James Fisher / Twentieth Century FoxThis trip to Oz is going to take a little longer than expected.
With Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince disapparating from its original Nov. 21release date, Fox has shifted Australia into position to take advantage of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
Baz Luhrmann's eagerly anticipated, Oscar-baiting epic stars Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman in a western-styled romance set against the backdrop of WWII.
Australia was originally scheduled to unspool on Nov. 14 and face off with MGM's latest James Bond adventure, Quantum of Solace, itself pushed back from Nov. 7 after Warner Bros. relocated Potter to July 2009.
Luhrmann's first film since 2001's hit musical Moulin Rouge!—and his most expensive to date with a budget estimated at $130 million—will now open simultaneously in the U.S., Australia and Canada on Nov. 26, the Wednesday before Turkey Day.
Instead of 007, Australia will face lesser compeition for box-office supremacy: Lionsgate's Transporter 3 and Warners' Four Christmases, starring Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon, also open that weekend.