The Weinstein Co. Pushes Michael Keaton's 'The Founder' to Winter

The decision to move the biopic comes just days after TWC abruptly pushed 'Tulip Fever' from this weekend to February.

The release of Michael Keaton's The Founder has been pushed back at the eleventh hour from Aug. 5 to December, when it will get an awards-qualifying run before opening nationwide in January.

Insiders close to the film say the qualifying run will commence on Dec. 16. The Founder will then debut everywhere on Jan. 20. The Weinstein Co. declined comment.

In The Founder, Michael Keaton plays McDonald's impresario Ray Kroc, who transformed what was a tiny burger shack into an empire. FilmNation produced the biopic, which was directed by John Lee Hancock and co-stars Laura Dern.

Originally, The Founder was set to open Nov. 25 — during the heart of Oscar and Golden Globe campaigning — but TWC relocated the film to August after deciding to open Lion on the November date instead.

The decision to move The Founder comes just days after TWC pushed back the release of Tulip Fever from July 15 — this weekend — to Feb. 24. The period drama stars Alicia Vikander opposite Dane DeHaan and Christoph Waltz.

In a separate move, TWC/Dimension has set a release date for Robert De Niro's War With Grandpa. The comedy, directed by Tim Hill, is set open nationwide on April 21, 2017.