(Bloomberg) -- ViacomCBS Inc. moved the release date for “Top Gun: Maverick” into next year as Hollywood continues to wrestle with the pandemic that’s kept many people from theaters.

The highly anticipated sequel featuring action star Tom Cruise was expected to debut on Nov. 19, and will instead move to May 27. 

The change was part of a broader reshuffling of dates at Viacom’s Paramount Pictures studio. “Mission: Impossible 7,” also featuring Cruise, moved to Sept. 30 of next year from May, and “Jackass Forever” shifted to Feb. 4 from this October. 

Sony Corp. subsequently moved its film “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” to the November date “Top Gun” had occupied, a coveted one just before Thanksgiving.

Studios are all reacting to the challenges presented by the delta strain of the coronavirus, which has slowed the broader economic recovery and caused health officials to put new restrictions on gatherings. The movie industry doesn’t expect a broader return to theaters until at least next year.

“Top Gun” picks up the storyline from the 1986 film. It was one of the larger movies scheduled for release in theaters in late 2021, with a budget of about $150 million, according to trade reports. Paramount had planned to show it exclusively in cinemas for 45 days, rather than test out a simultaneous release on streaming services, a strategy studios have used to reach virus-wary movie lovers.

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