The Dark Tower, Jumanji, Equalizer 2 & More Get New Release Dates

Sony Pictures has changed the official release date for The Dark Tower – the long-awaited film adaptation of Stephen King’s fantasy/western novel series – once already, bumping it from January to February of 2017. The movie is being pushed back a few months further now, in order to allot Dark Tower director Nikolaj Arcel (A Royal Affair) enough time to finish post-production on the $60 million project, without having to rush things in order to meet its previous February launch date.

Where, exactly, The Dark Tower would be moved to was the question, as Sony already has a rather full plate in 2017 – as far as theatrical releases go. It’s not surprising, then, that the studio has now announced new release dates for not only Dark Tower, but a handful of additional buzzed-about Sony movies that are coming out next year; among them, the Dwayne Johnson-headlined Jumanji quasi-sequel/soft reboot.

The Dark Tower is now arriving on Jumanji‘s old July 28th, 2017 theatrical release date – with the latter having now shifted back to December 22nd, 2017 instead. Between its A-list headliners (Idris Elba, Matthew McConaughey) and a built-in fanbase thanks to its source material, The Dark Tower reads as being a worthy fit for the more competitive summer movie season. The film will no doubt be further aided by having additional time to refine its visual effects and editing too.

Jumanji also has a noteworthy cast (which, besides The Rock, includes Kevin Hart, Jack Black and Karen Gillan) and is the sort of family-friendly adventure that typically does well at the box office during the winter holiday season. The downside to Jumanji‘s new date is that the film now arrives one week after Star Wars: Episode VIII. There may yet be enough room for the pair to thrive at the box office, so long as families are inclined to both revisit a galaxy far, far away and go on a magical jungle adventure with The Rock and his friends – and not just the former.


Sony has also moved The Equalizer 2 from its previously-set September 29th, 2017 release date to September 14th, 2018. The shift makes sense, as production on The Equalizer sequel – the fourth collaboration between star Denzel Washington and director Antoine Fuqua overall (after Training Day, The Equalizer and The Magnificent Seven) – isn’t going to even start filming until September of next year. The Equalizer 2 currently has its new 2018 date all to itself.

With The Dark Tower now arriving in late July 2017, Sony has in turn moved Flatliners back a month from its previous August 18th date to The Equalizer 2‘s original stomping ground, on September 29th, 2017. Flatliners, which is actually a semi-sequel to the original 1990 cult hit movie of the same name (with Kiefer Sutherland reprising his role from the first Flatliners), is now going to open at the box office against the Tom Cruise-headlined true story-based drama/thriller, American Made.

Last, but not least, Danny Boyle’s twenty-years-in-the-making sequel T2: Trainspotting will see its own U.S. theatrical release date shift back a month from February 3rd to March 3rd, 2017, pitting it against Logan (a.k.a. Hugh Jackman’s final time playing Wolverine in the X-Men films) during its opening weekend. Filmmaker Edgar Wright’s action/comedy Baby Driver is, in turn, being moved back from the March 17th, 2017 date that Sony originally picked out for it and will fill Flatliner‘s old spot (so to speak) instead, on August 11th, 2017.

KEY RELEASE DATES
T2: Trainspotting release date: Mar 10, 2017
Jumanji release date: Dec 22, 2017
The Dark Tower release date: Jul 28, 2017
The Equalizer 2 release date: Sep 14, 2018