Rarely are missions to Mars portrayed in a positive light, often resulting in death or as a means of fleeing an Earth on the verge of complete destruction. But The Space Between Us has used this setting as means of portraying a young love story. And, while studio STX are bullish about the film's prospects, they have decided to push the release date back from December 16 this year to February 3, 2017.
Their original plans would have put them on course not only with outer space but the biggest blockbuster of them all - Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. With Disney and Lucasfilm looking at a potential opening of $150m, that would have blown STX out of the water. So obviously this was a savy move on the part of STX.
Stockings Aplenty With Heavy Xmas Scheduling
Even in the event that the Peter Chelsom-directed feature managed to bypass the mega hit that will be Rogue One, STX would still have had to deal with a litany of other movies that are expected to bring back a sizeable return at the box office come December. From the Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt space odyssey Passengers to La La Land. And it doesn't end there. Let's not forget Wahlberg's Patriots Day and the Michael Fassbender-lead video game adaptation Assassin's Creed, the audience will be spoilt for choice these holidays.
This will allow them instead to compete with more modest pictures like Collide, a heist drama starring Felicity Jones. But it isn't all clear sailing, with Rings said to roll out around the same time, potentially bringing in millions from that infamous Paramount franchise.
Teen Love Meets Space Journey To Mars
The Space Between Us appears to be a first of it's type, with the Richard B. Lewis produced feature telling the story of Gardner Elliot (played by Asa Butterfield), the first person born on Mars. With his mother dying in childbirth because of the gravity on the red planet, Elliot grows up only knowing a handful of scientists in a strange, deranged and isolated existence.
Starring Gary Oldman as Nathaniel Shepherd and Carla Gugino as Kendra, Elliot meets a street smart girl via a video link and of course, sparks fly and they fall in love. An interesting synopsis to say the least and is a story far less grimm than comparative sci-fi trips to outer space.
Source: THR
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