It's always surprising when high-profile movies change their opening days with only months or weeks to spare. So break out your calendars and raise your eyebrows, movie fans, because a few major Sony releases have shifted. Two of them are fairly minor, but the third definitely sends up a red flag or two.

First of all, George Clooney's 'The Monuments Men,' once considered a strong Oscar hopeful, is suddenly looking like it won't be taking home any gold this award season. We knew the World War II drama was being moved from its December 18, 2013 release date, but it's now opening on February 7, 2014. Why change it this late in the game? Clooney, who both directs and stars in the film, told Deadline he couldn't finish the visual effects and music in time for release this year. We've enjoyed the trailers for this one so far, and are still anxious to see it on the big screen.

The other two release changes are far more minor. David O. Russell's star-studded 'American Hustle' was set to open on December 25, but it's now moving up a week to December 18 to take advantage of the empty slot created by 'The Monuments Men.' The stylish crime flick will begin a limited release on December 13 before going wide.

And finally, the much dreaded remake of 'RoboCop,' formerly in that February 7 slot, will be released five days later than previously announced. It will now disappoint moviegoers (or at least die-hard fans of the original 'RoboCop') on February 12, 2014.

UPDATE: While Sony shuffled around its titles, Paramount announced that 'Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit,' starring Chris Pine as the Tom Clancy-inspired character, will now be released on January 17, 2014. The film was originally slated for a December release, but with 'The Wolf of Wall Street' now premiering in that slot, 'Ryan' was bumped into the less-than-desired mid-January date.

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