Monster Hunter Movie Release Date Moved Up

The upcoming Monster Hunter movie has yet another release date, and just like the last time, it means the movie will now be releasing sooner than originally expected. Monster Hunter will now come to theaters on December 25th which will make it a Christmas premiere. The change is a move of five days with the previous release date for Monster Hunter set to be on December 30th after it was moved up from a 2021 release date in October.

Sony Pictures announced the new release date for the Monster Hunter movie Thursday in an update about some of its movies slated to launch this year and the next. The same update also confirmed that the Monster Hunter movie will be playing in IMAX as well for those who want to see the already massive monsters from the film look and sound even better than they normally would.

We've seen a look at some of those monsters already, but not all of them. A couple of monsters that Monster Hunter players will be all too familiar with have been seen in some of the previews as well as the film's own take on some of the beasts, but we haven't seen the full monstrous roster yet. We do know roughly how many monsters will be in the movie though, so don't expect to see a whole gauntlet of Monster Hunter cameos in this film.

One of those previews just recently revealed a first look at a fan-favorite monster from the franchise: The Palico. Instead of being one of the massive creatures Milla Jovovich and company will have to track down, the Palico we see in the Monster Hunter movie will be a companion and part of the misplaced group of monster hunters.

The look at the Palico offered a more reassuring take on the Monster Hunter movie compared to the one people saw from the first trailer. When that trailer launched, some were excited about the prospect of seeing Monster Hunter on the big screen while others remained hesitant about how far the movie appears to be deviating from the Monster Hunter stories with its military-infused, alternate world plot.

Regardless of how you feel about the movie now, if you're planning on seeing it this year, you'll be able to do so a little sooner now to see if those hopes or concerns were justified or not. Monster Hunter will launch in theaters and in IMAX starting on December 25th.