'SpongeBob SquarePants' Origin Movie Release Date Moved Up to Summer 2020

On the heels of rumors SpongeBob Squarepants himself will be at Super Bowl LIII, Paramount Pictures has decided to push up the date of The SpongeBob Movie to a prime spot. Deadline first reported the news earlier this evening.

The third SpongeBob feature-length film will now be released in a prime spot on May 22nd, 2020 instead of the previously announced July 17th, 2020 date. As of now, SpongeBob only has one competitor on that date in the form of Legendary's Godzilla vs. Kong Monstersverse flick, although the summer date is expected to fill up with additional titles in the coming months.

Paramount then pushed up an untitled film from August 7th, 2020 to take the July 17th spot vacated by The SpongeBob movie.

The third theatrical release for the SpongeBob franchise comes after two previous feature films have achieved solid numbers for Paramount. Between the two flicks, the studio grossed over $465 million worldwide in box office receipts.

SpongeBob Squarepants has been in the news as of late as a petition to get the titular character a halftime performance in honor of the late Stephen Hillenburg passed one million signatures.

"As some of you may or may not know, Stephen Hillenburg—the creator of Spongebob Sqaurepants—has passed away recently. As a tribute to his legacy, his contributions to a generation of children, and to truly showcase the greatness of this song, we call for Sweet Victory to be performed at the Halftime Show," the petition says it the problem.

Directed by Tim Hill (Alvin and the Chipmunks), The SpongeBob Movie features a script from Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger, and Michael Kvamme.

Are you hoping to see SpongeBob and company perform at the Super Bowl LIII halftime show? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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