Poltergeist shifts release date

Not much to talk about here, but the reboot of Poltergeist has moved dates for release and will now hit two months earlier than originally expected. We will now get it on May 22nd instead of July 24th.

Also moved with Poltergeist was the upcoming Fox comedy, Spy, starring Melissa McCarthy. That will now hit theaters on June 5th instead of May 22nd.

Taking the old Poltergeist release of July 24th is Paper Towns which was originally supposed to be released on June 5th.

First poster for Poltergeist reboot

We also got a teaser for the teaser trailer (barf) and it looks like a typical, jump scare romp. I'm not expecting anything great. Not to mention it's PG-13. 
Poltergeist is set to hit theaters in 3D on July 24th.

Fox delays Poltergeist reboot

Fox announced some release shifts today to go along with some announcements from Warner Bros. They have decided to delay both the Sam Raimi reboot of Poltergeist and the upcoming Matthew Vaughn film, Kingsman: The Secret Service.

Poltergeist was originally supposed to premiere opposite Fifty Shades of Grey on February 13, 2015 but it will now be released on July 24, 2015. Taking the February slot will be Kingsman: The Secret Service which was originally slated for this October.
I think Fox probably saw Kingsman as a more competitive film to go up against the sure to be box office hit, Fifty Shades of Grey. It isn't necessarily a Valentines Day movie, but neither is Poltergeist. I think more people would be apt to choose that one than they would a horror film.

Faith-based romance to challenge Fifty Shades of Grey

We were originally supposed to receive Fifty Shades of Grey this weekend, but setbacks with casting and scheduling pushed the film to Valentine's Day of 2015. The erotic film adaptation of EL James' novels will now have some competition as the faith-based romance, Old Fashioned, has reserved a spot on the same opening weekend.

Old Fashioned is being produced by Freestyle Releasing, the same company that surprised the box office with God's Not Dead earlier this year. Writer/director Rik Swartzwelder stated he wanted to prompt moviegoers with a film about a Godly romance taken seriously. The tagline of the film is, "Chivalry makes a comeback" as it is about a former frat member meets a young, free-spirited woman. Freestyle Co-President Mark Borde is also backing the film as a wholesome alternative to the Fifty Shades film.

This is no doubt a film cut from a different cloth as Fifty Shades of Grey. Couples celebrating Valentine's Day at the movies will now have the choice between a wholesome, religious love story and a bondage filled, explicit erotic story. Also competing with these two films is Fox's reboot of Poltergeist so I guess there is an option for just about anyone out there.

Planet of the Apes receives 2016 date

Now for some release date news we got today.

• In addition to the announcement that Matt Reeves will direct a third installment of Planet of the Apes, we now have an official release date. The third installment is set to hit theaters on July 29, 2016.

• Next up, we have an official release date for the Poltergeist reboot. The horror rehash will hit theaters on February 13, 2015. Yes, that is the same weekend as Fifty Shades of Grey.

• To avoid too much competition for the Valentine's Day weekend, Fox has shifted the newest Nicholas Spark's adaptation, The Longest Ride, from February 13, 2015 to April 3, 2015. 

We also got minor, assumed, confirmation that Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana will return for the Avatar sequels. Plot details for the sequel have yet to be released, but we do know that their characters will have children and will be filmed entirely in New Zealand. We won't see Avatar 2 until 2016 while Avatar 3 and Avatar 4 are set for 2017 and 2018. 

Gil Kenan will direct Poltergeist remake

We all knew MGM was remaking Poltergeist and previously the rumor was that Sam Raimi (Evil Dead, Spiderman) was going to direct the attempt. Deadline confirmed that isn't the case although Raimi is producing. Instead we will have Gil Kenan (Monster House) directing the remake of one of the most classic horror films. Kenan is still fairly new as his credits only include Monster House, in which he earned an Oscar nomination, and City of Ember.
So far the writing credits for Poltergeist include Scott Derrickson (Sinister), David Lindsay-Abaire (Oz: The Great and Powerful), Juliet Snowden (The Possession), Stiles White (Boogeyman), and Paul Harris Boardman (The Exorcism of Emily Rose). That is quite the list.

I personally have never been a huge Poltergeist fan so this remake actually doesn't bother me so much. I also enjoyed Monster House, so it will be interesting to see what elements Kenan will bring.