Fox has shaken up its movie lineup for the year, putting "Deadpool 2" two weeks earlier than originally scheduled. Some movies, however, have been delayed.
From the original June 1 screening, fans would be delighted to know that "Deadpool 2" is now launching on May 18. That puts it at the same time as Sony's "Slender Man," starring Javier Botet.
It is also a smart move, as the Ryan Reynolds film is now one week ahead of "Solo: A Star Wars Story," starring Alden Ehrenreich (Han Solo) and Emilia Clarke (Qi'Ra). The "Deadpool 2" original screening puts it on the second week of the "Star Wars" film, and everyone knows that franchise always hits it big for the first few weeks of release.
Meantime, Josh Boone's horror-thriller "The New Mutants" was pushed back by 10 months, from April 13, 2018 to Feb. 22, 2019. Starring Anya Taylor-Joy, Maisie Williams, Charlie Heaton, Henry Zaga, and Blu Hunt, the film follows five young mutants who just discovered their abilities and are being locked in a facility against their will.
According to insiders, the shake-up was to avoid an overlap with "X-Men" movies, which will be showing in overseas markets at the same time as "Deadpool 2" and "The Last Mutants."
Channing Tatum's "Gambit" will also be showing later than originally scheduled. From a Valentine Day launch on Feb. 14, 2019, it will now premiere on June 7, 2019. This after Gore Verbinski left the film due to scheduling issues. He is the third director exit "Gambit," following Rupert Wyatt and Doug Liman.
The first installment of "Deadpool" was a box-office success, with $783 million in gross worldwide. Domestically, it opened at over $132 million. Looks like Fox is banking on this strong opening for the comedy-action film, as it is sure to have a strong competition come the second week.
