UPDATE: The game of release date musical chairs continues. Fighting terrorists is one thing for Gerard Butler’s Mike Banning, but Ridley Scott is another matter entirely. With The Martian now invading the debut spot for Olympus Has Fallen sequel London Has Fallen, Gramercy Pictures have sounded a retreat. The action sequel will now open three months later than planned on January 22.
This now puts London Has Fallen – in the States at least – in direct competition with The Mechanic: Resurrection. It’s Butler Vs. Statham! Who will survive, and what will be left of them?
Following the excitement generated by the amazing trailer, Fox has rejigged its release schedule to bring Ridley Scott’s The Martian to cinemas two months earlier than previously anticipated. It’ll now be out in the States on October 2, switching places with Victor Frankenstein, which has been shunted back to November 25.
This now means that The Martian occupies the same release slot that Gravity did in 2013: not a strategy that did too badly for Gravity, you might say. Matt Damon’s red planet ordeal will have competition this year from London Has Fallen and Robert Zemeckis’ The Walk. But it’ll open well in advance of any sci-fi competition from that little J.J. Abrams movie, potentially giving it a longer run for its money.
The news isn’t too bad for Victor Frankenstein either though, since November 25 is Thanksgiving weekend. James McAvoy (Frankenstein) and Daniel Radcliffe (Igor) will face off against The Good Dinosaur and Rocky spin-off-quel Creed.
What this means for the UK isn’t quite clear at this point, but we’d imagine a similar date shift. If you’re in need of anticipatory Martian information in the meantime, Empire’s trailer breakdown will cater to all your needs.