It looks like Warner Bros. has shuffled the theatrical release of Bong Joon Ho’s “Mickey 17” again, but it’s to a much more favorable slot this time. THR reports that the Robert Pattinson-led film now opens on April 18, 2025, instead of its previous January 31, 2025 slot, which it’s held since earlier this year. The reason? It may be two-fold, as an April release over a January one hints that Warner Bros. may be higher on this movie than they once were.
READ MORE: ‘Mickey 17 ‘: New South Korean Trailer Shows Off New Footage & Features A Different Tone
But the primary reason for the move is practical. WB wants to release “Mickey 17” on IMAX screens. After Lionsgate moved their Michael Jackson biopic “Michael” from April 18 to October 3, 2025, a Spring slot for the large-format screens opened up, guaranteeing more revenue. “When the April 18 date became available, we quickly moved to secure it for “Mickey 17.” We’re thrilled with the new date and very happy the film will be available to audiences in IMAX,” a studio spokesperson said to the press. Warner Bros. and New Line also shift the upcoming “Companion” in the process. That film moves from January 10, 2025, to January 31.
Releasing Bong Joon Ho’s follow-up to “Parasite” in April instead of January (annually a dumping group for movies that studios have given up on) is a promising move for the film’s success. But then it was unclear why Warner Bros. had “Mickey 17” hitting theaters in January anyway. It could have been due to complications in Hollywood’s theatrical release calendar post-strikes last year (a period when WB took Bong Joon Ho’s movie off their schedule entirely) instead of execs being unhappy with the South Korean director’s vision. Or it could have involved post-production delays, another side effect of the strikes. In any case, the new release date gives the movie an enviable slot on IMAX screens and forecasts more faith in “Mickey 17” than previously believed.
Pattinson stars in Bong Joon Ho’s adaptation of Edward Ashton’s 2022 novel “Mickey 7” as an “expendable” space colonist Mickey Barnes. What’s an expendable? A crewmember of a spaceship who handles deadly jobs because, if he dies doing one, he may be “restored” via a new “human printing” technique. Given the film’s title, it’s obvious that Pattinson’s Mickey has been “restored” 17 times, which may be an ethical dilemma of sorts for his fellow crew. Steven Yeun, Naomi Ackie, Toni Collette, and Mark Ruffalo also star in the Bong’s latest. “Mickey 17” is a Plan B Entertainment production, with Dooho Choi co-producing via Kate Street Picture Company and Bong through his “Offscreen, Inc. banner.
So, will “Mickey 17” be another massive stateside hit for Bong Joon Ho? If it is, maybe he’ll make a sequel; Ashton published a follow-up to his novel, “Antimatter Blues,” last year. But let’s see how the movie does in its new April 18, 2025, release slot before any predictions. Watch a trailer for “Mickey 17” below.