If you’ve been sitting at home thinking, “Man, it’s weird that there hasn’t been a ‘Hellboy’ trailer since the film is coming out in January!” then your concern has been deemed warranted. According to THR, “Hellboy,” which has only had one official marketing image, has been pushed back from the January 11, 2019 release date to April 12, 2019. And regarding that trailer, we might be in luck next week at New York Comic-Con.
But what does this mean for the upcoming “Hellboy” reboot? Is it in trouble? Is there behind-the-scenes drama that’s preventing it from being released?
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Sadly, there doesn’t seem to be any answers, but the delay could be seen as potentially positive news. January has typically been seen as a time when studios schedule films they don’t have much faith in. Obviously, in recent years, the months of January and February have been pretty profitable for some breakout hits. However, a move to April, putting it in direct competition with some big films, could be seen as Summit Entertainment being very proud of the film and wants to take advantage of the spring box office.
If the April 12 release date sticks, and there’s no reason to doubt it will, that means the David Harbour-starring “Hellboy” reboot will debut only one week after WB/DC’s “Shazam!” Not only that, the film will now compete directly with Robert Downey, Jr.’s “The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle.” Obviously, ‘Doctor Doolittle’ and “Hellboy” won’t be targeting the same audiences, but there’s only so much box office money out there to make.
The more pessimistic point of view could show that Summit was just more worried about the upcoming Holiday season spilling over into the new year and wanted “Hellboy” out of the path of destruction. We’ve mentioned this numerous times before but December 21 will perhaps be the most interesting box office day of the year, as “Aquaman,” “Bumblebee,” “Mortal Engines,” and “Alita: Battle Angel” all debut in theaters. Adding to that whirlwind of blockbusters is “Mary Poppins Returns,” hitting theaters just two days before on December 19. When you factor in the inevitable Holiday season box office surprise film, normally an Oscar contender that overperforms, there’s a strong possibility that the January box office is going to be filled with major films scooping up every last dollar.
TL;DR — “Hellboy” hits theaters on April 12, 2019 and we really have no reason to believe it’s a positive thing or a terrible decision. Just show us the damn trailer already!