Studio Fox is making some big changes to its upcoming release calendar, with three films now slated to debut on different dates.
The most noteworthy affected film is "Deadpool 2," which is seeing its release date moved up two weeks. The Ryan Reynolds-starring sequel to 2016 hit "Deadpool," originally set to debut on June 1, will now bow on May 18.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, that move is likely a strategic one, taking the comic book flick out of competition with upcoming spinoff film "Solo: A Star Wars Story," which is set to premiere on May 25. As THR notes, the recent "Star Wars" films have done big business in their second week of release, and Fox likely does not want "Deadpool 2" to have to fight off "Star Wars" fans at the box office.
The other big news is confirmation that "Gambit" is indeed changing its release date. The "X-Men" spinoff just lost its third director in as many years, after Gore Verbinski bowed out of the project this week. It had been unclear if the studio would still try to make its planned February 14, 2019 release date; now, the flick has officially been pushed to the new date of June 7, 2019.
THR is saying that the main reason for the switch is that the tone of the flick, a comedic film revolving around a heist, will play better as a summer tentpole. But the likely real reason is the most obvious: The Channing Tatum flick still needs a director who will stay on board for more than a few months -- and actually begin production.
Finally, "X-Men" spinoff "The New Mutants" is facing an even bigger delay. Instead of debuting on April 13 of this year, it is now set for release on February 22, 2019. While a 10-month pushback doesn't exactly bode well for the flick, THR's sources note that it may just be a logistical switch, to avoid overseas competition with other Fox studio releases (including "Deadpool 2").
While this type of behind the scenes shuffling is fairly common at studios, it's especially interesting for Fox, which is facing that impending Disney buyout. Whether that move is responsible for any of this repositioning is anybody's guess, but it's something to keep an eye on in the future. (Especially with projects that have yet to get the official greenlight.)
[via: The Hollywood Reporter]
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