The Latest Date Changes 2: The New Batch

[transformers2]

I know Baby Driver is going after a different audience than Spider-Man/Transformers/The House, but there's so many other releases on the schedule that I think it could potentially get lost in the shuffle. It's quirky premise and the complete lack of blockbusters surrounding it made its original date a much better fit.

[Buscemi]

I don't think The House will be very big either. It's been on the shelf for a while and the premise sounds rather cruel for a mainstream comedy. Also, has Amy Poehler ever had a live-action hit that didn't pair her with Tina Fey?

[transformers2]

I don't think The House will be very big either. It's been on the shelf for a while and the premise sounds rather cruel for a mainstream comedy. Also, has Amy Poehler ever had a live-action hit that didn't pair her with Tina Fey?

In a lead role, no. I'm not sold on The House being a hit either, I just think that releasing Baby Driver the same weekend as an R-rated Will Ferrell vehicle that's going after a similar demographic is an unnecessary risk.

[Buscemi]

New dates:

Leap! 9/1/2017 (from 4/21/2017, I knew this wouldn't stay)
The Ugly Dolls (STX and Robert Rodriguez planning a new toy-based franchise) 5/10/2019

And FilmRise will release Marjorie Prime, a Sundance winner that hadn't gotten much interest from distributors.

[Shrykespeare]

Yeah, and I noticed Untitled Blumhouse also moved (biiiiiig surprise there).

Where did it announce the Leap move, Boosh?

[Buscemi]

I found it on HSX. Source might have been Exhibitor Relations Co. (Edit: Leap! has been moved up two days to 8/30/2017.)

And more new dates:
I, Daniel Blake 6/2/2017 (from TBA 2017)
The Little Hours 6/30/2017
The Emoji Movie 7/28/2017 (from 8/4/2017)
Brigsby Bear 7/28/2017
The Dark Tower 8/4/2017 (from 7/28/2017)
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle 12/20/2017 (from 12/22/2017)
The Phantom Thread (Paul Thomas Anderson's new one, currently filming) 12/25/2017
He's Out There TBA 2017 (from 12/1/2017)
Amusement Park 8/10/2018 (from 7/13/2018)
SpongeBob SquarePants 3 8/2/2019 (from 2/8/2019)

And Paramount has scheduled two untitled Nickelodeon films (one animated, one live-action/animated film) for 3/22/2019 and 7/31/2020. The 2020 one is most likely the Who Framed Roger Rabbit-esque Nicktoons while I read a rumor (most likely untrue) that the 2019 one is Invader Zim (if they could bring back Jhonen Vasquez to write and produce it and give him total creative freedom, it would be amazing but I won't hold my breath).

Meanwhile, Annihilation and Downsizing both look to be R-rated films based on early trailer reaction from CinemaCon. Paramount would be smart to platform these instead of trying to recreate the success of Arrival by going wide right away (I bet the studio was banking on these to be PG-13, why else would anyone think an Alexander Payne film would play well in 2,000 theatres opening weekend?).

Also, Blumhouse has been rumored to going after the film rights for Five Nights at Freddy's. How is this still a thing? It's like how we're getting a Slenderman movie for no reason.

[Buscemi]

The next Disneynature film looks to be ready for 4/20/2018 and will be called Dolphins. So it looks as if Disney hasn't retired the sub-label (even though they sat on Born in China for close to two years).

And A24 has picked up Sidney Hall, another Sundance film that got little interest at the festival, for a day-and-date run. Most likely one for the post-theatrical possibilities. Speaking of distributors with home video deals with Lionsgate, Saban will release the Jim Carrey thriller True Crimes.

Also in distribution news, Annapurna will distribute Richard Linklater's currently filming Where'd You Go, Bernadette? (I think this will eventually get renamed). And it seems like they will not seek a distribution partner as a pay cable deal with Hulu will give Megan Ellison's company an influx of cash (I could see Ellison buying Broad Green or another struggling label to get her films into theatres). Meanwhile, Linklater's completed Last Flag Flying does not have a distribution partner (Amazon produced it and will likely save it for one of the festivals, this could be a big title for awards season).

Lastly, a few new dates:
Baywatch 5/25/2017 (from 5/26/2017)
Midnight Sun 8/4/2017 (from 7/14/2017)
The Trip to Spain 8/11/2017
Home Again (Reese Witherspoon comedy) 9/8/2017
All I See is You 9/15/2017 (from 8/4/2017)

[Buscemi]

New dates:
Enter the Warrior's Gate 5/5/2017 (a EuropaCorp title with Dave Bautista that will apparently be distributed outside of the STX deal)
47 Meters Down 6/16/2017 (from 6/23/2017)
Breathe 10/13/2017 (looks like Bleecker Street will position Andy Serkis's directorial debut for awards)

And Kathryn Bigelow's new film (opening on 8/4/2017) will be titled Detroit (it was Untitled Detroit Project). I kind of figured it wouldn't use the city's name in the title (especially seeing how it was shot in Boston).

In distribution news, Netflix will release Noah Baumbach's The Meyerowitz Stories. Though Adam Sandler is in the cast, I think this is outside of the Sandler deal though it seems to suggest that studios are no longer answering Baumbach's calls.

