The release of Matthew Vaughn‘s Kingsman: The Secret Service is being pushed back by four months, from Oct. 24 to Feb. 13, 2015 — putting it in a direct battle with Fifty Shades of Grey. In turn, Fox is moving its Poltergeist reboot from Feb. 13 to July 24 of next year.
Fox insiders say the switch gives the studio more time to market Kingsman, starring Colin Firth, as well as to finish special effects. Vaughn’s offbeat action spy film is based on the comic book by Dave Gibbons and Mark Millar.
So far, no other movies are set to open over Valentine’s Day weekend except for Universal and Focus Features’ Fifty Shades, based on the book by EL James, and Kingsman. It’s also Presidents’ Day weekend, and Fox is counting on Kingsman to own the male audience. Vaughn’s film has tested very well among younger males and females, although Fifty Shades will pose powerful competition for females.
The studio is incredibly high on Vaughn, whose credits include X-Men: First Class and Kick-Ass, and recently struck a first-look deal with the British director.
Fox already has two other films set for October, David Fincher‘s Gone Girl, starring Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike, and animated title Book of Life, from producer Guillermo del Toro.
