The Bride Sounds Awesome, But I Understand The Frankenstein Movie's Delay After Last Year's $207 Million Disappointment

The Bride! has been delayed from its 2025 release date, and while the movie sounds awesome, I understand why the Frankenstein movie has been pushed to 2026 after Warner Bros.’ $207 million disappointment from last year. The Bride! is was one of the most interesting films was was originally on the 2025 release calendar, with it putting a musical spin on the classic Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein stories. However, The Bride! has a lot in common with one of the biggest box office bombs of 2024, explaining why the film may have gotten delayed.

The Bride! is written and directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal, with the film being a musical that provides a unique take on the Frankenstein story inspired by Bride of Frankenstein. The cast of The Bride! features Jessie Buckley as Frankenstein’s bride and Christian Bale as Frankenstein’s monster, with the film featuring other major actors like Penélope Cruz, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Peter Sarsgaard. The Bride! previously had a release date of October 3, 2025, with it being announced in March 2025 that the film was getting a new release date of March 6, 2026.

The Bride’s First Footage From CinemaCon 2025 Makes the Movie Sound Great

Based On The CinemaCon Description

Christian Bale as Frankenstein's Monster in The Bride! 2025 early release pH๏τo

The Bride! was given some attention at CinemaCon 2025, which ScreenRant was present at. Footage of The Bride! was shown at CinemaCon 2025, and while the footage isn’t available online, descriptions of what was shown have been provided. The footage shows how the Bride died, her revival by Frankenstein, and several violent scenes of the Bride and Frankenstein’s monster. The final sH๏τ is a black-and-white image of the Bride’s head in a glᴀss case, with this acting as a homage to the style of the older Frankenstein movies.

Based on the descriptions of this first look at The Bride!, the film sounds great. The style and violence mean that the movie will have a fun and dark tone, one that simultaneously pays homage to the Frankenstein stories of the past. The trailer also heavily focuses on the Bride’s idenтιтy, introducing a key theme that could be explored in the film. The increased role of Frankenstein’s monster also offers a unique change to the Frankenstein mythos, meaning that Maggie Gyllenhaal’s take on the story is truly unique.

The Bride Being A Big Budget Musical Makes It A Bigger Risk After Joker 2

One Of The Biggest Flops Of 2024

While The Bride! is exciting, the fact that it is a big-budget musical makes it a bigger risk after the release of 2024’s Joker: Folie à Deux. Despite the box office success of the original Joker in 2019, Joker: Folie à Deux was a mᴀssive box office disappointment, with it being one of the biggest flops of 2024. The film made only $207.5 million on a budget of around $200 million, which was much lower than many expected. The story of Joker: Folie à Deux‘s box office was the main focus of the sequel’s post-release discussion, and this has potentially hurt The Bride!.

One of the most commonly-cited reasons that Joker: Folie à Deux was a box office failure is the fact that the film was an R-rated musical. Since the first Joker wasn’t a musical, the announcement of the sequel’s musical status was a major surprise, with it potentially turning off some viewers. Much like Joker: Folie à Deux, The Bride! is also a mature musical movie, meaning that its box office potential is uncertain. Warner Bros. Pictures is also the distributor of The Bride!, meaning that they are likely wary of repeating Joker: Folie à Deux‘s mistakes.

WB Is Smart To Be Patient With The Bride To Avoid Another Joker 2 Disaster

They Need Time To Save The Bride!

While the delay of The Bride! may be disappointing to some, it is smart for Warner Bros. Pictures to be patient with the film. The wounds left by Joker: Folie à Deux are still fresh, and Warner Bros. needs to give some time for the public discussion surrounding the movie to die down.

While. didn’t do test screenings, The Bride! did do test screenings, and they reportedly went poorly. This may have shaken Warner Bros.’ faith in the film even further. Warner Bros. probably lacks confidence in the film, explaining their decision to delay it. They may be able to save The Bride! in editing and with reshoots, potentially offering another explanation for its delay.