a2 Media

​Release Dates Of Movies

The release date of a movie depends on:​

1. 'The right time of year to release it - Summer blockbusters need to be released in...the summer. Films which are "Oscar-bait" but may not earn a great deal of box office are released in the late fall and early winter.

2. The market - For example Batman vs. Superman: The Dawn of Justice was completed last year and could have been released this year. However, with The Avengers, Ant Man and other films in the pipeline, it might be the "best time" to release it so that it can dominate the market.

3. The market #2 - many films are greenlighted which "resemble" other films which have also been greenlighted at/around the same time. A studio may wait to see it their competition's project is successful (or bombs) before releasing their own

4. The film tested poorly - Nearly all major releases are screened in front of test audiences to gauge their reactions. If the film tests poorly, initially, it can be re-edited or have key scenes reshot. If the film continues to test poorly after that, then the studio knows (or suspects) that it will fail at the box office and it may simply to try to "slip it in" where its failure will do the least damage (late winter, mid-fall)

5. Business decision changes - The film might have been planned to have a limited theatrical release. However, it tested poorly and a decision was made simply to release it straight to DVD or on video on demand. This takes time, and the release is delayed as a result' [19]

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Release dates for researched movies:

The Purge - 31st May 2013

The Omen - 6th June 2006

 The Conjuring - 19th July 2013

Insidious - 1st April 2011

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These release dates clearly show that the times which horror films are 

likely to be released were in the middle of the year, across spring and

summer time. This could suggest that horror movies are likely to be

watched in these months as opposed to autumn, which is expected

due to the fact that this is where Halloween falls. The film 'The Omen' 

had a set release date of the 6th of June 2006, or 6.6.6, this implies

that the release date was tailored in order to suit the genre of the film

in addition to relating to the plot in its reference to the devil.