Disney Studios on Tuesday swapped the release dates of two high-profile movies. The Chris Pine Coast Guard thriller “The Finest Hours” will open on the October 9, the date for which the Jon Favreau-directed remake of “The Jungle Book” had been set. The live action/CGI family film will now open on April 15, 2016.
The studio also set “Pete’s Dragon” for an Aug. 12, 2016, release and said it will open DreamWorks’ Scarlet Johansson action film “Ghost in the Shell” on April 14, 2017.
The new slot for “Jungle Book” will still keep it ahead of the release of Warner Bros.’ live-action “The Jungle Book: Origins,” which is set for Oct. 6, 2017. That one stars Christian Bale and Cate Blanchett in Andy Serkis’ directorial debut.
The new date will put “The Finest Hours,” which co-stars Casey Affleck and is directed by Craig Gillespie, up against Relativity’s Halle Berry thriller “Kidnap” and Warner Bros.’ remake of “Vacation.”
In its new 2016 slot, “Jungle Book” will now debut against Universal’s Malcolm D. Lee comedy “The Best Man Wedding” and “Goosebumps,” the Sony horror comedy starring Jack Black.
“Pete’s Dragon” is a reboot” of Disney’s 1977 live-action/animated musical. It’s directed by David Lowery, who co-wrote with Toby Halbrooks (“Ain’t Them Bodies Saints”), and won’t be a musical. It will open against a strong field including Lionsgate’s Zac Efron–Robert DeNiro comedy “Dirty Grandpa,” Sony’s animated “Sausage Party” and the Universal thriller “Spectral.”
“Ghost in the Shell” is a remake of a Japanese anime film of the same name and is directed by Rupert Sanders (“Snow White and the Huntsman”). It’s the only film set to open on its date, but Universal has “Pacific Rim 2” opening the week before and a remake of one of its classic monster movies the week after.