Way to annoy the fans, WB: Half-Blood Prince film suddenly moved to summer '09

[dianeduane]

Here’s the announcement via MarketWatch.

Warner Bros. says they’re rescheduling “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” because summer releases are better for family-oriented “tentpole” projects, and because the Writers’ Guild strike of late ‘07 / early ‘08 has unpredictably changed the pattern of other studios’ film releases for ‘08 / ’09.

While those are both believable claims, you can bet that a lot of people aren’t accepting them at face value. (This LA Times article suggests, among other things, that it’s Batman’s fault.)

I get the feeling that Warner’s going to have to do more than just whimper “We love our fans…” to derail the anger over this…

(ETA: Nikki Finke's take on the situation, from Deadline Hollywood Daily: with a rant from Entertainment Weekly)

Tags: Warner+Bros, Harry+Potter+and+the+Half-Blood+Prince, Rowling, delay, reschedule, anger

Comments

[smoooom.livejournal.com]

I can't believe this, if ever I thought that anyone in Hollywood cared about anything but making money that myth is now shattered.

[mikailborg.livejournal.com]

For me, here's what stands out from the LA Times article:

'"Terminator Salvation," a darker re-boot of the killer-robot franchise' - Darker? Darker than Judgment Day, with the nuclear war vision that kept me awake that night; darker than T3, which ensured that that war would happen? Darker?

'Universal's special-effects comedy "Land of the Lost," which stars Will Ferrell' - thank you, Ferrell, for making a special effort to mock part of my childhood.

[dameruth.livejournal.com]

I was one of the screeding masses last night, and I'm not even a hard-core HP fan. It's that whole, "Oh -- nevermind. We already started promoting the November date and getting your hopes up, but now we've decided we're gonna make you wait over half a year longer to see something that's already finished, just cuz we think we'll make an extra buck," attitude that really chafes me.

[hrrunka]

I'm wryly amused by the following comment in the BBC report:

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince had been chosen for this year's Royal Film Performance, on 17 November.

[cuddles-batcave.livejournal.com]

I haven't broken the news to the kids yet but I can assure you that they will be very upset. They have been looking forward to the next movie for ages!

On top of that, having been announced as the Royal Film Performance for this year, it will have to be cancelled again (at least this time a more appropriate movie was selected unlike the last time a RFP was cancelled).

This is just typical of WB and it seems their executives have never learned from past mistakes. Remember the fiasco of the last season of BABYLON 5? It has been clear to most of us, not just genre fans, that WB is motivated by money.

Why did they even bother releasing the trailer? Now it's torture just watching it and second guessing what's in and what's not, from the books!

I WANT TO SEE IT IN NOVEMBER 2008, ASSHOLES! AND SO DO MY KIDS!

*Extremely miffed rant over*

[hrrunka]

Yeah. That sound you hear is W.B. shooting its own feet off...

[robotech-master.livejournal.com]

The poor fans…having to wait another seven months before they get to find out what happened.

(I am amused that Emma Watson "is celebrating getting straight As in her A Levels in English literature, geography and art." Now that's getting into character!)

[stokerbramwell.livejournal.com]

Hopefully, the backlash will have some influence on their minds...

...yet I sometime doubt it.

Studio execs: Ruining everything you love for over a hundred years!

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

I get the feeling that Warner’s going to have to do more than just whimper “We love our fans…” to derail the anger over this…

Oh, would you ever be right. The first shockwave of the fandom explosion is being chronicled over here (I get the feeling that Warner’s going to have to do more than just whimper “We love our fans…” to derail the anger over this…). Thousands of comments on MuggleNet! Eighteen pages of discussion on Leaky Lounge! A new Facebook group (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=40552061880) dedicated to making Patrick Henry wish he'd just kept his mouth shut! And so on. Oy.

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

Gah. Can't edit dead link ... let's try that again:

"The first shockwave of the fandom explosion is being chronicled over here (http://www.journalfen.net/community/fandom_wank/1173408.html)."

[beamjockey.livejournal.com]

Personally, I can use the extra months to catch up on my reading. I'm two novels behind the films already!

[lady-autumnstar.livejournal.com]

My daughter and her best friend (both over 21, BTW) are at work right now. When they hear the news, I will hear the screams from here (home). When Daughter comes home I think I'll be hiding in the closet until the storm has blown over.

[kayshapero]

Shows how much attention I've been paying - this is the first I've heard it was being announced for November. Only now it's next July. Yeah, that sounds like Warners all right.

[jcfiala.livejournal.com]

Well, sure, people are going to be upset... but... what are they going to do? Unless the fans all decide not to go see the film, I don't see who WB is going to even notice that they upset folks.

Or am I missing something?