Warner Bros. Moves ‘Great Gatsby’ to Summer 2013
In a surprise move, Warner Bros. has pushed back Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby from Dec. 25 to summer 2013.
“Based on what we’ve seen, Baz Luhrmann’s incredible work is all we anticipated and so much more. It truly brings Fitzgerald’s American classic to life in a completely immersive, visually stunning and exiting way. We think movieogers of all ages are going to embrace it, and it makes sense to ensure this unique film reaches the largest audience possible,” said Warner Bros. president of domestic distribution Dan Fellman, who announced the move with international distribution president Veronika Kwan Vandenberg.
The Great Gatsby was considered a prime awards contender for Warners, but the studio isn’t left without contenders between Ben Affleck’s Argo (Oct. 12), Cloud Atlas (Oct. 26) and New Line’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (Dec. 14), from director Peter Jackson.
It used to be virtually taboo for a Hollywood studio to push back the release date of a high-profile title, but more and more, studios are doing just that for a variety of reasons.
One specific issue facing Great Gatsby: DiCaprio stars in another 2012 Christmas Day movie, Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained.