Disney pushes back the release of 'Star Wars: Episode VIII'

Los Angeles: Disney has announced that it will be pushing back the release of 'Star Wars: Episode VIII' to December 2017, seven months later than the original intended release date.

Though the company did not cite a specific reason for the delayed release date, there are speculation that Disney insiders have decided to make the change because of the bumper box office figures recently enjoyed by 'The Force Awakens' over the festive period, reported Deadline.

Instead of the original plan for a Memorial Day Weekend release of May 26 in 2017, Episode VIII will now be released on December 15th of the same year.

To make up for the hole in the schedule, Disney has moved pushed ahead the fifth installment of 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales' from its original July 7 spot.

The plan for the upcoming spin-off, 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story', has not been altered by Disney, and it will be coming out on December 16, 2016 as expected.