{Netflix}}, Creator/PrimeVideo, and Creator/{{Paramount}}, the last of whom offered to give it a theatrical release. On New Year's Eve, voice actor Creator/EricBauza unveiled the film's first official screenshot on his Website/{{Twitter}} account and implied a 2024 release. Unfortunately, in February 2024 [[https://www.thewrap.com/coyote-vs-acme-update-offers-warner-bros/ news broke]] that Warner Bros had rejected all of the offers from other studios (reportedly without even giving them a chance to change their offers) and were going to keep the film on the shelf, possibly even outright ''deleting'' it so it could never be released.

* ''Coyote vs. Acme'', a [[RogerRabbitEffect live-action/animation movie]] about Wil. E Coyote suing Acme for their backfiring goods. In November 2023, it was shelved after being completed, but thanks to public backlash from fans, filmmakers and even congress, Creator/WarnerBros was forced to unshelve it and allow it to be shopped to other distributors. The film was offered to Creator/{{Netflix}}, Creator/PrimeVideo, and Creator/{{Paramount}}, the last of whom offered to give it a theatrical release. On New Year's Eve, voice actor Creator/EricBauza unveiled the film's first official screenshot on his Website/{{Twitter}} account and implied a 2024 release. Unfortunately, in February 2024 [[https://www.thewrap.com/coyote-vs-acme-update-offers-warner-bros/ news broke]] that Warner Bros had rejected all of the offers from other studios (reportedly without even giving them a chance to change their offers) and were going to keep the film on the shelf, possibly even outright ''deleting'' it so it could never be released.

* ''WesternAnimation/CoyoteVsAcme'' came dangerously close to this. In November 2023, it was shelved after being completed, but thanks to public backlash from fans, filmmakers and even congress, Creator/WarnerBros was forced to unshelve it and allow it to be shopped to other distributors. Currently, the film is being offered to Creator/{{Netflix}}, Creator/PrimeVideo, and Creator/{{Paramount}}, the last of whom is planning to give it a theatrical release, and on New Year's Eve, voice actor Creator/EricBauza unveiled the film's first official screenshot on his Website/{{Twitter}} account and implied a 2024 release.

** "AnUnfinishedLife/AnUnfinishedLife" was probably the most tragic case as it got positive reviews from critics with many saying Creator/JenniferLopez deserved an Oscar animation for her performance, but Miramax's nearly nonexistent promotion prevented it from gaining any real traction as a serious awards contender.

** ''Film/{{Zookeeper}}'' was filmed in 2009 with a July 2010 release in mind, but MGM's aforementioned financial issues meant the film was delayed to July 2011, along with Sony (who initially only co-produced the film) taking over distribution.

* ''WesternAnimation/CoyoteVsAcme'' was [[https://twitter.com/Animated_Antic/status/1722717363190284514 shelved in November 2023]] after being completed, but public backlash from both fans and filmmakers alike forced Creator/WarnerBros and [[Creator/DoubleNegativeVFX DNEG]] to bring it back and allow it to be shopped to other distributors. Currently, the film is being offered to Creator/{{Netflix}}, Creator/PrimeVideo, and Creator/{{Paramount}}, the last of whom is planning to give it a theatrical release, and on New Year's Eve, voice actor Creator/EricBauza unveiled the film's first official screenshot on his Website/{{Twitter}} account and implied a 2024 release.

** ''WesternAnimation/BatmanAndMisterFreezeSubZero'' was intended to be released in 1997, to tie in with ''Film/BatmanAndRobin''. The latter's horrendous reception, however, led it to be delayed[[note]]Rumored that they were hoping to make sure this film's superior quality not make the live-action film's artistic inferiority look even worse while they were trying to salvage its release.[[/note]] until March 1998 (by which time [[WesternAnimation/TheNewBatmanAdventures Batman's new cartoon]] had already aired a sequel episode to the movie).

* ''WesternAnimation/CoyoteVsAcme'' was [[https://twitter.com/Animated_Antic/status/1722717363190284514 shelved in November 2023]] after being completed, but public backlash from both fans and filmmakers alike forced Creator/WarnerBros and [[Creator/DoubleNegativeVFX DNEG]] to bring it back and allow it to be shopped to other distributors. Currently, the film is being offered to Creator/{{Netflix}}, Creator/PrimeVideo and Creator/{{Paramount}}, the last of whom is planning to give it a theatrical release, and on New Year's Eve, voice actor Creator/EricBauza unveiled the film's first official screenshot on his Website/{{Twitter}} account and implied a 2024 release.

* ''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.
* ''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.

* 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.

