STX Entertainment is pushing back the release date for its upcoming cop thriller “21 Bridges” starring Chadwick Boseman, according to an individual with knowledge of the project.
The independent studio, which TheWrap reported is in the market for new capital, has moved the “21 Bridges” release date to November 22 from its original September 27 date.
STX is moving the film out of the way of Warner Bros.’s upcoming “The Joker” movie, which opens the weekend of October 4, and likes “21 Bridges’” chances as counterprogramming to Disney’s “Frozen 2,” which will also hit theaters November 22.
“We think this move is the best thing for the movie and we believe the 22nd is a great date that allows this film to play into the pre-Thanksgiving holiday, and it becomes true counterprogramming,” an STX spokesman told TheWrap.
The film star Boseman as a disgraced NYPD detective who is thrust into a citywide manhunt for a pair of cop killers after uncovering a massive and unexpected conspiracy. Taylor Kitsch, Sienna Miller and J.K. Simmons also star.
As the night unfolds, lines become blurred on who he is pursuing, and who is in pursuit of him. When the search intensifies, extreme measures are taken to prevent the killers from escaping Manhattan as the authorities close all 17 bridges to prevent any entry or exit from the island.
Finding a weekend for a non-blockbuster, franchise, superhero film this year has proven nearly impossible. And there’s a possibility that crossover between audiences interested in Boseman and those anticipating Joaquin Phoenix’s “The Joker” could have hampered the box office of “21 Bridges.”
The film would have also needed to contend with Will Smith’s “Gemini Man” two weeks after its debut.
“21 Bridges” is the second film this month that the studio has pushed. Three weeks ago, STX announced it was pushing Dave Bautista’s action-comedy “My Spy” to 2020 from its original August 23 released date. STX citied similar scheduling conflicts as the reason for pushing the film, saying that it was initially too close to “Stuber,” another Bautista-led action-comedy.
STX also let Jennifer Lopez’s forthcoming romantic comedy “Marry Me” leave and head to Universal Pictures earlier this month. The studio did announce another project with Lopez just last week, “The Godmother,” which she is eyeing as her potential directorial debut.
TheWrap reported just over a week ago that STX was in discussions with a Saudi Arabia investment fund as the five-year-old studio seeks what sources say is a much need infusion of capital following its recent string of box office disappointments and the scuttling of a planned IPO last fall.
STX executives have previously disputed that the company is in need of funds.
“We are fortunate to have the resources, strategic vision and support of our Board and financial partners as we raise additional capital to finance potential acquisitions and other opportunities to significantly expand the company’s capabilities,” STX chief financial officer Andy Warren told TheWrap at the time. “It’s unfortunate that those who are unaware of our actual plans would be trying so hard to dismiss them.”