Who would have though that Harry Potter will get to
influence James Bond? After the sixth
sequel of Harry Potter left the fall scene and headed to a warmer July, the 007
agent premieres a week later that initially scheduled.
Just as Warner Bros. re-scheduled the launch of “Harry
Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” from this November to July 17, 2009, Sony
moved the premiere of the Bond sequel, “Quantum of Solace” back one week to
November 14. Actually, the initial move triggered a series of re-schedules in
the movie openings of this fall.
Warner Bros. chose July 17 as a more appropriate date, as it
would make amends for the production blank of that period. The next move was
made by Summit Entertainment, who set the release date of its vampire movie
“Twilight” on the vacancy “Harry Potter” left, competing with Walt Disney’s
“Bolt” and DreamWorks/Paramount’s drama “The Soloist,” starring Robert Downey
Jr. and Jamie Foxx.
Moreover, Sony made its strategic move, too. As the James
Bond sequels have almost become a Thanksgiving tradition, the executives took
advantage of “Potter’s” departure and moved back one week.
“Harry Potter' moving out gave us an opportunity to get a
little closer to the holidays, which has always been the traditional Bond spot.
Bond has a really good history of not only playing through Thanksgiving but
going deep into the Christmas holidays,” as Jeff Blake, Sony worldwide
marketing and distribution chairman, explained.
The latest 007 flick, “Casino Royale” opened on November 17,
2006 and theatres didn’t cease playing it at the end of December, as the movie
was still on 1,100 cinemas.
November 14 is a great day for moviegoers, as three more
movie releases are scheduled for the day. MGM’s comedy “Soul Men” opens that
day, starring Samuel L. Jackson and late Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes. Also, Hugh
Jackman and Nicole Kidman team in “Australia,” a production signed by
Fox and Freddy Rodriguez stars in Overture’s “Nothing Like the Holidays.”
“Role Models,” starring Paul Rudd and Seann William Scott
and signed by Universal moved from November 14 to November 7, as the number of
its competitors was diminished. However, the November 7 weekend will feature a
very strong counter-candidate, with DreamWorks’ second chapter of its animated
“Madagascar:
Escape 2 Africa.”
As usual, the Bond sequel will open earlier in UK, its world premiere being set on October 29
in London.
Also, two guests of major importance will attend the world premiere, as Sony
stated: Prince William and Prince Harry.
