Star Trek fans are going to have to wait a little longer to be reunited with Kirk, Spock and friends after Paramount announced that it would be delaying the release of Star Trek Beyond until July 22 2016. While the new date is only two weeks later than its initial slot, that fortnight could make all the difference to the studio’s coffers.
Had the film pressed ahead with its original plan to open on July 8, it would have been denied an IMAX release, with Warners’ Tarzan already booked in to IMAX screens across the US. Given the significant bump in profits a successful IMAX run can bring, it was enough of a problem for the studio to reshuffle its pack and push the release back by a couple of weeks.
The new film will see Justin Lin step behind the camera for the first time on the franchise, picking up the reins from the departed J.J. Abrams. He’ll be joined by returning stars Chris Pine, Zoe Saldana, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban and Anton Yelchin, while Idris Elba is a new addition to the ensemble.
Thanks to its new date, Star Trek Beyond will now be going up against Ice Age: Collision Course and Guy Ritchie’s King Arthur movie, although the latter is also set to be rescheduled.
