“Bong Joon Ho”Mickey 17” East being pushed further down the release listbut this time, the studio is thinking of moving it to a more competitive slot in the 2025 calendar.

“Mickey 17” was originally scheduled to hit theaters on January 31 (originally pushed back to March 2024), but it will now be released on April 18, 2025, again with an IMAX release.

Studio Warner Bros. also shifted the release date of the New Line Cinema film “Companion“, the latest horror film from the team behind “Barbarian”, in this window of January 31 and also gave it a worldwide IMAX release. This film is behind a few weeks after having originally been scheduled for January 10 .

“When the April 18 date became available, we quickly decided to save it for “Mickey 17.” We are thrilled with this new date and very pleased that the film will be available to audiences in IMAX,” a Warner Bros. Pictures spokesperson said in a statement. “With January 31 now available in full IMAX, we are also very happy with the release of ‘Companion’ on this new date.”

The film that left the April 18 box was “Michael,” the Lionsgate film. Michael Jackson biopic that could be one of next year’s major blockbusters. The biopic was pushed back to the fall, potentially for an awards show, but it opened up a spring slot for Bong’s sci-fi. WB saw an opportunity and pounced.

The move also gives “Mickey 17” not only IMAX screens, but also the opportunity to secure other PLFs, hoping for a busy period over the Easter holidays. And the studio saw a strong response to initial trailer for the filmwhich debuted in September.

Regardless of the release date, one would have hoped that “Mickey 17” could debut at a festival like Cannes, where Bong won the Palme d’Or for his previous film “Parasite,” but this slot at least gives the chance to play a festival like Sundance or SXSW, although it’s unclear if either is a possibility. Bong previously said the delay was due to a “long process” in its final editbut that the version which will be released in theaters is indeed its own and not the product of studio intervention.

“Mickey 17” stars Robert Pattinson as a clone constantly sent to perform dangerous tasks on an ice planet that frequently kill him. But things get complicated when one of the clones survives a mission that was supposed to kill him and finds himself mixed up with the latest iteration of himself. The film is based on a book by Edward Ashton called “Mickey 7” and also stars Steven Yeun, Toni Collette, Mark Ruffalo and Naomi Ackie.

The choice of “Companion” is also a strong vote of confidence, as it will now also have access to IMAX screens that would have been allocated to “Mickey 17.” Drew Hancock wrote and directed the film starring Sophie Thatcher, Rupert Friend and Jack Quaid.