Lionsgate Sets Some Kick-Ass Release Dates

Just a few weeks after Lionsgate bought up the distribution rights for Matthew Vaughn’s ‘Kick-Ass,’ the studio has announced the release date.   The R-rated, teenage, superhero movie is getting released on April 16th, 2010.   This puts the film right at the cusp of the Summer movie season, and just a few weeks before the May 7th release of a little movie called ‘Iron Man 2.’   As it is, April 16th looks to be a hard R-riffic weekend with not only ‘Kick-Ass’ but the SNL skit-turned-feature-film ‘MacGruber’ and Alexandre Aja’s remake of ‘Piranha 3D.’

Lionsgate has also made the decision to bump the Sylvester Stallone-directed and every-action-star-under-the-stars-starring ‘The Expendables’ a whole four months.   As it is now, ‘The Expendables’ is set to bow on August 20th, 2010, a prime spot for the film.   It’s just close enough to being in the Summer movie season that the film should get a decent opening, but it’s also outside the real meat of the season so as not to be considered a true tentpole for the studio.   For now, ‘The Expendables’ looks to be opening by itself, though, being a whole year away, I’m sure something is going to head for that spot eventually.