[Buscemi]

And Shazam! has been canceled by Warner Bros. The project will be merged into Man of Steel 2 (which is to reportedly be directed by Matthew Vaughn).

In distribution news, Saban has picked up Shot Caller, meaning another Relativity film gets rescued (though this was a film that probably would have flopped either way). Now will Netflix get off its ass and get the US rights to Before I Wake (they already have pay cable but refuse to release anything from Relativity after losing the suit back in June)?

Also in distribution news, Orion is going to co-distribute Wish Upon, which suggests Broad Green doesn't have the money to release it alone. It is now opening on 7/14/2017 (from 6/30/2017).

And Churchill is looking at a 200 theatre release on 6/2/2017, as part of an initiative for Cohen Media Group to expand its horizons with bigger projects, mainly producing its own films (on one hand, they have a new Agnes Varda film, on the other hand, they're letting Will Gluck have another go at something after the disastrous Annie remake).

Lastly, a few new dates:
Gotti 8/25/2017 (Lionsgate Premiere to release this long-in-development hell John Travolta film)
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (I wasn't expecting Fox to keep the long title) 10/13/2017
The Killing of the Sacred Deer (A24 reteams with The Lobster's director and star for what to be a more mainstream film) 11/3/2017
Goodbye Christopher Robin (Domhnall Gleeson as A.A. Milne) 11/10/2017
Night School (Kevin Hart comedy, despite what Box Office Mojo says, it's a Universal release) 9/28/2018

[Buscemi]

A pair of Lionsgate titles may be seeking new distributors. Granite Mountain (currently scheduled for 9/22/2017) and Soldado are currently part of a spat between the distributor and financiers Black Label Media and the financiers are intending to shop both films to other distributors (I expect something will get settled, especially since one of the films is a sequel to a moneymaker).

And a few new dates:
Menashe (A24 goes to temple) 7/28/2017
American Made 9/22/2017 (from 9/29/2017)
Half to Death (previously the Untitled Blumhouse Horror Film, it's basically a horror variant of Groundhog Day) 10/20/2017
The Shape of Water (Guillermo del Toro does romance) 12/8/2017
Insidious: Chapter 4 1/5/2018 (from 10/20/2017)
Peter Rabbit 2/9/2018 (from 3/23/2018) (possibly trying to force Smallfoot to move)

[Buscemi]

Release date party at Fox!

Kingsman: The Golden Circle 9/22/2017 (from 9/29/2017)
Murder on the Orient Express 11/10/2017 (from 11/22/2017)
The Post 12/22/2017 limited, 1/12/2018 wide (I'm really surprised that this will be out before Ready Player One, which has been long been completed)
Maze Runner: The Death Cure 2/9/2018 (from 1/12/2018)
Red Sparrow 3/2/2018 (from 11/10/2017)
New Mutants 4/13/2018
Deadpool 2 6/1/2018
The Predator 8/3/2018 (from 2/9/2018)
The Kid Who Would Be King (apparently, this is a religious film from vague information provided) 9/28/2018
X-Men: Dark Phoenix 11/2/2018
Widows (Steve McQueen's new one) 11/16/2018
Bohemian Rhapsody (Bryan Singer directing the Freddie Mercury biopic) 12/25/2018
Avatar 2 12/18/2020
Avatar 3 12/17/2021
Avatar 4 12/20/2024
Avatar 5 12/19/2025

And as soon as Fox moved up Kingsman (of which I'm still convinced won't be ready in time), Universal moved American Made back to 9/29/2017.

Also, Columbia will now release Granite Mountain and has pushed it back to 10/20/2017 (from 9/22/2017). They will also release Soldado at an undetermined date (I'm guessing sometime in early 2018).

And Broad Green seems to have gotten the issues with Buena Vista Social Club: Adios taken care of as it will open on 5/26/2017. I can't see the date sticking though (or Broad Green staying on, I think Janus could pick it up if Broad Green pulls it).

[Buscemi]

Disney release party!

A Wrinkle in Time 3/9/2018 (from 4/6/2018)
Magic Camp 4/6/2018 (from 8/3/2018)
Untitled Disney Live Action Fairy Tale 8/3/2018 (from 7/27/2017)
Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2 11/21/2018 (from 3/9/2018)
Star Wars Episode IX 5/24/2019
The Lion King 7/19/2019
Indiana Jones 5 7/10/2020 (from 7/19/2019)
Gigantic 11/25/2020 (from 11/21/2018)

And Frozen 2 has been confirmed to be the 11/27/2019 Disney film, which along with Ralph Breaks the Internet breaks tradition on considering sequels part of the Disney Animated Canon.

Disney has also placed placeholder dates for 8/9/2019, 4/30/2020, 8/7/2020 (a Marvel film), 3/12/2021, 6/18/2021 (a Pixar film), and 11/24/2021 (an animated film).

Also, Universal has traded dates for Half to Death (now at 10/13/2017) and The Snowman (now at 10/20/2017) while Fox will open Isle of Dogs on 4/20/2018.

