The “Harry Potter” ripple effect still lingers and November has become the month of musical chairs for release dates. Baz Luhrmann’s romance epic, “Australia” has been pushed back from November 14 to November 27 and here’s why.
First “Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince” moved to July of 2009, because Warner Bros. didn’t have any summer tentpole films stored away for that season. Fans were fucking pissed, but the upshot for these little nerdlingers is that the November release schedule was put into flux.
With ‘Potter’s vacancy, this meant the goth-teen vampire flick”Twilight” could capitalize and sink its fangs into the saddened tweener demographic early, thus the pic was bumped up from December 12 to November 21. But the studios aren’t stupid and are aware the untested vampire franchise has become a bonafide phenomenon, so this caused an entire domino effect.
The James Bond flick, “Quantum Of Solace,” then shifted from November 7th, back one week to November 14, forcing the little guy, David Wain’s R-Rated comedy “Role Models,” to respond and change its opening from Nov 14 to Nov. 7 so it wouldn’t be crushed by Daniel Craig and the revitalized Bond Mcfranchise. Got that?
Things seemed to settle there for a moment until late yesterday when Fox announced it was moving Luhrmann’s “Australia” starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman back two weeks to a November 27 release date which might be smart considering audiences would’ve been split between that, the similarly enticing drama the “The Road” and the now shifted ‘Solace’ coming out on the 14.
The biggest competition for “Australia” that late Thanksgiving weekend will now be Gus Van Sant’s “Milk,” the Disney animated film, “Bolt” and the Vince Vaughn/ Reese Witherspoon holiday comedy, “Four Christmases.”
Who knows if that means all the shifting is still done. Wait a week and keep your ears open.
