There’s no harsher sting than when the release date for a movie you’re dying to see gets pulled out from under you and moved to a later date, leaving you to lie on the ground wondering what you’re going to do with your now empty life. The only way it could be worse is if it happens when the date is so close you can lick it, which is what happened to one of the most anticipated movies of the fall.
Focus Features announced that it will be moving the release date of their fantasy drama, A MONSTER CALLS, from the relatively near date of October 21 to a limited, 10-city run starting December 23 before going wide on January 6 in 1500 theaters.
Pushing a movie into not only one of the busiest movie-going periods, but also into the heart of awards season hints that Focus has immense confidence in the flick, and plans to give this movie a huge Oscar push. The film’s release strategy mirrors how other Oscar-baiting movies often get released, too: a limited release to qualify it for end-of-the-year awards, before breaking-out during the less crowded month of January so it can make some waves without competing for attention with movies like ROGUE ONE.
It may not come as a surprise to anyone who has seen the wondrous and heartbreaking trailer (below) that the movie looks like it could be a real awards contender. The only bad news with all of this is that anyone who has already marked October 21 on their calendar, and prepared their fake illness that they’ll call into work with will have to wait even longer for the movie to come out. That January release seems so far away, especially knowing that there will be people in 10 cities around the country who will get to watch it two weeks earlier while you sit at home and cry yourself to sleep. Still, it’s important to stay strong and remember that this push probably speaks volumes for the movie's quality. Good things come to those who wait, a terrible person once said.
A MONSTER CALLS starring Liam Neeson, Felicity Jones, Toby Kebbell and Sigourney Weaver will now get a limited release on December 23 with an expansion on January 6