Fox just made a slew of release date changes. Instead of opening Alita: Battle Angel on Dec. 21, she now goes on Feb. 14, 2019. Instead, Fox is releasing, what we hear, is a PG-13 version of Deadpool 2 on Dec. 21. They’ve listed it as untitled Deadpool movie.
For Alita, it’s about the date, to have the first movie coming out of Chinese New Year, being day and date. The movie is in tip-top VFX shape and its delay has nothing to do with post-production. This leaves the Dec. 21 play period with Deadpool 2, Warners’ Aquaman, Paramount’s Bumblee, Sony’s Holmes and Watson, and Universal’s Welcome to Marwen.
Also, the next X-Men Dark Phoenix won’t open on Feb. 14 anymore, rather next summer in the June 7 slot. The trailer launched this week earning close to 8M YouTube views on Fox’s channel. Summer is not only a better date, but again, it gives the film a better shot to have a bigger opening in China. Why? The trailer clocked 44 million views in first 24 hrs of release online this week out of China. Also, premium screens previously reserved for Gambit will be in play and provide an even bigger upside for the film. Dark Phoenix will be up against Illumination/Uni’s The Secret Life of Pets 2 and Lionsgate’s comedy Flarsky on that date.
Also Gambit moves out of next summer on June 7 to March 13, 2020. The pic is still in development with no director yet and Channing Tatum still attached. Reid Carolin and Joshua Zetumer were working on the script. Right now it’s the only studio tentpole on that date.
Watch on Deadline
In regards to Deadpool 2, is there new footage? Fox staying mum, but Reynolds tweeted this out:
Thoughts? ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/fFe93tDI7e
— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) September 28, 2018
Wow, I agree with another comment. For those of us who follow the X-men something doesn’t seem right to keep pushing the release date back, why is China even in the picture. When this is a USA movie, it’s either done right or not at all cut out the excuses. Keep pushing it
and the reverse will happen no one will watch it
Most likely Alita was running away from Mary Poppins Returns.
Not that Poppins will be super big around Christmastime. On the contrary, Poppins is practically DOA in every way what with Mortal Engines, Bumblebee and Aquaman in theatres at the same time. Not to mention that Fantastic Beasts 2, Wreck It Ralph 2, The Grinch and Disney’s own Nutcracker & Four Realms will still be in play by then (Grinch and Nutcracker are more well timed than Poppins due to their Christmas settings)
Upon further consideration, a censored Deadpool 2 could work, just not in the way we’d expect. Consider this: back in ’87, Premiere Magazine had a column about how David Lynch’s Blue Velvet had been prepared in a TV edit for potential sale. Seriously. So they replaced the f-bomb with freak and s-bombs with shoot, and we would have had this: “Get ready to freak! You freaker’s freaker! You freaker!” And so forth. What was already bizarre and uncomfortably funny at times would have become . . . I don’t know what. But Deadpool 2 could result in the same if cut/dubbed right. Of course, it could simply be embarrassing, like the TV dub of Smokey and the Bandit (“sumbitch” became “scum bum”. Yeah.).
As for the PG DP2, As he’s in a mask most of the time, he can redo tons of dialog from the same scenes without all the over the top sex and gore gags. This will not be a censored version, but probably a ridiculous re-imagining. They’re not about to piss off the core fans unless this can stand alone.
Laughing so hard about the 44 million views. Somebody better check why so big. Hope nobody at Fox believes it proves Chinese audience anticipate it so much.