For the first time ever, a Star Trek movie is going to get at truly global premiere. In addition to the new wallpapers added to the official Star Trek site, Paramount has put up a new list of worldwide release dates for the movie. According to the list, the new Star Trek movie will premiere in 46 countries the week of May 8th 2009.
A Trek first – but more common these days
All of the previous Star Trek films opened to general audiences fist in the US (and Canada) with the rest of the world getting the film days, weeks and sometimes months later. For example, Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan premiered in the US on June 4th, 1982, but did not open in the UK until the following month. Nemesis, opened in North America on December 13th, 2002, but it didn’t premiere in the UK until January 3rd, 2003. When JJ Abrams Star Trek was first set for a Christmas 2008 release, the foreign releases ranged from December 26th for a handful, with others in the Spring of 2009. However, now that the film is a ‘summer tent pole,’ things are very different.
In addition to opening in the US and Canada on Friday May 8th, 2009,the film will open in 22 other countries on the same day, including Brazil, Italy, Mexico, the Philippines, Spain, the UK, and others. This alone is new for Trek, but even newer is that the US will not be first. Because films traditionally open on Wednesdays or Thursdays in many countries and because Paramount wants most of the world to have the film the same weekend, 22 countries will be getting Star Trek before the North America. The film will open first in France, Belgium and French Switzerland, on Wednesday May 6th. 19 other countries get the film the next day, including big countries like Germany and Australia and smaller ones like Slovenia and Lebanon. So good news for fans from Brussels to Buenos Aires to Beirut, while the ones in Boston to British Columbia will just have to wait until Friday.
Although new for Trek, these kind of massive global openings are becoming more and more common. Paramount gave Iron Man and Indy 4 similar global openings. Looking ahead to next May, all the big movies (Wolverine, Star Trek, Angels and Demons, Terminator 4) will open first outside the US. What will be interesting is to see if JJ Abrams Star Trek can also follow in the same mold as other summer blockbusters and make as much (or more) money overseas as it does domestically–something no Star Trek film has ever done. Star Trek films tend to make about 1/3 of their sales outside the US & Canada, mostly in the English speaking countries (UK, Australia, & New Zealand) and Germany. For this film to be a huge blockbuster it is going to have to expand that base.
For a full list of release dates, check out the official site, or see below.
Wednesday, May 6th 2009
Belgium
France
Switzerland (French)
Thursday May 7th, 2009
Argentina
Australia
Chile
Croatia
Czech/Slovakia
Germany
Greece
Israel
Lebanon
Netherlands
New Zealand
Peru
Portugal
Russia
Serbia & Montenegro
Slovenia
South Africa
Switzerland (German)
Thailand
Ukraine
Friday May 8th, 2009
Austria
Brazil
Canada
Colombia
Cyprus
Denmark
Finland
Hungary
Iceland
Indonesia
Italy
Malaysia
Mexico
Norway
Panama
Philippines
Romania
Singapore
Spain
Sweden
Turkey
United Kingdom
United States
Venezuela
May 13th – July25th
Egypt (13-May-09)
India (26-May-09)
Hong Kong (28-May-09)
Poland (29-May-09)
Japan (6-Jun-09)
Korea (11-Jun-09)
Taiwan (25-Jul-09)
NOTE: for now the TrekMovie.com. countdown clock is still set for the US/Canada opening. Maybe we need to add a ‘global’ opening too.
This is one way to stay ahead of the pirates out there.
Hee Hee we in Oz get to see it before the US.
LLAP
Thursday May 7th, 2009 for New Zealand,,,
Time to start a countdown on my Bebo Page,,
:o )
boy i guess this whole movie is about breaking away from tradition…o well, it should be broadcast in outer space before anywhere on this planet…if that makes sense
I work as a projectionist at a movie theater and there is no way the studios are not going to open this in the United States on Wednesday. The studios have always set the release dates for Fridays, but “change” them to Wednesday a week or two before the opening in order to get a few extra days of income out of them. Infact, they WILL have a pre-show on Wednesday at 12:00 a.m. This is just common Hollywood practice.
Point being: DON’T WORRY. You’ll see it on Wednesday.
Lucas always opens his movies on a Thursday, so that’s wrong.
It might officially open May 7th in Germany, but I’m quite sure that my beloved English cinema will pull some sort of sneak preview the day before. They did it with Indy 4 and it was quite cool to have seen the movie before even the Wikipedia page was updated with a plot synopsis : )
Anyway, I’m glad they’re now aiming for a global release. Gives me the feeling that the film keeps getting bigger and more important for Paramount. Which is a good thing.
Australia got The Dark Knight first and now we get Star Trek…………
OMG we’re getting the premiere! (I live in Belgium btw). Well that was truly out of a blue sky :D
My enthousiasm kinda dropped after the release date was pushed back so long, and I was under the impression that by the time the movie would be in theaters heren it’d be the end of 2009.
This is cool :D
BTW, i’ll be sure to drop some spoilers here, that evening on the 6th of may xD
HO I’m so happy to be french for once !
WHOHOOOOOOOO!