* The 2008 bankruptcy of Capitol Films (mostly caused by the embezzlement of company funds by head David Bergstein) led to a number of films to either be unreleased or to fade into obscurity due to tangled legal issues.

** The horror movie ''Film/Flight7500'', ''Film/TheGrudge'' director Takashi Shimizu's third English-language movie, was originally scheduled for an August 2012 release (and had trailers released in February 2012) but was pulled from the release schedule by distributor CBS Films a few months before opening. It was then pushed to April 2013, which passed with no release, and star Scout Taylor-Compton tweeted that it would come out in October of 2013. It didn't, but then was reported to be coming out on October of 2014. [[HistoryRepeatsItself It didn't.]]

** ''Film/AllTheBoysLoveMandyLane''. The tale of this cult horror film's long-delayed American release is a long and tragic one that's almost more famous than the movie itself. Creator/TheWeinsteinCompany spent $3 million to pick the finished film up for distribution, and planned to give it a wide release in 2007... and then ''Film/{{Grindhouse}}'' flopped despite large amounts of publicity and a warm reception from critics, along with other big studio horror films around the same time. The Weinsteins, feeling that horror was now an unsound investment, sold ''Mandy'' to Senator Entertainment, who went out of business before its release, leaving the film in limbo. For years, it didn't see the light of day in America outside of [[KeepCirculatingTheTapes bootlegs and film festival screenings]]. Fortunately, the film ''was'' [[ShortRunInPeru released in Britain]], where it proceeded to make back its budget two-and-a-half times over. Even more fortunately, The Weinstein Company bought back the film, settled the legal troubles and got a limited October 2013 theatrical release (following a VOD release the month before) through their Radius label. Examined in detail in [[http://www.goodbadflicks.com/exploring-all-the-boys-love-mandy-lane/ GoodBadFlicks' 183rd episode]].

** Dimension Films also delayed horror films ''Film/{{Demonic}}'' and ''Film/{{Clown}}'' for unknown reasons. The latter did see a limited[=/=]VOD release on June 2016 after being completed for three years, and the former was quietly dumped on Spike TV (of all places) in July 2017 with a DVD release following on October 10th.

** The Weinstein Company strikes again! They originally set an April 2015 release date for the animated film ''[[WesternAnimation/{{Metegol}} Underdogs]]'', but they pushed it back to August 14, 2015 to take advantage of the late summer season. Then the Weinsteins delayed it indefinitely ''a mere week'' before it was set to open for unknown reasons. It wound up going to DirectToVideo and Creator/{{Netflix}} on July 19, 2016.

** 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, before Harvey's sexual harassment scandal came to light only a month later.
** ''Film/{{Polaroid}}'' was originally set to hit theaters in August 2017, but The Weinstein Company pushed it back to December 2017. It was then moved up to November 22, but the subsequent meltdown at the company following the scandal caused the film to be delayed indefinitely. There were plans to release on Creator/{{Netflix}}, but negotiations fell through. Eventually, Vertical Entertainment quietly picked up the film and sent it straight to VOD on September 17, 2019 with a limited theatrical run a month later, though not before [[ShortRunInPeru it was released internationally]] (Jan 10, 2019 in Germany, and June 1, 2019 in the UK). In the intervening time, MGM arranged a special screening of the film and was impressed enough to tap its director, Lars Klevberg, to direct their ''[[Film/ChildsPlay2019 Child's Play]]'' reboot.
** The controversy over the company also affected ''Film/TheCurrentWar'' with Creator/BenedictCumberbatch, as their OscarBait hopeful had to abort its November 24, 2017 release date. Eventually, it got released in 2019.
** Another film affected by the scandals was ''The War with Grandpa'', an adaptation of the children's book of the same name starring Creator/RobertDeNiro, Creator/UmaThurman, Creator/RobRiggle and Creator/LauraMarano. Originally set for an early 2018 release, it was pulled off the schedule at the last minute and [[https://www.thewrap.com/weinstein-co-fire-sale-robert-de-niro-war-with-grandpa-sold-back-2-5-million/ sold back to its producers]]. Eventually, [[https://deadline.com/2020/06/robert-de-niro-comedy-the-war-with-grandpa-theatrical-release-1202972683/ 101 Studios (founded by former Weinstein executive David Glasser) acquired the distribution rights]] and released the film theatrically on October 9, 2020.
** ''The Upside'' (the American remake of commercial hit French film ''The Intouchables'') was shot in early 2017 for a March 9, 2018 release, however the Weinstein scandal delayed the film indefinitely. It was finally released on January 11, 2019 by Creator/STXEntertainment (edited from an R-rated film to PG-13), to mixed reviews but surprisingly good box office.

