'300' Sequel Bumped From August to March

UPDATED: At the same time, Tom Cruise starrer "All You Need Is Kill" is relocating from March to a high-profile summer release.

Shuffling its release schedule, Warner Bros. is pushing back the release of sequel 300: Rise of an Empire from Aug. 2 to March 7, 2014 -- the same corridor that the first film, a sleeper hit, opened in 2007.

At the same time, the studio is moving Tom Cruise starrer All You Need Is Kill, directed by Doug Liman and co-starring Emily Blunt, from the March 7 slot to June 6, 2014, a high-profile summer date. Village Roadshow Pictures is Warners' partner on the sci-fi epic.

In its old home, Warners and Legendary's 300 sequel faced one of the most crowded August calendars on record, although that wasn't the reason cited by the studio.

The moves were announced by Warners president of domestic distribution Dan Fellman and president of international distribution Veronika Kwan Vandenberg.

“Moving 300: Rise of an Empire to March 7 continues in the tradition of the first 300, and kicks off the spring moviegoing season in epic style. The film is on track to become all that audiences have come to expect from the franchise," Fellman said.

300: Rise of an Empire will open day and date internationally,

The decision to move All You Need Is Kill to summer reflects the studio's belief that the movie, pairing Liman and Cruise for the first time, is an all-audience tentpole. The film will move two weeks early internationally so as to put distance between it and the World Cup.

“We are thrilled about All You Need Is Kill heating up our summer '14 slate. It is an action-packed adventure, told by an extraordinary cast, which is sure to have global appeal," Kwan Vandenberg said.

THR