Every piece of news about that movie depresses me. Now they've abandoned to idea of realeasing the Fantastic FOUR movie on July 4th? The trend keeps on trodding.

July 4th is a Monday. Monday releases have been attempted, and have failed miserably because it's so hard to book the movies. To open on a Monday, you have to pull another movie off the screen before Tuesday night, which most film companies refuse to do. A Wednesday release with a Tuesday midnight show can work, because you're adding Tuesday screenings without removing another film. Tuesday is the only real shot at weeknight dollars, so film companies will sacrifice Wednesday and Thursday for an old release to maintain the PR that keeps things amicable. (Still, if you watch carefully, you'll notice that most Wednesday openers replace another movie by the same studio, so the money is still going to the same company.) If you can't get the movie onto the screens, it can't make you any money.

The real question is why they couldn't manage to get it out on Wednesday, May 4. Either the special effects are in a time crunch, or they didn't want to come out that much before the Memorial Day weekend. Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy is the only film resembling competition there this year.

You've given this some thought! : )

I spent three years working at a theater, part of that time on the management team. I've seen the politics first hand. For example, in order to get Toy Story on its first day of release (November 22, 1995), we had to open The Big Green in our largest theater and keep it there for two weeks when it opened on September 29 of that year. To Die For, Devil In A Blue Dress, Assassins, Dead Presidents, and Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers all got blocked from that theater. Granted, none of those were great, but they were all more profitable, and were selling more tickets than The Big Green. (If you haven't seen The Big Green, it's The Mighty Ducks with gender swaps and soccer. I'm not kidding. Four year olds were complaining that they'd seen it already on opening day. It's virtually identical, right down to tying the goalie to the net because he's afraid of the ball.)

I mean, that should tell you all you need to know about what level of quality this movie will be.

Isn't Doctor Doom a hobo with lightning powers now?

I mean, that should tell you all you need to know about what level of quality this movie will be.

Slightly less bad.