Hitman movie's original release date takes a dirt nap

The movie adaptation of the successful Hitman series has seen its theatrical release pushed back six months. Hitman: Agent 47 was originally scheduled to release in February, 2015. Instead, states The Hollywood Reporter, it's been moved to August, 2015.

The cast includes Rupert Friend as Agent 47, best known for his role in TV's Homeland. Opposite him is Hannah Ware, in the role of a woman on a quest to find her lost father. The lead villain is played by Zachary Quinto.

When movies are released in theaters has a lot to do with how studios expect them to perform. The move from February could mean that Fox International expects the movie to do well. Or, it could be they're simply hoping to release the film when more people are visiting theaters.

February is considered by many in the movie industry to be a graveyard, filled with films that don't perform well at the box office. The holiday season, beginning roughly in early November, and the summer months are where studios tend to place their better performing titles.

Just how bad do movies released in February perform compared to other months? Slate ran an analysis earlier this year based on scores from the movie site Rotten Tomatoes. They found that films released in February scored an average of 45 on a scale of 100. That's three points lower than the next-worst months of January and September and eight points lower than the overall average.