Rings & Friday The 13th Release Date Pushed Back

Paramount Pictures has pushed back the projected release dates for Rings, the latest sequel to horror staple The Ring, and the latest installment in the Friday the 13th franchise.

Rings, previously scheduled for October 28, will instead open on February 3, 2017, missing the Halloween window that can serve as a launchpad for horror franchises but avoiding direct competition with Ouija: Origin of Evil, opening October 21.

February tends to be a fairly welcoming haven for horror movies, as well: traditionally marketing has pointed to the idea of couples going on dates for Valentine's Day and bracing together during the scariest parts.

So that early 2017 won't be too busy, the studio also Friday the 13th has been moved from January 13, 2017, to October 13, 2017. That effectively mirrors the Rings move, making Friday the 13th the likely "big" horror movie for the first part of October, while buying the studio additional time for post-production on what's an important staple of their genre lineup.

"[Writer] Aaron [Guzikowski]'s story has great characters," producer Brad Fuller teased. "You kind of have to understand Jason Voorhees, so we go back and we kind of started over and work our way forward." Fuller says the story is "Origin-ish, but it's an origin that no one has seen before. Obviously Pamela's there, but it's a little bit different from what you've seen before."

This isn't the first time either of the two movies have been delayed, and it seems that Paramount is pairing the two in some kind of strategic way, since last time it happened, both movies moved at the same time again. After losing its first director, the film got a second and was back on track over the summer.

The last few Friday the 13th movies have struggled both critically and at the box office, and a planned Friday the 13th-related TV series stalled out before it ever went into production. A big hit in 2017 could be an important step for the long-running horror franchise, which continues to be a big driver of fan enthusiasm with products like video games and collectibles.

The Ring franchise, meanwhile, is heading into crossover territory in its native Japan, where it will cross over with The Grudge.