Walt Disney Pictures has announced new release dates for a string of its major movies, including the live-action remake of "Mulan" and upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) blockbusters like "Black Widow."

The entertainment giant postponed the releases of more than a dozen big titles as movie theaters across the globe have shuttered and movie productions halted for an extended period of time to curb the global spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

In a note of optimism that North American movie theaters could be back in business by late July, "Mulan" – a mega-budget epic based on the tale of a legendary Chinese warrior – is now tentatively scheduled to hit theaters on July 24.

Featuring all-Asian cast, the highly-anticipated remake will displace "Jungle Cruise" – an adventure feature starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, which has been delayed a whole year to July 30, 2021.

Starring Scarlett Johansson, "Black Widow" – the first of the new "solo phase" of the record-breaking MCU – is set to get a theatrical release on November 6, taking the spot of "The Eternals."

The reshuffled schedule also confirmed that eagerly awaited Marvel productions "The Eternals" and "Shang-Chi," as well as the new "Thor" and "Doctor Strange" sequels, have all been shunted to next two years as the delay of "Black Widow" triggered a domino effect.

The MCU's "The Eternals" is now set for February 12, 2021, the old date for "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" - and that film has now moved to May 7, 2021, pushing "Doctor Strange 2" to November 5, 2021, and then "Thor: Love And Thunder" to February 18, 2022.

"Black Panther 2" remains set for May 6, 2022. And an untitled Marvel project, which was later confirmed to be "Captain Marvel 2", was rescheduled for July 8, 2022, while the other still untitled project which was previously set for February 2022 was removed from the MCU lineup entirely.

Disney also revealed that the theatrical release of family film "Artemis Fowl" would be scrapped and instead it will debut on Disney+, but the release date has yet to be confirmed.

The adaptation is the latest major studio production to skip theaters entirely and move directly to streaming – a trend that has triggered alarm among movie exhibitors.

Lucasfilm's next Indiana Jones film, currently untitled, was pushed back an entire year from July 9, 2021 to July 29, 2022 and is set to be directed by James Mangold, best known for "Logan" and "Ford vs. Ferrari" rather than Steven Spielberg.

Other major film studios have also revised their release schedules as movie dates continue to get rolled back due to COVID-19 concerns.

Paramount Pictures moved a new animated "SpongeBob" movie to July 31, and Warner Bros said it planned to release "Wonder Woman 1984" on August 14.

Universal's supernatural slasher remake "Candyman" is rescheduled for September 25.

20th Century Studios' Ryan Reynolds comedy "Free Guy," originally on the docket for July 3, has now been bumped to December 11.

(Cover image and infographic by Li Wenyi)