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Release dates


Guidelines

  • This section records when a title was released to the public in a particular country. You need to select a country from the menu and then specify the release date via the day, month and year fields.
  • The attribute field is used to provide additional information on the type of release. An empty attributes field implies a nationwide release.
  • A list of the attributes currently being used can be displayed by clicking on the gray list icon ( ) next to the attribute field.
  • Please note that the year in the title is derived from the date of earliest release. This includes any festival release dates. With this in mind you can update the year by either adding a new release date or correcting an existing one. The release date that displays directly under the title is the release date for the title display country as chosen in your content settings. 
  • Instructions on how to add/update release date information can be found here.
  • Release countries and dates must match and refer to the correct historical location name in use at the time. For example, when adding a release date in 1980 for Germany, the correct geopolitical location for that date must be selected ("West Germany" or "East Germany"), since at the time the country currently known as "Germany" was divided in two.

 

Attributes for festival releases


  • If a release date applies to a specific film festival then please record the festival name in the attributes field. Please use the most general English name of the festival and do not include the year or number of the festival within the attribute. Example festival attributes are:

      • (Toronto International Film Festival)

      (Berlin International Film Festival)

      (Cannes Film Festival)

      (Sundance Film Festival)

      (New York International Independent Film and Video Festival)

      (Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival)


Attributes for city specific releases


  • If a release was not at a film festival but was local to a specific city then please record the city in the attributes field. The convention for US cities is to record the city and state to avoid confusion between cities with the same name in different states. The convention for other countries is just the city name. Please note that we do not record release locations down to the specific cinema so, for example, a screening at The Odeon Leicester Square in London should only be recorded as (London). Example city attributes are:

      • (Los Angeles, California)

      (New York City, New York)

      (London)

      (Berlin)

Attributes for limited releases


  • If a release was in more than one or two geographical locations in a country, but not wide enough to qualify as a wide (no attributes) release, then please use the attribute (limited) instead. In countries with a larger population such as the USA, if a title is shown in 11-599 screens, this implies a limited release. Please note that once a title has been released widely (no attribute) we do not record further specific city opening dates.
  • Public festival work-in-progress screenings are accepted with the festival name and the additional attribute (work-in-progress).

 

Attributes for premiere releases


  • If a release date is a special premiere showing of this title, we indicate it via a (premiere) attribute. Attributes are always enclosed in parentheses ( ), and multiple attributes must be enclosed separately with a space between each one. When there is more than one attribute the first one should always be the location (festival name, city etc). By premiere we mean a special event first screening within a country with the cast/crew in attendance. Here are some examples:

      • (Sundance Film Festival) (premiere)

      (Los Angeles, California) (premiere)

      (London) (premiere)

Attributes for non-theatrical releases


  • Sometimes titles which are intended for release in cinemas instead end up going directly to video or TV in certain countries (usually because of poor box office performance in other countries). We indicate this via the attributes (video premiere) or (TV premiere) respectively. Please do not submit video or TV release dates for titles which did receive a general theatrical release (outside festivals) in the same country as we do not have the resources to track every video and TV screening date in the database. There's also no need to include the video premiere attribute on titles made for video nor the TV premiere on titles made for TV.
  • Conversely, sometimes a title that's made for TV or straight to video gets a theatrical release in some countries. In such cases, use the attribute (theatrical release) to indicate it.

 

Attributes for re-releases


  • If a title is being widely re-released theatrically within a country, this should be indicated via a (re-release) attribute. If a release is of a newly restored version or director's cut and so on then this should also be indicated via an appropriate attribute. Examples include:

      • (restored version)

      (Cannes Film Festival) (director's cut)

      (TV premiere) (restored version)

      (Sundance Film Festival) (special edition) (premiere)

  • We require complete dates for re-releases, because vague re-release dates can, with films re-released a lot, get various releases mixed up.

 

Attributes for language regions in Switzerland


  • When adding release dates for Switerzland please always include the region to which the release applies. This should be one of:

      • (German speaking region)

      (French speaking region)

      (Italian speaking region)

US TV programs


  • For nationally televised US TV shows, we use our "earliest release date" rule, i.e. the release date for the show is the earliest date on which it was shown, no matter which region that happens to be in.


TV Series Release Dates

  • Release dates attached to TV Series are derived from the first/earliest episode and cannot be updated via the Parent Series.
  • To add or update the release date on a TV Series, please submit an correction to it's first episode via the Edit Page button listed at the bottom of the episodes page. 
  • When a shows final episode has aired and it will no longer be renewed you can request the addition of a Series End Year via the following form by selecting IMDb Fan/Contributor questions -> Titles -> Edit series end year and an editor can look into this for you.
  • The error message "No existing data" means that the data you are trying to update does not exist on the series-level page; please be aware that the release date is stored on the individual episode pages but populates the series page to provide a more complete overview. This is why submitting a change on the series page will return the error “No existing data”. Please submit a change to the release date at episode level. 


How to submit a new Release Date

If you're attempting to add a TV Series release date, please ensure to read the section above titled TV Series Release dates.

    1. Navigate to the title page.
    2. Scroll to the bottom of the page and select Edit Page.
    3. Under the heading Basic Data you will see the option Release Date.
    4. On the drop down to the right, click Add 1 Item.
    5. Scroll to the bottom of the page and select Continue.
    6. Add the date you would like, including the country and any attributes required.
    7. Scroll down and click Check these updates.
    8. If all is OK the box will turn green, now you can click Submit at the bottom of the page.
    9.  One of our editors will review this and approve/reject the change as necessary. 

How to update an existing Release Date


    1. Navigate to the title page.
    2. Scroll to the bottom of the page and select Edit Page.
    3. Under the heading Basic Data you will see the option Release Date.
    4. On the drop down to the right, click Correct/Delete.
    5. Scroll to the bottom of the page and select Continue.
    6. Find the release date you would like to change and using the drop down, select Correct.
    7. Scroll to the bottom and click Check these updates.
    8. Amend the release date of the title and scroll down and click Check these updates.
    9. If all is OK the box will turn green, now you can click Submit at the bottom of the page.
    10. One of our editors will review this and approve/reject the change as necessary. 

 

Exceptions

  • On occasion titles are shown to non-public focus groups to assess audience reaction before making final edits. As such, these should not be considered as release dates.
  • Market screenings that are by private invitation only are not considered public releases, therefore should not be considered as release dates.





Tracking your contribution


You can now track the status of your Release Date submission and if it has not been approved, we'll tell you the reason why.

If you are using the mobile apps, mobile website or desktop website you can access this feature via the 'Track your contribution' button, which has been added to the submission email receipt. Additionally, if you are using the desktop website, you can also use the 'Track Contribution' button now found in your contribution history page.

Clicking this button will take you to IMDb Contributor, our new contribution specific site where you will be shown the status of your request.



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