Killers Of The Flower Moon will get a surprise wide release this October

The release date shuffle continues as Apple announced that Killers Of The Flower Moon will get a wide release this fall. Initially set for a limited theatrical run on October 6, Apple has changed course. The Martin Scorsese-directed historical drama will now open nationwide on October 20. Either emboldened by theatergoers’ acceptance of a three-hour biopic about a horny scientist, Warner Bros.’ bumping Dune: Part Two from the 2023 schedule, or both, Apple says that the film will run only in theaters starting on October 20, but its Apple TV+ launch date is still unknown.

It’s not a moment too soon for theater owners. Currently, October is looking mighty thin regarding new releases from major studios. Sony’s Kraven The Hunter got bumped from October 6 due to the cast being on strike because the studios still won’t pay actors and writers what they’re owed. Meanwhile, Dune: Part Two, originally set to open on November 3, is moving to next March. The thought is that because Zendaya and Timothée Chalamet won’t be promoting the film due to the strike, there’s no point in releasing it yet. Aside from The Creator and Saw X (opening on September 29), The Exorcist: Believer (October 13), and Five Nights At Freddy’s (October 27), Killers Of The Flower Moon will have many screens all to itself.

Apple also released new posters to add to the growing collection of bad images released for the film. Presumably based on the DVD for The Departed, the posters won’t inspire much excitement from moviegoers aside from getting a much-needed respite from that single image of Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone sitting at a dinner table.