Universal has made a very smart decision to abandon its December 14 release location and move the upcoming musical Les Miserables to Christmas Day, taking over the spot previously held by Warner Bros’ The Great Gatsby where it will now face off against Django Unchained, Parental Guidance and The Guilt Trip rather than its previous competition The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.
I see the decision as Universal showing plenty of confidence in the film as well, clearly deciding the massive slate of films hitting theaters only four days earlier won’t be able to sustain even through Christmas Day. Films releasing on December 21 include Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away 3D, Jack Reacher, Not Fade Away, On the Road, The Impossible and This is 40, the latter of which is another Universal release. I guess the question is, is it better to be out in front or pull up in the rear?
You can browse the full December 2012 schedule here, which also includes Amour and Zero Dark Thirty on December 19.
Marketing on Les Miserables has been relatively light so far so the move won’t have a dramatic effect on previous materials as they hope to draw attention to the latest adaptation of Victor Hugo’s tale directed by Oscar winner Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech).
The film is set against the backdrop of 19th-century France, Les Misérables tells an enthralling story of broken dreams and unrequited love, passion, sacrifice and redemption–a timeless testament to the survival of the human spirit. Hugh Jackman plays ex-prisoner Jean Valjean, hunted for decades by the ruthless policeman Javert (Russell Crowe) after he breaks parole. When Valjean agrees to care for factory worker Fantine’s (Anne Hathaway) young daughter, Cosette, their lives change forever.
The film will include recognizable songs including “I Dreamed a Dream,” “Bring Him Home,” “One Day More” and “On My Own” as well as an all new song titled “Suddenly” written by Claude-Michel Schonberg and Alain Boublil and performed by Jackman. It’s definitely a film that many will be looking to help decide the Oscar race and this move from Universal, at least to me, tells me they think they have something special on their hands. On top of that, it never hurts to be the last film the Academy sees.
