"Traveling Pants" move up on release schedule

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Warner Bros. has moved up the release date for its ensemble chick flick "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2" by two days, to August 6.

Going out on a Wednesday will help "Pants" get a head start on a busy late-summer weekend. And more importantly, it will provide additional time for word of mouth to circulate on a picture that's been playing well in pre-release screenings, Warner's distribution president Dan Fellman said.

Two rival wide releases are set to open August 8 -- Sony's Seth Rogen comedy "Pineapple Express" and Lionsgate's Little League drama "The Perfect Game."

Disney tried a similar Wednesday release strategy in 2004 with its sequel "The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement," which opened August 11 and rang up $8 million ahead of the weekend. It ended up making $95 million domestically, not far short of its 2001 predecessor.

The first "Pants" film, released in 2005, made $39 million. Since then, co-stars America Ferrera and Blake Lively have become hot commodities with their respective TV shows, "Ugly Betty" and "Gossip Girl."

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter