The ink has barely dried yet on Disney’s surprise Star Wars Episode VIII release date announcement earlier today, but 20th Century Fox is already backing down from what’s sure to be a box office behemoth.
The Fantastic Four 2, previously set for June 2nd, 2017, has been shifted one week to June 9th, 2017; while that may not sound like much of a move, the comic-book sequel will now open two weeks after Rian Johnson’s entry in the Star Wars franchise, giving it more of a chance to top the box office in its first weekend.
Fox will find out whether it has a new franchise on its hands this summer, with the first Fantastic Four movie, directed by Josh Trank, opening on August 7th. Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Jamie Bell, Michael B. Jordan and Toby Kebbell star as the titular team and their arch-nemesis Doctor Doom, respectively.
Warner Bros.’ Batman-centric LEGO Movie spinoff is still set to duke it out with Star Wars Episode VIII, but the coming days may see that change. After all, no franchise, no matter how big, wants to go mano-a-mano with something as huge as Star Wars.
