'Star Wars Episode 8' Release Date: 'Force Awakens' Sequel to Face 'Avatar' at Box Office

Even though 2015's Star Wars: The Force Awakens has turned into one of the biggest box office hits of all time, the film failed to bring in as many viewers as James Cameron's 2009 fantasy hit, Avatar. However, Disney's Lucasfilm is obviously not giving up on the cause, as they've just announced a change in Episode 8's release date. Pushed to December 2017, it will likely face Avatar 2 at the box office!

According to Slash Film, Disney has made a few tweaks to their release dates for 2017, pushing Episode 8 back seven months to find its home in the holidays, while Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales will get released on Memorial Day weekend, where Rian Johnson's sequel had originally been scheduled until yesterday.

Of course, with production of the film already underway (new scenes begin shooting next month in the UK), this means the cast and crew will get a little extra time to perfect it for fans, which is always fantastic. However, this also presents a major box office challenge: with the new opening date of December 15, it's going to end up facing Avatar 2 in theaters shortly after, as Cameron's sequel is scheduled for Christmas Day, less than two weeks later.

While Force Awakens became the biggest domestic box office smash within days of its release date last December, the first Avatar movie still holds the worldwide record, and at this point it seems unlikely that J.J. Abrams' film dethrones Pandora.

For Forbes contributor Scott Mendelson, the odds lie with Cameron's sequel and not Johnson's take on George Lucas' universe. Why? Because even though Force Awakens smashed box office numbers in America, the story wasn't the same all over the world. For example in China, the second largest market in the world, Avatar almost doubles the box office earnings of Force Awakens, though the latter is still in theaters. In a way, it seems like a game of chicken with the two movie giants waiting for the other to flinch with regards to release date.

In any case, it's going to be a fun time at the movies in Christmas 2017!