‘Gangs of New York’ Gets New Date

NEW YORK (AP) – Miramax Films has avoided having Leonardo DiCaprio compete with himself by moving the release date of “Gangs of New York” to Dec. 20.

The Martin Scorsese epic initially was scheduled to open on Christmas Day, when it would have competed with another DiCaprio film, DreamWorks’ “Catch Me If You Can.”

Miramax said last week that it would change the “Gangs” release date, and announced late Thursday that the film would debut nationwide five days earlier.

“We believe it will be enough time to allow both films to stand on their own in the marketplace,” Miramax chief operating officer Rick Sands told The New York Times for Friday’s editions.

With an estimated budget of $100 million, “Gangs of New York” is the most expensive film ever from Miramax. DiCaprio plays an Irish immigrant who gets caught up in political corruption, underworld violence and rioting in New York City during the Civil War. Cameron Diaz and Daniel Day-Lewis co-star.

In “Catch Me If You Can,” directed by Steven Spielberg, DiCaprio plays a master con artist who assumes several identities while running from an FBI agent, played by Tom Hanks.

Despite the date change, both films still face plenty of competition. “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,” the second film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s trilogy, opens Dec. 18.

Also debuting Dec. 20 are “Antwone Fisher,” Denzel Washington’s directorial debut, in which he also stars; “Two Weeks Notice” starring Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock; and the animated “The Wild Thornberrys,” based on the popular Nickelodeon series.

Updated: October 21, 2002 — 7:18 pm