August 18, 2008

'Twilight' Bumps Up Release Date After 'Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince' Delay

By Shawn Adler (MTV.com)

When news broke Thursday that Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was shifting its release date from November until next summer, we wondered: Did the Boy Who Lived move because of Twilight?

Maybe not, but guess who's moving because of Harry Potter?

Summit Entertainment announced Friday (August 15) that Twilight, the first film adaptation to be made from Stephenie Meyer's blockbuster series, has moved its North American release date up three weeks from December 12 to November 21, the weekend previously occupied by Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

"When Warner Bros. decided to move Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince to the summer of 2009, we saw a unique opportunity to slot in our film, which has been gaining tremendous awareness and momentum over the past several months," Rob Friedman, co-chairman and CEO of Summit Entertainment, wrote in a statement. "We by no means are trying to fill the shoes of the incredible Potter franchise for 2008, rather we are just looking to bring the fans of Stephenie Meyer's incredible book series the film as soon possible from a programming perspective."

The move allows for Twilight to premiere on more screens than it otherwise would have and to stay in theaters for a longer time prior to the major holiday season, according to the press release.

Twilight will now face off against Disney's Bolt, the animated story of a hero dog, for the box-office crown. Previously, it would have competed against Scott Derrickson's The Day the Earth Stood Still starring Keanu Reeves.