Fox has moved up the release date of "Life of Pi," Ang Lee's adaptation of the Yann Martel novel, shifting it from Dec. 21 to Nov. 21.
The movie, which will be released wide in 3D, wowed movie exhibitors at last month's CinemaCon convention in Las Vegas with its stunning, visually poetic shots of an Indian boy stranded on the open sea with a Bengal tiger.
No reason was given for the move, though it does shift the film out of the very busy run-up to Christmas and into Thanksgiving weekend.
In the two weeks leading up to and including Christmas Day, a slew of highly anticipated movies will open, including Warner Bros.' "The Hobbit" and the film adaptation of "Les Miserables," both slated to open Dec. 14. Kathryn Bigelow's upcoming Osama Bin Laden movie is set for a Dec. 19 debut. Judd Apatow's next film, "This Is 40," will bow that week, as will "One Shot," starring Tom Cruise.
Five more movies will open Christmas Day, including The Weinstein Company's "Django Unchained" from Quentin Tarantino and Warner Bros.' "The Great Gatsby" from Baz Luhrmann.
This summer has already shown how a single blockbuster can drown a field loaded with big-budget fare.
"Red Dawn," "Rise of the Guardians" and "The Silver Linings Playbook" will now share the bill with "Life of Pi." The real test will be how much the latest "Twilight" film, "Breaking Dawn – Part II," which opens Nov. 16, eats into the turkey day crowd.