Edit: Universal has given the Unbreakable/Split crossover film Glass a 1/18/2019 date. Previously, the date was only a placeholder. Also, Open Road has pushed Show Dogs back to an undetermined January 2018 date (from 11/10/2017).

[Buscemi]

And release date mania just keeps on, this time from Sony Pictures Animation.

Animated Spider-Man 12/14/2018 (from 12/21/2018)
Angry Birds 2 9/20/2019 (I expect this one is distribution only, as Rovio financed the first one)
Masters of the Universe 12/18/2019

And related to Sony, TriStar is heavily in pre-production on a new Narnia film (which will continue the franchise rather than being a reboot) that will be directed by Joe Johnston. A date should be expected soon on that assuming studio politics don't interfere.

Also, World War Z 2 is looking at a late 2018/early 2019 date as David Fincher will direct after all. I guess he tired of all the Oscar bait (and Paramount must have given him a really good deal, seeing how he refused to direct a sequel to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and simply took the $5 million in his contract for the first film). Related to Paramount, they have scheduled a feature-length version of The Loud House for 2/7/2020. I know the show has had some critical success but I didn't realize it was popular enough to spawn a film.

Meanwhile, Bleecker Street and Steven Soderbergh apparently have plans to release Logan Lucky in close to 3,000 theatres on August 18th (for some reason, Box Office Mojo is still not listing the date). To date, Bleecker Street's widest release has been 1,089 theatres (Eye in the Sky).

Lastly, a few more dates:
The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature 8/11/2017 (from 8/18/2017)
Beach Rats 8/25/2017
Wonderstruck 10/20/2017 limited, TBA November wide (though I'm sure Todd Haynes will find a way to tinker with it after Cannes)
Villa Capri 11/22/2017 (from 8/25/2017, who wants to bet Broad Green doesn't have the money to release it?)
Show Dogs 2/16/2018 (from TBA January 2018, this date probably doesn't stick as Open Road's looking for a buyer)
The Spy Who Dumped Me (Kate McKinnion/Mila Kunis comedy) 7/6/2018
Untitled Robert Zemeckis Project (this Universal project, based on the 2010 documentary Marwencol, probably takes Zemeckis out of the running to direct The Flash) 11/21/2018

[Buscemi]

And a few years after it was announced, the 3-D conversion of Terminator 2: Judgment Day gets a US date (source: Studiocanal): August 25th. Not sure if this will be a limited release via Rialto (who distributed a restored Total Recall some years back) or if Lionsgate will release this wide. (Edit: it's being released by Distrib Films so it will most likely be a limited release or a one night only screening via Fathom Events).

Other dates:
Dead Awake (apparently, FilmRise is releasing this horror film from the writer of Final Destination wide) 5/12/2017
Transformers: The Last Knight 6/21/2017 (from 6/23/2017)
The Glass Castle (Brie Larson/Naomi Watts/Woody Harrelson drama) 8/11/2017
Good Time (A24 will distribute this Cannes entry with Robert Pattinson) 8/11/2017
Darkest Hour 11/22/2017 (from 11/24/2017)
The Pact 4/6/2018 (from 4/20/2018)
A Quiet Place 4/6/2018 (from 4/13/2018)
Tully (the re-teaming of Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody that no one asked for) 4/20/2018
Tag 6/29/2018
Captive State (more or less District 9 in Chicago) 8/17/2018
Untitled New Line Horror Film (probably another Conjuring movie or an It sequel) 9/7/2018
Smallfoot 9/14/2018 (from 2/9/2018)
Isn't It Romantic (Rebel Wilson is getting another chance at carrying a project) 2/14/2019
Scooby 5/15/2020 (from 9/21/2018) (I bet this is getting rewrites and a new director after CHiPs did so poorly)
Godzilla vs. Kong 5/22/2020 (from 5/29/2020)

In distribution news, Annapurna has made a deal to distribute Adam McKay's Dick Cheney biopic. I must ask who the audience is for this.

[Buscemi]

After plans for the Guillermo del Toro-directed Hellboy 3 were killed by Universal, creator Mike Mignola has announced plans for a reboot with David Harbour replacing Ron Perlman and Neil Marshall taking over as director. I had to do a double take on this announcement as a Perlman-less Hellboy is bound to cause some controversy with fans.

I don't know if Universal is still on board or if del Toro will produce (Mignola is claiming it will take place after The Golden Army but the trend has been to reboot every decade or so).

And some new dates:
Patti Cake$ 8/18/2017 (from 7/7/2017)
Crown Heights 8/25/2017 (IFC to distribute for Amazon)
Woodshock (Kirsten Dunst horror film) 9/15/2017
The Man Who Invented Christmas 11/3/2017
Midnight Sun 1/26/2018 (from 8/4/2017)
Winchester (Helen Mirren/Jason Clarke horror film) 2/23/2018
Isle of Dogs 3/23/2018 (from 4/20/2018)

In distributor news, Bleecker Street will release the Alzheimer's-themed drama What They Had. I wouldn't be surprised if they do an Oscar campaign for Blythe Danner.