- The 'Australia' domino effect. Fox's "Australia" was delayed by bad weather and Russell Crowe's exit. When Hugh Jackman was cast, that in turn delayed "Wolverine," which had been targeted for this summer (which could have significantly changed the studio's summer tallies). So the studio moved pics like "X-Files" into summer slots, rather than the fall, which would have been a better fit.
n Development snags. While the studio is bullish on its late-2008 and '09 slate, it simply didn't have the pictures to move into the summer vacancy created by "Wolverine's" delay.
Further compounding Fox's summer woes was a backlash last month from the fanboy community, which is incensed by the studio's lawsuit over Warner Bros.' right to make the film "Watchmen." Fans of the graphic novel have threatened to boycott Fox films like "Wolverine" if Fox's legal maneuverings prevent the film from opening on schedule March 6 -- though most consider that unlikely.
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Though Fox has no plans for a major overhaul, the studio has scheduled a strategy meeting to assess the status of its superheroes, a group sorely missed this summer. On the agenda, Fox will mull the possibility of more "X-Men" spinoffs, including a young-X-Men project as well as "Deadpool," based on a character played by Ryan Reynolds in "Wolverine." The studio is even considering reviving the "Daredevil" property.
"I don't see Fox changing anything," says producer-manager JC Spink. "Just because it didn't work this summer doesn't mean they should change anything. Everyone has an off season. But look at how many summers in a row it has worked for them."
And on paper, the year-end looks good with "Australia" and "Marley and Me," and so does next summer, with the studio releasing no fewer than three tentpoles: "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" on May 1, "Night at the Museum 2: Escape From the Smithsonian" on Memorial Day weekend and "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" on the Fourth of July weekend.
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