‘The Wettest County’ Release Date Pushed Back Again, To Labor Day Weekend
A year ago, we thought we’d seeJohn Hillcoat’sThe Wettest Countyby the end of 2011. By the end of last year, we had a new release date:April 20. Now it seems we’ll have to wait even longer, as The Weinstein Co. has pushed the opening back again, this time toAugust 31. It’s disappointing news, not only because we’reeagerto see the film but also because it’s a date that suggests the studio isn’t giving it much of a chance. Labor Day weekend is generally one of the slowest of any given year, and it’s usually a bad sign for a movie when the studio dumps it into that slot.
Based on “mostly true” events, Hillcoat’s historical drama centers around a group of brothers (Tom Hardy,Shia LaBeouf, andJason Clarke) who get into the bootlegging business in Prohibition-era Virginia.Jessica Chastain,Mia Wasikowska,Guy Pearce, andGary Oldmanalso star. More after the jump.
But not everyone’s buying the official explanations, particularly because the company sorely mishandled Hillcoat’s last film for them,The Road. The Cormac McCarthy adaptation was delayed several times before finally receiving a limited release with little promotion in November 2009.
There’s also the fact that no matter hard The Weinstein Co. tries to spin it, Labor Day weekend is widely considered an undesirable release date. For comparison, last year’s Labor Day slate consisted ofApollo 18,Shark Night 3D,A Good Old Fashioned Orgy, andThe Debt. Not all of those were total bombs, but none were huge hits, either. Then again, it’s always possibleThe Wettest Countycould prove the exception to the rule, so let’s hope for the best.
The August 31 opening pitsWettest Countyagainst the horror filmThe Possessionand the thriller7500.
