Release Dates: Valkyrie Eyes 8-8-08, Monsters Vs. Aliens Sidesteps James Cameron's Avatar

United Artists is targeting August 8th 2008 (8-8-08) to release the Bryan Singer-directed Valkyrie which stars Tom Cruise in the real life story of the attempted assassination of Adolph Hitler at the height of World War II. Valkyrie will go head to head with New Line's Journey 3-D, Sony's Pineapple Express, Disney's South of the Border, and Warner Bros' The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2. [via: ComingSoon]

Dreamworks Animation is moving Monsters vs. Aliens up one week for a May 15th 2009 release to avoid direct competition with James Cameron's Avatar. This a a good move since both films are going to be released in digital 3D. Today only around 800 screens are equipped with the digital projection technology to allow 3D projection, but Jeffrey Katzenberg has told people that he wanted to debut Monsters vs. Aliens on 6,000 screens. And I'm sure Katzenberg doesn't want to share the screens with Cameron's movie. This will at least give Monsters vs. Aliens a one week competition free head start.