* Creator/OrionPictures filed for bankruptcy in December 1991, but not before delaying release dates of some films and selling off the rights to others (''Film/TheAddamsFamily''). The studio didn't get back into active film production until around 1995, and spent the interim releasing the already completed pre-bankruptcy product.
** ''Film/TheSilenceOfTheLambs'' was delayed, but not to a great extent. Orion was supposed to release both it and ''Film/DancesWithWolves'' during the 1990 Holiday season, but pushed the former to February 1991 because the studio had only enough money to put out ''one'' Oscar campaign that year. It ultimately paid off when ''Wolves'' and ''Lambs'' gave Orion back-to-back Best Picture Oscars and big box office. (Creator/BillyCrystal ruefully noted the studio's woes during the 1992 Oscar ceremony with "They can't afford to have another hit!")

** ''The Favor'' was filmed in 1990 but released in 1994. The presence of Creator/BradPitt, who had yet to achieve fame when this film was shot, didn't help the film's box-office.

** ''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 went 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]].
** ''Film/{{Masterminds|2016}}'', a comedy starring Creator/KristenWiig and Creator/ZachGalifianakis was supposed to be Relativity's big summer movie with an August 19, 2015 release date. As their financial scars worsen, they pushed it to October 9, 2015 claiming that the studio needed more time to promote the film. Despite Relativity's best intentions to release the film during their potential sale, the plans got thwacked and they were forced to delay the film for the time being. Foreign distributors were miffed on the ordeal. With Relativity exiting bankruptcy, a new date of September 30, 2016 was set. Following poor numbers on opening weekend, Relativity found themselves up for sale suggesting that their financial hopes for the film were a bit too premature.
** ''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 was not off the slate just yet, RKA Film Financing threatened 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.
** ''Hillsong: Let Hope Rise'', a concert film covering the Australian Christian church, was originally set to be released by Creator/WarnerBros for April 1, 2015. After their partner Alcon Entertainment failed to secure the rights, the film was [[ChannelHop carried over]] to Relativity and they set a September 30, 2015 date. They ended up canceling the release on the eve of their bankruptcy filings and the rights reverted back to the producers. Creator/PureFlix snatched the film up with a September 16, 2016 release and mediocre box office results.

** ''Film/TheDisappointmentsRoom'' was another victim of Relativity's financial collapse. It was supposed to come out on September 25, 2015, but the release was quietly canned. It was set for March 25, 2016, but that date had to pushed back now that Relativity has emerged from bankruptcy with a sure-fire date of November 18 announced. Later on, the film was moved up to September 9th and replaced the following title. Upon release, the film was [[EpicFail nothing short of a disappointment]] [[BoxOfficeBomb at the box office]].
** ''Film/BeforeIWake''. This horror film was originally set for May 8, 2015, only to be pushed back to September 25, 2015. Unfortunately, it could not escape Relativity's perturbation and the release was delayed indefinitely. With the issues at the studio being resolved, a new date for April 8, 2016 has been announced only for it to be pushed back until September 9. Suddenly, the studio delayed the film ''again'' to an unspecified date. This cause some [[http://www.thewrap.com/ryan-kavanaugh-before-i-wake-director-spar-over-another-relativity-date-shuffle/ friction]] between Relativity CEO Ryan Kavanaugh and director Mike Flanagan. Given that Relativity is now on life support, they can't set a new date. Though the film did finally manage to get a Blu-Ray and DVD release in Canada and the director of the film encouraged people in the U.S. who wanted to see the film to buy it, as the discs would work on all U.S. media players, the film also got a Netflix release everywhere on April 28th everywhere except the U.S. Fortunately, it seems that Relativity gave up on ''Before I Wake'' and Netflix finally released it in the US on January 5, 2018, barring a theatrical release.[[note]]This is [[{{Irony}} ironic]] considering that Relativity previously sued Netflix as the streaming giant wanted to stream ''Film/TheDisappointmentsRoom'' and ''Masterminds'' ahead of their theatrical releases, and the studio argued that such a move would hurt their revenue.[[/note]]
** Finally, ''Film/{{Solace}}'' was picked up by Relativity to be released sometime in 2015. Their bankruptcy ordeal prevented this from happening and once they were released from it they set a September 2, 2016 date for the film. Unfortunately as the year went on, Relativity found themselves unstable again and pulled the release. When their financial issues worsened, they dropped the film completely. Lionsgate[=/=]Grindstone [[ChannelHop rescued the film]] and gave it a day-and-date limited theatrical/VOD release in December.
** When the company briefly emerged out of bankruptcy, they acquired the animated feature ''[[WesternAnimation/AnimalCrackers2017 Animal Crackers]]'' and set a date for April 27, 2017. However, when the films they released post-bankruptcy failed in the box office, they were forced to drop the film from their pipeline. Once the rights were reverted back to the producers, they [[ChannelHop carried over]] the film to newcomer distributor Serafini Releasing, for a release on September 1, 2017. As it turned out, they too [[FromBadToWorse were finically struggling and incapable of releasing any film whatsoever]]. So once again, the rights to the film were reverted back to the producers, who then gave Entertainment Studios the rights to release the film, but nothing came of it. Eventually, Creator/{{Netflix}} picked up the distribution rights, finally giving it a release date of July 24, 2020.
* Dino De Laurentiis' DEG went into serious debt in 1987 after a series of financial flops and went bankrupt the following year, which impacted the releases of several of its later films. Most of them were bought by other companies and many others went straight-to-video, and others had their releases delayed irregardless of their eventual fates.

