Sony Pictures has, once again, decided to do some shuffling with the ol’ release calendar, and, as a result, 65 now has a new release date. Which is, technically, its old release date. As per Deadline, the film, which stars Adam Driver and a bunch of dinosaurs (!!!) is now set to hit theaters on March 10. Those who have been following this one since that first trailer dropped may well note that it had previously been set to arrive on that date. That was before being bumped to March 17, where it would go up directly against Shazam! Fury of the Gods. Sony has rethought that decision, though they are kind of between a rock and a hard place here.
That’s because, on March 10, Scream VI will also arrive in theaters. And thus, we have ourselves a big genre showdown next month, which is seemingly what Sony was trying to avoid. But does one go up against an established, highly-profitable slasher franchise or a big superhero movie sequel? There are no good answers here. In both cases, you’re looking at an attempt at counterprogramming with a big sci-fi flick that is said to carry a $90 million budget. There is much at stake.
As far as Scream VI goes, its prospects are quite good. Last year’s Scream took in $30 million on its opening weekend, en route to $140 million worldwide. Can 65 compete with that? Or the Shazam! sequel, for that matter? In its favor, 65 is driven by a big star in Driver, lots of dinosaurs, and directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, the guys behind A Quiet Place. Not to mention Sam Raimi on board as a producer. With all of that being the case, a dino-loving guy such as myself just wants this movie to have every chance at success. In this release window, that seems challenging. The synopsis for the movie reads as follows:
“After a catastrophic crash on an unknown planet, pilot Mills (Adam Driver) quickly discovers he’s actually stranded on Earth…65 million years ago. Now, with only one chance at rescue, Mills and the only other survivor, Koa (Ariana Greenblatt), must make their way across an unknown terrain riddled with dangerous prehistoric creatures in an epic fight to survive.”
Ariana Greenblatt and Chloe Coleman co-star alongside Driver, with Raimi, Deborah Liebling, Zainab Azizi, Beck and Woods producing. Maryann Brandon, Doug Merrifield, Jason Cloth and Aaron L. Gilbert are on board as executive producers.
Look for both 65 and Scream VI in theaters on March 10.
