Although the film was planned to open March 13, 2015, Warner Bros. Pictures has delayed director Ron Howard’s upcoming In the Heart of the Sea, starring Chris Hemsworth (Rush, Thor), Benjamin Walker (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Flags of Our Fathers), Cillian Murphy (Batman Begins, Inception), Ben Wishaw (I’m Not There, Cloud Atlas), Tom Holland (Locke, The Impossible), Brendan Gleeson (Edge of Tomorrow, The Company You Keep) and Jordi Molla (Riddick, Bad Boys 2). The film will now open December 11, 2015. Although the delay is unfortunate for fans looking forward to the period tale, the move is likely the result of some confidence in the film’s quality as the December release makes it a much more likely Awards contender.

Moving into its March 13 spot is Warner Bros.’ Run All Night, starring Liam Neeson. That Jaume Collett-Sera-directed action film was previously set for an April 17 release.

Set in the winter of 1820, In the Heart of the Sea follows the New England whaling ship Essex as it is assaulted by something no one could believe: a whale of mammoth size and will, and an almost human sense of vengeance. The real-life maritime disaster would inspire Melville’s Moby-Dick. But that told only half the story. In the Heart of the Sea reveals the encounter’s harrowing aftermath, as the ship’s surviving crew is pushed to their limits and forced to do the unthinkable to stay alive. Braving storms, starvation, panic and despair, the men will call into question their deepest beliefs, from the value of their lives to the morality of their trade, as their captain searches for direction on the open sea and his first mate still seeks to bring the great whale down.