Laremy Legel,
Aug 14, 2008
Some big news out of Warner Bros. this afternoon.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince has been pushed from November of this year to July 17th, 2009. Said the CEO of Warner Bros, Alan Horn:
"Our reasons for shifting Half-Blood Prince to summer are twofold: we know the summer season is an ideal window for a family tent pole release, as proven by the success of our last Harry Potter film. Additionally, like every other studio, we are still feeling the repercussions of the writers' strike, which impacted the readiness of scripts for other films - changing the competitive landscape for 2009."
Evidently this doesn't change the two part Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and the date was shifted even though the film is being delivered on time.
On the opinion front I will say this is an odd move given the competition this winter was:
Australia
Quantum of Solace
Madagascar Sequel
Bolt
Twilight
Which doesn't really seem troubling at all, does it?
Next July Ice Age: Dawn of Dinosaurs and Land of the Lost are already slotted in, plus Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Prince of Persia in late June - all of which seem like heavier competition. Could something have been wrong with the film?
Given the wave of PR that will surely follow this move we'll probably never know.
