Amazon Studios is pushing back the release of ‘The Aeronauts’ from October 25 to December 6, reportedly to move it closer to awards season, as movies that are released too early can often be forgotten when it comes time to vote for such honors. It is also collapsing its theatrical window. It will now get a shorter release and a previously agreed-upon one week run in IMAX is… *ahem* up in the air, even though certain action sequences were shot with IMAX in mind. After its short theatrical run, it will go to Amazon Prime Video on December 20, as the service hopes to draw a large number of viewers over the holidays. Previously brokered foreign releases are also being renegotiated.
‘The Aeronauts’, directed by Tom Harper, reunites ‘Theory of Everything’ co-stars Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones.
Set in 1862, The Aeronauts follows wealthy young widow Amelia Wren (Jones) and headstrong scientist James Glaisher (Redmayne) as they mount a balloon expedition to fly higher than anyone in history. It’s a journey to the edge of the then-known world, where the air is thin and the chances of survival are slim.
Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke explained:
“The Aeronauts is a spectacular film featuring some of Felicity Jones and Eddie Redmayne’s finest work. The level of filmmaking is nothing short of a technical feat that transports you to another world high up in the clouds. The theatrical experience is an important part of our business, but our highest priority is our customers.”
“We know The Aeronauts is a film Amazon Prime Video customers will want access to as soon as possible, and is the perfect example of high-level, quality filmmaking customers can expect from us both in theaters and on Prime. Considering how competitive it has become to capture audiences’ attention and how audiences are consuming their entertainment, we believe this is the best choice for the film and that we’re delivering our customers an epic film that we believe will be a major player in the awards conversation at the height of awards season.”
The move may or may not have anything to do with the recent release of ‘Late Night’, the comedy starring Mindy Kalling and Emma Thompson, which was a smash at the Sundance Film Festival, earned rave reviews, yet tanked at the box office in the face of mega-franchise pics like ‘Men in Black: International’.
‘The Aeronauts’ is expected to make its debut at a film festival this fall, with Amazon reportedly leaning toward Telluride, due to the fact that so many Hollywood-types (i.e. academy voters) attend it.
Would you like to see ‘The Aeronauts’ on the big screen? Or does streaming sound like a better outlet?
Source: Deadline