** ''Collision Course'', a buddy cop movie starring Creator/PatMorita and Creator/JayLeno (in his only leading role) was filmed in 1987 and was reportedly never finished — the money allegedly ran out on the last day of shooting -- and the negatives were later seized by Wells Fargo Bank. It didn't see the light of day until 1992, when it was dumped onto video to capitalize upon Leno taking over Creator/JohnnyCarson's role as host of ''The Tonight Show''.

** ''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 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''.

* ''Film/AllAboutSteve'' was shot in 2007, but only got released two years later. (In the meantime, leading man Creator/BradleyCooper made a name for himself and star Creator/SandraBullock had a comeback of sorts, and thus the studio took advantage of it. The DVD tagline is even "What if the girl from ''Film/TheProposal'' goes after the guy from ''Film/TheHangover''?")
* ''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).

** When she died in 2018, her family finally arranged to release the film in November of that year, putting an end to the film's whopping ''46 year'' long languishment.

* ''Film/{{Anna}}'' was completed in early 2018, but when accusations of sexual assault besieged Creator/LucBesson amidst the [=#MeToo=] movement, the film was put on an indefinite hold. It did not receive a theatrical release until summer 2019, in the midst of a crowded holiday slate (''WesternAnimation/ToyStory4'' opened that week among others) with very little spent on marketing (no press junkets or screenings for critics) despite opening on over 2,000 screens. The tell-tale sign of the half-hearted release was that the film had the previous Summit Entertainment VanityPlate (the outline of a mountain in a blue square) instead of the current iteration introduced in 2018, fashioned after the "in the clouds" plate of parent company Lionsgate.

* ''Film/TheAssassinationOfJesseJamesByTheCowardRobertFord'' was shot in 2005, but wasn't released until 2007 because of squabbles between Director Andrew Dominik, who wanted an impressionistic, Creator/TerrenceMalick-esque approach and executives at Warner Bros. who wanted a more action-packed movie. Eventually Creator/BradPitt, producer Creator/RidleyScott and editors Dylan Tichenor, Curtis Clayton and Michael Kahn made and tested various recuts. It's currently unknown whose cut was picked for general release.

* ''Film/BigTrouble'' was set to open on September 21st, 2001 and had all of its prints ready for shipment when the 9/11 attacks occurred. Disney then delayed the film for seven months before quietly dumping it. This presumably happened because the climax involves [[DistancedFromCurrentEvents the threat of a passenger plane being bombed]], although [[spoiler: the "terrorists" are really just crooks who stole a ''nuclear bomb'' without realizing what it was, and they accidentally turn it on while going through airport security. One of them falls into the ocean with the bomb, and no one else is harmed]].

* The slasher film ''Film/BloodRage'' was completed in 1983, but the film wasn't released until 1987, when an edited version titled ''Nightmare at Shadow Woods'' turned up in a few theaters. The original version was dumped to VHS the same year.

* ''Film/BrooklynsFinest'' was completed in 2008 and premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, the film underwent reshoots through its original distributor but after said reshoots, the distributor went under. After spending a few months in distribution limbo, Overture Films (now the distribution outlet for Relativity Media) bought the film at a bankruptcy auction for $2 million, released it in March 2010 (four months after the original Thanksgiving date) and made a tidy profit.

* Brazilian movie ''Chatô'' is an amazing case, as it was mostly filmed in 1998 and 1999, but only got released in 2015 as in-between its director and production company were investigated for improper use of funds.

