Warner Bros. has made some scheduling moves/announcements that are sure to please fans of The Hangover and irate fans of director Guillermo Del Toro.
Over at The Hollywood Reporter is news that the studio will open The Hangover Part III on Memorial Day weekend, May 24. All the players are back, including Todd Phillips in the director’s chair. However, it wouldn’t surprise me if this comedy or its direct competition (Fast and Furious 6) switches release dates in the coming months.
Del Toro’s Pacific Rim, which was slated to open May 10 (wedged in between the releases of Iron Man 3 and J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek sequel) has now been moved to July 12. The good news is that it won’t get lost in the mix during the early part of summer. The bad news is that as of now its direct competition is Adam Sandler’s Grown Ups 2 – because there were so many unresolved issues from the first movie. It’s simple math: Idris Elba and Ron Perlman (stars of Pacific Rim) are greater than Adam Sandler and his SNL chums (minus Chris Rock because he’s tolerable).
Finally, there’s Warner Bros. decision to open its 300 sequel on August 2. The original, directed by Zack Snyder, debuted in March 2007 and went on to gross over $450 million globally. If that date sticks, the film will be pitted against two other sequels opening that weekend, The Smurfs 2 and Red 2.