The Legend of Zeldalive-action movie received a new release date, and it is both good and bad news for the movie. Created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, the original game was released in 1986. It took off in popularity and led to multiple sequels, spinoff games, and a TV show in the late 1980s. Most recently, the franchise releasedThe Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomfor the Nintendo Switch. In November 2023, the development of a live-actionZeldamovie was announced. The film does not yet have a cast revealed but will be directed by Wes Ball.
After Nintendo toyed around with the film’s release window and date for several months,The Legend of Zeldalive-action moviehas now been delayed. As per Nintendo,the movie will now come out on July 16, 2025,pushing it back a few weeks from its original release date of March 26. The company cited production-related reasons as the impetus for the delay. While this will hopefully give the team more time to create a great product, it avoids one major box office battle.
Legend Of Zelda’s Delay Means It Avoids Sonic 4
There is another major video game adaptation planned for March 2027:Sega’sSonic the Hedgehog 4. That film is set to release on August 03, 2025, just one week beforeThe Legend of Zelda’s original release date. WhileSonic 4will likely still be in theaters by the timeThe Legend of Zeldacomes out at the beginning of May, it will have basically run its course by then. As such,The Legend of Zeldadelay means it will avoidSonic 4.
This unfortunately avoids what could have been an interesting box office battle for March 2027. Both movies are video game adaptations, butthey are also from rival gaming companies. This adversarial relationship stems back to the late 1980s and early 1990s when both Japanese gaming companies were trying to break into the North American market. In order to do so, they both took on the arcade and home gaming console market, trying to compete for attention.The Legend of ZeldaandSonic 4’s overlapping release would have brought this feud to the big screen and the box office.
Legend Of Zelda’s Delay Is Good For The Movie
Sonic Would Have Been Tough Competition
Ultimately, the release date delay is probably good forThe Legend of Zelda. Nintendo cited production delays as the reason for its slight pushing, making no mention of the Sega film. However,going againstSonic 4would have been really tough for the live-action video game adaptation.As anticipated asThe Legend of Zeldamay be,Sonicis an established cinematic franchise that has made over $1 billion at the box office. This makes the film a formidable competition and could have diminishedThe Legend of Zelda’s financial returns.
Zelda’s move could end up hurting both films. Ever sinceBarbieandOppenheimer’s box office battle (referred to as the portmanteau “Barbenheimer”) set records in July 2023, other unlikely heads have been emphasized. This has includedWickedversusGladiator IIlast year, and more recently withLilo & StitchandMission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning. Thesebox office face-offs tend to be emphasized in marketing because they often work to elevate both films, as audiences are made more aware of the titles.Zelda’s delay robs both movies of this opportunity.
However, there are several other reasons whyThe Legend of Zeldamovie’s delay is good for the adaptation. Not having to compete withSonic 4is one plus, but it also benefits from the greater theatrical traffic that generally comes to May releases as compared with March. May can be a prime time for some major superhero releases; evenAvengers: Secret Warswas originally set for May 7,Zelda’s new date, before being pushed back to December. As such, this particular adjustment shows that Nintendo has faith that its movie can hold its own in a key release time.
