World of Warcraft film release date pushed back to avoid box office battle with Star Wars Episode 7

Duncan Jones’ World of Warcraft film will now hit cinemas three months later than originally scheduled.

Warcraft was believed to have a release date of December 18, 2015, putting it directly in competition with JJ Abrams’ Star Wars Episode VII which has been confirmed for release on that date.

Now Universal Pictures has delayed Warcraft until March 11, 2016, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

With excitement for the seventh Star Wars film hotting up, this was probably a wise move on Universal’s part.


The fantasy film, which will apparently star Colin Farrell and Paula Patton, is going to explore both Orc and human characters, director Jones revealed recently.

During a BlizzCon 2013 presentation, he said: ‘It’s about both sides. It’s going to be red and blue.’

Meanwhile, special effects supervisor Bill Westenhofer added that there won’t be any CGI trickery when it comes to the Orcs, and that the movie will have a Gladiator feel to it.