Monster Hunter movie release date brought forward to December 18

The Monster Hunter movie release date has been brought forward a second time, with the film now scheduled to debut next week on Friday, December 18. There's no word yet on the UK release date, expected in early 2021.

The updated release date was revealed alongside confirmation that a controversial scene – which sparked a Monster Hunter World Steam review bombing from Chinese fans – has been cut from all versions of the film. The deleted scene is short and inconsequential to the story. 

Monster Hunter was previously pushed from December 30 to December 25, and with this update, it will no longer compete with Wonder Woman 1984, which reaches theaters and HBO Max on Christmas day, and Pixar's Soul, which also arrives on Disney Plus that same day.

The latest railer for the movie debuted new looks as Diablos, Nerscylla, Apceros, and Rathalos, plus a glance at a Palico that we're pretty sure is the Meowscular Chef from Monster Hunter World. Director Paul Anderson recently confirmed that the Monster Hunter movie will feature the feline chef – those who have played the games will remember the former Palico partner of the Admiral in Monster Hunter World.

The Monster Hunter movie stars Milla Jovovich as Captain Natalie Artemis, who's leading an elite military force to survival after they fall through a portal and land themselves in Monsterville. Luckily, a skilled monster hunter, played by Tony Jaa, is around to show them the ropes.

The Monster Hunter movie is just one of many upcoming movies we can't wait to see – find a full list of movie release dates through that link.