X-Men: Dark Phoenix star Sophie Turner compared the film’s new release date to that of Black Panther. After speculation that the film was being pulled, it was revealed that Dark Phoenix was being pushed back to February 2019 due to reshoots. Box office hits like Black Panther indicate that a February release can be a good thing.
Fox’s X-Men movie universe has faced its share of upheaval in recent months. Concern increased when changes were announced for the release dates of the upcoming mutant films, Dark Phoenix, Gambit, and The New Mutants. Dark Phoenix and The New Mutants are planning reshoots. Turner said she didn’t know what was being changed in Dark Phoenix. Reshoots for The New Mutants are said to be largely due to the studio’s desire to make the film scarier.
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In an interview with Digital Spy, Turner told them she sees the new release date as good news given the month's recent history:
"All I know is that I'll be back in Montreal at some point soon, and that the Valentine's Day release date is quite a positive thing, because Black Panther got released on Valentine's Day. So we're keeping positive about it."
Black Panther, which was released in February this year, was a box office success, surprising critics and proving that a film with a predominately black cast can bring audiences to the theater. But Black Panther was not the first superhero film to appear in February. Back in 2016, Deadpool was also released around Valentine’s Day, also smashing box office expectations. Most expected blockbusters drop in the summer, but these two examples changed everything by proving a good movie can draw a crowd, regardless of the time of year. Dark Phoenix could continue this trend. After the success of Deadpool, Fox appears confident in the February window, which leaves Dark Phoenix without a rival superhero film to take away potential viewers. Hopefully, the lack of competition leads to another box office hit.
The next chapter in the X-Men movie universe appears to be taking a more ominous turn, beginning with the upcoming Dark Phoenix. If successes like Deadpool and Logan are anything to go by, fans of the X-Men are open to a change of pace and (in the case of Logan) more somber tone. Assuming the new release date is final, audiences can expect to spend their Valentine’s Day with the Dark Phoenix.
More: X-Men Dark Phoenix: Every Update You Need To Know
Source: Digital Spy
