The Latest Date Changes 2: The New Batch

[Buscemi2]

Sr. hits Netflix on December 2nd.

Meanwhile, Bleecker Street has slotted Golda for 3/10/2023. It will probably be a quick playoff before home video/VOD and Showtime.

[transformers2]

New Paramount dates:
Scream 6 3/10/23 (from 3/31/23)
Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves 3/31/23 (from 3/3/23)

[Buscemi2]

I saw a trailer for Dungeons & Dragons this week and I could easily see that being the bomb of 2023. This should be Paramount's Lord of the Rings, not a dumb heist comedy that feels like something Cannon would have made in the mid 80's.

[Screen203]

I saw a trailer for Dungeons & Dragons this week and I could easily see that being the bomb of 2023. This should be Paramount's Lord of the Rings, not a dumb heist comedy that feels like something Cannon would have made in the mid 80's.

I could see Dungeons And Dragons going either way. The game has had a resurgence in popularity over the past few years, and the trailer seemed to have a positive reception online. On the other hand, fantasy-comedy is a very hard sell, and films set in medieval times have been difficult sells as well recently (of course, this is much different than those films).

One 2023 film that will almost definitely bomb is Distant - there aren't many sci-fi comedies that don't feature superheroes (at least in the past few years) that have been successful in theaters, and the January release date and utter lack of marketing isn't much of a sign in confidence from Universal in the final product.

[Buscemi2]

Hardcore fans are desperate for things to be good sometimes (look at how many fans of the Avatar animated series convinced themselves that The Last Airbender would be good despite awful trailers), especially if previous attempts at a film series haven't worked. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves just looks like it's going to be a bigger budgeted version of those previous attempts. I have a feeling it's going to end up like the last attempt for Hasbro to start a new franchise: low box office and a dead franchise.

As for Distant, this needed Lyle, Lyle Crocodile (the directors' follow-up to Distant) to take off for Universal to give it a decent ad campaign. That one didn't so it either it gets sold off or delayed again. Last I saw, Universal was still testing ad campaigns for the film.

[numbersix]

I think the big comparison with D&D is the Warcraft movie. Another massive franchise that didn't translate to a good movie, and it bombed (although fared okay in the ROW) - unless it gets good WOM it could bomb bad

[transformers2]

Warcraft is a fair comparison to D&D. However, Honor Among Thieves' light tone should give it a better chance of finding an audience outside of the diehards-which was the primary reason Warcraft tanked domestically. Whether it will be able to do that is a complete mystery at this point and if it does, it sure as hell won't be from lack of awareness. Paramount has already put a fair amount of effort into pushing it at the theatrical level and the full-bore marketing campaign come February/March should be quite aggressive.

[Buscemi2]

Warcraft failed because 1. it was based on a video game and 2. World of Warcraft is a bizarre concept to make a narrative story out of. It would be like trying to adapt Grand Theft Auto into a film while forgetting that we tended to ignore the plots of those games.

[Screen203]

Warcraft is a fair comparison to D&D. However, Honor Among Thieves' light tone should give it a better chance of finding an audience outside of the diehards-which was the primary reason Warcraft tanked domestically. Whether it will be able to do that is a complete mystery at this point and if it does, it sure as hell won't be from lack of awareness. Paramount has already put a fair amount of effort into pushing it at the theatrical level and the full-bore marketing campaign come February/March should be quite aggressive.

I agree with this pretty much 100 percent. A good comparison might be the Power Rangers film from 2017, in that I could see it having a larger than expected opening during a very crowded March before collapsing.

[Buscemi2]

The Regal Mystery Movie tonight is Spirited, just as I expected.

I have to imagine it will be back next month for Emancipation.

[Buscemi2]

Netflix is planning an adaptation of Gears of War. I have to imagine this will be a potential franchise for them.

Speaking of video game adaptations, it looks Lionsgate is having problems with Borderlands as a planned test screening for Wednesday has been canceled. Sounds like that it's really bad if the studio didn't even want audiences to make a decision for themselves.

[Buscemi2]

Looks like A24 might end up platforming The Whale instead of opening wide immediately as previously planned. The trailer announcement from them just says "in theatres this December". Certainly would be the best option due to the late start in promotion and to increase Fraser's awards chances.

Meanwhile, Fathom Events continues its push to be the distributor for small Evangelical indies as I Heard the Bells will be a wide release for a week beginning December 1st. All I know about the film is that the producers screwed the business my brother-in-law works for out of a lot of money recently.

[Buscemi2]

Looks like no one wants to open on the Wednesday before Christmas. I Wanna Dance with Somebody has been pushed to the Friday before Christmas, which might hurt its opening weekend take as it won't have the Wednesday and Thursday numbers to cushion the big Saturday drop as many theatres close early on Christmas Eve.

Meanwhile, the Evangelical film industry is trying to make Left Behind a franchise for the third time this century, as Left Behind: Rise of the Antichrist opens on January 26th. Fathom Events, of course, is releasing it.

[Buscemi2]

I just found out Bleecker Street will be distributing 2nd Chance for Showtime. Could this mean some of Bleecker Street's future titles get the arrangement that's been done with a few of A24's titles and premiere on Showtime day-and-date with the theatrical run?

[Buscemi2]

Searching 2 has moved up to 1/20/2023 (from 2/24/2023). I have to imagine a trailer will be out shortly.