The upcoming Peter Jackson flick THE LOVELY BONES is hitting theaters later this year, but the big question is when. In a move by Paramount Pictures that screams “give us an Oscar!” it appears that BONES will be released in December twice before it’s released in January. Say what???
Originally slated for a solid December 11th release, the new release schedule for BONES goes like this: limited theaters on December 11th, expanding to more theaters but still quite limited on December 25th, then expanding for a full-blown wide release on January 15th.
That’s three release dates to remember in just over 4 weeks. Not a bad gig, and a move that allows the film to be considered a 2009 release for all Oscar purposes, and will put it up against the “award” type movies that are released in the last few days of the year.
That said, should we be worried? I mean, a wide January release isn’t usually a good thing, right? Then again, the rolling release date seems to be strategically planned, so let’s just hope for the best.
THE LOVELY BONES, starring Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Susan Sarandon, and Stanley Tucci, hits theaters everywhere January 15th.