“Dear Santa,” a comedy by the Farrelly brothers about a young boy who accidentally sends a letter to Satan instead of Santa, will not reach theaters this holiday season, one of many victims of a prolonged actors’ strike that has set the U.S. entertainment industry reeling from one of the longest work stoppages in its history.
Major releases such as “Mission: Impossible -- Dead Reckoning Part 2,” “Gladiator 2” and “Ghostbusters: Afterlife 2” have been delayed because of the walkout, as was “Bob Marley: One Love,” a biopic about the reggae musician that was receiving early Oscar buzz.
Media analyst Doug Creutz noted that the strikes “came at a very difficult time” for major media companies already contending with declines of the traditional cable TV business, weak ad performance and streaming services that mostly lose money. Add to those concerns a struggling movie business, whose holiday quarter box-office proceeds could fall 30% or more below pre-pandemic levels, as the actors’ strike forces the delayed release of several movies.