The world is busy seeing and talking about Taylor Swift’s concert film, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, but it’s not the only such movie that’s on the way. Later this year, Beyoncé has a similar project coming to theaters, and it will likely also be a huge win. Now, weeks ahead of its release, the day it’s claimed is becoming freer from competition.
According to Deadline, the upcoming movie The Bikeriders has moved its release date. The title was expected to hit theaters on December 1, the same day as Beyoncé’s Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé.
The Bikeriders is Austin Butler’s newest movie, following his Oscar-nominated role in Elvis. The film also features stars like Tom Hardy and Jodie Comer. It was teased as an awards contender, but now it’s no longer on the release schedule for its studio, New Regency. So far, no new release date has been given.
Now, the question is…was the movie moved to avoid competition with Beyoncé, or because of the ongoing actor’s strike?
Actors are still on strike in Hollywood, so none of them are allowed to promote any projects they’ve already shot without breaking the rules set down by SAG-AFTRA. This has caused some films to underperform, while others, which were banking on the celebrity status of their stars to help bring people to theaters, have been moved. A movie like The Bikeriders likely needs names like Butler and Hardy on talk shows and in magazines promoting the title, which might otherwise flop without their help.
At the same time, it’s completely reasonable that Beyoncé might be too formidable an opponent to go up against. When Swift announced her concert movie, a number of films moved out of the way to avoid coming in a distant second or third to the star. While Beyoncé’s film likely won’t perform quite as well—Swift’s picture broke the record for the highest-grossing concert film in American history in just three days—it is still expected to be a huge win.
Smaller pictures like The Bikeriders might move release dates because of the actor’s strike, but the fact that it won’t need to compete with Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé is likely also a bonus for those involved…if not one of the main reasons it’s date has shifted in the first place.
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