New release dates have been announced for The Smurfs 2, The Samaritan, and Peter Farrelly and Charles Wessler's untitled comedy anthology (formerly titled Movie 43).  The dates are as follows:

  • The Smurfs 2 has moved up a few days to open on July 31, 2013
  • The crime-thriller The Samaritan, starring Samuel L. Jackson, has been pushed back twelve days to May 16th.
  • Peter Farrelly and Charles Wessler's star-studded comedy anthology has been kicked from April 13th all the way back to January 25, 2013.

Hit the jump for more on each movie, and the competition they'll be facing at the box office. [Box Office Mojo]

samaritan-movie-poster

We currently don't know what The Smurfs 2 will be about other than making money for Sony Pictures.  The movie was originally set to open on August 2, 2013, but now it will open on a Wednesday and get a bit of a jump on the action movie Red 2 starring Bruce Willis.

Moving on to The Samaritan, Jackson plays a paroled con man who wants to build a new life, but gets sucked back into the con game by his ex-partner’s scheming son.  The movie also stars Ruth Negga, Luke Kirby, and Tom Wilkinson.  Since the movie is premiering on VOD on April 6th, we should expect a limited theatrical release on May 16th.  Since it's a lower-budget movie, it won't really be competing with the blockbuster Battleship and the rom-com What to Expect When You're Expecting.  However, it might be sharing smaller theaters with the period comedy Hysteria starring Hugh Dancy and Maggie Gyllenhaal.

Finally, Peter Farrelly and Charles Wessler's comedy anthology will continue to sit on the shelf, which is a little odd since the movie's got famous faces to spare.  Here's the cast:

Johnny Knoxville, Gerard Butler, Anna Faris, Seann William Scott, Hugh Jackman, Richard Gere, Uma Thurman, Halle Berry, Emma Stone, Naomi Watts, Kate Bosworth, Kate Winslet, Terrence Howard, Liev Schreiber, Elizabeth Banks, Justin Long, Kristen Bell, Patrick Warburton, Josh Duhamel, Jason Sudeikis, Chloe Grace Moretz, Stephen Merchant, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Jack McBrayer, Kieran Culkin, and Chris Pratt.

All of the actors star in a series of interconnected stories.  For whatever reason, Relativity doesn't believe there's a date left in 2012 that's right for the movie.  On January 25, 2013 it will face the action thriller Parker starring Jason Statham, and the break-dancing drama Battle of the Year: The Dream Team (formerly titled Planet B-Boy).