The fate of the last two X-Men movies from 20th Century Fox remains in a constant state of flux and the latest wrinkle seems to have come from New York Toy Fair, where plastic baubles for ‘New Mutants’, made by Hasbro were displayed, but with a bizarre new release date– September 2, 2019. Checking the calendar, that is a Monday! And movies don’t open on Mondays. Typically, movies open on Friday, with preview screenings on Thursday nights. Occasionally, for really major releases, especially those that come out around holidays, the previews might even be held on Wednesdays. For example, last week, ‘Isn’t it Romantic?’ opened on Thursday, which was Valentines Day, with previews on Wednesday.
September 2 is a holiday, at least in the United States. It’s Labor Day, a milestone that usually celebrates the end of summer. It’s also a dead zone at the box office, as most people are busy attending cookouts, fireworks, and other outdoor activities. And in recent years, schools have actually started their new terms before that, further crippling theaters.
This may have been a mistake. ‘New Mutants’ was scheduled to be released on August 2, which is a Friday. It’s possible that Hasbro simply printed September instead of August.
Then again, there have been persistent rumors lately that ‘New Mutants’ would go straight to Hulu. Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox should be finalized by then, and as part of this deal, Disney will own 60% of Hulu, granting it controlling interest. It’s reasonable to imagine that Disney doesn’t want to bother releasing Fox’s last two X-Men movies to save the cost of promoting them. But considering that both ‘New Mutants’ and ‘Dark Phoenix’ are already made, it also doesn’t quite make sense that Disney wouldn’t try to at least make back a little bit of the production cost. The other argument frequently posited online is that Disney doesn’t want to release them in order to give Marvel Studios greater space in which to develop its plans for integrating these characters into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But generally speaking, that kind of talk is all fan speculation, so take it with a huge grain of salt.
Side note… who wants ‘New Mutants’ toys? There’s no indication that they wear costumes in the movie. Is it just going to be five figures wearing street clothes? Who wants that? (Other than ‘Stranger Things’ fans, but ‘Stranger Things’ is HUGE. ‘New Mutants’? Probably not.)
Check back for updates!
Held in a secret facility against their will, five new mutants have to battle the dangers of their powers, as well as the sins of their past. They aren’t out to save the world — they’re just trying to save themselves.
Directed by Josh Boone ‘New Mutants’ stars Charlie Heaton, Blu Hunt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Maisie Williams, Henry Zaga, and Alice Braga.
It opens… ?
