15:17 to Paris will hit U.S. theaters on February 9, 2018. The release date means that the film, which was previously considered to be a potential awards season contender this year, won’t be eligible for next year’s Academy Awards ceremony.
Directed and produced by Clint Eastwood, the movie spotlights the bravery of three American servicemen traveling around Europe aboard a train bound for Paris, who were able to foil a terrorist attack. The movie draw inspiration from the non-fiction book of the same name about the event (which took place in 2015) known as the Thalys train attack, as was written by Jeffrey E. Stern, Spencer Stone, Anthony Sadler, and Alek Skarlatos. The project stars Stone, Sadler, and Skarlatos as themselves as they relive that horrifying incident on the big screen. Judy Greer and Jenna Fischer help to round out the film’s supporting cast.
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With Eastwood’s name attached to 15:17 to Paris and a narrative that is riveting, many thought that it had a good chance of joining the Oscars pool this year. However, its theatrical release makes its consideration impossible. Warner Bros. has confirmed that the movie will be released on February 9 next year, making it ineligible for 2018 Academy Awards – the nominations for which will be announced in January. Meanwhile, the actual 90th Academy Awards Ceremony will take place on March 4, 2018.
The news that WB has selected a mid-winter release date for 15:17 to Paris and not an Oscar-qualifying one, comes as something of a surprise. Eastwood’s directorial projects typically perform well with the Academy; five of his films have secured the Best Picture nod, with Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby taking home the coveted hardware. He has also fielded late-in-the-season entries in the past, including Letters from Iwo Jima and Invictus, and many were expecting that it would be the same for his latest work. As it now stands, 15:17 to Paris will be facing off with Fifty Shades Freed and the live-action/CGI adaptation Peter Rabbit during its opening weekend at the domestic box office.
While Eastwood’s film American Sniper was able to qualify for the 2015 Oscars because it was released in a handful of theaters in December 2014 (before it went wide the next month), that won’t happen with 15: 17 to Paris. Nevertheless, the film is in a position to perform well enough at the box office, by serving as counter-programming to its opening weekend competition and providing a change of pace from the other noteworthy titles (like Marvel’s Black Panther) that will be opening in theaters next February.
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Key Release Dates
15:17 to Paris
Release Date:2018-02-09
