EXCLUSIVE: Here’s the first movie to move away from AMC’s last-minute dating of Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a Showgirl, and that’s the Fathom Entertainment family movie Grow starring the new Harry Potter series actors Dominic McLaughlin and Nick Frost.
Grow was originally set to go on October 3 but now moves to October 17 for a weeklong national play.
Also starring in Grow is Jeremy Swift (Higgins from Ted Lasso), Priya-Rose Brookwell (The Lazarus Project) and Golda Rosheuvel (Queen Charlotte in Bridgerton). The movie is directed by Anna and the Apocalypse helmer John McPhail. Shot in location across Scotland, Grow is billed as an exuberant tale full of giant pumpkins, madcap characters and a little girl who just might be a pumpkin-growing savant.
The movie reps the first time moviegoers will see the new Harry (McLaughlin) and Hagrid (Frost) working together on the big screen.
We told you first Saturday that Swift’s Showgirl movie, which is launching on the same day as her album drops, has already banked $15 million in advance ticket sales for what looks to be a $30M-$50M opening for a one-weekend-only play. AMC posted its sixth-biggest first day of advance ticket sales with the new Swift title.
It would be shocking if other major-distributor wide releases opt to move given the costs involved in relocating to another date on the calendar. From what we know, A24’s Dwayne Johnson-Emily Blunt movie The Smashing Machine will stick to its October 3 release date, in addition to 20th Century Studios’ re-release of Avatar: The Way of Water and Bleecker Street’s Bone Lake. Smashing Machine alone is expected to bow to $20M.
Grow is produced by Double Nickel Entertainment in association with Sky, Orogen Entertainment and Blazing Griffin. Producers are Adam Richman, Jenette Kahn, Naysun Alae-Carew, Wendy Griffin and Joe Capotorto. EPs are Julia Stuart and Andrew Orr for Sky; Blair Ward, Anders Erden, Lauren Case, and Del Mondor for Orogen; Simon Crowe and Matthew Joynes for SC Films International; Steven Little for Screen Scotland; and Tom Harberd, Phil Burgin and Mick Southworth for Foundry. Additional EPs are Shahin Sobhani, Phin Glynn and Rashid Hai Turner. Co-producers are Barry Hutchison and Fiona Hutchison for Zertex Media and Isabelle Georgeaux for Pont Neuf Productions.
The U.S. release of Grow with Fathom is presented in association with Wayfarer Studios whose Steve Sarowitz and Jamey Heath will serve as EPs. The movie was written by Nick Guthe, Christos Gage and Ruth Fletcher Gage.