News
PR: 'Charlie's War' Exits Xmas Crunch
Analysis note from author at bottom of this file.
PRESS RELEASE
Universal City, California, Nov. 30, 2007 – Universal Pictures has accelerated the release date of Charlie Wilson’s War by four days, moving the film from Tuesday, December 25, 2007, to Friday, December 21, it was announced today.
Adam Fogelson, Universal Pictures’ President of Marketing and Distribution, stated, “We saw an opportunity to advance the release of this film and are taking advantage of that. We’ve seen how strongly Charlie Wilson’s War plays and can’t wait to get it in front of audiences everywhere. We are confident that their positive word-of-mouth will be one of the things that helps us continue playing strongly through this terrific moviegoing period.”
The film, starring Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts and Philip Seymour Hoffman, tells the outrageous true story of how one congressman who loved a good time, one Houston socialite who loved a good cause and one CIA agent who loved a good fight conspired to bring about the largest covert operation in history. Mike Nichols and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin bring George Crile’s best-selling book to the screen, along with the production team of Hanks and Gary Goetzman (My Big Fat Greek Wedding, upcoming Mamma Mia!).
Universal Pictures Presents – In Association with Relativity Media and Participant Productions – A Playtone Production of a Mike Nichols Film: Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Philip Seymour Hoffman in Charlie Wilson’s War, starring Amy Adams and Ned Beatty. Music for the film is by James Newton Howard. The costume designer is Albert Wolsky; co-producer is Mike Haley. Charlie Wilson’s War’s visual effects supervisor is Richard Edlund, ASC. The film is edited by John Bloom and Antonia Van Drimmelen; the production designer is Victor Kempster. The director of photography is Stephen Goldblatt, ASC, BSC. Executive producers are Celia Costas, Ryan Kavanaugh and Jeff Skoll. The film is produced by Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman. Charlie Wilson’s War is based on the book by George Crile, and it is from a screenplay by Aaron Sorkin. The film is directed by Mike Nichols. www.charliewilsonswar.net ©2007 Universal Studios.
Note from author Robert Marich. Shifting a release date on one month’s notice for a wide release film like Charlie Wilson’s War is unusual, given theater bookings and advertising run dates need to be changed. The film is expected to play on around 2,500 screens. Since Charlie Wilson’s War is a drama aimed at adults, there are probably few promotional partnerships that will be disturbed, such as fast-food restaurant tie-ins that are attached to family films So that reduces the ripple effect of the premiere date change in this case.
Both its former and new dates are crowded with other films. Moving to Dec. 21, Charlie Wilson’s War butts head with Disney sequel National Treasurer: Book of Secrets and Paramount/DreamWorks’ Sweeney Todd starring Johnny Depp. Leaving Dec. 25, it decouples from Fox sci-fi actioner sequel Aliens vs. Predator-Requiem and Sony’s family adventure The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep.
