Warner Bros. made significant adjustments to its film release schedule on Wednesday, including updates for some of its most highly anticipated projects.
The much-awaited Paul Thomas Anderson film starring Leonardo DiCaprio, previously set for an August 8 release, has now been moved to September 26, 2025. The film, officially titled “One Battle After Another”, is shrouded in mystery but is described as an American crime thriller. Insiders suggest the minor delay is due to the studio’s efforts to outfit U.S. theaters with VistaVision projection systems to match Anderson’s creative vision. The move also places the film closer to the awards season, which has traditionally been a successful window for auteur-driven films. DiCaprio stars alongside Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro, Regina Hall, and Teyana Taylor.
In other Warner Bros. news, Maggie Gyllenhaal’s “The Bride”, a steampunk reimagining of Frankenstein’s monster and his bride starring Christian Bale and Jessie Buckley, has been delayed from its original September 2025 release to March 6, 2026. The delay moves the film away from Guillermo del Toro’s own Frankenstein adaptation, set to release on Netflix this November, and places it in a window that has historically been successful for Warner Bros. with tentpole films like “Dune” and Legendary’s monster franchises.
Additionally, Zach Cregger’s follow-up to his horror hit “Barbarian” has seen a significant schedule shift. The horror epic “Weapons”, which stars Josh Brolin and Julia Garner, will now be released on August 8, 2025, a date previously set for “One Battle After Another”. This earlier release suggests that Warner Bros. has high confidence in the film, which will be previewed for global theater owners at CinemaCon later this month. “Weapons” will now open just a week after Neon’s Sundance horror acquisition, “Together”, starring Dave Franco and Alison Brie.
Another mystery project, “Flowervale Street”, starring Anne Hathaway, Ewan McGregor, and Maisy Stella, has been moved from March 2026 to August 14, 2026. Directed by David Robert Mitchell (known for “It Follows”), the film is set in the 1980s and follows a family witnessing strange events in their seemingly normal neighborhood.
Lastly, Warner Bros. Animation has announced that “The Cat in the Hat” will now hit theaters two weeks earlier than initially planned, with a new release date of February 27, 2026. The adaptation of the beloved Dr. Seuss book will feature the voices of Bill Hader and Quinta Brunson, and will now open ahead of Pixar’s “Hoppers”, set for release the following week.
With these changes, Warner Bros. is strategically positioning its films for optimal performance across various genres, from high-profile auteur-driven projects to horror and animation.