‘September 5,’ ‘Better Man’ get new release dates

Paramount Pictures has changed the release dates of Oscar hopefuls “September 5” and “Better Man.”

“September 5,” which depicts the ABC Sports team’s coverage of the 1972 Munich hostage crisis, was scheduled to hit theaters on Nov. 29 before expanding on Dec. 13. It will now open on Dec. 17 and expand on Jan. 17, aka the day of Oscar nominations.

“Better Man,” a Robbie Williams biopic in which the British singer is portrayed as a chimpanzee, will keep its limited release date of Dec. 25, but it will now go wide on Jan. 10 instead of Jan. 17.

Directed by Tim Fehlbaum, who co-wrote the script, and starring Peter Sarsgaard, John Magaro, Ben Chaplin, and Leonie Benesch, “September 5” premiered to solid reviews at the Venice Film Festival, kickstarting its Oscar buzz. It currently has an 86 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and a 71 on Metacritic. It’s currently in 11th place in the Best Picture Oscar odds.

SEE ‘September 5’ trailer: Peter Sarsgaard steers ABC’s coverage of the 1972 Munich Olympics hostage crisis

“Better Man,” helmed by Michael Gracey, premiered at the Telluride Film Festival and holds an 87 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and a 72 on Metacritic. The film, which stars Jonno Davies, Steve Pemberton, Damon Herriman, and Raechelle Banno, features Williams voicing himself.

The moves come as Paramount is set to release “Gladiator II” this weekend opposite “Wicked.” “September 5’s” shift takes it out of direct competition with the two blockbusters in their second weekend, not to mention off of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.