Gangster Squad officially bumped to 2013, but Step Up Revolution is still coming this Friday

While Warner Bros. has now made it official that GANGSTER SQUAD will be delaying it’s release to January 11, 2013, Summit Entertainment will keep STEP UP REVOLUTION on track to hit theaters this Friday.

Wait, what does STEP UP REVOLUTION have to do with GANGSTER SQUAD?

In the wake of the Colorado shootings last week, studios are extremely apprehensive about anything that may be construed as insensitive towards the victims. There are already survey results showing that patrons are still hesitant to return to movie theaters. While the GANGSTER SQUAD trailer and film did include a shootout sequence that takes place inside a movie theater, STEP UP REVOLUTION‘s connection is a bit of a stretch.

At one point in the movie, the dancers sneak into a party wearing gas masks and threaten the guests with gas grenades. After some press screenings resulted in talk about the sequence, Summit issued the following statement.

Summit Entertainment’s STEP UP REVOLUTION is an uplifting film that celebrates the redemptive power of dance. There is a brief scene in the film in which a troop of dancers enter a room wearing gas masks as props and the dancers immediately go into a choreographed routine. Because of last week’s tragic events in Colorado, Summit immediately removed television advertising that briefly showcased that scene from the film. The scene also briefly appeared in a trailer released three months ago that the studio is no longer actively servicing. Having taken these steps, Summit will open this inspirational, nonviolent film in theatres nationwide this weekend as originally edited.

I will never pretend to know how the victims feel and I agreed with delaying the GANGSTER SQUAD release to put some distance between it and the shootings, but editing entire sequences or looking for remote similarities is above and beyond the realm of reason. When people begin raising concerns about a brief scene in a STEP UP movie, you are going too far. Sure, Summit pulled the TV spots and trailers because of the scene, which is fine, but that is all that needs to be done.

So, rest assured people, you will still be able to use your pre-ordered STEP UP REVOLUTION tickets this Friday.