* ''[[http://www.southflorida.com/theater-and-arts/sf-fort-lauderdale-film-festival-2016-chief-zabu-20161101-story.html Chief Zabu]]'', an indie political satire about a New York real estate developer who tries to take over a Polynesian island nation, was made in 1986 but never picked up for distribution despite the efforts of writers/directors Zack Norman (who also co-starred in the film) and Neil Cohen, with Norman taking out an ad in ''Variety'' for three years advertising the film (which became a RunningGag on ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000''). For a long time, it was assumed to be a [[MissingEpisode lost film]], with Norman, who owned the only copy, not sure if he even still had it in his possession. It was only in 2016 when, thanks to the Presidential run of Creator/DonaldTrump (who the film's protagonist Ben Sydney was a NoCelebritiesWereHarmed version of), Norman and Cohen unearthed his old VHS copy of it in a storage unit and finally had it screened at the Monica Film Center in Los Angeles.

* ''Film/MyDaysOfMercy'', a romance film starring Creator/ElliotPage and Creator/KateMara, was finished off in 2017 but has its release delayed until 2019 for unknown reasons.

* Creator/PaulSchrader shot his prequel to ''Film/TheExorcist'', but studio Creator/MorganCreek had not much faith in it and instead ordered Creator/RennyHarlin to shoot his own version, 2004's ''Film/ExorcistTheBeginning''. Eventually Schrader's version was released as ''[[Film/TheExorcist Dominion: Prequel To The Exorcist]]'' one year later.

* The ensemble comedy ''Film/GetAJob'' from acclaimed indie-film director Dylan Kid was originally shot in 2012 and supposed to make appearances at several film festivals, but wound up being a no-show and it kept getting delayed. When asked on a podcast in 2014 when the film was coming out, Anna Kendrick said she had no idea; rumor had it that the delay was due to issues with management changes at CBS Films. Finally Lionsgate gave the film a limited theatrical/video-on-demand release in 2016.
* A month before its scheduled release in theaters in June 2012, several months into an expensive marketing campaign and with warehouses full of toys ready for distribution, Paramount Pictures announced that it would be shelving the completed ''Film/GIJoeRetaliation'' until March 2013. This was supposedly so they could make a 3D conversion as well (along with adding more scenes with Creator/ChanningTatum, who was [[spoiler:killed off early in the original cut]], and who had become a big star in 2012 after ''Film/TwentyOneJumpStreet'', ''Film/TheVow'' and ''Film/MagicMike''). It was also rumored that the delay was caused by the weak domestic performance of ''Film/{{Battleship}}'' (a fellow Hasbro property), and that the director of ''Retaliation'' didn't know the film was being delayed in the first place.

* The Creator/SandraBullock[=/=]Creator/GeorgeClooney sci-fi drama ''Film/{{Gravity}}'' was intended to be released for Thanksgiving 2012 and be Creator/WarnerBros' big holiday movie (outside of the co-production of ''Film/TheHobbit''). However, the film's TroubledProduction (due to many actors pulling out and the complex visual effects work causing delays), director Alfonso Cuaron's weak box office track record (his last sci-fi film, ''Film/ChildrenOfMen'', was a major box office disaster) and weak test screenings led the studio to shelve the film. It was released October 4, 2013, and did a $55.8 million opening. It went on to gross over $700 million, and win seven UsefulNotes/{{Academy Award}}s including Best Director.

* 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 poor reviews. 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''.
** Roth's ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands}}'' adaptation was shot in Spring of 2021. The film seemed to enter post production hell with reshoots planned in early 2023. Roth did not return for these and was instead overseen by Creator/TimMiller with a release date of August 9, 2023, more than 3 years after production had wrapped.

* The satirical thriller ''[[Film/TheHunt2020 The Hunt]]'' was due for a September 2019 release when two back-to-back mass shootings took place in Texas and Ohio, respectively, in early August of that year. In the wake of the tragedies, Universal pulled advertising for the film. Not helping matters was the backlash over the premise, which is a quasi-remake of ''Literature/TheMostDangerousGame'' about rich "elitists" hunting down lower-class commoners for sport. An "unnamed source" told ''The Hollywood Reporter'' that the film's predators are politically liberal and the prey are conservatives. This information, combined with the GOP's general animosity towards "liberal" Hollywood, led to a outcry from right-wing media and then-President Creator/DonaldTrump despite them never having seen the film.[[note]]Or, for that matter, the ''plot summary'' Universal released, which implies that the audience is supposed to sympathize with characters being hunted. WordOfGod insists that the movie is intended to portray extremism on both sides of the political spectrum.[[/note]] Ultimately, Universal shelved the film, but later released it on March 13, 2020.

