Getty Images

Universal announced on Monday that it is moving the release date for “The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle” from April 2019 to January 17, 2020.

The film will star Robert Downey Jr. in what will now be his first major post-“Avengers” role as the titular doctor who can speak with animals. Antonio Banderas, Michael Sheen, and Jim Broadbent are also set to star in the film, with the animals being voiced by an all-star cast that includes Tom Holland, Rami Malek, Emma Thompson, Ralph Fiennes, Marion Cotillard, Octavia Spencer, and Kumail Nanjiani. Stephen Gaghan is directing.

Also Read: 'Happy Death Day 2U' Gets Valentine's Day 2019 Release Date

Sources close to the project say Universal is moving the release back eight months to give it a more advantageous slot in the post-holiday season, with January giving the film more playability in international markets like China, which will have its Lunar New Year festivities around that time.

But it should be noted that “Dolittle” is moving out of what is becoming a month that may be more competitive than recent Aprils. The David Harbour reboot of “Hellboy,” which just released its teaser poster on Monday, is scheduled for release in “Dolittle”‘s previous release slot. The week prior, Warner Bros. will release the DC film “Shazam,” which won over superhero fans with a strong Comic-Con trailer this summer.

There’s also the possibility — though it hasn’t been announced yet — that Disney might move the highly-anticipated “Avengers 4” up to the last weekend of April as they did this year with “Avengers: Infinity War.” That move had been done to mitigate the potential of spoilers for the Marvel Studios film from countries that usually receive May releases from the studio a week early to coincide with local holidays. If Disney uses that same tactic again, it will curtail the amount of time any April films have to make money before the Marvel Cinematic Universe once again takes up almost all the shelf space and audience interest at movie theaters.

Also Read: Margot Robbie's 'Birds of Prey' Sets February 2020 Release Date

Now, “Doctor Dolittle” will go up against the Michael B. Jordan legal drama “Just Mercy,” a film that will be aimed at a much different audience. It also shares a release slot with Sony Pictures’ “Bad Boys For Life,” though the long-delayed third installment of the Will Smith cop series is only tentatively scheduled to be released then, and production still hasn’t officially been greenlit.

Universal will fill the April 12 slot with the Will Packer film “Little,” which stars Marsai Martin and Issa Rae.

'A Star Is Born' vs 'Venom' and 5 More of Fall's 6 Biggest Box Office Showdowns (Photos)

“Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald,” “Aquaman” and “Mary Poppins Returns” are expected to dominate the box office this fall. But there are other films vying for moviegoers' attention -- ones that are set to debut to some steep competition. Here are six head-to-head box office showdowns to look out for this fall.
MGM/Disney/Paramount/Twentieth Century Fox
Oct. 5: "A Star Is Born" vs. "Venom"

Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga facing off against a superhero entry is going to be an interesting battle -- while the former is an indie with A-list stars atop the bill, the latter is a highly-anticipated comic book character debut from a major studio.
MGM/Sony
Oct. 12: "First Man" vs. "Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween"

Everyone is anticipating Damien Chazelle’s followup to “La La Land,” especially now that film that puts Ryan Gosling in space is generating early buzz. “Goosebumps,” of course, is already an established franchise based on the children’s book series of the same name by R.L. Stine. The first film, which was released in 2015, had a $23 million opening.
DreamWorks/Columbia Pictures Corporation
Nov. 2: "Bohemian Rhapsody" vs. "Nobody’s Fool" vs. "The Nutcracker and the Four Realms"

“Bohemian Rhapsody” is quickly shaping up to be many people’s most anticipated fall movie, as it chronicles the life of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury (played by Rami Malek). The film hit some road bumps when Sacha Baron Cohen, originally cast as Mercury, exited the project. Director Joss Whedon also departed the rocker biopic. Now, it's set to face off against Disney’s big-budget film “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” along with Tyler Perry’s “Nobody’s Fool.”
New Regency/Paramount Players/Disney
Nov. 9: "Overlord" vs. "The Girl in the Spider’s Web" vs. "The Grinch"

“The Girl in the Spider’s Web” is a long-awaited sequel to “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” which starred Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander. That one grossed $232 million at the global box office. Claire Foy is taking over seven years later. But fans love their “Grinch” (2000's "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" earned $345.1 million worldwide) and J.J. Abrams has established a “Cloverfield” fandom as well (although he has said “Overlord” is not part of the “Cloverfield” franchise). "Cloverfield" and "10 Cloverfield Lane" earned $170.8 million and $110.2 million worldwide, respectively.
Paramount/Universal/MGM
Nov. 22: "Creed II" vs. "Ralph Breaks the Internet"

"Creed" came out punching at the box office in 2015, earning $173 million worldwide. So, naturally, the sequel could prove a worthy adversary for "Ralph Breaks the Internet." Its predecessor, "Wreck-It Ralph" grossed $471 million globally, and was nominated for an Oscar.
MGM/Disney
Dec. 21: "Aquaman" vs. "Bumblebee" vs. "Alita: Battle Angel"

“Aquaman” has the backing of extremely devout DC fans, but “Bumblebee” will attract “Transformers” fans, who have brought the whole franchise up to $1.4 billion domestically. Both films are set to make some serious cash. “Alita: Battle Angel” is based on Yukito’s Kishiro’s manga “Battle Angel Alita,” is produced by James Cameron, and has a stellar cast.
Warner Bros./Paramount/Twentieth Century Fox

1 of 7

Fall Movie Preview 2018: These 15 films have a tough battle to box office glory

“Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald,” “Aquaman” and “Mary Poppins Returns” are expected to dominate the box office this fall. But there are other films vying for moviegoers' attention -- ones that are set to debut to some steep competition. Here are six head-to-head box office showdowns to look out for this fall.

View In Gallery

Universal Moves Robert Downey Jr.’s ‘Voyage of Doctor Dolittle’ to January 2020

'A Star Is Born' vs 'Venom' and 5 More of Fall's 6 Biggest Box Office Showdowns (Photos)

APA Signs New Deal With Writers Guild, Resumes Representation of Writers

Why ‘Bad Boys for Life’ Had No Crossover With ‘Bad Boys’-Spinoff ‘LA’s Finest’

Former Recording Academy Chief Neil Portnow Accused of Raping Female Recording Artist

Wyatt Russell Dons Captain America’s Shield in ‘Falcon and Winter Soldier’ First Look (Photos)

Netflix Changes How Views Are Counted, Says ‘The Witcher’ Was Most Watched Debut Season Ever

Keep
Reading...

'A Star Is Born' vs 'Venom' and 5 More of Fall's 6 Biggest Box Office Showdowns (Photos)

Related Content

KeepReading...

Keep
Reading...