Summary
When it comes to feature films, it’s typically never a good sign when a movie is slated for a January release. January is often cited as the month in which studios dump films they’re unsure of, and don’t feel will generate much buzz — whether it be with awards or at the box office. One film that appears to be suffering this fate is a high profile adaptation hailing fromWarner Bros.based on a best-selling novel:Mickey 17.
The movie is a science fiction film with a star-studded cast, includingThe Batmanactor Robert Pattinson.Bong Joon-ho, the Oscar winning director behindParasiteandOkja, helmed the adaptation ofMickey 17from the screenplay penned by the book’s author, Edward Ashton. Yet,Warner Bros. has scheduled the upcoming sci-fi movie for a dread January release, suggesting the studio doesn’t have enough faith to release it during the critical November/December push. Is it possible that they consider the movie too offbeat for audiences, or is there some other reason at play?
What Is Mickey 17 About?
The Warner Bros. adaptation ofMickey 17is based on the 2022 novelMickey7by author Edward Ashton. It tells the story of an “expendable” who goes on a mission to colonize an ice planet, Niflheim. In the book, the titular character is known as Mickey7. The character’s name is changed to Mickey17 for the forthcoming adaptation, although the rest of the story seems to haveremained much of the same.
Mickey is a disposable employee, who is used whenever humans fear that a mission is far too dangerous for them to conduct. This is becauseafter one version of Mickey dies, another takes its place with a new body, but most of the prior iteration’s memories remain intact. Mickey is aware of this, and understands his role in it all. In the book, after going missing, Mickey is presumed dead, resulting in the regeneration of another Mickey. Unfortunately, though, there are not meant to be two Mickeys in existence at the same time. The prior Mickey needs to hide in order to prevent his secret from being discovered, all while trying to help the humans and the natives of Niflheim stay alive and keep them from fighting each other. The only problem? Mickey has to ensure he doesn’t die again.
Thisquirky science fictionbook is the start of a series, with a second book titledAntimatter Bluesreleasing last year. While the story sounds like a perfect project for Joon-ho, it does ultimately feel like a hard sell of a film for the public. Sci-fi can be hit-or-miss outside well-known franchises likeStar Trek.However, there is a pretty good reason behind the film’s release date.
Why Did Mickey 17 Land a January Release?
Fans have been eagerly awaiting Joon-ho’s latest project, especiallyfollowing the critically acclaimedParasite. Now,Mickey 17is almost here. However, while most were expecting it to be released during November/December in order to be in contention for awards, the movie was held for January, the month known as the “dumping” month for movie studios. It’s where studios send films they’re uncertain about, believing the box office and critical response won’t be what they had hoped for.
Interestingly, though, that doesn’t seem to be the case forMickey 17. In fact, a report fromDeadlineback in February revealed that the studio had held the movie for January for a rather good reason. ForWarner Bros., it came down to being able to hold IMAX screens at that point, while also lining the film up with the Lunar New Year in South Korea. The latter factor, of course, is likely because Joon-ho is a renowned South Korean filmmaker.
While this decision could result in the film failing to secure nominations come awards season, it does seem like a smart move for a movie that might have trouble securing an initial audience. Joon-ho is known for crafting exciting science fiction films and isresponsible for bringingSnowpiercerto life, another sci-fi tale that seemed like a hard sell to general audiences. That film might not have done great numbers at the box office, earning just $86.75 million worldwide, but it did well enough to result in anAMC series adaptationthat ran for four seasons.
With little to no competition at the end of January,Mickey 17could well still surprise with good word of mouth. Passionate fans of sci-fi and of Joon-ho could help drive the film’s success, despite its release frame. After all, the film does have an all-star cast with Robert Pattinson, Mark Ruffalo, Toni Collette,Steven Yeun, and Steve Park. It’s possible thatMickey 17will defy all odds and still find success in January. We’ll just have to wait and see.
Mickey 17is currently slated to hit the big screen on June 03, 2025.
