Paul W.S. Anderson's latest video game film adaptation starring his wife Milla Jovovich (the man certainly has a specialty) is  Monster Hunter. The film, which is an adaptation of the Capcom series about hunting giant, dangerous beasts, has nailed down an official release date of December 30th, 2020. That means that Milla Jovovich will be clashing her giant, absurdly impractical weaponry against Gal Gadot's magic shield, as Monster Hunter will be releasing to theaters in the same week as Wonder Woman 1984.

This shift makes Monster Hunter one of the few films to actually move its release date up during the Coronavirus, shifting from April 23rd, 2021.  It will be taking the place of Sony's Escape Room 2, which is now set for an unspecified 2021 release, suggesting this may be more a case of shuffling in something that's almost ready as a substitute for a project that needs more time. The question remains however: can the film compete with Wonder Woman?

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It's a tricky issue, because this is anything but a normal release window. While Monster Hunter seems to be sticking to a traditional theater release (in fact Sony has boldly marketed the new date with the line "Only in theaters") Wonder Woman 1984 has a more cautious approach in mind. The latest DC blockbuster will be releasing to HBO Max on the same day it hits theaters for no additional charge, a move that is likely going to cut into the film's theater box office significantly. This puts Monster Hunter in an enviable position, where its only major competition is also available on home-streaming, while those choosing what to see in theaters may have to consider that Monster Hunter won't be available if they don't see it in person.

As for the film itself, it seems about like what you'd expect from the  team that made Resident Evil. The teasers seem to suggest that it's a silly action film that will take some inspiration from the games, but won't follow them too closely. Whether or not Monster Hunter will resonate as strongly with audiences as the Resident Evil films did, however, seems like less of a sure bet. Either way, audiences will see for themselves very soon.

Monster Hunter will premiere Christmas day, 2020.

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Source: Deadline