Sony is making a last-minute release date change for director M. Night Shyamalan’s sci-fi film After Earth.  The film will now open a week earlier, on May 31st, instead of its original June 7th date.  The pic only faced the comedy The Internship on its original release date, but Man of Steel is poised to open a week later on June 14th.  It’s safe to assume that Sony is trying to give After Earth a bit more time in theaters before Superman comes in and dominates the box office for who knows how long.  Buzz on Man of Steel is incredibly positive, and if the Warner Bros. film turns out to be as good as everyone’s saying, it will most definitely have very long legs.

After Earth, which stars Will Smith and Jaden Smith as a father/son team stranded on a deadly, apocalyptic future Earth, will now open opposite the magician action/adventure pic Now You See Me and Universal’s horror film The Purge starring Ethan Hawke.  Hit the jump for the film's poster and synopsis.

Here’s the official synopsis for After Earth:

A crash landing leaves teenager Kitai Raige (Jaden Smith) and his legendary father Cypher (Will Smith) stranded on Earth, 1,000 years after cataclysmic events forced humanity’s escape. With Cypher critically injured, Kitai must embark on a perilous journey to signal for help, facing uncharted terrain, evolved animal species that now rule the planet, and an unstoppable alien creature that escaped during the crash. Father and son must learn to work together and trust one another if they want any chance of returning home.