[CigaretteSmoker]

The UK is often the last country in Europe that films get released, which is strange considering there is no dubbing or sub-titling to do, unlike most of Europe.

How are film release dates decided and why is the UK often last or near to last?

[theonlyweeman]

Most of the time films are released to coincide with national or school holidays, hence why Disney waited 4 months, till half term, to release Wreck-It-Ralph. (Christmas is often a crap period in the UK, but it does quite well in the States).

Films in Europe are often picked up by indies, who can disrespect the US studios wishes, where as major studios tend to keep UK rights.

On the plus side, we get Star Trek a day before the States..

[Bluray]

For many years the release dates issue seemed to get better but recently it's going the other way again:

The Muppets
Hitchcock
Madagascar
The Paperboy

Just a few I can think of right now

[theonlyweeman]

Originally Posted by Bluray

For many years the release dates issue seemed to get better but recently it's going the other way again:

The Muppets
Hitchcock
Madagascar
The Paperboy

Just a few I can think of right now

It did get better, but I think it's starting to get worse...

Hitchcock and The Paperboy are both indies, indies tend to be more day and date than standard release. Because indies know if they screw around they lose money, major studios don't care...

[Yuffie]

Originally Posted by theonlyweeman

On the plus side, we get Star Trek a day before the States..

I thought it was a week before the states !

[darkjedimaster]

Originally Posted by Bluray

For many years the release dates issue seemed to get better but recently it's going the other way again:

The Muppets
Hitchcock
Madagascar
The Paperboy

Just a few I can think of right now

Red Dawn got released in the states last November, but only came out over here last Friday & is already out on Amazon streaming & no doubt also on the USA Netflix. Big mistake from the cinemas.

[IslandNiles]

Cloud Atlas was similar.

[CJClarke]

Originally Posted by theonlyweeman

On the plus side, we get Star Trek a day before the States..

The UK is getting Star Trek Into Darkness on the 10th of May whereas the US release date is the 17th, a full week later. It's the same situation as Iron Man 3 where we're getting it 8 days before the US, much to the annoyance of some of the Americans over on imdb

[OpEd]

Originally Posted by theonlyweeman

On the plus side, we get Star Trek a day before the States..

Originally Posted by CJClarke

The UK is getting Star Trek Into Darkness on the 10th of May whereas the US release date is the 17th, a full week later. It's the same situation as Iron Man 3 where we're getting it 8 days before the US, much to the annoyance of some of the Americans over on imdb

So... it appears you don't mind the nonsensical injustice of it all as long as you're winning out.

Tragic. Cold. Barbaric.

A truly tragic revelation of the chauvinistic depravity that still haunts us all as we slip, stabbing our very brothers and sisters in the back, back into barbarism.

[jrmswfc]

It used to be the case that the USA had films literally months before they came out over here. I remember going to see the long awaited Phantom Menace at a late showing in Las Vegas in 1999 a full 2 months before it was released in the UK - unfortunately it was so disappointing that I fell asleep, missed most of the middle section and I ended up going to see it again at home anyway to see what I'd missed. Which wasn't much.

[theonlyweeman]

Originally Posted by OpEd

So... it appears you don't mind the nonsensical injustice of it all as long as you're winning out.

Tragic. Cold. Barbaric.

A truly tragic revelation of the chauvinistic depravity that still haunts us all as we slip, stabbing our very brothers and sisters in the back, back into barbarism.

I WAS KIDDING. IT WAS A JOKE

And it's a film, it's hardly barbaric to say it's good we're getting a week before the States (I thought it was only, turns out it's a week) ...

[CJClarke]

Originally Posted by OpEd

So... it appears you don't mind the nonsensical injustice of it all as long as you're winning out.

Tragic. Cold. Barbaric.

A truly tragic revelation of the chauvinistic depravity that still haunts us all as we slip, stabbing our very brothers and sisters in the back, back into barbarism.

I really, really hope that your post is meant as a joke. If it's not then it's quite easily the most hyperbolic post i've ever seen on DS, and that's saying something...

[Pink Knight]

The Harold and Kumar Christmas film came out nearly a year after it did in America. Maybe a spring release was inappropriate for that one though.

[blueisthecolour]

Is it not simply down to logistics, ie, the studios wanting the stars available for promotional activity in the UK at the time it's launched? Maybe they don't see the other European markets as important enough to worry about it.

[CJClarke]

Originally Posted by Pink Knight

The Harold and Kumar Christmas film came out nearly a year after it did in America. Maybe a spring release was inappropriate for that one though.

No it didn't. It came out in November 2011 in the US and was released in early December 2011 in the UK. The DVD/Blu Ray releases were a different matter though, with the US Blu Ray coming out in the Spring while the UK didn't get it until nearer Christmas, but the theatrical release most definitely wasn't a year apart.

[Jonwo]

Wreck it Ralph has made £22m so far in the UK which I doubt it would have done had it been released in November or even at Christmas. Think The Croods is one of the few animated films to have a day and day release although it did have previews last weekend.

[theonlyweeman]

Originally Posted by Jonwo

Wreck it Ralph has made £22m so far in the UK which I doubt it would have done had it been released in November or even at Christmas. Think The Croods is one of the few animated films to have a day and day release although it did have previews last weekend.

At least Disney didn't pull a Fox and release it in Scotland and Northern Ireland before hand, purely so it would have a massive opening weekend (I think it has to be across the UK, to count as an opening weekend or something silly like that)

[NorfolkBoy1]

A lot of the time it's down to promotional schedules, certain types of film rely on the stars being able to do the rounds of domestic/daytime TV. Generally it's not the HUGE blockbusters, but the big ones that are not so big that they can rely on their name alone.

[Jonwo]

Originally Posted by theonlyweeman

At least Disney didn't pull a Fox and release it in Scotland and Northern Ireland before hand, purely so it would have a massive opening weekend (I think it has to be across the UK, to count as an opening weekend or something silly like that)

I think it has to be released for over three days to count when its released in Scotland and Northern Ireland which we saw with Ice Age and Brave getting entries before their official release date,

I do think its stupid that the likes of Dreamworks and FOX release a film the weekend before and claim its part of the opening weekend when its not, would be better to separate them.

[Callous]

In this age of illegal downloads ...delays are foolish (be that in regards to cinema or home releases).

There have been rips of blu-ray movies in the US that have been available to illegally download at home before it even reaches UK cinemas.

It's also stupid that I can get blu-ray rips of two big 3D movies that I really want to buy..that are still weeks away from release over here (you'd think that those companies would have wanted the films out by Easter for the "gift giving" boost in sales).