How Harrison Ford’s Bold Move Changed Hollywood’s Release Calendar

Harrison Ford has always stood apart from his Hollywood peers. While many top actors branch out into directing or writing, Ford has kept his focus squarely on acting. Aside from a couple of executive producer credits on K-19: The Widowmaker and Extraordinary Measures, he’s never sought the spotlight behind the camera. That’s just who he is—a no-nonsense star who’s spent decades cutting through the noise, sticking to the work, and steering clear of the trappings of fame. He shows up, delivers his lines, finishes the job, and heads home. Unlike other big names who chase creative control, Ford prefers to keep things simple and let his performances speak for themselves.

Ford’s Unexpected Power Play

Despite his low-key approach, Ford’s influence in the industry is undeniable. It takes real clout to convince a studio to shift the release date of a film you’re not even starring in—especially when that film is James Cameron ’s Titanic . At the time, Titanic was the most expensive movie ever made, the first to hit a $200 million budget, and it would go on to break nearly every box office record imaginable. But in the summer of 1997, Ford and director Wolfgang Petersen were eyeing a July 25 release for their action thriller, Air Force One. The problem? Paramount ’s Titanic and Warner Bros.’ Conspiracy Theory were both set to open the same weekend, putting all three films on a collision course that could have hurt their box office prospects.

Ford, who had been a major draw for Paramount thanks to hits like the Indiana Jones series and his Jack Ryan films, decided to step in. He picked up the phone and called Jonathan Dolgen, the head of Paramount’s parent company, Viacom Entertainment Group. Ford made it clear he wasn’t happy with the situation.

“Harrison was definitely irritated,”

his manager Patricia McQueeney recalled.

“He didn’t make any threats. He was not huffing and puffing. It was a friendly phone call. But Harrison did say, ‘Jonathan, what the hell are you guys doing?’ We’re very concerned about the whole situation.”

Shifting the Blockbuster Landscape

Ford’s team also reached out to Warner Bros. about Conspiracy Theory. As McQueeney put it,

“it’s bad business to open two movies on the same date, much less three of them.”

Less than two weeks after Ford’s intervention, Titanic quietly moved its release to December 19, while Conspiracy Theory shifted to August 8. When Conspiracy Theory finally hit theaters, it bumped Air Force One from the top spot after the latter had dominated for two weekends.

By staggering the premieres, each film got its moment in the spotlight. All three opened at number one, and all three pulled in impressive box office numbers. Of course, Titanic would go on to outgross the other two by more than threefold, but the strategic reshuffling ensured that none of the movies cannibalized each other’s audiences. Ford’s timely phone call didn’t just benefit his own film—it helped create a win-win scenario for everyone involved.