Could the trailer's poor reception have anything to do with the delay?
Jupiter won’t be ascending this summer. Warner Bros’ ambitious project was due to open in theaters this coming July, but apparently the production has encountered some unexpected delays. As a result, Jupiter Ascending’s release is being pushed back eight whole months to January 2015. The latest film from siblings Andy and Lana Wachowski has been delayed due to “unfinished visual effects”, according to Dan Fellman, Warner Bros’ president of domestic distribution.
The film's 2000+ visual effects are proving to be a bigger challenge than expected.
“We’ve been trying like hell to get this finished,” Fellman said. “But there are over 2,000 visual effects shots in the movie, and it’s just not gonna happen in time.” This also means a completely different release slot for Jupiter Ascending. The January release eliminates the threat of summer box office competition – although this July isn’t particularly heavy on new releases, with Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (July 11) being the only real competitor.
Watch the trailer for Jupiter Ascending below.
The delay might also have something to do with the negative reaction the trailer received last December. And according to those who have seen early pre-release audience surveys, the film was tracking in line with the studio's other action flick, “Edge of Tomorrow,” which may debut with a disappointing $25 million this weekend. That would be a weak opening for a picture that cost Warner Bros. and partner Village Roadshow at least $150 million to produce, the LA Times reports.
More: Jupiter Ascending - What's The Wachowskis' New Film All About?
The announcement comes as a bit of a surprise, since the studio seemed to be moving full steam ahead on Jupiter Ascending promotion, sending the film’s stars Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher to CinemaCon in March. Standing onstage in front of thousands of exhibitors, the actors read from a teleprompter about how the film would “make you look at things in a new way.” The sci-fi flick tells the story of a young human woman, targeted for assassination by the Queen of the Universe, whose life changes when she meets an interplanetary pilot. Looks like we will have to wait a while longer to look at things in a new way.
Jupiter won't be ascending until 2015.
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