It looks like Terminator 4 is calling dibs on what weekend it wants in 2009. We get the scoop this fine day from the professionals at Variety:
Warner Bros. will open McG’s Christian Bale starrer “Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins” on May 22, 2009, the start of Memorial Day weekend. That puts two tentpoles on the same date, even though the release calendar for summer 2009 is still relatively open.
Twentieth Century Fox had already staked out May 22 for the bow of the Ben Stiller sequel “Night at the Museum II: Escape From the Smithsonian.” First film grossed $250.9 million domestically. “T4” begins lensing in New Mexico for two months on May 5. The state has become a favorite locale for producers because of its production tax incentives.
Well there we go, Night At The Museum Vs. Terminator. Not a bad idea actually, I think the audience for each film will be different sets of animals, and the weekend should pull in quite a bit of coin for the theaters.
I have certainly been more excited about T4 after Christian Bale was brought on board the future war. Although he will not have a large part in the first film, his role is set to grow throughout the series and that suits me just fine. 2009 is still quite some time away, but it makes sense to call out the dates you want if you know you will be ready. It is blow em’ out of the water bidding and I consider it to be a wise strategy.