Update: Oops! Warner Bros. says “The Hobbit” 2013 release date was a typo, and the project is still aiming to hit theaters in 2012. But of course, that all depends if MGM can find some money in the couch cushions to make this happen. Though note, the second part of “The Hobbit” — remember it is two parts — is set for December 2013. There was obviously some confusion this morning across the entire web.
IMAX releases for big movies have now become fairly standard, ever since the studios realized that they could whack an extra couple of dollars on the ticket price and inflate their grosses. While 1995’s “Apollo 13” was the first feature film to get the conversion, it was Warner Bros who had the first major successes with day-and-date releases on the format, with the Matrix sequels and, in particular, “The Polar Express.” Many of the studios’ tentpoles have since been released in the format, and according to a press release received by several sites, including Coming Soon, they’re set to continue the tradition until at least 2013 (by which point we estimate that IMAX tickets will cost around $75…)
The studio is releasing “Inception” on IMAX this summer, but the press release also confirms that that Zack Snyder’s ludicrously titled “Legends of the Guardian: The Owls Of Ga’Hoole” and “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1” will both be released in IMAX 3D later in the year, while the second part of the final Potter installment and “Happy Feet 2” will follow in 2011. Most significantly, the release date for “The Hobbit” is now set for December 2013; three years after the original targeted date for the movie. This confirms what we pretty much all knew: that there’s almost no chance of the film getting before cameras this year. The film’s also not described as getting a 3D release. This doesn’t mean that it won’t, necessarily, but it does mean that no decision has been taken (though Guillermo Del Toro has been leaning away from shooting in the format). With the film almost four years from release, and still awaiting budget approval for a greenlight, they’ve got plenty of time to make up their minds.
Aside from the five films above, Warner Bros will release another 15 films with IMAX before the end of 2013, including Alfonso Cuaron’s “Gravity,” with Robert Downey Jr. (which is designed specifically for 3D), the Tim Burton/Johnny Depp vampire movie “Dark Shadows,” (which means that’s officially a go, as it seemed up in the air for a minute), the Tom Hardy-starring continuation of the Mad Max franchise, “Fury Road,” and the upcoming Batman and Superman movies. We’re glad to see “Gravity” on the list in particular— we’ve been concerned since we read (and loved) the script that it was too risky to get the green-light, but this seems to suggest that Warner Bros consider it a key tentpole of the next few years. It’s also the first news on “Fury Road” in some time, suggesting that that film is still edging towards production this summer.
–Written by Kevin Jagernauth