The Bourne Legacy theatrical release date has been pushed back due to the potential longevity of Warner Bros. impending hit The Dark Knight Rises and a conflicting release with Sony’s actioner Total Recall. The Bourne Legacy was originally scheduled for release on August 3, but now will not arrive until August 10.
The Dark Knight Rises is scheduled for its grand arrival on July 20, what would have been two weeks prior to The Bourne Legacy. As The Avengers proved in May, The Dark Knight Rises could remain a strong box office draw for multiple weeks beyond its record threatening debut. The further The Bourne Legacy is from it, the better the odds of a bigger opening.
In addition to shifting an extra week beyond The Dark Knight Rises, The Bourne Legacy now avoids the August 3 release of Sony’s Total Recall reboot from director Len Wiseman and starring his wife, Kate Beckinsale, along with Colin Farrell. Both Recall and Legacy would have been targeting the same audience so this move makes sense for both studios involved.
The extra week between now and The Bourne Legacy’s release will also afford Universal an extra seven days to get their marketing in gear and help promote the film.
The Bourne Legacy is the fourth film in the Bourne franchise and first to star Jeremy Renner who is taking over the reigns from Matt Damon. Universal is hoping to launch a new series of Bourne flicks with Renner in the lead. In a perfect world, Legacy will match the big $54.8 million put up by Fox’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes in early August last year. The Dark Knight Rises could still be playing in the same box office numbers ballpark by August 10.
Source: THR
