Disney just pushed back the release date for "Star Wars: Episode VIII" several months.
Originally set for a May 26, 2017 release, the film will now debut December 15, 2017.
Disney made the announcement in a press release.
In its place, Disney is shifting up the release date for the next "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie, "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales," to May 26, 2017.
The film, which will see Johnny Depp back as Captain Jack Sparrow, was previously set for a July, 7, 2017 release.
Those aren't the only movies with new release dates.
Almost simultaneously, Sony announced its next standalone Spider-Man movie, previously set for a July 28, 2017 release, will be moving up into the old "Pirates" slot. Meanwhile, it's previous December 2017 release date for a rebooted "Jumanji" will be moving up to July 28, 2017.
The "Spider-Man" release date is noteworthy because the film is being produced in part with Marvel Studios, owned by Disney.
Here's a quick look at those new dates:
"Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man Tell No Tales": May 26, 2017
"Spider-Man": July 7, 2017
"Jumanji": July 28, 2017
"Star Wars: Episode VIII": December 15, 2017
The yet untitled "Episode VIII" is being directed by Rian Johnson ("Looper") and will see the return of "The Force Awakens" cast along with a few new cast members, including Benicio del Toro.
In the past, every "Star Wars" movie, save "The Force Awakens," has been released in May.
While many may be quick to consider production issues with the film, the most logical reason Disney may want to push the film back is to replicate the record-breaking box-office performance of Episode VII.
"The Force Awakens" broke the all-time opening weekend record with $247 million (the previous record holder was "Jurassic World" with $209 million). Now, it's well on its way to becoming the highest-grossing movie ever worldwide.
The film has made over $1.8 billion worldwide. The only films it has left to pass at the box office are James Cameron's "Titanic" ($2.1 billion) and "Avatar" ($2.7 billion).
With little-to-no competition this past Christmas at the box office, that would leave a lot of room for "Star Wars" to rake in once more at theaters. It seems like a no-brainer for Disney.
However, Cameron's long-awaited "Avatar" sequel has been set for a December 25, 2017 release date. It's not clear whether that will pan out, but if so, it would be a very exciting box-office weekend for the two giants.
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