The summer blockbuster schedule just got a little emptier. According to Variety, Sony has delayed Roland Emmerich's apocalyptic action flick "2012" from July 10 all the way back to November 13.
While such a decision seems to suggest that the effects-laden film won't be ready, or that the studio lacks confidence in the film, Sony insists that's not the case. Sony's head of international distribution, Rory Bruer, insists that the film would have been ready for its July release date. But the studio felt they had a very strong summer slate with "Angels and Demons" on May 15, and the Denzel Washington, John Travolta thriller "The Taking of Pelham One Two Three" on June 12. They also have the international distribution rights to "Terminator: Salvation," so when it comes to the big bucks of the blockbuster season, they're all set.
Plus, when it comes to the fall film season, November is Sony's lucky month -- the last two James Bond installments have hit theaters on November 13. However, "2012" will face stiff competition this year from Warner Bros' "Sherlock Holmes" and Disney's "The Tooth Fairy."
Can the apocalypse and Mayan calender hold its own against Robert Downey Jr. and Dwayne Johnson? We'll find out in November, but for now you can expect the summer and fall schedules to see some major rearranging as studios seek to take Sony's July spot -- and perhaps run away from its new fall date.
Readers, were you counting on "2012" for your summer fun? Do you think November needs a good disaster movie to spice things up? Or are you sick of this schedule shuffling, particularly after the gap left by "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince"?
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