"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” was ready for theaters Nov. 21. But suddenly the studio delayed the opening to July 17 2009. Here are six possible reasons why the presto-chango for Potter No. 6:
1. $$$. In a statement Warner Bros. CEO Alan Horn said summertime is the “ideal window for a family tent pole release.” After all, last summer’s “Order of the Phoenix” is the second-highest grossing Potter film, behind “Sorcerer’s Stone.”
2. Filling a void. Horn also said that “like every other studio, we are still feeling the repercussions of the writers’ strike.” Aside from “Terminator Salvation” in May, Warner had no big movies scheduled for summer.
3. Blame Batman. A Potter movie for Warner in 2009 “will also stop next year’s profits from looking seriously underwhelming after the phenomenal success of ‘The Dark Knight,’ ” said Entertainment Weekly online. “ ‘They don’t need the money this year anymore,’ said a rival studio exec.”
4. Nudity! Fox News said Warner wants to distance itself from naked Daniel Radcliffe, who will reprise his starring role in London’s “Equus” on Broadway this fall.
5. Wild beasts. In November “Half-Blood Prince” would have faced big family competition in the form of “Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa” (Nov. 7) and “Bolt” (which until Warner’s announcement was opening Nov. 26).
6. An evil plot. Potter fans, sensing the work of Lord Voldemort here, have vowed to boycott all Warner Bros. movies (take that, “Clone Wars”!). See their clever pleas on YouTube; search for WB boycott.
Source: http://www.kansascity.com
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment