Author Topic: Release dates in the film industry  (Read 709 times)

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SebastianPratesi

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Release dates in the film industry
« on: March 16, 2016, 07:27:47 PM »
I just read about the next Indiana Jones movie. Apparently it will be released in more than 3 years, so I've been wondering...

How/Why do movie studios establish and inform the movies release dates that far in advance?

With albums, you usually get to know the release date within 1/2 year at most, and yet a lot of times they are pushed back or forward at the last minute. With movies, they usually communicate the date 1 year or 2 (or 3 in this case) before, and it surprises me they end up being correct.

Any ideas?

Offline jammindude

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Re: Release dates in the film industry
« Reply #1 on: March 16, 2016, 07:47:21 PM »
Films take longer to make, and there are investors involved, which means there's a timeline...and a deadline. 

Albums get made when a band feels like making one, and get finished when they feel like it's finished. 
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Offline Accelerando

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Re: Release dates in the film industry
« Reply #2 on: March 16, 2016, 08:11:19 PM »
Sounds to me in Indy V's case, there isn't even a script. That's gonna take about 3 or 4 months to develop, then there is the whole pre-production process of casting, hiring crew, artwork, building sets and props, catering, location scouts, contracts, etc.

Offline hefdaddy42

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Re: Release dates in the film industry
« Reply #3 on: March 17, 2016, 06:45:17 AM »
With small, indy films, it's not as big a deal, and they aren't usually announced that far ahead.

With huge movies, like Star Wars, the Marvel films, or Indiana Jones, studios like to plant their stake on their desired future dates so that other studios won't plan releases on the same days.

"Hey, guys, we are taking the week of July 4th in two years, so plan your dates accordingly."

Plus, if you plan it far enough out (like this), you give yourself some wiggle room to move it back if necessary.
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SebastianPratesi

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Re: Release dates in the film industry
« Reply #4 on: March 17, 2016, 04:21:37 PM »
With huge movies, like Star Wars, the Marvel films, or Indiana Jones, studios like to plant their stake on their desired future dates so that other studios won't plan releases on the same days.

"Hey, guys, we are taking the week of July 4th in two years, so plan your dates accordingly."

Plus, if you plan it far enough out (like this), you give yourself some wiggle room to move it back if necessary.
Good point on the 'competition' between studios, hadn't thought about that. (I know record labels do that sometimes, though; it's still amazing to me that Bieber and One Direction changed their album release dates because of Adele last year.)

Films take longer to make, and there are investors involved, which means there's a timeline...and a deadline. 

Albums get made when a band feels like making one, and get finished when they feel like it's finished.
Also good point on the investors. I don't think I agree with the 'albums' part, though - not all bands/musicians in big labels choose when to record and release an album; I think the major labels dictate that stuff a lot of times.

Sounds to me in Indy V's case, there isn't even a script. That's gonna take about 3 or 4 months to develop, then there is the whole pre-production process of casting, hiring crew, artwork, building sets and props, catering, location scouts, contracts, etc.
I get your point. I guess studios know how many months/years they need. Still, what I meant was - how does the studio establish the movie will open that particular day in 2019.
Holy crap, making a movie must be such a demanding task, an awful lot of work, time and people involved.