GTA6 crashes summer '26

Should Hollywood be worried about Grand Theft Auto VI's new release date?

The Gist

• “Grand Theft Auto VI” was delayed until May 2026. Should Hollywood be worried?

• The game will be one of, if not the, biggest games of all time. But there’s little to suggest that movie studios should be re-thinking their slates next summer.

• From Barbenheimer to the Oblivion remastered/Expedition 33 releases, perhaps a rising tide can lift all boats.

This week, gamers ‘round the world finally got the news they’d been dreading ever since Rockstar Games initially announced the long-awaited “Grand Theft VI” would be released this fall: It’s been delayed until May 26, 2026.

The fall ‘25 window never seemed especially safe for those who have already been waiting for this game for a dozen years (like me).

I soon noticed some conversation online that next summer will be monumental for pop culture, particularly May: Not only will “GTA VI” come out, but “Avengers: Doomsday and “Mandalorian and Grogu,” the first Star Wars movie in seven years, will also be released in theaters.

I’ve already written about how strong next year’s movie release calendar is and how it could be the first post-pandemic movie year to show real pre-pandemic promise (on paper, anyway; the post-pandemic box office has routinely shown that we know nothing).

Disney CEO Bob Iger seems to partly agree, saying recently that the company’s next 18 months of releases is its best since 2019. Next summer alone Disney will drop the aforementioned Avengers and Star Wars movies, along with a “Moana” live-action remake and “Toy Story 5.”

“The Mandalorian and Grogu” (Disney/Lucasfilm)

But I saw some suggestion online that Disney might be wise to move Mando and Grogu to another date, given it comes out mere days before “GTA VI,” and that the game — which most industry observers agree could become the best-selling video game of all time — could blow up Hollywood’s summer.

That got me thinking: Is there any rationale for that argument? Or could next summer just be one of the biggest summers for the entertainment business ever? (On paper).

We’ve seen that blockbuster movies can co-exist. Remember Barbenheimer? Though that was a perfect case of counter-programming, “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” also benefited one another.

We’ve also seen a similar phenomenon with games. Most recently, the surprise release of a remastered version of “The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion” could have tanked any other game release; but another RPG, “Clair Obscur: Expedition 33” — which was released two days later — has come seemingly out of nowhere to be a word-of-mouth sensation, selling over 2 million copies so far. In fact, data shows that there was a big overlap in players for both games.

So there’s reason to believe the old mantra “a rising tide lifts all boats.” But what about when you pit games and movies against each other? Looking at past examples, I don’t see any reason to believe “GTA VI” will pose that much risk to the summer movie season.

Here’s one: The release of the Switch in March 2017, along with the launch game “Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild,” didn’t seem to slow down “Logan,” released on the same day. The Switch set Nintendo sales records in its first weekend and “Breath of the Wild” is one of the best-selling games of all time; meanwhile, “Logan” is the ninth highest-grossing R-rated movie ever.

The way I see it, “GTA VI” and “Mandalorian and Grogu,” or any other summer ‘26 movie release, can co-exist and appeal to a broad base of people. The movie business is already competing with a lot of other things — like video games — for people’s attention, particularly young people. Yet, when a movie hits these days, it really hits, despite outside pressures.

So I don’t see any reason for Hollywood to panic — at least, not when it comes to “GTA VI.”

Beyond the Traverse

🚨 Apparently the new “GTA VI” trailer release is the “biggest video launch of all time.” Whatever that means.

❌ The director of Marvel’s (very good) “Thunderbolts” is being eyed for the MCU’S X-Men reboot.

⚡️ Speaking of, Bob Iger says “Thunderbolts” is the “first and best example” of Marvel’s new focus on “quality.” *We’re all trying to find the guy who did this meme*