For a while The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus seemed destined to be the latest of Terry Gilliam's noble failures, given that Heath Ledger died in the middle of filming and the film struggled to find distribution even after miraculously getting finished. But now with distributor Sony Pictures Classics securely in place, Parnassus will at last hit theaters on Christmas Day.

Coming Soon also reports that the film will open in the UK on October 16, and will also screen at the Toronto Film Festival on September 18, meaning true Gilliam-philes can get a look soon if they're inclined. The Christmas release date could mean one of two things-- "Oscar contender!" or "Getting buried among the Oscar contenders so no one will really notice." Only the advertising campaign will indicate which way Sony is going on this, though it's worth noting that no one who has seen the film so far really thinks it's in the Oscar wheelhouse at all.

In other Parnassus news, the film's Canadian distributor has issued a bizarre embargo in advance of the Toronto festival, according to Variety. Another indication that they're worried about a bomb? Or just run-of-the-mill studio tomfoolery? If you're a Gilliam-is-doomed conspiracy theorist, probably both.