The Latest Date Changes 2: The New Batch

[Buscemi2]

It looks like Sony will be releasing Knights of the Zodiac wide on May 12th. It seemed like a possibility as it was produced by Stage 6 and will be distributed under the label but the cast and premise suggested more a VOD title.

[Buscemi2]

First, Vertigo got adapted into a video game. Now, Paramount is looking to remake the film with Robert Downey Jr. in the James Stewart role.

Clearly, no one learned from the Psycho remake all those years ago.

[Buscemi2]

A non-sequel/adaptation is getting a sneak preview. MGM will be sneaking Air on Saturday night. Should be a good word-of-mouth movie among those who like similar movies such as The Blind Side and The Help.

[transformers2]

Killers of the Flower Moon finally has a release date gang! It's set to open limited on October 6th and go wide on October 20th.

[Buscemi2]

If it's really expected to debut at Cannes, that's a long wait between its premiere and the release date, given the enormous budget.

Also, you'd think Apple would want it wide right away so they can have a shorter window between theatrical and streaming.

[Buscemi2]

It looks like that Hypnotic might be a day-and-date title, as I saw Peacock was listed as the distributor on its MPA submission.

In name change news, The Trolltopia Movie is now titled Trolls Band Together. They really love to force the music part of these movies.

And because Warner Bros. just has to pander to Snydercut's every whim, the four-hour cut of Justice League is getting a special theatrical run for charity, in a triple bill with Man of Steel and Batman v. Superman. I do not want to be in that audience.

[transformers2]

It looks like that Hypnotic might be a day-and-date title, as I saw Peacock was listed as the distributor on its MPA submission.

In name change news, The Trolltopia Movie is now titled Trolls Band Together. They really love to force the music part of these movies.

And because Warner Bros. just has to pander to Snydercut's every whim, the four-hour cut of Justice League is getting a special theatrical run for charity, in a triple bill with Man of Steel and Batman v. Superman. I do not want to be in that audience.

Not necessarily. Peacock bought the post-theatrical rights when it was still set up at Solstice, so it could just be a case of the producers adding them to the distributors list as a result of their pre-existing stake in the film.

In other news, Beau is Afraid will go immediately wide on April 21st.

[Buscemi2]

But it is interesting that it was Peacock rather than the theatrical distributor that did the submission. Which makes me wonder if Universal is going to be also handling some of the promotional costs as well. I get the feeling that had Peacock not done this, the film would have likely gone out unrated and not have gotten many bookings as many chains won't book unrated titles (though Terrifier 2 might have changed this a bit, given its $10 million gross solely on grass roots marketing and word of mouth).

As for Beau is Afraid, this was always planned as a wide release. Given Aster's previous box office success and the film's large ad campaign, they weren't going to dump it into a few theatres without any notice.

[transformers2]

Universal being involved in the marketing seems like a strong possibility given the unusual nature of its distribution and Peacock's stake in the film. Ketchup is going to need all the help they can get to get the word out about this project and having some access to the tools of a major studio would be huge for them.

[transformers2]

Roadside has picked up the NA rights to Dreamin' Wild and dated it for August 4th.

[transformers2]

Apple has enlisted Sony to help them release Napoleon theatrically. It's set to release wide on November 22nd.

[Buscemi2]

Hmm, sounds like Apple's beginning to have second thoughts about distributing movies. Their Apple+ TV subscriber base hasn't been very high and even their few hits, such as CODA, would have been minor for a bigger service.

I still wouldn't be surprised if they bought a distributor like Amazon did.

[transformers2]

Buying a distributor or establishing their own theatrical division seems like the play if they remain committed in their efforts to try and break into the theatrical business. How Killers of the Flowers Moon, Napoleon and Argylle-which was cited in a Bloomberg piece a few weeks back as the other title they intend to release in theaters this year-fare will likely be crucial in shaping that decision.

Sony's busy day continues as they've also added Eli Roth's Thanksgiving to the calendar. The slasher pic is set to open on November 17th.

[Buscemi2]

Surprised someone gave Eli Roth another project, given how Borderlands is apparently a total disaster and Lionsgate seemingly doesn't want to release it.

As for Thanksgiving itself, I have a feeling only Tom Rothman really wanted this, as it's a TriStar title instead of Screen Gems or Stage 6. Most of those that wanted it back in 2007 have largely moved on to the latest blood-soaked fare from the next Eli Roths (right now, it's Damien Leone, who is rumored to be doing a film with Sony and Sam Raimi that isn't Terrifier 3). Personally, I might be a little more interested had Jon Watts stayed on. I'm not a fan of his Spider-Man movies but Clown showed he has better command of the horror genre than Roth does.

[transformers2]

The problem with Thanksgiving is that the short was such a perfect execution of that concept. Stretching it out to feature length all but guarantees diminishing returns. Who Roth chose to cast in it also doesn't inspire much confidence.