In July 2010, Warner Bros. dropped “Inception.” The following year, the blockbuster choice was “Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows: Part 2,” and in 2012, it was “The Dark Knight Rises.” Last year, the July anchor fell to “Pacific Rim” with “Man Of Steel” in June. And so in 2014, it seemed the studio was feeling pretty confident when they slated the Wachowskis‘ “Jupiter Ascending” to that primo July slot, but it looks like they’ve had a change of heart.
The studio has now moved the film from July 18th all the way to the rather unglamorous slot of February 6, 2015. While not quite a dumping ground, it’s definitely not a vote that the studio believes in this one. (This year, it was the expensive flop “A Winter’s Tale” that got a similar date.) It’s a pretty bold move, especially considering the film is about six weeks from release, leaving a pretty gaping hole in the schedule.
There’s no official reason why WB has made the move, but remember, the last time they rolled the dice on the sibling pair with the star-studded “Cloud Atlas,” it only earned a paltry $27 million domestically (though to be fair it took $100 million more overseas). And that was with an all-star ensemble. This one is anchored by Channing Tatum, an undoubtedly rising star but who still can’t quite open a movie on his name just yet, and Mila Kunis who … well, enough said. And the film would’ve faced stiff competition from the comedy “Sex Tape” and the horror sequel “The Purge: Anarchy.”
The new date will now see the movie facing less frightening competitors with the long-delayed “The Seventh Son” and Johnny Depp flick “Mortdecai,” which is a bit of a question mark at the moment (and WB probably saw how “Transcendence” opened are banking/hoping audiences still won’t want non-tentpole Depp).
Anyway, we’ll see what the spin is for this move in the coming days, but until then, here’s an international trailer.
