Every four years the World Cup arrives and causes dating issues for international distributors as they try to avoid opening their big summer films during the tournament. This used to not be an issue as films were released apart from their US release but now with globally day and date releasing it causes major headaches and pileups to the summer films.
As next year’s World Cup is the first in Europe since 2006 (Russia are 3 hours ahead of UK as are Qatar hosts of 2022 World Cup) has made studios opening films early or late in the UK. Interesting to see if studios have done so elsewhere and in countries like Holland and Italy that never qualified so will they suffer twice not being in the World Cup and still waiting a month to see Ant-Man 2?
Popularity with the football and the World Cup has been growing in the US since 1994 when they are hosting the World Cup (are currently bidding for the 2026 World Cup) but as the US failed to qualify for next year they are unlikely to have much interest (the eight-hour time difference won’t help either with the matches in the early morning/afternoon) while the rest of the world will (apart from Holland and Italy) which causes distributions to try to avoid releasing their films during the World Cup period, but the problem is that’s when the US release their big guns.
This has caused studios to shift their normal day and date release with Universal Pictures opening Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom on June 8th 2 weeks before the US but only a week after Deadpool 2 and two weeks after Solo: A Star Wars Story which is going to see these films cannibalize into each other. With Jurassic World 2 opening early it means that Warner Bros will open Oceans Eight two weeks after the US.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story opened with £17,305,011 last December in its second weekend took £5,652,730 down 57% with Christmas Day and Passengers as competition and went on to take £66m.
Deadpool opened £13,729,803 in February last year in its second weekend took £5,694,280 down 43% without previews without competition and went on to take £37,616,432
Jurassic World opened with £19,350,727 in June 2015 taking £11,133,912 down 22% in its second weekend without competition and went on to take £63,674,773
These three films targeting similar demographics were hugely successful as there was limited competition targeting the same audience. But as seen last year with Star Trek: Beyond, Jason Bourne and Suicide Squad and this year with Spider-Man: Homecoming, War for the Planet of the Apes and Dunkirk when you open films targeting similar demographic the films cannibalize each other which will be the case next year with Solo: A Star Wars Story, Deadpool 2 and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom opening over three weeks to avoid the World Cup.
Disney normally delay their June animated film to July so can open at the start of the summer holidays in previous years it was also to avoid opening against Illumination Animation films. But in delaying The Incredibles 2 a month in the UK (July 13th) means Ant-Man and the Wasp which would have opened the week before as it does in the US instead it will open a month after the US which will be the first Disney/Paramount Marvel to open weeks after US release.
Since Marvel released their first film Iron Man in May 2008 most of their films have opened international first with a couple opening day and date with the US but if this date change is correct Ant-Man and the Wasp will open a month after its US opening. If Disney opened a week earlier, would be during the second round of matches (games are played at 6pm and 10pm UK time) if the opening same day as the US would have to compete against the quarterfinals which are Friday and Saturday.
By delaying Ant-Man and the Wasp to August 3rd will mean similar box office cannibalization with Skyscraper, Alita: Battle Angel, Mission impossible 6, Ant-Man and the Wasp and The Predator opening over five weeks. Which will see The Incredibles 2 and Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again to perform strongly as they are an alternative to all that testosterone
Four years ago, Warner Bros opened Edge of Tomorrow a week before the US despite very positive reviews opened third with £1,886,096 (one of Tom Cruise’s lowest openings in the UK despite having three premieres on one day) was cannibalized by Maleficent opening against it with £6,590,071 and X-Men Days of Future Past (second weekend £3,518,389) while holding strongly the damage was done in its opening weekend.
cigarette burns and missed changeovers 