Exclusive - Paramount confirms, explains The Lovely Bones date change.

In response to last week's post about the shocking and under-the-radar date change of Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones, a Paramount spokesperson has contacted me, confirming the switch.

"We did initially date the wide film as of Dec. 11. In analyzing the marketplace (and after seeing an early cut of the film), we determined a roll out strategy would take advantage of the positive word of mouth and critical buzz we anticipate for the film. We're essentially following the Grand Torino plan (which btw out grossed all movies released wide last December)."

Sounds logical to me. And yes, at $148 million, Gran Torino was Warner Bros' second-highest domestic grosser of the year (behind Harry Potter 6 and The Hangover) and scored the fourth-biggest January opening weekend of all time. This despite the month of limited-release play and the rampant availability of DVD-quality bootlegs ripped from awards screeners (something I'm sure Paramount has factored in as a risk). We'll see if lightning strikes twice.

Scott Mendelson