Well, this is interesting. On January 18, 2012, 20th Century Fox declared that This Means War the perfect date movie by moving it to a Tuesday, February 14th release date. Now the studio seems to be having second thoughts about pushing it out on that date, and instead of a wide release on Valentine's Day they're now planning a limited 'sneak peek' release on the 14th followed by a wide release a few days later on Friday the 17th.
Variety says the reason behind the delayed release is likely due to how strongly Screen Gems' romantic drama The Vow is tracking. The Vow is appealing to the same crowd that fell hard for The Notebook, while This Means War's commercials seem to indicate it's aiming more for the action crowd - with spies pitting against each other for the affection of Reese Witherspoon. Witherspoon hasn't exactly been a box office queen lately, and her male co-stars Tom Hardy and Chris Pine - though handsome and talented - don't guarantee butts in seats either. Plus, the trailers just don't sell this movie while The Vow's trailers make romance fans want to rush out and buy tickets.
Once the dust settles and receipts are tallied, it'll be interesting to see which film wins this box office war.
Also of Interest:(Photo © 20th Century Fox)
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