* ''Film/{{Idiocracy}}'' finished filming in 2004 and was dated for August 6, 2005, but was pulled off of Fox's schedule before finally getting released in September 1, 2006.

* ''Film/JupiterAscending'' was completed in 2013, but wasn't released until two years later, in 2015. Warner Bros. claimed it was done to give the Wachowskis more time to do the effects and the Wachowksis didn't use that extra time to do reshoots, instead leaving it in stasis until Warner finally decided to release it.
* Creator/ZackSnyder finished a cut [[ExecutiveMeddling out of compromise with executives]] with what he filmed for ''Justice League'' in early 2017. That seemingly wasn't enough for them and after Snyder's departure, Creator/JossWhedon was hired to write and direct reshoots more to their liking. The resulting [[Film/JusticeLeague2017 theatrical cut]] scrapped a lot of what Snyder filmed and ended up a BoxOfficeBomb, and the studio proceeded with the following Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse movies without caring about ''Justice League'' any further. In 2020 though, after a persistent [[SendingStuffToSaveTheShow fan campaign]], ''Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague'' was announced. With scrapped footage including most of the initial cut Snyder submitted, none of the Whedon additions and new special effects, it released March 18, 2021 on Creator/HBOMax and PVOD.
* The horror film ''Keep Watching'' starring Creator/BellaThorne was shot in 2013, but it wasn't picked up for distribution until two years later by Creator/ScreenGems. They set a December 2, 2016, release date for the film and released a poster to boot. Not long later, they pulled it from their yearly schedule and aimed for a March 24, 2017, date instead. A short time later, they pulled the release again and finally a trailer popped up in August and the film got a release date for October 31.

* ''The King's Daughter'', based off the 1997 novel ''The Moon and the Sun'' by Vonda [=McIntyre=], completed filming at the end of May 2014 with Focus Features distributing in the United States as ''The Moon and the Sun''. Then on August 15, 2014, Paramount bought the U.S. distribution rights and announced a release date of April 10, 2015, then for some reason no trailers were released until three weeks before release, Paramount decided to cancel and later put the film on turnaround with Open Road Films buying the rights and retitled the film as ''The King's Daughter'' with no release date in sight.

* ''Film/TheLoft'', 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]]

* ''Film/MarciX'' was completed in August 2002 but didn't get released until a year later (August 2003) where it opened to mostly negative reviews and did poorly at the box-office.

* ''Film/Movie43'' began production in 2009 and was intended to ready for a 2010 release. Then original distributor Overture Films sold the rights (and later had everything at the studio but the name sold) to Relativity Media, who continued to keep it in-and-out of production (missing a planned Spring 2012 date) until finally releasing it in 2013.

* ''Not Safe for Work'' (Joe Johnston's follow-up to ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger'') had been finished since 2012 but was held from domestic theatrical release due to studio politics at Universal (the film was originally planned for theatrical release and then a straight-to-DVD release in April 2014). The film was then released to home video in May 2014.

* ''Film/{{O}}'', the modern day retelling of Shakespeare's ''Othello'', was originally supposed to be released in spring 1999, but then Columbine happened, and the thought of releasing a film which featured gun violence amongst high school students so soon afterwards was unthinkable, so the film didn't see the light of day until more than two years later in August 2001. This wound up helping the film, as during the two-year delay, Julia Stiles's profile skyrocketed as one of the hottest young stars in Hollywood, thanks to the 1-2 combo of ''Film/TenThingsIHateAboutYou'' and ''Film/SaveTheLastDance'', and was able to add a little more star power to the product upon release.
* ''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 January 2023, while skipping North America until March.
* Creator/StephenSommers' adaptation of the book ''Film/OddThomas'' was finished in late 2011 (after financing issues briefly halted filming in mid 2011) but had difficulty in finding a distributor. When it finally did find one, the film got tied up in legal lawsuits as a result of the marketing department not promoting the film like they were supposed to, it eventually got a DVD release in 2014.

* Principal production for ''Film/{{Ophelia}}'' was completed on July 6th 2017 and the film premiered at Sundance on January 22, 2018, but it didn't receive a theatrical release until June 28, 2019, over a year after the premiere. It apparently took a while to find distributors; it didn't get a UK distributor until mid-August 2019 (nearly two months after the US).

* Creator/ChuckJones's adaptation of ''Literature/ThePhantomTollbooth'' was completed in 1968, but internal shakeups at MGM caused it to be shelved until 1970, when it was released under the studio's "Children's Matinees" umbrella.

