Santa will not be delivering two Leonardo DiCaprio movies on Christmas Day, after all.
After weeks of reputed behind-the-scenes feuding between longtime rivals DreamWorks and Miramax Films over the release date of Leo's two big upcoming movies, Harvey Weinstein, the co-chairman of Miramax, finally relented and pushed up the opening day of Martin Scorsese's "Gangs of New York" -- starring DiCaprio and Daniel Day-Lewis -- to early December, The New York Times reports.
That will leave Christmas Day clear for the opening of Steven Spielberg's "Catch Me if You Can," a romantic comedy from DreamWorks that stars DiCaprio and Tom Hanks.
Matthew Hiltzik, a spokesman for Weinstein, tells The Times that Miramax has yet to decide what exactly what day "Gangs" would be released but adds, "This is a competitive film, and we are confident that this and other quality projects will succeed during this season."
Opening-weekend tallies are vital when it comes to projecting the overall earnings of a film, so having DiCaprio fans having to choose between two very different movies would have benefited no one.
Jeffrey Katzenberg, described by The Times as a DreamWorks founder as well as a friend of Weinstein's (despite the fact that DreamWorks' "Saving Private Ryan" lost the Best Picture Oscar to Miramax's "Shakespeare in Love" after a very bitter race) told the paper that he and Weinstein had breakfast last week in New York to discuss their respective movies' opening dates.
Their differences were settled, Katzenberg joked, after they ate waffles and then "stayed up late telling manly stories."
Leo DiCaprio Loses One Christmas Date
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