Paramount has pushed back horror threequel “Rings” three months from Oct. 28 to Feb. 3.
It’s the fourth date for the third movie in “The Ring” series. It was originally set for Nov. 13, 2015. It was then moved to April 1, 2016, and then to Oct. 28.
The studio is also delaying another horror franchise “Friday the 13th” by nine months from Jan. 13 to Oct. 13, 2017. Paramount gave no reason for the delays.
Paramount debuted the first trailer for “Rings” in August, painting a portrait of death and destruction with a malevolent spirit causing a jet airplane crash. The plot centers on a videotape that will result in the viewer being killed seven days later.
F. Javier Gutierrez is directing “Rings,” and Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald are producing. Matilda Lutz plays the protagonist.
“Friday the 13th” is the 13th title in the franchise. It’s the second time in a year that Paramount has delayed “Rings” and “Friday the 13th on the same day.
The delays are coming a day after Paramount’s parent Viacom disclosed a $115 million write-down from an unidentified upcoming title, widely believed to be “Monster Trucks.”
Drexel Hamilton analyst Tony Wible also told Variety that the write-down is likely for “Monster Trucks” and said it “implies that Paramount will have lost about $500 million this year despite a favorable box office, home entertainment, and licensing environment.”
The studio’s best performer was “Star Trek Beyond,” which has grossed $157 million in the U.S. — well under “Star Trek Into Darkness.” Its “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows” grossed only $82 million and its new version of “Ben-Hur,” co-financed with MGM, was a flop with $26 million.
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