Lionsgate announced this weekend that the action film Safe starring Jason Statham and directed by Boaz Yakin will be delayed. The film which was to be released by Lionsgate on October 28th has now been pushed back to March 2nd, 2012. No official word on why the film is being delayed though Cinemablend offered some fair speculation.
Here is Lionsgate’s official synopsis for Safe:
A former elite agent encounters and rescues a twelve-year-old Chinese girl who’s been abducted by the Triads. Armed with a safe-cracking combination, they find themselves in the middle of a stand-off between Triads, the Russian Mafia and high-level corrupt New York City politicians and police.
If that sounds like half a dozen movies you think you have seen before then you may have a theory as to why Lionsgate is willing to let Safe sit on the shelf for a few months. A more likely scenario has Lionsgate concerned about an over-saturation of the Jason Statham market. Statham’s Blitz just hit DVD and On Demand less than two weeks ago and his next action opus Killer Elite, co-starring Robert De Niro and Clive Owen, arrives in theaters on September 23rd.
You know what they say; absence makes the heart grow fonder. Of course you have to BE absent first before the fondness can set in. Keeping Jason Statham out of theaters for a few months following Killer Elite may be just what Safe needs to launch to solid box office numbers. As of this evening, Saturday, September 3rd, the website for Safe still has the old release date, October 28th, 2011 along with a disabled link to a recently released trailer at Yahoo Movies.
For now, see Jason Statham in Blitz on DVD or wait for Killer Elite in theaters on September 23rd. That ought to tide you over until Safe arrives in theaters on March 2nd, 2012.