7th May 2009 in Crottia. :)
Croatia*
Fantastic! It will open in Norway too! :-)
We have not had a Trek movie in cinemas since Star Trek IV. :-(
I suppose a beaming elder Spock yelling “Jím” at Le Shat will sound great even in French…:)
May 8th in Hungary! :-))) Waay cool.
Nemesis hadn’t been shown in theatres here, it was only released on DVD. The last Trek movie in theatres here was Insurrection. I’m happy to be able to see the new film on the big screen.
Anthony:
Is there any word if the version opening in France, Belgium, and Switzerland will be in English and subtitled into French or will it be dubbed into French…
If there are subtitles, and the film’s in English, I may have to take that trip to Paris….
;-)
beam it out scotty!
I love Star Trek getting this blockbuster treatment. Just a shame we never got it with the proper original actors in the role in the 80s and 90s
Films in London tend to sneak out theThursday before the release date, with Wednesday for really big releases [we big city folks are so impatient] so I’m confident of getting ahead o’ the game here. : )
I’m sorry, I should have addressed that question (#17) to CHARLES!
In any case – this is ONE movie I won’t download in advance of seeing. Just won’t do it. But as other have stated.. it will liekly open early at the last minute.
le 6 mai perfect !!! I’m french and it’s fantastic. je suis heureux happy !!!
may 6th is the the birthday of my daughter, it’s a great present for me… oups ! for her ! no really for me ! no for her… logically emotionnal
We’ll go together !!! super !!!
le 6 mai 2009, vive la France !!!
I am IN LINE already!
@17 Films in France usually get dubbed in french. However in Paris they show an VO (version originalle) in theatres later on in the evening.
In Belgium all movies are original with subtitles.
Enjoy paris ;)
And for the first time ever, in Italy we won’t have to wait for several months for the next Trek movie! :)
Re: 24. Stanky McFibberich
” I am IN LINE already! ”
Stanky, are you in Belgium, France, or Switzerland?
I have already seen the movie.
Time travel IS POSSIBLE.
The regular opening in the UK is a Friday, but the film will inevitably get a preview screening, possibly for charity, on the Wednesday or Thursday in a lot of cinemas.
Re #25 Bart;
Thanks for the info!
Now I just need to sell my wife on a trip to Paris.
(…and that won’t be hard to do.)
(..until she finds out WHY I want to go to Paris…)
:-0
They should have the world premiere aboard the international space station. That would make the headlines! First premiere in space.
NASA would be happy to do it because its publicity for them as well.
Most big films in the UK open on Thursdays now as 29 Doom has said. Getting nearer and becoming realer all the time now.
In Paris, movies are always in VO, it will not a problem !!!
we’ll be the firsts !!! for once time it’s cool !!! génial !!! parfait !!!
ST will not be only in Paris !!! others cities will show movie in VO !!!
in france openings are always wednesday. le 6 mai est logical for us
Kiss from France !!!
Yeah!
May 8th in the Philippines!
Can’t wait!
Realy great news! :))
But I have a question. What does it mean Czech/Slovakia?? Yes, Czechoslovakia did exist, but we are separate countries since 1993!!
But whatever, huh?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m very happy that we will be part of global premiere. Just this will upset me every time.
Pomeranc
Czech Republic
WOW, Iceland is getting it on May 8th ! Same day as in the US. With the previous Trek movie it didin’t premiere umtil 3-4 months later in Iceland than in the US. This is GREAT !!!!!
congrats to all you ferners!
#31
Great idea! I’m sure they will go for it!
Anthony, is this list final? Because as I can see we didn’t get the premiere. As we, I mean Macedonia. If the list isn’t final, maybe we can do something about it. If you know anything… it will be much appreciated.
Macedonia says Hello to everyone.
@ 39 Q: I’m pretty sure that this list isn’t final. It’s mostly likely that those are the dates that have been set for now. Other countries will follow I’m sure.
I live in the Netherlands, Antwerp (Belgium) is only 30 min. from my hometown.. I already know for sure: I’m heading to Antwerp to see there the premiere of Star Trek!!! and the next day I will see it in the Netherlands hahahahaha!!!!
I think it’s cool that the new Star Trek is being launched in a global release. It’s a very Trek way of handling it and, in a way, is indicating that Star Trek has really matured into a global phenonema and not just an American one. Isn’t that what Star Trek is really about – The people of the Earth as one?
I think that’s really neat, but I still wish it were showing first in Vulcan, Alberta, Canada. I’m American myself, but I still think it’d be pretty cool.
I like it. Star Trek ftw!
I’m glad I live in Switzerland. We get it first. And most films are shown in the original language with french and german subtitles.
Only a week late in Japan? I was expecting months. Either way, it will be discussed to death in forums before I get to see it.
May 7th here in Australia! :)
It’s awesome to have a date set in stone!
Florian: That sounds awful. TWO subtitles? Maybe this time, they’ll throw in Italian as well.
This is a very good sign of the studio’s confidence that XI can be huge.
Yep. Obviously they’re hoping for more international action on this movie than Trek movies are known for.