"Meg Ryan's Romcom Return Falls Victim to Taylor Swift's Movie Dominance"

Ryan and Duchovny's romcom, "What Happens Later," will be delayed to avoid competing with Taylor Swift's concert film.

The distributor of the upcoming romantic comedy, starring Ryan and David Duchovny, has announced a delay in its release to avoid competing with Taylor Swift's concert film, The Eras Tour. Bleecker Movies, in response to Swift's announcement, tweeted that they will take their time and asked if the audience is ready for it. The film, titled What Happens Later, will now only be released in theaters on November 3, instead of its original date of October 13, which coincided with Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour.

In What Happens Later, Ryan and Duchovny portray ex-lovers who are brought together again when they find themselves stranded in an airport during a blizzard. This marks Ryan's return to the screen after an eight-year hiatus. However, this is not the first film to be affected by Swift's popularity. Horror producer Jason Blum also changed the release date of his latest film, The Exorcist: Believer, to avoid competing with Swift. Blumhouse Productions CEO, Jason Blum, tweeted that the film's release date has been moved to October 6, 2023, with a playful reference to Swift's hit song, "Look What You Made Me Do."

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour has already broken records for AMC Theaters, with the highest number of presale tickets sold in a single day. The film generated an astounding $26 million in ticket revenue on its first day of presales, surpassing the previous record held by Spider-Man: No Way Home. To handle the anticipated high demand, AMC has upgraded its website and ticketing systems, but acknowledges that delays and outages may still occur due to the overwhelming response from Taylor Swift fans.

What Happens Later is based on the play Shooting Star by Steven Dietz, with Ryan and playwright Kirk Lynn co-writing the film. The official synopsis describes the story of two ex-lovers, Bill and Willa, who find themselves snowed in at a regional airport. As they are indefinitely delayed, they discover that they are still attracted to and annoyed by each other, just as they were decades ago. They delve into their shared past and compare their current lives to the dreams they once had, questioning whether their reunion is mere coincidence or something more magical.