They say that the perfect spy doesn’t have to work hard, just make sure to be in the right place at the right time. Well Quantum of Solace has slinked itself quietly into the void left by WB’s move to delay Harry Potter:
Sony on Thursday moved its next James Bond film, “Quantum of Solace,” back one week to November 14. That move is closely tied to the departure of Warner Bros.’ “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” from the November 21 release berth.
Just last week, the sixth “Potter” film newly planted its domestic flag on July 17, as executives sought to fill a hole in Warners’ summer 2009 slate.
This is the first time we hear some valid talk about why they moved Potter up to next summer. They didn’t have enough going on for summer. They don’t think its a “better” slot to make money on the film (will make the same no matter when you release it) they just want to be able to make some money in the summer lineup instead of being strangely absent from the cinema.
But I find it interesting that Bond would move in to take its place. You would think there wouldn’t be a huge demographic overlap from a family adventure film and a gritty violent spy action flick. Maybe since Harry put his wand on that date everyone else feared away from competition and now that it’s gone Quantum of Solace hopes to get that boost from a sparsely populated weekend.
It was wise to make that move quickly, before everyone else sees the opening and tries to move in. Now they would be moving in on Bond’s turf.
