The five year mission is being delayed.  Paramount’s ‘Star Trek Beyond’ was slated to beam into theaters next summer on July 8th, but now won’t arrive until July 22nd.  No reason has been given for the shuffle.

Directed by Justin Lin, ‘Beyond’ will depict the start of the starship Enterprise’s five year mission into deep space, the mission that served as the premise of the original 1960s TV series.  The 2016 release date was intended to coincide with the franchise’s 50th anniversary.  The new date doesn’t change that, but it does place ‘Beyond’ deeper into the thick of the summer blockbuster movie season.

Had the film stuck to its July 8th release date, it would have been opening against the comedy ‘Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates’ starring Zac Efron and Anna Kendrick and Universal’s new animated flick ‘The Secret Life Of Pets,’ neither of which should have given it any real competition.  In its new date, ‘Beyond’ will have to fend off Guy Ritchie’s ‘Knights of the Round Table: King Arthur’ starring Charlie Hunnam and Jude Law and ‘Ice Age: Collision Course.’

‘Trek’ should still hold its own against these two competitors, but it’s not as if those will be the only movies playing.  In this new slot, ‘Trek’ arrives just one week after the highly publicized reboot of ‘Ghostbusters’ directed by comedy king Paul Feig with an all-female cast including Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig.  And the week after ‘Trek’ debuts sees the release of the latest Matt Damon Jason Bourne movie.  Depending on how well ‘Ghostbusters’ is received, ‘Trek’ may have a struggle wresting the #1 spot away from it, should ‘Ghostbusters’ strike a cord.  And depending on how well ‘Trek’ is received will determine it of can defend its position in the face of the Bourne movie.

Once again, no reason was given for the change of release date, so it could be anything from marketing strategy to needed post-production time.

Is this a bad sign?  Or are you happy to see ‘Star Trek Beyond’ more centrally located within the summer movie season?

Directed by Justin Lin, ‘Star Trek Beyond’ now opens on July 22nd, 2016.  Based on a script by Simon Pegg and Doug Jung, the movie stars Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Idris Elba, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, Anton Yelchin, Karl Urban, John Cho and Sophia Boutella.

Source: Cinema Blend