Hmmm...should we be worried? In the case of Neill Blomkamp's Elysium, his long awaited follow-up to District 9, we've seen and heard pretty much nothing since the incredible footage was revealed at this summer's San Diego Comic-Con. As impressive as it was, it clearly had a long way to go before completion as many of the biggest effects were unfinished. With reshoots still taking place, and a release date only five months away, Sony was forced to make a decision, and they've decided to bump it to August 9th 2013.
That release date sound familiar? It should, because it's the spot that up until now had been held for Jose Padilha's Robocop remake. Sony has decided to shift that film all the way to February 7th 2014, where it can race against Need for Speed, which just added Aaron Paul(Breaking Bad) as its star.
Neither of these are reason for concern, if you ask me. Elysium is a major sci-fi film that will only benefit from the expanded window. Not only can Blomkamp lock down the effects and really nail the feel he's aiming for, but Sony can now give it the proper marketing push to ensure success. Despite the cast which includes Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, and Sharlto Copley, we're still talking about an expensive project with no name recognition. Robocop probably would have had a tough time standing out in the midst of the summer blockbuster pack. Sony clearly has long-term goals in mind, and moving it to February where we've seen other genre films become big hits lately, is probably a wise move. [BoxOfficeMojo]
