The release date of the new Harry Potter film, which earlier was expected to open in theaters later this year, has been pushed back to next summer, Warner Bros. Pictures said Thursday.

"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," the sixth installment of the popular franchise, will be released on July 17, 2009 as Hollywood's writers strike earlier this year has changed the " competitive landscape" for the next summer season, according to Alan Horn, the studio's chief operating officer.

Horn said in a statement that the studio decided to delay the release of "Half-Blood Prince" in order to take advantage of the lucrative summer season with less blockbuster competitors.

"We know the summer season is an ideal window for a family tent pole release, as proven by the success of our last Harry Potter film, which is the second-highest grossing film in the franchise, behind only the first installment," he said.

Meanwhile, "We are still feeling the repercussions of the writers' strike, which impacted the readiness of scripts for other films, changing the competitive landscape for 2009 and offering new windows of opportunity that we wanted to take advantage of," he added.

Horn said Warner Bros.' best strategy was to move "Half-Blood Prince" to July, where it would perfectly fill the gap for a major tent pole release for mid-summer.

Studio officials said the delay in release date will not impact the production schedule for this or future Harry Potter films.

(Xinhua News Agency August 15, 2008)