MUMBAI: Universal Pictures has postponed the release date ofThe Bourne Legacy from 3 to 10 August citing fears of the invasion of The Dark Knight Rises at the box-office. Another reason could also be the simultaneous release of Sony‘s Total Recall also scheduled to open on 3 August.
Dark Knight, the third instalment of the Christopher Nolan-directed Batman franchise, is set to hit US theaters on 20 July, two weeks prior to that of Bourne Legacy. Now the film has been delayed three weeks hence.
The studio‘s statement regarding the move focused on Dark Knight, as well as the opportunity to use the Summer Olympics to promote Bourne.
“Just as The Avengers demonstrated marketplace sustainability that well outpaced traditional patterns earlier this summer, the industry expects a similar trajectory for The Dark Knight Rises. Moving one week further from its release will give The Bourne Legacy an even greater opportunity to maximize its opening box-office potential," the statement said.
The move also allows Universal to avoid a direct clash with Sony‘s Total Recall reboot. Both films are targeting males and many exhibitors had questioned why they were going out on the same date.
"Moving to Aug. 10 will also allow us to extend valuable promotion for the film across all NBC-Universal platforms during the Olympics, which will dominate television and digital audiences beginning July 27. We are excited about this new chapter in our Bourne franchise and confident that Aug. 10 is the right date for our film and for our industry as a whole,” the statement added.