Compared to some of the other imminent summer blockbusters Fox's Rise of the Apes has gotten relatively little publicity thus far-- and now we know why. As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Fox has shuffled its release schedule to give Rise of the Apes-- a Panet of the Apes prequel starring man-of-the-moment James Franco-- a November 23 date, instead of its original June 24. It's kind of a lateral move for the movie, going from a plum summer release to a spot right at the beginning of the Thanksgiving moviegoing weekend; it's one of the rare release date changes that doesn't indicate a lack of faith from the studio or other trouble.

Replacing Rise of the Apes in the June 24 slot will be Fox's adventure comedy The Sitter, starring Jonah Hill and directed by David Gordon Green. Other date changes from the studio include moving Mr. Popper's Penguins from an August 12 to a June 17 release-- a fast turnaround for a movie that just finished filming-- and bumping the romantic comedy What's Your Number? from an April 29 release to September 30 (not exactly a strong sign). They also set a date for the Jack Black/Steve Martin comedy The Big Year, which will hit October 14.