Shutter Island Moved to February 2010!?

In a surprise move by Paramount the new Martin Scorsese movie Shutter Island has been pushed back from an October release to February of 2010. This move comes as a shock to many as this movie looked to be a promising Oscar contender with the pairing once again of director Martin Scorsese and actor Leonard DiCaprio. Why change dates on a movie that is due to hit theaters in about six weeks? Continue reading to find out why.

Nikki Finke’s Deadline Hollywood is reporting that Shutter Island was moved because of marketing and budget concerns. Paramount did not feel they had enough money to sink into an advertising campaign for this movie but apparently they thought given five more months they could give the film the proper exposure. The Scorsese Dicaprio namesake speaks for itself. This duo has brought audiences incredible fims like Best Picture winner The Departed, The Aviatar, and Gangs of New York. They are a powerhouse team and based upon the trailer for Shutter Island, it looked like they had another hit on their hands.

Another interesting aspect in all of this is will be how the movie will be welcomed into the Oscar race for Best Picture now that there are ten contenders. Releasing this movie in February means that it will not be eligible until the 2011 Oscars which makes its chances slim to none that those voting will remember the film by the end of 2010. This move comes as a disappointment to me as I was anticipating the arrival of Shutter Island. The movie was one of only a few films this fall I was looking forward to.

What are your thoughts on this move? Shutter Island now hits theater February 19th, 2010.