The Legend of Zelda live-action movie received a new release date, and it is both good and bad news for the movie. Created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, the original game was released in 1986. It took off in popularity and led to multiple sequels, spinoff games, and a TV show in the late 1980s. Most recently, the franchise released The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom for the Nintendo Switch. In November 2023, the development of a live-action Zelda movie was announced. The film does not yet have a cast revealed but will be directed by Wes Ball.
After Nintendo toyed around with the film’s release window and date for several months, The Legend of Zelda live-action movie has now been delayed. As per Nintendo, the movie will now come out on May 7, 2027, pushing it back a few weeks from its original release date of March 26. The company cited production-related reasons as the impetus for the delay. While this will hopefully give the team more time to create a great product, it avoids one major box office battle.
Legend Of Zelda’s Delay Means It Avoids Sonic 4
They Could Have Had A Sega Vs. Nintendo Box Office Battle
There is another major video game adaptation planned for March 2027: Sega’s Sonic the Hedgehog 4. That film is set to release on March 19, 2027, just one week before The Legend of Zelda‘s original release date. While Sonic 4 will likely still be in theaters by the time The Legend of Zelda comes out at the beginning of May, it will have basically run its course by then. As such, The Legend of Zelda delay means it will avoid Sonic 4.
This unfortunately avoids what could have been an interesting box office battle for March 2027. Both movies are video game adaptations, but they are also from rival gaming companies. This adversarial relationship stems back to the late 1980s and early 1990s when both Japanese gaming companies were trying to break into the North American market. In order to do so, they both took on the arcade and home gaming console market, trying to compete for attention. The Legend of Zelda and Sonic 4‘s overlapping release would have brought this feud to the big screen and the box office.
Legend Of Zelda’s Delay Is Good For The Movie
Sonic Would Have Been Tough Compeтιтion
Ultimately, the release date delay is probably good for The Legend of Zelda. Nintendo cited production delays as the reason for its slight pushing, making no mention of the Sega film. However, going against Sonic 4 would have been really tough for the live-action video game adaptation. As anticipated as The Legend of Zelda may be, Sonic is an established cinematic franchise that has made over $1 billion at the box office. This makes the film a formidable compeтιтion and could have diminished The Legend of Zelda‘s financial returns.
Zelda‘s move could end up hurting both films. Ever since Barbie and Oppenheimer‘s box office battle (referred to as the portmanteau “Barbenheimer”) set records in July 2023, other unlikely heads have been emphasized. This has included Wicked versus Gladiator II last year, and more recently with Lilo & Sтιтch and Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. These box office face-offs tend to be emphasized in marketing because they often work to elevate both films, as audiences are made more aware of the тιтles. Zelda‘s delay robs both movies of this opportunity.
However, there are several other reasons why The Legend of Zelda movie’s delay is good for the adaptation. Not having to compete with Sonic 4 is one plus, but it also benefits from the greater theatrical traffic that generally comes to May releases as compared with March. May can be a prime time for some major superhero releases; even Avengers: Secret Wars was originally set for May 7, Zelda‘s new date, before being pushed back to December. As such, this particular adjustment shows that Nintendo has faith that its movie can hold its own in a key release time.