* ''Film/ProjectAlmanac'' was filmed in 2013 with a planned February 28, 2014 release date. However, Paramount delayed it ''a few weeks'' before its scheduled release. The film was then released on January 2015 (and it underwent a title change. Prior to the delay, the original title was ''Welcome to Yesterday'').

* ''Film/RadioFlyer'' was originally intended as Columbia's big summer 1991 release -- odd in hindsight given its B-level cast, lack of big special effects and grim subject matter for a family film. The release date was constantly shuffled due to reshoots, production delays, and finally bad test screenings. Eventually, the film was quietly released in February 1992 and was a critically-savaged BoxOfficeBomb.

* ''Film/RedTails'' suffered in DevelopmentHell from the '80s until 2007, and even after it was in the can and ready to go in 2010, it took another couple years before Creator/GeorgeLucas could find a distributor willing to take it. The reason Lucas gave for both the decades-long hell and this trope was that [[MinorityShowGhetto the cast was mostly black]]. Other sources claim that Lucas was demanding an unreasonably large portion of the international grosses as part of the deal.

* ''Film/RunRonnieRun'' (the ''Series/MrShow'' movie) was completed in 2001 but shelved until 2003, when it was released DirectToVideo due to New Line Cinema losing faith in the film.
* ''Same Kind of Different as Me'' completed filming in December 2014 and had a release date for April 29, 2016 but Paramount decided to push back the date to February 3, 2017 a month before release. Then on December 30, 2016, Paramount decided to place the film on turnaround and Creator/PureFlixEntertainment picked up distribution rights and was released on October 20, 2017.

* ''Film/TheSwimmer'' starring Creator/BurtLancaster was completed in 1966, but wasn't released for another two years.

* ''Tony 'n' Tina's Wedding'', a film adaptation of the popular "immersive theatre"[=/=]improv play (with Creator/MilaKunis and [[Music/NewKidsOnTheBlock Joey [=McIntyre=]]] in the title roles) was filmed in 2004 and debuted to an indifferent reception at the Tribeca Film Festival that year. It finally got a limited theatrical release at the end of 2007.

* ''Film/{{Underwater}}'' was filmed in 2017, but was kept on the shelf by Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox for a couple years. After Creator/{{Disney}} bought the studio, it finally received a date for January 2020.

* Creator/SamuelFuller's racism drama ''Film/WhiteDog'' was filmed in 1981 but Paramount shelved it due to uneasiness over the film's content and it would not be released until it was quietly sneaked onto the Creator/{{Lifetime}} network (of all places) in 1987. The film would not see a home video release until 2010, when Creator/TheCriterionCollection released it on DVD.

* Due to the highly contagious UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic, '''many''' movies scheduled for release in 2020 and later have been delayed, some indefinitely, since going to a movie theater basically entails having dozens of total strangers to sit in close proximity for a two to three hour stretch. This left quite a few big-budget tentpole films such as ''Film/{{Mulan|2020}}'', ''Film/WonderWoman1984'', ''Film/NoTimeToDie'', ''Film/{{Black Widow|2021}}'', ''Film/TopGunMaverick'', ''Film/TheKingsMan'', ''Film/GhostbustersAfterlife'' etc... in an unusual position of being completed but unable to be released. The aftermath varied from coming out solely on streaming services (''Mulan'', which had held its world premiere and was first exclusively for a "premium access" fee on Creator/DisneyPlus), pushed to the second semester when a number of theaters had reopened (''Film/{{Tenet}}''), downright delayed to the following year (such as ''Film/AQuietPlacePartII'', which even had held its world premiere and would hit theaters the exact week theaters were closed). Creator/WarnerMedia opted to use a mix of one-month streaming on Creator/HBOMax and theatrical release at the same time for such films (''Wonder Woman 1984'', ''Film/GodzillaVsKong'', ''Film/{{Dune|2021}}'' and some others, along with Creator/WarnerBros' entire 2021 release slate). Disney opted to mix the theatrical release along with the Premium Access for its delayed to 2021 releases (''Westernanimation/RayaAndTheLastDragon'', ''Film/{{Cruella}}'', and the aforementioned ''Black Widow'') so that they profit either way, though they have since launched a 45-days theatrical window for ''Film/ShangChiAndTheLegendOfTheTenRings'' and further movies before having them go to streaming.

* ''WesternAnimation/CoyoteVsAcme'' was [[https://twitter.com/Animated_Antic/status/1722717363190284514 shelved in November 2023]] after being completed, but public backlash from both fans and filmmakers alike forced Creator/WarnerBros and [[Creator/DoubleNegativeVFX DNEG]] to bring it back and allow it to be shopped to other distributors. Currently, the film is being offered to Creator/{{Netflix}}, Creator/PrimeVideo and Creator/{{Paramount}}, the last of whom is planning to give it a theatrical release, and on New Year's Eve, voice actor Creator/EricBauza unveiled the film's first official screenshot on his Website/TwitterX account and implied a 2024 release.

* ''WesternAnimation/CoyoteVsAcme'' was [[https://twitter.com/Animated_Antic/status/1722717363190284514 shelved in November 2023]] after being completed, but public backlash from both fans and filmmakers alike forced Creator/WarnerBros and [[Creator/DoubleNegativeVFX DNEG]] to bring it back and allow it to be shopped to other distributors. Currently, the film is being offered to Creator/{{Netflix}}, Creator/PrimeVideo and Creator/{{Paramount}}, the last of whom is planning to give it a theatrical release, and on New Year's Eve, voice actor Creator/EricBauza unveiled the film's first official screenshot on his Creator/TwitterX account and implied a 2024 release.

* ''WesternAnimation/CoyoteVsAcme'' was [[https://twitter.com/Animated_Antic/status/1722717363190284514 shelved in November 2023]] after being completed, but public backlash from both fans and filmmakers alike forced Creator/WarnerBros and [[Creator/DoubleNegativeVFX DNEG]] to bring it back and allow it to be shopped to other distributors. Currently, the film is being offered to Creator/{{Netflix}}, Creator/PrimeVideo and Creator/{{Paramount}}, the last of whom is planning to give it a theatrical release.

* ''WesternAnimation/CoyoteVsAcme'' was [[https://twitter.com/Animated_Antic/status/1722717363190284514 shelved in November 2023]] after being completed, but public backlash from both fans and filmmakers alike forced Creator/WarnerBros to bring it back and allow it to be shopped to other distributors. Currently, the film is being offered to Creator/{{Netflix}}, Creator/PrimeVideo and Creator/{{Paramount}}, the last of whom is planning to give it a theatrical release.

** ''[[Film/BillAndTed Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure]]'' was shot in 1987 but didn't open until 1989, when the rights were purchased by (ironically) Orion. Since time travel is central to the plot, the film's director had to bring Creator/KeanuReeves and Alex Winter in to redub a few lines to cover for the delay.

* ''WesternAnimation/CoyoteVsAcme'' was [[https://twitter.com/Animated_Antic/status/1722717363190284514 shelved in November 2023]] after being completed, but backlash from both fans and filmmakers alike caused Creator/WarnerBros to reverse course and allow the film to be shopped to other distributors. Currently, the film is being offered to Creator/{{Netflix}}, Creator/PrimeVideo and Creator/{{Paramount}}, the last of whom is planning to give it a theatrical release.

* ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooAndKryptoToo'' was completely finished around 2022, but was not officially released until September 26, 2023. Prior to its release, many people and even news outlets speculated that the film fell victim to Warner Bros. Discovery's mass cancellations later that year, and it was even leaked online in the interim.

* ''WesternAnimation/CoyoteVsAcme'' was [[https://twitter.com/Animated_Antic/status/1722717363190284514 shelved in November 2023]] after being completed, but backlash from both fans and filmmakers alike caused Creator/WarnerBros to reverse course and allow the film to be shopped to other distributors. Currently, the film is being offered to Creator/{{Netflix}}, Creator/PrimeVideo and Creator{{Paramount}}, the last of whom is planning to give it a theatrical release.

* ''WesternAnimation/CoyoteVsAcme'' was [[https://twitter.com/Animated_Antic/status/1722717363190284514 shelved in November 2023]] after being completed, but backlash from both fans and filmmakers alike caused Creator/WarnerBros to reverse course and allow the film to be shopped to other distributors.

* ''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 video release schedule during a writers' strike, though the full movie leaked online in the interim.

* ''Film/TheWarWithGrandpa'' was filmed and produced in 2017 and was intially scheduled to be released in 2018, but [[OvershadowedByControversy Harvey Weinstein's rape allegations]] lead to the film being pulled from the schedule. It wouldn't be until October 2020 when the film would finally see the light of day.

** The medical thriller ''Film/{{Awake}}'' was shot in 2005 but not released until 2007 due to numerous test screenings that required further re-editing involving subplots that were deleted, and being delayed repeatedly by Creator/TheWeinsteinCompany.

* ''WesternAnimation/CoyoteVsAcme'' was [[https://twitter.com/Animated_Antic/status/1722717363190284514 shelved in November 2023]] after being completed.